Getting Your Five-A-Day: What Counts? April 7, 2009
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Amongst all the differing nutritional advice out there, one common factor stands out: eat more fruit and vegetables. Governments around the world recommend “five a day” (five portions of fruit and vegetables, rather than five of each).
But how much constitutes a “portion” and what exactly counts?
Here’s your easy guide to the five-a-day recommendation:
How Big Is A Portion?
One portion is defined as:
(more…)
Cream Eggs: Chemical Colored Cocktails April 6, 2009
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Flickr: SvadilfariWith Easter fast approaching and Peter Cottontail bearing down on us, Cadbury Crème Eggs, the famous chocolate eggs filled with sugary yolk-ish cream, are once again hitting supermarket shelves.
Like marshmallow Peeps, the eggs have earned a cult following, arguably edging out chocolate rabbits as the quintessential holiday treat, but some consumer groups aren’t sold on them.
In 2007, companies (more…)
Teens, Vitamin D and Risk Factors April 4, 2009
Posted by admin in : diet , add a commentNo other vitamin has gotten as much press as vitamin D in the past 5 years. Most of the vitamin D literature however has focused on the adult and older adult population. A recent study presented at the American Heart Association scientific meeting has now shown that teens with low levels of vitamin D are at greater risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and metabolic syndrome.
The study, which analyzed more than 3500 adolescents (more…)
More Workplace Health Incentives in the Works? April 4, 2009
Posted by admin in : Balanced Nutrition , add a commentNew wellness legislation includes business tax breaks and Dietary Counseling
(pinch me please!)
This week members of the House and the Senate introduced the Healthy Workforce Act, legislation that offers tax credits to small and medium sized companies who provide wellness programs to their employees. The goal is to keep American workers healthy, keep them out of the hospital and lead productive lives. It would provide (more…)
2009 Fitness Trends April 3, 2009
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IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) held their annual conference this month – a monster of an affair which draws the who’s who of fitness equipment manufacturers, club owners and enthusiasts in general. Not surprisingly, computer-based fitness games and health data for the web stood out as big trends. One part irony, one part ingenuity, the health industry is using the very tools that are (more…)
Guide to Health and Fitness Slang April 3, 2009
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Finding myself on the wrong side of 30, it’s tough to keep up with the vernacular of today’s young health and fitness enthusiasts. From legitimate health or medical conditions to trendy lexicon and pejorative slang, here is a partial list of terms you may have read, overheard or use yourself. Dietary Philosophies
Retox: Popularized by celebrity’s biggest health nut, Madonna, this plan is a salmon-heavy (more…)
Site Outages… April 1, 2009
Posted by admin in : diet , add a commentApologies for some recent outages. Unfortunately the software that Diet Blog runs on creates really big files for the user pictures (that appear next to comments). This rapidly chewed up my bandwidth allowance and the site went down. I’ve had to switch back to using Gravatar for commenter pictures (although your uploaded picture still displays on your profile page).
Sorry about this. Hopefully I’ll be able to come up with a better (more…)
Surviving Easter Without Gaining Weight: Six Tips March 31, 2009
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There’s never going to be an easy time of year for dieters, and most of us have a love-hate relationship with popular holidays that are, it seems, an excuse to indulge. With Easter looming and chocolate eggs lining the shelves, dieting temptation seems to lie everywhere.
Here’s your guide to surviving Easter without putting on unwanted pounds – but without feeling that you’ve missed out, either.
1. Don’t (more…)
Injury Warnings About… Gardening? March 30, 2009
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You probably think of gardening as a gentle, leisurely activity safely enjoyed by the older generation. But new advice issued by the British College of Osteopathic Medicine warns gardeners to warm up, stretch regularly and take breaks to prevent the risk of injury.
After the winter, and with the UK currently going through a mild spell of weather, many people are getting back out into their gardens with what Dr Drysdale of (more…)
Moderate Drinking May Improve Bone Density March 29, 2009
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A new study has indicated that moderate drinking – one to two drinks per day – can improve both men’s and women’s bone density.
The researchers, led by Dr. Katherine Tucker of Tufts University (Boston) published their findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition as Effects of beer, wine, and liquor intakes on bone mineral density in older men and women.
The study included 1,182 men, 1,289 postmenopausal (more…)