Less than 160 calories Desserts
July 17, 2008
From ABC News
By Loren Chidoni
When you’re squeezing into last year’s tankini, the dessert end of the freezer aisle seems taboo. But what would summer be without Popsicles and fro-yo? Sucky, that’s what.
To find frosty goodies that won’t test the limits of Lycra, we sampled 27 kinds. The result: these eight amazing, guilt-free indulgences–and one mother of an ice-cream headache.
Best For 100 Cals
Klondike Slim-a-Bear sandwiches
100 calories each, $4.30/box of 6
These creamy-on-the-inside sandwiches are the poster child for portion control: we could devour one without guilty urges to rip into a second or third.
L’Oreal Used Banned Chemicals in Foreign Sales
July 17, 2008
From ABC News
By Scott Michels
Cosmetics giant L’Oreal USA sold products overseas containing potentially carcinogenic chemicals, falsely advertised products containing animal-derived ingredients as “100 percent vegan,” and failed to comply with regulatory laws, according to a lawsuit filed by the company’s former regulatory affairs director.
Jerome Chevallier claims he was fired after he complained to his superiors about allegedly unlawful activities. He says the company sold Maybelline products in South America that contain carcinogenic chemicals, and that company management deleted formulae — for products allegedly containing illegal levels of a preservative — from internal computers, to avoid scrutiny from company regulators.
Teen pregnancies up for first time in 15 years
July 12, 2008
From CNN News
By Elizabeth Landau
Teen pregnancies rose in the United States for the first time since 1991, the National Institutes of Health reported Friday.
The new data also show that eighth-graders smoke less, according to the report “America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2008.”
The report comes after a spate of high-profile teen pregnancies: that of 17-year-old TV star Jamie Lynn Spears, who recently gave birth to a daughter, as well as the pregnancies of numerous students at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts.
Not ready for a baby? Protect your fertility
June 21, 2008
From msnbcnews.com
By Denise Schipani
You’ve yet to hear a single tick-tock, but lurking beneath your killer abs is a biological clock that will start buzzing eventually — and you can only hit the snooze button so many times.
So what do you do if you’re not ready to push out a baby right this second but think you’ll want to become a mom someday?
Luckily, fertility isn’t a total crapshoot. And though you can’t put off pregnancy indefinitely (despite exceptions like Marcia Cross, your odds of conceiving drop substantially after age 35), there’s plenty you can do to help keep your body in peak baby-making form.
Don’t be shy, ask mom about her medical history
June 21, 2008
From msnbcnews.com
By Camille Noe Pagan
Has your mom been trying to pry open your personal life ever since your junior high days? It’s time to turn the tables, because when it comes to your health, the woman who birthed you, bathed you, and burped you is the closest thing you have to a crystal ball. We all appreciate the lovelier physical traits we’ve inherited, from a set of perfectly straight, white choppers to a NASCAR-worthy metabolism, but it’s important to take stock of the health problems she may have passed down along with them. Asking her these questions could clue you in to your possible future, and help you give inherited health risks the boot.
Healthy Lifestyle Triggers Genetic Changes: Study
June 18, 2008
From abcnews.com
By Will Dunham
Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
In a small study, the researchers tracked 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer who decided against conventional medical treatment such as surgery and radiation or hormone therapy.
The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation.
Burn More Calories in Less Time
June 18, 2008
From Yahoo Health
By Lucy Danziger
The way to shape up fast is no secret. Weight training will sculpt and build lean muscle, which (unlike fat) burns calories on its own; cardio (brisk walking, biking, jogging, etc.) will shed the fat hiding those defined muscles. I’m a cardio fan from way back (I love how it feels to get my heart rate up), but who wants to slog away on a treadmill in a dull gym, going nowhere fast (or slow, as the case may be)? Not me! Especially when you can spend less time and get better results.
The secret is intervals. Study subjects who spent just 20 minutes mixing sprints with jogging lost three times the fat off their legs and butt in 15 weeks, compared to those who jogged steadily for 40 minutes, research from the University of New South Wales in Sydney finds. Intervals may spark fat-mobilizing hormones, and they amp your cardio capacity so your future runs will actually feel easier.
Slow Down, You are Eating Too Fast!
June 10, 2008
From Yahoo Health
It’s tough not to rush through your meals; some days, I barely have time to sit down for lunch till 3 p.m.! But slowing down can help you slim down: Researchers from the University of Rhode Island at Kingston found that people who ate more slowly consumed 70 fewer calories per meal than speed eaters.
Instead of plowing through your meals, pace yourself using this soothing breathing technique before you start to eat: Inhale deeply through your nose, then exhale slowly. Repeat several times, says Yvonne Nienstadt, nutrition director at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico.
How one family walked off 191 pounds
June 5, 2008
From MSNBC News
By Natalie Gingerich
The Janssens are a picture of the Iowa heartland — especially at the dinner table. A true meat-and-potatoes family, they were taught to eat whatever was on their plates. And with 10 siblings, they learned early that it was better to take an extra scoop of mashed potatoes than end up hungry! Fast-forward a few decades and all that meat and potatoes (don’t forget the gravy), along with genetics, left the family with health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. Nine years ago, eldest sibling Claudia Meyer (now 65 and a Team Prevention marathoner) had a stroke, and doctors said she’d never walk again. In 2003, youngest brother Bruce passed away at age 47 from a blood clot, and a little over 2 years later sister Valerie, 57, died suddenly from a heart attack.
The family has seen no shortage of loss, but there is no shortage of love either. “It’s like having a twin with each one of our siblings,” says Nita Ott, 54.
Fill your grocery cart without busting your budget
June 5, 2008
From MSNBC News
By Bridget Murray Law
The weekly trip to the grocery store is getting more expensive and there’s no relief in sight, experts say. Many shoppers are wondering how to save on their food bills, without sacrificing nutrition.
There are some strategies you can follow to help avoid grocery sticker shock, says Phil Lempert, TODAY food editor. Here’s what he suggests:List it: Shopping with a list can save you 10 percent on unnecessary items like junk food.
Buy in bulk: But don’t buy more than you’ll use. Waste is costly too.
Simpler is better: The more processed the food, the more it costs—and, generally, the less healthy it is.
Dodge impulse traps: Stores are set up to spur impulse buying. Focus on staples such as milk, eggs, bread and canned or frozen veggies and avoid tempting cookies and cakes in the deli section.
Warning over illegal skin bleach
May 20, 2008
From foxnews.com
The patient, aged 28, put on almost two stone (13kg) in three years, could not conceive and had severe stretch marks.
In the Lancet, medics from west London’s Hammersmith Hospital said people were unaware they were harmful.
Dermatologists said such extreme reactions were rare, but minor skin effects were more common.
Illegal skin-lightening creams are used by some black people and, to a lesser extent, some Asian people.
They can cause harm in two ways.
The creams usually contain hydroxyquinone, a skin-bleaching chemical, as well as high doses of steroids.
Are You in Shape?
May 18, 2008
From CBS News
If you didn’t get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in school, the government is giving you another chance to prove you’re in shape.
An adult fitness test is being introduced Wednesday by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It will incorporate several of the exercises that millions of students undertake each year as they aim for a certificate signed by the president.
“What were trying to do is inspire and motivate Americans to move their bodies more,” said Melissa Johnson, executive director of the council.
The test involves three basic components: aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility. The test is for people 18 and older who are in good health. It was inspired by scores of baby boomers who kept asking council members whether there was a fitness test available today that was similar to the ones they took as students, Johnson said.
Infected Babies Pass HIV to Mothers
May 14, 2008
From Foxnews.com
OSH, Kyrgyzstan — Not long ago, she was a wife, mother and teacher. Now Dilfuza Mustafakulova is HIV-positive and has lost her husband and her job. Mustafakulova’s baby son was among 72 children infected with the virus at two Kyrgyz hospitals. Sixteen mothers also have contracted it — in some cases by breast-feeding their children.
The scandal has led to charges of negligence against 14 medical workers in the impoverished former Soviet republic, where investigators suspect the children were infected by tainted blood and the reuse of needles.
Although HIV infection from breast-feeding is rare, it is possible, usually when the baby has mouth sores and the mother has lesions on her nipples, according to AIDS experts. Mustafakulova, whose son was 7 months old at the time, said her breasts were cracked and bleeding.
Excercise and Protect Yourself from Breast Cancer
May 14, 2008
From Foxnews.com
Get your daughters off the couch: New research shows exercise during the teen years – starting as young as age 12 – can help protect girls from breast cancer when they’re grown. Middle-aged women have long been advised to get active to lower their risk of breast cancer after menopause.
What’s new: That starting so young pays off, too.
“This really points to the benefit of sustained physical activity from adolescence through the adult years, to get the maximum benefit,” said Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the study’s lead author.
Arkansas Mom Pregnant With 18th Child
May 12, 2008
From AOL News
By Jill Zeman
Seven daughters and 10 sons just wasn’t enough for Arkansas couple Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar. Just in time for Mother’s Day, the busy parents announced they’re expecting their 18th child. Their oldest, Josh, is 20, and youngest, Jennifer, is 9 months old. Here, the family celebrates Jennifer’s birth last August.
Duggar, 41, is due on New Year’s Day, and the latest bundle of joy will join seven sisters and 10 brothers, including two sets of twins.
“We’ve had three in January, three in December. Those two months are a busy time for us,” she said, laughing.
Some Therapies May Cut Pregnancy Chances
May 4, 2008
From CBS Health
(AP) Alternative therapies such as reflexology and herbal supplements may reduce a woman’s chance of getting pregnant, experts said Wednesday.
Research presented Wednesday at a Lyon meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology examined the impact of alternative therapies on women receiving in-vitro fertilization over a year.
Of 800 Danish women followed for the study, 261 tried treatments including reflexology, herbal supplements, homeopathy, kinesiology and acupuncture.
The women using such treatments overall were 20 percent less likely to get pregnant than those who did not, according to researchers Dr. Jacky Boivin, of Cardiff University, and Dr. Lone Schmidt, from the University of Copenhagen.
Prevent and Remove Stretch Marks
May 4, 2008
From Foxnews.com
By Karlie Pouliot
Dena Ragusa has worked hard to get her body into shape. About 12 years ago she lost 50 pounds by exercising and eating healthy — but she still wasn’t completely happy with the results.
“Even though I feel really good I have these terrible stretch marks,” Ragusa said.
“So, I’m kind of limited to the clothing and bathing suits I can wear.”
She’s not alone. For millions of women and men, stretch marks are an unfortunate part of life.
“These tears occur during periods of considerable fluctuation in weight including pregnancy, bodybuilding, yo-yo dieting and adolescent growth spurts,” said Ariel Ostad, a cosmetic and dermatologic surgeon in New York City.
Study Gives The Skinny On “Fit And Fat”
May 2, 2008
By Kelli Stacy
Regular exercise has long been touted as the key to a healthy heart, but a new study shows it is unlikely to fully reverse a woman’s chances of heart disease if she is carrying extra weight.
Researchers report in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine that although physical activity definitely helps improve cardiovascular health, such exercise does not “eliminate the negative effects of being overweight.”
The findings underscore the importance of being fit and trim and cast doubt on the newer notion that it’s possible to be “fit and fat.” Both obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States.
Five Reasons to See a Gynecologist Immediately
May 1, 2008
By Maria Esposito
Approximately 19 million American women, or about 18 percent of the adult female population, receive annual pelvic exams, according to a study published in the September 24, 2007, edition of the “Archives of Internal Medicine.”
But that number is small compared to the number of women who put off seeing a gynecologist, despite the vital role annual gynecological exams play in maintaining good health.
Avoiding a pelvic exam may be easy when things are going well, but you can’t avoid it when your body starts sending you distress signals.
Some signals, which often present themselves in the form of pain or illness, may point to cancer, sexually transmitted disease, pregnancy complications or the onset of menopause.
