Keep Feet Healthy

Your feet have a important responsibility, so treat them right to help keep them healthy. The American Podiatric Medical Association offers these suggestions for taking care of your tootsies:

• Make sure your shoes fit properly and comfortably; those that have a soft upper area and a sturdy sole are best.
• Go shoe shopping later in the day, when feet are more enlarged than in the morning.
• Walking is a huge form of exercise for your feet.
• Make sure stockings and pantyhose fit correctly, and choose those without seams.
• Don't try to cut off corns or calluses on your own; see a podiatrist for treatment.
• Keep toenails trimmed in a straight line.
• Scrub your feet each day in hot water and gentle soap, and give them a careful once-over to look for foot problems.

Are you Frequently Feeling Thirsty?

It's important to drink plenty of water, but feeling thirsty all or most of the time can signal a medical problem.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine mentions these possible causes of excessive thirst:

• Being diabetic.
• Eating a meal that was too spicy or salty.
• Bleeding enough to cause significant blood loss.
• Taking certain medications.
• Losing too much water and salts, which could result from vomiting, diarrhea or not drinking enough water.
• Having a serious infection or burn.
• Having failure of the kidneys, liver or heart.

Black Rice May Be low-priced source of Antioxidants

Aug. 26, Thursday, Healthnfitness news -- Blueberries and blackberries have high levels of antioxidants, which help the body contract with potentially dangerous cellular oxidation, but scientists say they have also found a cheaper source of antioxidants for customers: black rice.
"Just a serving of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants," learn co-author Zhimin Xu said in a news release from the American Chemical Society.
"If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran?" recommended Xu, associate professor at the food science department at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge. "Black rice bran would be a exclusive and economical material to increase consumption of health-promoting antioxidants."
The study authors noted that black rice bran could be used to boost the health reimbursement of breakfast cereals, cakes, cookies and other foods. It could also be extra to beverages, and may serve as food coloring, allowing food manufacturers to avoid artificial colorants, the team said in the news release. The scientists explained that pigments in black rice bran extracts range from pink to black.
In the study, the researchers experienced black rice bran grown in the Southern United States. Even though brown rice is the most frequent rice variety produced worldwide, Xu said the study results suggest that black rice bran may be healthier than brown rice bran in terms of antioxidants.
In Asia, black rice is most frequently used for food decoration, such as in noodles or sushi. One range of black rice is known as "Forbidden Rice" because in Ancient China, it was only permitted to be eaten by upper class and no one else, according to background information in the news release.
The study results were planned to be released Thursday at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.