Here in North America, clean water is something we most certainly take for granted. We flush it down the toilet and the sink, we throw it out if it is not perfectly fresh. We're afraid of out perfectly clean tap water so we invest in expensive filters or buy our water from the store. And yet so many people out there would do anything for that tap water.

Here's a story from Dr. Gupta, CNN's medical correspondent, about a village in China that gets its water supply from the Hengshui River, which happens to be the river that receives heavy metal and mining deposits. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the most toxic--too toxic to safely touch, let alone ingest--the Hengshui rates a staggering 5. Full of known carcinogens like arsenic, lead, zinc and cadmium, the water is slowly killing the people who rely on it, and they have no choice but depend on this water source -- there are no others.

I can't imagine living in a world where the price you pay for water is your life, where you can't rely on anyone to step in and make sure you have a clean water supply. It's truly heartbreaking.

A few days ago, my two little boys ended up with itchy, bumpy rashes on their necks, backs, and chests. "Mommy, I'm itchy," they'd declare while scratching at their tender skin in search of relief. I did all I could to soothe my bothered boys. I lightly scratched their skin, soaked them in cool tubs of water, offered them Benadryl, and taught them how to gently pat their skin and not dig at it. Eventually, the itches went away -- thanks to the passage of time. And eventually, I learned that sunscreen was likely to blame for their skin irritations.

My boys are four and six. Slowly over the years, I have abandoned baby sunscreens and have lathered them with the same sunscreens I use -- the potions made for adult skin. They didn't seem like babies anymore so it seemed an appropriate transition. Most times, their skin fared well. This time, it did not.

While at my skin cancer screening appointment the other day, my dermatologist gave me something to think about. She told me the primary ingredients in sunscreen for children should be zinc or titanium oxide -- found primarily in baby sunscreen products. So no more grown-up lotions for my boys. I am now the proud owner of New! Banana Boat Baby SPF 50 UVA & UVB sunblock lotion. It's tear-free, sting-free, as mild as water, and reportedly waterproof too -- although some experts maintain waterproof is not really possible in the world of sunscreen. Water resistant, maybe; waterproof, no. Most important, though, is one of the active ingredients in my new tube of protective lotion: Titanium Dioxide.

Green peas are bursting with nutrients. They provide very good amounts vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B1 or thiamine, vitamin A vitamin B6, B3, and B2 and lots if dietary fiber, manganese, folate, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc and potassium. Green peas are that little food that is supercharged with nutritional and can supercharge your health.

Green peas are one of the important foods to include in your diet if you oftentimes feel fatigued and sluggish. That is because they provide nutrients that help support the energy-producing cells and systems of the body. They provide nutrients that are important for maintaining bone health. With its great source for iron green peas build normal blood cell formation and function. Low amounts of iron can result in anemia, fatigue, decreased immune function, and learning problems.

Vicki's Green Pea Salad
2 cups fresh green peas. (You can substitute with a 16 ounce package of frozen green peas. Rinse and thaw them for use in the salad.)
1 cup chopped fresh cauliflower ( make sure pieces are chopped about the same size as the peas.)
1 - 8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts (drain and rinse thoroughly and cut into strips)
1 - 8 ounce container sweet grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1/2 onion minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon dry dill

Whisk together the lemon juice, dill, and mayonnaise.
In large bowl mix all of the vegetables. Pour in the mayo and dill dressing and toss.

Children and teenagers -- mostly girls -- need zinc, a mineral important for maintaining healthy immune systems and healthy skin and for preventing colds and infections. Yet half of all teenage girls have zinc deficiencies.

Red meat is the most effective way of channeling zinc into the body. Perhaps these young girls are eating red meat less than two times per week -- a practice research shows can contribute to zinc deficiencies.

Iron is vital for good health. Menstruating women need it. The elderly need it. Pregnant women need it. And children need it too. But many lack healthy levels of iron.

Red meat contains a lot of iron. And while iron also comes from vegetable sources, meat contains more iron than most foods and is best utilized by the body in this form.

Red meat also contains B vitamins, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, selenium -- and protein, critical for muscle and organ health. Protein from red meat is complete, meaning it contains all the amino acids the body cannot make on its own. Protein helps the body repair and renew.

There is definitely a good side to eating red meat. There is also a bad side.

Red meat has been linked to incidences of bowel cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, high cholesterol, clogged arteries, and food poisoning.

Experts say the controversy surrounding red meat comes down to the type of meat we are eating -- and how we are eating it.

There are three official red meats -- pork, lamb, and beef. Pork is the leanest, lamb is the fattiest, and beef is the most nutritious. Red meat is typically high in saturated fats and bad cholesterol. But lean beef is fairly healthy -- if it's not treated with hormones and is truly free from excess fat. The more white you see, the more fat you get.

So here is the trick for all meat-eaters out there -- choose lean meats, seek nutritious cuts of meat, avoid hormone-treated products, steer clear of processed meats (these include more additives and fats than simple cuts of pork, lamb, and beef), read labels carefully, make meat just one component of a balanced diet, and brace yourself for more research and study and discussion that will undoubtedly conclude that meat is good for us. And bad for us too.

In the past year, I have had three severe skin reactions characterized by red, itchy, burning bumps that start on my chest and without fail climb over my shoulders and onto my back. They last for a few weeks, are irritated by the Florida heat, and have had no known cause -- until today when I visited my dermatologist for a skin cancer screening and briefed her on this bizarre condition that has kept me away from sunscreen and out of the swimming pool and in hiding from the sun. I have suspected that sunscreen, chlorine, the sun -- or some combination of the three -- have been my potential irritants. So I've been avoiding them altogether. But I learned today that the sunscreen and the chlorine are not to blame. That leaves the sun, which is the most likely culprit -- and only because I have received chemotherapy with one very toxic drug. Adriamycin.

My dermatologist told me about a phenomenon called UV Recall that is associated with Adriamycin. Apparently the toxicity of this drug, even though administered long ago, can be recalled, causing a reaction when the UV rays of the sun soak into my skin. Sunscreen may help, my doctor told me, but she cautioned me that it is just a screen -- it does not offer full protection. And she said the best suncreen option would include zinc oxide. I think for me, though, staying out of the sun is my best bet. It's not ideal -- it means I will remain on the fringe of the swimming pool, hiding in the shade, while my boys swim their little hearts out. And tropical vacations will be off my wish list. And I will seek outdoor fun mostly after the sun goes down. But this is okay -- I knew there were long-term side effects of chemotherapy drugs. I am just thankful for now that my heart has not been compromised -- a side effect of both Adriamycin and the drug Herceptin that I have also received. And it's also not a bad thing that the steps I must now take to prevent skin reactions are also the steps that protect me from skin cancer. So in some sort of round-about way, my inconvenient skin issues may just help me stay healthy. And that's just fine with me.

After two days of meeting to discuss the safety and effectiveness of multivitamin and minerals supplements, MVMs, a 13-member independent panel of experts in the fields of food science and human nutrition, biostatistics, biochemistry, toxicology, geriatric medicine, family medicine, pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, cancer prevention, epidemiology, disease prevention and health promotion, and consumer protection made the following observations and recommendations.

The National Foundation for Cancer Research, NFCR, features a new cancer prevention recipe each month. This month is Tuna Salad with Olives, Oranges, and Bell Peppers. Salads are a quick and easy way of getting fresh health-supportive nutrients needed to help prevent cancers. This salad provides nine cancer prevention micronutrients; folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, zinc, and selenium. According to NFCR, up to 20 percent of the U.S. population is deficient in all of these nutrients. When choosing salad ingredients, purchase organic produce whenever possible. Visit here for the recipe.