Bottled Water

Something to remember when choosing where to get your drinking water. Tap water has to pass strict state, federal and local requirements before it gets into your home.

Bottled water does not. And many of them are simply filtered tap water, such as Dasani and Aquafina.

The Natural Resources Defense Council found that about 1/3 of bottled water brands they tested had chemical contaminants above the the state limits.

So the choice is tap which is free and regulated for purity or bottled which is a gamble on the benefits and costs more than gasoline by the gallon.

I haven't even started with the toxic BPA in the plastic bottles.

I say save your money and if you don't like the flavor get a home filter.

Summer Foods and Skin Foods

Summer is officially here and we should eat appropriately. Summer time means more heat and sweating so we need foods that cool and replenish our fluids. It is perfect that watermelon comes ripe in summer. It is the coldest of fruits and full of fluids.
All fruits are cooling so be sure to eat a lot of fruits and drink plenty of healthy fluids.

Some summer foods even help us maintain healthy skin. Watermelon, nectarines and cherries are 3 fruits high in lycopene which helps our skin deal with sun exposure.

Lycopene is also in tomatoes. Cooking them actually concentrates this nutrient so cook some veggies in tomato sauce for a side dish at your next barbecue.

Almonds have been shown to help us fight the sun's rays with their high vitamin e content.

Tuna has selenium a nutrient that preserves elastin (which keeps our skin more youthful), and reduces damage from UV exposure.

Eat smart for a fun, healthy summer.