Healthy Snacks for Kids – Part 5

In light of the latest statistics on childhood obesity, we thought it would be a good idea to offer some recipes for easy, healthy snacks for kids.  Parents can set a good example for their children if they choose healthier snacks themselves. Why not try some of these and enjoy them with the offspring?

Apples Wedges for Kids

Ants on a Log

Crunch Crunch Crunch Mix for Kids (check out the other ones too)

Peanut Butter-Banana Spirals

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Sandwich

What Hotels Have That You Forgot

Did you ever check into a hotel and remember that you forgot to pack the very necessities of life? Familykenkel knows that many hotels have what you left at home right at the front desk.

So you flew all the way across the country for business or pleasure and when you got settled in the hotel room to unpack, you realized that your toiletries kit or some other badly needed items are still at home? No toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shampoo, or lotion in sight. Your smart phone is five minutes from shutting down and there is no charger in sight. Rather than rush out and try to find a drug store to purchase the forgotten items, why not visit the front desk and ask them if they have what you need. Familykenkel has found the following items are available at most hotel front desks:

• Toothbrush and toothpaste and mouthwash
• Razors
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Body lotion
• Soap for the body and face
• Mini blow dryers
• Straightening irons and curling irons
• Nail files
• Cell phone chargers of all kinds
• Converters
• Picnic paper plates and bowls
• Plastic eating utensils
• Socks
• Sewing kits
• Pain reliever, stomach ache remedies
• Kids’ entertainment items

All you have to do is ask the clerk what they have. If not, there is usually a store nearby where the items can be bought.

How to Keep Kids Free from Colds

Kids will inevitably bring home a head cold from school and pass it around to everyone without meaning to. Familykenkel coughs up some suggestions for keeping kids cold free at school and at home.

• Remind kids to wash their hands after using the bathroom at home and school.
• Give them some hand sanitizer in a scent they like and pack one in their backpack.
• Stick a few purse size packs of tissues in their bags and remind them to use it when coughing or sneezing.
• Remind them to use the hand sanitizer after touching handrails, doorknobs and bathroom fixtures.
• Give them a glass of OJ in the morning along with a multi vitamin with zinc, as it has been proven to ward off colds in children.
• Feed them healthy foods that are filling and provide a lunch they will like with snacks to keep them full.
• Be sure they are dressed appropriately for school with different layers of warmth to shed as the day goes on. Don’t forget gloves, mittens and hats.
• Enforce a regular bedtime every night. Check on kids after 15 minutes to be sure the light is out and no digital devices are being used.

Familykenkel  notes that when a child develops a fever with a head cold, administer a children’s ibuprofen to reduce it. Most colds are viral in nature and not bacterial. Oddly, more antibiotics are prescribed to help kids get over colds. Of course, never make a kid go to school if they say they don’t feel well and have a low-grade fever. By the time they come home, the cold could have turned in to something worse like the flu or strep throat.

The Fraud Alert

Credit card fraud is nothing new, but the amount of fraudulent claims is. More major retailers are reporting security break-ins. There is another new claim to be aware of and it entails a small charge to your credit or debit card of $9.84.

Familykenkel learns that the Better Business Bureau issued a fraud alert for consumers who see the above small charge show up on credit and debit account statements. It will often appear with the wording “customer support” or identify itself as any number of different websites. If you see the charge on your account, call the card issuer and report the charge as fraud.

The investigative blog KrebsOnSecurity, the first one to notice this type of fraud, dug into the $9.84 charge and found that it led them through a maze of more than 230 websites stemming from London, India and Cyprus.

As we have mentioned before, monitor all credit and debit account statements regularly for charges – no matter the dollar amount. As was the case this time, the small charge is the first sign of credit/debit card fraud. Thieves will often charge small amounts to test the card first, before trying to charge something major to it. Familykenkel encourages readers to be vigilant about their financial accounts. Be proactive when using cards in stores. Switch buying purchases from a PIN request to a signature request. This is more secure than quickly keying in a four digit PIN. Be aware. Be alert. And report anything suspicious.

Exercise Immediately Affects You

Most people do not think of the immediate affects of exercise, but rather than short or long-term effects. We wanted to share what we learned about how our bodies and minds feel after one 30 minute brisk walk.

Here are some of the benefits we get:

Our mood improves. The release of endorphins is one of the noticeable changes we found from a quick walk. This “feel good” neurotransmitter is one of the main reasons why people exercise.

Familykenkel notes that our DNA changes. Sure, we inherit some genes from our parents. But after one workout certain genes “turn on” and that affects metabolism and strength.

University of Michigan researchers found in 2007 that a single cardio workout increased storage of fat in muscle, which actually improved insulin sensitivity. Low insulin sensitivity, often called insulin resistance, can lead to diabetes. So it seems that one workout works at preventing diabetes.

The blood flow to the brain which comes from the heavy breathing exercise brings helps us get and stay focused both before and after sweat session.

It makes us feel good to know that one brisk walk eases stress with all of the above factors factoring in.Familykenkel encourages readers to go outside at work and take a 30 minute brisk walk on lunch break. It will ease stiffness in the joints, legs and back, gets blood flowing and helps ease the stress of daily job tasks. The immediate affects of exercise make us feel better and help us stay focused all day and in to the evening.

Healthy Super Bowl Snacks – Part 4

Watching the Super Bowl would not be as good unless there are some awesome snacks and appetizers for party-goers to enjoy. And since we want everyone to live and eat well, these are super easy, affordable, healthy and taste good. Plus, we think the men in our lives would like them too. If not, well, more for us! Familykenkel says, Bon appetite America!

Gorgonzola TurkeyBurger Sliders

Twice Baked Potatoes

Spicy Spinach Dip with Pine Nuts

Hot Crab Dip

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Forbes Living TV Asks Do Health Apps Really Help?

Need a Doc? There's an app for that.

There is an abundance of health apps available for anyone who wants them. Now there are new apps if you want to talk to a doctor and do so anonymously. We decided to check a few of them out and let readers know a little more about them.

HealthTap is a free app that allows users to send a question to the app and a doctor will answer it in about 24 hours. It is not 100% anonymous as it does ask for some personal information. And to be honest, sometimes we have an embarrassing health question we want an answer for and do not want to reveal ourselves.

Talk to Docs costs 99 cents and is anonymous. Tap the app to ask a question (voice or text) and then tap search to find the answer. The app picks out the keywords and runs a search on the HealthTaps answer database. The most relevant answers are sent back in a list.

Forbes Living TV notes that both of the above apps are available for iOS, Android and on the healthtaps.com website.

Doctor on Demand is a newer app we’ve been hearing a lot about lately. Since it is new, it is only available in 15 states (including New York, California, and Ohio), and only between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. It will expand to 40 states be available longer later in 2014. It is HIPPA compliant meaning privacy is paramount.

It is not free. Each 15 minutes costs $40 and it works well with those lucky to have Flexible Spending Accounts.

The user types in a few symptoms and can send images of symptoms, and be connected to a real doctor via video conferencing.

Health apps that track things like blood pressure, heart rate and general fitness tracking are useful and helpful to both the user and the healthcare provider.  There are many of them, and Forbes Living TV wants to know which ones work the best. Let us know.

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Watch the Forbes Living TV video with Cully Davis
Watch more Forbes Living TV videos on Daily Motion
Visit the Forbes Living TV pressroom

Forbes Living TV on the Myth of Microwaving Veggies

There are some days when the thought of spending one minute in the kitchen could make us run out the door to the nearest fast-food place. These are the days when we are whipped from work and plan to microwave everything for dinner – even veggies – just to get it on the table fast. Does the thought of nuking all the goodness out of them freak you out a little? Don’t worry about it. Forbes Living TV has some good news.

You know that steaming vegetables is the best way to cook them without the possibility of losing nutrients and vitamins. Well steaming in the microwave works too and nothing gets lost under the plastic wrap. And it’s considered one of the best ways to good vegetables so they don’t lose their nutritional value.

Use a plastic wrap that says “microwave safe” on it or risk having food taste funny.

Use a little bit of water in the container with the veggies and in seconds you will have perfectly fine broccoli, beans, carrots or whatever you like.

Forbes Living TVnotes that microwaving tomatoes and carrots makes their carotenoids more available to our bodies. It makes the biotin in eggs digestible. And heat kills bacteria in food that can make us sick. Just remember that a little bit of water and a tight plastic wrap lid on the container will yield nicely steamed  veggies which are still chock full of the good stuff. Bon appetite.

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Watch the Forbes Living TV video with Cully Davis
Watch more Forbes Living TV videos on Daily Motion
Visit the Forbes Living TV pressroom

Forbes Living TV and Why Happy Seniors Live Longer

Happy, healthy seniors

A recent study conducted by the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care at University College London found that happy seniors live longer than unhappy seniors. Forbes Living TV shares what it learned about this joyful news.

Surely, happy people are bound to live longer lives than those who are not happy. In this latest study, generally happy elderly people reported improved mobility and lived longer than their unhappy peers. People who are happier in general tend to be more active, eat better and therefore are able to move better and live longer. However, it was not shown in the study results if those who were happy were healthy to begin with, more affluent than their sad peers or had any other qualifying factor.

Generally speaking, seniors who are able to move well, have good balance, and are in generally good health will continue in those ways for the rest of their lives. Forbes Living TV encourages older people to join a senior fitness class as they not only improve overall health and movement, but also improve social relationships, which in turn makes a lonely person happier. Health and happiness work hand in hand. Ask your doctor if there is a senior fitness class in the area to join. Most are offered for a very low cost or no cost at all.

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Watch the Forbes Living TV video with Cully Davis
Watch more Forbes Living TV videos on Daily Motion
Visit the Forbes Living TV pressroom