Kids Prefer ‘Scooby’ Snacks

Parents completed questionnaires designed to establish how much time their children spent watching TV or movies.

In an experiment, children were presented two separate packages containing the same snack. The packages were identical except for one thing: one had a sticker bearing the likeness of one of three cartoon characters — Scooby Doo, Dora the Explorer, or Shrek.

The children were asked to taste each identical sample and tell the investigator if the two samples tasted the same or, if not, which one tasted better. They were also asked if the loved the food, liked it, disliked it, or hated it.

The experiment was conducted three times with each child: once with graham cracker sticks, once with gummy fruit-flavored snacks, and once with organic baby carrots.

As expected, more children said they preferred the taste of the graham crackers and gummies when the packages bore the likeness of one of the cartoon characters. More kids also said they preferred the taste of the cartoon-branded carrots, but the effect was weaker and failed to reach statistical significance.

Amazing the influence a cartoon character can have on a child’s eating habits. I wonder if the same would work for veggies?

I remember when I was young, my parents would tell me I could grow up to be strong like Popeye if I ate my spinach. I did and I didn’t – grow up with bulging muscles that is.

What are some of the tactics you use to get your kids to eat better?

12 Ways To Help Dad Be Healthier

A happy fathers day is always better if you’re feeling well. And, what better gift can fathers give their kids than a healthy dad – and what better gift can kids give their dad than encouragement and ways to be healthy?

Ok, so I know kids don’t read this, but moms, you could put a bug in your kids’ ear….

Erika Schwartz, MD, Medical Director Cinergy Health, offers 12 tips for kids to help their dads live a healthier lifestyle:

1.  Take Dad for a morning walk after a healthy Father’s day breakfast (egg whites, berry smoothie, chicken sausage and Green tea).

2. Get Dad a set of 20 pound weights to use every day before dinner or at work, if that is feasible.

3. Get Dad a 5 pound bag of apples or other fruit and nuts he likes as snack basket he can enjoy every day for the next week.

4. Get Dad a six-pack of soda water to replace colas, other caffeinated drinks and beer.

5. Get Dad a muscle vibrator that will help relax his shoulders (a better after-work stress reliever than a cocktail)

6. Buy Dad golf lessons or a month’s membership at a gym

7. Find a hiking or biking group and join together (or just get Dad a bike)

8.  Clear Dad’s work materials from his bedroom so he can get a better night’s sleep.

9. Get Dad video on good nutrition

10. Go away for a weekend together on an activity trip (hiking, fishing, boating, camping)

11. Line up Dad’s father or brother to engage in family-designated physical activity days.

12. Give Dad hugs.

Any one of these can help make a Dad’s day and more.

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Male Pattern Baldness: What and Why?

Hair: curly, thick, long, thin, gray, brown – all types of hair does different things for different people. But what about those who don’t have any? Or those who are in the process of losing it?

Some men accept their balding scalps graciously and as a matter of course. Some even speed up the process, figuring if they’ve lost most of their hair, they may as well shave off the rest. Others fight it every step of the way, from growing it long and combing it over, to poofing it up as much as they can, to give the illusion of more hair. And, of course, there are the men who spend money on hair pieces, plugs, surgery and many different kinds of potions guaranteed to help regrow your hair.

But what is male pattern baldness?

Everyone who has hair loses it every day. You can see that in the hairbrush in your bathroom or on the shower floor after you’ve washed your hair. It’s estimated that we lose about 10,000 strands every day – after it’s been in your head for about five years or so.

Again, for most of us, the hairs are replaced and the cycle continues. For men with male pattern baldness, this doesn’t happen. The hairs fall out and aren’t replaced, which causes a gradual loss of overall hair. Usually, it begins at the temple (receding hairline) or at the very top (crown) of the head.

Doctors don’t know exactly why men lose hair in this manner, but it is genetic as it isn’t common in women. Testosterone, the “male” hormone, does play a role by combing with an enzyme, which then weakens the hair.

It’s important to understand that male pattern baldness isn’t the same thing as the baldness experienced by people who have an illness that causes hair loss, called alopecia. As well, hair loss from other causes, like chemotherapy, are much more sudden, with clumps of hair coming out.

If you’re concerned about your hair loss, the best thing you can do is speak with your doctor to be sure that it is simply male pattern baldness and if so, to see if there is anything that can be done.

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Image: MorgueFile.com

Men Get Osteoporosis Too

Often thought of as a woman’s disease, men can and do develop osteoporosis – thinning of the bones. According to statistics, 2 out of every 10 people with osteoporosis are men.

So, how can you tell if you’re one of the men who are at risk of developing osteoporosis? Here are the risk factors if you are a man:

• Being Caucasian or Asian – these two groups have higher rates of osteoporosis and low bone mass. However, it is a problem in all races. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation:

• “Seven percent of non-Hispanic Caucasian and Asian men aged 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis, and 35 percent are estimated to have low bone mass.”
• “Four percent of non-Hispanic black men aged 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis, and 19 percent are estimated to have low bone mass.”
• “Three percent of Hispanic men aged 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis, and 23 percent are estimated to have low bone mass.”

• Having a small bone structure. If you’re considered to be small built, you have a higher risk of thinning bones, just like women do.
• Having low levels of testosterone and estrogen.
• Having had as a child a diet low in calcium.
• Eating a low-calcium diet as an adult.
• Smoking
• Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
• Being physically inactive
• Taking medications like prednisone in high doses and/over a long period of time

These are just a few of the risks. If you feel that you may be at risk, you need to speak with your doctor. There are ways to slow down osteoporosis progression, but only if you are proactive and have this seen to.

Osteoporosis is an invisible disease and you won’t know you have it unless you are tested for it. Sadly, too many people only find out they have osteoporosis once they’ve broken a bone. And, depending on how old they are, their health, the bone broken and the severity of the break, this break could end up affecting their life severely.

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Image: iStock.com

New Dad Depression Often Undiagnosed

Did you know many new fathers experience post-natal depression? However, most cases go undetected and untreated.

As many as 1 in 10 new fathers may suffer the baby blues, according to recent studies and medical literature.

While this rate is lower than that of new mothers, it is more than currently recognized, they told the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Lack of sleep and new responsibilities, or supporting a wife through post-natal depression are known triggers for post-natal dad depression.

The Eastern Virginia Medical School team based their findings on 43 studies involving 28,004 parents from 16 different countries including the UK and the US.

Source

Cracking Down on Quackery?

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Late last year, Professor David Colquhoun from University College London in the United Kingdom wrote an editorial that appeared in the BMJ.com. It undoubtedly ruffled a few feathers in many healthcare circles. In the editorial, Professor Colpuhoun said that the medical establishment’s acceptance of holistic approaches to medicine was embarrassing.

It wasn’t all that long ago, in the early 1900s, that the medical community tried to eliminate snake oil and secret remedies from being sold as cure-alls to unsuspecting consumers. While it could be said that they had their patients’ best interest at heart because many of the treatments were harmful, they were not able to eliminate all of the quackery products. Has their work been for naught? In the 1970s or so, alternative and complementary medicines gained popularity, although many in the so-called mainstream medicine considered them to be snake oil as well.

Homeopathy, naturopathy, acupuncture, reflexology and many  other treatments were becoming more popular and some medical doctors were not only interested in them, some began incorporating them into their practice or referring patients to the practitioners.

According to this news release, American spent, in 2007, 12 billion dollars to consult complementary and alternative medicine practitioners and 22 billion dollars buying their products. This despite Colquhoun’s claim “Homeopaths regularly talk nonsense about quantum theory, and “nutritional therapists” claim to cure AIDS with vitamin pills.”

While it’s everyone’s right to believe or disbelieve in alternative treatments, the bees in Colquhoun’s bonnet is more about the advertising of the treatments, it seems, as well as the lack of a firm stand of the British medical establishment on the various options available. He writes:

The other example concerns the recent “evidence check: homeopathy” conducted by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, where the health minister Michael O’Brien was “eventually cajoled into admitting that there was no good evidence that homoeopathy worked but defended the idea that the taxpayer should pay for it anyway.”

So, what do you think? Is this stuff quackery or does the doctor have a point?

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Image: PhotoXpress.com

Is This Food Still Good?

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Do you have one of those fridges where stuff gets lost in the back? Where you pick out something and you have to play “guess the product”? If so, this post is just for you.

Food generally comes in two categories:
1) Stuff that loses its taste or tastes bad after it’s kept too long or
2) Stuff that can kill you if it’s kept too long.

It’s kind of nice to be able to know which is which, isn’t it?

The sniff test isn’t the most accurate measure and the expiry dates are more for “sell before” times, so how’s the average Jack or Jill to know? You could try this site: Keep It or Toss It.

It’s a great source of information and there’s also a “Today’s Question.” The day I found it, the question was “Is Raw Ground Beef OK if It’s Turning Brown?

Is Raw Ground Beef OK if It’s Turning Brown?

Question: I purchased some ground beef yesterday and it was a bright red color. When I opened the package today, the center was more brownish-gray. It’s been refrigerated the whole time. Is it still safe?

Answer: Your ground beef is probably fine.

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture points out, it’s common for the inside portion of packaged ground beef to become more brown or gray in color, even while the outside remains red.

But that does not mean the meat has spoiled, adds the USDA.

The color difference you’re noticing is usually caused by the lack of oxygen penetrating below the surface layer of the meat. When ground beef goes truly bad, on the other hand, other signs of spoilage are normally present, including an off odor, a sticky or tacky feel, or a slimy appearance.

As detailed here, raw ground beef can be safely refrigerated for one to two days. For longer-term storage, you should freeze ground beef no later than two days after purchasing it.

Other questions include Is it ok to put hot food directly into the fridge, can you eat chicken that’s been frozen for two years, and is it safe to eat meat that’s been refrozen after thawing?

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Image: PhotoXpress.com

Is It Best to Have Weekly Alcohol Allowance for Teens?

Teens and alcohol – do they really go hand in hand? It seems so because we hear and read of so many stories of teens getting drunk – even developing alcohol poisoning. As a result, it’s been a concern for many parents – and adults in general. Different cultures believe different things though and even legal ages for alcohol consumption change according to where you are. In many countries in Europe, there is no issue at all with giving a child a glass of wine at the dinner table. It’s an accepted practice.

The province of Quebec, Canada, has a legal age of 18, while the neighboring province of Ontario’s legal age is 19. At the same time, just south of Quebec, across the Canada/United States border, the legal drinking age is 21.

With such differences in beliefs about teens and alcohol, there are on-going studies to see if there are ways to see what may be best overall.

Last year, researchers in the United Kingdom surveyed 9,833 teens in North Eastern England, aged 15 to 16 years, about their alcohol consumption. The researchers were looking for information consumption patterns (what they drank, where they drank it, how they got it) and the results of the drinking (violence, for example). The results of their study were published in the open access, on-line journal version of BMC Public Health.

Briefly, the results showed that when drunk:

• 28.8% experienced violence
• 12.5% regretted alcohol-related sexual encounters
• 45.3% reported forgetting things
• 35.8% drinking in public places

Interestingly, how the teens got their alcohol made a difference in these rates. Those who said their parents supplied them with alcohol had fewer incidents such as those listed above.

The authors aren’t saying that parents should be offering their teens alcohol, that’s not what the study is saying. What the researchers found was that if teens are exposed to regulated amounts of alcohol once a week or so, the forbidden fruit is no longer that. Of course, the teens may continue to drink outside the home, but their risk of binge drinking and the risk of experiencing the harmful effects of binge drinking are lower than teens who are not allowed to have any alcohol at home.

What do you think?

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Volcanic Ash – Health Issues?

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While experts are undecided as to any definite health issues associated with volcanic ash that is spreading across parts of Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning people with respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and chronic obstructive disease (COPD), to listen to their local health authorities, who are monitoring the situation closely.

Eyjafjallajokull, a volcano in Iceland, erupted earlier this month. Iceland isn’t new to volcano eruptions, but this is the largest in quite a while.

Currently, the ash is in the upper atmospheres and not a risk to people on the ground.  However, if the ash begins to drop and enter the lower part of the atmosphere, the small, sharp particulate could cause lung problems.

Not all health experts are in agreement, however. According to this AP article, Experts differ on health risk of volcanic ash, “after previous volcanic eruptions, little impact has been seen in people’s health, except for those with lung problems who were close to the volcano.”

The best advice is likely to listen to your own body. If you feel irritation in your throat or tightness in your chest, go indoors if possible.

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How Much Is Too Much Alcohol?

It’s simple question, isn’t it? Do you drink too much alcohol? But what might be social drinking for you may be someone else’s too much. So how can you tell if you’re drinking too much and what exactly is drinking too much?

First, we need to decide on what is a drink. Obviously, 8 ounces of wine is not the same as 8 ounces of tequila or beer. So, we need to know what drinks are equivalent to each other. Generally, in North America, a standard drink is one that has about 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol. But how much that is in your drink depends on what it is you are drinking. Generally, standard drinks are:

•   12 oz beer
•    5 oz wine
•    3-4 oz of fortified wine (such as port)
•    2-3 oz liqueur or aperatif
•    1.5 oz brandy or hard liquor

Does any of that surprise you?

If you drink mixed drinks and would like to figure out how much alcohol is in them, the National Institutes of Health site has these alcohol calculators that allow you to check out:

•    Drink sizes
•    Cocktail content
•    Alcohol calories
•    Alcohol spending
•    Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

After reading how much alcohol is in your drink, do you think your drinking pattern may be risky? If you’re wondering, the NIH site has a quiz for you: What’s Your Pattern?

How do you rank? Do you think you need to make some changes?

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Image: PhotoXpress.com

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