Da Factopedia - Daily Update

13 Ways to Deal With Food Temptation

2010-07-28T14:28:00.013+05:30

13 Ways to Deal With Food Temptation

Let's be honest: Improving your eating habits is hard, even when you are doing the shopping and cooking. But what do you do when you are constantly being tempted to eat more by the people around you, or the situation you're in? Relax. While resisting temptation is never easy, we've come up with stay-in-control strategies for 13 of the most common situations in which temptation might call. If there's a common theme, it's this: Be prepared! By having a plan (or merely a script for what to say) you can make smart eating choices in every situation that life throws at you.

1. It's birthday-cake time at work
Passing on your colleague's cake looks as curmudgeonly as refusing to sing 'Happy Birthday,' but it's hard to celebrate the 300 calories, about half from fat, packed into a simple slice of store-bought frosted yellow cake. The socially acceptable way out is to ask for a thin slice, and then eat a small number of bites you've decided on beforehand, says dietician Elizabeth Somer, author of Eat Your Way to Happiness. You're most likely to keep your promise to yourself, adds Somer, if you've eaten right all day, without 'saving room' for cake. Another calorie-saving trick: leave the icing on your plate and just eat the cake. And while most office parties involve soda, skip it and bring a full coffee mug.

2. Your best pal wants to go out for ice cream
Remember when the two of you used to gorge on late-night sundaes? That was back when your metabolism could shake off 1,360 calories and 89 grams of fat — the going rate for a banana split at Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops. Liz Brenna, the self-described 'p.r. chick' at B&J headquarters, points out that the premium-cream pioneer has beefed up its line of fruit smoothies. While their 20-ounce 'Life's a Beach' mango smoothie is made only with fruit, sorbet and fruit juice, it still clocks in at 360 calories. For true nostalgic glow (and a few more grams of fat), choose a 3-ounce kiddie cone. At that size, most of the 30 ice-cream flavors hover around 220 calories. Better yet, go with frozen yogurt or sorbet, which range from 100 to 160 calories — and little or no fat.

3. You really, really want a beer
Whether in a tavern, at the beach, or in your workshop, a frosty bottle of beer is often exactly what the situation calls for. So have one! The most refreshing, easy-to-drink beers are the highly carbonated, lower alcohol 'lite' brews. If you haven't tasted one lately, they've gotten far more flavorful. Pabst makes an Extra Light Low Alcohol beer with only 67 calories, but even a good ol' Miller Lite comes in under 100 calories. As a rule the darker the beer, the more calories, so if your yen is for craft-beer flavor, stick to the trendy new wheat and white ('weiss') beers and avoid higher alcohol ales, even so-called 'pale' ones.

4. You have only a few minutes to grab a meal
Don't assume a fast-food drive-thru is an automatic no-no. True, a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese clocks in at 740 calories, more than half of them from fat. But the big boys have begun to grasp that customers want some reasonable options: '395 calorie meal for $3.95′ read one sign outside a fast food franchise recently, and Taco Bell brags of its Fresco menu, including a 160-calorie grilled steak soft taco wrap with just 4.5 grams of fat. At McDonald's you can get away with a salad, even one with meat, as long as you 'avoid anything with the word 'crispy',' says Somer. Just as important, choose a no-fat dressing. Also remember: no burgers bearing mayo-heavy sauces; skip the french fries; and low-fat milk or water rather than soda.

5. Your friend insists you meet at Starbucks
In diet circles, Starbucks has come to be regarded as the evil empire. It's not just 'all that caramel goo' in those ventis, which turn a cup of coffee into an ultrasweet high-calorie dessert, says New York University nutrition professor Marion Nestle. 'Their stores are set up to make it convenient and entertaining to choose larger portions and more foods.' Treats — like the 410-calorie lemon poppy loaf — are sumptuously displayed in eye-level glass cases, while the more wholesome chow languishes below. Look down. Starbucks now offers sensible snacks like fruit rollups and paninis that swap out chili spread for mayo, but they're going to make you find it. As for drinks, begin any order with the word 'Skinny' and you can cut the calorie count by up to a third. The best choices: a steaming 16-ounce grande Pike's Roast black coffee, 5 calories or a grande Tazo Full Leaf Tea, 0 calories.

6. A date takes you to a hot restaurant
At a casual meal, say a Denny's or a Red Lobster, paring back the calories by skipping sauces or having them on the side is a good way to turn a fat fest into a square meal. Plus, many family restaurants now offer low-cal meals. But a meal in a top-flight restaurant is all about the sauces and special preparations made by a chef who is closer to an artist than a cook. 'I don't recommend trying to diet when eating out,' Nestle says. Instead, order less food, confident that the intense flavors will satisfy you. Pick appetizers as your entrée and share them; after all, it's more romantic to make the meal a shared exploration of flavors. Also sample the creative broth-based soups or salads. And if you must have dessert, share that too, and order the one with the most fruit.

7. Your lover surprises you with a big box of chocolates
First, a quick lesson in love: your lover doesn't bring chocolate in hopes of watching you eat. Before surrendering to the temptation of what's in the box, unwrap your lover. A concerted half-hour of sex can chew up 85 calories, and the longer you linger, the higher that number. Then feel free to enjoy a single piece of chocolate — a Godiva truffle tucks a lot of sweetness into 105 calories. (Meanwhile, a memo to chocolate-buying lovers: consider a 1-ounce chocolate liqueur, which boils down to about 100 calories, none of them from fat.) If you limit yourself to one chocolate a day as a snack, you'll be fine.

8. You're shopping and are fading from hunger
Shopping marathons are like any other kind: you need constant, small boosts of energy to keep going. And keeping going is key. Avoid settling in at the food court; pick up a hot pretzel, a small bag of roasted nuts from a kiosk, even a chicken taco, and nibble on the move. Portable meals, of course, can still seriously weigh you down. At Aunt Annie's Pretzels, a pepperoni pizza pretzel twists together 480 calories with 8 grams of saturated fat. The original pretzel is no bargain at 310 calories without the butter sauce. But with less than a gram of saturated fat and 2 grams of fiber, it's a good choice, particularly if you eat it in small amounts over time.

9. You're dashing for an early morning plane
The best place for breakfast in an airport may be…Starbucks. A venti latte with soy milk or skim is 9 ounces of milk, a helpful shot of caffeine and just 170 calories, note Heather Bauer and Kathy Matthews in The Wall Street Diet, which provides tips for people too busy to plan healthy meals. Add a banana and a yogurt to get your day started for less than 400 calories and in under ten minutes (depending on how many other frequent flyers have missed breakfast at home and are lined up in front of you).

10. The only food at the picnic is hamburgers and hot dogs
Most barbecues leave dieters trapped in the great outdoors. Meat grilled over a fire does tend to be less fatty than pan-cooked, but most grillers still depend on fatty burgers and dogs to feed the masses, while the traditional sides like potato salad and slaw are filled with high-calorie mayonnaise. Worst of all, you can't get away from the deliciously wafting smoke. Go ahead and smell the burgers, but eat the hot dog. A dog on a bun with a smear of ketchup will set you back about 250 calories. That's as many as the burger has in fat alone. Load up your plate with the low-calorie burger fixin's, like lettuce, tomato and onions, to round out your meal.

11. It's 3:30 pm and you're hungry
The energy drop that hits in afternoon is likely a combination of perfectly natural factors: the result of a light lunch, mild dehydration, a momentary lack of iron, or a crash off that coffee you had at the late-morning meeting. Before wandering to the cafeteria or fridge, start your recovery with a tall glass of water, which boosts your blood flow and, as a side benefit, makes you feel full. Ideal snacks for clearing your cobwebby head are hummus or almonds, but if your only option is an office vending machine, look for any hint of protein — those orange crackers with peanut butter, at 200 calories, are better than a sugary cookie. Wash it down with a cup of coffee doused in iron-rich cinnamon.

12. You're having drinks with co-workers
Fruit juices, soda and other mixers can ratchet up the calories in cocktails: a margarita with 1.5 ounces of tequila and store-bought margarita mix contains upward of 500 calories. But it's alcohol itself that turns fun into fat. Not only does it contain 90 calories an ounce, it inhibits your body's ability to process fats and lowers your resolve. The answer? When you hit the bar to raise a toast to Bob in Accounting's promotion, have a lower-calorie cocktail that doubles easily for a soft drink, and then alternate between the two, says dietician Somer. For example, a gin (or vodka) and tonic has only 180 calories and no one will be the wiser when you make your second round an equally bubbly and transparent zero-calorie diet Sprite, dressed up with a twist.

13. Your family forces food on you when you go home
Food is love, and when Mamma tells you 'mangia' and you don't, she acts like you're rejecting her, not her pot roast. The answer: Have some of everything pushed at you during the holidays or a weekend visit home, but only a spoonful. That means your plate will be more of a tasting sampler than a full meal. Remember: Just one bite of a dish, preceded by a loud 'I can't resist!' will do your parents good and won't kill you. Another strategy: make yourself useful serving people and cleaning up. It gets you away from your plate, but still makes you a vital part of the meal. Most of all, 'focus on what's important,' says Somer. 'You're there to visit with your loved ones, not to pig out.' If you can transfer your emotions from the food to those around you, you'll live a long and happy life.

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

4 Steps to Burn 1200 Calories a Day

2010-07-27T14:24:00.007+05:30

4 Steps to Burn 1200 Calories a Day

Burning 1,200 calories is not as difficult as it may seem. A 100-lb. person can burn more than 300 calories just sleeping, as estimated by Health Status Internet Assessments. Take into consideration breathing, digesting and the overall functioning of your body to stay alive, and you are very close to burning 1,200 calories without trying.

Step 1
Perform 90 minutes of physical activity per day. A person who weighs 180 lbs. and runs at 6 mph for 90 minutes will burn over 1,200 calories, as estimated by Health Status Internet Assessments. Using the elliptical will burn 1,200 calories for a 160 lb. person in 90 min. Lighter people may have to perform more vigorous exercises compared to heavier people to achieve a 1,200-calorie expenditure. "The bodies of people who are larger or have more muscle burn up more calories--even at rest,"

Step 2
Make your daily routine more physical. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, use a push-lawnmower instead of a riding one, walk to work instead of driving or scrub the floor instead of using a mop. Making daily activities more physical will add up to 1,200 calories depending how long you do them and how much you weigh. According to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, scrubbing floors can burn more than 400 calories per hour, light housework can burn more than 200 calories and adding one mile of walking can burn more than 100 calories. Combine enough activities throughout the day to total 1,200 calories burned.

Step 3
Never stay still. Consider fidgeting as a form of exercise instead of an annoyance. Tap your toes while waiting, stand at your computer instead of sitting, shake your foot when you cross your legs or rock back and forth when watching television. According to Nutrition ATC, a study by the Mayo Clinic found some people use as many as 800 calories a day just fidgeting--which is the equivalent of walking or jogging about eight miles a day for the average person.

Step 4
Burn 400 calories with each method listed above. For example, burn 400 calories through fidgeting, walk to work and take the stairs for another 400 calories and spend 30 minutes on the elliptical machine to burn 400 calories. The object is to keep moving for a 1,200 daily caloric expenditure.

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11 Tips to Get The Most Out of Doctors

2010-07-26T16:56:00.000+05:30

11 Tips to Get The Most Out of Doctors - By Doctors

To be a smart patient, you can't be passive; you need to be a first-rate Sherlock Holmes. Like Holmes, smart patients ask intelligent questions and have the instincts (and guts) to politely challenge things they don't understand. They don't need to know the most esoteric medical details, but they need to put at least as much effort into finding out the basics about their health as they did in getting the driving directions to our office. Ultimately, you are the person most responsible for the success of your health. Here, what great doctors know that great patients can learn.

1. Get your stories straight. Bring your spouse or partner to your doctor's appointment when you're giving your health history or describing a problem; there are a lot of questions that only a partner can answer (such as how many times an hour you stop breathing while asleep). But beware the doc's sixth sense. When you tell us that you rarely tear into the Pringles after 8 p.m. or that you've been taking your cholesterol-lowering drugs with the discipline of a Marine, your spouse will shoot you (or us) a look that says, "Are you kidding me?" We never miss it. And hey, sometimes your spouse wants to blow your cover. It's called love. But if you try to snow us, we might try to trip you up. For example, we'll ask if you're fit enough to climb three flights of stairs. You'll say yes, unless you're over 85 or bedbound. Then we'll ask, "When was the last time you climbed three flights?" You'll say "Maybe a month... " and your spouse will send a look that says, "You haven't climbed three flights of stairs since we voted for Ike."

2. Truth or consequences. We know you bend the truth a little when telling us the good and bad you do to yourself. That's why we at least double, up or down, the most fudged claims. For example:

Patient Says:		Doctor Hears:
I have two drinks a day.		I might drink a case a week.
I exercise about twice a week.		I rarely exercise.
I smoke a few cigarettes a day.		I'm a pack-a-dayer.
I eat about two hamburgers a week.		I eat cheeseburgers most other days.
I'll follow up with you -- I won't forget.		I'll stop back when the kids are grown.

3. Nurses know it all. One way to find a great doctor is to grill the head ER or ICU nurse at the largest local hospital, preferably a teaching hospital. These nurses get a battlefield view of doctors at their best and worst. If you're visiting someone in the hospital, you may be able to swing into the unit. If all hell isn't breaking loose and the nurses have a few relatively quiet minutes, you'll have a chance to politely approach one and make your inquiry. A nurse may say, "Well, to be honest, Dr. Addison is a complete jerk and everybody hates him, but if you're in serious trouble, there's nobody better." Endorsements like this aren't unusual in medicine.

4. Get friendly with your pharmacist. Your pharmacist is the least expensive and most accessible health resource you have. While it might seem easier to forge a personal relationship with one pharmacist at a small mom-and-pop pill dispensary, smart patients can and do establish great relationships with superstore pharmacists too. You can see her anytime you want, without an appointment -- all consultations free. In medicine, that's extraordinary. Your pharmacist has an amazing wealth of knowledge at her fingertips, which means at your fingertips. Many also have access to new technology that can answer questions (such as, Is it safe to take this brand-new medication with this even newer medication?) in a blink. What's more, they get a soldier's-eye view of patients with similar conditions using different medications every single day. They see who improves, and who complains about side effects. And they know which side effects could mean serious trouble. Why do so few people take advantage of this golden resource? It baffles us.

5. Learn the shorthand. When your doctor hands you a script (that's doctorspeak for "prescription"), she knows you can't understand the arcane Latin-y squiggles and abbreviations. Doctors typically write the name of the medicine first, then the form (say, capsule or tablet), dosage, amount (say, 30 tablets), directions for taking it, and finally the number of refills.

6. The waiting game. When you're anxious for test results, don't think, No news is good news. It's no news. Too many patients wait for the doctor to call them with results, or they figure that silence means everything's fine. Smart patients always ask when the results will likely be in, and they call the office that day. And the next day, and so on. It's an extra reminder for us to call the lab if it's running behind. A postcard from the lab may have been lost. And in a bustling office, records can sit for a day or two without us knowing. So be a nudge.

7. Get with the plan! If a doctor doesn't accept your insurance, but he is really your top choice, don't give up. Call the insurance company and ask if it would consider adding this doctor to the list. If it won't, ask why. Sometimes, if even just a few patients ask the insurer to add a doctor, and the physician approves, the company will agree. Likewise, ask your doctor if you could persuade him to begin accepting your insurer. And every year when you renew your health insurance (a lovely period, usually in the fall, called open enrollment), call your doctor's office and make sure it intends to keep accepting this insurance plan. When we're deciding which insurance carriers we'll work with, we can be swayed by just a few small factors -- and if dropping a plan will create big problems for two or three regular (and well-liked) patients, that can carry weight. So speak up.

8. Learn from the past. Consider having an autopsy performed on your parents when they pass away. Few are done today compared with decades ago, as it's rarely thought necessary when a cause of death is clear. Although it can be expensive, there's much value in knowing if your 82-year-old father has undiagnosed prostate cancer that had been advancing since his 50s, or heart disease even though it was a stroke that did him in. This is especially useful if the death was due to an accident. Reassure your living parent this doesn't mean that foul play is suspected, there can't be an open casket, or the body will be shipped to a CSI sound stage.

9. Need surgery? Hunt for the specialist's specialist. You don't just want a doctor who is comfortable with performing a particular surgery as part of a wide repertoire; you want the surgeon who is obsessively focused on the exact technique you need done. Today, one surgeon can gain so much experience with one very specific surgery that her patients have fewer complications than the national average. Aside from asking your regular doctor to point you to the maestro of your surgery, doing Internet research can help you locate such a hyper-specialized surgeon. You just have to hope that one works at your hospital (and takes your insurance plan), or a road trip might be in store. And make sure your hospital is Joint Commission accredited for quality and safety.

10. Meet the doc behind the scenes. If you're having surgery in a hospital, you need to meet the anesthesiologist face-to-face and give him some dirt on you, such as the last time you had general anesthesia, exactly how much you drink, what drugs you use and how often. People who recreate with substances can keep their habit hidden from lots of people, but they'd better be up-front with the anesthesiologist, since narcotics and other drugs can increase the amount of anesthesia needed, and you don't want to be wide-awake when the surgeon asks for the knife. The anesthesiologist also needs to know how physically fit you are, any allergies you have, and (for the umpteenth time of your hospital stay) every medication, herbal remedy and supplement you take. What about those nightmarish stories you've heard about patients waking up during surgery? It's rare, but it happens. Talk to your anesthesiologist about this, and ask if a medical device that monitors wakefulness is available and should be used.

11. Customize your living will. The two words living will evoked about as much emotion as life insurance did not long ago. But that was before Terri Schiavo captured the country's attention in 2005. Living wills became a vogue subject, even among people under 40. Yet there's no one-size-fits-all living will. If things should take a particularly unhappy course and you can't speak up for yourself, you can tell hospital staffers ahead of time which measures you do or do not want to receive, such as:

Artificial breathing. No, not via the services of one of the more attractive hospital staff members, we're afraid. Instead, you're placed on the machine called a ventilator, which pumps air into your lungs.

Artificial feeding. If you're unable to eat, you can be given nutrients through an IV or a tube that's inserted into your stomach. Some of our more industrious friends have asked if they could have this procedure done just as a matter of convenience, but we tell them to slow down, take a break and eat a real meal.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). You know, the organized theatrics you've seen in TV shows and movies, when a hospital team tries to revive you after your heart stops beating or you stop breathing -- unless you request a do-not-resuscitate order (DNR). Unlike on television, however, there is not a 99.9% chance that you will be revived successfully and to full consciousness within five seconds by a tanned actor, but we'll try our best.

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

5 Tips to Deal With Food Cravings

2010-07-26T14:15:00.000+05:30

5 Tips to Deal With Food Cravings

Do you find yourself craving specific foods to your detriment? Find out when to give in to your desire, how to control cravings, and when they can be a sign of an underlying health problem.

1. Give in to the best cravings
In a weight loss study by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the people who lost the most weight gave into their cravings for more caloric foods but did so less frequently than their larger counterparts. The bottom line: Choose the Ben & Jerry's Super Fudge Chunk you crave over the low-fat frozen yogurt. Just be sure not to choose it often.

2. Think about something else
In one experiment, people craving chocolate were more forgetful than those who weren't having a craving. It seems that during a craving, much of our brain power is focused on that food so we have a hard time focusing on other tasks. Volunteers experiencing a craving were then asked to imagine a rainbow or the smell of eucalyptus. The result: Reduced food cravings. A "flickering pattern of black and white dots on a monitor" or TV white noise had the same affect. Their finding: “Engaging in a simple visual task seems to hold real promise as a method for curbing food cravings." Could the Cure My Craving app be on its way?

3. Turn off the TV
It’s no surprise that a study of college students, TV time and snack consumption found that those that watched the most TV were more likely to be overweight than those who watched less. Increased exposure to images of junk-food ads doesn’t help. Next time you crave a bag of cheese doodles, turn on some music instead.

4. Get checked by your doctor
Can ice cravings signal an undiagnosed case of anemia? Scientists believe it's possible that the ice "relieves inflammation in the mouth brought on by iron deficiencies." According to the New York Times, some people go through bags of ice each day. How to deal with the craving? Relief for some came in the form of iron supplements.

5. Tap, tap, tap it away
Psychological acupuncture, also known as the emotional freedom technique (EFT), has been shown to reduce cravings without the need for will power, which often fails. The process, performed by a person trained in the technique, combines "gentle tapping on pressure points while focusing on particular emotions and thoughts."

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

4 Reasons to Skip Late Night Snacks

2010-07-21T16:14:00.010+05:30

4 Reasons to Skip Late Night Snacks

Late night snacks are my favorite way to guarantee I get to the leftovers before my husband can scarf them down.

The way I see it, it's like the old proverb about bears in the woods -- if no one sees me eating it, was it really my fault the pizza disappeared?

But some recent news on the nocturnal munchies front has just made me re-think that tub of Chubby Hubby.
Turns out late night eating is bad for more than just your marriage.

1. Your teeth. A new study has found that folks who snack in the middle of the night are more likely to lose their teeth as they age. The problem? No one is brushing their teeth after that spoonful of peanut butter at 2 a.m. And your saliva is slowing down -- so the food isn't being broken down.

2. Your waistline. Although researchers say that a late night snack won't likely make you gain weight if it's an occasional thing, they have linked nocturnal eating directly to eating disorders. So if you're big on trips to the fridge in the night, you may have a binge eating disorder.

3. Your sleep habits. No one wants to go to bed hungry, but the feeling of overfullness can actually make you more uncomfortable and prevent you from falling back to sleep. Also quaffing caffeinated beverages or consuming spicy foods can have the wrong effect in the middle of the night.

4. Your digestion. The same rule that applies to eating just before bed applies in the middle of the night -- if you're prone to heartburn, munching on food and then lying down will make things worse because the connection between the esophagus and stomach become horizontal (they should be vertical).

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

101 Best Things About Summer

2010-07-20T16:09:00.008+05:30

101 Best Things About Summer

You probably already broke out the shorts and the sunscreen weeks ago, but today marks the first official day of summer. In an effort to enjoy every little moment of these all-too-brief days of surf and sunshine, we've put together a laundry list of some of our very favorite summer delights. Add yours in the comments!

1. lemonade stands
2. whirring vintage fans
3. sundresses
4. fireflies
5. wildflowers by the highway

6. s'mores
7. grilled burgers, steaks, fish, fruit...
8. summer thunderstorms
9. the long, lingering daylight hours
10. fireworks
11. parades
12. linen
13. the return of Mad Men
14. watermelon
15. napping in a hammock
16. sunglasses as headbands
17. the smell of sunscreen on kids
18. farmer's markets at their most glorious
19. a chelada on a hot day
20. picnics
21. daytrips to the beach (and the reminder of it with sand everywhere)
22. iced tea out of mason jars
23. espadrilles
24. bocce
25. swimming
26. halter top strings dangling down your back
27. outdoor movies
28. long hikes in the cool, quiet woods
29. sandcastles
30. wavy, sexy beach hair
31. saltwater taffy
32. camping
33. drippy ice cream cones
34. yoga outside
35. easy entertaining on your porch or in your backyard
36. swimming out to a floating wooden platform in a lake
37. croquet with a pimm's cup
38. kids playing in sprinklers and open fire hydrants
39. sleep-away camp
40. horseshoes
41. a fresh pedicure tucked into fancy sandals
42. Lillet on the rocks with a slice of orange
43. so-golden-you'd-never-know fake tans
44. visiting national parks
45. outdoor concerts
46. sno-cones
47. big, floppy hats
48. canoeing
49. sheer, pretty make-up
50. vacation, staycation, or just giving yourself a quick relaxation break
51. iced coffee
52. the sounds of the ice cream truck
53. straw bags
54. braids
55. eating outside
56. sleeping in tents (in the backyard or the wilderness)
57. crisp, cool cotton sheets, dresses, and shirts
58. the seasonal return of rosé wine
59. going to a baseball game
60. fresh basil and mint growing on your windowsill
61. healthy, homemade icy treats
62. sunny days = sunnier moods
63. blowing bubbles
64. getting lost in a juicy novel for an afternoon
65. water balloons
66. car wash fundraisers
67. rooftop parties
68. road trips (and kitschy roadside attractions)
69. corn dogs
70. frisbee
71. the ripest, most luscious tomatoes
72. collecting seashells
73. mini golf
74. lobster rolls
75. state fairs (and food on sticks)
76. flea markets and antique fairs
77. staying inside when you've had too much sun, blasting the a/c, and watching movies
78. cute swimsuits
79. country church suppers
80. pretending to be Amelie on Bastille Day
81. driving with the top down
82. crickets
83. the sound of lawn mowers
84. open windows
85. kids in sunglasses
86. sand between your toes
87. sitting in the shade on a hot day
88. the sound of ocean waves
89. blackberries
90. a cool breeze on a hot day
91. flip flops
92. the smoky smell of people barbecuing
93. relaxed attitudes
94. surfing
95. spotting hot air balloons
96. skinny dipping
97. dogs with their heads out car windows, tongues wagging
98. bicycles built for two
99. snorkeling
100. neighborhood block parties
101. the weightlessness of floating with the sun on your face

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

5 Lifesaving Mobile Health Apps

2010-07-19T22:08:00.000+05:30

5 Lifesaving Mobile Health Apps

From monitoring orgasms to locating clean bathrooms in your neighborhood, there seems to be an application for everything. But amidst all the hokey and often useless tools there are some real lifesaving and changing technologies, particularly where self-health management is concerned. We took a trip to the iPhone Apps Store, and found 5 helpful health applications for you. Take a look and see what we uncovered!

Health Trackers: One minute you’re feeling fine, the next you start feeling that knee pain that seems to come and go. It’s next to impossible to keep track of each new ache, pain and symptom that affects you in between visits to the doctor. Thankfully, there are several mobile gizmos that promise to remember your health history so you don’t have to! iHealthTrax, MyHealthRecords and MyMedical each let you keep track of illnesses, allergies and historical medical records. Plus, they store information for physicians, emergency contacts and insurance providers in one central repository so you have it handy at all times.
Medical 4-1-1: For in case of emergency help, iTriage is the application that can save your life. This one has a comprehensive medical encyclopedia so you can check symptoms anywhere, anytime. The real benefits are the nationwide directory of hospitals and pharmacies in the United States, a listing of more than 750,000 physicians plus GPS technologies and emergency room waiting time lists that will get you to the right doctor in the nick of time!
Outbreak Alert: Finally we may be able to curtail the next bed bug, e coli or swine flu outbreaks thanks to iHealthMaps. Just download a version of the software and you never have to set foot into a dangerous health zone again. Using advanced interactive mapping technology, iHealthMap gives individuals disease outbreak and epidemic information in real-time. End-users are also encouraged to report outbreaks in their areas and get credited as “disease detectives” on the global map!
Butt Out: If you are a smoker you know how harmful the habit is to your health. But if you cannot kick it, MyLastCigarette may be just what you need to do so for good. Here’s how it works – simply enter in details like your date of birth, when you started smoking and how many sticks you have a day and the system spits out readouts on nicotine levels, expected cravings and life expectancy. Daily motivation tips as well as tracking of your before and after progress will empower you along the way.
Stress Saver: When stress and pressure get the best of you, a therapist comes in handy but may not be there to calm you down 24/7. Enter, iCounselor Anxiety, a learning application that delivers stress reduction and management skills from real-life professionals. The system lets you enter in stress levels, and doles out thought- changing techniques to help alleviate that stress. Pick the solution that works best for you and learn new coping mechanisms that can help you change the way you handle pressure situations.

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

7 Anti Aging Secrets

2010-07-18T15:16:00.000+05:30

7 Anti Aging Secrets

Check out some of our best advice to help you feel younger and healthier.

1. DNA Life Changer
Healthy habits can actually repair your DNA, say researchers Dean Ornish, MD, and Elizabeth Blackburn, MD. Their study subjects ate vegetarian whole foods with 10 percent of calories from fat, walked 30 minutes six days a week, used stress-reducing techniques, and went to a weekly support group. The results? Besides a decrease in LDL cholesterol and stress levels, they showed a 29 percent rise in telomerase. This enzyme repairs and lengthens telomeres, tiny protein complexes on the ends of chromosomes that are vital for immunity and longevity. Short telomeres and low levels of telomerase signal an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, plus a poor prognosis if you do get ill.

Editor's Note -- October 5, 2009: Elizabeth H. Blackburn (mentioned below), Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak have just won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their breakthrough work on telomerase, which was discussed in a Reader's Digest article (see below) published earlier this year

2. Exercise Matters
A walk with your spouse gives you a chance to talk over the day, and playing tennis together can be a bonding experience. But that's not why you should bother. Here's why: Getting active can mean a longer life for both of you.

3. Two Important Steps to Remain Young From Dr. Oz
Walk. When you can't walk a quarter mile in five minutes, your chance of dying within three years goes up dramatically.

Second most important is building a community -- avoiding isolation. Because if your heart doesn't have a reason to keep beating, it won't.

4. Dial Back on Meat and Pork
A ten-year study of 545,000 Americans found that people who eat about four ounces of beef or pork a day (the amount in an average-sized burger) are at least 30 percent more likely to die early, compared with those who consume an ounce or less daily. Though previous research has linked a diet heavy in red meat to a greater risk of heart disease and colon cancer, this is the first big study to look at how it affects your life expectancy.

5. Two Keys to a Longer Life
Two recent studies suggest surprising but heartwarming keys to a longer life. You're more likely to rack up the years if you:

Expect the best. Of 100,000 women in the Women's Health Initiative study, those rated optimistic by special questionnaires were 14 percent less likely than pessimists to die during the study's first eight years

Care for a loved one. Despite the stress involved, men and women who put in the most time taking care of a spouse cut their own risk of dying by 36 percent over a seven-year period, researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor found.

6. Get a Goal: Having a Purpose Gives You an Edge
Whether you believe you have some purpose to fulfill on earth or just have trips you plan to take and books you want to read, you have a survival edge over people with fewer goals. So say researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago who interviewed more than 1,200 older adults. Elders with sure intentions and goals were about half as likely as aimless seniors to die over the five-year follow-up.

7. Get Enough Vitamin D
Low vitamin D levels have been associated with osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. And it gets worse: According to new research, adults who don't get enough of the "sunshine vitamin" are 26 percent more likely to die early. A 12-year study of 13,000 men and women didn't finger any one cause of death, "because vitamin D's impact on health is so widespread," says researcher Michal Melamed, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. Besides drinking fortified milk, she suggests that you: Get just 10 to 15 minutes of midday sunshine (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) several days a week may do the trick (apply sunscreen after those few minutes). Take supplements.

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

5 Evil Foods to Avoid While Traveling

2010-07-17T13:48:00.000+05:30

5 Evil Foods to Avoid While Traveling

Unfortunately, every food served public spaces like train stations and airports is completely evil. The only way to eat healthy while taking a trip is to bring your own cheese slices, cut veggies, nuts, sandwich on whole wheat bread, homemade whole-grain granola, etc. I am a constant traveler who gained five pounds every trip until I learned how to eat. Trust me. Here are some things to avoid:

1. Fruit
You think that the fruit available at someplace like an airport Starbucks is the only "whole" "natural" option. And though it's not organic, it's true that especially a banana whose pesticide-laden peel you are going do discard is the most neutral option available to you in a train station or an airport. How-ever, fruit has a lot of sugar in it. Good sugar, but still dangerous sugar. You eat some sugar, you have a temporary spike in energy and well-being, and then a crash. The crash makes you hungry and cranky and your body starts demanding food. People tend to think that they're weak or piggish or that this is some kind of moral failing, but that's the diet industry talking. When your blood sugar is screaming at you, there's not much a brain can do in its own defense. All that is available at that point will be plane/train food, which you will then eat. Don't fall for the fruit. Same goes for fruit juice.

2. Yogurt
Same as fruit, yogurt seems like it would be the healthy choice, but a flavored yogurt is loaded with sugar--refined sugar, even worse than what you would find in the fruit. A flavored yogurt will get you, causing the spike-crash-crave cycle that makes people eat crap food. A plain yogurt with a fruit swirl and granola on top is just as bad, and often even though those yogurts look white/ plain, they have been sweetened too.

3. The bread off your sandwich, and sort of the whole sandwich
When I am totally desperate in an airport, I'll get a meat sandwich of some kind and eat only the meat, cheese and vegetables out of it, never the bread. This is probably the most blood-sugar neutral choice you can make. It's not breaded or fried or covered with sauce, it will fill you up and keep you going till the end of your trip. But only if you don't eat the bread. Even bread that claims to be "whole wheat" or "multi-grain" is almost always white bread with a dash of whole flour thrown in for marketing. White flour hits your system like a Krispy Kreme donut armed with a sledgehammer. It's pure sugar, and your body will process it as such. A sandwich is evil because the meat is not organic and definitely comes from a factory farm where animals are kept in terrible conditions, so this is a choice that I would make only under duress.

4. Bottled water
We all know that travel is dehydrating and we're supposed to drink a lot of water. Well, unless you bring your own water bottle, you'll add anywhere from 3 to 6 plastic waterbottles to the enormous continent of plastic debris that's tangled into a Satanic atoll somewhere in the Pacific. It's freaking sad, people, and it's totally unnecessary. Think ahead. Stop buying bottled water. I recently was on a JetBlue flight to L.A. that served only tiny 6oz bottles of water. In an attempt to stay hydrated I consumed ten of them. (My nutritionist says that the rule for how much water you should drink a day is half your body weight, in ounces. So if you weigh 160 lbs, you should drink 80 ounces of water per day.) And then I promised myself I'd go online and order a water bottle and would never do something like that again.

5. Booze
I know, it's nice to dull the pain of air travel with a few Bloody Marys. But alcohol is another one of those foods that breaks down into pure sugar and will stimulate your cravings, both at the time you are drinking and even into the next day. It's also very dehydrating, and our bodies often confuse dehydration with hunger. Save the drinks for a time when you're, you know, having fun!
Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage

6 Helpful Tips to Reduce Anxiety

2010-07-15T13:58:00.000+05:30

6 Helpful Tips to Reduce Anxiety

Most of us, at one time or another, will worry. Whether we worry about something minor, such as meeting a deadline, or we worry about something more life-changing, such as finding a job, worry is part of every day life. A certain amount of worry is healthy and helps us deal with challenges that require our attention. Too much worry, however, can cause undue stress that can negatively impact our health in both the short- and long-term.

Stop Worrying !

As a result, it is best to deal with worry and anxiety in a constructive way so as to reduce and manage the stress it causes. Here’s how:

Pinpoint the Cause. Identify the source of your concern. This will help you to evaluate what would be a constructive reaction or way to handle the situation.
Journal Your Concerns. Once you have identified the cause of your worry, you should take a few minutes to journal your feelings. Ask yourself some of the following questions: Why am I worried about this situation? Has something happened in the past that is causing me to worry about this situation? What are my biggest fears? How will the worst-case scenario impact me and/or my family? Free-flow journaling helps you to tap into your sub-conscious, where some of your deepest concerns reside. This will help you to understand where the source of your fears are coming from and whether or not they are based on your current situation or rooted in fears from your past.
Assess the Validity of Your Fears. Once you have documented your feelings and concerns, take a moment and assess their validity. Are they based in reality? Do they directly impact your life? Are you blowing a situation out of proportion? Are all of your fears hypothetical or are they based on real experience? Asking these questions will help you assess how much of your fears are based on realistic concerns and how much are built out of fear itself.
Assess Your Ability to Control the Situation. You then need to assess whether you can actively address the situation. Is any part of the situation under your control? If no part of the situation is under your control, acknowledge that and find ways to let go (see #6). If, however, there is a part of the situation that you can control, think about how you can address it and how you can best alleviate your worry.
Take Action. If your solution requires several steps, then set a goal and make a plan with deadlines. Taking action moves us from a mode of fear and the role of “victim” into a mode of “action” and into the driver’s seat.
Let Go. Once you have taken action, and there is nothing more you can do to help the situation, let go. Worrying won’t make anything better. A few ways to achieve this include: focusing on something else, spending time with others, meditating, listening to music and exercising.

Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Da Factopedia Homepage