Seven Good Reasons to Eat Only Grass-Fed Beef

Meat is a healthy food. Truth be told, it's a hard statement to defend these days -- but not because meat is inherently unhealthy.
It's because the kind of meat most people eat is poisoned with antibiotics, steroids, and hormones -- and just as bad -- comes from feedlot farms where the animals are treated horrendously. They're also fed an unnatural diet of grain and have a high level of inflammation-causing omega-6 fats in their meat that is passed on to consumers.
But there's a solution: buy (and eat) only grass-fed meat. Yes, it's more expensive (just eat less!) -- but grass-fed cattle produce a whole different kind of meat -- and it's actually good for you!
Here are my top seven reasons to eat only grass (pasture) raised beef.
No antiobiotics added. Antibiotics are routinely given to cattle in factory farms to help manage the problems brought on by their highly concentrated grain diets and living conditions.
No steroids or growth hormones. Steroids or bovine growth hormone are routinely given to commercial beef to speed up growth and weight gain for faster "finishing" times. These hormones actually make it into your body and have been implicated in a number of health problems including acne.
Healthy omega-3 fats. When cattle are fed their normal diet of pasture grass, their fat is different from that of their grain-fed factory farmed bretheren -- and it contains way more healthy omega-3 fats.
Healthy, cancer-fighting CLA (conjugated linolenic acid). This cancer-fighting fat is normally made in the chambers of the bovine stomach. Grass-fed animals are a great source of CLA; grainfed factory-farmed animals have next to none due to the high acidity of their stomachs.
Animals treated as humanely as possible to minimize stress and trauma. Organic farms, like US Wellness Meats for example, care deeply about the quality of lives of their animals.
Fed no contaminated animal by-product feed. Serious, organic farmers raising cows on pasture simply don't feed their cattle animal by-products. This reduces or eliminates the risk of contamination and Mad Cow Disease.
Minimal risk of E. coli. E. coli thrive in an acid environment and grain-fed beef have a much higher level of acidity in their stomachs. Pasture-fed beef do not have an internal environment that's hospitable to E. coli.
Meat can be a perfectly healthy food, especially so when it's combined with high vegetable intake. The key to the health of the animals we eat is their diet (and living conditions). Grass and pasture make for healthy cows which in turn makes for healthy meat. Anything else doesn't even come close.
It's worth noting that buffalo is almost always grass-fed, and is a good alternative to regular old supermarket beef.

Summer Safety and Health Tips - BEAT THE HEAT

Choosing an Insect RepellentReview when you can start using an insect repellent on your kids and get help choosing an insect repellent that is safe and provides good protection against mosquito bites and other bugs.

Hidden Summer DangersAlthough you should make every effort to keep your kids safe year-round, it is especially important in the summer when most kids are out of school. Review these summer safety tips to help keep your kids safe this summer.

Sun Safety QuizAre you keeping your kids safe from the sun? Take our Sun Safety Parenting Quiz to see if you know everything you should to keep your kids safe from the harmful effects of the sun.

Kids in Hot Cars AlertReview the hidden dangers of kids being left or getting trapped in hot cars, which can lead to heat stroke and death.

Swimmer's EarLearn how to prevent and treat children with Swimmer's Ear.
Avoiding Mosquitos and Mosquitoe BitesMosquitos and Mosquitoe are common misspellings for mosquitoes and mosquito.

Fireworks SafetyAlthough fireworks are a summer tradition for many families, injuries from fireworks don't have to be if you follow these fireworks safety tips.

Summer Safety QuizTake our Summertime Safety Quiz to test your knowledge of summer safety, including water and fireworks safety and using sunscreen and insect repellents safely.
Summer Safety Primer - Keep Your Kids Safe During SummertimeA primer to help you keep your kids safe this summer, including helping you learn about avoiding sunburn, insect bites and stings, treating poison ivy, heat illness, and poisonings.

Avoiding and Treating SunburnLearn what you can do to avoid and treat sunburns in your children, including limiting sun exposure and using sunscreen.

Poisoning in ChildrenLearn to avoid accidental poisonings this summer, including those caused by kids who accidentally ingest sunscreens, berries, cleaning solvents, insect repellents, pesticides, plants and mushrooms, and hydrocarbons in the form of gasoline, kerosene, and charcoal fluid.

ChiggersReview how to avoid chiggers and treat chigger bites, which are common in late spring, summer, and early fall.

Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison SumacLearn what you can do to prevent and treat rashes caused by exposure to poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.

Bites From Mosquitoes and TicksReview what you can do to avoid bites from mosquitoes and ticks and avoid illnesses like Lyme disease and the West Nile Virus.

Avoiding Heat Stroke and Heat ExhaustionLearn to avoid and treat heat illness and heat exhaustion.
Avoiding Foodborne Poisoning in the SummerReview the basics of preventing food poisoning during the summer at picnics parties and family cookouts.

Avoiding Burns From Fireworks and GrillsLearn to avoid burns from fireworks and barbecue grills.
Avoiding Bee StingsLearn what you can do to avoid and treat bee stings, including how to get the stinger out.

Summertime Safety GuideSummertime hazards can pose risks to your children's health and safety. Learn to take precautions to protect your kids and promote water, sun and fireworks safety.

Summer Safety TipsFor many people, summer means fun in the sun. The kids are out of school, adults are on vacation and it's time for outdoor activities like riding bikes and hosting barbecues. However, summer also is the time of year kids are most likely to be injured

Fireworks SafetyFireworks safety is important because fireworks can be dangerous, causing serious burn and eye injuries, even blindness. Learn to prevent fireworks related injuries by leaving fireworks to professionals and learn state regulations concerning the use of fireworks.

Sun Safety for Your KidsWhen can I start using sunscreen on my baby to protect her from the sun?

Pool Safety Tips for ParentsPool Safety tips to prevent drownings in your children and promote water safety when swimming around pools and spas, plus info on diving safety.

Insect Repellents with DEET for KidsAnswers to your questions about the use of insect repellents with DEET on your kids to protect them from mosquitoes and other insects.

Food Safety in the SummerFoodborne illness and food poisoning do increase in the summer months, when the weather is warmer, allowing bacteria to grow faster, and more people are having picnics, barbecues and camping trips. Learn food safety tips to keep your children safe this summer.

Don't Let the Bugs BiteTips for treating and avoiding insect bites.

Kids' Travel Health RequirementsWe are planning a missionary trip to Guatemala this summer. Do my kids need any special shots or medications before we leave?

Summer Time InfectionsSummertime infections can be caused by viruses, food poisoning, mosquito and tick borne illnesses. Learn simple precautions that can help your children to have a safe, fun and infection free summer.

Strattera for ADHD in the SummerShould your continue your child's ADHD medicine during the summer when he is out of school?

Summer Camps for Children with DisabilitiesThis is a guide to some of the directories and listings of summer camps available for children with disabilities.

ADHD Medicines During Summertime?My 8 year old has ADHD, inattentive type and she is doing very well on Concerta. Does she need to continue taking her ADHD medicine all summer when she is out of school, or can I give her a break from it?

West Nile Virus - Are your children at risk?The West Nile virus has been spreading westward across the United States, causing infections in some people who are bitten by infected mosquitoes. Are your children at risk?

First Aid for SunburnsSunburns are a little different than other types of burns, but the treatment is very similar. Learn how to treat a sunburn before you need to.

Summer Baby ProductsSummer is near, and there are lots of fun baby products in stores that will make your trip to the pool or beach safe and exciting for baby. Take a look at the top baby products for the pool or beach, chosen by your Baby Products Guide.

Take Calculated Risks and Conquer Your Fears

The words “risk” and “risk-taking” are frequently seen in personal development and self- improvement materials. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, risk is defined as “exposure to possible loss or injury.” Like any life change, making changes to improve health and increase wealth involves taking risks. By changing, you are moving out of your “comfort zone” and implementing new behaviors that are different and/or challenging. David Viscott, author of over a dozen books, including Risking, advises the following: “Keep reminding yourself that all successful people have taken a risk at some time and succeeded. Taking a jump into the unknown is the starting point of personal greatness. Go for it!” A frequently cited poem about risk concludes with the words “To try at all…is to risk failure. But to risk, we must, because the greatest hazard in life…is to risk nothing.”

Virtually everything people do in life requires some type of risk. Therefore, we are constantly weighing the pros and cons of various actions. For example, when taking a dog outdoors for a walk to get exercise, we risk falling or getting hit by a car. Yet, many people take this risk in order to do something that they enjoy. People often decide that certain activities in life are “worth the risk” and do them anyway. Personal risk assessment may also be influenced by factors such as the weather, recent life events, and the presence of other people (e.g., a single man riding a motorcycle versus a married man with two children riding one).

Not all risks are created equal, however. Some risks, such as extreme sports, smoking, and the use of illegal drugs are clearly dangerous and/or unhealthy. Others, such as taking $1,000 to a casino and relying on luck or plowing money into a poorly planned business venture, are unwise. Then there are calculated risks, such as investing for the long term in a stock index fund or the gradual weight loss of 40 pounds over a year with a better diet and exercise. With calculated risks, you have a vision about where you want to be and a roadmap to get there. You increase the odds of success by researching a risk-taking behavior (e.g., investing), developing and implementing an action plan, remaining focused on your goals, and anticipating and addressing obstacles along the way (e.g., stock market downturns).

Success comes from taking calculated risks and either achieving your goals or learning from setbacks. Risk-taking indicates that you have confidence in your ability to succeed but also accept the possibility of failure because mistakes are a fact of life. Even if you fail, however, risks can often be considered a “success” if you learn from the experience and resolve to do better the next time.

In Secrets of Six-Figure Women by Barbara Stanny, the women profiled in this book attributed their success to “letting go of the ledge” (i.e., risk-taking). Among their individual “ledges” were unfulfilling jobs, irrational beliefs, and unhealthy habits. Stanny concluded that “Every successful woman that I interviewed, when she finally let go (hard as it was), cited that single act as the springboard to higher earnings and happier times.” She also wrote “the concept of letting go is far easier to talk about than to execute” and “Rather than hazard the instability of change, we lean on ledges as if they were crutches, finding all kinds of reasons why we need to stay right where we are.”

A common roadblock to risk-taking is fear, such as fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of pain, fear of loss, fear of getting started, and fear of reactions by other people. Some people use the defense mechanism of fear to protect themselves from harm or loss. It isn’t pleasant to experience difficult or uncertain situations and many people will avoid them if at all possible. The worksheet on the next page will help you put your fears into words, as they apply to health and wealth goals, to determine if they are real or simply False Evidences Appearing as Real (i.e. irrational beliefs).

With respect to health behaviors, fears about making changes might include the following:

§ Fear of lost friendships by not smoking/drinking around friends who still smoke/drink.
§ Fear that a health screening exam might indicate the presence of a disease.
§ Fear of having a heart attack while exercising because it happened to a friend.
§ Fear of acting, and being seen by others, as a “thin person” if you’ve always been overweight.
§ Fear of being successful (e.g., quitting smoking and/or losing weight) and then relapsing.
§ Fear of changing dietary patterns and selecting the “wrong” foods.

In the financial realm, behavioral finance studies indicate a common fear of taking risks called “loss aversion.” In research where the same outcome (e.g. receiving $500) is described two different ways- as a gain (profit) and as a loss- most people are willing to take more risk to avoid a sure loss than to lock in a sure gain. According to behavioral finance researchers Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, people feel the pain that comes with a financial loss about twice as strongly as they feel the pleasure of gaining an equal amount of money. Not surprisingly, many fears about taking risks to change financial behavior are fears about loss. Below are some examples of financial risk-taking fears:

§ Fear of investing in stocks or stock mutual funds and losing money due to a market crash.
§ Fear of choosing the wrong investments for IRAs, 401(k)s, etc. Some people who don’t know what to invest their money in simply decide to do nothing (i.e., deciding not to decide).
§ Fear of “not knowing enough” to make wise investing decisions
§ Fear of discussing feelings about money issues and household finances with family members
§ Fear of becoming financially successful (e.g., out-earning spouse, working long work hours)
§ Fear of acknowledging negative cash flow by preparing a spending plan (budget)

When people better understand a particular risk or have some previous experience dealing with it (e.g., investing), their fear of risk-taking often decreases. For example, if you take an investment class and learn that stock returns have been superior to other asset classes historically, but also very volatile in short time frames, you may be less inclined to panic and sell during a stock market downturn. Generally speaking, there is a positive relationship between investment risk and average rates of return (e.g., stocks earn a higher average return than bonds).
Many people also find it easier to commit to take risks when they are passionate about something and believe in what they’re doing. Passion provides the energy and courage required to make a change.
Action Steps

Health

§ Take the Your Disease Risk quiz at www.YourDiseaseRisk.Harvard.edu.

§ Take a risk to implement at least one behavior change to improve your health.

§ Describe role models for successful health changes and what you can do to copy their practices.

Wealth

§ Take the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Financial Fitness Quiz and Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz at www.rce.rutgers.edu/money2000.

§ Take a risk to implement at least one behavior change to improve your personal finances.

§ Describe role models for successful financial behavior changes and what you can do to copy their practices.

Can wealth affect health?

A few years ago, psychologist Sheldon Cohen conducted an experiment. First, he asked adults a key question about their childhoods. Then, he squirted cold viruses up their noses and watched his subjects for several days to see which of them got sick.
As it turned out, the answer the adults gave to that question was "a great predictor" of whether they would develop the sniffles, says Cohen, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
The question: Did your parents own their home when you were a kid? Actually, Cohen asked that question once for every year from birth to age 18 and found that "the more years your parents owned their own home, the less likely you were to develop a cold," Cohen says.
Though Cohen's findings might seem surprising, they are consistent with a mountain of studies, compiled over several decades, that show socioeconomic status can have a profound influence on health. That research will get a rare four hours of TV time in the next month as PBS stations air a new documentary, Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
The documentary, which features Cohen and many other scientists and public health experts, concludes that, contrary to popular belief, your health is not just the sum of your genes, your health habits and the quality of your health insurance plan. Your income, education and race matter; so does your address, your job title and, as Cohen demonstrated, the status your parents had when you were small.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Louisville African-American Carnegie Mellon University Jim Taylor Sheldon Cohen

"We have very dramatic differences between the haves and the have-nots," says Adewale Troutman, director of public health in Louisville. Troutman and four other residents of his city star in the first hour of the program, airing Thursday. The residents, chosen to illustrate the "health-wealth gradient," are:
•Jim Taylor, the white CEO of a Louisville hospital. He's shown jogging through a lush enclave of stately brick homes. Average life expectancy in his neighborhood: 79 years, or two years beyond the national average.
•Tondra Young, a college-educated African-American lab supervisor in the same hospital. She's shown tending the yard of the home she owns in a pleasant, middle-class neighborhood. Average life expectancy there: 75 years.
•Corey Anderson, an African-American janitor in the hospital. He has high blood pressure. He lives in rental housing and mentions that he worries about the safety of his neighborhood. Average life expectancy there: 73 years.
•Mary Turner, an unemployed white mother of three who, at age 49, has had a heart attack and has arthritis and other health problems. She lives in the poorest part of town, where the life expectancy is just under 70 years.
The point of the series and the research it draws on is not that we are powerless to improve our health: Whether you are rich or poor, it's a bad idea to smoke and a good idea to eat fruits and vegetables. It's also good to have health insurance.
But all those things are harder to sustain and may do you less good if you live in a dangerous, unwalkable neighborhood with lots of fast food and no supermarkets; if you have little control in your work life; if you are constantly worried about money, housing and safety; and if, on top of it all, you live with the lifelong stress of racial discrimination.
"Personal behavior and personal choices are important," Troutman says. "But we also need to recognize that educational policy is health policy, economic policy is health policy, housing policy is health policy."
And, at a time of widespread economic pain, when the "poor are getting poorer and the middle class is being squeezed," in the words of one sociologist quoted in the film, there's plenty of reason to worry about the literal health of the nation.

How About A Better Life Over 50? You Know Your Health and Wealth!

As there is only one Consciousness in the
Universe that is able to think, it necessarily
follows that your consciousness is identical
with the Universal Consciousness, or, in other
words, all mind is one mind.

There is no dodging this conclusion.

The consciousness that focuses in your brain
cells is the same consciousness which focuses
in the brain cells of every other individual.

Each individual is but the individualization of the
Universal, the Cosmic Mind.

The Universal Mind is static or potential energy;
it can manifest only through the individual, and
the individual can manifest only through the
Universal. They are one.

The ability of the individual to think is his ability
to act on the Universal and bring it into
manifestation.

Human consciousness consists only in the
ability of man to think.

Mind in itself is believed to be a subtle form of
static energy, from which arises the activities
called ‘thought, ‘ which is the dynamic phase of
mind.

Mind is static energy, thought is dynamic energy
-the two phases of the same thing.

Thought is therefore the vibratory force formed by
converting static mind into dynamic mind.

As the sum of all attributes are contained in the
Universal Mind, which is Omnipotent, Omniscient
and Omnipresent.

These attributes must be present at all times in
their potential form in every individual.

Therefore, when the individual thinks, the
thought is compelled by its nature to embody
itself in an objectivity or condition which will
correspond with its origin.

Every thought therefore is a cause and every
condition an effect; for this reason it is
absolutely essential that you control your
thoughts so as to bring forth only desirable
conditions.

How is your health and wealth??


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Will do things for your attitude!

Eight Life Hacks for Health, Wealth, and Happiness

I’ve noticed in my short existence that I tend to do many things differently from most people. Some of those things probably work just as well, whereas others make me wonder “why doesn’t everyone do this?” Here are eight things that may make you feel like you’re cheating the system, too (in no particular order):

Walk –

No, I’m not saying “go for a walk,” I’m saying design your life so that you walk more. Live close enough that you can walk/bike/razor scooter to something that you frequent whether that’s work, a grocery store, a friend’s house, a bar, or preferably – all of them. Why spend 15 minutes driving to a gym to spend half an hour on a treadmill? If you’re fortunate enough to have legs that work – use them.

Smile –

All of the time. Even when the cashier gives you the wrong change. People’s intentions are usually good, especially when they’re dealing with someone who isn’t being a dick.

Drink Water –

Or I could say “don’t drink soda or coffee.” It’s a waste of money, health, and teeth. Save your caffeine tolerance for when you really need it.

Buy Used –

I’ve already told you about my philosophy as this applies to music. Buying my clothes at a thrift store yields items that are not-so-watered-down versions of what I would get at my other favorite clothing store, and that are a fraction of the price. This strategy transfers well to books and furniture. When you buy used you get the adventure of discovery, and avoid the flat artistic experience that comes with only consuming the contemporary.

Underorganize –

There are a number things you can apply this to, but I can’t give a better example than my “inbox/outbox” method of doing laundry. Should you keep all of your financial documents etc. in a filing cabinet? Probably, but recognize when your organizing reaches the point of diminishing returns.

Live Small –

What’s that, you can’t afford a three-bedroom, three bath house with a huge yard and garage in a neighborhood where #1 is possible? Good. Then you won’t buy so much crap. You’ll save money in the long run, and you’ll be happier, too.

Remember How Adaptable You Are –

How long could you live if you were transported to the middle of a forest? You would probably surprise yourself, so don’t be afraid of perceived “big” changes in life. It’s a part of human nature to do what is necessary to reach at least previous levels of happiness, but risks succeeded will get you there and then some.

Don’t Make Lists of Rules –

or Follow Them (They All End This Way) – Such things are only made by bloggers hoping to get lots of del.icio.us bookmarks. The world is too complex to be condensed into a list of rules.