Your Health n You

7 Lap Dance Moves That Make Men Melt

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Want to make your guy go gaga? It's not just about what you do in bed that counts. Sure, great sex technique will make you a star in his eyes, but knowing how to tease him will make you a legend. Don't believe us? In The Little Bit Naughty Book of Lap Dancing for Your Lover, real-life exotic dancer Rebecca Drury spills the seven secret — and really sexy! — steps that work on every guy, every time. You can thank us later.

1. The Grinding Circle
Stand about 60 centimeters (two feet) from your partner, with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart and your toes turned out. With your hips, begin to draw a circle, keeping your back arched. Now slowly bend your knees and grind down as far as is comfortable, then up again, continually undulating your hips and dancing erotically. It's really important to keep your back arched and upright. If you lean forward, you risk impersonating a sumo wrestler!

2. The Turn
As I've said, lap dancing is about showing off all your assets, so remember to turn around occasionally. For the best effect, turn slowly — your lover should barely notice. When you practice, work out which direction is most natural for you to turn in. And don't be overly concerned with how you do it; just take small steps and aim to make the turn blend into and become part of your dance. Keep circling your hips, and remember your arm movements. As far as possible, try to keep your lover in your gaze as you turn.

3. The Slap and Tickle
Turn your back to your audience and, with straight legs, bend forward slightly, look back at him coquettishly and stroke or lightly slap your bottom. I guarantee this will make him smile. Alternatively, still with your back to him, gently sway from your ankles, opening your legs gradually. Slowly, bend over so that your bottom is brazenly pointing at your man. Bend one knee to the side and straighten the other out to the other side. Glide your hand up the straight leg and raise your head over the corresponding shoulder to look back at him. Slap your bottom hard. Repeat on the other side.

4. The Lap Dance Grind
Gracefully dance yourself into the triangle made by your lover's open legs, and stand with your back to him and your feet together. Make sure you're as close to the chair as possible. Now bend your knees, keeping your back straight, and gently put your hands on your partner's knees. Lower your bottom toward his lap so that you can just feel his crotch on your skin. Then, keeping your hands on his knees for support, grind down gently, moving your hips in a circular or forward-and-backward motion. Look over your shoulder at your man while you do this, if you can. This is a little tricky, though! Take extra care whenever you go near his groin. If you hurt him, he'll never trust you to dance for him again!

5. The Breast Stroke
Every woman has her own personal scent that collects between her breasts, no matter what size they are or what perfume she wears. It's a potent aphrodisiac. So this step is guaranteed to get your lover going! Move closely into the space between his knees. Standing with your legs straight, gently lean forward and place your hands on either side of the chair. Once you have a firm hold, push your breasts toward his face; his nose should be nestled in your cleavage. For added effect, try brushing from side to side and stroking the end of his nose with your bra or nipple. Keep moving in a provocative way throughout.

6. Knee Strokes
Facing your partner, stand between his legs, as close to the chair as you can. Place your knees in the space between his crotch and the edge of the chair. Gently put a slight pressure against his groin with your knees. Lean toward him and blow gently into his ear or on his face. You could even exchange a mouthful of wine with him or pour champagne from your nipples into his mouth. As a variation, try this: Stand up facing your lover, then catch one of his knees between your knees and gently rub up and down his thigh. This is a fabulous sensation. Ask him to do it to you sometime!

7. The Body Slide
Standing between your lover's thighs, lean forward and put your hands on the back of the chair for support. Put one knee on each of his thighs, then lift your torso, slide your knees into the space in front of his crotch (careful here!) and slide, slowly, all the way down his body until you're kneeling on the floor in front of him. To get up off the floor, use your lover's knees for support and stand up sexily — bring your bottom up first, then flick your hair in his face as you raise your upper body.

10 memorable tips to maximise a woman's sexual pleasure.

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:20:00 +0000

1 Take her off the clock
Just as you’re concerned about lasting longer, there are many women who are so self-conscious about taking too long that they end up faking orgasm or deciding to go without. The solution? Stop obsessing over orgasms - yours and hers.

A brain imaging study by Swedish researchers shows that relaxation is the single most important factor in bringing a woman to orgasm. Tell her she has all night. The better you convey not just tolerance for a lengthy build-up but also appreciation of her sexual pleasure, whether she orgasms or not, the easier it will be for her to unwind and explode. Oh, and studies show that it takes 15 to 40 minutes for the average woman to reach orgasm. Going somewhere?

2 Turn her on with your talent
The best sex starts long before the clothes come off. Talent - more than rugged good looks or a chiselled midsection - is a powerful aphrodisiac, according to research at the Kinsey Institute in the United States. (Less surprisingly, poor hygiene and a messy home are among women’s biggest turn-offs.) So perfect your karaoke version of “Paradise City”. Or make her die laughing at your self-deprecating show of atrocious dartsmanship. Yes, humour is a talent, too.

3 When the clothes come off, speak up
Women who worry about the way they look “down there” are less likely to orgasm easily during oral sex, according to my research. And a recent study published in the Journal of Sex Research suggests that women who feel embarrassed or ashamed about their bodies have less sexual experience and are less sexually assertive. You clearly have everything to gain with flattery. If you love the way she looks naked - and you do, right? - share the news.

4 Always be tender up top
During foreplay, gently brush the tops, bottoms and sides of her breasts; these areas are actually more sensitive than an unaroused areola and nipple. Gradually move in towards her nipples, paying attention to how she responds. As things heat up, the nipples will become flushed with blood and the sensory receptors will become primed for direct stimulation. You’ll kick-start the blood flow and lubrication down below.

5 Learn her key strokes
One thing many women love during manual stimulation is a slow build-up. Here’s how to do it. Lie next to her, lightly bracing the heel of one hand just above her clitoris. Now run your ring and middle fingers along the length of her outer lips. Graze the skin at first, adding pressure as tension builds. Cup the area around her clitoris with your palm to add indirect stimulation - most women are too sensitive to receive direct contact early on. As she becomes aroused, brace your hand on her mons - her pubic mound, the fleshy area that covers her pubic bone - and tease the clitoris with the middles and tips of your fingers as you move your entire hand.

6 Change your angle
Explore various types of penetration to figure out what turns her on most. Your first stop: her G-spot, located about two to four centimetres up the front wall of her vagina. This spongy region swells during arousal. Try massaging the area slowly with your fingers. A lot of women find it mind-blowing. Not her thing? Just move on.

7 Use moves that multitask
To maximise her pleasure, increase the amount of contact you’ll have with her most sensitive parts. Here’s one move that will drive her wild. Ask her to lie on her back, with her legs stretched out. Now climb on top. Curl your arms around her shoulders, supporting yourself with your elbows and moving your chest up by her chin. The goal is to bring the base of your penis in contact with her clitoris. Thrust slowly, focusing on up-and-down movement instead of in-and-out penetration. Another great trick: move your pubic mound in a circle or up and down against her clitoris. You’ll get a break from high-intensity stimulation and she’ll receive focused attention where it often matters most.

8 Learn to sense her oncoming orgasm
Ease into oral sex - don’t just attack. First kiss her inner thighs and her inner and outer lips, then work your way inside using firm, broad strokes with your tongue. Watch her hips for a clue to the rhythm she likes. Listen to her gasps and moans as you experiment with different techniques. And watch for signs she’s close to climaxing, such as a subtle deepening in the colour of her labia caused by increased blood flow. Or rest a hand on her stomach and feel for the muscular contractions that immediately precede her orgasm.

9 Follow her lead
Once you reach your point of no return, you’ll climax even if you’re interrupted by a tuba-playing, thong-clad Bea Arthur. But your lady could hit the “off” switch if you stop or change moves midway to orgasm. We love it when you try new things and it’s important to vary your technique, but once you’ve found a winner, stick with it until she crosses the finish line.

10 Let her finish first
Stalking the elusive tandem orgasm is an admirable goal, but many women - especially those with sensitive clitorises - respond better to a “ladies-first” strategy. If you rub the clitoris for a long time - during thrusting, for example - it can become too sore or desensitised to respond to manual or oral stimulation later. So satisfy her before intercourse. Bonus: a woman’s orgasm threshold drops after her first one, so it’s often easier to bring her to climax through penetration after she’s already had one. How does that sound for an encore?

Denmark bans smoking

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:14:00 +0000

Denmark has joined the swelling ranks of European countries that have banned smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places.

The Danish law was initially due to take effect on April 1, but was delayed until August 15 to allow pub and restaurant owners to build the necessary facilities for smokers.

The law allows people to light up in separate smoking rooms and in secluded one-person workplaces. Smoking is also allowed in bars that are smaller than 40 square metres.

Nearly one in four people in the country of 5.4 million are exposed to passive smoking, according to the National Board of Health.

The board said passive smoking was responsible for the deaths of at least 150 Danes and the hospitalisation of more than 1,000 every year.

Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Sweden and Britain are among the European countries that have already banned smoking in public places.

Sydney eating joints takes out restaurant award

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:09:00 +0000

Sydney seafood restaurant Pier has taken out the top honour at the Australian Gourmet Traveller 2008 Restaurant Guide Awards in Melbourne.

Pier - owned by chef Greg Doyle - was named Restaurant of the Year, beating 400 other contenders reviewed in the magazine's 2008 Restaurant Guide.

Five Victorian establishments dominated the rest of the awards, including Melbourne's Rockpool Bar and Grill which was named Best New Restaurant, and Der Raum named Bar of the Year.

Three other Victorian eateries scooped the Best New Talent, Maitre d' of the Year and Wine List of the Year titles, with four other awards shared between Queensland and NSW establishments.

The magazine described Pier as 'sublime', adding its food, wine and overall service was "as seamless as anything in Australia".

The Restaurant Awards were hosted at new Melbourne restaurant, Nobu, co-owned by Oscar-winning film star Robert De Niro and celebrity Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

Negative result on foot-and-mouth disease in UK

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:59:00 +0000

Preliminary tests for foot-and-mouth disease on livestock at two sites were negative, the British government said, announcing that the risk of the virus spreading beyond an initial outbreak was now "very low."

Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds said further tests would be conducted to confirm that the animals on a farm and at a popular zoo and theme park did not have the disease.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or DEFRA, said an epidemiology report on the outbreak "concludes that the risk of disease spread outside of the Surrey Protection and Surveillance Zones is now very low."

The government had previously said the risk was "low, but not negligible."

DEFRA set up three-kilometre protection zones around a farm in southeast England and Chessington World of Adventures and Zoo, a tourist attraction in Surrey, the southern England county where the disease was found on two properties earlier this month.

The suspected cases raised fears the highly contagious disease may have spread beyond an initial outbreak.

14 year old missing from Sydney hospital

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:54:00 +0000

Doctors are concerned for the medical welfare of a teenager missing from a Sydney hospital.

Dean Kharitou, 14, was last seen by staff at Westmead Children's Hospital about 7.45pm on Tuesday.

The teenager, who was in the company of his mother at the hospital, was missing from a ward when staff returned to administer medication.

He is described as being 165cm tall, of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance, slim, with short dark wavy hair.

At the time of his disappearance, Dean is believed to have been wearing a blue and cream jumper, denim jeans and a dark beanie.

Information about Dean's whereabouts should be reported to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

50 reasons MEN have sex

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:48:00 +0000

1. I was attracted to the person.

2. It feels good.

3. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure.

4. It’s fun.

5. I wanted to show my affection to the person.

6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.

7. I was "horny."

8. I wanted to express my love for the person.

9. I wanted to achieve an orgasm.

10. I wanted to please my partner.

11. The person’s physical appearance turned me on.

12. I wanted the pure pleasure.

13. I was "in the heat of the moment."

14. I desired emotional closeness (i.e., intimacy).

15. It’s exciting, adventurous.

16. The person had a desirable body.

17. I realized I was in love.

18. The person had an attractive face.

19. The person really desired me.

20. I wanted the adventure/excitement.

21. I wanted to feel connected to the person.

22. I wanted the experience.

23. It was a romantic setting.

24. The person caressed me.

25. The person made me feel sexy.

26. It seemed like the natural next step in my relationship.

27. I wanted to increase the emotional bond by having sex

28. I wanted to keep my partner satisfied.

29. The opportunity presented itself.

30. It just happened.

31. I wanted to intensify my relationship.

32. I wanted to try out new sexual techniques or positions.

33. My hormones were out of control.

34. The person was too "hot" (sexy) to resist.

35. I was curious about my sexual abilities.

36. I wanted to improve my sexual skills.

37. I wanted to become one with another person.

38. I saw the person naked and could not resist.

39. The person was a good kisser.

40. I wanted to feel loved.

41. I wanted to celebrate a birthday or anniversary or special occasion.

42. The person was too physically attractive to resist.

43. It was a special occasion.

44. I hadn’t had sex for a while.

45. The person had beautiful eyes.

46. I wanted to communicate at a "deeper" level.

47. I wanted to experiment with new experiences.

48. The person was intelligent.

49. I wanted to keep my partner happy.

50. I was curious about what the person was like in bed.

50 reasons WOMEN have sex

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:39:00 +0000

1. I was attracted to the person.

2. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure.

3. It feels good.

4. I wanted to show my affection to the person.

5. I wanted to express my love for the person.

6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.

7. I was "horny."

8. It’s fun.

9. I realized I was in love.

10. I was "in the heat of the moment."

11. I wanted to please my partner.

12. I desired emotional closeness (i.e., intimacy).

13. I wanted the pure pleasure.

14. I wanted to achieve an orgasm.

15. It’s exciting, adventurous.

16. I wanted to feel connected to the person.

17. The person’s physical appearance turned me on.

18. It was a romantic setting.

19. The person really desired me.

20. The person made me feel sexy.

21. The person caressed me.

22. It seemed like the natural next step in my relationship.

23. I wanted to become one with another person.

24. It just happened.

25. I wanted to increase the emotional bond by having sex.

26. I wanted the experience.

27. I wanted the adventure/excitement.

28. The person had an attractive face.

29. The person was a good kisser.

30. I wanted to intensify my relationship.

31. My hormones were out of control.

32. I wanted to try out new sexual techniques or positions.

33. I wanted to feel loved.

34. The person had a desirable body.

35. I wanted to celebrate a birthday or anniversary or special occasion.

36. I wanted to communicate at a "deeper" level.

37. I was curious about sex.

38. It was a special occasion.

39. The person was intelligent.

40. I wanted to say "I’ve missed you."

41. I wanted to keep my partner satisfied.

42. I got "carried away."

43. The opportunity presented itself.

44. The person had a great sense of humor.

45. I wanted to improve my sexual skills.

46. I was curious about my sexual abilities.

47. The person seemed self-confident.

48. I wanted to make up after a fight.

49. I was drunk.

50. I was turned on by the sexual conversation.

Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training Retreat in St Lucia

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:17:00 +0000

Caroline Klebl offers a comprehensive Teacher Training program for teachers, aspiring teachers and dedicated practitioners of yoga. Her teacher training combines the high standards of practice, required by the Ashtanga Vinyasa System with the development of teaching skills necessary to introduce students to Ashtanga Yoga safely and effectively.

The focus of this course is on the practice and method of teaching the Primary Series of Ashtanga Yoga. Each day of the course begins with a Mysore style or Led Primary Series class, thereby providing each participant with the opportunity to immerse deeply in their own practice. The ability to give adjustments and to assist students to deepen their postures and practice is developed throughout the course. The Sanskrit names of the postures are introduced and how to teach an Ashtanga Yoga Led class effectively is evaluated in detail. The benefits of the specific sequencing and the principles of Vinyasa(the movements between postures), Oujaii Pranayama(the sound induced breath), Drishti(the gaze) and Bandhas(the three locks or seals) are included as essential elements of the Ashtanga Yoga practice. The importance of encouraging students to continue with a regular practice and preparing them for Mysore style is emphasized. Basic yoga philosophy, including the translation and chanting of the Yoga Sutras as well as the Anatomy most relevant to yoga practice is introduced. The course includes an introduction to Ayurveda, and instruction in Meditation. Maintaining a vegetarian diet and a lifestyle, which is conducive to yoga practice is encouraged throughout the course. Each participant has the opportunity to teach, assist and give adjustments. This teacher training explores the depth of the Ashtanga Yoga practice by revealing it's teaching techniques.

The retreat will take place at Harmony Suites. Here you will experience the secluded feel of a boutique hotel set in a tranquil, tropical garden with colonial-style buildings surrounding a courtyard and pool . Harmony Suites is located in the north of St. Lucia at Rodney Bay, the tourism center of the island. Here you will enjoy peace and quiet while being with-in an easy, 10 minute walk to duty free shopping, nightlife, banks, a mall, grocery store, art gallery and umpteen restaurants, catering for all tastes and pockets.

Overcoming Weight Loss Obstacles

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:36:00 +0000

I’m eating a low-calorie, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. I’m exercising 5 times a week. I’m doing everything right and I’m still not losing any weight. Why not? That’s the million dollar question asked by plateau campers everywhere. They seem to be doing everything right… and yet it’s not working. There are several factors that can trip up your best weight loss efforts. If you can identify and conquer them, you’ll be well on your way to long-term leanness.

Let’s start with your exercise program. Been doing the same thing for a while? Getting bored maybe? When your routine becomes ho-hum, your body quickly adapts to it and your results are less dramatic. So, if you always do the same aerobic activity at the same intensity, or you always do the same circuit of weight machines in the same order… Stop that!

To keep seeing results you need to present yourself with new challenges. It’s important to try new things, choose activities that you genuinely enjoy, and exercise at an intensity that challenges you. Whether you’re trying something new or just spicing up the old routine, you want to achieve a gradual and progressive increase in intensity. This might mean incorporating an occasional hilly route into your bike rides, intervals of slow jogging into your walks, adding some free weights to your machine workout, or signing up for a spinning class instead of reading magazines on the stationary bike. Just keep it interesting. Boredom and complacency can unravel your best-laid plans.

Weight training is the cornerstone of a lean body and a fast metabolism. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body burns throughout the day. If you’ve been doing tons of cardiovascular activity, but slacking on the weights, that could be one of your sticking points. On the flip side, if you’ve been faithfully pumping iron but you can’t get shed the fat; perhaps a little more aerobic activity is in order. The two modes of exercise compliment each other. The weights strengthen and tone the body, and the cardio defines it. Together with stretching, they form the basis of any well-rounded program.

The other critical factor in successful weight loss is, of course, your diet. The old bodybuilding adage is that success is 80 percent diet and 20 percent training. In other words, you can have the best training routine around, but if you’re not eating right, your results will still be minimal.

Take a good hard look at the way you’ve been eating. Have you been taking in too many calories? Too few? Do you diet and deny yourself all day only to binge at night? Are you consuming an overabundance of highly processed carbohydrates? Is your protein intake adequate for your size and activity level? Have you perhaps gone overboard by trying to eliminate all fat from your diet? Do you eat large quantities of "good" foods without ever feeling truly satisfied? Can you remember the last time you ate a fresh vegetable?

If your results with a traditional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet have been less than stellar, you may want to do some research into Paleolithic nutrition, The Zone, or the Mediterranean diet. These diets are based on an adequate but not excessive amount of lean protein, an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, and small amounts of monounsaturated fats like those found in nuts, seeds, and olives.

Whichever eating plan you choose be sure to adjust it accordingly depending on how you feel and how your body responds. Don't ever blindly follow a rigid "diet" based on someone else's rules and guidelines. Be flexible and focus on small positive changes. Balance, moderation, and common sense are key.

Some suggestions:

* Drink plenty of water.
* Eat several small meals and snacks a day (4 - 6 if your schedule allows) to keep your metabolism in high gear and help to stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day. Don't go more than 5 hours without eating.
* Make sure that your protein intake is adequate. Your protein needs are based on the size of your lean body mass and your activity level. People with more muscle mass or more intense training routines require more protein. For a protein recommendation in grams, multiply your weight in pounds (1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds) by one of the following numbers:

0.4 Current RDA for sedentary adult
0.5-0.75 Recreational exerciser, adult
0.6-0.9 Competitive athlete, adult
0.8-0.9 Growing teenage athlete
0.7-0.9 Adult building muscle mass
0.8-0.9 Athlete restricting calories
0.9 Maximum usable for adults

(Nancy Clark’s Sport’s Nutrition Guidebook, Second Edition – Lemon 1995; Lemon et al. 1992; Walberg et al. 1988)

* Choose mostly lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, egg whites, low fat dairy, and soy.
* Watch your intake of highly refined carbohydrates such as waffles, fat-free cookies, rice cakes, and white bread. Try to replace them with heartier grains or legumes such as oatmeal, beans, lentils, and sprouted or whole grain breads. These are higher in fiber, protein, and other nutrients and they hit your blood stream more slowly, giving you a longer lasting source of fuel.
* Don't be afraid of heart healthy monounsaturated fats like those found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are quite beneficial as well. A little bit of fat will slow the entry rate of carbohydrate into your blood stream, keeping blood sugar stable and helping to reduce hunger, mood swings, and cravings.
* Include a little protein, carbohydrate, and fat with each meal or snack. You'll be more satisfied with your food and less likely to get hungry between meals.
* Eat a variety of different foods and don't get obsessive! Eat well the majority of the time and enjoy some occasional treats.

The final, perhaps most important, component of weight loss success is your attitude. Pay special attention to your mental and emotional connections to food and exercise. If you find yourself sitting on the sofa, watching television and eating ice cream rather than working out, ask yourself why. There has to be some benefit to it, some payoff that, at the time anyway, seems greater than your long-term goal of health and fitness. You have to identify and acknowledge your fitness downfalls before you can do anything to change them. Remember that you can’t continue doing the same thing the same way and expect different results. If what you’re doing is not working, make changes!

How Many Calories Does Your Body Need?

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:28:00 +0000

Most of us understand that weight management depends upon the energy balance equation; the amount of energy you put into your body (food calories) versus the amount of energy you expend (activity). But how do you know how many calories your body needs to reach or maintain a certain weight?

Understanding your body's energy requirements can help guide you when making nutritional choices. We'll show you two ways to determine your energy requirements, the accurate way and the easy way.

The Accurate Way
There are three primary components that make up your body's energy expenditure. Adding these three components together, basal metabolic rate, energy expended during physical activity, and the thermic effect of food is the most accurate way of determining how many calories your body requires each day.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): Most of the body's energy, about 60-70%, goes to supporting the ongoing metabolic work of the body's cells. This includes such activities as heart beat, respiration and maintaining body temperature. To determine your BMR:

For adult males - Multiply the body weight by 10; add double the body weight to this value.
[i.e., for a 150 lb male, 1,500 + (2 x 150)=1,800 cal/day BMR]

For adult females - Multiply body weight by 10; add the body weight to this value.
[i.e., for a 120 lb female, 1,200 + 120=1,320 cal/day BMR]

Energy Expended During Physical Activity: The second component of the equation depends upon your level of physical activity. Physical activity has a profound effect on human energy expenditure and contributes 20-30% to the body's total energy output. One of the most reliable methods in calculating calories burned during physical activity is the Metabolic Energy (MET) Method. This is the method we have used for the Fitness Partner Connection's Activity Calculator for 158 different activities.

Thermic Effect of Food: The last component to calculate has to do with your body's management of food. The increase in energy required to digest food is referred to as the thermic effect of food (TEF) and it's simple to determine:

TEF = total kcals consumed x 10%
[i.e., 2,000 kcals consumed/day x 0.10 = 200 kcals expended for TEF]

The Easy Way
If all of those calculations seem too confusing or tedious, you can roughly estimate your daily calorie requirements using this simple formula:

For sedentary people: Weight x 14 = estimated cal/day

For moderately active people: Weight x 17 = estimated cal/day

For active people: Weight x 20 = estimated cal/day

Healthy Eating Habits: Bite-Sized Pieces To Chew On!

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:18:00 +0000

Here are some bite-sized pieces to help you take the first few steps toward a lifetime of healthier eating:

The lay of the land. When shopping for food, remember that grocery stores are primarily laid out with the most healthy and nutritious foods located around the perimeter of the store. The inside isles are where you'll generally find foods high in fat and sodium and lower in nutrients.

Uncontrollable urges. Many unhealthy food purchases at the grocery store are frequently made on impulse. Impulse buys can occur when grocery shopping is done without a shopping list and/or you do your shopping on an empty stomach. To lessen the chances of unhealthy impulse buys, eat a nutritious snack prior to shopping and make a grocery list and stick to it!

Be natural. A good rule of thumb is to try and eat food that is as close to its "natural" state as possible. For example, steamed red potatoes are much healthier (and less expensive) than a pre-packaged "Potato Au Gratin" side dish.

The spice of life. Eat a wide variety of foods and don't be afraid to try something new! Not only will it make mealtime more exciting, you'll be able to meet your nutritional needs as well.

Follow an outline. If you need a basic food plan to follow, use the Food Guide Pyramid, it will ensure a balanced, nutritious and healthy diet. Check out this informative piece about assembling nutritious meals based on the Food Guide Pyramid, written by Renee Cloe.

Read the label! Unfortunately, the naming and packaging of many food items can be deceiving in terms of what you "think" you're getting. Knowing how to read and interpret the food label is the best way to ensure you're getting what you want.

Don't expect changes to happen overnight. It has taken a lifetime to acquire your current eating habits. Consequently, it will take some time to strengthen your good habits and learn additional healthy ones. Your bad eating habits will soon begin to lose their strength as you quit practicing them and they will eventually disappear.

Read, listen and learn. Nothing will solidify permanent changes in your eating habits better than educating yourself about nutrition. Your local library, magazines, and the Internet are just a few resources that you can use to gain deeper knowledge of healthful eating.

Unless specified by your doctor for medical reasons, healthy eating is not about following a rigid, pre-determined menu. Stay away from "diets" that deprive you of a well balanced diet with lots of variety.

Cultivating healthier eating habits can be challenging at first. However, the lifetime rewards of improved health, weight control and general well-being are worth the effort. Take one step at a time, focus on continuous improvement and never give up!

Research Says Fewer Teens Are Having Sex Now

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 12:03:00 +0000

WASHINGTON Fewer high school students are having sex these days, and more are using condoms. The teen birth rate has hit a record low.

More young people are finishing high school, too, and more little kids are being read to, according to the latest government snapshot on the well-being of the nation's children. It's good news on a number of key wellness indicators, experts said of the report being released Friday.

"The implications for the population are quite positive in terms of their health and their well-being," said Edward Sondik, director of the National Center for Health Statistics. "The lower figure on teens having sex means the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is lower."

In 2005, 47 percent of high school students - 6.7 million - reported ever having had sexual intercourse, down from 54 percent in 1991. The rate of those who reported having had sex has remained the same since 2003.

Thirty-four percent of the students reported having had sex during a three-month period in 2005. Of those, 63 percent - about 3 million - used condoms. That's up from 46 percent in 1991.

The teen birth rate, the report said, was 21 per 1,000 young women ages 15-17 in 2005 - an all-time low. It was down from 39 births per 1,000 teens in 1991.

"This is very good news," said Sondik. "Young teen mothers and their babies are at a greater risk of both immediate and long-term difficulties."

The birth rate in the 15-19 age group was 40 per 1,000 in 2005, also down sharply from the previous decade.

Education campaigns that started years ago are having a significant effect, said James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, a Washington-based nonprofit group that focuses on prevention of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

"I think the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the efforts in the '80s and '90s had a lot to do with that," Wagoner said of the improved numbers on teen sex, condoms and adolescent births.

"We need to encourage young teens to delay sexual initiation and we need to make sure they get all the information they need about condoms and birth control," he said.

The report was compiled from statistics and studies at 22 federal agencies, and covered 38 key indicators, including infant mortality, academic achievement rates and the number of children living in poverty. The 2005 figures were the most comprehensive numbers available.

Other highlights:

• The percentage of children covered by health insurance decreased slightly. In 2005, 89 percent of children had health insurance coverage at some point during the year, down from 90 percent the previous year.

• The percentage of low birthweight infants (born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces) increased. It was 8.2 percent in 2005, up from 8.1 percent in 2004.

• More youngsters are getting reading time. Sixty percent of children ages 3-5 (and not in kindergarten) were read to daily by a family member in 2005, up from 53 percent in 1993.

• The percentage of children who had at least one parent working year round and full-time increased to 78.3 percent in 2005, up from 77.6 percent the previous year.

• More young people are completing high school. In 2005, 88 percent of young adults had finished high school - up from 84 percent in 1980.

• Fewer children were covered by health insurance. In 2005, 89 percent were covered at some point during the year, 1 percent less than 2004.

The report was released by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics - a consortium of federal agencies that includes the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Census Bureau and the Administration for Children and Families.

Scientists have discovered that wine can boost your teeth and soothe sore throats

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 08:59:00 +0000

A daily tipple is packed with so many disease-fighting compounds it can reduce your risk of gum disease, tooth decay and even throat infections, according to a new study.

Previous studies have already revealed that moderate amounts of red wine can help your heart health and reduce your risk of Alzheimer's.

Now it's believed that both red and white wine have antibacterial properties that can boost your oral health.

Professor Gabriella Gazzani in Italy, who led the study, discovered that wine is great for reducing the growth of several strains of bacteria that can cause tooth decay.

'Our findings seem to indicate that wine acts as an effective antimicrobial agent against bacteria,' she said in the American Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

'However, it doesn't replace mouthwash or toothpaste. We should still brush and floss our teeth in the regular way.'

We'll drink to that!

Nutrition and infection, health and disease

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:30:00 +0000

The interaction or synergism of malnutrition and infection is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children in most countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Viral, bacterial and parasitic infections tend to be prevalent, and all can have a negative impact on the nutritional status of children and adults. The situation was similar in North America and Europe from about 1900 to 1925; common infectious diseases had an impact on nutrition and produced high case fatality rates.

The synergistic relationship between malnutrition and infectious diseases is now well accepted and has been conclusively demonstrated in animal experiments. The simultaneous presence of both malnutrition and infection results in an interaction that has more serious consequences for the host than the additive effect would be if the two worked independently. Infections make malnutrition worse and poor nutrition increases the severity of infectious diseases.
Effects of malnutrition on infection

The immune system

The human body has the ability to resist almost all types of organisms or toxins that tend to damage the tissues and organs. This capacity is called immunity. Much of the immunity is caused by a special immune system that forms antibodies and sensitized lymphocytes which attack and destroy the specific organisms or toxins. This type of immunity is called acquired immunity. An additional portion of the immunity results from the general processes of the body; this is called innate immunity

Innate immunity is due to:

resistance of the skin to invasion by organisms;

phagocytosis of bacteria and other invaders by white blood cells and cells of the tissue macrophage system;

destruction by the acid secretions of the stomach and by the digestive enzymes of organisms swallowed into the stomach;

the presence in the blood of certain chemical compounds that attach to the foreign organisms or toxins and destroy them.

There are two basic but closely allied types of acquired immunity. In one of these the body develops circulating antibodies, which are globulin molecules that are capable of attacking the invading agents and destroying them. This type of immunity is called humoral immunity. Antibodies circulate in the blood and may remain there for a long time, so that a second infection with the same organism is immediately controlled. This is the basis for some forms of immunization, which are designed to stimulate antibody production.

The second type of acquired immunity is achieved through the formation of large numbers of highly specialized lymphocytes which are specifically sensitized against the invading foreign agents. These sensitized lymphocytes have the ability to attach to the foreign agents and to destroy them. This type of immunity is called cellular immunity. It is a highly complex system involving many different body organs (such as the spleen, thymus, lymph system and bone marrow) and also body fluids, particularly blood and its constituents and lymph.

The study of the complex system of immunity is termed immunology.

Effects of malnutrition on resistance to infection

A considerable amount of literature, documenting studies both in experimental animals and in people, demonstrates that dietary deficiency diseases may reduce the body's resistance to infections and adversely affect the immune system.

Some of the normal defence mechanisms of the body are impaired and do not function properly in the malnourished subject. For example, children with kwashiorkor were shown to be unable to form antibodies to either typhoid vaccine or diphtheria toxoid; their capacity to do so was restored after protein therapy. Similarly, children with protein malnutrition have an impaired antibody response to inoculation with yellow fever vaccine. An inhibition of the agglutinating response to cholera antigen has been reported in children with kwashiorkor and nutritional marasmus. These studies provide a fairly clear indication that the malnourished body has a reduced ability to defend itself against infection.

Another defence mechanism that has been studied in relation to nutrition is that of leucocytosis (increased production of white blood cells) and phagocytic activity (destruction of bacteria by white corpuscles). Children with kwashiorkor show a lower than normal leucocyte response in the presence of an infection. Perhaps of greater importance is the reduced phagocytic efficiency in malnourished subjects of the polymorphonuclear leucocytes that are part of the fight against invading bacteria. When malnutrition is present, these cells appear to have a defect in their intracellular bactericidal (bacteria-destroying) capacity.

Although malnourished children frequently have increased immunoglobulin levels (presumably related to concurrent infections), they also may have depressed cell-mediated immunity. In a recent study, the extent of this depression was directly related to the severity of the protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Serum transferrin levels are also low in those with severe PEM, and they often take considerable time to return to normal even after proper dietary treatment.

A quite different kind of interaction of nutrition and infection is seen in the effect of some deficiency diseases on the integrity of the tissues. Reduction in the integrity of certain epithelial surfaces, notably the skin and mucous membranes, decreases resistance to invasion and makes an easy avenue of entry for pathogenic organisms. Examples of this effect are cheilosis and angular stomatitis in riboflavin deficiency, bleeding gums and capillary fragility in vitamin C deficiency, flaky-paint dermatosis and atrophic intestinal changes in severe protein deficiency and serious eye lesions in vitamin A deficiency.
Effects of infection on nutritional status

Infection affects nutritional status in several ways. Perhaps the most important of these is that bacterial and some other infections lead to an increased loss of nitrogen from the body. This repercussion was first demonstrated in serious infections such as typhoid fever, but it has subsequently been shown in much milder infections such as otitis media, tonsillitis, chicken pox and abscesses.

Nitrogen is lost by several mechanisms. The principal one is probably increased breakdown of tissue protein and mobilization of amino acids, especially from the muscles. The nitrogen is excreted in the urine and is evidence of a depletion of body protein from muscles.

Full recovery is dependent upon the restoration of these amino acids to the tissues once the infection is overcome. This requires increased intake of protein, above maintenance levels, in the post-infection period. In children whose diet is marginal in protein content, or those who are already protein depleted, growth will be retarded during and after infections. In developing countries, children from poor families suffer from many infections in quick succession during the post-weaning period, and they often have multiple infections.

Anorexia or loss of appetite is another factor in the relationship between infection and nutrition. Infections, especially if accompanied by a fever, often lead to loss of appetite and therefore to reduced food intake. Some infectious diseases commonly cause vomiting, with the same result. In many societies mothers and often medical attendants as well consider it desirable to withhold food or to place the child with an infection on a liquid diet. Such a diet may consist of rice water, very dilute soups, water alone or some other fluid with a low calorie density and usually deficient in protein and other essential nutrients. The old adage of "starve a fever" is of doubtful validity, and this practice may have serious consequences for the child whose nutritional status is already precarious.

The traditional treatment of diarrhoea in some communities is to prescribe a purgative or enema. The gastro-enteritis may already have resulted in reduced absorption of nutrients from food, and the treatment may further aggravate this situation.

These are all examples of how illnesses such as measles, upper respiratory infections and gastro-intestinal infections may contribute to the development of malnutrition. The relationship of intestinal parasites, diarrhoea and measles to nutrition is discussed below.

Parasitic infections

Parasitic infections, particularly intestinal helminthic infections, are extremely prevalent and are increasingly being shown to have an adverse effect on nutritional status, especially in those heavily infected. Hookworms (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus) infect over 00 million people, mainly the poor in tropical and subtropical countries. They used to cause a prevalent debilitating disease in the southern United States. Hookworms cause intestinal blood loss, and although it appears that most of the protein in the lost blood is absorbed lower down in the intestinal tract, there is considerable loss of iron.

Hookworm disease is a major cause of iron deficiency anaemia in many countries. The extent of the loss of blood and iron in hookworm infections has been studied (Layrisse and Roche, 1966): daily faecal blood loss per hookworm (N. americanus) was reported to be 0.031 0.015 ml. It was estimated that about 350 hookworms in the intestine cause a daily loss of 10 ml of blood, or 2 mg of iron. Infection densities much higher than this are not uncommon. In Venezuela, where much of this work was done, iron losses greater than 3 mg per day often resulted in anaemia in adult males, and losses of half this amount frequently produced anaemia in women of child-bearing age and in young children.

Worldwide, roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) is among the most prevalent of intestinal parasites. It is estimated that 1 200 million people in the world (one-quarter of the world's population) harbour roundworms. The roundworm is large (15 to 30 cm long), so its own metabolic needs must be considerable. High parasite densities, particularly in children, are common in environments where sanitation is poor. Complications of ascariasis can develop, including intestinal obstruction or the presence of worms in aberrant sites such as the common bile duct. In some countries ascarids are a cause of surgical emergencies in children, and many with obstruction die. In the majority of children, however, when malnutrition is prevalent, deworming improves child growth.

Trichuris trichiura or whipworm inhabits the large intestine and infects about 600 million people worldwide. The worms are small and, in heavily infected children, may cause diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

Many children living in poor sanitary conditions are infected with several parasitic infections at the same time. In areas where infection with these three parasites is common and where malnutrition is prevalent, deworming of children leads to an improvement in growth, a reduction in the extent of malnutrition and an increase in appetite. It also positively influences physical fitness and perhaps psychological development.

Bilharzia or schistosomiasis infections are prevalent in some countries. They also contribute to poor nutrition, poor appetite and poor growth. The three organisms that cause schistosomiasis (Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum) are flukes, rather than ordinary worms.

Somewhat less is known about the relationship between intestinal protozoa! diseases and nutrition, but amoebas, causing serious dysentery and liver abscess, are highly pathogenic organisms, and infection with Giardia lamblia may cause malabsorption and abdominal pain.

The fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum) has an avidity for vitamin B12 and can deprive its host of this vitamin, with megaloblastic anaemia resulting. The fish tapeworm is common in people in only limited geographic areas, mainly in temperate areas and where undercooked fish is frequently consumed.

In many northern industrialized countries, farm animals and domestic pets such as dogs and cats are dewormed routinely. Much evidence suggests that pigs grow better when they regularly receive anthelmintics. Now that highly effective, relatively inexpensive and safe broad-spectrum anthelmintics such as albendazole and mebendazole are available, routine mass deworming should be introduced where parasitic infections are prevalent in humans and where PEM and anaemia are common. Similarly, routine efforts to treat children with schistosomiasis using metrifonate or praziquantel seem highly desirable both to rid children of potential serious pathology and to improve their nutritional status. More attention needs to be given to population-based chemotherapy for these infections along with intensification of public health and other measures to reduce their transmission, including improved sanitation and water supplies. Such efforts would improve the health and nutritional status of millions of the world's children.

Effects of diarrhoea

Many studies have indicated that gastrointestinal infections, and especially diarrhoea, are very important in precipitating serious PEM. Diarrhoea is common in, and often lethal to, the young child. In breastfed infants there is often some protection during the first months of life, so diarrhoea is often a feature of the weaning process. Weanling diarrhoea is extraordinarily prevalent in poor communities throughout the world, both in tropical and temperate zones. The organism responsible varies and often cannot be identified. Diarrhoea was a major cause of mortality in children in industrialized countries up to the beginning of the twentieth century.

Several studies have shown that admissions of cases of malnutrition are greatly increased during the season when diarrhoea is most common. For example, in a report from the Islamic Republic of Iran, more than twice as many cases of PEM were admitted in the warm summer than in the cold winter. The incidence of diarrhoeal disease followed the same pattern.

Hospital and community studies indicate that cases of xerophthalmia and keratomalacia are frequently precipitated by gastro-enteritis, as well as by other infectious diseases such as measles and chicken pox. Xerophthalmia is the major cause of blindness in several Asian countries; it is also prevalent in certain parts of Africa, Latin America and the Near East.

Intestinal parasites may contribute to diarrhoea and to poor vitamin A status. The exact mechanism of this relationship has not been proved, but it is likely that many infections reduce vitamin A absorption and that some result in decreased consumption of foods containing vitamin A and carotene.

Diarrhoea can be fatal, usually because it can lead to severe dehydration (see Chapter 37). Diarrhoea, and the complication of dehydration, may be said to be a form of malnutrition. Dehydration is a "deficiency" in the body of water and mineral electrolytes, and providing adequate quantities of these cures the deficiency. The term "fluid electrolyte malnutrition" (FEM) has been coined for this condition. Provision of water and adequate minerals in home-prepared food, breastfeeding or administration of oral rehydration fluids is now the accepted treatment. Although these are forms of therapy or treatment, they are really refeeding and replenishment. However, prevention requires measures and interventions to reduce infections, poverty and malnutrition. These are essential if countries are to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea.

Fatality rates for measles and other infectious diseases

A dramatic illustration of the effect of malnutrition on infection is seen in the fatality rates for common childhood diseases such as measles. Measles is a severe disease with a case fatality rate of about 15 percent in many poor countries because the young children who develop it have poor nutritional status, lowered resistance and poor health. In Mexico the fatality rate for measles has been reported to be 180 times higher than that in the United States; in Guatemala, 268 times higher; and in Ecuador, 480 times higher. The decline in case fatality rates of measles in North America, Europe and other industrialized countries has been dramatic over the last century.

Differences in the clinical severity and the fatality rates of measles in developed and developing countries are due not to differences in virus virulence but to differences in the hosts' nutritional status. For example, during a measles epidemic in the United Republic of Tanzania that was causing considerable mortality among the children of poorer families, it was observed that fatalities from the disease were extremely uncommon in the children of families of moderate income, such as those of hospital employees. Measles is also related to vitamin A deficiency. It has been shown that providing vitamin A supplements to children with measles who have poor vitamin A status greatly reduces case fatality rates.

Immunization against measles is proving very effective, and in many countries measles incidence has been markedly reduced.

Other common infectious diseases such as whooping cough, diarrhoea and upper respiratory infections also have much more serious consequences in malnourished children than in those who are well nourished. Mortality statistics from most developing countries show that such communicable diseases are the major causes of death. It was observed in several African countries at the end of the Sahel famine that very few children were dying of starvation or malnutrition, but that deaths from measles, respiratory infections and other infectious diseases were still very much above pre-famine levels. It is clear that many, perhaps the majority, of these deaths were due to malnutrition. This may seem a moot point for a grieving parent, but for the policy planner and the public health official it is important to know to what extent morbidity and mortality rates are due to or related to undernutrition.

An inter-American investigation of mortality in childhood showed that of 35 000 deaths of children under five years of age in ten countries, in 57 percent of the cases malnutrition was either the underlying or an associated cause of death. Nutritional deficiency was the most serious health problem uncovered, and it was frequently associated with common infectious diseases.

HIV infection and AIDS

Perhaps no disease has a more dramatic and obvious effect on nutritional status than acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In Uganda for many years the disease was called "slim disease" because extreme thinness was the main visible manifestation of the disease. Although the mechanisms by which AIDS leads to severe malnutrition have not been proven, there is no doubt that the disease and its associated opportunistic infections cause marked anorexia, diarrhoea and malabsorption as well as increased nitrogen losses. Some of the infections and conditions that are part of the AIDS complex of diseases were known to affect nutritional status long before the HIV virus was identified: tuberculosis has for many decades been associated with cachexia and weight loss, and malignancies such as sarcoma have long been known to result in wasting as they advance.

For a discussion of the relationship of AIDS to breastfeeding, see Chapter 7.
Chronic diseases and old age

There is a relationship between certain chronic diseases and immune response. It has also been clearly shown that in old age immunologic response is reduced, and undernutrition worsens this decline. The association of diabetes with infections is well known, and it is clear that in diabetes there is often impaired cellular response. Other diseases, for example several cancers, may also be related to lowered immune response (see Chapter 23).
Intervention studies

There have been relatively few well-controlled intervention studies to demonstrate either the effects of improved diets on infection or the nutritional effects of control of infectious diseases. Research in the village of Candelaria in Colombia showed that diarrhoea declined sharply as a result of supplementary feeding of children. A similar study in a Guatemalan village illustrated a significant decline in morbidity and mortality from certain common illnesses following the introduction of a nutritious daily supplement for preschool children.

A classic study conducted in Narangwal in the Punjab region of India demonstrated the value of combining nutritional care and health care in one programme. Children were divided into four groups. One group was given dietary supplements, one group was given health care, one group received both the supplements and the health care, and the fourth group served as control. As far as nutritional status and certain other health parameters were concerned, the combined treatment gave the best results. Nutritional supplementation alone also had a major impact. In comparison with the control group, there was no improvement in the nutritional status of the group that received only medical care but no dietary supplements.
Nutrition, infection and national development

Clearly, the effects of nutritional status on infections and of infections on malnutrition signify a very important relationship. The majority of children in most developing countries suffer from malnutrition at some time in their first five years of life. The problems of infection and malnutrition are closely interrelated, yet programmes to control communicable diseases and to improve nutrition tend to be introduced quite independently. It would be much more efficient and effective if the twin problems were attacked together.

Success in improving the health and reducing the mortality of children is dependent both on control of infectious diseases and on improvements in the children's food intake and care. There is increasing evidence to suggest that parents are more willing to control their family size when the chances are good that most children born will survive into adulthood. Consideration also needs to be given to providing a stimulating environment for the growing child.

The situation in the major industrial cities of Europe and North America a century ago was comparable to that in the poorest developing countries today. In New York City in the summer months of 1892, the infant mortality rate was 340 per 1 000, and diarrhoea. accounted for half these deaths. Improvements in nutrition, through the use of milk stations, for example, and a reduction in infectious disease served to lower these mortality rates by half in a period of less than 25 years. In the United Kingdom at the beginning of the twentieth century, rickets, combined with infectious diseases, took a heavy toll in the insanitary, smoky slums of the industrial cities, and measles was very often fatal among children of poor families, presumably because of poor nutrition.

Malnutrition and infections combine to pose an enormous hazard to the health of the majority of the world's population who live in poverty. This ever-present hazard particularly threatens children under five years of age. Many of the children who suffer from both malnutrition and a series of infections succumb and die. They are continually replaced in answer to parents' strong desire and often real need to have surviving children. The children who live beyond five years of age are not mainly those who have escaped malnutrition or infectious diseases, but those who have survived. Seldom are they left without the permanent sequelae or scars of their early health experiences. They are often retarded in their physical, psychological or behavioural development, and they may have other abnormalities that contribute to a less than optimal ability to function as adults and possibly to a shortened life expectation. Other factors influencing the development of these children include a lack of environmental stimulation and a host of other deprivations related to poverty.

The challenge to health workers, development economists, governments and international agencies is how best to reduce the morbidity, mortality and permanent sequelae that result from the synergism of malnutrition and infection. The politicians must be persuaded that attention to these problems is not only highly desirable but politically advantageous.

The control of infectious diseases and projects aimed at providing more and better food for people are fully justified and important components of a development plan. By themselves they may contribute to increased productivity and better lives. An improved infant or toddler mortality rate, a lowered disease incidence and a better-nourished population are probably better indicators of development shall national averages of telephones or automobiles per 1 000 families, or even than dollars or pesos per caput. Efforts for the control of infectious diseases and the improvement of nutrition both deserve a high priority in development plans and in international or bilateral assistance to low-income countries. They should be undertaken together because they will be mutually reinforcing and more economical if provided in a coordinated manner rather than separately. An allied issue is the need to provide a stimulating environment for the growing child.

Historical and epidemiological evidence suggests that reductions in infant and child mortality and improvements in health and nutritional status may be prerequisites to successful family planning efforts. Birth spacing deserves a high priority, especially where women are already overworked and undernurtured. Parents in all countries should receive assistance to help them achieve their desired family size.

Alarming as the situation of children's malnutrition and infection is, there is a general tendency to overlook the significance of these conditions in adults. Weakness, lethargy, absenteeism, poor productivity and stress can all have social and economic costs for individuals, families and communities.

There seems to be unassailable logic in recommending coordinated programmes that have three objectives: to control infectious disease, to improve nutrition and to make family planning services widely available. These three types of endeavour may themselves be synergistic.

Focus on Diarrhoea, Dehydration and Rehydration.

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:11:00 +0000

During diarrhoea, the body loses water and electrolytes in the form of liquid stool. Fluids can also be lost through vomit, sweat, urine and breathing. Dehydration occurs when these losses are not adequately replaced. Diarrhoea may result in a decrease in food intake or nutrient absorption and an increase in nutrient requirements which often combine to cause weight loss and retarded growth. When a child's nutritional status declines, any pre-existing malnutrition becomes worse. In turn, a child with malnutrition can experience diarrhoea that is more severe, more prolonged and more frequent than a non-malnourished child.

Diarrhoea may present in different forms such as acute watery diarrhoea, dysentery (blood in stool), or persistent diarrhoea (more than 14 days). Antibiotics should not be used routinely. They are reliably helpful only for children with blood in the diarrhoea (probable shigellosis) and other serious non-intestinal infections such as pneumonia. Anti-diarrhoeal drugs and anti-emetics should not be given to young children with either acute or persistent diarrhoea since they do not prevent dehydration or improve nutritional status, and some have dangerous side-effect.

Diarrhoea causes dehydration. Children are more likely than adults to die from diarrhoea because they become dehydrated more quickly. Diarrhoea is also a major cause of child malnutrition.

The main causes of diarrhoea are poor hygiene, lack of clean drinking water, overcrowding, and the trend towards bottle-feeding rather than breastfeeding. Infants who are fed only breastmilk seldom get diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea can be prevented by breastfeeding, by immunizing all children against measles, by using latrines, by keeping food and water clean, and by washing hands before touching food.

Thousands of deaths could be averted through interventions such as Oral Rehydration Therapy, appropriate drug therapy, optimal breastfeeding practices, improved nutrition, increased access to clean water and sanitation facilities and improved personal and domestic hygiene. If families and communities work together, with support from governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), they can do much to prevent the conditions that cause diarrhoea.

What is Diarrhoea?

Diarrhoea is an intestinal disorder characterized by abnormal fluidity and frequency of fecal evacuations, generally the result of increased motility in the colon; may be an important symptom of such underlying disorders as dysenteric diseases, lactose intolerance, GI tumors, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Diarrhoea is the passage of watery stools, usually at least three times in a 24 hour period. However, it is the consistency of the stools rather than the number that is most important. Frequent passing of formed stools is not diarrhoea. Babies fed only breastmilk often pass loose, "pasty" stools; this also is not diarrhoea. Mothers usually know when their children have diarrhoea and may provide useful working definitions in local situations.

Clinical types of diarrhoeal diseases

It is most practical to base treatment of diarrhoea on the clinical type of the illness, which can easily be determined when a child is first examined. Laboratory studies are not needed. Four clinical types of diarrhoea can be recognized, each reflecting the basic underlying pathology and altered physiology:

* acute watery diarrhoea (including cholera) which lasts several hours or days:
the main danger is dehydration; weight loss also occurs if feeding is not continued;

* acute bloody diarrhoea (also called dysentery):
the main dangers are intestinal damage, sepsis and malnutrition; other complications, including dehydration, may also occur;

* persistent diarrhoea (which lasts 14 days or longer):
the main danger is malnutrition and serious non-intestinal infection; dehydration may also occur;

* diarrhoea with severe malnutrition (marasmus or kwashiorkor);
the main dangers are: severe systemic infection, dehydration, heart failure and vitamin and mineral deficiency.

The management of each type of diarrhoea should prevent or treat the main danger(s) that each presents.

Why is diarrhoea dangerous?

Diarrhoea causes rapid depletion of water and sodium - both of which are necessary for life. If the water and salts are not replaced fast, the body starts to "dry up" or get dehydrated. If more than 10% of the body's fluid is lost death occurs.

Severe dehydration can cause death.

Despite many advances, diarrhoeal diseases and the resulting dehydration are responsible for about 2.2 million child deaths every year. Of these, approximately

*

50% are due to watery diarrhoea and occur
- either because of lack of access to ORS and/or health facilities,
- or because of incorrect case management (home or health facility).

*

The remainder are accounted for by persistent diarrhoea (approximately 35%) and dysentery (approximately 15%).

Diarrhoea is caused by bacteria or viruses. Children who are malnourished suffer much more; in turn, diarrhoea weakens children and makes them more malnourished. Diarrhoea is also a major cause of child malnutrition.

How can diarrhoea be prevented?

Diarrhoea can be prevented by pursuing multisectoral efforts by:

* improving access to clean water and safe sanitation
* promoting hygiene education
* exclusive breast-feeding
* improved weaning practices
* immunizing all children; especially against measles
* using latrines
* keeping food and water clean
* washing hands with soap (the baby's as well) before touching food
* and by sanitary disposal of stools.

The above is most important message that can help parents governments and communities to prevent almost all of these deaths and most of the malnutrition caused by diarrhoea.

The key factors are unclean water, dirty hands at mealtime and spoilt food.

65% of all child deaths are from these 3 causes:

*

Acute Respiratory tract Infections now kills 3.6 million children each year.
*

Diarrhoeal diseases are responsible for about 2.2 million child deaths every year.
*

Immunisation preventable diseases: measles, tuberculosis, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and pertussis are responsible for some 2.1 million child deaths every year. Of these, almost 1 million are attributed to measles.

The common thread that links these infectious diseases is the nutrition of the mother and child. Malnutrition predisposes children to disease, and diseases often result in worse nutritional status, and consequently a vicious cycle of cause and effect is established.

The main causes of diarrhoea are poor personal and food hygiene and lack of clean drinking water. It is the responsibility of government to support the community in tackling these basic problems.

Macronutrients

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 06:59:00 +0000

Carbohydrates

The main source of energy for most Asians, Africans and Latin Americans is carbohydrates in the food they eat. Carbohydrates constitute by far the greatest portion of their diet, as much as 80 percent in some cases. In contrast, carbohydrates make up only 45 to 50 percent of the diet of many people in industrialized countries.

Carbohydrates are compounds containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the proportions 6:12:6. They are burned during metabolism to produce energy, liberating carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The carbohydrates in the human diet are mainly in the form of starches and various sugars. Carbohydrates can be divided into three groups:

· monosaccharides, e.g. glucose, fructose, galactose;

· disaccharides, e.g. sucrose (table sugar), lactose, maltose;

· polysaccharides, e.g. starch, glycogen (animal starch), cellulose.

Monosaccharides

The simplest carbohydrates are the monosaccharides, or simple sugars. These sugars can pass through the wall of the alimentary tract without being changed by the digestive enzymes. The three most common are glucose, fructose and galactose.

Glucose, sometimes also called dextrose, is present in fruit, sweet potatoes, onions and other plant substances. It is the substance into which many other carbohydrates, such as the disaccharides and starches, are converted by the digestive enzymes. Glucose is oxidized to produce energy, heat and carbon dioxide, which is exhaled in breathing.

Because glucose is the sugar in blood, it is most often used as an energy-producing substance for persons fed intravenously. Glucose dissolved in sterile water, usually in concentrations of 5 or 10 percent, is frequently used for this purpose.

Fructose is present in honey and some fruit juices. Galactose is a monosaccharide that is formed, along with glucose, when the milk sugar lactose is broken down by the digestive enzymes.

Disaccharides

The disaccharides, composed of simple sugars, need to be converted by the body into monosaccharides before they can be absorbed from the alimentary tract. Examples of disaccharides are sucrose, lactose and maltose. Sucrose is the scientific name for table sugar (the kind that is used, for example, to sweeten tea). It is most commonly produced from sugar cane but is also produced from beets. Sucrose is also present in carrots and pineapple. Lactose is the disaccharide present in human and animal milk. It is much less sweet than sucrose. Maltose is found in germinating seeds.

Polysaccharides

The polysaccharides are chemically the most complicated carbohydrates. They tend to be insoluble in water, and only some can be used by human beings to produce energy. Examples of polysaccharides are starch, glycogen and cellulose.

Starch is an important source of energy for humans. It occurs in cereal grains as well as in root foods such as potatoes and cassava. Starch is liberated during cooking when the starch granules rupture because of heating.

Glycogen is made in the human body and is sometimes known as animal starch. It is formed from monosaccharides produced by the digestion of dietary starch. Starch from rice or cassava is broken down in the intestines to form monosaccharide molecules, which pass into the bloodstream. Those surplus monosaccharides that are not used to produce energy (and carbon dioxide and water) are fused together to form a new polysaccharide, glycogen. Glycogen is usually present in muscle and in the liver, but not in large amounts.

Any of the digestible carbohydrates when consumed in excess of body needs are converted by the body into fat which is laid down as adipose tissue beneath the skin and at other sites in the body.

Cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, pectin and gums are sometimes called unavailable carbohydrates because humans cannot digest them. Cellulose and hemicellulose are plant polymers that are the main components of cell walls. They are fibrous substances. Cellulose, which is a polymer of glucose, is one of the fibres of green plants. Hemicellulose is a polymer of other sugars, usually hexose and pentose. Lignin is the main component of wood. Pectins are present in plant tissue and sap and are colloidal polysaccharides. Gums are also viscous carbohydrates extracted from plants. Pectins and gums are both used by the food industry. The human alimentary tract cannot break down these carbohydrates or utilize them to produce energy. Some animals, such as cattle, have microorganisms in their intestines that break down cellulose and make it available as an energy-producing food. In humans, any of the unavailable carbohydrates present in food pass through the intestinal tract. They form much of the bulk and roughage evacuated in human faeces, and are often termed "dietary fibre".

There is increasing interest in fibre in diets, because high-fibre diets are now considered healthful. A clear advantage of a high-fibre diet is a lower incidence of constipation than among people who consume a low-fibre diet. The bulk in high-fibre diets may contribute a feeling of fullness or satiety which may lead to less consumption of energy, and this may help reduce the likelihood of obesity. A high-fibre diet results in more rapid transit of food through the intestinal tract and is thus believed to assist normal and healthy intestinal and bowel functioning. Dietary fibre has also been found to bind bile in the intestines.

It is now recognized that the high fibre content of most traditional diets may be an important factor in the prevention of certain diseases which appear to be much more prevalent in people consuming the low-fibre diets common in industrialized countries. Because it facilitates the rapid passage of materials through the intestine, fibre may be a factor in the control of diverticulitis, appendicitis, haemorrhoids and also possibly arteriosclerosis, which leads to coronary heart disease and some cancers.

Frequent consumption of any sticky fermentable carbohydrates, either starch or sugar, can contribute to dental caries, particularly when coupled with poor oral hygiene. Adequate intake of fluoride and/or a topical application is the best protection against caries (see Chapter 21).
Fats

In many developing countries dietary fats make up a smaller part of total energy intake (often only 8 or 10 percent) than carbohydrates. In most industrialized countries the proportion of fat intake is much higher. In the United States, for example, an average of 36 percent of total energy is derived from fat.

Fats, like carbohydrates, contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are insoluble in water but soluble in such chemical solvents as ether, chloroform and benzene. The term "fat" is used here to include all fats and oils that are edible and occur in human diets, ranging from those that are solid at cool room temperatures, such as butter, to those that are liquid at similar temperatures, such as groundnut or cottonseed oils. (In some terminologies the word "oil" is used to refer to those materials that are liquid at room temperature, while those that are solid are called fats.)

Fats (also referred to as lipids) in the body are divided into two groups: storage fat and structural fat. Storage fat provides a reserve storehouse of fuel for the body, while the structural fats are part of the essential structure of the cells, occurring in cell membranes, mitochondria and intracellular organelles.

Cholesterol is a lipid present in all cell membranes. It has an important role in fat transport and is the precursor from which bile salts and adrenal and sex hormones are made.

Dietary fats consist mainly of triglycerides, which can be split into glycerol and chains of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen called fatty acids. This action, the digestion or breakdown of fats, is achieved in the human intestine by enzymes known as lipases, which are present primarily in the pancreatic and intestinal secretions. Bile salts from the liver emulsify the fatty acids to make them more soluble in water and hence more easily absorbed.

The many fatty acids in human diets are divided into two main groups: saturated and unsaturated. The latter group includes both polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms that their chemical structure will permit. All fats and oils eaten by humans are mixtures of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Broadly speaking, fats from land animals (i.e. meat fat, butter and ghee) contain more saturated fatty acids than do those of vegetable origin. Fats from plant products and to some extent those from fish have more unsaturated fatty acids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). There are exceptions, however. For example, coconut oil has a large amount of saturated fatty acids.

These groupings of fats have important health implications because excess intake of saturated fats is one of the risk factors associated with arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease (see Chapter 23). In contrast, PUFAs are believed to be protective.

PUFAs also include two unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, which have been termed "essential fatty acids" (EFAs) as they are necessary for good health. EFAs are important in the synthesis of many cell structures and several biologically important compounds. Recent studies have also shown the benefits of other longer-chain fatty acids in the growth and development of young children, and arachidonic acid and docosa-hexaenoic acid (DHA) should conditionally be considered essential during early development. Experiments with animals and studies in humans have shown definite skin and growth changes and abnormal vascular and neural function in the absence of these fatty acids, and there is no doubt that they are essential for the nutrition of individual cells and tissues of the body.

Fat is desirable to make the diet more palatable. It also yields about 9 kcal/g, which is more than twice the energy yielded by carbohydrates and proteins (about 4 kcal/g); fat can therefore reduce the bulk of the diet. A person doing very heavy work, especially in a cold climate, may require as many as 4 000 kcal a day. In such a case it is highly desirable that a good proportion of the energy should come from fat; otherwise the diet would be very bulky. Bulky diets can be a particularly serious problem in young children as well. A reasonable increase in the fat or oil content of the diets of young children raises the energy density of predominantly bulky carbohydrate diets and is highly desirable.

Fat also functions as a vehicle that assists the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (see Chapter 11).

Thus fats, and even specific types of fat, are essential to health. However, practically all diets provide the small amount required.

Fat deposited in the human body serves as a reserve fuel. It is an economic way of storing energy, because, as mentioned above, fat yields about twice as much energy, weight for weight, as does carbohydrate or protein. Fat is present beneath the skin as an insulation against cold, and it forms a supporting tissue for many organs such as the heart and intestines.

All fat in the body is not necessarily derived from fat that has been eaten. However, excess calories from the carbohydrate and protein in, for example, maize, cassava, rice or wheat can be converted into fat in the human body.
Proteins

Like carbohydrates and fats, proteins contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but they also contain nitrogen and often sulphur. They are particularly important as nitrogenous substances, and are necessary for growth and repair of the body. Proteins are the main structural constituents of the cells and tissues of the body, and they make up the greater portion of the substance of the muscles and organs (apart from water). The proteins in different body tissues are not all exactly the same. The proteins in liver, in blood and in specific hormones, for example, are all different.

Proteins are necessary

· for growth and development of the body;

· for body maintenance and the repair and replacement of worn out or damaged tissues;

· to produce metabolic and digestive enzymes;

· as an essential constituent of certain hormones, such as thyroxine and insulin.

Although proteins can yield energy, their main importance is rather as an essential constituent of all cells. All cells may need replacement from time to time, and their replacement requires protein.

Any protein eaten in excess of the amount needed for growth, cell and fluid replacement and various other metabolic functions is used to provide energy, which the body obtains by changing the protein into carbohydrate. If the carbohydrate and fat in the diet do not provide adequate energy, then protein is used to provide energy; as a result less protein is available for growth, cell replacement and other metabolic needs. This point is especially important for children, who need extra protein for growth. If they get too little food for their energy requirements, then the protein will be diverted for daily energy needs and will not be used for growth.

Amino acids

All proteins consist of large molecules which are made of amino acids. The amino acids in any protein are linked together in chains, called peptide linkages. The various proteins are made of different amino acids linked together in different chains. Because there are many different amino acids, there are many different possible configurations, so there are many different proteins.

During digestion proteins break down to form amino acids much as complex carbohydrates such as starches break down into simple monosaccharides and fats break down into fatty acids. In the stomach and intestines various proteolytic enzymes hydrolyse the protein, releasing amino acids and peptides.

Plants are able to synthesize amino acids from simple inorganic chemical substances. Animals do not have this ability; they derive all the amino acids necessary for building their protein from consumption of plants or animals. As the animals eaten by humans initially derived their protein from plants, all amino acids in human diets have originated from this source.

Animals have differing abilities to convert one amino acid into another. In the human this ability is limited. Conversion occurs mainly in the liver. If the ability to convert one amino acid into another were unlimited, then the question of the protein content of diets and the prevention of protein deficiency would be simple. It would be enough merely to supply sufficient protein, irrespective of the quality or amino acid content of the protein supplied.

Of the large number of amino acids, 20 are common in plants and animals. Of these, eight have been found to be essential for the adult human and have thus been termed "essential amino acids" or "indispensable amino acids", namely: phenyl-alanine, tryptophan, methionine, lysine, leucine, isoleucine, valine and threonine. A ninth amino acid, histidine, is required for growth and is essential for infants and children; it may also be necessary for tissue repair. Other amino acids include glycine, alanine, serine, cystine, tyrosine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, hydroxyproline, citrulline and arginine. Each protein in a food is composed of a particular mixture of amino acids which might or might not contain all eight of the essential ones.

Protein quality and quantity

To assess the protein value of any food it is useful to know how much total protein it contains, which amino acids it has and how many essential amino acids are present and in what proportion. Much is now known about the individual proteins present in various foods, their amino acid content and therefore their quality and quantity. Some have a better mixture of amino acids than others, and these are said to have a higher biological value. The proteins albumin in egg and casein in milk, for example, contain all the essential amino acids in good proportions and are nutritionally superior to such proteins as zein in maize, which contains little tryptophan or lysine, and the protein in wheat, which contains only small quantities of lysine. It is not true, however, to say that the proteins in maize and wheat are not valuable. Although they contain less of certain amino acids, they do contain some amount of all the essential amino acids as well as many of the other important ones. The relative deficiency of maize and wheat proteins can be overcome by providing other foodstuffs containing more of the limited amino acids. It is therefore possible for two foods with low-value protein to complement each other to form a good protein mixture when eaten together.

Humans, especially children on diets deficient in animal protein, require a variety of foods of vegetable origin, not just one staple food. In many diets, pulses or legumes such as groundnuts, beans and cowpeas, though short of sulphur-containing amino acids, supplement the cereal proteins, which are often short of lysine. A mixture of foods of vegetable origin, especially if taken at the same meal, can serve as a substitute for animal protein.

FAO has produced tables showing the content of essential amino acids in different foodstuffs, from which it can be seen which foods best complement each other. It is also necessary, of course, to ascertain the total quantity of protein and amino acids in any food.

The quality of the protein depends largely on its amino acid composition and its digestibility. If a protein is deficient in one or more essential amino acids, its quality is lower. The most deficient of the essential amino acids in a protein is called the "limiting amino acid". The limiting amino acid determines the efficiency of utilization of the protein present in a food or combination of foods. Human beings usually eat food in meals which contain many proteins; they seldom consume just one protein. Therefore nutritionists are interested in the protein quality of a person's diet or meals, rather than just one food. If one essential amino acid is in short supply in the diet, it limits the use of the other amino acids for building protein.

Readers who wish to become familiar with the methods used for determining protein quality are advised to consult comprehensive textbooks on nutrition, which describe them in detail (see Bibliography). One method uses experiments on growth and nitrogen retention in young rats. Another involves determination of the amino acid or chemical score, usually by examining the efficiency of utilization of proteins in the foods consumed by comparing their amino acid composition with that of protein known to be of high quality, such as that in whole eggs.

The chemical score may thus be defined as the efficiency of utilization of food protein in comparison with whole egg protein. Net protein utilization (NPU) is a measure of the amount or percentage of protein retained in relation to that consumed. As an example, Table 16 gives the chemical score and NPU of the protein in five foods.

It is not usual or easy to obtain NPU values in people, and in most studies rats are used. Table 16 suggests that there is a good correlation between the values in rats and in children, and that chemical score provides a reasonable estimate of protein quality.

For the professional involved in nutritional activities to help people - be it a dietitian in a health facility, an agricultural extension worker or a nutrition educator what is important is that the protein value differs among foods and that mixing foods improves the protein quality of the meal or the diet. Table 17 gives the protein content and the limiting amino acid score of some commonly eaten plant-based foods. Because Iysine is most commonly the limiting amino acid in many foods of plant origin, the Iysine score is also given.

Protein digestion and absorption

Proteins consumed in the diet undergo a series of chemical changes in the gastrointestinal tract. The physiology of protein digestion is complicated; pepsin and rennin from the stomach, trypsin from the pancreas and erepsin from the intestines hydrolyse proteins into their component amino acids. Most of the amino acids are absorbed into the bloodstream from the small intestine and thus travel to the liver and from there all over the body. Any surplus amino acids are stripped of the amino (NH2) group, which goes to form urea in the urine, leaving the rest of the molecule to be transformed into glucose. There is now some evidence that a little intact protein is taken up into certain cells lining the intestines. Some of this protein in the infant may have a role in the passive immunity conveyed from the mother to her newborn child.

A little of the protein and amino acids released in the intestines is not absorbed. The unabsorbed amino acids, plus cells shed from the intestinal villi and acted upon by bacteria, together with gut organisms, contribute to the nitrogen found in faeces.

5 Easy Ways to Help the Planet This Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 06:57:00 +0000

Our amazing planet Earth is the only home we humans, animals, and plants have. It's precious to us, so we need to do what we can to preserve it. Here are 5 easy ways you can help:

1. Don't use paper or plastic plates, cups and silverware - that's a ton of waste! For your BBQ, use the stuff you already have from your kitchen. If you're worried about it breaking or getting ruined, purchase reusable plastic plates, cups, and utensils You can also use cloth napkins.
2. Grow your own vegetable garden. Not only is it fun and exciting to watch your veggies grow, but think about all the gasoline that trucks use to carry veggies from other states - you'll be preventing all that air pollution and global warming. If you can't grow your own garden, support local farmers in your area.

3. Dry your clothes outside on a line instead of in a clothes dryer. You'll be saving a lot of energy (not to mention money). If you have allergies to pollen - hang your clothes on a drying rack inside.
4. Use your air-conditioner consciously. Don't blast it when you're not home all day, and close blinds and curtains during the day to keep out the heat. At night, use window fans to draw the cooler air in.
5. Walk or ride your bike whenever you need to go somewhere. If that's not possible, try to carpool or use public transportation - it supports the fight against global warming.

Danger signs during pregnancy

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:40:00 +0000

Any of these, occurring during pregnancy, should be reported at once to the doctor.

1. Headache
2. Nausea and vomiting if extreme or occurring after the third mouth.
3. Dizziness
4. Disturbances in vision
5. Pain or recurring cramps in the lower abdomen
6. Bleeding from the vagina.
7. Swelling of the hands or feet.
8. Diminished urination.
9. Illness or infection.

Rules for parents.

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:03:00 +0000

DO
1. Allow a child as much freedom as possible in the choice of the things he purchases.
2. Plan with him regarding the handling of his money.
3. Commend him when he uses good judgement in handling money.
4. Warn him about burrowing money to make purchases before he can afford the item.
5. Encourage him to build up a small savings account.

DON'T
1. Rob your child's piggie bank to get change to pay the paper boy.
2. Neglect to pay his allowance exactly on time.
3. Threaten to cancel his allowance as a means of punishment.
4. Require him to turn over his earnings to you.
5. Pay allowance money before it is due.

Europeans catching up with Americans in the fatty race

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:05:00 +0000

Europeans catching up with Americans in the fatty race

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:05:00 +0000

Americans may have a fat nation, but their European cousins are playing catch up on double time.

A majority of adults are obese or overweight in most European Union
nations and their children are increasingly contributing to make Europe
a fat continent, the EU's top public health official said on Wednesday,
reported the AP.

"The numbers are frightening," said EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou.

All for the same reasons Americans are tipping and breaking their
scales. Crappy fast food, processed food, little to no exercise, too
much TV, and more junk food all combine in a porky perfect storm of
porcine people.

"Everybody has to be blamed — including the authorities, including the industry, including the consumers."

Kids are the biggest concern, in American and Europe. A generation
of coronary patients and Type 2 adult onset diabetics is here. "If we
don't act, today's overweight children will be tomorrow's heart attack
victims," he said to the AP.

The EU says that over 21 million children are overweight. "Even more
worrying is that the rate of increase of that number is more than
400,000 children a year."

Blame people's changing tastes, but the healthy Mediterranean diet is falling by the wayside.

"Now the biggest problem of obesity is in the Southern member states
who have abandoned the Mediterranean diet and go for same kind of
nutrition of fast food as elsewhere," Kyprianou said.

Kids the world over aren't being told to go out and play anymore.
"They sit in front of a television, the computer screen or play video
games," he said in the AP interview. "It is a reality of life."

http://lifestyle.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1311363.php/Europeans_catching_up_with_Americans_in_the_fatty_race

10 Foods You Should Not Eat!

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 07:41:00 +0000

1. Crust.

Judging by the label, Pepperidge Farm Original Flaky Crust
Roasted Chicken Pot Pie has 510 calories and 9 grams of saturated
fat. But look again. Those numbers are for half a pie. Eat the
entire pie, as most people probably do, and you’re talking more
than 1,000 calories and 18 grams of sat fat. Then add the 13 grams of
hidden trans fat (from the partially hydrogenated vegetable shorten-
ing) in each pie and you’re up to 31 grams of artery-clogging fat —
that’s far more than a day’s allotment.

2. Strip Tease.

McDonald’s Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips sounds healthy.
In fact, ounce for ounce, the Selects are no healthier than the chain’s
Chicken McNuggets. A standard, five- strip order has 630 calories and
11 grams of artery-clogging fat. That’s about the same as a Big Mac,
except the burger has 1,010 mg of sodium, while the Selects hit
1,550 mg, even without the salty sauce.

3. Factory Reject.

Each slice of The Cheesecake Factory’s 6

Carb Cheesecake has 610 calories – that’s the same as you’d get from a
slice of their Original Cheesecake. Think of it as an 8-ounce prime
rib for dessert – with 29 grams of saturated fat, 11/2 days’ supply. The next time you step on the bathroom scale, you may never know that the carbs were missing.

4. Everlasting Dove.

Dove squeezes some 300 calories and 8 to 13 grams of saturated fat
(half-a-day’s worth) into a tennis-ball size serving (half a
cup) of its Dove Ice Cream. That puts it in the same
ballpark as Ben & Jerry’s and Häagen-Dazs. With names like
“Unconditional Chocolate,” Dove is trying to link chocolate with
romance. A scoop of its ice cream will fill your heart all right … but
not with love.

5. Out in Left Field.

No one expects a Mrs. Fields cookie to be good for you, but
who would guess that a single Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate
& Walnuts cookie has more than 300 calories and as much saturated
fat as a 12-ounce sirloin steak? It’s also got six teaspoons of
sugar. If you can’t resist Mrs. Fields, share the smallest bag of
Nibblers (six half-ounce cookies) with a friend. Or walk a few feet
and look for a piece of fruit at another store instead.

6. Starbucks on Steroids.

The Starbucks Venti (20 oz.) Caffè Mocha with whipped cream
is more than a mere cup of coffee. Think of it as a Quarter Pounder
with Cheese in a cup. Few people have room in their diets for the 490
calories and 16 grams of bad fat that this hefty beverage supplies.
But you can lose all the bad fat and all but 170 calories if you order
a tall (12 oz.) with nonfat milk and no whipped cream.

7. Stack Attack.

Unless you’re suicidal, why on earth would you

want to wolf down a Burger King Quad Stacker – 4 hamburger
patties, 4 slices of cheese, 8 strips of bacon, plus sauce and a
bun? That’s half-a-day’s calories (1,000), one-and-a- half-days’
worth of saturated fat (30 grams), 3

grams of trans fat, and more than a day’s sodium (1,800 mg). Urp!

8. Salt’s On!

Campbell's Chunky, Select, and red-and-white-label condensed soups are brimming with salt: Half a can averages
more than half of a person’s daily quota of salt. Instead, try brands
like Healthy Choice and Campbell’s Healthy Request, which have
less than half as much sodium.

9. Tortilla Terror.

Interested in a Chipotle Chicken Burrito

(tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and
salsa)? Think of its 1,180 calories and 19 grams of saturated fat
as three 6-inch Subway Steak and Cheese Subs. Getting the burrito
with no cheese or sour cream cuts the saturated fat by two-thirds,
but you still end up with 950 calories. Yikes!

10. Razzle, Dazzle ‘em.

Mint Chip Dazzler at Häagen-Dazs stores (three scoops of ice cream,
hot fudge, Oreos, chocolate sprinkles, and whipped cream) has 1,270
calories and 38 grams of saturated fat — that’s two days’ worth. Think of it as a portable T-bone steak with Caesar salad, and baked potato with sour cream. But that’s dinner — yet many people have a Dazzler as a dessert after lunch and dinner!

10 Tips for Maintaining Healthy Feet

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 21:03:00 +0000

The human foot is a marvel of biomechanical engineering that most of us take for granted until the system fails or breaks down. The average person will walk the equivalent of twice around the world in a lifetime, which is a long time on your feet.

Podiatrists who are part of the UCLA Medical Group offer the following tips for helping maintain healthy feet and avoiding complications. The physicians are board-certified, provide comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of all foot and ankle conditions, and also have expertise in the management of diabetic foot problems and sports injuries.

10 Tips to Maintain Healthy Feet

Inspect your feet regularly and pay attention to changes in color, texture or appearance.
Maintain good foot hygiene, including washing and drying between the toes.
Hydrate the skin. Southern California weather and open
shoes can cause rapid loss of moisture from the skin and may result in
cracking or the formation of fissures. It is helpful to replace the
moisture content by using lotions or creams on a regular basis.
Buy proper-size shoes. You may not wear the same size
in shoes made by different manufacturers. Purchase new shoes late in
the day, when feet tend to be at their largest. Always buy the shoes
that feel the best.
Don't ignore foot pain. Symptoms that increase or do
not resolve within a reasonable period of time need to be evaluated by
your podiatric physician.
Cut toenails straight across. Never cut into the
corners — this could cause an ingrown toenail. Gently file away sharp
corners or rough edges with an emery board.
Exercise. Walking is a great way to keep weight under
control and is an excellent conditioner for the feet. Be sure to wear
appropriate athletic shoes when exercising.
Alternate your shoes each day. Since the feet have
sweat glands, your shoes will absorb moisture from your feet, so it is
important to allow your shoes to dry out completely.
Avoid walking barefoot to help protect your feet from injury and infection.
Put sunblock on your feet while wearing sandals during the day to avoid sunburn.

3 ADVANTAGES OF THE MEDIFAST DIET YOU NEVER KNEW.

noreply@blogger.com (Mikel Larson) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 17:04:00 +0000

If you are one of those people who have tried every method of losing weight under the sun, consider the benefits of the MediFast diet, a healthy new diet product on the market that is designed to help you quickly shed pounds the safe and wholesome way. If you are looking at it right now, or have ever considered it, or even if you are looking at some other type of diet to help you with your weight loss needs, consider the three benefits this regimen has when you’re trying to lose weight.

The 3 Benefits of the MediFast Diet

1. The MediFast Diet is Convenient
This weight loss program is convenient. You never have to worry about counting up points or checking the labels of your food for their carbohydrate content. And, you don’t have to count points, pop pills, or drink tea either. This diet helps you lose weight by doing what you know how to do best - eat! The MediFast diet isn’t the type of diet that requires one to sit down to a meal every night.

If you are on the go, it is okay for you to be on the go because MediFast has a variety of things that the diet allows you to choose from, from snack bars, to puddings, and soups. There is no need to have to kill yourself with the temptation that grocery shopping can bring, as the MediFast diet doesn’t require you to ever have to set foot in the grocery store.

2. You’ll Never Be Hungry Again
MediFast is not one of those programs that cause you to be constantly starving. These diets don’t work for people simply because they cause them to work against what feels natural for them. Their body is telling them that it is hungry and needs food to fuel itself, and certain diets have you ignoring this impulse.

You will be happy to know that you can eat not twice, not three times, but five times a day. The diet helps to constantly fuel your body so that it can effectively and efficiently burn calories and fat, helping you to lose weight faster and easier.

3. The MediFast Diet is Healthy
There are a lot of diet options out there for a person to choose from when they are looking at their weight loss options, and the MediFast diet is just one of them. The thing that sets this diet apart from the rest is the fact that it makes you eat and put nutrients into your body rather than depriving your body of the all-important nutrients that are required to help the body operate efficiently and burn fat efficiently.

There are no foreign chemicals that you are ingesting into your body to help the body to burn off fat that you have to worry about being recalled later. The MediFast diet is all about You. It is about real food, safe food that is good for your body and helps to keep you nourished and healthy.

This weight loss program is a great diet option for people who need something different to spur their weight loss. If you are having a hard time losing weight or you have reached a weight loss plateau, consider the benefits of the MediFast Diet for yourself today.

Ken Black is the owner of Weight Loss Discovery, a website all about Healthy Weight Loss Programs, diet supplements, weight loss tips and much more.