The upshot on antioxidants

Flipping back the clock 10 years, it’s possible a trip to the supermarket involved few sightings of the word ‘antioxidant’ emblazoned on everything from frozen berry packets to olive oil bottles. Today the story plays out differently. Having a television, reading a newspaper and tuning into the radio all go hand-in-hand with exposure to antioxidant media. So why all the hype?

Perhaps this has something to do with growing concerns over toxins, and the subsequent popularity of ‘detoxing’. Antioxidants help prevent damage to cells caused by anything from cigarette smoke and pollution, through to ultraviolet radiation and toxic substances in our food.

Top sources of antioxidants Berries Broccoli Tomatoes Red grapes Spinach Green tea Carrots Extra virgin olive oil Apples Artichokes

One leading economist has predicted that the wellness industry will become the next trillion-dollar industry due to an enormous shift taking place in the healthcare industry. Mannatech has positioned itself through its nutritional discoveries and patents to play a significant role. Mannatech's record growth is a testimony to the efforts of those who have chosen to share this amazing story of hope with those so desperately looking for answers.

The upshot on antioxidants

Essentially a ‘protector’, antioxidants assist in countering the effects of free radicals. A by-product of the metabolism of oxygen, free radicals damage cells.

If our cells are damaged it will show in the form of premature ageing and reduced resistance to infection. Antioxidants contribute to tissue fortification, and hence offer anti-ageing properties: They’re doing two things: strengthening the tissue and helping make the intercellular mass stronger.

So where can you find them? Beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, the amino acid methionine, zinc, vitamin B6 and selenium form the core group of antioxidants. Running a close second are the herb milk thistle and grape seed extract. In terms of food, look for brightly colored fruit and veggies, including tomatoes, blueberries and dark leafy vegetables such as spinach. Antioxidant powers are even found in wine.

When it comes to supplementation, look for a formula containing beta-carotene, selenium, zinc and vitamins C, E, B1, B5 and B6.

Mannatech have been gifted with a technology that stands alone in the emerging wellness industry. Former U.S. patent examiner and Mannatech Independent Associate, Dr. John Rollins stated that he believes the discovery of glyconutrients was the most important discovery in health care he’d seen in his 23 years of service at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Eat More Fruit and Veggies

Eating more fruit and vegetables improves bone health in young and old alike.

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem affecting millions of people worldwide. The deterioration in bone structure associated with this disease leads to greater risk of breakages, disability and even premature death. It is expected that the number of bone fractures caused by osteoporosis will double in the next 50 years!

Prevention is the key and nutrition and exercise are the best ways to avoid osteoporosis.

Adequate dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D status have long been recognised as factors in maintaining bone health, with diets emphasizing fruit and vegetables and moderate amounts of milk particularly helpful.

However, while fruit and vegetable consumption is known to influence bone health in adults, the evidence is unclear for children – prompting nutritional scientists to investigate.

Dr Celia Prynne and colleagues from Cambridge's MRC Human Nutrition Research laboratory examined the association between bone mineral status and fruit and vegetable intakes in adolescent boys and girls (aged 16-18 years), young women (aged 23-37 years), and older men and women (aged 60-83 years).

Bone mineral measurements of the whole body, hip and spine were made in all participants using a technique called ‘dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry'. Details regarding the participants’ health, lifestyle and physical activity were obtained by questionnaire. Fruit, vegetable and nutrient intakes were determined from food diaries kept by the participants over a seven-day period.

The researchers found that in adolescent boys and girls and in older women, there was a positive association between bone mineral content and fruit intake. However, no associations were found in the young women or older men, or between bone measurements and intake of vegetables alone (after adjustments) in any of the groups.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and supplementing your diet are your best game plan! Feeling terrific and preserving youthful vitality may be less difficult than you ever imagined it could be. Let Mannatech's Optimal Health System be the nucleus of your lifetime health program. It will help you feel more confident, energetic, alert and less stressed-ready to make every day a great day!

Active kids are healthy kids.

What about skill learning?

Kids gain valuable experience and can learn skills such as running, throwing, jumping, catching and kicking, by participating in a variety of physical activities. Active play and informal games, as well as organized sport, provide opportunities to develop these skills, which help to build their confidence and gives them more options to take part in a wide range of activities as they get older.

Cycling and walking on neighbourhood streets and paths also provide kids with skills that make them more street-smart and aware of their surrounding. Swimming is another activity that is not only healthy, but will teach kids about safety when they are at the beach or the pool.

What about TV and computer games?

Television viewing of more than two hours a day in childhood and adolescence is associated with poor fitness, smoking, raised cholesterol and being overweight in adulthood.

If they get the chance, kids may often choose surfing the net, watching TV and playing computer games over other activities. And while these activities can be educational they involve sitting still, often for long periods of time.

Ideally, your child shouldn’t spend more than two hours a day doing these things, particularly at times when they could be enjoying more active pursuits.

Pre-schoolers should be encouraged to take part in active play and their exposure to TV and video limited.

Mannatech's glyconutrient and phytonutrient supplements are especially formulated for children in their growth years - and they supply the nutrients missing from life in the fast-food lane.

Team Up For Teen Nutrition

The more teenagers eat with their family, the better their diet.

Children aged 11 to 18 who eat meals with their family consume more fruits, vegetables, grains and calcium-rich foods than those who eat separately, a study has found. They also drink less soft drink.

Family meal frequency was strongly positively associated with intakes of energy; percentage of calories from protein; calcium; iron; vitamins A, C, E, B-6; folate and fibre.

Teens who ate with their families seven or more times a week ate less snack-food than those who joined their families for meals less frequently.

University of Minnesota researchers surveyed more than 4,500 students with diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds about what - and with whom - they ate.

They found:

• 14 per cent never ate with their family
• 19 per cent ate together once or twice in the past week
• 40 per cent ate together three to six times in the past week
• 25 per cent shared meals with their family seven times or more in the past week.

Youths who, on average, ate with family most often had mums who did not work - and those who ate the fewest family meals had mums in full time jobs.

The vast majority of mums had jobs. The researchers noted that this was unlikely to change; therefore understanding how families with working mums manage to have family meals needed to be closely examined - and new strategies found.

Characteristics associated with more frequent family meals included gender (boys), school level (middle school), race (Asian American), mother's employment status (not employed) and socioeconomic status (high).

Previous studies have also shown declines in the quality of dietary intake, particularly in fruits and vegetables, as youths get older.

Changes in family meal patterns may be contributing to these trends, indicating a need to look for ways to increase family meals or to find alternative solutions to ensure adequate dietary intake among older adolescents.

Hope, Health and, Opportunity: these are the three components of a successful and happy life. Mannatech helps make these goals attainable through progressive, scientifically-proven nutritional products. Mannatech’s goal is to empower you with the nutrients your body needs to stay fit, active and successful. Take control of your health and share wellness solutions with others by learning more about Mannatech's cutting-edge technologies which help provide what every body needs for optimal health.

More of us are overweight

An alarming number of Australian adults are becoming obese or overweight, latest, figures show.

And being overweight carries a much higher risk of health problems.

In the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report ‘Australian Social Trends 2007’, two million more adults were classified as overweight or obese than in 1995.

In 2005, 7.4 million adults – 54 per cent of the adult population – were classified as overweight or obese.

In 1995, 45 per cent of the adult population were overweight or obese.

Overweight and obesity pose a major risk to long-term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses, the report says.

Related health problems include diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Overweight and obesity rates vary depending on age and sex.

Among men, the greatest increase in obesity pose a major risk to long-term health by increasing the risk of chronic illnesses, the report says.

Related health problems include diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Overweight and obesity rates vary depending on age and sex.

Among men, the greatest increase in obesity between 1995 and 2005 occurred in 25-34 year-olds, with the figure jumping by 10 per cent to 23 per cent.

For women, the biggest jump was in 35-44 year olds who rose to 20 per cent, up from 12 per cent. There are now 36 per cent of Australian adults classified as being overweight.

Sometimes it's smart to target certain areas of your body for a little extra help and support. Mannatech's Wellness Management products let you deliver targeted nutrients that help you keep all of your body's systems healthy. It's smart to have all your systems stay in peak condition with Mannatech’s Wellness Management products!

Mannatech’s GlycoLEAN® Body System is not just another line of diet products. It is a fat-loss, weight-management system designed to help you optimise your body’s composition and performance by focusing on losing fat, not just pounds.

Healthy Picnic Food Ideas

Lighten up your summer outings with these healthy picnic recipes and tips.

For many of us, packing a picnic basket and heading off to the beach, soccer field, or park is a wonderful rite of summer. But traditional picnic foods like fried chicken and potato salad can wreak havoc on your diet. The good news is that with a little tweaking, you can enjoy a picnic without compromising your waistline. Here are some healthy picnic food ideas sure to delight everyone.

Healthy Picnic Food Idea No. 1: Use Nature's Bounty

Summer picnics occur at the height of the fresh fruit and vegetable season. And the more colorful produce you add to your menu, the healthier the meal.

Take advantage of the bounty of the season and fill your picnic basket with luscious summer produce like peaches, berries, cherries, watermelon, tomatoes, corn, zucchini, peas, and fresh herbs. That doesn't have to mean elaborate preparations. It's easy to create healthy and delicious picnic foods with fruits and vegetables.

Try using broccoli slaw instead of coleslaw, toss in some shredded carrots, and toss with a light, low-fat poppy seed or yogurt dressing for a great salad that will be still be crunchy and delicious and lower in calories than the typical coleslaw.

Go for a healthier and more flavorful twist on pasta or potato salads by substituting colorful veggies for some or all of the starchy ingredients. Chopped veggie salads are another great picnic food idea. Making them ahead of time not only makes picnic day less stressful, it makes for better-tasting salads. Vegetable salads (excluding lettuces) prepared ahead of time will taste even better the next day after their flavors have had time together.

If you're grilling at your picnic destination, take along vegetables such as mushrooms, red peppers, zucchini, and onions. Grilled or roasted vegetables tossed with olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper (or your favorite vinaigrette) can also be done the night before if there are no grills available -- or if you just want to get ahead of the game.

Grilled vegetables are great as a side dish, as a topping on grilled chicken sandwiches, or alone on a bun as a sort of "veggie burger."

Overall wellness begins with cell-to-cell communication which promotes optimal health throughout your body. The Mannatech Optimal Health System is designed to deliver the nutrients, including glyconutrients--or plant-based monosaccharides--that your cells need to "talk" to one another and to support your immune system. The Optimal Health System protects your cells with antioxidants, nourishes your body with vitamins and minerals and supports your hormonal systems to keep your body in balance. Choose the option that is right for you for total wellness!

Read on for more great Picnic Ideas..........