Salt bombs in your teen’s diet include:

• Pizza. The UCSF researchers say its No. 1, thanks to sodium in the crust, sauce, cheese and in meat toppings like pepperoni, sausage and ham. Two slices of one popular pizza chain’s meat-topped pizza deliver over 1,600 mg of sodium.
• Bread. Two slices of whole-wheat bread pack about 240 mg of sodium (it varies by brand, of course) — close to the 270 mg in a medium-sized bag of fast-food fries.
• Deli meat and cheese. Two ounces of Virginia ham pack 450 mg of sodium. Pair it with two slices of bread, a dab of mayo and a slice of cheese and you’ve got more sodium than a fast-food cheeseburger.   
• Pasta dishes. One cup of canned ravioli and sauce has nearly 1,000 mg of sodium  — more than a drive-through double hamburger. A cup of macaroni and cheese has more than 500 mg.
• Soup. One cup of chunky chicken noodle soup from a can packs 889 mg of sodium — as much as three big handfuls of barbecued potato chips.
• Breakfast cereal. A cup and a half of corn flakes has about 500 mg of sodium.

What can you do? About 65 percent of the sodium we eat comes from foods we buy at the supermarket or at convenience stores.  Check the nutrition facts on the label first — and try out lower- or no-sodium versions of the foods your family eats most often. 

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/healthy_kids/Six-Teen-Salt-Bombs.html?cmpid=131298209#ixzz1lkf73eUT
Watch sports videos you won’t find anywhere else ]]> http://rnbphilly.com/elev8-health/nutrition/dctodd/six-teen-salt-bombs/feed/ 0 http://rnbphilly.com/advertorial/oharris/elev8-health-header-2/ http://rnbphilly.com/advertorial/oharris/elev8-health-header-2/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:43:12 +0000 Othniel Harris http://rnbphilly.com/?p=2173582 Read more..]]>

Among the details: Female pigs couldn’t move in their gestation crates; some crates were covered in blood from pigs chewing the bars; pigs were castrated without anesthesia; and no veterinarians were in evidence. “It doesn’t take a veterinarian to know that locking a 500-pound animal in a cage so cramped she can’t even turn around for months on end isn’t exactly ‘ideal,’” says a Humane Society rep. The restaurant “should heed the advice of its own animal welfare advisors and dump gestation crates from its supply chain.”

There is “no convincing evidence” that antioxidant supplements cut the risk of dying prematurely and some of the commonest ones may increase the risk of early death, according to the review, published by The Cochrane Collaboration.

One in three women and one in four men in the UK are estimated to take vitamin pills to ward off disease. Despite several studies warning of potential dangers, the industry continues to thrive.

The latest review, one of the largest involving 232,000 participants, compared those taking the supplements with those who took a placebo or received no treatment. The supplements studied were beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A that is converted into the vitamin in the body), vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium.

“Goran Bjelakovich, the visiting researcher who led the systematic review at Copenhagen University, said: “We could find no evidence to support taking antioxidant supplements to reduce the risk of dying earlier in healthy people or patients with various diseases.”

“The findings show that, if anything, people in trial groups given beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E showed increased rates of mortality. There was no indication that vitamin C and selenium may have positive or negative effects; we need more data [on these].”

The researchers separated out the 47 trials with a low risk of bias and in these they found a significantly increased death rate. When taken separately, vitamin A was associated with a 16 per cent increased mortality, beta-carotene with a 7 per cent increase and vitamin E with a 4 per cent increase. For vitamin C and selenium there was no significant increase or decrease in the death rate.

Dr Bjelakovich said: “The bottom line is that current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in the general healthy population.” The researchers were unable to explain their findings but said “excessive antioxidants can adversely affect key physiological processes”.

Yesterday, Pamela Mason, of the Health Supplements Information Service, said: “Trials using antioxidant supplements have shown inconsistent findings and yet another review is not going to tell us anything at this stage that we do not already know.”

Via: NIM.NIH.Gov
If you frequent your local grocer, you may have encountered this dilemma while in the produce section–whether or not to buy organic. New research has found that there is no strong evidence that organic products have nutritional health benefits.

The few studies that were conducted were short term and showed to have limitations. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Alan D. Dangour and his colleagues write, “A surprising and important finding of this review is the extremely limited nature of the evidence base on this subject, both in terms of the number and quality of studies.”

No information was gathered detailing the long term effects of eating organic foods and the impact on overall health and the environment. But those who buy organic products consume them for other reasons. Organic products are made without the use of conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, antibiotics or hormones. All of which may indeed show to have long-term benefits.

As a parent, the things you do and say have a tremendous influence on your child’s behavior. Encourage your child to live a healthy lifestyle by talking the talk and walking the walk. Don’t know where to start? Here are a few ideas.
Eat Right

There are many ways to assure that you have a healthy diet. One is to get enough fruit and vegetables each day. A growing body of research shows that fruits and vegetables are critical to promoting good health. To get the amount that’s recommended, most people need to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables they currently eat every day.
Action steps:

* Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your kitchen counter.
* Place a box of raisins in your child’s backpack and in your briefcase.
* Add strawberries, blueberries or bananas to your cereal, oatmeal, or toast.
* Read more about nutrition for everyone in your family.

Engage in Physical Activity

Photo: Two boys and a bowling ballRegular physical activity is important for all age groups. Being active helps control your weight, strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your mental health and mood, and reduces your risk of many life-threatening diseases.
Action steps:

* Encourage your children to be active for at least one hour a day.
* Set a positive example by leading an active lifestyle yourself.
* Take family walks or play active games together.
* Read more about physical activity guidelines.

Click for more.

School meals matter. Just ask any teacher or parent and they’ll tell you that children who lack proper nutrition have trouble focusing in school. Medical authorities and nutrition researchers have documented that youngsters who eat nutritious meals every day and lead active lifestyles tend to excel. More importantly, our schools are on the frontline of efforts to improve childhood nutrition, our collective health, and the future of our great nation. Improving the meals that our kids eat in schools is an important step to achieve that goal.

As secretary of agriculture, I oversee the federal government’s school nutrition programs, and these programs are uniquely positioned to lead the way to improve poor diets, promote physical activity, and advance the nutritional education of America’s children. The commitment of the Obama administration to these issues is very real, as evidenced by the launch of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to solve childhood obesity within a generation. The Let’s Move campaign will combat the epidemic of childhood obesity through a comprehensive approach that builds on effective strategies, and mobilizes public and private sector resources. And now the First Lady is using the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act as the legislative centerpiece to improve the overall nutrition of school meals.

The importance of school meals is underscored by the current state of the health and nutrition of our nation’s children. Obesity is our fastest-growing public health issue with roughly 1 out of 3 children overweight or obese. The lack of access to proper nutrition is also leading to food insecurity and hunger among our children. A recent USDA report showed that in 2008, an estimated 16.7 million children lived in households that experienced hunger multiple times throughout the year. Meanwhile, school-age children are not eating the recommended levels of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products, according to a 2009 Institute of Medicine report.

Click for more

It’s been many years since I had to prepare lunches for schoolchildren. But I did do it for more than a decade, and mostly on a budget. With hot lunches at many schools being costly or of poor nutritional value, it is certainly wiser and healthier to pack your own. While there is a proliferation of individually packaged lunchbox items, they are rarely a good value and rarely the healthiest option for your child(ren). I realize that time constraints need to be weighed, along with health benefits and nutrition, so I’m hoping to bring some fresh perspective to that age-old chore of packing school lunches. Feel free to chime in on items that you have found work well. The more, the merrier.

They say variety is the spice of life, and it can be important to youngsters as well. While there is that occasional child who will only eat pb&j with barbecue potato chips every day for six months, most children like to see something different and have new surprises in their lunch bag. And speaking of bags, if at all possible, try to convince your child that a reusable lunch bag (thermally insulated) or old-fashioned lunch box is the way to go. They even have plain metal lunchboxes that children can decorate and personalize. If they are feeling really adventurous, you could buy them a bento box (like this one), tiffin (a 2-tier one or 3-tier), or the Earth-friendly Goodbyn to use for lunch (some kids just like to be unique). These are all earth-friendly options.

Click here for more.

VIA: WebMD.com

By Kathleen Doheny

WebMD Health News

Researchers found fast food may cause a person to be more impatient and desire instant gratification. In one experiment, researchers had two groups of college students stare at  the center of a computer screen while ignoring the outside corners. One group was asked to look at a computer screen with blank squares in the corners; the other group was to look at a computer screen with fast food logos flashing in the corners. After staring at the computer screens, both groups were to read specific passages. In the end, the students who were exposed to the logos had faster reading speeds.

In another experiment, participants were asked to think of a time when they had fast food or a time when they went grocery shopping. They were then asked to rate a list of items according to desirability. Half of the list contained time-saving products and the other half contained items that were not. The participants which were instructed to think about a time when they had fast food preferred the time-saving items more than the other group.

Click here to read more…

VIA:  National Heart Lung And Blood Institute

Why the Nutrition Facts label is important

• Check servings and calories. Look at the serving size and how many servings the package contains. If you consume one serving, the label clearly outlines the nutrients you get. If you double the servings you eat, you double the calories and nutrients, including the Percent Daily Value (% DV).
• Make your calories count. Look at the calories on the label and note where the calories are coming from (fat, protein, or carbohydrate). Compare them with the other nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, to decide whether the food is worth eating.
• Don’t sugar-coat it. Since sugars contribute calories with few, if any, nutrients, look for foods and beverages low in added sugars. Read the ingredient list and make sure that added sugars are not one of the first few ingredients. Some names for added sugars (caloric sweeteners) include sucrose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, and fructose.
  
• Know your fats. Look for foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol to help reduce the risk of heart disease (5% DV or less is low, 20% DV or more is high). Most of the fats you eat should be polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Keep total fat intake between 20% to 35% of calories.
• Reduce sodium (salt), increase potassium. Research shows that eating less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium (about 1 teaspoon of salt) per day might reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Most of the sodium people eat comes from processed foods, not from the salt shaker. Also, look for foods high in potassium (tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, and orange juice), which counteracts some of sodium’s effects on blood pressure.

Click here for more…