What Food Packages Don

Food companies are required by law to have a food label on their packages. Unfortunately, that doesn

Snacking Mistakes That Make You Gain Weight

Many diet programs tell you to eat snacks throughout the day to help with hunger. What they might not be telling you is that it could be your snacking that is sinking your weight loss goals. Here are some snacking mistakes that you could be making that are frustrating your results.

Are you a firm snacker or a grazer? A firm snacker is a person who brings their snacks with them and eats only what they brought. A grazer is someone who is more likely to pick up a little of this or that (like at a party), forgetting that calories are cumulative.

In both cases, but mainly with the latter, it is important to evaluate what you are eating as well as the amount, to determine if you are snacking wisely or unwisely. Did you know that many of us gain more calories from the snacks than we do the meal? Snacks are not a free-for-all. They need to be put together just like your main meals.

Snacking Mistakes We All Make

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Six Foods That Can Help Shrink Your Waistline

Do you find that the last place that weight comes off is around the middle? The belly is a stubborn customer, but you can find a way to beat it.

So you

How to Feel Full Longer

When it comes to losing weight, food is often the biggest sticking point. Any permanent weight loss changes are going to be the result of diet and exercise. One way to overcome the food hurdle is choosing the right foods such as those that help you feel full longer.

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Picking Your Battles – Deciding Ahead of Time What Is Important

Living with a teenager can make what was once a peaceful, joy-filled home seem like a battle zone. The inner struggle between childhood and adulthood that is raging inside a teen

Letting Go and Allowing Kids to Make Mistakes

Wouldn

How to Be Supportive without Saying,

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What

You have imparted all of your words of wisdom on your child over the years. You have shared your personal failures and examples of poor choices

Tips for Helping Kids Form Their Own Opinions and Interests

It makes sense. Teens who are passionate about a cause or activity and become actively involved in it are more likely to grow up into successful adults. Working on something they believe in with people who have similar values keeps them out of trouble and engaged in meaningful pursuits. They learn satisfaction from working towards goals, empathy for others, and leadership skills that can transfer to any part of their lives in adulthood.

Engaging in various roles of these activities can improve communication skills and interactions with various people from diverse cultural, age, and religious backgrounds. Reaching goals as a group and contributing to a greater cause is known to increase self-confidence and the general sense of wellbeing. Teens may need some guidance and direction in order to find the cause that matters most to them. However, once the interest is there, the benefits are far-reaching and can last a lifetime.

In order to help teens find the cause they are interested in, focus on teachable moments as they grow. Foster conversations about different interests and people who have done interesting things. Try to pursue casual interests into a bigger cause. For example, take a pre-teen who likes dogs to the local animal shelter and speak to people there about what they need there to help the animals. Ask them what they like about working there and what opportunities are available for people to get involved. Exposure to different people and places will give kids more ideas as they grow.

Try getting involved in different activities and pursuits as a family. Scour local libraries, nature centers, or county facilities for activities and events that you can attend. Focus on your areas of interest in order to find a cause that holds the most interest for you and your family. Families can find activities for fitness buffs, sports enthusiasts, environmental supporters, animal lovers, cultural promotion and just about any other cause that is personally important. Parents can go with the idea of

Helping Adult Children: When is it Appropriate?

As you watch your children grow up and have families of their own, sometimes there are challenges and struggles for all of you. You may wonder if you should help. When is it appropriate to step in and “bail them out”? When should you let consequences be consequences? And how can you help your adult children be more independent?

There are no one-size-fits-all answers to these questions. Each family has its own dynamics and issues, so as you look over these suggestions and ideas, remember that these are a starting point to get you thinking and to help you make your own decision.

So here are some thoughts on helping adult children.

1. Be Responsive
Experts who deal with parents trying to make a decision on whether or not to help their adult children generally agree that you need to be responsive. However, that response does not have to be the financial or other help your adult kids are asking for. The point is to listen, and to express genuine concern and consideration of their quandary. Your final decision will likely be more respected by your kids if you have shown you really do understand the situation and are concerned for their welfare.

2. Lead Them to Other Help
Sometimes, helping your kids means directing them to other resources. Perhaps your married adult kids need a marriage counselor, or perhaps they could apply for some sort of financial assistance besides you. There’s nothing wrong with directing them to other resources; you don’t have to be the only one who can help.

3. Saying No
There’s no doubt that it can be very hard to say no. Your adult children may be very angry with you, and so might other members of your family. They may try to make you feel guilty. But if you are sure that “no” is the right answer, then stick to it.

4. Saying Yes
Only you know your unique family situation, so if you agree to give your kids help, there’s no need to feel guilty. However, experts suggest placing limitations and/or conditions on the help you offer. For instance:

-Your son wants to move to another state to start a career, and wants financial assistance to get an apartment. You could tell him that you’ll pay the deposit and the first month’s rent (or however long you’re comfortable and able to), but after that he’s on his own.

-Your daughter wants to move back in with you because she is having a fight with her husband, and you don’t want to be caught in the middle or have her living with you long-term. So you could offer to let her stay with you only as long as she gets marriage counseling or only for a few weeks or months.

The point of these scenarios is to give you some ideas on how to set limitations and boundaries with your help, so you don’t feel taken advantage of and so your kids still learn some problem-solving.

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Thinning Hair – Facts and Stats for Men and Women

Thinning hair and hair loss can cause a great deal of anxiety for men and women. Women in particular may find hair loss traumatic, because it’s not considered to be a “normal” part of aging. But what causes hair loss? How many people really suffer from it? And can it indicate any underlying health issues?

Here are some facts and statistics about thinning hair for both men and women.

1. Men versus Women

Hair loss associated with aging is often considered a “male” problem. But about 40% of hair loss sufferers are women, sources say, and almost half of all women experience hair loss as a hereditary problem. To put it another way, 35 million men in the US experience hair loss, and 21 million women. So this is not just a guy thing.

Let’s look at some of the facts about the real culprits behind hair loss, and why it can be a cause for concern.

2. Does Stress Cause Hair Loss?

Actually, most experts agree that stress is not a significant cause of thinning hair, particularly for men. It may play a role in female hair loss, but it’s not likely to be a significant cause of thinning hair.

3. What about Heredity?

Most sources agree that heredity is one of the big culprits in hair loss. Some experts go so far as to say it accounts for almost 80% of male hair loss. Heredity can affect women’s hair, too, but it is not always straightforward. This is because hair loss in women may have some other causes, and those other causes may or may not be hereditary.

4. Hormones

An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is a major cause of hair loss in women. There are other possible hormonal causes of hair loss, too, such as the decrease in estrogen that occurs in menopause or the hormonal shifts that happen a few months after giving birth. It’s worth checking in with your doctor or other health professional if you think hormonal imbalance is playing a role in your hair loss.

5. Possible Underlying Health Issues Indicated by Hair Loss

There are some health problems that are associated with hair loss and thinning hair. Here are some of them:

* Iron deficiency
* Deficiency in other vitamins
* Too much vitamin A
* Alopecia areata, which is an autoimmune disorder that manifests as hair loss

6. How You Treat Your Hair

While hair is essentially dead tissue once it comes out of the follicle, how you treat your hair can affect its thickness. For example, harsh pulling and ripping at tangles with plastic bristle brushes can damage hair and make it appear thin by tearing up the ends. Harsh styling treatments can also cause hair breakage. Experts suggest using a natural-bristle brush that is gentle on the hair and massages the scalp.

7. The Role of Diet and Nutrition

Both men and women can benefit from a healthy diet, and their hair can, too. Sources say that getting plenty of healthy fats is important, as is taking an age-appropriate, easily absorbed vitamin. Eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies for nutrients and fiber, and exercise regularly. Exercise helps get the circulation going everywhere, including your scalp.

Hair loss is no fun, and it may indicate a health problem. When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to check with a health professional.

Expensive Shampoo and Conditioner versus Cheap – Is There Really a Difference?

You’ve seen those bottles of shampoo and conditioner that sell for $20 and up. And then you’ve seen those $1.89 bottles at your local retailer. It’s hard not to wonder if the difference in quality is really that significant.

Is there really a difference between the expensive shampoo and conditioner and the cheap stuff?

First, it helps to know just what shampoo and conditioner are all about.

Shampoo

The purpose of shampoo – no matter what the advertisers say – is to wash your hair. It’s supposed to clean your hair and scalp, removing dirt, oil, dust, and whatever other matter you don’t want there. Like washing your hands, washing your hair is supposed to clean it. This may seem super-obvious, but think about it – advertisers have everyone believing that hair care is all about what the shampoo puts into your hair. If the shampoo has any cleaning power at all, then it’s not leaving much of anything behind.

Conditioner

The purpose of conditioner is to add moisture to your hair, and other ingredients that help reduce frizz. Conditioner can also protect your hair from damage to an extent by making it more supple. That’s really it. So why do some conditioners cost a fortune? Like shampoo, it has a lot to do with the ingredients…

Ingredients: Vitamins, Minerals and Proteins

A lot of shampoos and conditioners are more expensive because they have so many “special” ingredients. From exotic oils and fragrances to magical ingredients said to repair split ends, shampoos and conditioners all seem to be trying to outdo each other. The more of these ingredients are added, the higher the price.

So How Can You Find a Quality Shampoo and Conditioner?

Even if you are confident that you don’t want to spend on fortune on shampoo and conditioner, quality is still important and it does matter. But you don’t have to spend a lot to get good quality. For example, some sources suggest steering clear of shampoos and conditioners with sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and the like. These are considered harsh detergents that can damage hair.

Other sources say that you should avoid dimethicones (and any chemical ending in “cone”) in your shampoo and conditioner. But you can find good quality products that do not have these chemicals or the harsh detergents. Just read the ingredient lists in the inexpensive shampoo and conditioner aisle!

So using a quality product to clean and condition your hair makes sense. But spending a whole lot of money on “miracle” products doesn’t.

5 Positive Ways for Grandparents to Share Their Wisdom and Experience

You’re probably familiar with the stereotypical image of the grandparent lecturing his or her grandchild about the “good old days.” And of course, the grandchild is bored with the discussion. It’s true that kids tend not to respond well to long, moralizing lectures. But they do benefit from the wisdom, guidance, and experience of their grandparents. Studies have even shown that young people are seeking guidance from their grandparents. So how can you get the message across?

Here are 5 positive ways for grandparents to share their wisdom and experience using an approach that today’s generation can relate to.

1. Cook Together
Often, grandparents can impart wisdom simply through conversation with the younger generation(s). But that conversation tends to be a lot more meaningful when it grows out of a pleasant time together. Cooking a meal together using original recipes or cookware is a great way to get a conversation started. You can start a conversation about the history of the recipe or the origins of the cookware, and share memories of eating a particular dish.

2. Teach Them a Skill
Does your granddaughter admire your sewing? Does your grandson always look over your shoulder when you’re working on the car engine? You can take a moment to teach your grandkids the skills necessary to do those things they admire. This also goes for hobbies like woodworking, crafts, fishing, painting, and so forth.

3. Create a Family Tree
Work with your grandchildren or children to put together a family tree. This is sure to inspire many conversations! The younger ones can help their elders by doing online research, and the older ones can share memories of family members. Everyone may find out things they didn’t know about past family!

4. Do Family Interviews
You just never know how much longer you have with an older family member. Why not set up some audio or video interviews that will be absolutely priceless in the future? Who knows – your grandparents’ stories could be fodder for a novel someday!

When you conduct your interviews, it might help to ask specific questions that are easy to answer to get things started. Really broad questions like, “What was it like when you were young?” are too general and hard to answer. But questions like, “What was your first day of school like?” are easier to recall and respond to.

5. Encourage Your Grandchildren to Tell Their Stories
Conversation is a two-way street. Why not ask your grandchildren to relate things from their past, even if it was just a few years or days ago? They may be more open to listening if they’ve been heard first. Then perhaps you can relate a story or lesson you learned that is along similar lines to what your grandchild shared with you.

Reaching out a little can go a long way toward forging the kind of relationship and environment where you can share your wisdom and experience with your grandkids.

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Tips for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Meeting Grandkids’ Emotional Needs

The number of children under the age of 18 who are living with their grandparents has grown tremendously during the last decade. And it’s still growing. More and more grandparents find themselves raising their grandkids for a host of reasons. And sometimes, those reasons involve some difficult emotional situations and needs.

It’s a somewhat new phenomenon, so there may not be a lot of help out there for grandparents in this situation. Here are some tips for grandparents raising grandchildren that just may help.

1. Connect with Other Grandparent-Parents
It is so important to get in touch with other grandparents who are also raising their grandchildren. You can bounce ideas off each other, support one another, and offer encouragement and advice. You can also help babysit for others. And perhaps most importantly, you’ll realize you’re not alone in this situation. This accomplishes an important first step in your emotional connection with your grandkids: your own emotional health.

2. Hold Your Tongue
There are times when it’s really hard to hold your tongue when you’re a grandparent raising your grandchildren. The fact is, there may be a lot of family difficulties and problems associated with the kids’ presence in your home. You may feel resentful that you’re spending what are supposed to be relaxing retirement years taking care of young kids. But experts are clear that speaking badly of other family members – especially the child’s parents – in front of the kids can be emotionally damaging. Try to keep your frustrations for your counselor and friends in private.

3. Remember Your Own Relationships
Many times, marriages suffer when grandparents find themselves raising young children. Suddenly, the “couple time” and travel plans are out on hold yet again, and this time, there may not be the time or resources when the grandkids are grown. It can be really tough, so it’s more important than ever to make sure your own relationships are healthy. You can’t meet your grandkids’ emotional needs very well if your own emotional relationships are in shambles. Seek marital counseling if you need to – your grandkids need a stable home as much as you do.

4. Love Unconditionally
This is a key component to meeting a child’s emotional needs. It can be difficult when you want to attach expectations to your grandchildren, or when you feel like you’re owed something for your sacrifices. Try to love your grandchildren for who they are, not how they are affecting your life. Remember, it’s not their fault.

Meeting the emotional needs of grandchildren can be challenging, but as a grandparent, you have the voice of experience to guide you. Look at it as a second chance to do things over again.

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The Health and Growth of Your Hair: Fact and Fiction

When it comes to hair growth and health, old wives’ tales abound. Some of these may have some truth to them; others are simply persistent falsehoods. Let’s take a look at the fact and fiction of your hair’s health and growth.

1. Fact or Fiction: Hair Grows Faster If You Trim It Regularly

This one’s fiction. Your hair is dead on the ends, so you can’t “stimulate” growth by trimming. But this myth certainly is persistent! One probable reason why this myth has stuck around is that trimming your hair can make it look thicker immediately, and keeping it trimmed can give the appearance of health and thickness. And when the ends are even and splitting is under control with regular trimming, hair can appear to grow faster. But it’s all about looks; your hair isn’t doing anything different at the roots if you trim it often.

2. Fact or Fiction: Straight Hair Grows Faster

Fiction. Once again, this is all about appearances. Straight hair appears to grow faster because it’s taking a straight route downwards! Wavy and curly hair curve around before heading down. Think of a spiral staircase – it takes a lot more steps in a spiral staircase than it does a straight one to cover the same vertical space. If you straighten out the spiral stairs, they’ll cover a lot more length; if you coil up straight stairs, you’ll come up short.

3. Fact or Fiction: Taking Vitamins Helps Your Hair

This is fact. Good nutrition promotes healthy hair. And to get those nutrients into your hair, you need to consume them. This leads to the next fact or fiction question…

4. Fact or Fiction: Vitamins in Shampoo and Conditioner Make Your Hair Healthier

While the vitamin-infused shampoo or conditioner you’re using may make your hair appear healthier, your hair does not get vitamins from shampoo or conditioner. Hair is not living tissue once it comes out of the follicle, so nutrients in your hair need to be delivered via your bloodstream while the hair is being formed in the follicle.

5. Fact or Fiction: Brushing Your Hair More Often Will Make It Grow More

This is largely fiction, but there’s a little fact here. While it’s not true that brushing more frequently will make your hair grow more or grow faster, using a natural bristle brush can help massage and stimulate your scalp and promote healthy hair. A good balance here is to brush your hair only when necessary, and when you do, use a natural bristle brush.

6. Fact or Fiction: The Right Product Can Repair Split Ends

Despite all the ads that promise to “repair” your split ends, this one’s fiction. Once your hair is split, it’s split. Certain products can hide the appearance of split ends temporarily by sealing the splits together. But there’s no way to mend a split hair like a broken bone.

Hopefully, knowing a little more about what does and doesn’t promote healthy hair can give you an edge on hair care. And it can relieve some stress to know that there may be some hair care habits you don’t have to bother with anymore!

Hair Care Facts and Myths

When it comes to hair care, many people rely on advice that’s not at all rooted in fact. The world of hair care is shrouded in myths, trends, and old wives’ tales, and yet there are some clear facts out there, too. How can you tell what’s fact and what’s myth?

Here are some hair care facts and myths to help you tell what’s true and what’s not.

1. Should I brush my hair for 100 strokes before going to bed every night?

If you’ve ever seen a Victorian-era brush and mirror set (and that’s the era from which this advice hails), then you can easily picture a lady with long hair brushing it out carefully with the wide, densely-bristled brush. But those were natural, soft bristles, and her hair was likely down to her knees. In addition, women in those days didn’t wash their hair very often, and brushing appeared to “smooth” the hair by working the oil through it and down to the roots.

Today, this advice is considered outdated at best and damaging at worst. Brushing too often in this day and age of super-clean, product-covered, blow-dried hair and plastic hair brushes can lead to hair breakage.

2. Lather, rinse, repeat (until you hear the “squeak”)

Were you told to wash your hair, rinse it, and then wash again? Some shampoo bottles still tout this advice, but it’s a myth (and a good ploy to sell more shampoo). You only need to wash your hair once and rinse. And as for that “squeak” that your hair is supposed to make that says it’s clean…well, experts warn that this is the equivalent of your hair screaming! Hair that’s squeaky-clean is devoid of all natural oils, which makes it prone to be dry with brittle ends.

3. Should I pluck out my gray hairs? Or will that make more grow back?

There’s advice floating around that says if you pluck out gray hairs, you’ll get more than one gray hair in its place. This isn’t true. If you pluck hair of any color all you end up with is less hair!

4. If you smoke, your hair will turn gray and fall out

This is partly true. Smokers are statistically more likely to have gray hair than those who don’t smoke, and smokers are also more prone to hair loss.

5. Lemon juice will bleach your hair

False…somewhat. Lemon juice won’t bleach your hair, but it can exaggerate highlights. But you need to expose lemon-juice-spritzed hair to the sun repeatedly for it to work.

6. Natural hair products don’t have any chemicals in them, right?

Some do and some don’t. You just have to read the ingredient lists and do your research. Unfortunately, you really can’t trust labels. “Natural” is a pretty general term with lenient guidelines.

Learning fact from fiction can help you have a healthier head of hair. It might save you money, too!

What Does Your Hair Say about Your Health?

Your hair can tell you some key things about your health if you know what to look for. While everyone’s hair is different in texture, color, thickness, and so forth, there are still some things you can learn from the state of your hair.

Even though your hair is technically “dead,” it didn’t start out that way. So just what does your hair say about your health?

1. Know Your Own Hair

Because everyone’s hair is different, it’s good to know your own hair. When you get your hair cut, talk to your hairdresser about your hair’s texture and thickness, and what he or she thinks about your hair. You’ll know if there have been changes, and whether or not those changes are normal for your age and lifestyle. (For example, it’s normal for a woman to lose a lot of hair a few months after giving birth, and it’s normal for everyone’s hair to get a bit thinner as they age.) So knowing what’s normal for your head is important if you’re going to discern changes.

2. Shedding

Another tip for knowing normal: it’s considered normal to shed up to 100 hairs a day. According to experts, your hair follicles are about 90% active and 10% “resting” at any given time. The hair is constantly replacing itself, in other words. Brushing your hair regularly can help you keep a handle on how much you’re shedding and whether or not there is an unusual increase in hair loss.

3. Vitamin Deficiencies

Some health experts point out the role of iron in hair strength and thickness, and sometimes suggest iron supplements or even infusions for people with severe hair loss. Often, the increase in iron helps stop hair loss and promote new growth.

It’s important to get enough vitamin B12, too, as that helps you absorb iron.

4. Too Many Vitamins

Did you know that excessive vitamin A may cause hair loss? While vitamin A is essential for hair health, the irony is that too much of it can promote hair loss. This is why some vitamin A-based acne treatments list hair loss as a possible side effect.

Sources say that you should take in no more than 10,000 IUs of vitamin A daily. But the need for this vitamin varies from individual to individual, so it’s a good idea to consult a health professional about your vitamin A needs if your hair seems to be “telling” you something!

5. Thyroid Conditions

Thinning hair may indicate a thyroid problem, usually too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism). Sometimes, with hypothyroidism, the hair doesn’t fall out so much as it becomes thin and limp. This is definitely time to seek a doctor who can give you a thyroid test to show whether or not you’re deficient in this hormone.

6. Lack of Biotin

Brittle hair may indicate that you need more biotin. Foods like eggs, dairy products, and liver contain biotin, which has come to the fore lately as a hair-health promoting nutrient.

The bottom line is, your hair is part of your body, and a healthy body tends to have healthy hair! Even if your hair is thin or fine naturally, it’s still a good idea to keep an eye on it to see if any changes in hair loss or texture are signaling a health issue.

Grandparents’ Many Roles in the Family

Everyone’s family situation is a bit different, and the role of grandparents varies from family to family. Grandparents have their own style of grandparenting, and family dynamics can run the gamut from grandparent-friendly to quite distant (sometimes literally, as many grandparents are hundreds if not thousands of miles away from their grandkids).

Regardless of your unique situation, there are some similarities in the roles of grandparents today. Here are some of those roles that you can expect as grandparents.

1. The Family Historian
As a grandparent, you may be the only connection your grandchildren have to their past. Even if they don’t seem interested now, do them a favor for the future: keep a journal, photo albums, tape and video recordings, or all of these. Use these methods to document your memories of family and the way things used to be. Learning about your past may be a catalyst for your grandchildren to learn something about themselves, too.

2. Teacher
You have all kinds of past experience and have amassed many skills over the years. Take some time to pass along what you’ve learned, just as others did with you when you were growing up. It might be something like life skills, such as the art of conversation or housekeeping tips. Or it may be more academic, like math or science knowledge. What about the arts? Maybe you’d like to teach your grandchildren classical ballet, or painting, sculpting, drawing, or how to play an instrument. There is much they can learn from you!

3. Playmate
Grandparents can be great playmates. Parents may be too tired, worn out with childcare, or burdened with responsibilities to just play. Grandparents can often take the time to play games and engage in imaginative play with their grandkids.

4. A Safe Haven
When your grandchildren feel like they can’t talk to their parents, you may be their safe choice. Perhaps they view you as non-judgmental, or they respect your vast experience and know you’ll have something wise to say to their situation. Whatever their reasons, you have the opportunity as a grandparent to be that listening ear that your grandkids may really need.

5. Providing Support
Sometimes, grandparents end up being providers financially and in other ways. Giving your family support when they need it helps give your family a sense of security.

6. Setting an Example
Whether you realize it or not, many people in your family admire and respect you, and want to know your “secrets.” They may be watching to see how you handle hard times, difficult people, awkward relationships, and/or finances. As grandparents, you have the unique privilege of being role models in these and other areas.

7. Babysitter
Yes, grandparents can make wonderful babysitters, whether sporadically for Mom and Dad’s date night or regularly while Mom and/or Dad go to work. Grandparents can be a supportive back-up plan in case a child is sick and can’t go to daycare or school, but the parent(s) still have to go to work.

Grandparents have many roles in the family! Hopefully, these 7 suggestions have helped you get a better idea of how important you are in your family.

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