"Switch Witch"

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/06/halloween.candy.fat.ap/index.html

As Halloween quickly approaches, we put together the last few things that make-up this popular holiday. Last minute fixes to our costumes, definate plans with friends, and of course: candy. It seems as if this holiday has become "National Sugar-Overload Day." With the more awarness about sugar and the constant health concerns about our overweight society, how do parents and children battle the epidemic? One mother in New York has created a new concept: the "Switch Witch"
Mother Lisa Bruno was inspired to create a way to counter the effects of candy on her 3 and 5 year-old children when she noticed the pudge underneath other kids' costumes. "The kids were just so huge," she said. "I felt a responsibility to my community to take care of the kids around me." Thirty percent of kids between two and nineteen are overweight or obese. To make sure her kids don't become part of that statistic, Bruno came up with the concept of the "Switch Witch." On Halloween, her children get to eat whatever candy they want. They then get to leave the remaining candy for the Switch Witch, whose job is very similar to that of the tooth fairy's. She takes the kids' candy, leaving toys in her wake. "The more candy they put out, the bigger the toy." Some kids have even put all their candy in for toys.

Bruno is one of many mothers catching on to the this sneaky candy-taking trend. The mothers then bring the remaining candy to work, or even throw it out. I think this is a great way to help promote health without taking the fun out of Halloween. Kids still get their candy and the joy of trick-or-treating without the gut to show it.

DD Smart Menu is for Suckers

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,394288,00.html?sPage=fnc/health/nutrition

Nowadays, it seems as if every fast-food resturant has a "healthy" menu to help encourage smarter options and weight-management. Recently, Dunkin Donuts has added to the list of these chains. The menu started out feauting two flatbread sandwiches made with egg-whites: the vegetable egg-white flatbread and the turkey-sausage egg-white flatbread. These sandwiches are supposed to be 300 calories or less. President of Dunkin Donuts Will Kussell said, "We just felt it was important to provide some choice in our menu." Other foods on this DD Smart Menu were chosen for features such as 25 percent few calories, sugar, fat or sodium than comparable products or contain ingredients that are "nutritionally beneficial." Such foods include a multigrain bagel and a reduced-fat blueberry muffin, as well as beverages in smaller sizes.

Just out of curiosity, I visited the official Dunkin Donuts Nutritional Information website (which I listed below if you're curious)to see how "healthy" these items really are and compare them to other options. The multigrain bagel (which is 6 servings of bread by the way) has 380 calories, 50 from fat, as well as 6 grams of fat, 1 gram from saturated fat, 68 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams sugar and 14 grams of protein. A regular glazed donut has 230 calories, 90 from fat. The glazed donut also has 10 grams of fat, 4.5 from saturated fat, 12 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. In comparison, the multigrain bagel is better, but not by a landslide. I also looked at other items on the menu, and they include items such as several varieties of reduced fat cream cheese and beverages made with skim milk. I also looked up the reduced-calorie berry smoothie. A large (which is 32 oz.) has 490 calories, 4 grams of fat, 97 grams of carbohydrates, 83 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein. And that's on the Smart menu? A small reduced calorie berry smoothie (16 oz.) has 250 calories, 2 grams of fat, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 41 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein. This is a more resonable item to put on the menu. Having a healthy menu is all well and good, but practicing portion control is also crucial to maintain a healthy status. Don't let the Smart Menus fool you! Please visit the site below to look at the nutritional information on your favorite bagels, donuts, and lattes.


https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/nutrition/

High Fructose Corn Syrup: What's the Hype?

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1841910,00.html

High-fructose corn syrup has become one of those noted ingredients that has raised many people's awareness to it in foods. Many people know that's it's "bad for you," but when asked no one can ever point out specifically why. New commercials have come out saying that high-fructose corn syrup isn't so bad for you, but rather alright in moderation. So what exactly can we believe as a brain-washed society?
The new 18-month campaign for high-fructose corn syrup is paid for by the Corn Refiners Association. Since it is portrayed in such a negative manner, sales in the corn industry have become severely hurt. So is informing the public about the "truth" about high-fructose corn syrup really the motivation, or does money and sales play an even bigger factor? In both the commercials already on air, "Both are confronted about the health effects of high-fructose corn syrup, but each has this ready response: High-fructose corn syrup is made from corn, has no artificial ingredients, has the same calories as sugar and is okay to eat in moderation." Is this really true? In Time's post–"Fast Food Nation world, high-fructose corn syrup is reviled for contributing to everything from the obesity epidemic to rising rates of childhood diabetes. So, which side is correct: Is it the devil's candy or a perfectly natural wonder?"
There really is no definate side to be on. The American Medical Association states that high-fructose corn syrup doesn't contribute more to obesity than sugar or caloric sweetners. However, it isn't "all-natural" like the CRA would want you to believe. "High-fructose corn syrup starts out as cornstarch, which is chemically or enzymatically degraded to glucose and some short polymers of glucose. Another enzyme is then used to convert varying fractions of glucose into fructose. High-fructose corn syrup just doesn't exist in nature." High-fructose corn syrup is biochemically the same as regular table sugar. However, high-fructose corn syrup is a key ingredient in many things, and the average American consumes about 60 pounds of it every year. Yikes! It's even an ingredient in vitamins. Because it's such a common ingredient, it makes it very hard keep tabs on "moderation" It doesn't seem so bad, but because it's the equivlent to sugar, it scares me. Imagine sugar replacing high-fructose corn syrup on all food labels. That definately wants me to check the labels twice!

Common Running Injuries

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/runninginjuries/a/runninginjury.htm

Although running is one of the best ways to become or stay fit, it is unfortunately one of the easiest ways to obtain an injury. Running has a heavy impact on the knee joints, as well as areas like your hips, ankles, and feet. Even your back can be affected if you don't maintain proper form. Running can be stressful on the muscles and joints, so it's important not to ignore the pain or discomfort of a small injury because it can snowball quickly into an even worse injury.
Some common injuries among runners include blisters, pulled muscles (most commonly the groin, hamstring, calves, and/or quadricep), muscle cramps, and shin splints. More severe forms of injury can include stress fracture, ankle sprains, tendonitis and pulled tendons, heel spurs, and Archilles Tendonitis. Some injuries can be heeled with a couple day's rest, while others may need correctional surgery. In the end, it may be better to take a couple days off instead of facilitating a long-term injury. Here are some ways to avoid running injuries:
-Wear proper footwear and replace running shows when needed
-Warm-up/ stretch
-Cross Train
-Avoid Overtraining
-Follow the "Ten Percent" rule (pushing yourself ten percent harder and longer than the week before)

Diet Soda: Diet Friend or Foe?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159579,00.html

Diet Soda. Diet Friend or Foe?

After conducting an eight-year study at the University of Texas Health Science Center, researchers discovered that not only is there a definite link between drinking soda and obesity, but that diet soda drinkers were more likely to be obese. For every can or bottle of diet soda consumed, the risk of being overweight was forty one percent higher.
“For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:
— 26 percent for up to 1/2 can each day
— 30.4 percent for 1/2 to one can each day
— 32.8 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day
— 47.2 percent for more than 2 cans each day.
For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:
— 36.5 percent for up to 1/2 can each day
— 37.5 percent for 1/2 to one can each day
— 54.5 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day
— 57.1 percent for more than 2 cans each day.
For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41 percent. There was no direct link between the composition of diet soda and weight gain. However, researchers believe it’s a person’s mentality that makes them more susceptible to weight gain. "You have to look at what's on your plate, not just what's in your glass," says nutritionist Leslie Bonci.
This article was shocking to me! Everyone assumes that because diet soda has no calories that it’s “better for you.” I have been a firm diet soda drinker for three years now, and it never occurred to me that what I was drinking may be worse for me than the sugar-loaded regular soda. When put into food terms, it can compare to the regular food versus the fat-free foods. People tend to overload on the fat-free foods because the foods are supposed to be more nutritious. However, in moderation, the regular foods may be better in the end because they have a more natural make-up. Most fat-free foods have natural ingredients stripped and replaced with chemicals. So in the end, in may be equal to drinking and enjoying that one glass of regular soda.