MONDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News)—Inadequate vitamin D could increase your risk of death by 26 percent, a new study concludes.
Yet many people are not getting enough vitamin D, which the skin makes naturally when exposed to sunlight. A nationwide survey found that 41 percent of men and 53 percent of women in the United States were not getting enough of this vital nutrient. Read More
Use this guide to save on the products you need and see which ones you can live (healthily) without.
Vitamins
Worth it? Yes, if your food choices aren’t cutting it.
Most experts say you don’t need to take vitamins if you eat a diverse mix of fruits and veggies, lean meats, legumes, and whole grains. Problem is, if you don’t eat well, are a vegetarian, have a food allergy, or are pregnant (or hope to be)—categories that include most of us—you might not be getting the nutrients you need. In that case, an inexpensive multivitamin may give you peace of mind. Look for a brand that has 100% of the daily recommended values of vitamins and minerals and has the USP seal, which means that U.S. Pharmacopeia, the organization that verifies the ingredients and quality of dietary supplements, has given it a thumbs-up. Store-brand multivitamins go for about $3 to $6 for 100 tablets, compared with about $8 to $10 for brand names. Don’t spend money on additional supplements (fish oil, vitamins D and C) unless your doc has ID’d nutritional gaps. For instance, if you aren’t getting enough calcium from dairy (1,000 milligrams for 19- to 50-year-olds), pop a daily Tums with calcium (150 tablets cost $5 to $6).
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As long as healthy food costs more than junk, we’ll seek the best choices for both your belly and wallet.
Organic food
If you’re tossing organic produce into your grocery cart with wild abandon, the final bill might be wince-worthy—you’ll typically spend 30% to 50% more than you would on the conventional type. But there’s a real difference: About three-quarters of traditionally grown produce show traces of pesticides, while only one in four organic fruits and veggies do, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Splurge on organic produce with soft skin or that you eat skin and all (like apples, peaches, bell peppers, strawberries, pears, and lettuce), but save on foods that are fairly pesticide-free thanks to their tougher outer layers (like bananas, kiwifruit, onions, mangoes, pineapples, and broccoli). Wash all items well with soap, water, and a brush, but skip the fancy veggie and fruit washes; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) don’t recommend them.
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Lidocaine, methyl salicylate, hydrocortisone. You probably don’t think twice about using over-the-counter (OTC) creams with these ingredients when you need to soothe a sore muscle or bug bite, prep your legs before hair removal, or combat that vaginal itch. If the product’s available without a prescription, it can’t hurt you, right? Wrong. Read More
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