Let's Do It Healthy

April 1, 2005

Change your toothbrush at least once a month, or right after a cold, flu or other illness. Germs that can live on a damp toothbrush for days; when you're sick, a damp toothbrush may reinfect you. Use two toothbrushes alternately to give each one a chance to completely dry out. "Brushing your teeth is a traumatic injury," says Dr. Charles J. Palenik, a microbiologist at the Indiana University School of Dentistry. "You are going into areas of your mouth where you can have bleeding, and you could be reintroducing organisms back into your system."

Need to go easy on the salt? Remove the saltshaker from the table while you're eating. Or fill it with your own personal blend of garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes or other spices to add zest to your meals. Try lemon juice, pepper, vinegar, herbs and spices as salt substitutes in recipes. Use fewer processed foods, and look for low-salt, low-sodium products.

In seafood, it's key to know which fat can help your heart -- and which can hurt it. The fat in seafood is the kind you want to eat -- even in a low-fat diet. A "fatty" fish still has less fat than the "leanest" red meat. Better yet, the fat in fish helps prevent heart attacks. For maximum benefit, resist the urge to cook your seafood in butter, or ordering it fried out -- almost all oils used for commercial frying contain artery-clogging fats. Cook seafood at home with small amounts of canola or olive oil -- or no added fat.

By making physical activity a natural part of your day, you get all the benefits of exercise -- in a fraction of the time. Walk to an appointment. Take the stairs. Scrub the floor or your car. Leading an active life gives you many of the same benefits as structured exercise, and you don't have to "make time" to do it.