I found an article on WebMD about Bottled Water and congressional concerns about Americans not "understanding" that this stuff is really no better for you than normal water. And I think they just don't get it.

Environmental and consumer groups are urging closer scrutiny of bottled water. The groups say Americans are wasting billions of dollars while causing environmental damage -- and adding few health benefits.

The calls come as Congress begins to consider stricter labels that alert consumers about the source and potential environmental impact of the products.

Americans spend about $11 billion per year on bottled water, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp. In the process they help generate 2.7 million tons of plastic bottles. Those bottles are produced and transported using petroleum, and most wind up in landfills, Wu says.

Posted by: hln at 05:29 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 290 words, total size 2 kb.

1 I checked your earlier post and it appears as though I'm spouting my own talking points about children these days. I plead exhaustion brought on by, umm, raising children susceptible to night terrors.

Posted by: physics geek at September 16, 2008 12:00 PM (MT22W)

2 Good crew it's cool luv poems interracial spjp free incest porn vymvrn

Posted by: Lqsgcoqn at November 23, 2008 06:35 AM (5ToBx)

3 I thought wow this guyÂ’s cool. He placed his helmet at the entrance to my hole and slowly pushed it in to the bottom, slow easy strokes half way in and drive it hard to the bottom. youporno

Posted by: youporno at December 06, 2008 04:00 PM (BD4o5)

4 Best Site good looking large cock sluts oqy

Posted by: Izyvxuwc at December 11, 2008 03:49 PM (M4A57)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

This exercise machine claims that 4 minutes a day on it is all you need. It carries a price tag of $14,615, though. At that price, it'd better do windows when not in exercise use.

Seriously. 4 minutes. Suuuuure.

Seen in Fortune magazine.

hln

Posted by: hln at 07:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 46 words, total size 1 kb.

Ok - the stupid Center for Science in the Public Interest has would like to remind you that the idea that personal responsibility need not be an important tenet in 2006 and beyond.

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- A doctor and a consumer group have sued KFC in an effort to stop the chicken chain from cooking with high-fat partially hydrogenated oil.

Dr. Arthur Hoyte, a retired physician from Rockville, Maryland, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, want a judge to order Kentucky Fried Chicken to use other types of cooking oils.

As an alternative, the suit says, they want to make sure customers are informed about trans fat content immediately before they make a purchase.

KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow called the lawsuit frivolous and said the company will fight it in court. Schalow said KFC is looking at using other types of oil for cooking, but it is committed to maintaining "KFC's unique taste and flavor."

KFC provides nutrition and fat information to consumers online and in restaurants, Schalow said.

"We have for a very long time," she said.

Posted by: hln at 06:52 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 273 words, total size 2 kb.

I'll probably be doing little positive tidbits like this in the future as I think of them.

Today's "joy" is Bing Cherries. They are straight from heaven.

Nutrition info. Or, basically - 84 calories for a cup, 2.7 grams of fiber, 1.4 g of protein, and 19.3 g of carbs.

hln

Posted by: hln at 10:20 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 57 words, total size 1 kb.

I started to blog some amusing conflicting tidbits found in the news the last three days about smoking. As I hit this page, though, of listings of articles about cigarettes and smoking, I changed my angle.

(Depending on when you get this, the emphasis of the page will likely change. I'm too lazy to take a screen shot).

Here's a sampling of headlines.

• target="_new">Study: High School Students Smoking Less
• Do cigarettes cause cancer? I'm not sure, says boss of sued tobacco firm (Probably not if you glue them together and use them as bookends)
• Tobacco chemical brain drug hope
• German smokers laugh off health warnings (The "warnings" are hilariously strange from an American perspective - worth a click)
• Smokers: Beware Bad Air
• Tobacco firms try back-door protest
• Smoking opponents generate new heat (Registration required - about a smoking ban in the works in Illinois)
• Restaurant employees seen as major risk group for cancer (Out of Finland)

Posted by: hln at 05:56 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 428 words, total size 4 kb.

There are lots of fitness/nutrition/protein bars on the market today. One, Luna, made by Clif Bar, markets its product especially to women. Packed with soy protein (wahoo!), Luna bars also offer a large amount of folic acid, and, depending on the flavor/type, calcium and other important nutrients. They range from 170 to 180 calories, and they're great snacks.

Since I've tried them all except Chai Tea, Chocolate Peppermint Stick, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Orange Bliss, I thought I'd give a review.

The Flavors.

I'll start with the negative. I just recently tried the two new flavors, Caramel Apple and Dulce de Leche. Uh, yuck! They taste imposed...too sweet with a bit of an aftertaste. If I'm hungry and it's the only healthy choice, yeah, I'd eat one. Both have some sort of strange icing on the bar. It's just too much.

Now - two bars "weigh in" at 170 calories; the rest are 180. The two at 170 are Sesame Raisin Crunch and Toasted Nuts and Cranberry. Both are great, and I often use these as cycling snacks (3/4 of one or so at each refueling stop). The reason? Nothing meltable, and that matters in extreme heat. Endorsed.

Of the remaining bars, 180 calories each, the top choices for me all include a bit of chocolate. It's the perfect amount of chocolate. You see it; you taste it, but it's really negligible. Those are Chocolate Pecan Pie, S'Mores, and Nutz Over Chocolate. These are not, because of the chocolate, bike friendly in temperatures nearing and above 80, but they make great afternoon or mid-morning snacks and can even serve as the occasional late breakfast.

So-so flavors? The Lemon Zest is too...zesty. Tropical Crisp was okay, but I wouldn't buy it if I had other choices. I've eaten so many of the Cherry Covered Chocolate ones that I'm tired of them, and Sweet Dreams left me craving more water to get rid of the cloying aftertaste (but otherwise good).

Now, the nutrition info. I'll use Nutz over Chocolate. Sorry you low carbers - you're likely going to rule these out at 24 grams of carbs for a 180 calorie serving. But check it out - all of the folate a woman needs, and 35% of the calcium. This is great for a person like me who doesn't eat much dairy.

Where can you get 'em? Well, many grocery stores will sell them, as will stores like GNC. I get them in bulk online from All Star Health, as this is the best I've found with pricing. I'd recommend the grocery store sampling method before ordering, as most people's taste buds are far less whacked than mine.

My personal favorites are Genisoy Extreme bars, though. That's a review for another day.

hln

Posted by: hln at 08:39 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 467 words, total size 3 kb.

I should split this category into Health, Fitness, and Nutrition categories. Look for those, uh, someday.

In the building where I work, there's a nutrition company, the name of which escapes me. The point I want to make, though, is that I was in there one day talking with one of the dieticians, and she showed me two models that they use to visually educate clients about the differences between fat and muscle. The models are made of plastic, each representing a pound of its respective material.

The muscle is very dense, of course - we all know that - muscle "weighs more than fat." The fat, aptly colored a sickly yellow, appears 1.5 times larger.

I'm going to state the obvious for a moment, so bear with me. Weight/resistance training builds muscle. If you "convert" (which is really a bad term because that's NOT what's occurring - in a pure sense, you're losing the fat and gaining the muscle) 10 pounds of fat to muscle, is your body composition going to change? Oh, you betcha it is.

Focus if you will on the next celebrity whose picture you see. Look at his/her arms, legs. Those arms and legs are built with the help of personal trainers. They're built with weight-bearing exercise. Weight training will not make you fat, ladies. And gentlemen, it will not bulk you up significantly unless you tailor your program to do that...and have the genetics to make it happen.

Why am I harping on this? Probably just because I can. I'm irritated with a lot of things diet and exercise these days - others' "gospels." Perhaps this should be a RANT. You decide. It's just disjointed ravings.

more...

Posted by: hln at 10:38 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
Post contains 695 words, total size 4 kb.

1 It's very helpful. I get so tempted by those "diets" and their promises. Even Weight Watchers makes me twitch in ways I can't quite define. My idiot fiance is following some ridiculous "soup diet" but only until he loses 10 pounds, and he's close - after a month. He'll probably gain it all back. Me? Only 4 pounds, total, in as many months. I'm trying to learn to eat better, not diet, and my stubborn head isn't helping. I know, exercise would help. I'm fighting that battle too. But yes, thanks for talking about these things. They keep me sane.

Posted by: Jennifer at November 12, 2003 05:50 AM (kjOoJ)

2 You might be doing your best Don Quixote impression for most people. I, on the other hand, appreciate someone posting this stuff. Lots of people tend to get surly when I bring it up. In this age of instant gratification, everyone wants results now. The other day I was speaking to someone about the importance of changing their eating habits in lieu of, or in addition to, their diet. I mentioned how even a tiny change in caloric intake can affect their weight with the following example: Say you're eating dinner and you decide to have an extra dinner roll. That's 100 extra calories, on average, so no big deal, right? Wrong. Imagine ingesting 100 extra calories every day for a year. You will be celebrating the New Year accompanied by 10 more pounds. Probably had no affect on the other person. Oh, and some feedback on the Weight Watchers thing: my wife uses the program(she stopped while pregnant) and it looks like a decent combination of limiting intake while simultaneously changing behavior. Participants are forced to account for each and every food item that they consume, and are gently persuaded to eat less caloricly dense foods. You are also required to eat a minimum number of servings from fruits, vegetables and dairy products. The dietary mix achieved is fairly healthy. Oh, and people are encouraged to exercise daily, if for no other reason than bonus points are accrued allowing them to add the occassional snack. My only beef with Weight Watchers is their blind support of the height/weight tables. All through high school, I was classified as overweight, even when I had a 28" waistline and 6% body fat. Consequently, I pretty much ignore the tables. If I tried to get down to the weight suggested by WW, I'd have to lose about 25 pounds of lean muscle mass en route. Not a chance. I do have my own handy dandy fat calipers, though, which I find much more useful in keeping track of my weight. The upshot of this long-winded comment is that I, at least, appreciate your health related-posts. Thanks.

Posted by: physics geek at November 12, 2003 01:03 PM (Xvrs7)

3 I'm a tentative Atkins believer -- and the diet is much different than parodied. The "jump start" is not a psychological thing, it's designed to clear your liver of stored gylcogen so that your body will switch over to a fat-burning metabolism. There's also very little of totally eliminating foods. The "diet" is most strict during the first two weeks, but gradually becomes much more balanced as fruits and more carbohydrates are reintroduced. In some ways, Atkins is not truly a diet, but is designed to be a permanent change in the way you eat. Not for nothing is his second book entitled "Atkins For Life." And no, your "Kashi" isn't quite as bad as soda. Fiber is good (and is encouraged on Atkins). After that, your Kashi looks like it has about 30 grams of carbs, including 11 grams of sugar. Sugar, of course, will make your body rapidly react by producing insulin. The other carbs (except the fiber) will do that to a greater or lesser extent, depending on their composition. If you are a lucky person whose body reacts properly by producing the right amount of insulin, that's great. For many of us, though, that amount of carbohydrates will produce a rush and then a crash (just like when you were a kid and had too much sugar). That, in turn, leads to all sorts of symptoms, including headaches, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and increased hunger. Switching to a way of eating that avoids that rush/crash cycle can be tremendously helpful to a huge number of people. It may not be for everybody. I'd urge anyone considering a change in the way they eat to read up on Atkins and other diets before they start anything. Most of the information in the Atkins book is available free on www.atkins.com. And no, I don't work for them, but I've been on Atkins for about 3 weeks. I'm losing weight slowly but steadily, but more importantly, I feel 1000% better. My headaches are gone, I'm less irritable, less hungry, and I sleep better. It may not be for everyone, but I'm a believer.

Posted by: Spoons at November 12, 2003 04:59 PM (F3d90)

4 Clear glycogen! I have to cough; you're talking to an athlete. Clearing glycogen is a BAD thing. Fat burning! You mean ketosis. You know - the stuff that taxes your liver, makes your breath bad (potentially), and burns muscle BEFORE it burns fat. That being said, I do use Splenda any time I would "add" sugar (like, teaspoons). If I sent you a list of what I eat each day, it wouldn't qualify, but I hit all the food groups (light on dairy, actually - taste, not restriction), and I'm medium carb, medium fat. I have to be because I'm burning the carbs. I've not seen Atkins work for anyone in more than the short term. So, color me a skeptic. And the lack of harsh restriction on saturated fat really turns my face red. Simple carbs probably do produce the rush and crash. I simply wouldn't know - I avoid them in most cases - maybe a bit of bread with dinner, but I never do "pure refined carbs" unless I'm on the bike and planning to ride for more than an hour and a half. Good luck with Atkins. Watch your kidneys. Watch your liver. Get plenty of salt and water...but you probably know that. And if you're not exercising, get your ass away from the computer and MOVE. Thanks - well-written and intelligent response, even though we disagree. hln P.S. I don't think I am "lucky" - I think I'm careful and eat really well, and I definitely advocate eating often, eating consistently. I eat five times a day, sometimes six to seven (depending on amount and timing of exercise...I'm likely to hit 7 times today, but two of those times will be only 60 calories - graham cracker or some dates to RESTORE glycogen. I use that stuff). I should slap a full day's diet up on here to show what I mean. hln

Posted by: hln at November 12, 2003 06:18 PM (CWwGn)

5 I've lost over forty pounds (and kept 'em off for the most part, tho the weight does go up a bit 'round the holidays...) in just under three years, basically by using a Weight Watcher's diet: balanced meals, watch the excess fats and empty calories, more veggies, portion control, and breakfast. The gf and I have attended one-evening lectures at the local hospital, taught by nutritionists: Vegetarian eating, and meals-on-the-go. Vegetarian because of my cholesterol (we're not vegetarian, though we have cut back on the meat and we have several vegetarian dinners each week); on the go because of the same reasons anyone else might. If you can take similar lectures, I highly recommend them. Two points I'd like to make: The sugar/carb crash can be minimized by eating protein with your carbs--for instance, a tablespoon of peanut butter works wonders. I don't recall the mechanism exactly, but it made sense when it was explained to me, and I try to keep protein and carbs balanced (Heather, you might also talk about why protein helps one recover after exercise in the future). Breakfast works wonders. Eating within three hours of waking 'counts' as breakfast; waking up at 6 am and eating at your desk at 10 am doesn't count. Skipping breakfast puts your body in 'starvation mode' because it doesn't know when you'll eat next, and your metabolism goes down to preserve energy. And I love Kashi, too! Though I'm eating it with soy milk, mostly. Next thing for me: Gotta get to the gym and exercise more. In the meantime, I'll stick to less meat, more veggies, and fewer sugars--just like doctors have been telling you to do for years. --Victor P.S. Did you delete a comment? Your 'clear glycogen' comment seems to have come from nowhere. . .

Posted by: Victor at November 12, 2003 07:59 PM (16A49)

6 I've lost over forty pounds (and kept 'em off for the most part, tho the weight does go up a bit 'round the holidays...) in just under three years, basically by using a Weight Watcher's diet: balanced meals, watch the excess fats and empty calories, more veggies, portion control, and breakfast. The gf and I have attended one-evening lectures at the local hospital, taught by nutritionists: Vegetarian eating, and meals-on-the-go. Vegetarian because of my cholesterol (we're not vegetarian, though we have cut back on the meat and we have several vegetarian dinners each week); on the go because of the same reasons anyone else might. If you can take similar lectures, I highly recommend them. Two points I'd like to make: The sugar/carb crash can be minimized by eating protein with your carbs--for instance, a tablespoon of peanut butter works wonders. I don't recall the mechanism exactly, but it made sense when it was explained to me, and I try to keep protein and carbs balanced (Heather, you might also talk about why protein helps one recover after exercise in the future). Breakfast works wonders. Eating within three hours of waking 'counts' as breakfast; waking up at 6 am and eating at your desk at 10 am doesn't count. Skipping breakfast puts your body in 'starvation mode' because it doesn't know when you'll eat next, and your metabolism goes down to preserve energy. And I love Kashi, too! Though I'm eating it with soy milk, mostly. Next thing for me: Gotta get to the gym and exercise more. In the meantime, I'll stick to less meat, more veggies, and fewer sugars--just like doctors have been telling you to do for years. --Victor P.S. Did you delete a comment? Your 'clear glycogen' comment seems to have come from nowhere. . .

Posted by: Victor at November 12, 2003 08:00 PM (16A49)

7 AWESOME - couldn't have said it better myself. I have always watched what I eat and tried various diets - including Atkins. I didn't lose true, steady weight and found it EASY to maintain until I met with a personal trainer and got advice on nutrition and exercise. I just started to count calories every day - no matter what way shape or form and only eat so many. Of course, within those calories, you have to choose for yourself what you want to eat to feel the best. If you want to drink alcohol for all your calories a day, you would probably lose weight, but probably wouldn't feel that great or be that healthy. A skinny person is not necessarily 'healthy'. Just like some larger people are fairly 'healthy' even if they don't look it. With my personal trainer, I also found although I did do weights every week, I had to change up my routine and add some cardio with it. Now my base exercise routine just amounts to about 5 hours a week and I count calories. No problem. I lost 25 pounds and 10% body fat and GAINED muscle. It was over approximately 6 months of time and have maintained for over 3 months. I feel so in control of my body - it's wonderful.

Posted by: Lorena at November 15, 2003 10:13 AM (ubhj8)

8 Oh yeah - and Weight Watchers is good, too. All it is is WW counting your calories for you. If you read the packaging, the serving sizes, and actually measure out all your food, you can easily do that on your own. The only thing missing is the "group" support and atmosphere.

Posted by: Lorena at November 15, 2003 10:17 AM (ubhj8)

9 I think that there are a lot of things that Atkins was right about, and have since seriously curbed my carb intake. Since I did that, my tastes and cravings have seriously changed. The main thing that I did was drasticly cut back on the sugar I ate. The main part of that was simply giving up soda pop. I still eat my share of carbs, but it isn't the bulk of my calories anymore. The other thing that I did was start weight training. I have twice the strength I had a year ago, and my weight has changed exactly three pounds. On the other hand, I've gone from about 26% body fat to about 19%.

Posted by: Phelps at November 15, 2003 03:46 PM (HlHi7)

10 Nice, Phelps! I never drank soda, so I wouldn't know how that would impact someone. (I'm an odd duck, no?) I haven't done anything to "curb" carbs per se with nutrition, but I have tried to drop empty calories of all sorts from my day-to-day intake. So that means the switch to whole wheat pasta, full fiber cereals, etc. And LOTS of fruit. I'm proud to say that with the very few processed foods we eat here in Noggle manor, I don't get much "added sugar." Ladies - check out the Luna bar post! hln

Posted by: hln at November 15, 2003 04:45 PM (yJyUC)

11 Phelps, I'm curious: What kind of carbs *do* you eat? I'm assuming you're cutting out the simple carbs (sugar, basically) but if you are weight training, you need carbohydrate so your muscles will have something to use as fuel. (I realize we don't know each other, so let me assure you there's no 'hidden agenda' in my question--I truly am curious.)

Posted by: Victor at November 16, 2003 08:55 AM (16A49)

12 Very well-stated! I came across your blog through Live Journal somehow. I enjoyed this entry a lot. Thanks!

Posted by: Hollie at January 13, 2004 07:57 AM (56Trs)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

A sign in Stephen Lanzalotta's bakery reads, "Senza il pane tutto diventa orfano." In Italian, that means, "Without bread everyone's an orphan."

But fewer customers are buying his European-style breads and pastries these days — thanks to the Atkins diet, many regulars are cutting back on carbohydrates. Lanzalotta says the low-carb diet has contributed to an estimated 40 percent drop in business at his shop, Sophia's.

Some customers have even stopped by to apologize.

The National Bread Leadership Council, which says 40 percent of Americans are eating less bread than a year ago, has scheduled what it calls a summit this month in Rhode Island focusing in part on low-carb diets and how to educate the public that breaking bread is still part of a healthy lifestyle.

"It's too bad that we just can't eat all foods in moderation. But no, we have to do something dramatic all the time," said Judi Adams, president of the Wheat Foods Council and a registered dietician, referring to the Atkins diet. "We have to look for this magic bullet."

Posted by: hln at 08:07 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 227 words, total size 2 kb.

Whenever I'm in a different city, I find a gym for the day. Today, it was Ozark Fitness, which is about a mile from my mother's house.

Which can most adequately be called a Meat/Meet Market. While working my chest in the free weights area today, I saw this woman who was in her 40s, perfect bod, matching outfit, lifting small weights, and flirting with men of different shapes, ages, and sizes. Her top half was highly surgically altered (as women that thin are not endowed naturally with canteloupes). It was amusing. The "gentlemen" were just eating this up.

I got my share of onlookers, too, which I'm not used to. Most obviously was my work on the leg press. I dress for utility at the gym - no little "outfits," and I was badly in need of a shower for aesthetic purposes (hair!). Still, they stare. Not used to that. Gawkers! Turn away, and get back to your lifting.

People of all shapes and sizes in this gym, and that's good. There's even a separate "ladies'" gym, which I think is funny. The machines are all calibrated so that they max out with pretty low weights. I guess this makes women feel stronger because they use more plates (5 pounders)? I coulda maxed out the thigh machine but, naaaa.

Exercising in different gyms keeps everything more interesting, and, like most things, you're glad to be back home working in your own gym. I don't see any gawkers there (gawking at me or others, really) - most people in the free weights, Hammer machines area are pretty intent on their exercises, which I prefer.

hln

Posted by: hln at 01:08 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 283 words, total size 2 kb.

I joined Netflix yesterday. Why, you ask? I mean, it makes no sense. I barely acknowledge the television. Here's the answer.

Magneto 9004. It will turn my bike into an exercise bike. And I can stomach a couple of hours on the bike a few times a week if I've got a movie to watch or a hockey game to spectate (or yell at).

So, the not-so-surreptitious plan is to train all winter in hopes of raising my speed closer to the level of these guys.

Training would commence today were it not for the fact that I strained my neck while lifting yesterday. Everything should be back to normal within 3 more days, I hope. I've been icing it at the recommendation of a trainer friend. It's kinda funny, too. The best (read: most comfortable) solution to the problem of how to ice one's own neck is solved by a frozen haddock filet. Ten minutes of icing (lying on the fish filet), and then ten minutes off. Repeat. Refreeze haddock.

Works like a charm. Wine also helps me to forget that my neck aches.

hln

Posted by: hln at 06:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 196 words, total size 2 kb.

I have two responses to this.

One is horribly snarky and can be summed up in one sentence: "But have you stopped buying cigarettes before food?"

The second is the real response - what's the best way to fix this?

- Despite the nation's struggle with obesity, the Agriculture Department says more and more American families are hungry or unsure whether they can afford to buy food.

Some 12 million families last year worried they didn't have enough money to buy food, and 32 percent of them actually experienced someone going hungry at one time or another, said a USDA report released Friday.

Some 34.6 million Americans were living in poverty last year — 1.7 million more than in 2001, according to the Census Bureau.

Hunger seems like an unlikely problem in a country where nearly 65 percent of adults and 13 percent of children are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites).

Barbara Laraia, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said hunger and obesity can coexist because many hungry families buy high-calorie foods that are low in nutrients.

"They're dependent on foods that are going to make their bellies feel full, rather than on nutrients," Laraia said. "The diet is compromised."

Posted by: hln at 02:47 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 365 words, total size 2 kb.

Is anyone really surprised by this study that finds that America's young children aren't eating a very healthful manner?

Even before their second birthday, many American children are developing the same bad eating habits that plague the nation's adults — too much fat, sugar and salt and too few fruits and vegetables.

A new study of more than 3,000 youngsters found significant numbers of infants and toddlers are downing french fries, pizza, candy and soda.

Posted by: hln at 09:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 133 words, total size 1 kb.

No, it's not what you think.

Rather, this post is all about carbohydrates, money, and, well, whatever else pops out of my head in the next 30 minutes.

You see it everywhere now, especially this past two or three years. LOW CARB! LOW CARB! Everywhere you look, it's carbs carbs carbs - from the radio commercials that now tout the glories of light beer to the weight-lifter Michelob Ultra water, er, I mean beer (or so I hear) billboards.

I've never really worried too much about carbohydrates as an isolated group. You know - those things that with exercise burn away. Stored glycogen in the muscles. I have, though, in recent years watched calories pretty closely as I honed my food intake plans and execution to where they are now, which, on a day where I'm especially diligent, might pass for a low/controlled carb diet (but I eat a WHOLE lot of fruit and salad with fruit, and there's no way I'd give up the Kashi, so perhaps not). I don't much care.

I got this idea a couple of weeks ago, though, because you see SO much marketing, as I mentioned earlier, for low-carb diets and dieters. I mean, there's a whole new section in the grocery store just filled with this stuff - pasta made out of soy flour, tiny tiny chocolate bars for a buck and a half apiece. Now, granted, there's a whole section of the store for me, too - sometimes a whole STORE (Whole Foods) - with the Luna Bars and the Genisoy Extreme Bars, and the whole wheat pasta. Mmmm. So, in this spirit, I bring you the side-by-side comparison of two chocolate bars (okay, so one's "Pecan Chews" - humor me).

In the upper corner, weighing in at ONE, yes, ONE ounce, I bring you the Russell Stover Low Carb Pecan Delights. And, in the bottom corner, weighing in at TWO ounces, the Reese's Fast Break. I've never eaten either of these - have no idea on taste. But, here you are - pictures.

The FDA previously allowed a disclaimer on all wrappers, which was an asterisk noted on the bar stating that glycerin, maltitol and fiber had been omitted from the total carb count as they have a neglible impact on your blood sugar.

What dieters and diabetics are trying to avoid is a spike in their "blood sugar" as this releases insulin. Dieters are trying to avoid this, as insulin is a trigger to store fat. Diabetics must avoid this as well. Carbohydrates cause this spike in blood sugar. Simple carbs cause it quickly and Complex carbs more slowly. (Simple carbs are all sugar, pasta's, all white flour and rice. Complex carbs are veggies and salad greens)

Posted by: hln at 10:37 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 1204 words, total size 8 kb.

Our beloved federal government is hopefully just planting the seed and won't insist on laws to water the plant, but...

Yahoo reports that the government is "encouraging or even requiring" labels on restaurant menus to detail calories regarding food items.

Restaurants doing this voluntarily: fabulous! And do more than calories, please. I want info all the way down to fiber grams.

Unfortunately, this is spearheaded by the radical Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is probably why the word "require" even appears in this article. Yes, this same center that pretty much says, "if you're fat, it's not your fault." Gag. I have Restaurant Confidential, which I should've mentioned earlier in my post about calorie counters. There really isn't anything earthshaking in the book - a lot of it is common sense once you start learning about nutrition, but there may be one or two eye openers.

hln

Posted by: hln at 07:02 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 156 words, total size 1 kb.

Found this while perusing the news.

MONDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDayNews) -- Kicking the smoking habit can extend the lives of breast cancer (news - web sites) patients who've been treated with lumpectomies and radiation, says a study by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

The study included 1,039 breast cancer patients, smokers and nonsmokers, treated with lumpectomies and radiation at Fox Chase from March 1970 to December 2002. Median follow-up of the patients was 67 months.

The researchers compared overall survival rates and deaths from breast cancer among the smokers and nonsmokers.

"This analysis shows that smoking, either past or present, was associated with increases in distant metastases and deaths from breast cancer," Fox Chase radiation oncologist Dr. Khanh H. Nguyen says in a prepared statement.

Posted by: hln at 06:29 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 214 words, total size 2 kb.

When you get past 30, you need resistance training whether you know it or not. It slows bone loss and makes it a lot harder to hurt yourself doing everyday things. Muscles and ligaments protect your back and your joints.

Posted by: hln at 08:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 63 words, total size 1 kb.

Strange article.

WILMINGTON, Ohio (AP) -- The sharply rising number of obese Americans is leading medical-equipment manufacturers and ambulance crews to supersize their stretchers.

Posted by: hln at 01:05 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 46 words, total size 1 kb.

So, you know, I'm fairly normal. I like pizza. But everytime I order it, I have to explain to the people working exactly how I want it, and their computers probably can't adequately display to the pizza makers what that is.

Until now.

The company, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., launched a new Fit 'N Delicious pizza that contains half the cheese of a regular pizza served on the brand's thin crust. The pizzas will also use lean meats for toppings.

"Consumers today are paying a lot more attention to what they're eating," Peter Hearl, Pizza Hut's president, told Reuters.

A slice of the new pizza has 3.5 to 5 grams of fat, depending on the toppings. That's about 25 percent less than the usual thin-crusted slice, the company said in a statement.

Posted by: hln at 05:46 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 202 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Less ingredients? That'll cost you extra.

Posted by: Brian J. at October 16, 2003 05:52 AM (g+waq)

2 It seems your husband is as cynical as I am. There's a place near us that gives us half cheese, no problem. Of course, we also make boboli pizza's, with spinach and fresh tomatos, and even less cheese. It's fast, easy, and has a heck of a lot less fat than anything you'd get from a carry-out pizza place.

Posted by: Victor at October 16, 2003 06:46 AM (L3qPK)

3 While I was schlepping pizzas for pocket money in college for Pizza Pit, they tried rolling out a low-cal line of pizzas. Since they were also low-flavor, it never caught on, and we threw away a lot of left-over "lite" toppings. Costs from food wastage soared, and the line was soon discontinued.

Posted by: Harvey at October 16, 2003 01:23 PM (tJfh1)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Bill Gates has set aside $25 million dollars to fund nutrition infusions into food.

WASHINGTON - A collaborative effort to get more nutritious food to the world's poor received a $25 million boost from a foundation set up by Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates.

HarvestPlus, an alliance of research institutions and agencies, will use the money for a four-year project on biofortification, which crossbreeds crops with high nutritional value and those that are high-yielding and disease resistant, the organization's director, Howarth Bouis, said Tuesday.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said the goal of the initiative is to provide people in poor and developing countries with food already fortified with vitamins and mineral nutrients.

Worldwide, "half the instances of death among children have malnutrition as important contributory causes," said Dr. David Fleming, director of the foundation's global health program.

HarvestPlus offers a strategic approach that would address the problem of malnutrition, he said.

The programs hopes to get improved varieties of crops to the world's farmers within a decade, Bouis said.

The organization also will conduct research into more controversial genetically modified crops.

"We're very convinced that this is where the breakthroughs will come in the future, but ... societies, themselves, have to decide whether they're going to be comfortable with genetically modified foods or not," said Joachim Voss, director general of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.

Posted by: hln at 12:46 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 269 words, total size 2 kb.

1 What does that evil, evil rich man think he's doing, trying to help people? Doesn't he know that's the government's job????? See what happens when you give the rich tax cuts!!!!! Sorry. I read the words "Indy Media" over at Ted's. I need to go read John Hawkins now before the damage is permanent.

Posted by: Susie at October 15, 2003 01:31 PM (0+cMc)

2 The EU and Africa (since it exports to the EU) are not accepting the technology and seed to make Vitamin A-enriched rice--beta carotene-enhanced "golden rice"--that helps prevents blindness and malnutrition because it's "genetically modified". As if selective breeding by man over millenia isn't "genetic modification". Numbers go from 500,000 children going blind every year from Vitamin A deficiency, and 2 billion people with Vitamin A deficiency. And they won't even give golden rice a chance, won't even give people a chance to learn about it without hysterical overload. Aarrgh.

Posted by: S at October 15, 2003 02:27 PM (VQdrq)

3 Yep, it's the B word. "What, you're taking genes from BACTERIA?" Doomed until minds open, sadly. hln

Posted by: hln at October 15, 2003 03:42 PM (CWwGn)

4 ME LOVE FRANKEN FOOD! There are lots of things I need more of and scientifically engineered food is one of them. With my own rebel cry "I want more More MORE!"

Posted by: Trey Givens at October 15, 2003 06:27 PM (vdDut)

5 I am avoiding the Frankenfood until I get the glowing okra that will make me a superhero.

Posted by: Brian J. at October 15, 2003 08:36 PM (g+waq)

6 While I, like S, can see what the real issues are (undernourished kids), I read a newspaper or magazine article, that argued the amount of beta-carotene in the 'golden rice' was less then the optimum amount. It made me wonder if it was worth it. My personal dilemma is some beta-carotene vs no beta-carotene, but I'm not enough of a nutritionist (or doctor) to answer that question. I do agree the Greens/EU/ELF movements are short-sighted beyond all belief, tho. (I'll try to find the article, or another reference, if I can even remember if my source was print or otherwise.Feel free to take my little paragraph with a grain of non-engineered salt )

Posted by: Victor at October 18, 2003 06:26 AM (FNHVL)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

According this article, 9.5 millions of Americans are living their lives post cancer.

I'm one of 'em, so I look around for information like this. The article, brought to me by Yahoo via the AP, mentions that cancer survivors recover better with an exercise program.

Okay, so maybe that's not relevant per se - I'm nearly 12 years past, but it is nice to see my lifestyle validated in terms that directly apply. Here's some text from the article.

Nearly two-thirds of cancer patients live more than five years after diagnosis. And starting during treatment, they face choices about food, dietary supplements and physical activity that can affect quality of life, sometimes even survival.

Yet it's difficult to find consumer-friendly information that separates the fads and frauds from scientifically backed choices. Hence the cancer society's new guidelines, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Topping the advice: there's no magic lifestyle choice that will keep cancer from returning. Beware fads like Gerson therapy, with its emphasis on vegetable juices and coffee enemas. Talk with your doctor about even the seemingly innocuous — high doses of vitamins, for instance, may actually block certain cancer treatments from working.

In fact, the No. 1 protection against another bout of cancer is to avoid being overweight, Doyle says.

Posted by: hln at 07:59 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 249 words, total size 2 kb.