Six Food Mistakes Parents Make

Posted by Neill Abayon

Here’s a look at six common mistakes parents make when feeding their children.

Sending Children Out of the Kitchen

It is understandable that parents don’t want children close to hot stoves, boiling water and sharp knives. But studies suggest that involving children in meal preparation is an important first step in getting them to try new foods.

Pressuring Them to Take a Bite

Demanding that a child eat at least one bite of everything seems reasonable, but it’s likely to backfire. Studies show that children react negatively when parents pressure them to eat foods, even if the pressure offers a reward.

Keeping “Good Stuff” Out of Reach

Parents worry that children will binge on treats, so they often put them out of sight or on a high shelf. But a large body of research shows that if a parent restricts a food, children just want it more.

Dieting in Front of Your Children

Kids are tuned into their parents’ eating preferences and are far more likely to try foods if they see their mother or father eating them. Parents who are trying to lose weight should be aware of how their dieting habits can influence a child’s perceptions about food and healthful eating.

Serving Boring Vegetables

Calorie-counting parents often serve plain steamed vegetables, so it’s no wonder children are reluctant to eat them. Nutritionists say parents shouldn’t be afraid to dress up the vegetables.

Giving Up Too Soon

Eating preferences often change. Parents should keep preparing a variety of healthful foods and putting them on the table, even if a child refuses to take a bite. In young children, it may take 10 or more attempts over several months to introduce a food.

Does Thinking Make You Fatter?

Posted by Neill Abayon

A research team has demonstrated that intellectual work induces a substantial increase in calorie intake. This discovery could help to explain, in part, the current obesity epidemic.

The team measured the spontaneous food intake of 14 students after each of three tasks: relaxing in a sitting position, reading and summarizing a text, and completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer.

Each session of intellectual work required only three calories more than the rest period. However, despite the low energy cost of mental work, the students spontaneously consumed 203 more calories after summarizing a text and 253 more calories after the computer tests.

Blood samples taken before, during, and after each session revealed that intellectual work caused bigger fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels than rest periods.

Air Pollution Can Hinder Your Heart's Electrical Function

Posted by Neill Abayon

Microscopic particles in polluted air can adversely affect your heart’s ability to conduct electrical signals in people with serious coronary artery disease.

A recent study of 48 Boston-area patients, all of whom had coronary artery disease, used 24-hour Holter monitors to examine electrocardiograms. An elevation in fine particles, from non-traffic as well as traffic sources, and black carbon, a marker for traffic, resulted in a conductivity change called an ST-segment depression, which can indicate inadequate blood flow to the heart or inflamed heart muscle.

The effects were greatest within the first month after hospitalization, and for patients who were hospitalized for a heart attack or had diabetes.

Previous studies have documented that exposure to road traffic can trigger heart attacks, and that particulate air pollution increases the risk for cardiac death.

21 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life

Posted by Neill Abayon

When you’re trying to simplify your life, sometimes life gets in the way. When that happens, you need a workaround, some way to get past your usual obstacles and to trick yourself into keeping things simple.

Don’t try to implement all of them -- that would be far from simple. And not all of them will apply to your life anyway. Pick one or two and try them out.

Three-box decluttering. If you’re trying to declutter a room, drawer, shelf, desk, use three boxes to quickly sort everything. Just quickly go through each shelf or drawer or flat surface at once, putting things into three separate boxes: Trash, Donate, Maybe.

Create a no-distractions zone. This is great for when you want to do some focused work. Create a zone with no phones, no email, no co-workers or kids or spouses, nothing on the walls, no IM or Twitter, no web surfing. Just the tools you need to do your work and nothing else.

Create a short-list. If you’re having a hard time getting your life to something truly simple, create a short list of things you love doing most, perhaps 4 or 5 things. Then, try to eliminate everything in your life that’s not on the short list, to make room for the things you love.

Deflect all requests for a week. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, make the decision that you will not say “yes” to any new requests this week. If you get a new request, politely decline.

Go schedule-less. This works well if you’ve been over-packing your schedule. Set a policy that you won’t schedule any appointments. At the beginning of the day, pick a few things to focus on and try to get them done. If you need to meet with someone, call them and meet.

Single-task. This is good for those who tend to be all over the place. Don’t allow yourself to switch between tasks. When you’re working on a report or writing an article, don’t do anything else.

Start your day with peace. When you first rise, do something that is calming and peaceful. That might be running or walking, having a quiet cup of coffee with a book, watching the sunrise, meditating or yoga -- whatever works well for you.

Eat only 7 things. If you’re trying to be healthful, but are having a hard time navigating complicated diets, limit yourself to non-packaged foods. Eat only seven things: fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein, lean calcium, beans, nuts, and good fats.

Go paperless. If you can do it, you can save time filing, save time searching for stuff, save space, simplify your office, and save a few trees to boot. Insist that everything be sent via email or through online documents, then create a filing system that works for you.

Go media free. If your life is filled with information overload, and you find little time to do the things you love to do, consider eliminating media from your life, at least temporarily. This includes cable TV, DVDs, newspapers and magazines, and Internet news.

Limit yourself to 3 tasks. If your to-do list is long and overwhelming, pick three tasks you want to do today. Focus on getting these three tasks done before anything else.

Limit yourself to one project. Focus on one project right now, and put the others on the back-burner. Try to get that one project done as quickly as possible, and then work on the next one.

5-sentence emails. This works well if you spend too much time writing emails. It limits the amount of time you use doing email, and forces you to decide what’s important in each one.

30-day rule. If you want to buy something, you have to write it on your 30-day list, with the date that it was added to the list. After 30 days, if you still want it, you can buy it.

Only wear a few colors. Simplify your wardrobe. It makes it easy to match your clothes, and you won’t need as many.

One in, two out. When you bring something into your house, you have to get rid of two things.

Work four days a week. If you have the luxury, limit yourself to four days a week, 8 hours or less. But how can you work only four days if you currently work 5 and are overloaded as it is? It’s funny, but you can somehow make it work. It’s a well-known law that our work expands to fit the time we give it -- and the flip side of that is if you shrink the time, you will shrink the work to fit the time.

Retire early. Set an early retirement date and force yourself to save up the money you need. Take a mini-retirement if necessary. Then go back to work and save up for your next mini-retirement.

Limit storage space. The less storage you have, the less stuff you’ll save, which will save you the stress of having to go through all that storage to find stuff, organize stuff, maintain stuff, and get rid of old stuff.

Staunch your information flow. Cut back on the amount of information coming into your life. Unsubscribe to mailing lists, unsubscribe to blog feeds that don’t give you value, pick one news source instead of five.

Send only five emails a day. Pick five important emails to respond to, and that’s it. The rest get delayed or deleted. You don’t have to respond to every email -- people will make do.

Source:Zenhabits.com

The Incredible Importance of Omega-3's

Posted by Neill Abayon

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published three studies investigating the role of EPA and DHA omega-3 fats in elderly populations.

In short, the story the studies tell is this: low concentrations of EPA and DHA result in an increased risk of death from all causes and accelerated cognitive decline. However, short-term intervention with EPA and DHA in the healthy elderly had no effect on mental well-being, suggesting that dietary habits that include a higher intake of omega 3’s may bring certain health benefits that short-term supplementation cannot provide.

All three studies underscore the importance of maintaining a high dietary omega-3 intake throughout your life.

Visit here for more.

Vitamin B12 Keeps Your Brain Young

Posted by Neill Abayon

Older individuals with low levels of vitamin B12 are at increased risk of having brain atrophy or shrinkage. Brain atrophy is associated with Alzheimer's disease and impaired cognitive function.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among older people.

In a study involving more than 100 volunteers aged 61 to 87, all participants underwent annual clinical exams, MRI scans and cognitive tests, and had blood samples taken. Individuals with lower vitamin B12 levels at the start of the study had a greater decrease in brain volume. Those with the lowest B12 levels had a sixfold greater rate of brain volume loss compared with those who had the highest levels.

However, none of the participants were actually deficient in vitamin B12 -- they just had low levels within a normal range.

Other risk factors for brain atrophy include high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Could Acupuncture Improve Your Fertility?

Posted by Neill Abayon

When Rebecca Killmeyer experienced a miscarriage during her second pregnancy, she wasn't sure if she would ever have another baby. But then she decided to enter a study testing the impact of acupuncture on women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

"To our great surprise we were blessed with a third pregnancy during the PCOS study," said Killmeyer. "I'm absolutely certain the acupuncture treatments helped me ovulate regularly, which allowed me to become pregnant."

PCOS causes a hormonal imbalance that interferes with ovulation and fertility. Acupuncture could be an important alternative, non-drug therapy for women with this disorder.

Read the full article here.

Obesity Makes Asthma Worse

Posted by Neill Abayon

Obese people with asthma are nearly five times more likely than their non-obese peers to be hospitalized for the ailment.

The findings come from a study of more than 1,000 members of a healthcare organization. Compared with normal weight subjects, obese individuals were 2.7 times more likely to have poor asthma control, and 4.6 times more likely to have a history of asthma-related hospitalization.

The take-home message of this study, said study co-author Dr. Michael Schatz, "is that obese people with asthma need to be followed more carefully because it's harder to control their asthma, so they are more likely to end up in the hospital."

Reuters

FDA Announces 20 Dangerous Drugs You Should NOT Be On

Posted by Neill Abayon

A 2007 federal law requires the FDA to disclose all its investigations into reports of possibly drug-related adverse events. The first of this series of quarterly reports has been released. It includes adverse events reported between January 1 and March 31, 2008.

Here's the list of drugs and the adverse events that have been reported:

Arginine Hydrochloride Injection (R-Gene 10) -- Pediatric overdose due to labeling and packaging confusion

Desflurane (Suprane) -- Cardiac arrest

Duloxetine (Cymbalta) -- Urinary retention

Etravirine (Intelence) -- Hemarthrosis (blood in a joint)

Fluorouracil Cream (Carac) and Ketoconazole Cream (Kuric) -- Adverse events due to name confusion

Heparin -- Anaphylactic-type (life-threatening allergic) reactions

Icodextrin (Extraneal) -- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

Insulin U-500 (Humulin R) -- Dosing confusion

Ivermectin (Stromectol) and Warfarin -- Drug interaction

Lapatinib (Tykerb) -- Hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity)

Lenalidomide (Revlimid) -- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a deadly drug reaction)

Natalizumab (Tysabri) -- Skin melanomas (deadly skin cancer)

Nitroglycerin (Nitrostat) -- Overdose due to labeling confusion

Octreotide Acetate Depot (Sandostatin LAR) -- Ileus (bowels not moving)

Oxycodone Hydrochloride Controlled-Release (OxyContin) -- Drug misuse, abuse, and overdose

Perflutren Lipid Microsphere (Definity) -- Cardiopulmonary reactions (lung/heart problems)

Phenytoin Injection (Dilantin) -- Purple glove syndrome (discoloration, pain, and swelling of the hand that may lead to amputation)

Quetiapine (Seroquel) -- Overdose due to sample pack labeling confusion

Tebivudine (Tyzeka) -- Peripheral neuropathy (tingling or numbness in the extremities)

Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blockers -- Cancers in children and young adults

Olive Leaf Extract Lowers Blood Pressure

Posted by Neill Abayon

The leaves of the olive tree have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times, and research has suggested that olive leaf extracts have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Now it also appears that a supplement containing olive leaf extract could help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

A study looked at 20 sets of identical twins with "borderline" hypertension -- blood pressure that is above the optimal level of 120/80, but below the cutoff of 140/90 used to diagnose high blood pressure. One member of each twin pair was given tablets containing olive leaf extract, while the other received no supplements but did get lifestyle advice on lowering blood pressure.

After eight weeks, supplement users taking 1,000 mg of olive leaf extract per day showed a substantial dip in their blood pressure overall, and lowered levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol. The twins who received no supplements showed no significant change in their blood pressure and a smaller improvement in cholesterol.

Read the full article here.

Arthritis Drugs Cause Fatal Fungal Infections

Posted by Neill Abayon

The U.S. FDA has ordered stronger warnings on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.

Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia work by suppressing the immune system to keep it from attacking the body. For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the treatment provides relief from swollen and painful joints. But the drugs also lower the body's defenses against various kinds of infections.

The FDA became concerned after discovering that doctors seemed to be overlooking a particular kind of fungal infection called histoplasmosis. The infection is prevalent in much of the middle part of the country, and it can have grave consequences if it isn't caught early and spreads beyond the respiratory system to other organs of the body.

Read more here.

Walk Away From Your Memory Problems

Posted by Neill Abayon

A study has found that walking for 2 and a half hours a week can significantly improve memory problems for those over the age of 50. Improvement in memory occurred both over the course of the six month trial, and 6 and 12 months after completion.

The trial placed 170 people who had reported memory problems into two groups. One group continued their usual activities, while the other took part in an 24-week home-based physical activity program.

Participants in the exercise group worked out an average of 20 minutes in a day more than those in the control group. By the end of the study, participants in the exercise group performed better on cognitive tests and had better delayed recall. They also had lower Clinical Dementia Rating Scores.

Early Weight Gain Leads to Hypertension

Posted by Neill Abayon

Babies who gain weight rapidly during the first few months of their lives may have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure as adults.

A new study tracked close to 700 young adults around the age of 25. It found that those who gained weight more rapidly in the first five months after birth, and again between the ages of 2 and 5, were more likely to have high systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure in your arteries while your heart contracts.

Immediate weight gain after birth also was linked to higher adult diastolic blood pressure, the pressure when your heart relaxes between beats.

Reuters

Pregnant Women Should Avoid Perfume at All Costs

Posted by Neill Abayon

Pregnant women are being urged to stop using perfumes and scented creams after research suggested the products could cause unborn boys to suffer infertility or cancer later in life.

Research on rats has found the reproductive system of male fetuses could be as early as eight weeks into gestation by chemicals found in those cosmetics.

There appears to be a "time window" of eight to twelve weeks' gestation when certain hormones in the fetus are activated and the male reproductive system comes into being. Future male fertility problems, including undescended testicles, low sperm count and the risk of testicular cancer, could be caused during this period if hormones such as testosterone do not work properly.

Removes Unwanted Tattoos Without Pain

Posted by Neill Abayon

Extracting no-longer wanted tattoos from the skin has usually been a painful process. However, cosmetic surgeons have developed what they say is a more efficient and less painful way of removing body art.

A cream which is being called Rejuvi, when injected into the skin, is absorbed by the pigmented cells and bonds with the pigment. This softens the ink and pushes it to the surface of the skin, where it forms a scab. When the scab falls off after six to eight weeks, the ink goes with it.

Experts claim that the technique has a higher success rate than laser treatment, is cheaper, less painful, and has a minimal risk of scarring.

Tips for Grilling Healthy Burgers

Posted by Neill Abayon

Grilling perfect burgers is easy if you follow these simple tips:

• Use beef with the right amount of fat. I recommend 80% to 85% lean ground beef. The fat is what makes your burgers juicy.


• If your ground beef is frozen, thaw completely in the refrigerator before using. Do not try to cook beef from a frozen state.


• To see if your burgers are done, check using an instant-read thermometer. Insert it in the side of the burger through to the middle. Burgers should be cooked to 160 degrees F.


• Color is not an indicator of whether or not your burgers are cooked thoroughly. Burgers that are brown inside may not be cooked to 160 degrees F, and burgers that are cooked through may still be pink inside.


• Handle the beef as little as possible while shaping the burgers. Overhandling results in toughness.


• Form patties that about 3/4-inch thick. Press your thumb in the middle of each patty to prevent it from bulging during cooking.


• Refrigerate your burgers while preparing the grill. Preheat the grill long enough to get it nice and hot, about 15 minutes should do it.


• Season the burgers with salt and pepper on the outside, just before grilling. This will prevent the salt from drawing moisture out of the burgers. And the salt, which enhances the meat's flavor, will hit your mouth first.


• Place the burgers on the grill, and leave them there. Do not press down on the burgers during cooking.


• Flip once, after 5-6 minutes.


• Let your burgers rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

MSG Use Is Linked to Obesity

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

Consumption of monosodium glutamate, or MSG, the widely used food additive, may increase the likelihood of being overweight, a new study says.

Researchers studied 752 men and women in three villages in northern and southern China where most people use little commercially processed food, but where about 80 percent of people add MSG in cooking.

After controlling for body mass index, smoking, physical activity and almost two dozen measures of daily nutrient intake, they found that the one-third of people who used the most MSG were almost three times as likely to be overweight — that is, to have a body mass index over 25 — as those who used none. On average, with each 0.04-ounce daily increase in MSG intake, B.M.I. went up by 0.61.

MSG makes food taste better, which may lead people to eat more, but the researchers controlled for total energy intake so it is unlikely that that explains the finding. The mechanism for the connection, published in the August issue of Obesity, remains unclear.

Dr. Ka He, the lead author and an assistant professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the University of North Carolina, said the study established an association, not a causal relationship.

“MSG is not toxic,” he said. “But now the question is: Is it healthy? This study is a warning that we should be cautious.”

See the full article here.

5 Keys to Happiness

By Greg Soltis, LiveScience Staff

If you're not happy and you know it read along.

You've watched "Seinfeld" re-runs, splurged on yourself and downed pints of Ben and Jerry's. Nothing's helping. Maybe you're one of the 20 million Americans diagnosed with depression, you're bottoming out or you just want something to improve your day.

Here are five ways — some admittedly challenging — to help you get that much-needed mood boost:

1. Pick good parents

In Happy Land, genes trump environmental factors, according to the experts. And a study in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science scores another point for the gene team: Differences in DNA that could explain why some people tend to have an extra bounce in their step might also underlie the tendency to be more emotionally stable and socially and physically active.

Genes do not provide free passes from the doldrums, and other external factors will still try to mow you down. But, heredity could provide some people with a horde of happiness that they can draw from when the good times aren’t rolling.

And Canadian researchers' ability to genetically stifle depression in mice in 2006 indicates that human happiness could one day be improved by manipulating genes. This was the first time science throttled the throes of any organism. Mice bred to be void of the gene, called TREK-1, acted as if they had been downing anti-depressants for at least three weeks.

2. Give it away

It only takes $5 spent on others to make you happier on a given day, according to a 2008 study. And selfless acts can also help your marriage become a more enjoyable experience for you and your spouse.

After performing good deeds, people are happier and feel their life has more purpose. But is the act selfless if you expect something in return? Maybe it just depends on how you look at it.

Read the full article here.

Milk may help bacteria survive against low levels of antibiotics

Posted by Neill Abayon

Milk may help prevent potentially dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus from being killed by antibiotics used to treat animals, scientists heard today (Monday 8 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

Bacteria sometimes form structures called biofilms that protect them against antibiotics and the body's natural defences. Now scientists have discovered that one of the most important micro-organisms that causes mastitis in cows and sheep, called Staphylococcus, can evade the animal's defences and veterinary medicines by forming these protective biofilms. Mastitis is an infection of the udder in cattle and sheep. It is often a painful condition for the cows and can even cause death.

"Mastitis is a difficult disease to control. It causes risks for public health if people drink infected milk and is expensive for farmers as it usually causes severe milk production losses, increased treatment costs and means the animals may have to be culled," said Dr Manuela Oliveira from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal. "When the staphylococci produce a biofilm, the structure protects them against host defences and antibiotic treatment, allowing the bacteria to persist in the udder."

In the past, scientists studying mastitis have conducted most of their experiments under laboratory conditions rather than mimicking the conditions found in living animals. This may mean that they have missed important contributory factors. However, Dr Oliveira and her colleagues have used realistic conditions to overcome this problem.

"We have discovered that milk may also protect bacteria against low concentrations of antibiotics – in the presence of milk, three of the five antibiotics tested, penicillin, gentamicin and sulphamethoxazole combined with trimethoprim, were less effective against Staphylococcus when compared with the same experiment performed in the absence of milk," said Dr Oliveira.

Read the full article here.

You Have An Astonishing Memory

Posted by Neill Abayon

A new study has found that your brain can remember a lot more than had previously been believed.

In a recent experiment, people who viewed pictures of thousands of objects over five hours were able to remember astonishing details afterward. Previous studies have never measured such astounding feats of memory, but this may be simply because no one really tried.

Researchers found that under the right circumstances, your brain can store minute visual details far beyond what had been imagined.

It helps if the objects that are familiar, such as remote controls, dollar bills and loaves of bread, as opposed to abstract artworks. Another factor that seemed to help was motivation to do well: the participant who scored highest won a small prize of money.