Pets with health benefits!

Before this past break I was feeling sort of stressed out by the end of the year projects and tests that are starting to become reality. I found myself feeling slightly overwhelmed and at times a little lost on how I was going to complete all of this last minute work. Thanksgiving could not have come soon enough. I grew up around animals and have always had pets from fish to dogs I have had them all. My favorite animals are definitely my cats and dog. Going home and spending time with my animals is such a stress reliever for me. They are always happy to see me, ready to play and just provide a sense of comfort that I think everyone should have. I think that everyone should have pets as they grow up because they offer so many great benefits. Not only are animals comforting and a great mood enhancer  but they also provide many health benefits. I came across an article after being home with my own animals that lists some of the great things pets have to offer. Some of them included controlling blood pressure, improving mood,  fight loneliness, relieve stress, encourage exercise and help in social situations. I love all animals they have a lot to offer and I could not imagine my life without them. If you would like to read more about animals and health benefits click the link below! 

ANIMALS!

Mac N' Cheese

Being in college and living the dorm life I am forced to dine at the dining commons especially when i run out of my limited sodexo bucks that are so generously offered thorugh my meal plan. The dining commons is not thw worst place on earth but I find myself getting very tired of the same meals throughout the week. Like most college students I too enjoy my microwavable items that change up the usually menu from the everyday DC experience. One of my favorite microwave specialties would be Mac N' Cheese. Of course consuming the amount that i would like too is not very healthy. So I try to holdback from buying too much kraft and velveeta products. However, i recently came across another brand of Mac N' Cheese that seemed to be slightly more healthy and pretty reasonably priced. This past week I tried Annie's for the first time and found a new love. Annie's has some benefits that the other types do not. Annie's offers all natural ingrediants as well as organic products. There macaroni and cheese offers a good source of protein and calcium as well as fiber and 0trans fat, which is something that the other types could not offer. Annie's cheese is made from all natural cow's milk from dairy farmers who have pledged not use hormones to increase the cows milk production. They also do not use any artificial food colorings. Besides their actual product they are big on sustainable and organic agriculture following their motto planet to food, food to people, people to planet. They also providde scholorship opportunities for college students who are enetering fields like environmental science and public health fields. They want to keep people consious to how foods are made, what is being consumed and how it effects our world. This news to me was all very exciting because i now do not feel so guilty about indulging in my most favorite comort food a few times a week to escape the monotonous meals that are offered. So give Annies's a try!

To read more about my new discovery clink the link: Annie's

Take a nap!

After writing my last blog about drowsy driving and the effects of sleep deprivation it made me think about my own sleep schedule some more. I have always though I was very off because I often go to bed late and I usually need to get up early. I only get around 5-6 hours of sleep a night so by mid afternoon I am exhausted. At this point I usually will take a nap anywhere from 1-2 hours. I usually feel better once I wake up but sometimes I feel even more drowsy than before. I came across and interesting article from US Health that talks about napping and how many advantages you can get from a quick nap. Naps reduce drowsiness and mood swings. They can help make up for sleep you missed during the previous night, they increase brain function by keeping you more alert. Some work places such as pizza hut, Nike, British airways and Google are even offering there employees reclining chairs and renewal rooms where there employees can get a quick nap in on their breaks. I started to think about my napping schedule and am going to try just a 30 minute nap to see just how revived I feel. Napping helps keep your immune system from shutting down when you are lacking sleep. It can give you just enough of a boost to complete your day and stay focused. After reading this article I don't feel as bad about looking forward to my daily naps but I will try to shorten them to see if it cures the grogginess that I feel after my two hour slumber. To read more about naps and how they are being implemented in the workplace as well as others click the link. NAP!

Driving Drowsy worse than Driving Drunk?

While watching TV this weekend i was flipping through the channels and happened to come across myth busters which I always find interesting. I started watching the episode and it happened to be on driving while tired. They were testing the theory that driving tired could be just as bad as drunk driving. New Jersey now has a law called Maggie's law that is dedicated to a 20 year old girl who was called by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. The law states that if you have been awake for 24 hours or more than it is illegal for you to drive. I just found this very interesting because I know that sleep deprivation can lead so weight gain, mood swings, drowsiness, weakened immune system and now death? With the way everyone is so busy people are not getting there full 8 hours of sleep let alone even 6 hours of sleep. I know I maybe get 5-6 myself with school and work. So I thought with finals and the holiday coming up it is important to make sure you are getting enough sleep while going to holiday gatherings and visiting friends. After watching the show I decided to do a little research on the topic and it is in fact true. Driving while tired and is equally equivalent to driving drunk if not worse. The article I found came from US news and health and was interesting when listing the rates and facts about just how many accidents occur from driving while tired. So rest up bewtween the holiday fun.

To read more about the facts and alcohol percentage to sleep ratio click the link: DROWSYDRIVING

Which fast food meal is best for kids?

I myself enjoy fast food from time to time mostly for the french fries that come with my meal. With that said I wondered how some fast food meals add up when compared to others meals, sides and drinks. I came across this article on the US health news website that listed some statistics on how certain kids meals compared to others at various fast food restaurants. The article also talks about how much advertisement goes in to major fast food restaurants like Burger king, McDonald's, Wendy's and taco bell compared to newly created more nutritious options such as subway. The article discusses the current obesity epidemic and how it is effecting younger kids. Some states are even trying to cut down on their fast food advertisements to try and keep kids from choosing the unhealthier option. Another topic discussed  was taking the toys out of kids meals that do not contain a nutritious meal. Toys are put in the meals to attract kids which in turn leads to more unhealthy and overweight children. The article was very interesting and did offer some ideas that could end up helping reduce obesity in children. 

To read more click the link FAST FOOD

With tasty holiday meals on the way how can we control weight gain?

I recently came across an article that I found threw the New York Times. The article discusses the topic of weight gain especially since the holiday seasons are right around the corner. For people who are trying to maintain their current weight or lose weight this time of year can be very difficult."The average person gains about one pound between thanksgiving and January(o'connernytimes)". The meals are big and frequent, holiday parties consist of mountains of tasty but mostly unhealthy foods. How can you keep your portions in check and resist eating plates filled with these tasty morsels? The New York Times article says, "Drink water"! The article talks about a study that had been done threw Virginia tech that studied a group of  overweight subjects aged 55 and up who were on low calorie diets trying to lose weight. half of the group was told to drink 2 cups of water before every meal while the other group was told to just stick to their regular meal plan. The group that had consumed two cups of water before each meal ended up losing 15.5 pounds compared to the11 pounds lost by the control group. Similar studies were done in 2008 and 2007 where participants were told to drink a glass of water before breakfast each day as well as drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before each meal. Both studies reduced calorie intake and helped to control feelings of hunger in older adults. So enjoy your holiday and remember this quick tip if trying to keep your weight under control! 

To read more click the link WATER

Just how wasteful are we?

After reading up on pollution, recycling and water quality during class I came across a health article that gave a little more detail as to just how much trash our country is producing. It was estimated that a quarter to half of the food produced in the United States goes uneaten whether it was left in the fields, spoiled by transport, thrown away in the grocery store, scarped off of dinner plates or just forgotten in the average household cabinet. People are wasteful, over 40% of all wasted food comes from peoples' homes. Many times people will buy foods and completely forget about there existence. They will be stored in the back of the closet or pantry for a lazy day and never actual end up being eaten. By the time people come across them or even think to eat it, it will have gone bad. Not only that but people are very consciously watch expiration dates on foods and are in constant fear of food going bad. People will throw perfectly good food away the day of the date on it or if they think for one second that it could be bad. Many times such as in the case of fruits and vegetables people will throw them away if the outside of the lettuce is a little brown or a couple grapes in the bundle have gone soft. The article refers too the author Jonathan Bloom who wrote the book " American Wasteland: How America throws away Nearly Half it's food". Mr.Bloom discusses just how wasteful we are but also interesting ways that the average family could help turn the epidemic around. He gives ideas such as downsizing your refrigerators because there is no need to harbor all of that food. People like to have there fridges well stocked but often reach for the same few items and disregard what they actually have stored in the back of there fridge and freezers. Another idea was plan out meals and buy only what you need for the meals that way you do not have access food left over. These ideas may also help when thinking of nutrition and portion sizes. The article was very interesting and gave a whole new outlook on just how much we are effecting the environment around us. To read more about the topic click the link below. 

wasteful

Egg yolk vs. Egg white

I am a big fan of eggs for breakfast, though I am limited to the D.C. form of liquid egg for my food source I have been coming across the issue of egg yolks versus egg whites. Each morning as I approach the buffet style breakfast that is presented for students in the dining commons I usually go for the average scrambled eggs that are provided each day. However, next to the vat of scrambled eggs is a smaller bowl of egg whites and I always wonder what the real difference was. So today I tried the egg whites instead and I have to say the taste is not the same.However, I could imagine them tasting slightly better not coming from our cafeteria. Eating the egg whites made me wonder what was actually in the egg yolks and what if any nutritional value are we losing by cutting it out. I know that eggs are a great source of protein and that I have heard egg whites provide the same protein as the whole egg but I found it hard to believe that we weren't losing some of the nutrients a whole egg could provide. I came across this article that strongly disagrees with cutting out the egg yolk. This article was great in listing all of the nutrients that egg yolks provide. The author also talked about free roaming chickens versus the eggs that most people buy in the store and how big of a difference it makes in what you eat. The author even discussed topics that people fear such as high cholesterol and the high calorie count in egg yolks. He put the fears to rest by explaining cholesterol more and how the calorie count in eggs in not something to fear, because the egg yolk is so nutrient rich it helps to burn body fat. Egg yolk helps fill you up which helps regulate your appetite so you actually end up eating less throughout the day. As well as the healthy fats in egg yolks help to maintain a healthy level of fat burning hormones in the body. So the author encouraged people to eat the entire egg, because saving those few extra calories is not worth losing everything the egg yolk has to offer. So I think I will stick to my scrambled eggs in the morning. To read the entire article click the link below!

EGGS

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away?

With the fall season beginning people are starting to feel the urge to make anything that contains apples.Making apple pie, apple crisp, caramel apples; and just plain old apple picking are some popular things to do during the fall season. Though in the end most of these desserts are not the best choice for a healthy meal, the base of it being the apple is actually quite nutritious. I recently went apple picking myself and decided to make apple pie and caramel apples so I was interested to see just how beneficial an apple can be. I came across this article that listed a few of the health benefits that apples produce and was surprised by the results. Everyone has heard of the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", but it is in fact a true statement. People may not know that apples have been linked to good bone health; phloridzin an ingredient found in apples has been said to protect postmenopausal women from osteoporosis by helping to increase bone density. Apple's have also been linked to asthma. Results have shown that children with asthma who drank more apple juice and ate more whole apples had less wheezing and attacks than children who did not. Apples also help to prevent heart disease, are rich in vitamin C, lower cholesterol, prevent tooth decay and have even been linked to preventing some types of cancers. I never knew about the numerous benefits a person could receive from just one piece of fruit. This article made me feel a bit better after sitting down and consuming a rather large piece of my fresh baked apple pie.  So I say enjoy the fall season and eat all of the apples you want! Though moderation when it comes to these delicious desserts. 

To read more about all of the health benefits apples can provide clink the link- apples

Quick Fix or Waste of Money?

In today's day and age our society is all about results and how fast we can get them. We live in a fast paced world that focuses on how efficient something is and how long it takes to do it. Since the obesity epidemic has risen throughout the nation, people seem to be looking for anyway possible to beat the trend. The problem being that people do not want to hear that results take time and effort is needed. Quick fixes to get in shape and become a healthier person is in high demand and companies are willing to provide it no matter what the true results really are. An article I currently read reveals the true story of One of the latest trends in exercise, Shape ups or Easy Tone sneakers. Companies like Sketchers, Reebok, New Balance and Nike are jumping on the quick fix bandwagon providing the key to fitness by not even having to step foot into a gym. The idea of a sneaker that provides answers to health problems has been around for quite some time now focusing first on the runners shoe followed by the aerobic shoe, cross trainers, athletic shoe and now the shoe that tones without breaking a sweat. The problem is that people are jaded by the good looking models, athletes and actresses wearing these sneakers in the commercials and ads saying that a set of sneakers will fix the problem. When in reality test results show that in comparison to any other athletic shoe they provide the same result. The article states that, " A recent study by the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit group that certifies fitness trainers, compared three toning shoes — Shape-Ups, Easy Tone and MBT — to a standard running shoe by measuring muscle activity in several areas, including calves, buttocks and abdominal's. “Across the board, none of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation,” the study concluded. “There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.” So why pay 110 dollars on something that doesn't work? It's a solution, the need of self accomplishment thinking that no matter what you do throughout the day you are increasing your fitness is something that people like to feel whether what they actually do is working or not.

Article on toning shoes