There’s an old adage that says TV rots your brain. While this may not be literally true, there are ways it can contribute to the spoiling of your health. A newly published meta-study carried out by researchers at Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health (SSEHS), in England, has underscored potential health hazards of spending too much time in front of the tube.

Data was collected from 53 separate international studies which focused on sedentary behavior as it relates to dietary and television viewing habits. A strong association was found between watching large amounts of television and increased intake of nutritionally poor foods such as high-calorie snacks, fast food, and soda. A reduction in fruit and vegetable consumption among avid TV viewers was also identified.

Dual Action

According to Dr. Natalie Biddle, lead author of the investigation, the negative influence television has may stem from some combination of interrelated factors. Constant bombardment of commercial advertisements during segment breaks and even within actual programming can encourage unhealthy food-related decisions. When this influence is combined with regular exposure to short bursts of highly targeted audio and visual stimulation, it has a very real effect on the viewer’s attention span and can impact their ability to make informed decisions properly.

Normal activities associated with TV viewing, like channel-surfing and “TiVoing”, also reward impulsive behavior. When viewers see a food advertised, there’s a good chance they’re going to want it, even if they aren’t really hungry. If that food isn’t readily available, they may lose interest and return to their seat empty handed… or they might just grab the next best thing sitting around the kitchen instead, and it may be less than nutritionally ideal.

Not only does habitually staring at the TV generally lead to increased snacking and poor diet practices, the sedentary nature of watching TV also takes a hefty toll on viewer health and physical appearance.

Alternatives

The easiest way to avoid these, and other, health risks connected with excessive TV viewing is to simply watch less television. Even without taking the recent Loughborough University findings into consideration, limiting TV time to a maximum of three or four hours a week is still a smart idea. Cutting back on television may result in having a lot of newly available free time to pick up new hobbies. And, spending the extra time hanging out with friends and family or using it to catch up on your reading will feel far more rewarding.

What do you think of the outcome of this meta-study? How does TV fit into your day? Let’s discuss, in the comments below!

~Dr. G

Recommended Reading:

• Dangers of Soft Drinks
• Research: TV Food Advertisements Promote Unhealthy Diets
• Americans Will Believe Almost Anything
• 7 Types of Foods to Avoid with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

What is Beeswax?

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Beeswax is yet another gift that Mother Nature has given us to improve our lives. You could write a book about the many ways you can use it, but when you head to the store, make sure what you bring home is organic. Why is this so important?

Beehives around the world use pesticides that are fat-soluble, which means they can accumulate in the beeswax. In order to be certified as organic, drugs and chemicals cannot be used on the land within 3 miles of the beehive since this is the bees’ flying radius. It’s not a small endeavor, but it’s worth it to protect your health.

So now that you have your organic beeswax, here are some our favorite uses!

Continue reading: “8 Uses for Organic Beeswax”

Recent scientific research confirms that gardening may be linked to higher rates of vegetable eating in older populations of adults. According to a recent report from Texas A&M University and Texas State University, older populations of adults who garden are more likely to eat vegetables than their non-gardening counterparts.

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This study, published in Hort Technology, surveyed adults over the age of 50. Over 250 questionnaires were completed by adults aged 50 years and older, over the course of one month. The online survey was created as an effort to encourage gardening among older adults, and was part of a program involving what the researchers called “gardening intervention.”

These gardening intervention programs were created as an outreach effort based on other research studies that showed the clear link between poor nutrition as a key cause for early mortality and morbidity in the elderly. In fact, poor nutrition has been shown to contribute to death rates just as much as cigarette smoking. And even though older populations report eating more fruit and vegetables than other age groups studied, the research shows that more than half of the U.S. elderly population does not get even the five fruit-and-veggie daily governmental recommendation. I would even go as far to recommend getting even more than five servings of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis.

Continue reading: “Gardening at Home Linked to Increased Veggie Consumption”

Anybody that has a composting bin or compost pile at their house knows that old apple cores, banana peels and potato skins can be composted. But many people who compost at home are unaware of the sheer vastness of every day waste that can easily be thrown in their compost bin.

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For example, did you know that you can compost an old tea bag? Old spices? Pencil shavings? How about sticky notes? Yes, each of those items can be composted!

In fact, there are many items that you can compost, and the following list will get you started with the first ninety-nine. And the best news? If everyone began to compost at home on a regular basis, the world’s landfills would be drastically reduced.

If you are composting for an organic garden use organic starting materials. Some of the items below I would not recommend for organic gardens. For clarity, I will specify those items below.

The Basics:

1. All organic vegetable and fruit matter including rinds, skins, shells, seeds, cores and peels
2. Old leaves & hay
3. Used coffee grounds
4. Paper coffee filters
5. Grass clippings
6. Egg shells

Continue reading: “99 Things You Probably Didn’t Know You Can Compost”

You may be wondering if it’s worth the investment to install an indoor whole house air purification system in your home or office.

Many units on the market today are expensive and require regular cleaning and maintaining. After spending over 6 months of research looking for the most effective air purification system, my conclusion is the Guardian Air REME+ purification system is the best one for your family.

Did You Know? The average human takes 30,000 breaths and takes in more than 3,500 gallons of air each day. But is this air clean? Probably not. Indoor air is the most polluted air on the planet, and we are spending the majority of our time indoors.^[1]

Unlike other systems that simply filter air, the Guardian Air REME+ (Reflective Electro Magnetic Energy) air purification system actually purifies indoor air with naturally-occurring oxidizers such as ionized hydro-peroxides, Super Oxide Ions and ionized hydroxides which are naturally found in outdoor air. With this system, it’s almost as if your home or office were situated beside a fresh crystal clear flowing stream in the middle of a dense forest. The Guardian Air is today’s most advanced technology for boosting airborne oxidizers, and these oxidizers are crucial for our health.

Continue reading: “Why the Guardian Air REME+ is the Best Air Purification System for Your Home”