Five super nutrients that help you age well

(BPT) - Parents often use the adage "You are what you eat!" to encourage children to make healthy food choices, but the saying is equally true for mature adults. Providing your body with a variety of nutrients lets you feel your best, and may even prevent disease and help you live longer.



Allison Tannis is a nutritionist, author and professional consultant. She believes that aging well means eating well. She recommends these five super nutrients to help baby boomers and older adults age well and stay healthy.



1. Omega-3s



"It can be hard to see fat as healthy, but omega-3 fatty acids are potentially one of the most important nutrients for our health," says Tannis. "Omega-3 fatty acids are vital to the maintenance and function of our eyes, brain and nervous system - parts of us that start to weaken with increasing age. In addition, these healthy fats have great ability to fight inflammation that is the cause of painful joints, cardiovascular disease and even wrinkles."



How can you get your daily dose of 1 to 2 grams of omega-3s, as recommended by the American Heart Association? Wild-caught fish like salmon, sardines and Arctic char are good sources of omega-3s. Plant sources of omega-3s include flax, chia and hemp. It can be difficult to get enough omega-3s from food sources, so supplements are a good alternative.



"Every morning I wake with the best intentions of eating healthy, but then life can get in the way," Tannis says. "Using daily supplements ensures my body gets all of the essential nutrients it needs to be at its best. I take Nordic Naturals fish oils, available in liquids, soft gels and even an effervescent drink."



2. Vitamin D



"Vitamin D is really only available to us from the sun," explains Tannis. "Sure, there are foods such as milk and orange juice that have added vitamin D. For some, these foods are a great choice, but for others, it can be hard to ensure you're getting enough of this essential vitamin through fortified foods."



Older people are prone to vitamin D deficiency, and therefore, may experience muscle weakness or impaired intestinal absorption. Tannis suggests that everyone, no matter their age, consider a vitamin D supplement if diet and sun exposure aren't adequate. From tasteless liquid drops to pills that combine multiple nutrients, there are a variety of options for vitamin D supplementation.



3. Probiotics



"Probiotics fight inflammation, promote digestive health and much more," says Tannis. "With age, there is a decrease in the most prominent probiotic in the colon, Bifidobacteria, leaving the colon prone to inflammation, which increases the risk of disease and discomfort."



Foods like kefir and yogurt are common sources of probiotics, but often it's not enough to get the full benefits. Probiotic supplements are a great way to maintain and rebuild probiotic levels in your digestive tract. "Seek out one with lots of different probiotic species," recommends Tannis. "You've got hundreds of kinds of probiotics in you. Each probiotic offers its own unique health benefits to your body, so having lots of different kinds in your system can help your body be at its best."



4. Green foods



"Greens are packed with more nutrients per bite than almost anything else on your plate. They are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes and more," says Tannis.



What green foods are the best?



"The best greens to eat are the ones you like - you don't have to hate your food. Love your food! Choose some greens that you enjoy and then, once a week, try something outside your comfort zone," Tannis suggests. "If you simply can't stomach enough greens, there are plenty of powders available, from simple single ingredient products to complex formulas."



5. Multivitamins



No matter what your age, eating a balanced diet provides your body with plenty of nutrients. "Try to ensure that at some point each day you enjoy foods from each color of the rainbow, and artificial coloring doesn't count," says Tannis.



Taking a multivitamin is one way to ensure your body has the minimum amounts of the essential nutrients it needs each day to function properly. If you are considering a multivitamin, look for one that is designed for your age, activity level and gender. -



"Food hasn't changed, even though it feels that everyone is telling you something new about it," says Tannis. "Enjoy a well-balanced diet, rich in colorful fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains and fish. Nutrition really can be easy to swallow."

Inspirational Quote of the day by Ronald Reagan

We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.



-Ronald Reagan

It's high time to upgrade your faucets and toilets

When considering your home's plumbing, you might be thinking of that old adage "why fix something if it ain't broke?" But did you know that old and inefficient plumbing might actually mean that you are literally pouring your money down the drain every month? A call to your plumber might really save you money in the end if you upgrade the plumbing in your home.



When were your current plumbing fixtures installed? Did they come with the house when you bought it? Old toilets use up a lot of water with each flush, which is bad for both the environment and for your wallet. Are you putting off having that leaky faucet repaired because you just don't want to spend the money right now? The average faucet leak can waste hundreds of gallons of water per year. If it's a hot water faucet that's leaking, you are losing money both with the wasted water and with the wasted electricity or gas that is heating that water.



Or what if your problem is slow drains? You might decide to take the easy step of pouring liquid corrosives down the drain to clear out the blockage. This is actually a bad idea. The corrosive chemicals in drain cleaner will harm your sewer pipes, perhaps necessitating an extremely expensive repair in the future. In addition, the environmental impact of pouring such chemicals down the drain and into the water supply can have serious ramifications for the future of our planet.



If you've been putting off plumbing repairs or upgrades, you really might want to consider having a professional technician visit your home. Plumbers can let you know if repairs are needed or if there are upgrades available to your current plumbing that can actually save you money. There are many options, such as low flow or dual flush toilets that can help you stop wasting water and upgrade your home.



Having your new toilet installed by a plumber will ensure that your system is up to code and works efficiently and properly. A plumber can also help you to repair your leaky faucets, or assist you by installing water saving devices such as low flow faucets or aerators on your sinks. They can also help by providing professional sewer cleaning that will fix your slow drains without causing serious corrosion to the pipes in your home and damage to the environment.



These days, everyone is looking to save money where they can. By having a professional plumber inspect your pipes and see what upgrades and repairs can be done in your home, you can save yourself money on wasted water and utility bills. In addition you'll be adding to the value of one of your most important investments, your home.

Give your home a quick refresh with these budget-friendly tips

(BPT) - Whether you are buying, selling or simply remodeling, you are looking to invest in updates that will increase the value and appeal of your home. It's natural to want it all, but before you over-personalize or break the bank, there are many simple, budget-friendly changes that can increase the value of your home without the risk.



Cassandra LaValle, interior designer and editor of the acclaimed lifestyle and design site, Coco+Kelley, offers these tried and true tips for upping your home value without overdoing it.



* Refresh with paint: You may not be able to replace large appliances or countertops, but in the kitchen adding a fresh coat of neutral paint to outdated cabinets and swapping out hardware can go a long way in making the space feel refreshed.



* Little luxuries in the bathroom: Replace your current shower head with a rain shower, like the Waterpik RainFall+. Completely budget-friendly and easy to install - it takes less than five minutes - this showerhead can make a huge difference in an everyday routine - giving a spa-like experience with multiple high-performance spray settings.



The same goes for lighting - brightening up this space in particular can be a big selling point.



* Don't forget about the outside: Every home needs curb appeal. If you can't afford major landscaping, focus on the entrance to the home. Again, updating with paint and hardware on the front door will be a welcoming touch, while a couple of really great potted plants at the entryway add to that focal point.



* It's in the details: Consider adding small details to rooms that will elevate the style. Framing out windows, or adding baseboards, molding or wainscoting to a space will leave it feeling a bit more polished.



No matter how big or small your projects, remember it doesn't take a lot of money to make a big impact to any space.

How to blast through your weight loss plateau

If it seems like you work out regularly only to continue to struggle losing weight, you're not alone. But losing weight in order to improve health may be the wrong approach. First you need to fix what's holding you back on the inside, so you can see the transformation you want on the outside.



Cliff Edberg cringes every time he hears someone say: I want to lose weight to get healthy. In my opinion that phrase is backward, says Edberg, a registered dietician, personal trainer, and certified weight loss coach at Life Time Fitness, The Healthy Way of Life Company. People need to get healthy first in order to lose weight. Weight gain or being unhealthy isn't directly caused by a lack of exercise, it's a side effect of metabolic dysfunction.



Generally people refer to having good metabolism (someone who burns calories quickly) or bad metabolism (a slow caloric burn with leftovers stored in body fat). But metabolism is much more than the rate at which calories are burned. Metabolism is the process of breaking down food into smaller molecules for various uses in the body. Certain foods or ingredients might interfere with a person's metabolism, as can a lack of nutrients, high blood sugar or an overabundance of stress hormones. This metabolic disruption is often behind a person's inability to lose weight, even when they are taking steps to eat right and exercise.



Michelle Stork, 43, from Chanhassen, Minn., had resigned herself to creeping weight gain, despite diligently working out for years. As time went on it was easier to gain than lose weight, she recalls. Exercise alone wasn't taking it off.



She accepted the weight gain as a normal part of getting older, but Edberg, her personal trainer, didn't. He encouraged her to take a simple blood test to check for underlying metabolic issues. I could see on paper what the problems were and it motivated me to try what my trainer suggested, Stork says. She slowly added recommended supplements, including vitamin D, probiotics and fish oil, which increased her energy, but didn't affect her weight. The next step was to change her diet.



We discovered a high likelihood that she was sensitive to gluten and dairy, Edberg says. Unlike an allergy, a sensitivity means the hormones derived from the metabolic process of such foods send confusing messages to the brain, which can cause various symptoms, including weight gain. Within a month of eliminating gluten and dairy from her diet Stork lost more than 10 percent body fat and dropped 12 pounds and two sizes.



If someone has a thyroid issue, nutrient deficiency, sex hormone imbalance, etc., they will gain weight Edberg explains. As a certified weight loss coach, he knows that unless the true underlying metabolic issue is addresseda person will not sustainably lose weight. All the exercise in the world will not fix a thyroid issue or nutrient deficiency. In some cases it might make the underlying problem worse.



This inside out approach to personal training is the standard at Life Time Fitness. New members take a comprehensive assessment, called myHealthScore, to measure six metabolic markers - cholesterol ratio, triglycerides, blood pressure, body fat ratio, glucose levels and nicotine use - in order to first set goals based on their internal health.



With information from myHealthScore Edberg says he can make precise exercise, nutrition, lifestyle and supplementation recommendations to support each client's individual metabolism needs.



Stork is impressed with her results, but the implications go beyond a smaller waist line. Her father suffers from Parkinson's disease, which looms large in her mind. The steps she is taking now she hopes will prevent a dependence on medication later. I know what may be ahead of me as I get older, and I know I need to start doing things to improve my overall health and fitness to help counter any disease I may develop later in life.

For richer or poorer: Don't let newlywed bliss turn into financial nightmare

"Communication is a key part of a strong marriage, and it's also the basis for a strong financial partnership," says Barrett Burns, president and CEO of VantageScore Solutions. "Being proactive before and planning ahead of the wedding while sticking to a financial plan will help guard against common financial mistakes that can occur early in a couple's life together."



To start your new life together with a strong financial foundation, check off a few important money to-dos before you say "I do!"



1. Have the debt talk



All couples must have the debt talk. It may not be romantic, but it is necessary in order to plan a bright future together. Be open and honest about debt, savings and spending habits, even if they are less than perfect.



Financial turmoil is one of the top reasons cited for divorce, so understanding each other's finances today and what goals you have for the future will help reduce stress on your partnership. With the average college student graduating with $26,600 in student loan debt, according to The Project on Student Debt, young couples need to create a plan for managing debt and saving for the future.



2. Control wedding spending



The "big day" is a defining moment in life, but it's important for couples to remember it's just one day of many that they will spend together. Weddings and related events cost a whopping $28,427 on average, according to theknot.com, and that doesn't even include the honeymoon.



"When it comes to young couples planning a dream wedding, the plastic tends to be relied upon," says Burns. "It's important to be realistic about how much you can spend. Becoming over extended on credit cards is a common mistake, and this type of high-interest debt is not the wisest way to begin your lives together."



The best course of action when it comes to wedding planning is to create a budget and stick to it. It's not necessarily bad to use credit, especially if you can take advantage of a credit card rewards program, but Burns advises only charging or borrowing what you know you can pay back in a reasonable amount of time as keeping high balances and missing payments can have significantly negative impacts on your credit score, which in turn leads to stress.



3. Work together to build a positive credit profile



Married couples do not have joint credit files or credit scores. Each individual has their credit files with the credit reporting companies and their own credit scores, but in some cases like when joint accounts and co-signed loans are created, the actions of one can impact the other.



"It's common for younger people who are just beginning their financial independence to not have much, if any, credit history. It's important to be proactive and take steps to build a positive credit profile and score so you can demonstrate to lenders that you are a good manager of credit," says Burns.



Get a copy of your credit report and resolve any issue you may have with the information presented in it. If you have a limited credit history, carefully consider the benefits of joint accounts, but keep in mind that the positive financial actions like paying bills on-time and keeping balances low, as well as actions that can have negative impacts like missing payments will influence the couples' individual credit scores.



"The importance of paying bills on time cannot be understated," says Burns. "A single missed payment can drop each person's credit score 80 to 100 points. This can affect a couple's ability to get the best interest rates and terms for a loan."



Another important step in building credit after a marriage is to make sure that all financial lenders are aware of name changes. "If you choose to change your name after you are married, make sure all your accounts have your current information, otherwise positive actions may not get reported correctly or in a timely manner," Burns says.



4. Shop around for rates



"Whether you're taking out a personal loan or selecting a credit card, you absolutely must shop around for rates," advises Burns. "Don't just take the easiest or first option. You want to get the best deal available with low interest rates and reasonable terms."



When shopping for rates, Burns notes to do so within a two week period of time. Credit inquiries from auto and mortgage lenders and credit cards issued from banks and credit unions are only counted once if done in a two week period causing just a slight decrease to credit scores.



Finally, couples soon to be married or those that recently were married can also test their knowledge about credit scores at www.CreditScoreQuiz.org, a website created by VantageScore Solutions and its partner, Consumer Federation of America, one of the largest consumer advocates in the country.