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FRIDAY, March 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Take-out pizza is the ultimate fast food — gooey cheese, salty sauce, fatty pepperoni, all baked on top of what’s basically white bread. But there’s no need to feel guilty about enjoying a hot slice once you’ve mastered a nutritious and delicious pizza makeover. Add just a few ingredients to your weekly shopping list. It can take less time than a trip to the drive-thru, but now your pizza will be healthy, too. Here’s what you’ll need: Choose a high quality 100-percent whole wheat crust to get fiber with every slice. Look for low-sodium jarred marinara sauce or simply buy a large can of diced tomatoes. Stock up on plenty of low-cal, high-fiber veggies like mushrooms, red bell pepper and baby spinach. If you like your pizza spicy, replace fatty pepperoni with red pepper flakes for heat. Low-fat mozzarella might seem a better...

FRIDAY, March 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Studies show that the earlier a child’s school struggles are addressed, the better the outcome will be. So it’s important for parents to tackle problems early on rather than ignore them or hope children will grow out of them. It’s often easy to spot a child who’s having difficulty with addition or subtraction, but other learning issues can be harder to identify. Surprisingly, both writing and math problems often originate with vocabulary and then reading problems. Signs of reading problems include not wanting to read aloud, reading slowly, having a hard time sounding out words, and not retaining what is read. If your child is struggling, talk with school administrators about getting him or her extra help. Strategies can include individual meetings with a tutor, intensive instruction from your child’s teacher and assistance from an education specialist on staff. Many students benefit from...

(HealthDay News) — While energy drinks are promoted as products that increase energy and enhance performance, they also can put users at risk.
From 2007 to 2011, energy-drink related emergency room visits doubled. Overconsumption of energy drinks can cause a host of issues, the U.S. National Institutes of Health says.

The NIH warns that excessive consumption can result in:

• • Sleep disturbances.
  • Anxiety.
  • Digestive problems.
  • Dehydration.

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THURSDAY, March 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Want a daytime pick-me-up that may also benefit your blood pressure? Take a nap, researchers suggest. “Midday sleep appears to lower blood pressure levels at the same magnitude as other lifestyle changes,” said Dr. Manolis Kallistratos, a cardiologist at Asklepieion General Hospital in Voula, Greece. For each hour you nap, systolic blood pressure drops an average of 3 mm Hg, the researchers found. Systolic pressure — the top number in a blood pressure reading — is the force of your blood pushing against your arteries when your heart beats. Diastolic pressure — the bottom number — is the force between heart beats. Taking a low-dose blood pressure drug, for example, can lower your level an average of 5 to 7 mm Hg, while a nap can reduce overall blood pressure an average of 5 mm Hg, the study authors said. “These findings are...

THURSDAY, March 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) — When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor is likely to start you on a program to lower blood sugar and help insulin work more efficiently — a regimen that may include a modified diet, exercise and possibly medication. Starting (or ramping up) an exercise program can be the hardest of all these lifestyle changes. Typical exercise guidelines to help manage type 2 diabetes recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise, plus strength training on two or three days. Meeting these goals, especially exercising for 30 minutes on most days, is a stumbling block for people who aren’t used to working out. And, unfortunately, many people with diabetes stay sedentary. But a study published in the journal Diabetes Care found an alternative that may be less taxing and more effective. The study looked at whether short but very frequent bouts...

TUESDAY, March 5, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Sweating it out on a treadmill is great, especially when the weather is bad. You might even be motivated by watching exciting vistas on an interactive panel. But to keep a walking or running routine from becoming stale, kick it up a notch by taking your workout outside. Running or walking in the great outdoors can burn more calories, because you have to work against the wind and you don’t have a moving tread to keep you going. If you’re used to monitoring the length of your treadmill workouts on a built-in screen, stay motivated by finding other ways to track your output. If you already have a smartwatch, there’s a good chance it has a step counter app already installed. If not, you can download any number of fitness apps that count time and distance, calorie expenditure and more. If you don’t...

(HealthDay News) — Every five days in the United States, at least one child dies from choking on food.
More than 10,000 children are hospitalized due to food-choking injuries each year. However, these injuries and deaths are preventable, the New York State Department of Health says.

The department suggests:

• • Always supervise small children while eating.
  • Do not allow children to play or lay down while eating.
  • Cut foods into small pieces.
  • Don’t rush children to finish eating.
  • Become familiar with child CPR.

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(HealthDay News) — Flexibility helps prevent injury. Young athletes should stretch muscles before and after playing a sport, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
After warming up with a brisk walk, the AAOS suggests these stretches:

• • Forward and side lunges.
  • Standing quad pull.
  • Seated straddle.
  • Knees to chest.

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