Does exercising at one point during the day make you less active the rest of the time?
The question of whether humans have an innate set point for movement, a so-called activitystat, is of increasing interest and controversy among scientists. One of them is Dr. Terence J. Wilkin, a professor of endocrinology at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, England, who asked himself that question a few years ago while hoping to learn more about the interplay of activity and childhood obesity.
Dr. Wilkin had outfitted about 70 children at three wildly different English elementary schools with an accelerometer, an electronic device that records almost all movement. One of the schools, a private college-preparatory academy with acres of playing fields, required an average of 9.2 hours of physical education classes each week. Another was a village public school, equipped with outdoor facilities and an established sports tradition, but requiring only 2.2 hours of P.E. each week. And the final was an urban school with limited playground options and 1.6 hours a week of P.E. The children wore the devices full time for a week on four separate occasions during the school year.
Read more here
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
NY Times Recipe for Health: Quinoa with Roasted Winter Vegetables and Pesto
Yoga Can Help Manage Pain
For many people, yoga is more than just exercise: Studies show it is one of the most commonly used forms of alternative therapy in the country. Many rely on yoga to relieve chronic and acute pain.
The reasons for this are varied. Some researchers believe that yoga may alleviate pain through relaxation and the release of endorphins. Others say it may reduce inflammation and promote positive emotions.
Read more here
The reasons for this are varied. Some researchers believe that yoga may alleviate pain through relaxation and the release of endorphins. Others say it may reduce inflammation and promote positive emotions.
Read more here
Monday, October 17, 2011
Impact Of Fast Food Advertising On Childhood Food Choices
Concern has been raised by The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association regarding the negative influence advertising has on children's food choices. Several health care professionals and parents are worried about how direct advertising affects children. A new investigation that examines the connection between parental influence, fast food advertisements, and children's food choices, is due to be published soon in The Journal of Pediatrics.
Dr. Christopher Ferguson and his team at Texas A&M International University investigated 75 children between the ages of 3 to 5. The children were spilt into two groups, one group watched two cartoons with a commercial of French fries in between, and the other group watched two cartoons with a commercial of apple slices with dipping sauce. After the children had watched the cartoons and commercials, they were allowed to select a coupon for either of the foods advertised with their parents input. Half of the parents remained neutral, while the other half encouraged their child to choose a healthy option.
Dr. Christopher Ferguson and his team at Texas A&M International University investigated 75 children between the ages of 3 to 5. The children were spilt into two groups, one group watched two cartoons with a commercial of French fries in between, and the other group watched two cartoons with a commercial of apple slices with dipping sauce. After the children had watched the cartoons and commercials, they were allowed to select a coupon for either of the foods advertised with their parents input. Half of the parents remained neutral, while the other half encouraged their child to choose a healthy option.
Some experts call milk industry's claims ‘deceptive,' ‘discredited'
A major Wisconsin dairy group continues to promote dairy products for weight loss, four years after two national groups, under pressure from the Federal Trade Commission, agreed to stop.
The state-supervised, nonprofit Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, whose annual budget exceeds $30 million, claims at least three times on its consumer website that dairy products can help people lose weight, and at least twice that the foods can aid weight management.
"Emerging research indicates consuming three servings of low-fat
dairy products as part of a healthy diet and exercise plan will help with weight loss and weight maintenance," states a board Web page on dairy's health benefits.
Leading nutrition experts from Harvard University and the Mayo Clinic contradict such claims. So do the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2010 dietary guidelines, which state that "strong evidence in adults and moderate evidence in children and adolescents demonstrates that consumption of milk and milk products does not play a special role in weight management."
Read more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_d51e020a-f87a-11e0-8326-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1b4f1Wvxt
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Raising Picky Eaters
Raising kids who are picky eaters can be frustrating and downright depressing at times. It may be genetic, or at least some of us have a genetic tendency to dislike bitter flavors that are a part of so many vegetables - and it takes a few (or a lot) of years to grow out the bitter-vegetable hating phase.
Sometimes it helps to have your kids assist in the meal planning and cooking. Being involved seems to make some kids more open to trying different foods. You can also puree, blend or mash cooked vegetables and hide them in the kids' macaroni and cheese or spaghetti sauce. Not all experts think that's a good thing to do, but it works for some people.
Green Tips for Your Diet
Choosing Foods for Sustainable Living
The foods we buy and consume have an impact on our economy as well as our environment and there is a growing concern about how the way we live affects our global environment. Two words that are growing in popularity are green and sustainability. They both refer to the idea that products can be high quality and good for the environment, or at least not harmful.
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