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