All posts tagged diet

8 Beginner’s Tips for Caring for a Pet Sugar Glider

8 Beginner’s Tips for Caring for a Pet Sugar Glider

By Full Editorial on

Sugar gliders are one of the most popular domestic pets in North America. They are miniature pygmy fruit-eating marsupial who love the more humid environments of human homes and become very tame with proper care. Whether you’re just getting into pet ownership or have been caring for your pet sugar glider for years now, here are some valuable tips that will help you to learn how to care for your sugar glider.

1. Modify Their Diet

Sugar gliders are insectivores and usually feed on figs and other dried fruit during the warmer months. However, many people (just like sugar gliders) find that they get tired of this routine fast, so they make the switch to a more varied diet in which they can eat a variety of dried fruit, including those that have more seeds (like mango), and will find the occasional frozen fruit (like banana chunks) very delicious.

2. Get a Cage That is Appropriate for Your Pet Sugar Glider’s Size

If you have a small pet, it is probably wise to use one of the miniature cages specifically built for smaller pets. But if you have a medium size or giant pet, you’ll probably have to use one of the larger cages (or make your custom-sized cage using a whole bunch of coat hooks!).

3. Make Sure Your Pet Sugar Glider is Healthy and is Accustomed to Being Handled by Humans

If you want your pet to be tame, typically, you will want to take it out of its cage to socialize with it daily. Even if your pet sugar glider is very accustomed to being handled by you, it’s best if you take precautions and do this from a safe distance.

4. Set Up a Healthy Environment for Your Pet Sugar Glider’s Cage

As mentioned before, various fruits and vegetables should be available for your pet sugar glider’s diet at all times (i.e., in the cage with it at every meal), both dried and fresh. You can purchase pre-made blends of fruit and vegetables, dry food in pouches, or make your mixture of fruit and vegetable pieces.

5. Have a Variety of Scratching Post Options Available to Your Pet Sugar Glider

Scratching post options include wooden parrot perches, cedar shavings, slats, branches from a hardwood tree (preferably from an apple tree), cotton rolls, paper towels (for rawhide), and even cardboard boxes. Various options should always be available to your pet sugar glider.

6. Make Sure Your Pet Sugar Glider Has Access to Water at All Times

Never toss the water bottle out while the cage is in use (you can always remove it when you are cleaning the cage or taking things out of it), and make sure that the drinking vessel is changed several times a day to avoid contamination (if your pet drinks from it more than once a day).

7. Take Care of Your Pet Sugar Glider’s Teeth

Sugar gliders’ teeth are similar to rodents’, so their teeth grow continuously throughout their lives. To ensure that your pet sugar glider’s teeth do not grow too long and risk damaging the tongue, ensure that you or someone in your family gets into the habit of checking for excess tooth growth at least once a week.

8. Switch It Up

The most crucial tip no one ever tells you about pet ownership is: to switch things up constantly! If you have always given your pet sugar glider figs for dinner or never given it anything but papaya for breakfast, try switching things up! Try giving it figs for dinner and then papaya the following day.

You should now feel ready to begin looking after your pet! Always remember that it is essential to take good care of your pet sugar glider so that it remains a healthy and happy creature.

How to Set Healthy Fitness and Diet Goals

How to Set Healthy Fitness and Diet Goals

By Article Editor on

How to Set Healthy Fitness and Diet Goals

Fitness and diet goals are popular topics for people who want to improve their health. Setting a goal is the first step in achieving it, but the most important thing is how to set a fitness or diet goal that is realistic. Father George Rutler is doing everything possible to educate people on the importance of living healthy. Rutler has a piece of extensive knowledge in this field despite being a catholic priest. He shares the following tips on how to set healthy fitness and diet goals.

Set measurable and realistic goals

Father Rutler strongly advises the use of concrete figures. The number of pounds to be lost should be clearly stated because general statements are too vague, and they can lead to disappointment when people realize they’ve failed. For example, one should begin with losing 10 pounds.

Break down the goal into manageable tasks

Even if the ultimate aim is reachable, Father Rutler warns that it would be very hard for people only to set a single goal. Instead, break down each task into smaller parts to make them easier to achieve and give more motivation and enthusiasm in achieving them. For example, instead of one saying he or she wants to work out three times per week, they should say: starting today, they will work out Monday and Thursday and then talk about Saturdays.

Find support and accountability partners

Whether the goal is fitness-related or diet-related, the most important thing is the support of those closest to one. Father Rutler believes that having a partner, friend or coach who supports as much as possible will help stay on track and provide positive reinforcement. It is also very useful to join community forums where people with similar goals show up and encourage each other to achieve them.

Evaluate every progress and feedback

This is one of the most important steps in achieving a goal. After some time, one needs to evaluate any changes and not to forget to ask for feedback from friends and family. This is important because it keeps everything on track. If this is not done, it’s more likely that one will keep making the same mistakes repeatedly instead of correcting them. Weight loss is just one example of a common goal, but one should not forget that there are many other goals in life worthy of pursuing.

Enjoy all the benefits of a healthier lifestyle

For most people, the ultimate aim is to achieve a healthy weight. Rutler points out that it’s not only about losing weight and looking good, but it’s also about how it will improve one’s health and energy levels. He says that all these little things add up to an improved quality of life.

Seek professional help if necessary

Father George Rutler points out that setting fitness or diet goals can go beyond what people see from the outside. Achieving them calls for some control over emotions and behaviors, which not all people have. In the case of more serious cases, it is worth seeking professional help from a registered nutritionist or a trained fitness trainer.

The Top Methods for Hair Loss Prevention

The Top Methods for Hair Loss Prevention

By Web admin on

Nothing makes you look older than your age quite like premature hair loss. But just because your hair is thinning right now doesn’t mean you have to live with balding. You have more options than you realize.

Top Causes of Hair Loss

We’re all experiencing hair loss on a daily basis. In fact, the average person loses somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 100 hairs per day. But – and this is the key – the average person is also re-growing the same (or more) number of hairs per day. For individuals who are balding, this isn’t the case.

Hair loss is essentially the process of losing more hairs than you grow. This leads to bald spots and thinning over time. And while it’s typically a combination of factors, some of the top causes include:

  • Androgenetic alopecia. This is basically another term for male (or female) pattern baldness. This tends to be genetic and is defined by thinning/balding on the crown of the head and temple areas.
  • Telogen effluvium. This (usually) temporary condition can be brought on by factors like extreme stress, childbirth, surgery, or certain medications. It causes hair to fall out in handfuls and leads to extreme patchiness.
  • Pregnancy. The decrease in estrogen levels immediately after birth can lead to short-term hair loss in women. This usually resolves itself within a few months.
  • Nutritional deficiencies. If you have a diet that’s low in certain vitamins, nutrients, and proteins, it can cause excessive hair shedding. (Blood tests can reveal if you have any deficiencies.)

Top Methods for Preventing Hair Loss

Once hair loss begins, it’s important to address it. The longer you wait, the more likely that the effects will become permanent and/or require extensive treatment to correct. Here are a few methods that are known to prevent further hair loss by restoring your scalp’s health and vitality.

1. Proper Diet and Nutrition

Proper hair growth depends on proper nutrition. The scalp is essentially the foundation of healthy hair. In order to encourage healthy growth, you must consume a well-balanced diet that’s full of essential vitamins and nutrients.

A diet that’s high in vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin B is a good start. You also need to consume plenty of biotin and protein. Lean meats, fish, and soy are great for the latter.

2. Oral Supplements

The right blend of oral supplements can help, too. If you find that your diet isn’t providing sufficient amounts, try ginseng, saw palmetto, biotin, and a multivitamin. A good DHT blocker can help as well.

3. Low Level Laser Therapy

Low level laser therapy (LLLT) is an FDA approved technique that uses medical-grade laser diodes to emit low level light and increase circulation and blood flow in the scalp. Laser caps are the most common option, as they allow you to get treatment from the comfort of your own home. But do laser caps work?

While results certainly vary, science has shown that laser caps do work for most people. They’re most effective in helping people with mild to moderate hair loss re-grow thicker hair. (Though the results often take as long as 60 to 180 days to take full effect.) If you’re looking for an overnight method, this isn’t it. But if you’re willing to do consistent half-hour treatments over a period of months, you’ll almost certainly see results.

4. Proper Hair Care

Smart hair care can significantly reduce your chances of experiencing excessive hair loss. Avoid overwashing and be smart about how you dry and style your hair after getting out of the shower.

“When hair is wet, it is in its weakest state. So avoid brushing wet hair because the chances of hair loss increases,” health blogger Sobiya Moghul writes. “But if you must comb wet hair, use a very wide-toothed comb. Also avoid brushing hair too frequently as doing so can injure hair and increase loss.”

If you have tangles in your hair, try using your fingers to gently untangle. This is a much safer option when compared to combs and brushes that have a tendency to pull hairs out of the scalp.

Live Healthy, Be Happy

Some hair loss is to be expected. It’s a natural part of the aging process and can’t always be prevented. However, it is usually possible to delay or minimize hair loss. And in some cases, a targeted strategy can prevent it altogether. Hopefully this article has given you some ideas to work with. When in doubt, consult with your doctor for guidance on how to proceed.