Dear Readers: Limiting added sugar is a good idea. The American Heart Association (heart.org) advises women should consume a maximum of 25 grams of added sugar per day. And men? Thirty-eight grams. Although grams are a difficult concept to visualize, reading the label on a bag of sugar helps.
One teaspoon of sugar equals 4 grams, so, according to the AHA, a woman should take in no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar daily (25 divided by 4 = 6.25 teaspoons), and for a man, it's 9.5 teaspoons daily (38 divided by 4).
Children's limits vary, but the AHA recommends between 3 and 6 teaspoons of sugar a day-that's 12 to 25 grams.
But wow: The average American takes in 17 teaspoons per day of added sugar!
Ask your doctor what she or he advises. Fruits have natural sugars, and with their fiber content are healthier.-Heloise
HAND HEALTH
Dear Heloise: I learned in school that my hands can be really dirty-there can be 150 kinds of germs that live on them. Gross! And the germ that causes the common cold can stay alive for an entire day!
I tell all my friends to wash their hands with soap after using the restroom, after a sneeze or cough, and before cooking and eating.-Stella M., age 11, in Michigan
CANNING JAR SALAD
Dear Heloise: I found a convenient way to take an entire salad to work with me: All the ingredients fit nicely into a canning jar! Layering keeps everything crisp and delicious.
Here's the order: Wet ingredients in the bottom-salad dressing, tomatoes and cucumbers; then chicken or black beans; then rice and/or croutons; and then spinach or lettuce.
I can either shake it up and eat straight from the jar or pour it out onto a plate. A healthy and simple way to make a delicious salad!-Karen S., Fort Wayne, Ind.
DON'T KEEP IT
BOTTLED UP
Dear Heloise: Do you know of anywhere we can donate empty prescription bottles?-Celeste, via email
Celeste, there are lots of organizations that reuse prescription bottles-an internet search will reveal them.
But you can also recycle them. Before donating or recycling, be sure to properly dispose of leftover medication (National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is April 27, 2019-visit getsmartaboutdrugs.gov).
Remove the label and all packing material, and put the lid on. Recycled pill bottles (there are over 4 billion prescriptions written every year, not to mention over-the-counter medications) can be reused as carpeting, fabrics and other home products.
The bottles also make wonderful organizational tools in the garage, sewing room or craft room.-Heloise
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to [email protected]. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
King Features Syndicate