Helping Overweight Children Get Healthy

Childhood obesity affects many children. We also know that it can cause all kinds of health problems, from Type-2 diabetes to high blood pressure to kidney stones. When it comes to parenting overweight children, experts say that most times, we’re blowing it! Most parents know when their kids are heavier than they should be, but they don’t know what to do about it. One mother we read about was concerned when her already-chubby daughter became visibly heavier than her middle school classmates, but she didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make things worse. Even though some overweight kids slim down as they grow up, it’s not always the case. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an overweight preschooler has only a 30% chance of growing to be an obese adult, but an overweight teen has a 70% chance. So how can parents help their overweight kids?

• First, learn basic nutrition. Dr. David Ludwig is the director of the obesity clinic at Children’s Hospital in Boston. He says that many parents think that low-fat Twinkies, and low-fat microwave mac-and-cheese are healthy. Instead, make sure your child’s diet is filled with real food – lean meats, fruits, veggies, and whole grains like brown rice – not processed foods.


• The next way to help your overweight kids: Emphasize activity. If you’re lying on the couch and telling your kid to get some exercise, they’ll follow your example. Instead, do something together, like riding bikes, playing ball, or going for a walk. Turn off the TV. Studies show that kids who spend more than two hours a day watching TV or playing video games are more likely to be overweight.


• Don’t focus on the scale. Researchers found that focusing specifically on weight loss only makes kids feel bad about the way they look, and they’ll turn to a reliable source of comfort: food. Instead, focus on their health.

Thinking About Going Vegan?

Veganism isn’t just for hippies anymore! Hollywood celebrities, like Ellen DeGeneres and Tobey McGuire, are going vegan to slim down and get healthy. According to the National Restaurant Association, the hot new trend in the restaurant world is vegan entrees. However, veganism is still on the fringe for many eaters, so let’s see if we can bring it into the mainstream. Here are the answers to some common questions about vegans.

• How is being vegan different from being a vegetarian? The main difference is vegetarians avoid eating animals, while vegans don’t eat anything that even comes from an animal. That includes thing like honey, eggs and milk.


• Why bother? The truth is going vegan can be a hassle; you can’t just slap together a cheese sandwich when you’re hungry. The health benefits can be huge. Studies have shown that vegans have lower cholesterol and blood pressure and a lower risk for diabetes and some cancers. Why? Because vegans usually eat less saturated fat and more nutrients, fiber and vitamins. They also tend to eat fewer processed foods, which is where most of us get the bulk of the sodium, sugar and fat that we consume.


• Vegans also tend to weigh about 15% less than non-vegans, which is about 25 pounds on average. Not all of them. There is such a thing as a junk-food vegan. Think about it: there are no animal products in chips, and cookies made with coconut oil are technically vegan but they’re also high in calories, corn syrup and saturated fat. If you go vegan to lose weight, you need to fill up on healthy proteins like beans and tofu and eat junk-vegan food in moderation.


• Since vegans don’t eat animal protein, they miss out on some essential nutrients and can become anemic and lethargic. You can make up for it by eating a variety of fruits and veggies for essential nutrients, and soy and legumes for protein, iron and zinc. You might also need to eat nuts and flax seeds for vitamin B-12, an important nutrient that keeps you cells operating properly and is usually found in fish and eggs. For more tips on going vegan check out VeganSociety.com.

Natural Born Killers?

There's a glitch in the brain of violent criminals—but that doesn't mean they're insane. Is violent criminal behavior a mental disorder? A University of Southern California psychologist says yes--and he'll show you brain scans to back up his claim. Adrian Raine, Ph.D., led a team that compared brain activity in 22 murderers and 22 normal folks. Their tool of choice: the PET scan, an imaging technique that measures the brain's utilization of glucose, its primary fuel. The scans indicate which areas of the brain are active--and which are lying low. The researchers discovered that the prefrontal cortex, the brain region right behind the forehead, was less active in the murderers. Prefrontal deficiencies have been associated with a variety of behaviors--risk taking, rule breaking, aggression, and impulsivity--that can lead to violence. But there's a catch. The murderers in the study had all pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Might mental illness account for their abnormal PET scans? No, says Raine; insanity is a legal concept, not a medical condition. The variety of mental disorders the killers cited in their insanity pleas do not explain their lower prefrontal activity. If further studies confirm that murderers' brains are biologically different, does this mean that some of us are natural born killers? Not at all. Raine, who says his own brain scan resembles that of a man who killed 43 people, thinks that biological and environmental factors are both essential components of violent behavior. But the idea that killers' brains are different has profound implications for justice--and for rehabilitation. Cognitive remediation training has helped brain-injured patients recover lost function. If such therapy is able to help violent offenders beef up their brain to compensate for an underactive prefrontal cortex, the changes might show up on a PET scan. Come parole time, those scans could be far more convincing evidence of rehabilitation than a convict's professed remorse.

Foods That Last Forever

Have you ever been digging through your pantry and found a forgotten bag of rice or a box of sugar you bought when Ronald Reagan was president? If you’re like most people, you’ll automatically toss it, because it can’t still be good, right? Well, according to University of Arizona researcher Timothy Jones, that’s a big reason why North American families throw away 40% of what they buy. Oold doesn’t necessarily mean no good. Here’s a list of foods that’ll outlast you:

• Let’s start with the most famous: Honey. It made headlines when archeologists discovered a jar in King Tut’s tomb that was still edible! MicrobiologistSebastian Zaat says bacteria can’t grow in honey because it contains a protein called defensin-1 – which outperforms many man-made antibiotics. Honey can crystallize. The fix: Just set the jar in warm water, and stir until the grainy parts dissolve.


• Here’s another sweetener thatnever spoils: Sugar. Janice Revell started a website called StillTasty.com to help people make good choices about using food. She says that bacteria can’t survive in sugar because of its very low moisture content. If your brown sugar is more like a rock, zap it for one minute in the microwave on low.


• Forever food #3: Pure vanilla extract. It’s mostly alcohol, so bugs don’t stand a chance. At least, as long as you keep the bottle capped to preventevaporation. Not all non-perishables are sweet: Both salt and vinegar are so effective at staying germ-free that they’re used to preserve other things like meat and vegetables.


• The last forever-food is a well-know staple: Rice. Again, because of the low moisture content, uncooked rice will last indefinitely. The exception is brown rice. It contains enough oil to support bacteria growth, and will turn rancid over time. So, you should use it within three months - or freeze it for up to one year.

Trends That Are Destined to go Mainstream This Year

Do you want to know what’ll be all the rage in 2011? You don’t need to ask a fortune teller or conduct your own focus group. Here is a list of the top products and trends experts predict will go mainstream this year. Here we go:

• First: Kiss your TV set goodbye. Last year was the first time in history that cable TV subscriptions dropped, because more and more people are plugged into smart phones and iPads, and watching mobile TVon the subway and on buses as they commute to work. Experts say the numbers will continue to plummet because people don’t need to be tied to a TV or cable connection to watch their favorite shows anymore.


• Another trend destined to go mainstream this year: Black rice. It’s the new superfood hitting grocery store shelves. It’s packed with enough protein and fiber to fight heart disease and lowers cholesterol, and it’s loaded with more antioxidants than blueberries. Then, veganism is all the rage right now for die-hard healthy eaters.


• The next healthy diet craze is: Clean eating. In other words, you only eat foods as close to their original state as possible, like fresh fruits, whole grains, and raw almonds. It’s been a popular diet with body builders, but experts say the trend is spreading like wildfire. There are seminars and a TV show about the strict lifestyle in the works.


• The final trend destined to go mainstream this year: Houses run by gadgets. Experts say this is the year of home automation technology. It uses your home’s electric system and satellites to link your home appliances with Wi-Fi and smart phone apps. So, whether you’re at the office or your kid’s soccer game, a press of a button on your smart phone can cue up the vacuum or turn on the oven. That way, when you get home, your house would be spotless and dinner would be ready.

Computer Screens Are Damaging Your Vision

Computer Screens Are Damaging Your Vision

Did you look at a computer or smart phone screen today? If the answer is “yes,” then you could have damaged your eyes. Experts say there’s a new condition called Computer Vision Syndrome that causes blurry vision, literally short-term near-sightedness. It typically lasts for a few seconds, but over time, it can become permanent. You’re at risk if you look at any electronic screen for two hours or more a day. So why are screens destroying our vision? Here’s what the American Optometric Association has to say:

* Our eyes see in 3-D. So, we end up over-focusing to search for 3-D images that don’t exist on a 2-D screen, which causes eye strain.

* Another reason screen time destroys our vision: Because we’re too up close and personal with our gadgets. Our eyes naturally focus 20 feet away from our face, but since most of us look at a computer or smart phone screen from less than two feet away, it’s forcing our eye muscles to work non-stop. In fact, they get so strained that they simply can’t relax, even after you look away.

* Finally, we barely blink when we look at screens, which causes dry eyes. That's the perfect breeding ground for major infections. A recent study found that people blink an average of 16 times per minute, which regularly washes away debris and keeps our eyeballs well-lubricated. When we stare at digital screens, we blink less than six times per minute, boosting our odds of seriously dry and infected eyes.

So, how can you protect yourself?

* Follow the 20-20-20 rule. That means every 20 minutes, look away from your screen and focus on a fixed point 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

* Adjust your computer monitor so the top of it is level with your eyes. Your eyes focus best when they're looking downward.

* Wear “computer glasses” when you’re looking at a screen. An optometrist can prescribe them to you. Instead of correcting for distance or close-up, they boost your midrange vision in order to reduce computer eyestrain.

Surprising Results From One of The World’s Longest Longevity Studies

Surprising Results From One of The World’s Longest Longevity Studies

We’ve got surprising results from one of the world’s longest longevity studies. For the past 80 years a group of 1,500 people have had their lives, and their children’s lives combed through by researchers. The journey started when they were children in 1922, when a Stanford professor, named Lewis Terman, pulled them out of their classes and recruited them for his groundbreaking study. Terman followed his group, who became known as the “Termites,” until his death in the 1950’s but other scientists picked up right where he left off. Two of them are psychology professors Howard Freidman and Leslie Martin and they’ve just finished a book breaking down the most important findings in the study. They say their goal wasn’t just to find out how to live longer, it was how to live healthier too. Some of what they found is turning conventional wisdom on its head! Here are the top three surprising things Terman’s termites tell us about living a longer, healthier life:

* Stressed out worrywarts don’t always die young. Why? Because neurotic or conscientious people are less likely to get themselves into dangerous situations. They’re more likely to seek help when they have health issues and remember to take prescriptions. There’s more! Worriers may actually have different brain chemistry that makes them less susceptible to diseases!

* Job stress is also not going to force you into an early grave. The longevity researchers found that even when people don’t LOVE their jobs, the fact that they worked hard at them was a predictor of long life. That's because being productive and engaged indicates health and happiness.

* The final surprising finding: strenuous exercise doesn’t lead to a long life. The authors found that over the long term, doing things you really enjoy, like walking with friends or gardening, will help you stay healthier longer than running marathons.