Easy as 5-2-1-0

In support of the movement to eradicate childhood obesity, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued some new recommendations as part of their "Healthy Active Living" campaign.  The campaign centers around providing families of all demographics with attainable and realistic goals which can contribute to overall health and wellness of our families.

   The goals are also easy to remember, as the AAP has named the initiative "5-2-1-0".  Broken down, this translates to the following recommendations:

5 - Five fruits and vegetable servings per day(at least)
2 - Two hours or less of "screen time" per day.  This includes TV, computer, and video games.
1 - One hour of physical activity per day
0 - Zero sugar-sweetened drinks per day

Easy to remember, yes.  Easy to follow? Not for everyone, but reasonable enough to be implemented with some real effort and consciousness over time, for the sake of our growing children.  Remember, kids learn from those around them, as they are sort of a "blank slate" in this way.  Perhaps one of the most positive things you can do for your own children (and for yourself) is to model good eating habits and a physically active lifestyle.  It may take a while for school lunches and other negative influences to catch up to this type of movement, and waiting for the external world to teach and feed our children in a way that will promote their health, strength, and brains is not the way to go. 
For more on the White House Obesity Initiative and the AAP's efforts towards this cause, click here.

Free Cone Zone

 

Guilty pleasures need to be indulged sometimes, especially when they are free...

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day: Tuesday, March 23:
It comes but once a year: Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. If you're near a participating location on Tuesday, March 23, between noon and 8 p.m., wait in line (likely one that snakes around the block, but moves fairly quickly) and get your free scoop! If you're lucky, they'll have some of the new 2010 flavors: Boston Cream Pie, Dulce Delish, Maple Blondie, Mud Pie, Peanut Brittle, and our most favorite of all, Milk & Cookies. Find a Ben & Jerry's near you here.
A little Free Cone Day history: it all started in 1979 when co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield scooped free ice cream all day as a 'thank you' to customers for supporting them in their first near. Now it's become an annual event, and practically a holiday.

Credits: Serious Eats Blog 03/22/10

Non-Toxic Spring Cleaning

The Northeast's recent burst of fantastic spring weather has sent many of us into a spring cleaning frenzy.  Once you've got the motivation part down, I'd urge you to take a second look at the products you're using in your home and consider adding some of them to the "toss" pile during your spring cleanup. 
  The switch to more natural products can seem overwhelming, especially financially, as you will likely notice the significantly larger price tag of these products sitting on the supermarket shelves. However, if you can reserve a tiny portion of that spring motivation, alternative products are easy to home-make and quite inexpensive this way.  Here are some ideas for do-it-yourself cleaning products which will be functional, efficient, and non-toxic:

Got Mercury?

Despite the many benefits of consuming a diet rich in a variety of seafood products, the risks associated with consuming the methyl mercury embedded in most of our consumable fish species must not be forgotten.  Over-exposure to methyl mercury has been linked to adverse effects in people of all ages, with fetuses and infants especially fragile to exposure to the substance.

Given the toxic effects associated with methyl mercury evidenced by several case studies and large-scale reviews, the EPA has set certain fish consumption advisories designed to provide guidelines in avoiding over-exposure to the substance from the fish many of us eat.  One of the driving forces behind these guidelines was a groundbreaking study (which can be located here) showing levels of mercury to be much higher than expected in a survey of over 100 patients in a health care facility.  In 2009, the National Lake Fish Tissue Study was released, which gave specifics on content of methyl mercury found in the lakes of US states over a studied period of four years.  Although the results were somewhat grim, the brighter side of a study like this is not only can it help to provide us (the consumers) with guidelines on how much of this fish we can safely consume, but can provide a basis for comparison for future studies after mercury-reduction interventions have been (hopefully) put into place. 

For more information on potential sources of methyl mercury and some frequently asked questions, check out the US EPA Website. 

If you are interested in being proactive about reducing your mercury exposure from consumed fish, you can use this calculator to find out how much mercury is in your diet and potentially lower your mercury intake to reduce you risk of unsafe exposure levels and improve your overall health. 

Train Your Brain

Study shows living a purposeful life can prevent cognitive decline.  Check it out:

 

Keep the Glass Half Full

Study: Optimists Less Likely to Get Heart Disease:

"First study to find such a strong link between positive emotions and a lower risk of heart disease...revealing the potentially damaging effects of pessimistic thoughts and long-term negativity."

"Little Crop of Horrors"

Too good not to share...

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Passing the Stress Test

An overwhelming majority of us would likely report that we are generally more stressed than we'd like to be.  Some would attribute this to our jobs, our lifestyles, our responsibilities, our kids - the list goes on - or it may simply have become the "American Way" these days.  (International readers, please feel free to comment to fill us in on your thoughts on this!)  I wont spend too much time on the causes of stress - most of us can figure out that if you find the cause and can remedy it, your stress level will likely go down.  But for the majority of us who are unable or unwilling to change these stress-inducing triggers, today's post will focus more on recognizing the signs of stress and managing them in healthy ways.  First, how stressed are you?  Many of us are able to identify that we are "stressed" when it becomes pervasive in our emotional well-being or daily functioning.  However, some of the classic signs of stress may be mistaken for other things, or may just not be something you linked to your daily stress level in the past.  Here are what I consider the most telling signs of stress:

- Fatigue

- Sleep difficulty - this can include difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or early  morning awakening, as well as nightmares and feeling like you cannot reach a "deep sleep".  Many people who have significant stress report that they never wake up feeling rested, no matter how normal their sleep patterns seem on the surface.

- Irritability - stress can make a person more easily irritated than usual, and can impact personal relationships as a result

- muscle tension or pain which cannot be explained by other factors

- weight loss or gain

- digestive problems - stress can trigger the "fight or flight" response which causes blood to be diverted away from your digestive track to prepare for quick response to stressful stimuli.  Resulting symptoms can include stomach pain, nausea, or diarrhea

- skin issues - including breakouts, rashes, or hives 

- headaches

- hair loss

- nervous behaviors such as nail biting, teeth grinding, or excessive movement of limbs 

- problems concentrating

- increased negative thoughts

- decreased sex drive (libido) or ability to achieve orgasm

- headaches

 This is a basic laundry list of possible manifestations of stress, which of course can be extended and unique for individuals.  Now for the important part - if you must encounter stress, how can you effectively manage it so that it does not lead to these symptoms and so that you are better able to cope with the stress on a daily basis?  Here are some natural techniques that I would recommend: