Coffee That's Really Good For You: Glorious, Isn't It?

For decades, coffee had received a bad reputation. Besides allegedly triggering high blood pressure, insomnia, and hyperacidity, the Filipino habit of adding lots of sugar and cream to one’s cup has been said to aggravate diabetes. 

While there’s no denying the Pinoy coffee fan his morning cup, there is concern over the amount of sugar present in commercial 3-in-1 coffee mixes. The leading brand has 14.6 grams of sugar in one 20-gram sachet alone. Imagine how much sugar you’re taking in if you drink an average of three cups of coffee a day. 

What About Sugar-Free Coffee? 

For health-conscious individuals, especially diabetics, turning to sugar-free coffee mixes seems to be the only option. This meant enduring tasteless cups of coffee just to satisfy their caffeine fix —until Stevia came along. 

Stevia is the low calorie, zero sugar sweetener that tastes so much better than artificial sweeteners. 

Stevia is an herb with a sweet-tasting extract that comes from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. It has been enjoyed since pre-Columbian South America where indigenous people used the herb to sweeten their tea and other drinks. 

The plant's taste stems from steviol glycosides, molecules which are 250–300 times sweeter than regular sugar. 

It became popular among health-conscious individuals because stevia has a very low caloric content. This makes it perfect for dieters and people who are trying to lose weight. 

Moreover, Stevia makes coffee and tea taste so much better without adding any calories. Aside from beverages, Stevia is also used as an alternative sweetener when cooking or baking. 

The Health Advantages of Stevia 

Stevia is a safe, healthy sugar substitute that can sweeten up food without the negative health effects of refined sugar. It’s also associated with several impressive benefits such as reduced calorie intake, managed blood sugar levels, and minimized risk of cavities. 

Additionally, while other sugar substitutes like Aspartame have been linked with cancer, there's no evidence linking stevia to cancer since it is a natural ingredient. This means you can add stevia to dishes and drinks without fear that you’re taking too much sugar, or that you’ll get sick a few years down the road. For coffee lovers, it’s also good to note that locally-made Glorious Blend coffees and instant beverages have Stevia as its natural sweetener. The blend of natural and healthful ingredients make the drink not only refreshing and safe, but also good for one’s overall health. 

The Glorious Blend boasts a full line of healthy drinks, including a 7-in-1 healthy coffee mix. This special blend is made with proven medicinal ingredients like Malunggay, Mangosteen, Calcium, Gotu Kola, and sweetened with Sweet & Fit Stevia. What’s even better is that the Glorious Blend 7in1 Coffee is non-acidic and promotes regular bowel movement. 

The Glorious line-up also includes the 3-in-1 coffee mix with Stevia; 7-in-1 choco mix; 4-in-1 coffee with Malunggay; 5-in-1 coffee mix with Brown Rice; and the MaxiTrim coffee. 

All Glorious Blend beverages use Stevia which has no calories, no carbohydrates, and zero glycemic index. All of their instant drinks will keep you alert and energized throughout the day. Also, Glorious Blend products are locally sourced and manufactured. Their company supports local farmers, stevia growers, and other agricultural communities. 

So if you’ve been cutting back on drinking coffee because of health problems like diabetes or hyper acidity, Glorious Blend coffee mixes are here to help. You can enjoy all the aroma and flavor of freshly made coffee all day —without the guilt! Now, you can drink coffee for better health! Glorious, isn’t it? For more information about Glorious Blend coffee mixes, check out https://www.facebook.com/gloriousblend

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Gout Relief and Remedy

Anyone that suffers from gout understands the often debilitating pain associated with this disorder. As a result, most people afflicted with this illness look for different ways to reduce the episodes of painful flare-ups. Developing a regimen that helps to reduce these painful symptoms is usually the goal for those who suffer from gout. Relief is often possible through diet and medication.

What is gout?

Gout is a buildup of waste within the body called uric acid. Uric acid forms painful needlelike crystals within the joints and soft tissues of the body causing painful inflammation. This inflammation, in turn, leads to inflammatory arthritis. The symptoms include painful swelling, heat in the affected areas, redness, and stiffness in the joints. Symptoms usually start in the joints of the big toe and can spread to other joints in the body. Uric acid can also collect within the kidneys creating kidney stones.

What causes gout?

Gout is often a genetic disorder meaning many family members can be affected by it. Other contributing factors include weight, age, gender, over-consumption of alcohol, diet, and lead exposure. Even existing health conditions can contribute to the disorder. Just as certain medications and vitamins can lead to gout.

Prevention

Just as a surgeon with a broken scalpel may need harmonic scalpel repair, a person with gout may need to fix certain aspects of their diet. Avoiding a diet rich in foods that contain purines are the first step. Purines are a natural substance found in certain foods. Once these foods are digested uric acid forms. Maintaining a healthy weight as well as drinking plenty of water are also helpful dietary changes because water reduces the build up of uric acid in the body.

Pain Management

Painful flare-ups can be managed if medication is taken at the onset of pain. Common medications used to control flare-ups are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). These drugs reduce the symptoms and pain associated with a flare-up but do nothing to diminish the underlying condition. Corticosteroids are often used for treatment as well. They can be taken orally or injected into the joints. These drugs provide relief by reducing inflammation which helps alleviate the pain.

Those who suffer from gout can get relief and even diminish the number of painful episodes they experience by avoiding certain foods, maintaining a healthy weight, and taking medications that reduce inflammation. Paying attention to your diet and taking medication at the start of a flare-up can often help reduce the amount of discomfort and pain associated with this disorder.

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How To Get And Remain Healthy In 2016

Now that 2016 is in full swing, many people feel that they haven't kept their health-related New Years resolutions. However, there's no time like the present to change the game and attain a level of wellness you never dreamed possible. Luckily, there are numerous simple health strategies you can begin implementing today to start looking good and feeling incredible. Here are three health strategies that can help you do so:

1. Watch Your Work Environment.

Unfortunately, your work setting can pose several health and safety hazards. Luckily, many business owners are conscious of this reality and will implement various standards and procedures to ensure that employees are safe. Be sure that you familiarize yourself with your company's unique principles and procedures to decrease your susceptibility to illness or injury on the job. And if you're a business owner, make sure that you're implementing all of the health and safety strategies that will keep you and your employees well. In the event that you work in an industry that requires the use of dewatering pumps, be sure to regularly update your equipment with Master Pumps & Power. This safety measure can help prevent unwanted accidents on your business property.

2. Move Your Body.

Unfortunately, only half of Americans have tapped into the infinite power of working out regularly. Don't overlook exercise and all of the amazing health benefits it can bring you. In addition to fighting depression and regulating your weight, regular exercise can help eliminate toxins from your body and thereby contribute to clearer, more youthful skin. Typically, the key to making exercise an integral component of your life is finding a form of physical activity you enjoy and developing a support system. By doing these two things, you can start reaping the benefits of regular physical activity with lightning speed!

3. Eliminate Processed Foods From Your Diet.

One of the worst components of the modern world is processed food. From fast food meals to prepackaged goods that are loaded with nutritionally vacuous additives and preservatives, our contemporary culture is replete with processed foods that detract from our health and vitality. By removing these foods from your diet, you can start reaping a wide range of wonderful health benefits. Replace these items with healthier options like fresh fruits and vegetables to take your level of wellness to a new height.

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My Son’s Costume in School Program

I attended the school activities in my little boy’s school and asked my office that I would take a leave so I can assist my son. He’s one of the participants in the program, one of the representatives in grade 3 level. They’re dressed in white shorts and green shirt representing the color of vegetables and with a hat decorated with different kinds of fruits. At the front of their shirt they were instructed to have picture of foods pinned to represent nutrition month. We were looking for a way to have it pinned securely because Josh is so active that I feared it might fall down. 

Well the thought of having lapel pins entered my mind but DH has already pinned the picture with a safety pin. Some has put tape around the picture but as minutes pass by the pictures are hanging with loose tapes. It’s a good decision to use pins whether it’s a safety pin, lapel or any other pin because it secures the picture to the shirt. The program went well and I should say I enjoyed the presentation of young boys and girls. It also brought back memories of my two young teens when they were still in grade school.

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Happy with Healthy Meals

I’m happy with the results of my switch to healthy meal diet plan because slowly my stomach gets smaller as weeks go by. I still have to lose huge amount of excess pounds but I’m positive that I’m into the right path of eating and will not need the help of diet pills like phenterex this time. What’s good about my diet is that I love what I’m doing and what I’m eating. I’m satisfied with eating vegetables and fruits on weekdays that I only eat meat on weekends.

When I eat meat on my diet days I prefer eating chicken without skin because I feel I’m still on the right track. Anyway another advantage of this is I get to learn more veggie recipe that my husband, my Mom and my sister love also. I’ve been experimenting mix match of veggies to arrive at the best combination that would make eating veggies more exciting. Someday I’ll make a book on the entire recipe that I’m cooking and the title would be Healthy Cooking.

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How to Read a Nutrition Label

The world we live in now is very different. We are constantly exposed to pollution, to the chemicals that is in our food, the bad effects of stress in our body, and a whole lot more. That is why it is important that we make a conscious effort to start living healthy.

We can do this with a simple change in our lifestyle, by staying away from bad vices like smoking and drinking, doing regular exercise, getting enough sleep and rest and more.

Changing our diet can also contribute a lot to our health. Our meal should contain healthy foods that make up a balanced diet. One way of achieving this is by being aware of the contents of the food that we take everyday. This information is readily available in the Nutritional Label of the product. But do we all understand what this information mean?

Here are some information that can help you decipher the data contain in nutritional label:

1. Serving Size and Number of Servings. When looking at the Nutrition Facts of any product, these two measures should be the first one to be checked. The serving size is often in units of cups or containers followed by the metric measurement of grams or oz. It is important to check this information to know how big the serving is per package. This is important for those who are watching their diet so they can lessen their calorie, fat or sugar intake.

2. Calories from Fat. Calorie is the measure of the energy that we get per serving of a product. The Calories from fat measurement will tell us how many of that calorie is from fat. To achieve a healthy and balance diet, we would want our food to contain less than 30% of calorie from fat.

3. Fat. When checking in the Fat content in a nutritional label, we have to take into account both the good fat (unsaturated fat) and the bad fat (saturated and trans fat). Some products may have high fat content but if we look closely, it is good fat after all like in the case of peanuts, which has high unsaturated.

4. Cholesterol and Sodium. Since we live a very busy lifestyle nowadays, most of our diet constitute processed foods, which is high in cholesterol and sodium. Too much cholesterol and sodium is bad especially for someone who has high blood pressure and cholesterol level. So it is important to monitor our sodium and cholesterol intake to be within he recommended daily amount.

5. Total Carbohydrates. The total carbohydrates that you find in nutritional label consist of Fiber and Sugar. To eat healthy, it is recommended that we get only 10% or less of our daily dose of calorie from sugar. As for fiber, it is best if we consume 25-30 grams of fiber per day because it helps in slowing digestion to control our blood sugar level.

Eating healthy is a choice. If you are armed with information like the bad effects of sodium ad cholesterol, then you will be more motivated to eat healthier foods. As the cliché goes, knowledge is power. It can be overwhelming at first reading through all the information contained in these nutritional labels but you will get used to it in time especially if these information will help you make healthier food choices.

Author’s Bio: Abie is a professional blogger who writes on various topics like Health & Fitness, Technology, SEO, Parenting and more. Her latest project is as a content writer for the site Personalised T Shirts.com, which offers professional t-shirt printing.

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Learning Facts About Stevia

Last weekend when I went for my usual weekend grocery trip Healthy Section in my favorite supermarket got my attention. I saw a healthy breakfast cereal which is healthy and affordable as well. Then I saw a herbal dietary supplement made from Stevia. As curious as I was I bought a pack of the mentioned supplement which is a sweetener as well. 

I’ve long been thinking about substitute for sugar in my coffee and sometimes in my tea but I can’t have those with aspartame contents because fears of cancer-causing ingredients just keep on ringing on my ears. I’m not a soda drinker so drinking sugar free softdrinks will not be an issue. For coffee I should say that I can’t get rid of it completely though I’ve managed to limit it to 2 cups per day now.

Now this Stevia sweetener which I haven’t heard before was temporarily put to shelves until I researched things about it yesterday. It’s a non-caloric herb native to Paraguay but I discovered it’s being grown also in the Philippines. The pack I bought is actually Philippine’s first sweetener/dietary supplement product and it’s highly recommended for diabetics, weight watchers and health conscious as well. I’m convinced now that I’ve bought a quality product and I’m looking forward to using it in the next few days.

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The Way to Treat Heartburn

It is no joke if you are suffering from heartburn. It takes a toll especially for individuals who love to eat. But who doesn’t like food, right? Heartburn can be caused a number of things but the primary reason will depend on your food intake which is why as hard as it might sound a change on your lifestyle and diet is the first step towards recovery. Before trying any treatments it is best to consult with your physician first to determine your case.

Mild situations can normally be treated with home remedies. This alternative form of treatment is not only affordable but safe too because you’ll see all natural ingredients that doesn’t have any possible side effects on your body. Stay away from foods and beverages that might trigger a heartburn attack such as caffeinated drinks, sodas, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes and other tomato-based products. Taking these items away from your usual diet will result to positive changes, better digestion and less heartburn.

Eat foods that are natural antacids such as bananas, it can control the acid and lessen the discomfort brought by an acid reflux. Drinking apple cider vinegar mixed with water is also a good way to alleviate heartburn. If you feel bloated from eating too much, try a cup of chamomile tea as an alternative to drinking coffee or smoking. Remember that a change in lifestyle and diet is hard especially during the initial stage but with patience and determination, you’ll be able to say goodbye to your heartburn.

Mia currently works as a freelance writer. Among her favorite topics include travel, current events, technology and fashion. She's enjoying her current task writing for Fotograf København a project that provides information about photographer Copenhagen.

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Late Night Snacks

I’ve had plenty of rest today and I’ve overslept my nap time. DH woke me up when it’s time for our dinner and it took me some minutes to realize it’s already evening. Anyway I’m thankful for the much-needed sleep and rest although I must work on some tasks and spend the rest of the evening doing them. What I don’t like about working late is the possibility of having midnight snacks but I don’t have choice as I need energy to help me get through these late nights. Just as I was eating my snacks oxyelite came running through my mind as I feel a little guilty for not following my plans of getting fit and slimmer. I hope I will not get used to eating at the strike of 12 midnight because when I do that frequently I’ll be in dire trouble.

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TC: Green - Health Week Presentation

Thursday Challenge

for fun and learning

"GREEN" (Plants, Cloths, Cars, Toys, Houses,...)

 This shot was taken months back during one of the programs in my son's school.  They were celebrating  health week and each grade level presented their unique poem, songs, dances and drama with the theme focused on health and nutrition.  We also had our share on our own as all parent officers prepared healthy foods to feed to all students of Little Jewels Christian School.  Notice the costumes of the kids here representing vegetables.  They danced to represent the value of eating vegetable with the song 'Makulay ang Buhay sa Sinabawang Gulay....' (life is colorful with soupy vegetables).

Click on the title badge to see other entries for the 'green' theme!

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Drinking Cold Water After a Meal

My Mom and my husband has been telling me and the kids not to drink too much cold water but I always answer that I feel incomplete whenever I eat and then drink room temperature water. I'm talking about lunch and dinner as cold water is really a no-no in the morning. I remember my Mom's cough stopped when she starts drinking slightly warm water. Now I just browse upon an email from a friend sharing me information that drinking cold water after a meal can cause cancer! Really! Can you believe this?

Here’s what I learned from the emailed information. I know how it’s nice to drink a glass or two of cold water after a meal but you have to read the process in order to believe this one. The cold water will solidify the oily foods that we consumed and it will slow down the digestion. Then once this reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will definitely line the intestine and soon this will turn into fats and lead to the deadly disease cancer.

So it’s best to drink warm water or maybe hot soup after the meal to help digestion of the food. So now it will also help my constipation problem and my weight loss goal.

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Quality Water for Your Home

Water is very important in our everyday life be it our drinking water, our cleaning water or water for all purpose. We should be drinking the purest and cleanest water wherever we are especially in our own house. But sometimes we don’t always get the best for us and our family even if we did our best. I learned that there are some places where water was found to have contaminants. 

There are variety of problems water can get like iron, sulphur, acidity, hardness and chlorine. These things should be treated in order to make the water fit for human use. In order to achieve the best quality water for our usage especially those living in the Virginia area we can always get a low ph water treatment from Rainsoft, an innovative leader in the water treatment system. They provide and effective yet economical solutions to give you quality water for your home. And that’s crystal clear pure water for your kitchen and softened water for bathing and washing. You will never experience water damage to appliances like stains around drains and rings around bathtub.

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Returned to Healthy Habit

I’m into getting healthy now and started my healthy diet plan of eating regularly but less fat and rice. My meals consist of full breakfast, regular lunch with 2 kinds of fruits and very light dinner without rice, 2-3 varieties of fruits and eaten very early at night. I may not need hoodia diet pills because I’m now getting used to my meal plan with more veggies and fruits. I also started out my workout exercise few days ago. 

I’ve been feeling a little weak last month due to hectic schedule and lack of rest. My busy schedule forced me to work late evening up to dawn and to eat more because it’s hard to stay awake long without any food. It’s the food or favorite coffee drinks that helped me to finish my tasks and to stay awake. I know it’s not healthy to eat at midnight but I didn’t have much choice. But when I started to feel sickly I returned to my healthy habit again and that’s my healthy meal plan, regular exercise and minimum of 6 hours sleep. I hope I can keep it up.

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Be Slim Without Being Expensive

My brother asked me last summer if I want to join him in his ten day program of herbal cleansing diet. After the program they will need to buy all-herbal fat burners to support the cleansing diet they went through. I was really convinced because my brother used to have big tummy but now it’s all gone. He needs to drink the herbal tea in the morning then he’ll manage to maintain his physique.

When I asked the price of the fat burners that work for him I was astounded because it was so expensive. I smiled and laughed then told my brother that with the high price of his fat burners I will just buy plenty of fruits for my semi-cleansing. I would prefer natural foods than tea or pills and those are less expensive. I want to shed off my excess pounds but I want to do it the natural way.

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About Instant Noodles

I just want to share some tips on the most frequently cooked snack or even meal whenever we're rushing. We only disregard some warning about this in the past but this one reminder from a close friend opened my eyes to being aware of the common foods that we eat. I've known this for quite some time and have shared this verbally with all of my office friends who are very fond of cooking and eating this whenever they don't have snack or lunch available. Well we can't really avoid instant noodles but we can prevent their harmful effects if we limit our intake and if we cook it the right way.

'WRONG WAY OF COOKING NOODLES'

Normally, how we cook the instant noodles is to put the noodles into a pot with water, throw in the powder and let it cook for around 3 minutes and then it's ready to eat. This is the WRONG method of cooking the instant noodles. By doing this, when we actually boil the ingredients in the powder, normally with MSG it will change the molecular structures of the MSG causing it to be toxic.

The other thing that you may or may not realize is that, the noodles are coated with wax and it will take around 4 to 5 days for the body to excrete the wax after you have taken the noodles..

CORRECT METHOD :

The correct way to cook instant noodles without harming our bodies and health:

1. boil the noodles in a pot with water.
2. once the noodles is cooked, take out the noodles, and throw away the water which contains wax.
3. boil another pot of water till boiling and put the noodles into the hot boiling water and then shut the fire.
4. only at this stage when the fire is off, and while the water is very hot, put the ingredient with the powder into the water, to make noodle soup.
5. however, if you need dry noodles, take out the noodles and add the ingredient with the powder and toss it to get dry noodles.

A large number of patient with the ages ranging from 18-24 years are ending up with pancreatitis either as a swelling or infection of the pancreas due to regular consumption of instant noodles.... If the frequency is more than 3 times a week, then it is very hazardous.

Better safe than sorry....

Image from Wikipedia

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How Healthy Is Your Diet?

You Are 64% Healthy

Your diet is quite healthy, but you don't too crazy with what you eat.
You know how to eat what's good for you, but you're also careful not to deprive yourself.
And that's the healthiest way to be!

Wow I thought I'm healthy enough but the number is low for me so I guess I have to give up some of my other cravings too. Well I've given up many but not chocolates, cheese and mayonnaise, are they so sinful! I'll have to discipline myself or I'll turn into a person that I will not be able to recognize in the mirror lol! I think I should get back to my diet last summer, just fruits and veggies for dinner. That's all for know because I don't think I can give up chocolates :-)

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Fish and Vegetable Meal Plan

I’ve been thinking about the food I’m going to eat today when I decided to rest from pork and take fish instead. It would save me from taking best weight loss products because my office mate tried the fish and vegetable diet for three months and she lost excess pounds. In contrast to my food habit she can’t go on a diet without rice so she eats with 1 or ½ cup rice on every meal but with fish and vegetable only as viand. I saw how she eats her veggies. If there’s a pork ingredient on vegetables she will not eat the pork. I admire her strict discipline on diet and her prize is a body that can be compared to college student. She’s so slim that you can’t mistake her for a woman with two sons. I have my own pattern of getting slimmer but I’ve incorporated some of her tips to my own.

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Limiting Intake of My Favorites

I’m looking at my mug of coffee this morning and I’m trying to figure out if I can remove coffee in my morning meals. I’ve been testing myself of the favorite foods and drinks that I can give up so I will not need those best weight loss pills. I’m thinking that if I can slowly limit my food intake to healthy foods only I can say goodbye to my excess pounds.

I had a one-month test about this healthy diet plan last May and it gave me good results. I didn’t eat rice on lunch up to dinner for a month and replaced its bulk with fruits. It brought me positive results. My tummy decreased a bit and I surmised that if I continue it I will slowly lose more pounds. Now I’m looking at my chocolates in the fridge and I’m certain I can’t give that up. For the coffee I think I’ll just have it in the morning...at least.

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Your Heart Tip#2 - Avoid Over-Using Dairy Products

Well as I've said in my previous post that to avoid heart problems and heart attacks we should avoid food that can be harmful on our body. And one of these foods are the dairy products. Avoid over-using dairy products. Cream and most cheeses are high in cholesterol. Use skim or one percent milk. Much of the appeal of whole milk is simply that you are used to it. After using milk with less butterfat in it, you may find you prefer it. It is less cloying in your throat and, therefore, more refreshing.

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An Ounce of Prevention

I had a chat with one of my former office friends and we talked about the good old days in the consultancy company we worked for. Those days were really happy ones although our job was a tough one always beating the deadlines. Well we just laughed about it now that we’re both out of it. Since we’re not getting any younger we shared some health regimen that we thought could help us both now. I told her I’ve been eating at least 2-3 kind of fruits a day to somehow cleanse my system and give me a healthy glow. I’ve been reading some colon cleanse reviews lately and I’m deeply concerned with these colon cleansing diet.

We already had a colon sickness history in my mother’s side so I’m seriously studying some facts about it. It’s a great help knowing things like these because I know that knowledge can give us prevention on acquiring sickness. As they say an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

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