Jun
16
2010
Yes, it’s that time of season again, my friends-summer is upon us and I know that you must be ready for my barbecue series! The weather is getting hotter and you know what that means-it’s time to clean the barbecue grill-make sure your gas, wood or charcoal supply is adequate and safely stored and there are several other safety tips that you should be aware of (courtesy of the FDA and the USDA):
Wash your hands.
It seems basic, but not everyone does it. Wash hands well and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom and before cooking or eating. If you're in an outdoor setting with no bathroom, use a water jug, some soap, and paper towels. Consider carrying moist disposable towelettes for cleaning your hands.
Keep Everything Clean
Be sure there are plenty of clean utensils and platters. To prevent foodborne illness, don't use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry. Harmful bacteria present in raw meat and poultry and their juices can contaminate safely cooked food.
If you're eating away from home, find out if there's a source of clean water. If not, bring water for preparation and cleaning. Or pack clean cloths, and wet towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands.
Thaw Safely
Completely thaw meat and poultry ...
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Jun
12
2010
Like many of you out there, I bought the Wii (Nintendo) video game for my daughter when it came out. The tennis was cool and the boxing was an interesting challenge. I liked having the ability of physical movement and the responses that were reflected in the game. My daughter liked building the avatars and playing the music and dance games. My initial opinion, prior to playing the game, was that I didn’t think that a video game could allow me to get enough exercise and be physical enough to equal a sport or going into the gym. After all, I was use to Pac-man and old fashion pinball where there was some excitement, a little gyrating but no real physicality. But after playing all the Wii games included in the base package including baseball and bowling, I was amazed at the work out that I was getting. So as usual, I decided to do a bit of research to see if there were any actual studies that confirmed my actual findings. Drs. Mellecker and McManus of the Institute of Human Performance-University of Hong Kong, performed research on activity and video gaming in kids and reported in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, that, “active gaming media results in meaningful increases in energy expenditure and ...
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Jun
10
2010
Hello my friends, and welcome to the Summer of 2010. I usually write about nutrition and fitness, but this year I am going to stray a bit and write about a serious killer: lightning. According to the National Weather Service (noaa.gov), summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena— lightning. Lightning Safety Awareness Week (citizencorps.gov), is held the last full week of June each year. Each year in the U.S., there are about 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes- each one of these a potential killer. During the last 30 years, lightning has killed an average of 73 people per year in the U.S. This is more than the 68 that are killed by tornadoes or the average of 16 killed by hurricanes. Because lightning only claims one or two victims at a time, and because it does not cause the mass destruction left in the wake of hurricanes or tornadoes, lightning generally receives much less attention than the more destructive storm-related killers. Lightning also injures 300 people a year; however, undocumented injuries caused by lightning are likely much higher. While many people think they are aware of the dangers of lightning, the vast majority are not. Lack of understanding with regard to the dangers of lightning continues to be a significant problem in the U.S. Many ...
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Jun
09
2010
Did you know that in the latest guidelines (Dietary Guidelines for Americans), all children (from preschool through age 18) should be physically active and get 60 (sixty) minutes of exercise/physical activity each and every day? Well it’s true. This exercise or activity does not have to be only from sports, but also can come from walking and playing (a.k.a. recess). And the exercise does not have to be done all at once. You can break it up into several periods throughout the day- for example: 6-ten minute episodes or 4- fifteen minute episodes.
Parenting tip#1: according to many studies, kids (and adults too) that are physically active have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases like obesity, type-2 diabetes, elevated BMI, stroke, coronary artery disease, colon cancer, osteoporosis elevated blood fats, elevated blood pressure and elevated insulin levels. On the other end of the spectrum, kids that are not active and are sedentary (e.g. sit in front of the TV or computer) have a much higher risk of developing chronic diseases like overweight, obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer.
Parenting tip #2: If you eat 100 more food calories a day than you burn, you'll gain about 1 pound in a month. That's about 12 pounds in a year.
Here is a chart that shows the calories (units of energy) ...
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Jun
02
2010
No matter what show I watch where they are making breakfast, from the Food Channel, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel or even my local T.V. stations morning shows, the most common ingredient is eggs. Scrambled, poached, hardboiled or simply egg whites, I can always count on watching the guest chef come up with his or her own variation. Adding a piece of chicken breast, Canadian bacon or salmon, maybe an original Bernaise sauce (traditionally made with egg yolks, butter, tarragon, shallots, chervil), and completing the plating with a small fresh salad and a bit of fresh fruit. That’s good stuff! Of course I also see the eggs used in making waffles, pancakes, crepes, breads, muffins and pastries. And Americans love their “hearty” breakfasts. But the common theme that I have been taught, from an early age, is to start your day with protein. Now you all know what protein is-don’t you? I am talking about eggs, nuts, seeds, meats, fish, poultry, beans, and plant products like tofu. They all contain the building blocks of life-the amino acids. But there are many places in the world that start with a carbohydrate-like cereal or oatmeal. I remember reading many articles about the health benefits of oats and whole grains. To this day, many studies (Lu Qi et. al. Circulation, May 25, 2010) indicate that people that eat cereal have a reduced risk ...
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May
29
2010
I have always felt that doing some type of physical activity is important. In fact my cardiologist, who is really my primary care doctor, and is truly a fantastic doctor, has always advised me that if you can spare ten minutes-take it and do something, do anything, but do it for ten minutes. Of course he also said that it’s better to do the exercise for 30, 60-or even 90 minutes a day, but ten minutes is good too! I read all of the exercise recommendations for kids and adults from the different organizations and don’t feel that they are addressing the American public. For people that work, time is money. Now that’s not an excuse. It’s the truth. Some people wake up at, well let’s just say darn early and have to be at work early! Stay all day at work, come home and if they don’t have a second job that they have to go to, their second job begins at home. Take care of the kids, go food shopping, prepare dinner, clean the house, write checks for the endless bills that come in, clean clothes or even take care of elderly parents. It doesn’t stop. And now, the exercise recommendations come along that say to exercise for 30-60 or 90 minutes a day. Oh, let’s not forget the nutrition recommendations that we should follow: eat five servings ...
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May
27
2010
You have all read in my columns over the past few months about the impending government intervention into the adult and childhood obesity epidemics. Well my friends, here is another in the scenarios: a junk food tax. That’s right, a special tax on food items classified as “junk food.” So which items exactly are they referring to? Let’s start with soda. As you already know from reading the Graehm Gray blog, taxation and restrictions legislation for various types of food items are popping up all over this country (and the world). Sodas, with high fructose corn syrups (HFCS) and high sugar contents have been a target for many years. Several studies have associated HFCS with increased hunger, obesity, diabetes and even pancreatic cancer. So armed with that evidence, a “soda tax” has been proposed in several northeastern cities. In a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, authors Duffey, Gordon-Larsen, Shikany, Guilkey, Jacobs and Popkin determined the following details:
The researchers found that changes in the price of soda and pizza were associated with changes in the probability of consuming those foods, as well as in the amounts consumed.
A $1.00 increase in soda prices, for example, was tied to a mean of 124 fewer total daily calories (P=0.001), which amounted to an average weight loss of 2.34 pounds
The researchers noted that similar trends were seen for pizza, adding ...
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May
25
2010
It’s that time a year, my friends, where we all find out if we live in a “fit” or “non fit” city. The 2010 American Fitness Index (AFI), sponsored by The American College Of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Wellpoint Foundation is now officially out and we all can see the areas of the country that are considered fit and those that are, well, at the other end of the spectrum-“least fit.”
Developed in 2007, this AFI Report is a measure of the fitness of various cities and communities across the United States, using “ a composite of preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access, as well as community resources and polices that support physical activity, “and allows officials, residents and potential residents to see the health statistics in their community. This can help identify ways to improve the health and “quality of life and well-being” of the residents of that particular community. In addition to the fitness components of the community, violent crime statistics are also shown for each community. The index uses the 50 largest metropolitan areas of the United States as determined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (from data supplied by the U.S. Census).
Regular physical activity is important to your health by decreasing risks of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and depression and helps improve muscles and joints. Exercise is fundamental ...
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May
23
2010
My friends, I had a wonderful dream that I want to share with you:
It all started as I awakened one morning, and smelled some incredible aroma coming from the kitchen. I walked downstairs to find the table set with all sorts of colorful fresh vegetables and fruits. I saw egg whites, and hard boiled eggs. Whole grain breads and muffins were baking. Wow, what a terrific smell. My wife and kids were already sitting and eating and the topic of discussion was how to stay fit and healthy! I couldn’t believe it. But it was as real as it could be! Even the television, which is consistently tuned to either CWTV’s “America’s Top Model,” Food Channel’s “Food Challenge,” Travel Channel’s-“Andrew Zimmern,” or even TLC’s “Buddy Valastro of Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey,”-now was showing a Science Channel (Discovery) show on the Universe with Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking's Universe). Am I dreaming? I guess I was, but it was sweet! Even better was when I asked my kids how school was, and they answered that it was “great” and that they were learning about organic foods in the organic garden they had at school and they even prepared some basic recipes in the “kitchen.” I couldn’t believe my ears! Organic garden, organic foods, kitchen-which dimension had I awakened in? My daughter continued to describe the yoga and Tai Chi ...
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May
19
2010
First Lady Michelle Obama, in a press conference with members of the Food and Beverage Industry, announced that the Partnership for a Healthier America has signed an agreement with The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) whose members are pledging to take actions aimed at reducing 1.5 trillion product calories by the end of 2015. As an interim step to this goal, HWCF will seek to reduce calories by 1 trillion in 2012.
“Solving the obesity epidemic requires far more than anything government can do alone and today’s announcement represents an important step forward to providing Americans with healthier choices so that they can choose to lead healthier lives,” said Mrs. Obama, who also serves as honorary chair of the Partnership. “This is precisely the kind of private sector commitment we need. I want to thank the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation for stepping up to the plate and I hope this encourages others to do the same.”
“On behalf of the Partnership, I am pleased to acknowledge this major first step by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. Pledges like this one – with targeted and achievable results that are meaningful and measurable – will help us reach our goal of curbing childhood obesity within a generation,” said Dr. James R. Gavin III, chairman of the Partnership’s board of directors.
So how will these companies do it? Here is their plan:
growing and introducing lower-calorie options
changing ...
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