Road trips and unhealthy food go hand-in-hand indeed. After all what more is there to do when travelling? Sitting in a closed vehicle, your arm will invariably stretch towards the open pack of chips. Aerated drinks, sodas and take-away are what follows next. You don’t even realize how much junk food you have in your system by the time you reach your destination.

Junk food is certainly more convenient and may sound much easier to carry while travelling. But what we don’t realize is how we run after convenience without really looking its nutritional value. If you try to find the nutritional value of burgers, wafers and other junk food, you probably won’t find any! These foods, although seem very appetizing but on the contrary are extremely unhealthy.

If this is what you consume throughout your trip, chances are you won’t even be able to enjoy as much as you hope for. Wonder Why? The extra sugar, starch and preservatives present in junk food makes you grouchy, fatigued and may even leave you with a stomach ache. To avoid these situations, you just need to make little changes in your pre-trip shopping list and then you’re set to travel, the healthy way!

Since there are not many places giving importance to healthy, it’s the best to pack your own meals and snacks from home. This way you know you are consuming the best material which has wholesome nutritional value. Healthy means fruits and lots of veggies and thus when you are going out, take these with you. Fruits like apple, banana, orange and kiwi are quite filling, easy to eat and very good for body and so they make great snacks of travelling. For veggies, you can boil them, chop and carry in zip-lock pouches or take them with you in a salad form. Consuming the daily requirements of veggies will keep you healthy and regulate your body functions properly!

Another great way to fulfil your nutritional requirement when on the go is nuts. Nuts give you energy, contain essential fatty acids like Omega-3 and reduce the level of cholesterol in your body. Being high on fibre, they are a part of a balanced diet and also keep blood pressure under control. Having almonds and few cashews daily will yield positive effects on your health. If you want to carry some sweet snacks on the trip with you, invest in granola bars! Since these are rich source of fibre, nuts and cereal, it will make you feel fuller for a long time.

Water is another important element that you need to have when travelling. Never forget to carry water with you. Also take yogurt, juice, and water rich foods like cucumber

If you are going to a place like a movie or airport where home-made food cannot be carried, you must not get tempted and eat only healthy and nutritional food. Tofu-wraps, salads and other low-calorie food can be ordered. Japanese cuisine is an excellent option to explore as it’s known for its low-calorie nutritional content.

Just stay determined, and soon you won’t even feel like looking at the junk food anymore. The first step may be the hardest, but once you are on the path, nothing will be able to stray you!

There is a relation between your diet and how your body reacts to cancer. You already know that lifestyle changes can have a huge impact on the way your body reacts to cancer. Sudden rise in the number of cancer patients has been encouraging cancer cure research that has come up with an interesting relationship between your diet and cancer.

The researches show that different kinds of foods have different reactions to cancers – some can help your body fight cancer and keep it at bay, while others can increase cancer risk. But following a good and healthy diet will ensure that you are not a cancer victim. Here are 3 healthy diet tips that will help you fight cancer.

1. Consume More Plant Based Products

Research has shown that most of the vegetables, fruits and whole grains have cancer-fighting nutrients. Plant products have more fiber, less fat and these help protect your immune system against cancer. Have a diet that includes of vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, tomato, carrot, spinach. Also include whole grains like sprouts, beans, nuts and grains; along with citrus fruits and berries.

You should see that you do not remove the phytochemicals from these foods. The lesser these are cooked or mixed with other ingredients and altered from their natural form and colour, the better they are. Try not to consume too much of processed food. For example, instead of having canned orange juice, have an orange.

2. Have Large Amount Of Fiber

A good diet to fight cancer will consist of a large amount of fiber. Fiber is that part of the food that your body doesn’t digest. It is the roughage your body needs to aid digestion. Fiber ensures that your digestive tract is working smoothly and that no cancerous compound can accumulate in it.

You can get your daily dose of fiber from fruits, leafy vegetables. Also, brown bread and rice can give you fiber. It is best to avoid white bread and rice, as these do not give your body the required amount of fiber.

3. Cut Down On Your Intake Of Meat

A healthy diet for fighting cancer does not include eating meat. Research shows that people who do not eat meat are 50% less likely to have cancer than those that have meat.

Meat doesn’t have any nutrient that helps fight cancer. It doesn’t provide you and fiber and causes increase in weight. It contains high amounts of saturated fat that can be a reason for cancer.

This, however, doesn’t mean that you need to become a vegetarian. Have meat but in moderate amount. The amount of meat you consume should not exceed fifteen percent of your total calorie intake in a day. Lean meat like chicken, turkey instead of red meat and beef are better options than meats like sausage, salami and other processed meats.

Your immune system fights cells that cause cancer and so, you will have to keep it healthy. Eat well, eat a healthy diet and fight cancer.

Are you pregnant? Then it is the time to review your diet plan. During pregnancy you ought to be careful with what you eat as your choices affect your and yet to be born child’s health. You got to say ‘NO’ to food that is harmful for you no matter how appealing they are to your taste buds! Here is a list of food items that must be out of your diet plan for coming nine months:

1. Cheese: Unpasteurized cheese like blue cheese, brie, camembert and feta must be completely avoided. It is best to stay away from soft cheese.

2. Fish: Fish with high mercury content must be completely avoided as it may lead to brain damage of the unborn baby. Some other side-effects can be lower IQ, decreased memory or attention span or other developmental delays. Fishes with high mercury content are King Makerel, shark and Tilefish.

3. Raw meat: Exclude sushi, shellfish, uncooked poultry and beef as they have the risk of coliform bacteria, salmonella and toxoplasmosis. These bacteria pose a great health risk for pregnant women.

4. Deli meat: Deli meat like hot dogs are generally contaminated with listeria bacteria that poses a great risk of miscarriage. Have it only if it is steaming hot to evade the risk, otherwise avoid it.

5. Raw eggs: Raw eggs generally contain salmonella which must be avoided. You find this in mayonnaise, Caesar salad dressing, custard and ice creams. You may even find raw eggs in unpasteurized cheese, so all these items must be completely avoided.

Now that you know which food items you need to avoid, don’t forget to include loads of proteins and carbohydrates to your diet. You can get these in plenty isn poultry, cereals, vegetables and fruits.

Prevention is better than cure but have you ever wondered, what is the one and only pre requisite for prevention? Yes, it is the knowledge. This is why it is important that you are up to date with the possible complications that might occur after undergoing an orthopedic surgery. This will not only ensure that you are better equipped to tackle it in the unfortunate circumstance that it crops up, it also means that you can take precaution measures to ensure that it doesn’t happen in the first place. Here are the 3 most common complications that you need to know about:

1. Failure Of The Whole Operation Itself

There is a subtle yet important difference between orthopedic operations and other operations that you usually hear about. While other operations are usually conclusive in nature, an orthopedic operation is more of structural procedures where the tissues that support the structure, along with the muscles need to align themselves properly post the operation in order for it to be successful. This results in failures in the operated area itself or generation of problems in otherwise fit areas.

There are possibilities that after the orthopedic operation, you might face a case where an otherwise rebuilt ligament collapses or fractures are healed in an undesired manner.

2. Infection In The Operated Region

Take any operations that you usually hear of (or even if you font hear of them that usually) and you will see that infections happen to be one of the most common post operation complication. With the case of orthopedic operations this risk is aggravated as more often than not, in order for the surgery to be successful it is required that a foreign object is introduced into the system.

While the doctors usually take extreme care to ensure that no infection spreads from these foreign objects, the chance of one can’t be negated completely. It is recommended that you keep out a keen eye for signs of a spreading infection which will ensure early cure of the same if it surfaces.

3. Blood Clotting

Blood clotting is a unique problem that only patients of orthopedic surgeries face. This is owing to the fact that blood tends to clot in those regions of the body which are either stagnant for an elongated period of time or are exposed to inflammatory chemicals which accelerate the process of blood clotting. This is why it is important that you identify signs of blood clot as early as possible and find a solution to the same.

Remember that if you ignore blood clots for too long, they can travel up your blood vessels and clog other important vessels and organs of the body. Visit a physician regularly to minimize these threats to a basic minimum.

Taking care to ensure that your loved ones are not suffering from any of these three prevalent forms of post-surgery complications will ensure a faster recovery for them. This is why you should choose nothing but the best when it comes to orthopedic surgeries. Savannah Orthopedics is a reliable name you can trust in this matter.

In order to prepare yourself for pregnancy, it is essential that you spend as much time as you can trying to understand what goes on inside your body, from the very first week down to the last.

The first month of your pregnancy is perhaps the most crucial as these weeks will set the tone for your entire 9 months. From the first to the fourth week of pregnancy, your body will be going through an assortment of changes to prepare itself for the task ahead, and by the end of this month, your little one will also begin to take shape and register its first heartbeat.

1st – 2nd Week – The Journey Begins

At this time, your baby is just a tiny speck inside your tummy. As it is quite difficult to deduce the exact moment of conception, your doctor will estimate your due date based on the date of your last menstrual period.

Missing your period is the first sign that you may be pregnant. Once confirmed, it is important to immediately schedule an appointment with your ob-gyn to ensure that all is well with you and your baby.  Your doctor will also be prescribing the necessary vitamins to assist in proper development.

The importance of finding a good doctor at this time cannot be understated. As you will be sharing the entire journey with your doctor, make sure to partner with someone that you trust and are comfortable with.

3rd Week – Anybody Want a Peanut

While you won’t be noticing any physical changes in your body at this time, your baby is already starting to develop and is now a tiny embryo, roughly the size of a small peanut. During this phase, the outer layers covering your fetus will develop into the placenta, while the inner layer becomes the embryo itself.

4th Week – Bring on the Hormones

Now that you have been successfully impregnated, it is important that you pay close attention to your diet. Load up on healthy greens, cooked meat, and fresh produce.

As your baby continues to grow, you will begin to notice a few changes in your body. For one, your belly will start to slowly expand, which can make you feel bloated at times. Your bras will also feel tighter as your breasts get rounder and more tender. Feelings of nausea, faintness, and fatigue may also kick in during the 4th week.

More than the physical changes, the first month of pregnancy will bring a bevy of emotions ranging from fear to excitement. Worries about your job, your health, and your finances are most likely to beset you at this time. While you are still able to move freely, spend this time going over your work situation; talk to your supervisor and give them a heads up about your condition. Now is also the time to re-evaluate your diet and lifestyle. Learn more about what’s good and harmful for your developing baby.

Finally, make sure to go over your plans with your partner and discuss how you want to go about welcoming a new baby into your family.

If you’d like to narrow down the actual moment of conception, then Brenda recommends this pregnancy conception date calculator. You will also find an ancient free gender predictor at DueDateCalculator.org to have some fun with.