Are Artificial Sweeteners Really That Bad for You?

Too much sugar will make you fat, but too much artificial sweetener will ... do what exactly? Kill you? Make you thinner? Or have absolutely no effect at all? This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration's decision to ban cyclamate, the first artificial sweetener prohibited in the U.S., and yet scientists still haven't reached a consensus about how safe (or harmful) artificial sweeteners may be. Shouldn't we have figured this out by now?

The first artificial sweetener, saccharin, was discovered in 1879 when Constantin Fahlberg, a Johns Hopkins University scientist working on coal-tar derivatives, noticed a substance on his hands and arms that tasted sweet. No one knows why Fahlberg decided to lick an unknown substance off his body, but it's a good thing he did. Despite an early attempt to ban the substance in 1911 — skeptical scientists said it was an "adulterant" that changed the makeup of food — saccharin grew in popularity, and was used to sweeten foods during sugar rationings in World Wars I and II. Though it is about 300 times sweeter than sugar and has zero calories, saccharin leaves an unpleasant metallic aftertaste. So when cyclamate came on the market in 1951, food and beverage companies jumped at the chance to sweeten their products with something that tasted more natural. By 1968, Americans were consuming more than 17 million pounds of the calorie-free substance a year in snack foods, canned fruit and soft drinks like Tab and Diet Pepsi.

But in the late 1960s, studies began linking cyclamate to cancer. One noted that chicken embryos injected with the chemical developed extreme deformities, leading scientists to wonder if unborn humans could be similarly damaged by their cola-drinking mothers. Another study linked the sweetener to malignant bladder tumors in rats. Because a 1958 congressional amendment required the FDA to ban any food additive shown to cause cancer in humans or animals, on Oct. 18, 1969, the government ordered cyclamate removed from all food products.

Saccharin became mired in controversy in 1977, when a study indicated that the substance might contribute to cancer in rats. An FDA move to ban the chemical failed, though products containing saccharin were required to carry warning labels. In 2000, the chemical was officially removed from the Federal Government's list of suspected carcinogens.

In 1981, the synthetic compound aspartame was approved for use, and it capitalized on saccharin's bad publicity by becoming the leading additive in diet colas. In 1995 and 1996, misinformation about aspartame that linked the chemical to everything from multiple sclerosis to Gulf War syndrome was widely disseminated on the Internet. While aspartame does adversely effect some people — including those who are unable to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine — it has been tested more than 200 times, and each test has confirmed that your Diet Coke is safe to drink. Nor have any health risks been detected in more than 100 clinical tests of sucralose, a chemically altered sugar molecule found in food, drinks, chewing gum and Splenda.

The fear-mongering and misinformation plaguing the faux-sweetener market seems to be rooted in a common misconception. No evidence indicates that sweeteners cause obesity; people with weight problems simply tend to eat more of it. While recent studies have suggested a possible link between artificial sweeteners and obesity, a direct link between additives and weight gain has yet to be found. The general consensus in the scientific community is that saccharin, aspartame and sucralose are harmless when consumed in moderation. And while cyclamate is still banned in the U.S., many other countries still allow it; it can even be found in the Canadian version of Sweet'n Low. Low-calorie additives won't make you thinner or curb your appetite. But they help unsweetened food taste better without harming you. And that's sweet enough.

Source: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931116,00.html?xid=rss-fullhealthsci-yahoo

Out Of Energy?

SEE NINE THINGS THAT ZAP YOUR VITALITY AND HOW TO GET IT BACK

It's 3 p.m.--do you know where your energy's gone? You probably expect to feel that late-afternoon drag, but you don't always have to. Turns out, some of your regular habits may be sneakily zapping your zip. Fix some or all of these energy stealers, and you just may be feeling brighter this afternoon.

Energy Zapper #1: Being Addicted to E-mail
Isn't being wired to the hilt--e-mail, voice mail, IM, BlackBerry--supposed to boost productivity, freeing up your energy? More often, the opposite is true. If you continually halt what you're doing to answer e-mail, check voice mail, and attend to a thousand other beeps and blips, your attention becomes diluted, which leaves you feeling depleted.

There are two things going on here, says John Salerno, MD, a New York City family physician and director of the Salerno Center for Complementary Medicine. "The brain needs a lot of physical and mental energy to multitask, which gets drained," he says. And continually redirecting your attention from the BlackBerry to other stimuli siphons more energy and distracts your brain further.

Energy Fix
Switch off electronic gadgets during your most productive work hours, which for most people tend to be in the morning, says Laura Stack, author of The Exhaustion Cure. As for e-mail, try to limit yourself to checking it once every hour, instead of hopping to whenever it beeps. (Hint: Turn off the beep sound.) If something pops into your mind that you need to remember--call back your mom, e-mail the soccer coach about the snack schedule--write it down and take care of it later.

Energy Zapper #2: Visual Clutter
We may be used to living in enclosed spaces with lots of stuff--a refrigerator door packed with artwork, a countertop laden with mail, a desk that's little more than a shifting pile of folders and paper--but it's not how we're meant to live, says Dr. Salerno. "Clutter signals disorder, which makes us anxious. Our brains sense that anxiety."

Energy Fix
Do your best to clear visual clutter, so when you look around, your eyes can "rest" rather than dart from mess to mess, says Janice Ash, organization expert and owner of I Declutter!. Instead of layering papers on a bulletin board, leave a small border of space around them. Clear the front of the fridge of all but the most current kids' artwork, and make a habit of leaving the kitchen counter stuff-free before bed each night.

Energy Zapper #3: Being Bored
Ever sat around for an hour or more not tackling a chore or work because it's just so darned monotonous? Mental foot-dragging, boredom and lack of motivation are draining, says Dr. Salerno. "Put simply, we like to see results, and getting things done gives us a mental energy boost." So avoiding tasks deprives you of that high.

Energy Fix
Find a partner for encouragement--a friend, a coworker--and call or e-mail to enlist her in a time challenge. "Say, ‘I'll check back in with you in an hour, and we'll see if we've gotten these reports/ organizing chores done.'" Or promise yourself motivational rewards for completing the task at hand, suggests Dr. Salerno.

Energy Zapper #4: Poor Posture
You already know that not sitting or standing straight is bad for your body. But all that hunching over a computer screen or cradling a phone on your shoulder wreaks havoc on your energy level, too, says Pia Martin, a San Diego health and wellness chiropractor. "When you sit for long periods, you tend to slump forward, leading to rounded shoulders and a tilted lower spine. Your muscles contract, and blood flow is impaired," which limits the amount of oxygen to your brain.

Energy Fix
Sit up straight! Your legs should be at right angles to the floor, your arms at right angles to your keyboard. Be conscious of keeping your shoulders down, not up near your ears. Adjust your computer screen so your eyes gaze at the middle of it. And don't just sit there--if you have to, set a timer to go off hourly to remind you to get up, stretch and get a drink of water. When you get back to your desk, do a quick posture check: Shoulders down! (Reboot your posture with these tips.)

Energy Zapper #5: Toxic Indoor Air
Humming copy machines. Cleaning products. Dry-cleaning chemicals. Synthetic carpeting. Even the desks in your office may be contributing to the load of toxins you breathe each day, because all of them release chemicals into the air. "No one knows for sure how much harm these cause to our bodies, but they do build up over time, and can drain your energy by potentially interfering with thyroid function and overloading the body's detox system," says Frank Lipman, MD, a New York City physician and author of Spent: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again. (Reduce your exposure to chemical toxins.)

Energy Fix
Get outside. If you're feeling tired, go out for 10 minutes to breathe fresh air. Indoors, cultivate houseplants, which are remarkably good at absorbing toxins. And don't wear shoes inside the house--you're dragging not just dirt indoors on your soles, but pesticides and other harmful chemicals too.

Energy Zapper #6: Eating Too Much at Once
Consuming a big meal is always something that will cause a dip in energy later, but that effect is most noticeable in the afternoon because the slump happens at that reach-for-coffee-or-sugar hour: 3 p.m. Here's what happens: You fill up on a carb- and calorie-rich lunch and, as nutrients are absorbed by your body, excess glucose is dumped into your bloodstream, and your body releases insulin to process all that sugar. "A better idea is to spread out what and how you eat throughout the day to keep energy levels steady," says Gloria Tsang, RD, founder of the nutrition website HealthCastle.com.

Energy Fix
Eat every four hours, instead of the usual six. To reform lunch, "try to brownbag more often than eating out," says Tsang. It's a fact that if you buy takeout or dine in a restaurant, you're likely to eat more. Four hours after lunch, have a snack. If you're going to eat dinner a couple of hours later, keep the snack small, such as half a turkey sandwich, or a yogurt and some crackers. Other ideas: Drink liquids (water, tea) all day. "Dehydration makes you tired, too," says Tsang. If you usually have coffee right after lunch, try it a little later in the afternoon and make it a latte. The caffeine's an obvious pick-me-up, but the little bit of fat and protein in the milk gives you a snack-like boost. (Increase your energy with a smarter lunch.)

Energy Zapper #7: Living in Artificial Light
Our natural body rhythms are keyed to the rising and setting of the sun, says Carol Ash, DO, medical director of Sleep for Life, a sleep-disorder clinic in Somerset, New Jersey. When you open your eyes in the morning and get your first glimpse of sunlight, your brain receives a signal that helps it set its sleep-wake clock for the day. Similarly, seeing sunlight during the day gives your brain a boost. So if you are awake before the sun, and/or don't see much sun all day, your body is experiencing something a lot like jet lag.

Energy Fix
Instead of hitting the coffee cart when you're flagging, hit the sidewalk--the combination of physical exercise and a shot of sunlight will energize you. You don't need much: "A 10- to 20-minute walk in the sunshine will give you a boost," says Dr. Ash.

Energy Zapper #8: Listening to Negative Nellies
You may be upbeat, but it can be exhausting to listen to complainers all day long, whether it's the fellow mom who calls to trash-talk the neighbors or the coworker who never has a positive word to say. It's not your imagination: A 2006 study at Chicago's Northwestern University found that people forced to listen to "high-maintenance" colleagues became frustrated and unfocused, and suffered a decline in the quality of their work.

Energy Fix
Insulate yourself as best you can. If a coworker loves to enumerate her complaints, cut her off with a firm but polite "I really have to get this finished," then smile and get to work. She'll get the message. If it's your own negative thoughts that drag you down, train yourself to banish them by listing, daily, the things you're grateful for, so you can pull out that list when the negative stuff intrudes.

Energy Zapper #9: Holding a Grudge
It takes a surprising amount of energy to remember whom you have a grudge against, and to continually update the faults, missteps and things you're mad about. "Resentment is a huge drain physically as well as mentally," says Dr. Lipman. "Anger, resentment, grudges--all of these emotions are toxic, and we hang on to them in our bodies especially in tense, tired muscles."

Energy Fix
It takes practice, but try to forgive old mistakes. An easy way to start is to simply be aware of the times negative thoughts about others creep into your mind, says Dr. Lipman. "Think of others as flawed humans, which we all are," which makes it easier to forgive-and free up energy.

Source: http://health.yahoo.com/featured/50/out-of-energy/

What Makes You Eat More Food

Seven ways our bodies tell us we're hungry--even when we're not:

Time of Day
Through routine, we condition our bodies to expect breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time each day, says Randy Seeley, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati." Part of the reason you're hungry at noon is because that's the time you've eaten for the last 100 days."

Sight
Research using MRIs shows that brain patterns of people viewing photos of foods they like and foods they don't like are "very different," Seeley says. "The body anticipates when food is about to enter the system." And that's why your mouth starts watering when you see Mom's pie.

Variety
Even after eating a large meal, we often "make room" for dessert, because a desire for sweets hasn't been satisfied. Ann Gaba, a registered dietitian at New York Presbyterian Hospital, says that sometimes all it takes is a bit of fruit in a salad during a meal to curb a sugar craving.

Smell
Scent is one of the key ways we cue our bodies that food is near. Once the trigger goes off, it can induce the insulin secretion that makes us think we're hungry. Says Sharron Dalton, a nutrition professor at New York University: "Smell and sight alone activate the appetite cascade."

Alcohol
Drinking has not been scientifically proved to stimulate appetite, but too much beer, wine or liquor can impair judgment, causing us to eat more. "Most people who are on a diet will say it's a lot harder to push themselves away from the table if they've been drinking," observes Seeley.

Temperature
The colder the temperature, the more people tend to eat, which is why restaurants often keep thermostats low. "Your metabolism drops when it's time to eat, and eating warms you up," says David Ludwig, professor of pediatrics at Harvard. "Heat is a satiety signal."

Refined Carbs
After a meal heavy in refined carbohydrates, like white pasta, the body may crave food again within only a few hours. These foods cause blood sugar to drop, and "when our blood sugar is crashing, we're going to be a lot more interested in food in general," Ludwig says.

Source: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626481,00.html

Organic Food -- Is 'Natural' Worth the Extra Cost?

12 organic foods that are worth the expense -- and 12 that probably aren't.

Once upon a time, organic food was available only at health food stores, marketed to "tree-hugging" consumers willing to pay extra for "natural," environmentally friendly foods. Today, organic foods are undeniably mainstream. Not only can they be found at most every neighborhood grocer, but even giants like Wal-Mart are getting into the act.

People who buy organic are seeking assurance that food production is gentle to the earth, and/or looking for safer, purer, more natural foods. But are organic foods really worth the added expense?

"If you can afford them, buy them," recommends New York University professor Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH. "It really is a personal choice but how can anyone think substances, such as pesticides, capable of killing insects, can be good for you?"

But American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Keecha Harris, DrPH, says, "There is no evidence that organic foods are superior over traditional foods."

Food does not have to be organic to be safe and environmentally friendly, she says. She recommends focusing on eating food grown close to where you live. She notes that some organic foods come from multinational companies and have been trucked across the country.

"They may be organic, but the ... environmental footprint includes lots of petrochemicals used in transportation, whereas if you buy produce from your local farmers market, it may not be organic but it is farm-fresh and less impactful on the environment," says Harris

One thing the experts agree on: Regardless of whether you choose locally grown, organic, or conventional foods, the important thing is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. The health benefits of such a diet far outweigh any potential risks from pesticide exposure.


What Makes a Food 'Organic'?

Don't confuse terms such as "free-range," hormone free" or "natural" with organic. These food labeling terms are not regulated by law.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created an organic seal. Foods bearing it are required to be grown, harvested, and processed according to national standards that include restrictions on amounts and residues of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "organic" foods cannot be treated with any synthetic pesticides, sewage sludge, bioengineering, or ionizing radiation. They may use pesticides derived from a natural source.

When buying organic, look for the following regulated terms on food labels:

* Food labeled "100% organic" has no synthetic ingredients and can legally use the USDA organic seal.
* Food labeled "organic" has a minimum of 95% organic ingredients. It is eligible to use the USDA organic seal.
* Food labeled "made with organic ingredients" must contain at least 70% organic ingredients. It is not eligible for the USDA seal.
* Meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy labeled "organic" must come from animals that have never received antibiotics or growth hormones. "It is almost impossible to get organic meat," Nestle notes.

It should be noted the USDA has yet to set standards for organic seafood or cosmetics. Most cosmetics are blends, including ingredients that may or may not be organic.

Experts recommend spending most of your organic food dollars on produce, as it is most likely to contain pesticides.


Organic Food and Your Health

The USDA makes no claims that organic foods are safer, healthier, or more nutritious than conventional foods. There is also little research on the health outcomes of people who eat primarily organic diets.

Government limits do establish the safe amount of pesticides that can be used in growing and processing foods, and the amount of pesticide residue allowable on foods.

According to the EPA web site, because kids' immune systems are not fully developed, they may be at greater risk from some pesticides than adults. The web site also notes that the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act set tougher standards to protect infants and children from pesticide risks.
The Price of Buying Organic Food

Just how much more expensive is it to go organic? You can expect to pay 50%-100% more for organic foods. That's because, in general, it is more labor-intensive, and without the help of pesticides, the yield is not always as favorable.

To maximize your organic food dollar, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., recommends going organic on the "dirty dozen" -- types of produce that are most susceptible to pesticide residue:

* Peaches
* Apples
* Sweet bell peppers
* Celery
* Nectarines
* Strawberries
* Cherries
* Pears
* Grapes (imported)
* Spinach
* Lettuce
* Potatoes

And which organic produce is probably not worth the added expense? The group lists these 12 items as having the least pesticide residues:

* Papayas
* Broccoli
* Cabbage
* Bananas
* Kiwifruit
* Sweet peas (frozen)
* Asparagus
* Mangoes
* Pineapple
* Sweet corn (frozen)
* Avocadoes
* Onions

You can help keep costs down by shopping for sale items, comparing prices, buying locally grown products either at farmers' markets or via a co-op. The sale of organic foods in large grocery store chains is also likely to help keep prices down in the long run.


Reduce Pesticide Residues

Whether or not you buy organic, you can do your part to reduce pesticide residues on foods with the following tips:

* Wash and scrub produce under streaming water to remove dirt, bacteria and surface pesticide residues, even produce with inedible skins such as cantaloupe. Do not use soap.
* Remove the peel from fruits and vegetables.
* Remove the outer leaves of leafy vegetables.
* Trim visible fat and skin from meat and poultry because pesticide residues can collect in fat.
* Eat a variety of foods from different sources.
* Join a co-op farm that supports community agriculture.

"Is Organic Food Any Better" Video

Found at: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/organic-food-is-natural-worth-the-extra-cost

Low-carb diets 'damage arteries'

Low-carb slimming diets may clog arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, a study suggests.

Diets based on eating lots of meat, fish and cheese, while restricting carbohydrates have grown in popularity in recent years.

But the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found such eating habits caused artery damage in tests on mice.

The researchers and independent experts both agreed a balanced diet was the best option.

Low-carb diets have attracted a lot of attention and controversy after a surge in interest in them in the 1990s.

The Israeli team decided to investigate their impact on the cardiovascular system after hearing of reports of people on the diets suffering heart attacks.

They fed the mice three different diets - a standard mouse type, a western diet which was high in fat, and a low-carb, high-protein version, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported.

The low-carb diet did not affect cholesterol levels, but there was a significant difference on the impact on atherosclerosis - the build-up of fatty plaque deposits in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

After 12 weeks, the mice eating the low-carb diet had gained less weight, but developed 15% more atherosclerosis than those on the standard mice food. For the western diet group there was 9% more atherosclerosis.

The team could not be certain why the effect was seen, but thought low-carb diets may affect the way bone marrow cells effectively clean arteries of fatty deposits.

Adverse effects

Lead researcher Anthony Rosenzweig said the findings were so concerning to him that he decided to come off the low-carb diet he was following.

He added: "Our research suggests that, at least in animals, these diets could be having adverse cardiovascular effects.

"It appears that a moderate and balanced diet, coupled with regular exercise, is probably best for most people."

Joanne Murphy, from the Stroke Association, agreed following a balanced diet was the best advice.

"We know that foods such as red meat and diary products, which are high in protein, also contain high levels of saturated fat. These fats then cause the build up in the arteries."

But she added the research was still at an early stage and she wanted to see more work done on the subject.

Ellen Mason, from the British Heart Foundation, said it was difficult to apply the findings to humans.

But she added: "Low-carb, high-protein diets are not considered as healthy as eating a balanced diet, which is good for health because we get the different nutrients our body needs by eating from the different food groups every day."


Found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8218780.stm

HIV and AIDS

HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) damages the immune system, making a person infected with it more likely to develop a range of health problems including infections and cancer. Approximately 33 million people are living with HIV worldwide.

In Australia the experience of HIV and AIDS has been different to that in many other countries with a much smaller proportion of people living with HIV.

* Information about statistics from South Australia is available on the website of Clinic 275
http://www.stdservices.on.net/stats/hiv-aids.htm
* Australian statistics are available on the site of National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of NSW (Australia)
http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/nchecr/
* International information is available on the World Health Organization (WHO) site:
http://www.who.int/hiv/data/en/index.html

Even though most people with HIV in Australia have access to treatments, many people have had their lives profoundly affected by living with HIV/AIDS.


What are HIV and AIDS?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus.

* HIV is a virus that affects only humans. It lives and multiplies within immune cells (mainly white blood cells called T-lymphocytes), destroying them and weakening the immune system, making the body vulnerable to a range of other diseases and infections.

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

* Acquired means people are not born with AIDS. It is not a genetic condition.
* A syndrome is a collection of symptoms or illnesses that occur together as the direct result of one cause. In the case of AIDS, the cause is HIV.
* During advanced stages of AIDS, a person may develop a range of illnesses and conditions typical of the syndrome.


How do you get HIV?

Three body fluids contain HIV in a high enough concentration for the virus to be passed on if even a small amount of one of them enters the bloodstream of another person. These fluids are blood, semen and vaginal fluids. These may enter a person's bloodstream in the following ways:

Unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse ('unsafe sex')

* During unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse, tiny cuts or abrasions in the vagina, anus or penis can allow infected blood, semen or vaginal fluids to enter the bloodstream.
* 'Unprotected' means without the use of a condom and lubricant (see the topic 'Safer sex' for more information).

Blood contact between an HIV-positive and an HIV-negative person

* Sharing syringes or needles (or other injecting equipment) can pass blood from one person to another. After injecting drugs there is often blood left in the needle or syringe, even if the syringe and needle look clean. If another person uses this injecting equipment, they may be exposed to blood containing HIV if the first person is infected.
* HIV can be passed on when any other equipment that is not sterile punctures the skin if it has already been used on someone who has an HIV infection. This includes equipment used for:
o body and ear piercing
o tattooing
o some medical and dental procedures.
* Blood contact can also occur during an accident such as a 'needlestick' injury. However, if proper infection control procedures are used, the chances of infection are extremely small, even if the source of the blood is a person with an HIV infection.

During pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding

* If a woman who is HIV-positive becomes pregnant, there is a less than 2% chance that the baby will also become HIV-positive if she is having appropriate treatment for her HIV infection.
* If a woman is HIV positive and is not having treatment, the risk of her baby becoming infected is about 30%. This may happen:
o during pregnancy, by infected blood passing through the placenta into the baby’s bloodstream
o during the birth itself - vaginal or caesarean delivery
o during breastfeeding (breast milk is not a risk for older babies, children or adults, who all have enough stomach acid to kill HIV. A new born baby, however, may not have enough acid).


Saliva or oral sex

There is no risk of contracting HIV from the saliva of an HIV-positive person.

* HIV infection is only possible when enough of the virus enters your bloodstream. With saliva, around a litre and a half would have to be injected or swallowed.
* If saliva enters your mouth through, for example, kissing an HIV positive person, your own saliva will dilute theirs and your stomach acid will kill the virus.

The risk of getting HIV from oral sex is very low.

* Of the millions of HIV infections in the world, only two or three are thought to have been acquired from oral sex. (If there are bleeding sores in the mouth, gum disease, or cut lips, for example, there is a theoretical possibility of transmission.)


Blood transfusion

* Giving blood is completely safe, as a clean needle is used for each blood donor.
* All blood donated at Australian blood banks is thoroughly screened for HIV. Any blood that shows traces of HIV antibodies is destroyed. Because of this, receiving a blood transfusion from the Australian blood supply is considered safe. No one has contracted HIV through receiving a blood transfusion in Australia since screening began in 1985.


How long does the virus survive outside the body?

HIV is very fragile.

* Unlike some other viruses (e.g. hepatitis C), HIV will not survive outside the body for very long.
* As soon as it leaves the body and is exposed to air, the virus will start to die, particularly if there is only a small quantity of blood, semen or vaginal fluid involved.
* Soap and water, shaving cream and ordinary disinfectants will kill the virus.


Day-to-day contact

There is no risk of contracting HIV through normal day-to-day activity or by caring for a person with HIV or AIDS. For example, you cannot catch HIV through:

* shaking hands with someone
* kissing and hugging
* being sneezed or coughed on
* using toilet seats, telephones, pens or paper
* sharing food, drink, cups, cutlery, towels or a bed
* washing, massaging or rubbing someone
* being in the same room with someone
* touching blood on pads or tampons
* insect or mosquito bites.

Throughout the AIDS epidemic, millions of people have lived with, hugged, kissed and cared for family members, lovers and friends with HIV. If this type of activity was risky, there would be many millions more HIV positive people than there are.


Safe sex?

Can a person who is HIV positive still have safe sex? Yes! That is what 'safe sex' is all about.

* Any sexual practice not involving the exchange of blood, semen or vaginal fluids is considered safe.
* If a condom and water-based lubricant is used properly during vaginal or anal intercourse, the chance of contracting HIV is very low.

Have a look at the topic Safer sex for more information.

Syringes and needles

Sharing or re-using syringes and needles ('fits') is not safe.

* Clean fits are available from a range of Clean Needle Program ('needle exchange') outlets throughout South Australia, free, with no questions asked.


Accidents involving blood

If you are ever required to give first aid, or if there is an accident involving blood, you should treat all blood as if it were infectious. The main risks are from Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, but it is possible that HIV could be spread this way.

To protect yourself, standard infection control precautions should always be followed:

* wear disposable gloves
* wash the relevant surface with disinfectant (ordinary household bleach is adequate)
* cover open cuts or sores with a water proof bandage
* dispose of waste matter (rags, soiled paper, etc.) in a sealed plastic bag
* wash and dry soiled towels, clothes and linen as normal.


The blood test for HIV/AIDS

When a person is infected with HIV, their blood will produce specific antibodies in response to the virus. If a person's blood contains these antibodies it is because it also contains HIV. If there is no HIV, then there are no HIV antibodies.

Unfortunately, the blood can take some time to produce a sufficient quantity of these antibodies to be detected in a blood test. In 99% of people, the maximum period (window period) this takes is 12 weeks (3 months).

* A positive result means that the blood contains HIV antibodies and therefore contains HIV.
* A negative result means that no HIV antibodies can be found in the blood because either:
o there is no HIV in the blood
o the infection has occurred so recently that the blood has not yet produced a sufficient quantity of HIV antibodies to be detected (seroconversion) i.e. the test has been taken during the window period.
* If you have a test and the result is positive, this result will be accurate.
* If you have a test and the result is negative, and you have not engaged in any unsafe behaviour in the past 12 weeks, then the result will be accurate.
* If, however, you believe that you may have recently been exposed to infection, you should have another follow up test no earlier than 12 weeks after the first. If this result is also negative, and you have not engaged in unsafe behavior during these 12 weeks, then you will not have been infected with HIV.


What happens after a person is infected with HIV?

Once a person has been infected with HIV, they could react to the infection in different ways.

Seroconversion (sero-con-ver-sion)

* Over 50% of people have a short lasting reaction to the infection a couple of weeks after HIV first enters their blood.
* They may develop a cold or flu-like illness from which they will recover quite quickly. Since this reaction is the same as happens with many other virus infections, it is rare for this to be recognized as being due to HIV.
* This is called seroconversion ('sero' means blood), meaning the conversion from being HIV antibody-negative to positive.

Asymptomatic (no symptoms)

* Most people who are HIV-positive will look and feel well for many years after getting HIV.
* This asymptomatic period can last on average in Australia from 4 to 15 years after seroconversion.
* However, the virus continues to replicate during this time and is active in destroying immune cells.
* The virus can also be passed on to other people by unsafe behaviours.

Symptomatic

* A person with HIV may at some point develop lymph gland enlargement that does not go away, in the neck, armpits and/or groin. This is called 'persistent generalized lymphadenopathy' (PGL).
* Other symptoms include a lack of energy, fevers and night sweats, persistent oral or vaginal thrush, persistent diarrhea and weight loss.
* HIV-positive people who have symptoms may get better and be asymptomatic again.

AIDS-defining

* During advanced stages of HIV infection, a person may develop any of a number of illnesses and conditions which indicate they have AIDS.
* These are called AIDS-defining conditions and include:
o continuing weight loss
o neurological (brain) disorders such as dementia
o severe infections that don't get better with normal treatment
o cancers such as Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Over recent years, highly effective treatments for HIV have been developed. It has been proven that by using combinations of powerful drugs, the activity of the virus can be limited a great deal. Before long, HIV may be considered as a manageable long-term condition over the period of a normal life expectancy.


What treatments are available for HIV/AIDS?

The is no cure for HIV infection and there is no vaccine to protect anyone from the infection.

Over recent years, highly effective treatments for HIV have been developed. It has been proven that by using combinations of powerful drugs, the activity of the virus can be limited a great deal. Before long, HIV may be considered as a manageable long-term condition over the period of a normal life expectancy.

Treatments used are dependent on the individual’s needs, circumstances and choice.

* Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
* Preventative (prophylactic) medications to prevent specific illnesses that may arise in someone with HIV/AIDS.
* Treating llnesses that arise in people with HIV/AIDS using the same medications as are used for other people for the same problems. For example, infections may be treated with antibiotics, and cancers may be treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy.
* Antiviral medications - to attack HIV by interfering with its ability to reproduce. This keeps the amount of HIV in the body as low as possible, thus slowing the damage to the immune system.
* Alternative/complementary therapies. The use of alternative medicines and therapies has proven quite successful in assisting many people in dealing with the consequences of HIV infection. Techniques such as massage and meditation, for example, have obvious benefits to a persons general well-being.


Resources
South Australia

* AIDS Council of South Australia (ACSA)
Internet site provides lists of resource agencies, plus links to many other South Australian and Australian organizations, agencies and research organizations.
http://www.acsa.org.au
* Women’s Health Statewide HIV project, support for HIV positive women
http://www.whs.sa.gov.au/project_hiv.php
* People living with HIV/AIDS (SA) and the Adelaide Positive Living Centre
http://www.hivsa.org.au/
* Clinic 275 (Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinic). Free and confidential advice, testing and treatment for all sexually transmitted infections.
http://www.stdservices.on.net
* SHine SA (Sexual health and information)
http://www.shinesa.org.au
* The Second Story Youth Health Service, Youth Healthline 1300 13 17 19
* Department of Health, South Australia HIV Action Plan 2009 - 2012 http://www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/publications/090525-hiv-action-plan.pdf


References and further reading

AIDS Council of SA, frequently asked questions,
http://www.acsa.org.au

Department of Health, South Australia, HIV/AIDS statistics
http://www.stdservices.on.net/stats/hiv-aids.htm

Department of Health, South Australia 'Human Immunodeficiency Virus'
http://www.dh.sa.gov.au/pehs/Youve-got-what/ygw-hiv.pdf

National Association of People living with HIV/AIDS, Australia (NAPWA)
http://napwa.org.au/

National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of NSW (Australia)
http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/nchecr/

UNAIDS, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
www.unaids.org/en

Women’s Health Statewide, HIV women’s project
http://www.whs.sa.gov.au/project_hiv2.php#support

World Health Organisation and HIV/AIDS
http://www.who.int/hiv/en

Source: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=243&np=292&id=2446

Loss of Sense of Smell with Intranasal Cold Remedies Containing Zinc

FDA is alerting consumers that Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size, a discontinued product that consumers may still have in their homes, have all been associated with long lasting or permanent loss of smell (referred to as anosmia). These products, marketed by Matrixx Initiatives, are zinc-containing, nasal cold remedies used to reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms. However, these products have not been shown to be effective in the reduction of the duration and severity of cold symptoms.

This advisory does not concern oral zinc tablets and lozenges taken by mouth.

FDA recommends that consumers stop using these products and throw them away. See the FDA website for How to Dispose of Unused Medicines.

For treating symptoms of the common cold, consumers can take a number of other over-the-counter drugs. However, the common cold goes away without treatment, usually within seven to ten days.

Since the introduction of Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel to the market in 1999, FDA has received more than 130 reports of anosmia associated with the use of Zicam zinc-containing intranasal products. The reports vary. Many people state that the loss of sense of smell occurred with the first dose of the Zicam product, although some people report it happened after later doses. The loss of sense of smell may be long-lasting or even permanent in some people.

Loss of the sense of smell may cause serious problems, such as failing to smell smoke, a gas leak, or spoiled food. Also, loss of the sense of smell is often linked with a loss of the sense of taste. People who cannot taste could unintentionally eat spoiled food and not appreciate flavors, and lose much of the pleasure of eating.

FDA recommends that consumers contact their healthcare provider if they experience loss of the sense of smell or taste, or experience other problems after using any zinc-containing nasal products.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this Product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax, using the contact information at the bottom of this sheet.

Source: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PublicHealthAdvisories/ucm166059.htm

The H-Factor Can Make Dieting Easier

Happiness and emotional well-being are overlooked in many diets, but they have so much to do with curbing your appetite, inspiring you to choose healthier foods, and long-term change. Without happiness or satisfaction, weight loss is a daunting, laborious, often impossible endeavor. To find out how to infuse a diet with the H-factor of happpiness, I got in touch with renowned macrobiotic counselor, author, and speaker, Denny Waxman for tricks to change your body and your life.

DENNY WAXMAN'S STEPS FOR A HAPPY DIET...

Play more, workout less.
Children do not want to eat when they are playing. They want to eat when they are bored or forced to do things they do not want to do. The principles are the same for adults. Satisfying activities enhance your appetite for healthy foods and help you feel satisfied with less. The wrong activities make you want to reward yourself with rich foods and unhealthy sweets.

Have a serving of vegetable soup everyday.
Soup helps condition your digestive system and gets it ready for the meal. Soup also makes you feel more satisfied and naturally helps you eat less.

Plan your meals around grains, vegetables, and other high fiber foods.
Make your metabolism active to maintain your proper weight without effort.
Metabolism is your ability to digest and absorb the nutrition from your food and then eliminate the excess efficiently. There are two ways to activate your metabolism. The first is to plan your meals around grains, vegetables, and other high fiber foods. This combination makes you feel the most satisfied without feeling that you need to restrict the amount of food you eat. The second way to activate your metabolism is to...

Eat at regular times without skipping meals.
Eating between meals has a stagnating effect. The ideal starting times for stimulating your metabolism are between 5:00 & 8:30 am for breakfast, 11:00 am & 1:00 pm for lunch, and 5:00 & 7:00 pm for dinner.

Sit down to eat without reading, watching TV, or working.
Develop a relationship with your food, and you will feel more satisfied, have better digestion, and eat less. Eating with family and friends strengthens communication and creates a strong feeling of connectedness that can also leave you feeling less hungry.

Try to make your daily foods both satisfying and nourishing.
Try to find healthy foods that satisfy your basic needs, instead of eliminating the foods you think are causing your problems. Feeling deprived does not lead to happiness. Restriction in your diet inevitably leads to excess. This is the reason most diets fail.

Eat more high-fiber foods.
Grains, vegetables, fruits, soups and other plant-based foods make your digestive system happy. They pass through your digestive system more easily than animal and dairy foods, and help keep it clean and healthy.

Walk outside for at least a half hour daily.
Walking is not exercise, it is a natural activity that makes your body and mind work better and returns you to a state of harmony and balance. Life-related activities including cleaning, gardening, and dancing are the most satisfying and beneficial to your health and weight.

Give yourself a daily massage.
A daily body rub cleans and renews your skin, making it look and feel younger in just days or weeks. It also activates your blood, lymph, and energy circulation to help keep your metabolism active. Fill your sink with just hot water. Dip in a cotton face cloth, wring it out, and rub your skin lightly. Gentle pressure is more effective than a vigorous scrub. Frequently re-dip the cloth and try to get all your body with a back and forth motion.

Stop eating 3 hours before getting into bed.
Your body wants to clean and repair at night while you are sleeping. When your stomach is empty, you are much more efficient at this process because your liver will not be bogged down storing unused nutrition. This allows it to more easily neutralize acidity and detoxify your body. You will sleep more deeply and wake feeling more refreshed and happy.

Source: http://food.yahoo.com/blog/yahoofreshpicks/7938/the-h-factor-can-make-dieting-easier/

What Chain-Food Favorites Cost in Exercise

My "two scoops won't hurt and neither will these french fries" approach to eating doesn't lend itself well to swimsuit season. Although the beach treks may have begun, there is time to make change. So, let me have it. What's that ice cream going to cost me in workout minutes? To tell us is Charles Stuart Platkin, also known as the Diet Detective. He is the author of five books and and host of WE TV's I Want To Save Your Life. Here is his report on what some of our chain-food favorites should cost us in time spent doing common exercises...

Note: Calorie content of foods are based on official website information at the time of publication. Minutes of exercise are averages based on a 155-pound person. The greater the weight of the person the more calories burned per minute.

DONUT
Dunkin Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donut (230 calories)
59 minutes of walking (3 mph).






BREAKFAST SANDWICH
McDonald's Egg McMuffin (300 calories)
32 minutes of running (5 mph).








CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
Panera Chocolate Chipper (440 calories)
62 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).







PIZZA
Pizza Hut Large Hand-Tossed Style Cheese Pizza (1 slice; 320 calories)
39 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).









CINNAMON ROLL
Starbucks Cinnamon Roll (500 calories, varies by location)
85 minutes of dancing.









HAMBURGER
Burger King Original Whopper With Cheese (770 calories)
94 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).





BROWNIE
Au Bon Pain Chocolate Chip Brownie (380 calories).
129 minutes of yoga (Hatha style).









FRIES
Wendy's Large French Fries (540 calories)
77 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).










ICE CREAM
Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream (0.5 cup; 270 calories)
29 minutes of running (5 mph).










BURRITO
Taco Bell Burrito Supreme, Beef (410 calories)
70 minutes of dancing.








Found at: http://food.yahoo.com/blog/yahoofreshpicks/9960/what-chain-food-favorites-cost-in-exercise/

10 'Healthy' Foods That Aren't So Healthy

Ever wonder why you can’t lose weight even though you’re eating “healthy?”

More than likely it’s because you’re misinformed as to what really constitutes healthy food, nutritionist and dietician Tanya Zuckerbrot told Foxnews.com.

“When I see some of the food choices people make I wonder if it’s just that people don’t care,” said Zuckerbrot, author of the F-Factor Diet. “But I really think it’s just that people don’t know what’s good for them and what’s not.”

Here are 10 healthy foods that aren’t:

Olive oil: Sure it’s a heart-healthy monounsaturated oil, but it’s also rich in calories and fat. “Oil is oil,” Zuckerbrot said.

“Whether it’s olive oil or some other kind of oil, it still has 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. You’re better off using a pat of butter (for bread) than dipping it in olive oil because the bread sops up the oil like a sponge. So a little bit of butter is better than a lot of olive oil.”

Tuna fish: Think that tuna sandwich is a light lunch? Think again. The average overstuffed tuna sandwich served in a restaurant contains 700 calories and 43 grams of fat.

The reason? The mayo. “Tuna fish has just 35 calories per ounce and it’s full of omega-3s, but mayonnaise has 100 calories per tablespoon,” Zuckerbrot said. “You’re better off having a turkey or even a roast beef sandwich. Even chicken salad is better than tuna salad, because tuna is so fine there’s a lot more surface area for the mayonnaise to fill.”

Granola: The term granola may be used to describe health-conscious people, but the cereal itself is actually quite fattening. That’s because granola cereals often contain oils, including high in saturated fat coconut oil, sugar, nuts and other high calorie foods.

“Something like Fiber One has 60 calories per half cup and 14 grams of fiber versus a half cup of granola, which was 240 calories, 5 to 10 grams of fat and just 3 grams of fiber,” Zuckerbrot said, adding that fiber is the key to feeling full and satiated.

Organic food: Organic food may be preservative and pesticide free, but that doesn’t mean it’s also calorie-free, said Zuckerbrot. “I mean they make organic potato chips so what does that tell you,” she said.

Sushi: Tuna sashimi is very healthy. A California roll or tempura roll, not so much, said Zuckerbrot.

“Japanese food is inherently healthy, but when you Americanize it and start adding things like cream cheese and avocado, that’s when you run into problems,” she said.

Tuna sashimi, for example, has about 35 calories and 1 gram of fat per ounce. But a spicy tuna roll has 290 calories and 11 grams of fat, and a tempura roll has 320 calories and 17 grams of fat. “You’re better off going with tuna sashimi, miso soup (36 calories) and a salad (35 calories with a tablespoon of non-creamy ginger dressing).”

Pizza: “Yes the sauce is high in lycopene, but all the lycopene in the world is not going to convince me pizza is a heart-healthy food,” Zuckerbrot said. “And mozzarella cheese is a good source of calcium, but it’s also high in calories.”

An average slice of pizza sold in New York City has between 600 and 700 calories. A more traditional slice, about one-twelfth of a pie, has between 300 and 400 calories, said Zuckerbrot. “And most people eat at least two slices to feel satisfied,” she said. “Your best bet is to eat one slice and get a salad or a cup of minestrone soup on the side so that you feel satisfied and save on the calories.”

Frozen diet meals: Sure Lean Cuisine and Weight Watcher frozen entrees are fairly low in calories and convenient, but they’re also highly processed and high in sodium.

“I understand the convenience factor, but most of these meals have more than 600 milligrams of sodium and the portions are really small and they’re not really satisfying,” Zuckerbrot said. “So you eat one for dinner and then by 9:00 you’re hungry again. You’re better off eating a slice of whole wheat bread with some light sauce and light mozzarella or an egg white omelet with some vegetables.”

Protein bars: Another convenient food, but not very nutritious. Zuckerbrot describes protein bars as her least favorite food and said they are basically glorified candy bars. They’re also often high in calories, fat and do little to satisfy a person’s hunger.

A better choice, said Zuckerbrot, is hitting the salad bar and grabbing lots of lettuce, artichokes and broccoli, topped with plain balsamic vinegar. For 100 to 200 calories, you get a lot more for a lot less calories.

Pretzels: They’re low in fat and low on nutrition. “They’re basically empty calories,” Zuckerbrot said. “Inherently, pretzels themselves are not unhealthy, but they’re basically all sugar so they’ll make you hungrier and you’ll gain weight as a result of over-eating."

Fat-free, sugar-free muffins: Regardless of whether a muffin is fat free or sugar free, they still usually have around 600 calories, according to Zuckerbrot.

“It’s nothing but cake in disguise, especially these double chocolate chip-type muffins,” she said. “But even bran muffins, they’re very dense, very high in calories. The same thing goes for scones. People think that because they’re not sweet, they’re healthy. But scones are full of butter.”

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316477,00.html

America’s Unhealthiest Restaurants

Your favorite fast food restaurant is often like your favorite city: Visit some neighborhoods and you live the high life. Visit others and you’re just plain asking for trouble. And that’s where Eat This, Not That! comes in: We’ve analyzed and graded 66 different chain restaurants—fast food and sit-down—to determine which ones have healthy options, and which could turn out to be diet disasters.

What we found will surprise you. Specifically, some of the fast food joints you’ve come to think of as terrible for you actually ranked alright—McDonald’s scored a B+, for example, so the Micky D’s drive-thru just might be your fast-lane to weight loss. Something even more shocking, though: more than half of the sit-down restaurants we graded ended up with our lowest scores!

To separate the commendable from the deplorable, we calculated the total number of calories per entrée. This gave us a snapshot of how each restaurant compared in average serving size—a key indicator of unhealthy portion distortion. Then we rewarded establishments with fruit and vegetable side-dish choices, as well as offering whole-wheat bread. Finally, we penalized places for excessive amounts of trans fats and menus that tempt you with fat-laden desserts. Hey, if the neighborhood is crowded with shady characters, sooner or later, one of them will jump you.

Here’s our restaurant report card for some of the unhealthiest restaurants in America. It’ll help you stay on the safer side of town.


D+
Baskin-Robbins
We thought we'd see some improvements after we identified Baskin's Heath Shake as the Worst Drink on the Planet. All they did was lower it from 2,300 to 1,900 calories, leaving an almost equally egregious drinkable disaster to set back unsuspecting sippers. It’s typical of the menu there; B-R’s soft serve is among the most caloric in the country, the smoothies contain more sugar than fruit, and most of what Baskin sticks into a cup winds up with more fat than what'll end up on your plate at a steakhouse buffet. Check out our complete list of the 20 Unhealthiest Drinks in America to see the other liquid offenders. If you learn how to make smart choices when you sip, you can lose a few pounds a month—without giving up your favorite foods, or ever dieting again.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: With frozen yogurt, sherbet, and no-sugar-added ice cream, Baskin's lighter menu is the one bright spot. Just be sure to ask for your ice cream in a sugar or cake cone—the waffle cone will swaddle your treat in an extra 160 calories.

D+
Carl’s Jr.
Most fast-food restaurants today are making at least some attempt to offset their bulging burgers and deep-fried sides with healthier options such as lean sandwiches or yogurt parfaits. But Carl's Jr. is swimming against the nutritional tide, trying to attract those with hearty appetites and less concern about fat, salt and calories. The lightest item on the breakfast menu, for instance, is the Hash Brown Nuggets—but even they have 21 grams of fat, and 5.5 of them are trans fats. (As a rule, you should try to get 2 grams or fewer of the stuff in an entire day!) The burgers are worse, and there's not a side on the menu that hasn't been given a long, bubbling bath in their trans-fatty frying oil.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Find another place to grab lunch. Failing that, you should settle on either the Charbroiled Chicken Salad with Low-Fat Balsamic Dressing or the Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich—the only sandwich on the menu with fewer than 400 calories.

D+
Denny’s
Too bad the adult menu at Denny's doesn't adhere to the same standard as the kids' menu. The famous Slam breakfasts all top 800 calories, and the burgers are even worse. The Double Cheeseburger is one of the worst in the country, with 116 grams of fat, 7 of which are trans fats! (This explains why it made our list of the worst burgers in America (and what you should eat instead). Make sure you try to avoid it (and all others on the list) whenever possible.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: The Fit Fare menu gathers together all the best options on the menu. Outside of that, stick to the sirloin, grilled chicken, or soups. For breakfast, order a Veggie Cheese Omelet or create your own meal from a la carte options such as fruit, oatmeal, toast, and eggs.

D+
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen’s taste for excess rivals that of other fast-food failures such as Carl's Jr. and Hardees. But unlike Carl's, DQ offers an avalanche of ice cream creations to follow up its sodium-spiked, trans-fatty foods. Here's a look at one hypothetical meal: a Bacon Cheddar GrillBurger with Onion Rings and a Small Snickers Blizzard is a staggering 1,740-calorie meal with 2,640 mg sodium and 83 grams of fat—2 grams of which are trans fats.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Play solid defense. Skip elaborate burgers, fried sides, and specialty ice cream concoctions entirely. Order a Grilled Chicken Sandwich or an Original Burger, and if you must have a treat, stick to a small soft-serve or a small sundae.

D+
Ruby Tuesday
The chain earned its fame from a hearty selection of hamburgers. The problem: They average 75 grams of fat a piece—more than enough to exceed the USDA's recommended limit for the day. Even the veggie and turkey burgers have more than 850 calories! The chain rounds out its menu with a selection of appetizers that hover around 1,000 calories (supposedly to be split 4-ways), a smattering of high-impact entrées like potpie and ribs, and a sloppy selection of salads that is just as bad.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Solace lies in the three Ss: steak, seafood, and sides. Sirloins, salmon, and shrimp all make for relatively innocuous eating, especially when paired with one of Ruby Tuesday's half dozen healthy sides such as mashed cauliflower and baby green beans. Other than that, impersonate Mick Jagger and think about occasionally saying goodbye to Ruby Tuesday!

D
Chili’s
From burgers to baby back ribs, Chili's serves up some of the saltiest and fattiest fare on fast-food row. In fact, with 3,810 mg of sodium and 122 grams of fat, Chili's Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big Mouth Burger earns the distinction as being one of the worst burgers in America. The Guiltless Grill menu is Chili's attempt to offer healthier options, but with only eight items and an average sodium count of 1,320 mg, there’s meager hope for nutritional salvation.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: There's not too much to choose from after you omit the ribs, burgers, fajitas, chicken, and salads. You're better off with a Classic Sirloin and steamed vegetables or broccoli. Another decent option is the Chicken Fajita Pita with Black Beans and Pico de Gallo. A lot of the appetizers, while delicious, are worrisome too—one from Chili’s made it on our list of Worst Appetizers in America.

D
Uno Chicago Grill
Uno has some serious strikes against it: The chain invented the deep-dish pizza, they encouraged gluttony with their Bigger and Better menu, and in 1997 they faced false-advertising charges for erroneously claiming that some of their pizzas were low in fat. They've cleaned up some of the more conspicuous health hazards and have increased nutritional transparency at all of their stores, but from appetizers to desserts, this menu is still riddled with belt-busting fat.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: First off, cast aside the bloated breadstick that Uno tries to sneak onto most plates. Next, choose flatbread over deep-dish pizzas—it could save you more than 1,000 calories. Beyond that, stick to soups or entree items served with Mango Salsa.

D
Chevy’s
Don't let the made-fresh-daily shtick distract you; Chevy's massive portions push many of the meals beyond the 1,000-calorie threshold. The taco trader’s menu has three strikes against it: 1.) the consistently high amount of fat in its entrees (the average salad has 67 grams); 2.) the outrageous salt levels that make it difficult to find a meal with fewer than 2,000 mg of sodium (you should get around that amount in an entire day of eating); and 3.) the chain earns its poor score by failing to offer complete nutritional disclosure. It provides no information for its appetizers or quesadillas, for instance, and although it maintains it uses trans-fat free oils, there's no trans-fat data for the full entrees.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: The best items on the menu are the Homemade Tortilla Soup, with just 393 calories and a full 26 grams of protein, and the Santa Fe Chopped Salad, which has only 470 calories when you order it without cheese. If you can't resist an entrée, order it without all the fixin's—tamalito, rice, sour cream, and cheese. That should knock more than 300 calories off your meal.

D-
On the Border
On the Border is a subsidiary of Brinker International, the same parent company that owns Chili's and Romano's Macaroni Grill. It should come as no surprise then that this chain is just as threatening to your health as its corporate cohorts. The overloaded menu offers appetizers with 120 grams of fat, salads with a full day's worth of sodium, and taco entrées with an horrific 960 calories—and that’s the calculation without rice and beans. Border crossing is a decidedly dangerous enterprise.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: The Border Smart Menu highlights four items with fewer than 600 calories and 25 grams of fat. Those aren't great numbers considering they average 1,800 mg of sodium apiece, but that's all you've got to work with.

D-
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
For years now we've been on Romano's case to clean up the menu at the beloved Macaroni Grill. So far we've had no luck. This Italian grease spot serves some of the worst appetizers in the country, offers not one dinner entrée with fewer than 800 calories, and hosts no fewer than 60 menu items with more than 2,000 mg of sodium—almost an entire day’s worth of the salt! A select few menu items earn the restaurant's Sensible Fare logo—a fork with a halo over it—but unfortunately these items can still carry up to 640 calories and 25 grams of fat.

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Macaroni Grill will let you build your own dish. Ask for the marinara over a bed of the restaurant's whole-wheat penne, and then top it with grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. Just beware their salads—one of them made our list of America’s Worst Salads!

D-
Baja Fresh
It's a surprise Baja Fresh's menu has yet to collapse under the weight of its own fatty fare. About a third of the items on the menu have more than 1,000 calories, and most of them are spiked with enough sodium to melt a polar icecap. Order the Shrimp Burrito Dos Manos Enchilado-Style, for instance, and you're looking at 5,130 mg sodium—that's more than 2 days' worth in one sitting!

SURVIVAL STRATEGY: Unless you're comfortable stuffing 110 grams of fat into your arteries, avoid the nachos at all costs. In fact, avoid almost everything on this menu. The only safe options are the tacos, or a salad topped with salsa verde and served without the belly-busting tortilla bowl.

F
Applebee’s, IHOP, Outback, T.G.I. Friday’s
These titans of the restaurant industry are among the last national chains that don’t offer nutritional information on their dishes. Even after years of badgering their representatives, we still hear the same old excuses: it’s too pricey, it’s too time-consuming, it’s impossible to do accurately because their food is so fresh, or we have too much variety. Our response is simple: If nearly every other chain restaurant in the country can do it, then why can’t they?

Your Survival Strategy: Write letters, make phone calls, beg, scream, and plead for these restaurants to provide nutritional information on all of their products. Here’s the contact information for each of the restaurants that refuse to fess up!

Applebees: 888-59APPLE, or send an e-mail to http://www.applebees.com/GuestContact.aspx
IHOP: 818-240-6055 (press 1 for Guest Visit issues)
Outback: Send an e-mail at http://www.outback.com/contactus/generalcomment.aspx
T.G.I. Friday's: 800-FRIDAYS

For a comprehensive Restaurant Report Card on all of the other fast food and chain restaurants, please click here for the whole list.

Source: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/26542/americas-unhealthiest-restaurants

4 Simple Exercises for Strong, Shapely Arms

Do these exercises three to four times a week and within a month you'll start to see ripples you never knew you had


Warm-Up: Do three minutes of cardio before your arm routine to increase your heart rate, loosen your muscles, and help avoid injury. Jumping rope, climbing stairs, and walking on a treadmill are great options. Once your torso begins generating a little heat, do two sets of 24 small (about five inches in diameter) arm circles to warm up your biceps, triceps, and shoulder muscles. Move your arms forward for the first set, backward for the second set.

Cooldown: Stretch the muscles you just worked to reduce soreness and maximize flexibility. Sit in a chair, extend your arms in front of you, one over the other, and clasp your hands to stretch out your biceps. Switch arms and repeat. Then bend forward and clasp your hands behind your back. Lift them gently for a deep stretch in the triceps.

Tip: If you don't have hand weights, use cans of food or water bottles filled with sand or uncooked rice.

Push-Pull Kickback

How to Do It: Stand in a squat position, legs shoulder-width apart, knees bent at about 45 degrees, and chest leaning slightly forward. Hold a light dumbbell (three to five pounds is a good starting point for all these exercises) in each hand, palms facing your thighs. Bending your arms, bring your fists up toward your torso, in front of your armpits. Push the dumbbells straight out in front of you, fully extending your arms, knuckles up. Bending your arms, pull them toward your armpits and extend them back behind you until they're straight (shown). During this part of the exercise, pretend your upper arms are glued to your sides to better isolate the triceps. Do three sets of 12 repetitions.

What It Does: Works your chest and triceps. You'll see results along the backs of your arms and in the area where your shoulders meet your chest.


Shadowboxing

How to Do It: Stand upright, legs spaced slightly wider than your shoulders, hands in front of your face (like a boxer getting ready for a bout), with a light dumbbell in each hand. Extend your right fist as if you were hitting someone in the face, angling the punch toward the opponent's opposite ear. As you pull your arm back, imagine that you're ducking an incoming punch and bend your knees into a squat. Stand and repeat with the other arm. For the next punch, move your fist in a rapid upward motion, as if hitting someone just under the chin. Squat, stand, and repeat with the other arm. For the last punch, extend your arm as if punching someone on the side of the jaw with your knuckles (shown). Squat, stand, and repeat with the other arm. Do two to three sets of punches, 10 seconds for each set.

What It Does: Works your biceps, triceps, shoulders, and upper back -- the whole package. The squats will develop your glutes and quadriceps. The rapid and dynamic moves will give your heart a workout, too.


Double Biceps Curl

How to Do It: Stand upright, feet close together, knees relaxed. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, pressing your elbows close to your sides, palms facing forward. Bend your arms so your forearms form 90-degree angles in front of you. Squeezing your biceps, slowly lift the weights up toward your shoulders. Lower your arms to the starting position. Palms facing up, slowly curl your arms back up, this time to the outsides of your shoulders (shown). Again, remember to press your upper arms tightly against your sides to really work the biceps. Do three sets of 12 reps.

What It Does: Works the very centers of the biceps from multiple directions, creating chiseled definition.


Standing Push-Up

How to Do It: Stand facing a desk or a sturdy ledge. Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the surface in a push-up position and place your body at a 45-degree angle with the floor. Pull your navel inward and balance your weight on the balls of your feet (shown). With elbows close to your sides, bend your arms and bring your chest toward the desk as low as you can, inhaling as you descend. Slowly push yourself back up to the starting position, exhaling as you rise. Do two to three sets of 8 to 10 reps. To increase the challenge, do half the sets underhanded, gripping the desk or the ledge from below. This focuses the benefits on the lower triceps, which most women have a particularly hard time firming up. As you improve, intensify the exercise by moving your hands closer together.

What It Does: Strengthens your triceps as well as your abdominals and shoulders, which can improve overall posture.

From Real Simple: Stretching 101

The 7 Best Foods for Weight Loss

Losing weight is not about starving yourself and subsisting on seltzer. Eat too little and the only place you'll feel lighter is your head. Plus, research shows that any pounds you lose will likely come back--plus more. One of the healthiest ways to shed pounds for good is to eat power foods that are naturally filling, nutrient-packed and, yes, proven to help you peel off pounds. Pile your plate with these prize possessions!

Steak
Women on a diet that included red meat lost more weight than those eating equal calories but little beef, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. One reason: The protein in lean cuts of steak helps you keep muscle mass during weight loss, and muscle incinerates more calories than fat, so you will shed more stubborn pudge. Try it: Grill or broil a 4-ounce serving of top round or sirloin; slice thinly to top a salad, or mix with veggies for fajitas.

Eggs
The breakfast staple can trim off inches all over. Research from the Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge found that women on a low-calorie diet who ate an egg with toast and jelly each morning lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories but no eggs. Turns out, egg protein is particularly satisfying, so you liikely eat less during the course of the day.
Try it: Enjoy a morning omelette or frittata, or top your lunchtime salad with hard-boiled eggs.

Lentils
These beans can help banish belly bloat and reduce your belt size. Chock full of protein and soluble fiber, lentils can stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat, especially in the abdominal area.
Try it: Toss lentils in soups, salads or pasta sauce. Or try this delicious Lentil Pilaf with Turkey Sausage.

Pomegranates
Low in calories, this fruit gets high marks for taste and nutritional content, thanks to a healthy dose of folate, fiber and disease-deterring antioxidants.
Try it: Skip the juice and snack on the seeds instead. Toss them into salad in place of nuts. Or try these Pomegranate and Cranberry Bellinis from Giada DeLaurentiis (one of her holiday faves).

Chiles
Some like it hot, and for good reason. Eating spicy numbers will spike your metabolism, courtesy of a compound in chiles called capsaicin, which helps the body burn extra calories for 20 minutes after you eat them. Bonus: It can be downright painful to inhale a plate of chiles, so you'll eat slower, allowing your brain adequate time to register that it is full and prevent overeating.
Try it: Sample the savory entree that chef Nigella Lawson shared with SELF.

Quinoa
It might be hard to pronounce (it's KEEN-wah), but eating quinoa offers a simple way to ward off the munchies. The grain is teeming with fiber (2.6 grams per 1/2 cup) and protein to keep you humming and hunger-free for hours.
Try it: Replace the rice in stir-fries with quinoa.

Parmesan
Say cheese! Women who had one serving of whole milk or cheese daily were less likely to gain weight over time, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds. Dieters who ate lowfat varieties of dairy did not experience the same benefit. Why? Whole dairy may contain more conjugated linoleic acid, which could assist in the fat-burning department. And since Parmesan is so flavorful, you only need a few sprinkles to gain maximum flavor without compromising its pound-shedding power.
Try it: Grate Parmesan over veggies such as broccoli or asparagus, or pair a 1-ounce portion with an apple.

Found at: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/healthieryou/7852/the-7-best-foods-for-weight-loss/

The Truth About Diet Soda

We talk a lot about ''watching what we eat,'' but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life. (Yes, nearly a pound of fat loss a week!) That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.

When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons:

Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.

It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.

Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.

Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.

There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.

Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Bottom line: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong.

Source: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/22630/the-truth-about-diet-soda/

Produce: The Dirtiest and the Cleanest

These days, we have more options for organic produce than ever before. Trends show that more consumers are buying organic more frequently because of concerns about health, pesticide exposure, and the environment.

But when you stroll into the produce section, do you ever wonder which organic fruits and vegetables you should be buying? Since organic foods are often more expensive, it's important to know what to look for, so you don't end up paying extra for organic fruits and veggies that are pretty clean, even in their non-organic versions.

One useful source for this information is the Environmental Working Group. Its Web site lists 44 fruits and vegetables ranked by the amount of pesticide residue each contains. Knowing which fruits and vegetables are usually carrying the most pesticides and which are cleanest, you can decide when it would be wisest to buy organic.

The EWG's "dirty dozen" are peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes (imported), pears, spinach, and potatoes. The "cleanest 12" are onions, avocados, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mangos, sweet peas (frozen), asparagus, kiwis, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplants.

Think especially about buying organic when you're choosing one of the "dirty dozen." And, once you're home, your best bet is to wash all produce, even the organic ones, in warm water before preparing them. Firm produce can be scrubbed with a vegetable brush; softer, riper produce can be washed with a sink sprayer — or use one of those special washing products designed just for produce.

Peeling fruits and vegetables does reduce pesticide exposure, of course, but peeling also removes some important nutrients found in the peel, such as fiber.

Source: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/nutrition/13728/produce-the-dirtiest-and-the-cleanest/