"Multitasking" is a term that may have started in the workplace, but it has made its way to the kitchen – where more and more Americans say their busy lives require them to juggle too many things at once while eating and preparing food. But while multitasking may be helpful in climbing the corporate ladder, when it comes to mealtime, multitasking shortcuts might lead to foodborne illness.
Home cooks care for the kids and pets, watch television, wash dishes and talk on the phone while cooking. Since eliminating today's need to multitask can be virtually impossible, families need to incorporate proper home food safety habits into their daily routines in order to diminish the risk of foodborne illness.
No matter how busy you are, from top to bottom, a clean kitchen is a main line of defense for your family and foodborne illness. Be a smart multitasker: Eliminate the breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria.
To prevent spread of disease in household, both children and adults should receive vaccination - By Marixa Moldonado, RediClinic Nurse Practitioner
Over the last several months, Texans have seen an increase in pertussis diagnoses, especially in young children. Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease that makes it difficult to breath, eat or drink, and can be fatal to infants. The most recognizable symptom of pertussis is a whooping sound at the end of a coughing spell as one struggles to catch one’s breath through narrowing airways.
While infants and children who have not been immunized are more vulnerable to consequences associated with pertussis, adults are also at risk since many childhood vaccines, including the one for pertussis, can fade over time. It is not only recommended that infants be vaccinated for whooping cough, but also that adolescents and adults receive an additional round of immunizations to prevent the spread of pertussis to infants and protect the entire household from the disease.
(NAPSI)-“Happy Days,” “The Dukes of Hazzard” and Blondie were big hits 30 years ago when Whole Foods Market opened its first store in Austin and introduced shoppers to organic and natural foods.
Today, according to a recent Harris poll, the number of organic products found in their grocery basket has increased from a year ago. Notably, 27 percent of adults say that organic and/or natural foods comprise more than a quarter of their total food purchases this year, up from just 20 percent a year ago.
As the organic foods industry has grown and become more mainstream, shoppers are also looking for ways to enjoy organic foods as part of a healthy diet.
Whole Foods Market, as it celebrates its 30th birthday, is making it easier for shoppers to eat healthy by offering more recipes with nutritional profiles, and cooking and shopping tips.
The study, in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, followed 65 adults, aged 59 to 80, who joined a walking group or stretching and toning group for a year. All of the participants were sedentary before the study, reporting less than two episodes of physical activity lasting 30 minutes or more in the prior six months. The scientists also measured brain activity in 32 younger (18- to 35-year-old) adults.
Instead, people tend to pick their spouse based on shared personality traits, the scientists report in the latest issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
"Existing research shows that spouses are more similar than random people," said Mikhila Humbad, lead investigator. "This could reflect spouses' influence on each other over time, or this could be what attracted them to each other in the first place. Our goal in conducting this study was to help resolve this debate".
The scientists analyzed the data of 1,296 married couples, one of the largest such studies to date, said Humbad, MSU doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. The data came from the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research.
Researchers reported here today at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) that a number of of the increasingly popular beverages included in their study, beverages that account for $1 billion in annual sales in the United States alone, contain fewer polyphenols than a single cup of home-brewed green or black tea. Some contain such small amounts that consumers would have to drink 20 bottles to get the polyphenols present in one cup of tea.
"Consumers understand very well the concept of the health benefits from drinking tea or consuming other tea products," said Shiming Li, Ph.D., who reported on the newly released study with Professor Chi-Tang Ho and colleagues.
(NAPSI)-Keeping your family happily and healthfully satiated can be easier than you may think, if you follow a few simple steps from certified nutritional consultant, cookbook author and awardwinning journalist Janet Zappala:
"Start with small changes. For example, use lower-fat cheese, like Jarlsberg Lite-which is an excellent source of calcium-and lighter condiments or trans fat-free butter alternatives, all of which add great flavor. Bulk up sandwiches with fresh produce rather than processed meats, and instead of white-flour breads and pastas, choose whole grain varieties for beneficial fiber and nutrients. Raw sugar and natural honey contain essential vitamins and minerals that are stripped from refined white sugar. Also, try baked sweet potato 'fries,' a tasty, nutritious substitute for French fries. These are just a few little things that can add up to a healthier you!"
"Sports nutrition" applies to the elite athlete and the active person equally. A solid sports nutrition plan can support your training and improve your performance, all while promoting health and wellness. Eating right allows your body to adapt to training, helps you recover after exercise and attain peak performance. A sports dietitian can assist you in developing personalized eating plans to meet the needs of your sport.
Physical Fitness and Your BodyYour body adapt to frequent and consistent exercise. Long-term physical activity improves overall fitness, including:
Cardiovascular health (blood flow, blood pressure and oxygen delivery)Respiratory functionHormonesImmune responseMuscles and bonesMetabolism (how we use food for fuel).The body changes as physical fitness improves. For example, the amount of oxygen you are able to take in and deliver to working muscles (called cardiorespiratory endurance) may increase. You may gain greater muscle and bone strength, in addition to flexibility. Your body weight may change, as well as the amount of muscle, bone and fat you carry. All of these adjustments help to better your performance.
Making sure that children of all ages receive all their vaccinations on time is one of the most important things parents can do to ensure their children's long-term health ? as well as the health of friends, classmates, and others in the community.
It's true that some vaccine-preventable diseases have become very rare thanks to vaccines. However, outbreaks still happen. One vaccine-preventable disease on the rise is pertussis (whooping cough). Unfortunately, whooping cough disease can be very serious and has led to serious illness and death, especially in babies and young children. But whooping cough is preventable through immunization.
Making sure children stay up-to-date with vaccinations is the best way to make sure the country does not see other outbreaks, with more unnecessary illnesses and deaths.
The larger your waist -- regardless of your weight -- the greater your risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease, say American Cancer Society researchers in a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The message: watch not just your weight, but the size of your belly, too.
What the study foundIn the study, which was led by Eric J. Jacobs, PhD, American Cancer Society strategic director, Pharmacoepidemiology, researchers examined the association between waist circumference and the risk of death among 48,500 men and 56,343 women age 50 and older who had taken part in the Canc er Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a subset of the larger Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II). Participants filled out detailed questionnaires about their health and lifestyle, and also measured their waist size with a tape measure. They were then tracked for 9 years.
Scientists at Mahidol University in Bangkok found the type and amount of vegetables children ate improved after they took part in a program using multimedia and role models to promote healthy food.
Twenty six kindergarten children aged four to five participated in the eight week study. The scientists recorded the kinds and amounts of fruit and vegetables eaten by the children before and after the program.
Twenty six kindergarten children aged four to five participated in the eight week study. The scientists recorded the kinds and amounts of fruit and vegetables eaten by the children before and after the program.
Lead researcher Professor Chutima Sirikulchayanonta said: "We got the children planting vegetable seeds, taking part in fruit and vegetable tasting parties, cooking vegetable soup, and watching Popeye cartoons. We also sent letters to parents with tips on encouraging their kids to eat fruit and vegetables, and teachers sat with children at lunch to role model healthy eating.' .
(NAPSI)-Perhaps you've felt a flopping, racing or pounding feeling in your chest. Maybe you've felt out of breath, weak and dizzy. If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from atrial fibrillation--a common form of rapid irregular heartbeat that originates in the atria (the top chambers of the heart).
If you do have atrial fibrillation, more commonly known as AFib, you are not alone. In fact, there are more than 3 million Americans living with this disease.
Whether you've just been diagnosed with AFib or have had it for years, AFib is a complex disease and you and your loved ones are likely to have questions. Atrial fibrillation is a serious disease with serious consequences. The good news is that AFib can often be treated, so it's important to learn as much as you can about the disease and your treatment options.
