Making School Food Healthier

 I have to admit to cringing on occasion when I've visited public school cafeterias.  Here are a few the offerings you're likely to see on a school lunch menu:  Egg and Cheese on Roll, Sausage on Biscuit, Popcorn Chicken with Roll, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Tater Tots, Chicken Nuggets with Roll, Macaroni and Cheese, Ham and Cheese on Biscuit and of course, the beloved Corn Dog.

  Although the menu at my children's school has improved and now features items like Mandarin Oranges, Steamed Broccoli and Spinach Salad, there is still much to be done when it comes to making school lunches healthier.  The Department of Agriculture is addressing that need by proposing new requirements.

The Associated Press

 Under new rules the Department of Agriculture proposed Friday, school vending machines would start selling water, lower-calorie sports drinks, diet sodas and baked chips instead. Lunchrooms that now sell fatty “a la carte” items like mozzarella sticks and nachos would have to switch to healthier pizzas, low-fat hamburgers, fruit cups and yogurt.

  The rules, required under a child nutrition law passed by Congress in 2010, are part of the government’s effort to combat childhood obesity. While many schools already have made improvements in their lunch menus and vending machine choices, others still are selling high-fat, high-calorie foods.
  Under the proposal, the Agriculture Department would set fat, calorie, sugar and sodium limits on almost all foods sold in schools. Current standards already regulate the nutritional content of school breakfasts and lunches that are subsidized by the federal government, but most lunch rooms also have “a la carte” lines that sell other foods. And food sold through vending machines and in other ways outside the lunchroom has not been federally regulated.
  “Parents and teachers work hard to instill healthy eating habits in our kids, and these efforts should be supported when kids walk through the schoolhouse door,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
  Most snacks sold in school would have to have less than 200 calories. Elementary and middle schools could sell only water, low-fat milk or 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. High schools could sell some sports drinks, diet sodas and iced teas, but the calories would be limited. Drinks would be limited to 12-ounce portions in middle schools, and 8-ounce portions in elementary schools.
  The standards will cover vending machines, the “a la carte” lunch lines, snack bars and any other foods regularly sold around school. They would not apply to in-school fundraisers or bake sales, though states have the power to regulate them. The new guidelines also would not apply to after-school concessions at school games or theater events, goodies brought from home for classroom celebrations, or anything students bring for their own personal consumption.
  The new rules are the latest in a long list of changes designed to make foods served in schools more healthful and accessible.  Schools, the food industry, interest groups and other critics or supporters of the new proposal will have 60 days to comment and suggest changes. A final rule could be in place as soon as the 2014 school year.

Garbled Texting Could Indicate Stroke

   If you've had a stroke or know someone who has, you have plenty of company.   The American Heart Association reports that every year about 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke.
It has become the fourth leading killer in the U.S. with more than 137,000 people dying of stroke annually.
Many of those who do survive are left with long term disabilities.
  While numbness, weakness, difficulty walking and speaking are typical symptoms, doctors now have another one to add to the list.  A recent case reported in the Archives of Neurology indicates that garbled texting could also be a warning sign of stroke. 

From U.S. News and World Report 
Garbled Texting Reveals Woman's Stroke
A text from an 11-weeks-pregnant woman to her husband so alarmed him, he insisted she go immediately to an emergency room, doctors report.
The message read: "every where thinging days nighing," her text read. "Some is where!" The woman's husband knew she kept her autocorrect off, so something else was up, ABC News reported.
At the emergency room, doctors diagnosed the 25-year-old with a stroke. The story does have a happy ending, however. After a hospital stay and treatment with blood thinners her symptoms resolved and her pregnancy continued normally, ABC notes.
The event was reported online Dec. 25 in the Archives of Neurology by doctors from Harvard School of Medicine. The doctors refer to the woman's condition as "dystextia," a termed coined in an earlier case.  The condition appears to be a new type of aphasia, which is trouble processing written or spoken information. "As the accessibility of electronic communication continues to advance, the growing digital record will likely become an increasingly important means of identifying neurologic disease, particularly in patient populations that rely more heavily on written rather than spoken communication," the doctors wrote.

Aspirin and Liver Cancer Prevention

 

  If you frequently take aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like Advil and Motrin you could be getting a benefit you didn't even know about.  Researchers are now making a link between these medications and liver cancer prevention.

 From Medpage Today

  Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS may help prevent serious liver disease including cancer, new study found.

Aspirin users were 41 percent less likely to develop liver cancer and 45 percent less likely to die from chronic liver disease than non-users, according to study author Vikrant Sahasrabuddhe of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., and colleagues.

Other NSAIDs were also linked to a lower risk of death from chronic liver disease, but not with less liver cancer, according to the study of more than 300,000 middle-age and older adults.

"These associations are prominent with the use of aspirin, and if confirmed, might open new vistas for chemoprevention of hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic liver disease," the study authors wrote in the Dec. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The findings were not unexpected based on prior results in colorectal and other cancer types, Dr. Boris Pasche, an oncologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in an interview with MedPage Today.

"We are seeing a growing body of evidence suggesting that taking aspirin long-term prevents the development of several types of cancer" in populations taking the NSAID for cardiovascular event prevention, he said.

However, aside from being a possible additional benefit when indicated for cardioprotection, aspirin might not be either necessary or that useful for protecting the liver, according to other experts.

For one thing, there are already good strategies that don't raise bleeding risk the way NSAIDs do, Isra Levy and Dr. Carolyn Pim, both of the University of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health in Ontario, noted in an accompanying editorial.

"In practice," they wrote, "we know and understand the causes of most cases of chronic liver disease and primary liver cancer: viral infections, especially hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and alcohol. And we already have cheap, readily available interventions to prevent a substantial majority of such diseases."

Furthermore, the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma is low enough in the general population that chemoprevention wouldn't make sense when weighed against the bleeding risk, said Dr. Mary Ann Huang, a hepatologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

The higher-risk population for whom preventive strategies are needed -- those with cirrhosis -- likely wouldn't be good candidates either because they are also at higher risk of bleeding, Huang told MedPage Today in an interview.

More Cranberries Please

 

 With Thanksgiving right around the corner many of us will soon be adding cranberries to our grocery list.  Although cranberry sauce is an important part of the traditional holiday feast, new research could motivate you to eat cranberries all year round.  A review of 13 studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found women prone to urinary tract infections appeared to reduce the frequency of them by consuming cranberries.  The researchers say cranberry-containing products may protect against UTIs in certain populations.  Drinking cranberry juice a few times a day worked well for the study subjects but some health experts say you can get the same benefits by popping a 500-milligram cranberry tablet twice a day. 
Source:  http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1213845

HPV Vaccination and Sexual Activity

 

  When the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil in 2006 it provided a way to protect teenage girls against certain strains of the most common sexually transmitted virus:  HPV.  While many parents were concerned about the safety and effectiveness of this then "new" vaccine, others wondered if having their daughter vaccinated would make her more likely to engage in sexual activity.  The results of a recent study should help put those concerns to rest.

From ABC News

Adolescent girls who get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are no more likely to show signs they may be engaging in sexual activity than girls who do not get the vaccine, according to a new study that challenges a widely held belief. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus, and some strains of the virus can lead to oral and genital cancers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend the HPV vaccine for girls and boys as young as age 11.

Previous surveys have found that some parents are concerned their daughter may be more likely to engage in sexual activity if they receive the vaccine.

"Some parents are concerned that saying 'yes' to the HPV vaccine is also encouraging teenagers to say 'yes' to sex," said Dr. Carol Ford, chief of the Craig Dalsimer division of adolescent medicine at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The new findings, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are the first clinical data to study the concern, and found that HPV vaccine does not lead to increased sexual activity among adolescent girls.

Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta followed electronic data of nearly 1,400 girls aged 11 and 12 between July 2006 and December 2010 to see whether they received at least one dose of the vaccine within the first year and whether they were later counseled about contraception, acquired a sexually transmitted disease or became pregnant.

More than a quarter of girls ages 15 to 17 report being sexually active, according to the CDC.

The study followed the girls to the age range where sexual activity would have been initiated, according to the researchers.

The nearly 500 girls who received at least one dose of the vaccine were no more likely to be diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease, discuss contraception or become pregnant than the nearly 900 girls who did not get the vaccine, the study found.

"We couldn't directly look at sexual activity, so we looked at external outcomes that would suggest sexual activity," said Dr. Robert Bednarczyk, clinical investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Southeast, and lead author of the study. The study is based on the assumption that girls who engage in sexual activity would seek care for a sexually transmitted disease, ask for contraception or become pregnant.

 

My New Source of Inspiration

   

 My brother emailed me a video a few months ago about Annette Larkins and it changed my life for the better.  Sure, I've always exercised, eaten my veggies and lived a pretty healthy life, but like most people, every now and then I need a new shot of inspiration.  Annette has given me that.  This beautiful woman who eats only fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds appears to be in her thirties.  Her penchant for uncooked foods has helped her maintain a size 4 figure, beautiful skin and plenty of vitality.  The shocker?  Annette is actually 70-years old!  Take a look at this video to see how Annette has managed to adhere to a raw vegan diet since the 1960's. 
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/ageless-woman

  Annette's healthy lifestyle has certainly helped improve mine.  Yes, I still eat fish, poultry and other cooked foods but have added many more organic fruits and veggies to my diet.   I am also eating more nuts, seeds and dried fruits.  My family has benefited from this dietary shift as well.  Here's what I served the kids for dinner tonight. 

 

 

 

 We may not be raw vegans, but we are eating healthier than ever before!

 

 

 

A Healthy Dose of Sun Exposure

  Vitamin D is essential for bone and muscle health but unfortunately many of us are not getting enough of it. If you're deficient, your doctor might suggest taking a Vitamin D3 supplement. Another approach: boost your sun exposure. Strive for 10 to 15 minutes of outdoor sun exposure at least three times a week. Dr. Adit Ginde from the University of Colorado School of Medicine says, "In that time, your body will make nearly 3,000 international units of D, which is about the same as what you would get from drinking 30 glasses of milk."
Other researchers suggest 5 to 30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 AM and 3 PM at least twice a week.

Non-Alcoholic Red Wine and Your Heart

 

If you drink red wine for the heart health benefits, it may be time to switch to a
non-alcoholic brand.  A study published in
Circulation Research finds non-alcoholic red wine could improve cardiovascular health more than regular red wine.
 From CBS:   Many have been touting the benefits of red wine, but a new study shows that non-alcoholic red wine may be best for men's cardiovascular health.
According to researchers at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, drinking moderate amounts of non-alcoholic red wine for four weeks was able to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Drinking alcoholic red wine, however, did not lead to any significant changes. The study was published online on Sept. 6 in Circulation Research.
For the study, researchers asked 67 men with diabetes or three or more cardiovascular risk factors - including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight or obese, smoking or a family history of coronary heart disease - to spend four weeks drinking either 10 ounces of red wine, 10 ounces of non-alcoholic red wine or 3 ounces of gin daily. After the four week period, they switched to a different beverage and then switched again until they consumed all three beverages.
Men who drank the non-alcoholic red wine had an average deduction of 6mmHg in systolic and 2mmHg diastolic blood pressure, equaling a reduction of heart disease risk by 14 percent and stroke by as much as 20 percent.
The alcoholic and non-alcoholic red wine had the same amounts of polyphenols, an antioxidant that decreases blood pressure. This lead researchers to believe the alcohol in the red wine may be lowering the substance's effect to lower blood pressure.
"The non-alcoholic part of the wine -- namely polyphenols -- exert a protective effect on the cardiovascular system," researcher Dr. Ramon Estruch, senior consultant at the internal medicine department of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, said to WebMD. "Polyphenols also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may be useful to prevent other disease such as diabetes."
Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, attending cardiologist and the Director of Women and Heart Disease of the Heart and Vascular Institute of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told WebMD that she thinks the research will be welcome news to people who can't or don't want to consume alcohol. She was not involved in the study. "Certain people don't want to drink alcohol, so here we have an alternative way for them to get the heart health benefits," she said. "It's not so much the alcohol as it is the polyphenols in red wine."
However, Dr. Sharonne Hayes, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, warns that people shouldn't start stocking up on non-alcoholic red wine just yet. Calling the work "a hypothesis-generating study"  she added that the small number of subjects and the lack of control group may have skewed the results. Also, it's a known fact that blood pressure goes up when people stop drinking alcohol, even when the person isn't a heavy drinker. Because there was a two week detox period before the start of the trial and no detox periods in between drinking each group of beverages, the previous activity could have influenced the results.

Ladies...Here's a Good Reason to Smile

 

  For those of you who try your best to maintain a positive outlook on life, here's an article that might interest you.  Researchers think a gene could help explain why women tend to be happier than men.
From:  Medical Daily
For reasons that scientists have not conclusively determined, women are happier than men. And now, researchers think that they may have pinpointed one of the reasons for that. They have found a gene in women that predicts the level of happiness in women.
Though women suffer from anxiety and depression more than men do, women also report levels of happiness higher than men. Henian Chen from the University of South Florida and her colleagues from the National Institutes of Health, Columbia University, and the New York State Psychiatric Institute searched for a biological reason for that discrepancy. They traced it to the low-activity form of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA).
The findings surprised the researchers, because that same gene has been linked to alcoholism, aggression and generally antisocial behavior.
The investigators analyzed a group of 345 people - 193 women and 152 men. When they controlled for age, education level, and income, among other factors, they found that women with one copy of MAOA reported a larger amount of happiness than did women with no copies. Women with two copies of the gene reported an even larger boost.
The statement released by the University of South Florida explains, "The MAOA gene regulates the activity of an enzyme that breaks down serontin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain -- the same "feel-good" chemicals targeted by many antidepressants. The low-expression version of the MAOA gene promotes higher levels of monoamine, which allows larger amounts of these neurotransmitters to stay in the brain and boost mood."
Interestingly, the gene did not hold the same correlation for men, who reported the same amount of happiness no matter if they had zero, one or two copies.
Researchers suspect that testosterone may play a role in the difference. Women have less of it than men and the researchers think that the hormone may cancel out the positive effects of the gene. They also think that the effects of the gene may wane with puberty in men, when testosterone levels increase.
Of course, researchers say that no gene can define anyone's happiness. A person's outlook on life is often shaped to a large degree by their circumstances and previous life events.
But researchers add that studies of twins indicate that genetic factors provide 35 to 50 percent of the variance in human happiness.
The study was published in Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry.

Honesty and Your Health

    

  Improving your health could be linked to what comes out of your mouth.  A new study concludes that those little white lies can harm our mental and physical well being.   If you don't believe the research, tell the truth all day today and see if you feel better!
From USA Today:

  Honesty may boost your health, suggests a study that found telling fewer lies benefits people physically and mentally.  Each week for 10 weeks, 110 individuals, ages 18-71, took a lie detector test and completed health and relationship measures assessing the number of major and minor lies they told that week, says lead author Anita Kelly, a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She presented findings at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, which ended Sunday.

"When they went up in their lies, their health went down," says Kelly. "When their lies went down, their health improved."

Researchers instructed half the participants to "refrain from telling any lies for any reason to anyone. You may omit truths, refuse to answer questions, and keep secrets, but you cannot say anything that you know to be false." The other half received no such instructions.

Over the study period, the link between less lying and improved health was significantly stronger for participants in the no-lie group, the study found. When participants in the no-lie group told three fewer minor lies than they did in other weeks, for example, they experienced, on average, four fewer mental-health complaints and three fewer physical complaints. Mental health complaints included feeling tense or melancholy; physical complaints included sore throats and headaches.

Linda Stroh, a professor emeritus of organizational behavior at Loyola University in Chicago, says findings are consistent with her own research on trust. "When you find that you don't lie, you have less stress," she says. "Being very conflicted adds an inordinate amount of stress to your life."

Evidence from past research suggests that Americans average about 11 lies a week. Kelly says the no-lie group participants were down to one lie, on average, per week. For both groups, when participants lied less in a given week, they reported their physical health and mental health to be significantly better that week.

"It's certainly a worthy goal to have people be more honest and more genuine and interact with others in a more honest way," says psychologist Robert Feldman.