Your Kitchen’s Most Overlooked Tool: Music

Your Kitchen’s Most Overlooked Tool: Music


Just like the perfect workout mix, the right culinary compilation can heighten the adrenaline required cook. Chefs take this seriously.

Mario Batali has been known to blast modern and classic rock throughout this restaurants and he maintains an ever-evolving playlist on his website.

Anthony Bourdain—a die-hard Ramones, Modern Lovers, and Television fan—has a reputation for firing anyone in his kitchen caught playing Billy Joel (Bourdain’s playlist here).

David Schuttenberg of Cabrito in NYC posts his specially designed punk rock kitchen mix tapes on Twitter (@CabritoChefDave) and his Facebook page.

Take a lesson from these guys: Good kitchen music isn’t smooth-jazz, it’s not Top 40s, and it should never contain the words Kenny or Loggins. Good kitchen music reflects the blood, sweat, and toil of cooking. It’s fast-paced, rough around the edges, and anti-establishment. It’s fuel.

Theme Magazine recently released the best food mix I’ve heard. The download has since been removed, but use the track listing and a couple of bucks in the iTunes store to your culinary advantage. This playlist is still far from complete. There are plenty of food tunes still out there waiting to set the soundtrack to chopping, sautéing, reducing and plating.

I’ll add some of mine. You add some of yours. Then, after our knives are sharpened and our speakers are cranked up to 10, we can start cooking.

5 Soccer Mysteries Solved

Why are there so few goals?

A scoreboard rarely shows a double-digit score in soccer for a few reasons. Take a look at the field and the number of players. �nlike basketball or hockey where the field is smaller and you can create more chances for a goal, soccer has a bigger field,�says Richie Williams, New Jersey Red Bulls assistant coach. On top of an expansive field, there are only 11 players covering a field that is usually 120 yards by 75 yards. Translation? A bigger field with man-on-man coverage makes it harder to nail a goal. The other reason for soccer� low-score finishes is because of the off-sides rule, which prevents any forward or attacking player from hanging out by the goal behind the defender. Instead, when a player has the ball and is trying to score, he must have at least one defender between him and the goal. The only way to beat the off-sides rule is a perfect pass to a player who accelerates past a defender to meet the ball or to dribble around a defenderRecently, FIFA relaxed the off-side rule, so that the offensive player now only has to be in line with the defender, thereby creating more goal-scoring chances.

Why is called the beautiful game?

It is beautiful because it is simple�ou can play anywhere as long as you have a ball, and if you don� happen to have one, you can make one, explains says Jamie Trecker, the Fox Sports Senior European Correspondent for the World Cup and author of Love and Blood: At the World Cup with the Footballers, Fans and Freaks. �here are no elaborate rules, there� no BS like there is in American football where there� a rulebook the size of the telephone book and you never know what� going on.�Soccer is different from other team sports in that it� a collaborative effort, but it relies on individual athleticism and intelligence, says Trecker. �ome of the most attractive things in the game come from individual play and movement of the ball and doing things�aking shots, dribbling, passing�hat seem to at first be mistakes and then turn out to be rather brilliant.�

Are oranges the best half-time snack?

The orange myth is up: You�e better off downing a sports drink in the short window between halves. Oranges are fibrous and contain fructose� sugar that is hard to digest�o they are a ripe target for causing a pain in your gut, says John Seifert, Ph.D., an associate professor at the department of Health and Human Performance at Montana State University. The citrus half-time staple is scarce in carbohydrates and fluid, the two things you�e body desperately needs. You want to down as much liquid and carbohydrates as possible without having a slosh bucket in your stomach, says Seifert. Check the label: Look for glucose and sucrose as the top two ingredients. They are sugars that are easy to digest and can be used as energy fast. The optimal effect comes from a 6 percent carbohydrate drink, like original Gatorde or Powerade. Fructose works if it� the third or fourth ingredient because it sweetens the drink, making it taste better. Forgo solids unless you have an iron stomach. As exercise intensity increases, blood flow to the gut decreases, making digestion more difficult, says Seifert. Finally, consider a drink with a 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein, which studies have shown to increase endurance compared with a carbohydrate only drink.

How can you head the ball and not get brain damage?

Stay alert. A ball that takes you by surprise is more likely to cause harm because you aren� braced for its impact. The best way to attack a ball is to stabilize your head, says Mark Lovell, Ph.D., director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center� Sports Medicine Concussion Program. �f your head is flopping around, you are increasing the chance your brain is going to slide around in the skull,�says Lovell. Instead, tighten your neck muscles to absorb some of the ball� energy, use your core to control your neck, and keep your legs shoulder width apart. If you�e attacking aim to head the ball down with your forehead, and if you�e defending aim up. A good way to learn the good heading technique�o activate your core�is to lie on your back and have someone throw the ball toward you and you do a crunch like movement and head it back, explains Greg Ramos, a certified soccer coach with Lehigh Valley United F.C. Then practice on your knees; and finally do the drill standing up. This will teach you to head in a controlled way and not to push up or jump with your legs.

What are the fans always singing about?

They want to build up their own team and disparage their foes�t� tribalism. �inging and chanting has become wrapped up in the aesthetics of the game,�says Jamie Trecker, the Fox Sports Senior European Correspondent for the World Cup and author of Love and Blood: At the World Cup with the Footballers, Fans and Freaks. The opposing fans sing to each other to goad each other on. In fact, Trecker says one of the greatest soccer taunts is to tell a losing team that their fans only sing when they�e winning. Singing also expresses solidarity�all together, we are behind you,�says Colin Jose, the Historian Emeritus for the National Soccer Hall of Fame. �ne of the most popular songs for English fans is �ou�l Never Walk Alone,�which an anthem for fans of Liverpool in particular,�says Jose. Whatever you do, don� stoop to the level of �le, ole, ole, ole...�the song meaning �o�or �in�in Spanish that originates from Mexican fans at the 1986 World Cup. That� hardly a soccer song, and it� the kind of thing American novices erroneously think the game� all about, says Trecker.

Air Pollution Tied to Breathing Problems in Sleep

Breathing-related sleep disruptions come in several forms, of which the best known is sleep apnea. It causes people to repeatedly wake up when their airways constrict and breathing is cut off. In many cases, sufferers don’t realize they have the condition, which can contribute to the development of heart disease and stroke.

In the study, researchers tried to discover if air pollution — which irritates the airways — has anything to do with sleep disruptions, which affect an estimated 17 percent of adults in the United States.

The study authors pored over data from the Sleep Heart Health Study, which examined the heart health and sleep patterns of more than 6,000 people between 1995 and 1998. They then compared those patterns to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air pollution data on seven cities: Minneapolis; New York City; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; Sacramento; Tucson, Ariz.; and Framingham, Mass.

The researchers analyzed data on more than 3,000 people and adjusted for factors such as age, gender, smoking and temperature so they wouldn’t throw off the results.

They found that incidents of sleep apnea and low levels of oxygen during sleep went up as the temperature rose during all seasons of the year. Sleep-disordered breathing also rose during the summer as air pollution worsened.

Particles of pollution “may influence sleep through effects on the central nervous system, as well as the upper airways,” wrote co-author Antonella Zanobetti in a news release, noting that the exact mechanism is unclear. “These new data suggest that reduction in air pollution exposure might decrease the severity of such sleep disruptions.”

The study, funded by the U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the EPA and the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, appeared online June 14 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Poor School Performance

Poor School Performance



These findings make clear the impact violence can have on children living in the area, regardless of whether they witness violence directly or are personally victimized. The results suggest that children may carry the burden of violence with them as they take part in daily life within the neighborhood or school settings,” Patrick Sharkey, a sociology professor at New York University, said in a university news release.

He analyzed data on reported murders in Chicago from 1994 to 2002 and compared that with information collected through surveys of children and families in Chicago. The study was limited to black and Hispanic children, because whites and other ethnic groups were almost never exposed to local murders in the data samples used in the study, Sharkey explained.

Overall, the study found that black children whose reading and language skills were assessed immediately after a local murder had much lower scores than those of peers who lived in the same neighborhood but were assessed at different times.

When the length of time between the murder and the child’s assessment increased beyond a week, the effects of the murder on the child’s scores weakened. In addition, the farther away a murder was from a child’s home, the less the impact.

While the findings were extremely strong for black children, local murders appeared to have no effect on Hispanic children, a finding that requires further research.

“When one takes into account the prevalence of homicide in the most violent neighborhoods in cities like Chicago, these results mean that some children spend about one week out of every month functioning at a low level as they navigate the home or school environment,” Sharkey concluded.

The study was released online June 14 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Gene Mutations Offer Clues to Autoimmune Disorders


Gene Mutations Offer Clues to Autoimmune Disorders

Researchers report that the findings could lead to better treatments — although that’s not guaranteed — and pave the way for scientists to link uncommon genetic variations to other diseases.

The research is focused on mutations in the gene coding an enzyme in charge of a crucial cell in the immune system. The enzyme, called sialic acid acetylesterase, controls the immune system’s B cells — white cells that produce antibodies to fight the foreign proteins of viruses, bacteria and other invaders. If the enzyme fails to rein in the B cells, they may attack the body’s healthy cells by mistake.

The study authors compared the genetic makeup of 923 people with common autoimmune disorders to a control group of 648 people without them. They found a genetic variation that interferes with the enzyme in 24 of the participants with autoimmune diseases but just two of the controls.

The gene variant accounts for only about 2 or 3 percent of autoimmune disease cases, but “we are actively investigating other genes in this pathway that may be defective in a larger percentage of patients,” said study senior author Dr. Shiv Pillai, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research, in a hospital news release.

The research appears online June 16 in the journal Nature.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine May Shield Against 1918 Strain

H1N1 Flu Vaccine May Shield Against 1918 Strain




The finding stems from work funded by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, which examined the vaccine’s efficacy in influenza protection among mice.

“While the reconstruction of the formerly extinct Spanish influenza virus was important in helping study other pandemic viruses, it raised some concerns about an accidental lab release or its use as a bioterrorist agent,” study author Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, a professor of microbiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, said in a school news release. “Our research shows that the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine protects against the Spanish influenza virus, an important breakthrough in preventing another devastating pandemic like 1918.”

Garcia-Sastre and his colleagues report their findings in the current issue of Nature Communications.

The authors worked with three groups of mice, injecting them with either the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, a seasonal influenza vaccine, or no vaccine.

Three weeks following vaccination, all the mice were exposed to a deadly dosage of the 1918 Spanish influenza virus. The researchers observed that only mice from the group that had been inoculated with the 2009 H1N1 vaccine were able to survive, although some from that group also succumbed to the Spanish influenza exposure.

In a second round of testing, Garcia-Sastre’s team also injected mice with blood serum drawn from people who had been vaccinated against H1N1, and then exposed them to the Spanish influenza virus. In this way, the researchers found that antibodies present in human blood exposed to the H1N1 vaccine may also offer some protection against Spanish influenza.

“Considering the millions of people who have already been vaccinated against 2009 H1N1 influenza, cross-protection against the 1918 influenza virus may be widespread,” said Garcia-Sastre. “Our research indicates that people who were exposed to the virus may also be protected. We look forward to conducting further research on the benefits of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine in protecting against the deadly 1918 Spanish influenza virus.”

Yoga Pants for Achy Knees

Yoga Pants for Achy Knees



The name pretty much says it all: These are basic black yoga capris, but with a large square of padding over each knee. The pads are thin. Translation: They don’t scream,“I’m wearing knee pads!” Still, they give about the same amount of cushioning as a single or double layer of a blanket does. Overall, the pants fit well, and the fabric has a nice, stretchy weave that’s not only comfortable but also wicks sweat quite nicely.

There’s one caveat, though, and it’s definitely worth noting: These capris have a “crotch gusset” (i.e., an oval piece of fabric sewn into the crotch area), and the placement of the seams makes it look, somewhat embarrassingly, like I have a sort of continuous frontal wedgie, if you will, even though the pants fit just fine. It was enough of an issue to keep me from wearing them to yoga class; I chose instead to test them in the privacy of my den.

The verdict: These capris are a great idea for yoginis with achy joints, eliminating the need for extra padding during knee-down poses. But you may want to save them for your home practices—or at least wear them with a long T-shirt.

Product: Fila Knee Pad Yoga Capri

Category: Apparel

Pros: These comfy pants eliminate the need for extra knee padding during yoga poses.

Cons: Some of the stitching is less than flattering.

Cost: $55 at FILA.com

Extra tip: They pad only your knees for comfort; they don’t protect them internally during challenging poses. So if you sometimes modify the poses to go easier on your joints, you should continue to do so when you wear them.

Pregnant While Perimenopausal

Pregnant While Perimenopausal



After surveying the spontaneous conception rates of women in their 20s versus women in their late 30s in this recent article, it seems reasonable to assume that a woman who is sustaining a pregnancy at age 47 has employed in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs.

But what if Ms. Preston did conceive this baby without the use of donor egg IVF? How could she have done it?

I connected with Dr. Rashmi Gulati, MD, medical director of Patients Medical, in New York City, who not only specializes in this area of medicine, but also gave birth to twins at age 44. She had several recommendations for women in their 40s who may be perimenopausal, but who would nevertheless like to optimize their fertility.

“Perimenopausal women’s egg quantity and quality decline, which makes it more difficult to conceive and sustain pregnancy,” she explains. And even though there is not much you can do to improve the quality of your eggs, you can create the best possible conditions for your body to conceive. Here are her recommendations.

Check your hormone levels
“Miscarriage rates are 25% for women in their 40s compared to 12% to 15% for women in their 20s,” Dr. Gulati says. This may be a result of a decrease in certain hormones in a perimenopausal woman. Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone help a woman to conceive and sustain a pregnancy.

You need higher progesterone levels to sustain a pregnancy. Without enough estrogen, you may not ovulate, and you may experience vaginal dryness as well as a thinning of your uterine lining.

Pay attention to your thyroid health
“Hypothyroid is perhaps one of the most common, yet easily overlooked, causes of infertility,” according to Dr. Gulati. As thyroid disorders increase in women over the age of 35, women who want to become mothers later in life should have their thyroid tested.

Some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism—irregular periods, moodiness, and frequent sweating—can also be confused with those of perimenopause.

Nurture yourself
Gulati recommends that women do what they can to get healthy, eliminate nutrient deficiencies with the help of a holistic physician, increase their consumption of essential fatty acids to help build up cervical mucus, and, if at all possible, to relax while trying to conceive.

Dr. Gulati’s twins were conceived after she became perimenopausal. She suffered from low progesterone levels, hypothyroidism, and nutrient deficiencies, but once her system was balanced, she sustained the pregnancy with her twin girls.

It is stories like these, and Kelly Preston’s, that continue to serve as a beacon of hope for potential mothers in their 40s. Although many people do conceive their late-in-life babies with donor egg IVF, it may not be impossible to create your own bump at home.

Get a Hot Soccer Body Without Playing, a Chocolate Banana Split for Breakfast, and Why Women Stress More Than Men



Get a Hot Soccer Body Without Playing, a Chocolate Banana Split for Breakfast, and Why Women Stress More Than Men


* Worried about the special guy in your life’s affinity for beer, wings, and burgers? Let him know there are lighter versions of all his favorite “manly” foods. [Cooking Light]

* In the hierarchy of vegetables, sprouts have always seemed a bit more like space-fillers than nutritional powerhouses. But it turns out the baby plants are actually really, really good for you. [That’s Fit Canada]

* As we know far too well, women are double-booked and super-stressed, seemingly even more so than our male counterparts. A recent study investigates the hormone that may be causing our freak-outs. [Time]

* Research is piling up proving whole grains trump processed carbs. But what about the white-rice junkies and white-bread addicts who just can’t stand to completely convert to the brown stuff? Try mixing your grains! [FitSugar]

* A chocolate banana split for breakfast? It sounds too good to be true! This light and delicious recipe will help you start your day for less than 350 calories. [Fox News iMag]

* Even if you’re not a soccer fan, we’re sure you can appreciate the—ahem—physique of some of the World Cup’s major stars. You can get a smokin’ soccer bod too—without once touching a ball—with this soccer-inspired circuit routine. [Vital Juice]

* Now that warmer weather is here to stay, our outdoor workouts have gotten pretty sweaty. All that extra perspiration must mean we’re burning extra calories, right? Unfortunately, not quite. Find out why here. [That’s Fit]

* The FDA has been studying a new morning-after pill that is twice as effective as Plan B in clinical trials. It was approved in over 40 other countries in early 2009. Here, one OB/GYN wonders how long it will take for the U.S. to catch up. [Huffington Post]

The Secret to Doing Your Own Pedicure



5 steps to fabulous feet

By Melanie Rud

Manicurist Mila Yagoudaief showed Health reader Lisa Heywood insider tricks to pulling off a salon-perfect pedi at home.




Create a softening soak

Remove old polish, then pour a capful of a salt-based foot soak, like Sally Hansen Salon Mineral Foot Soak ($8), into a basin of warm water; submerge your feet for 10 minutes. “The salt helps to soften skin and cuticles,” Yagoudaief explains.



Cut and file

Use a clipper to trim your toenails straight across so they’re about even with the top of your toes (leave just a hint of white tip). Next, use an emery board—like the Design Nails Nail Files ($2.49)—to softly round the outer edges of each nail.



Remove the rough stuff

Rub a pumice stone such as Cuccio Earth Stone Pumice ($11) over callused spots. Next, massage on a thick exfoliating scrub, like Barielle 60 Second Mani-Pedi ($25), to gently remove any remaining dead skin. Rinse with warm water.




Get all-over smooth

Lock in moisture by rubbing on a rich foot cream containing shea butter, like Kiss My Face Peppermint Foot Crème ($10). Wind tissues between toes, then apply a base coat.




Polish to perfection

Dip the brush into your polish, and wipe off excess. Place brush in the middle of your nail at the cuticle line, and pull it toward the tip. Repeat on the sides, adding more polish, if needed. Finish with a top coat to prevent chips.

Are Adult ADHD Medications Effective? And Which Ones Work Best?
Are Adult ADHD Medications Effective? And Which Ones Work Best?




These meds affect the activity of two key brain chemicals, dopamine and norepinephrine, and this can affect individuals in different ways. (That’s why Adderall might help one ADHD sufferer, while Ritalin works best for another.)

For people without ADHD, these medications work as stimulants, increasing activity and speeding up response time. But they have the opposite effect on people with attention disorders. Instead of being hyperstimulated, a person with ADHD will feel calmer, more focused, and less impulsive—hence, she may get more done in less time, but she won’t feel jittery or “speedy.”

A newer, nonstimulant drug, called Strattera, is another option. It may be a better choice for women who also suffer from anxiety, have a history of substance abuse, or have experienced insomnia or weight loss with amphetamine meds, says Tracy Latz, MD, a psychiatrist and associate clinical professor at Wake Forest University Medical Center.

Its downside? Strattera must be taken for two weeks to have effect, while amphetamines often bring instant relief.

What Could My Strange Obsessive Symptoms Mean?
What Could My Strange Obsessive Symptoms Mean?




Behaviors such as attention problems, repetitive actions, and obsessive thoughts may signal several different conditions whose symptoms often overlap. While only a doctor can diagnose the actual root of these issues, here are a few of the most common causes.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
For people with full-blown OCD, this chronic anxiety disorder can be downright disabling: They become plagued by persistent, unwelcome thoughts—such a something bad happening to a loved one—and feel that the only way to prevent these thoughts is to engage in rituals such as repetitive hand washing or checking door locks, for example.

Body dysmorphic disorder
Sufferers of this condition obsess about a perceived flaw in their physical appearance, like moles, freckles, scars, acne, or body hair. People with the disorder frequently check themselves in the mirror, avoid having their pictures taken, and repeatedly check, touch, or measure the imagined flaw.

Hypochondria
This intense preoccupation with physical health can cause sufferers to worry that minor and imagined physical symptoms are signs of a serious illness. They aren't reassured when tests or doctors' diagnoses come back negative. Read one writer's experience with hypochondria.

Trichotillomania
People with trichotillomania have an irresistible urge to pull their hair from their head, eyebrows, or body. Pathological skin picking (also called neurotic excoriation, psychogenic excoriation, and dermatotillomania) is similar.

Tic disorders
This group of disorders includes Tourette syndrome, in which sufferers make impulsive sounds or movements—like blinking their eyes or shrugging their shoulders—over which they have little control. Although Tourette syndrome may be best known for the uncontrollable tendency to blurt out curse words or other inappropriate words or phrases, this symptom (called coprolalia) actually occurs in only a small number of patients.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
This condition is often misdiagnosed, especially in adults, because patients do not in fact have to exhibit symptoms of hyperactivity. Some adult ADHD sufferers can appear quite laid back, even lazy or lethargic, and without the ability to stay focused on important tasks. Instead, people with ADHD often "hyperfocus" on, or become obsessed with, trivial project details or hobbies.

When Someone You Love Has ADHD: Frequently Asked Questions About Helping Your Partner and Yourself

When Someone You Love Has ADHD: Frequently Asked Questions About Helping Your Partner and Yourself

But those red flags soon became bigger problems. Promises were ignored and not even acknowledged. He was doing really thoughtless things and I knew he wasn’t a thoughtless person. We tried counseling, and the therapists just loved to hear our stories: They could tell we loved each other and they were thoroughly entertained by our problems, but they just couldn’t give us any good suggestions.

One day at the library I came across the book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Daniel Amen, MD. I was fascinated by his description of ADHD and the way it physically affects the brain; it really seemed to describe my husband all the way back to his childhood. I took the book home and said to my husband, "Do you think this could be you?" And he said, "You know what? This really makes sense."

Attention Sappers: 5 Reasons You Cannot Concentrate

Attention Sappers: 5 Reasons You Cannot Concentrate

Attention Sappers: 5 Reasons You Cannot Concentrate

We see an influx of adults being diagnosed around age 38,” says Timothy Wilens, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “That’s right around the time people start multitasking more, juggling jobs, families, a home, and other personal obligations—and problems focusing and staying alert seem to get worse,” he says.

But not everyone who slacks on work or forgets appointments has ADHD; there are plenty of other reasons you may be losing focus. Here are five things that could be sucking your attention span dry. Plus: When you should consider seeing your doctor.

Celebrities With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Celebrities With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder



Up to 10 million American adults have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—also commonly referred to as ADD—so it's no surprise that some of America's most acclaimed athletes, actors, and musicians make up part of that mix. Left untreated, the disorder is characterized by poor concentration and disorganization, and can lead to emotional and social problems.

About 60% of children diagnosed with ADHD will continue to experience these symptoms well into adulthood. And some people with the disorder don't receive an official diagnosis until middle age.

See which celebs have suffered with an ADHD diagnosis since childhood, and which have learned to manage their disorder as adults.

ADHD and the Myth of Multitasking: How to Regain Your Focus
ADHD and the Myth of Multitasking: How to Regain Your Focus


A growing body of research shows that people who try to manage more than one unrelated task at the same time typically don't perform as well; drivers chatting on cell phones, for instance, take longer to reach their destinations, a 2008 University of Utah study found.

“That’s the myth of multitasking,” says Edward Hallowell, MD, ADHD specialist and author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life. “It’s like playing tennis with two balls: Your game’s not as good as it would be with one ball.”

How to stop?
Strive to give each task your full attention. Dr. Hallowell tells of a lawyer who negotiated an amazing deal. Later, the adversaries couldn’t believe they’d agreed to such terms. The savvy lawyer’s secret? He focused on the deal only, while the other team checked their PDAs.

You can achieve this type of focus if you go linear—do one thing at a time, moving from one task to the next. Try it: Instead of talking on the phone while answering emails and helping your child do homework, go linear; it won’t take longer and you’ll be sharper.

The Newest Natural Sweetener: SUSTA
The Newest Natural Sweetener: SUSTA
The Newest Natural Sweetener: SUSTA



While many consumers have moved away from traditional sweeteners to those that are artificial—saccharin, aspartame, sucralose and more—there are questions about the long-term use and safety of these sugar substitutes. Technically they are considered “Generally Recognized as Safe” by the FDA but past studies have questioned this designation and research continues on links to cancer and other serious disease. So what is a person to do?

One solution came in the form of stevia—an all-natural, calorie-free, sweet leaf shrub found largely in Paraguay. Stevia fast became the alternative sweetener a few years back, without the synthetic aspartame or gritty aftertaste. It has 300 times the sweetness of regular table sugar and is available in liquid and powder form and is used in cooking, sodas, and other commercial foods. The initial craze has died down and while it is still being widely used, it never quite caught on like Nutrasweet or Splenda.

Now there is a new player in the sugar game: SUSTA. SUSTA is a natural sweetener comprised of a blend of non-caloric ingredients, including inulin and fructose. Also found in the mix is a probiotic, vitamins C, B6, B12, goji berry extract and other healthy minerals and extracts.

This new sweetener works with your body naturally to help tame and transform problem-making, fast absorbing sugars and carbohydrates, into slower absorbing, healthier protected energy. According to the manufacturer, it also provides vital dietary fiber, antioxidants and key cellular nutrients that are needed for a smoother running, more calorie efficient metabolism.

SUSTA looks to be a good alternative for diabetics and dieters alike. It comes in indivudal packets to be used like other popular sweeteners and in boxes (called SUSTA Bowl) so that you can use it in baking and cooking.

Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S. Lacking for 46 Million Americans

Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S. Lacking for 46 Million Americans




Yesterday the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released two reports conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) on the nation’s health insurance coverage. The reports gave us a glimpse into estimates garnered from a national survey conducted in 2009. There are some staggering numbers in the report, the biggest being that 46.3 Americans are uninsured, a figure that may just make you think twice about the passage of health care reform bill.

In 2009, 46.3 million persons of all ages (15.4%) were uninsured at the time of interview, 58.5 million (19.4%) had been uninsured for at least part of the year prior to interview, and 32.8 million (10.9%) had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of interview. Of those uninsured, 21.1% were adults aged 18-64, 8.2% were children under the age of 18, and the remaining 17% was attributed to seniors over the age of 64. With the COBRA health care subsidies ending, this number is likely to rise over the next year.

According to a CDC report, the largest problem for Americans who lacked insurance for part of the year correlated with the lack of employment, as 60.6 percent of unemployed adults (ages 18 to 64) experienced a lack of health coverage during that time as compared to only 21.8 percent of employed adults. And of the people uninsured for more than a year, 32.9 percent of them were unemployed, while only 13.3 percent of them were employed. With the U.S. financial crisis rendering many people unemployed or underemployed, health insurance has become one of the casualties

Not surprisingly, the largest uninsured group was aged 18-24, those out of high school, who were not enrolled or under-enrolled in college (and thereby unable to take advantage of their parent’s health insurance), unemployed, or working in jobs that do not offer health care coverage. Typically wages earned in this demographic cannot be stretched to buy an individual health insurance policy.

Lack of health insurance coverage was greatest in the South and West regions of the United States. Among adults who lacked a high school diploma, 32.9% were uninsured at the time of interview, 36.4% had been uninsured for at least part of the past year, and 27.4% had been uninsured for more than a year at the time of interview. These rates are two to more than three times as high as those for persons with more than a high school education. Approximately one in four persons under age 65 in Florida and Texas, and one in five persons under age 65 in California and Georgia, lacked coverage at the time of interview. (Although a recent study conducted by the Center for Health Policy Research at UCLA showed that 1 in 4 Californians lacked health care coverage.)

The number of Americans insured under private plans dropped over the last year by almost 3%, with approximately two-thirds (65.8%) of adults aged 18-64 covered by a private plan, compared with 55.7% of children under age 18. Those covered by public plans consisted of 21% total, more than one-third of them being children.

Federal Dietary Guidelines Under Review

Federal Dietary Guidelines Under Review





It’s time for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to review the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. This precursor, prepared by 13 independent experts in the fields of nutrition and health from universities throughout the nation, reflects the most current, comprehensive, evidence-based nutritional science and will be the basis for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

This report, along with feedback from the medical and nutritional communities, as well as John Q. Public, will be chewed on, debated, edited and reformulated into a final policy document to be released at the end of the year.

First published in 1980, the Dietary Guidelines are mandated by Congress to be reviewed, updated and released by USDA and HHS every five years. The Dietary Guidelines contain the latest, science-based nutritional and dietary guidance for the general public. They are the foundation for federal nutrition education and promotion programs, as well as the basis for federal food assistance programs, and the guidelines used to create the formulas in the nutritional information labels. What makes this document even more important this year is the campaign against childhood obesity taking hold not only in the White House (thanks to the First Lady), but in the media, in restaurants and professional kitchens, and in our schools.

Kim Severson, of The New York Times, provides a synopsis of the report, including:

* Lower the maximum daily amount of sodium to 1,500 milligrams from 2,300 milligrams.
* Eat less saturated fat.. The total amount of saturated fat in the daily diet should drop to 7 percent of total calories, from the previously recommended 10 percent.
* Drink fewer sugar-sweetened beverages.
* Eat more seafood and low-fat dairy products.
* Eat more vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
* Nutritional education, cooking skills and food safety needs to be strengthened, especially among families. The idea is to get people to cook and eat at home more.
* Lose the concept of “discretionary calories,” which was added in 2005. The idea was that people who ate according to the guidelines would have a handful of calories left over to indulge in ice cream or chips or other food with less nutritional value compared with the calorie hit. The more physically active you are, the more discretionary calories you could have.

Public comments are now being accepted on the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 (Advisory Report). Individuals and organizations are encouraged to view the Advisory Report now posted along with public comments at www.dietaryguidelines.gov. Written comments will be accepted from June 15, 2010 to July 15, 2010. Oral testimony may be provided at a public meeting to be held in Washington, DC, on July 8, 2010.

Rice: The Healthy Basics



Did you know that worldwide there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice? Rice comes in a rainbow of colors and flavors and almost every culture on Earth has incorporated rice into their diet. For more than half of the world's population rice is a staple and, according to the World Food Grid, 20% of the total food energy intake in the world comes from rice. In Asia alone, more than 2 billion people get up to 70 percent of their daily dietary energy from rice and its by-products.

Rice hit American shores in the late seventeenth century and was an East Coast crop until the mid-1800s. There is currently about 3 million acres of rice cultivated in the U.S. by about 9,000 farms located primarily in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Florida, and Texas. While this is only 1% of the world's total production, the total annual sales hit $1.2 billion in the year 2000.

One cup of cooked medium-grain white rice has 169 calories, 3.5 grams protein, 1.7 grams fiber, while the same amount of cooked medium-grain brown rice has 218 calories. 4.5 grams protein, and 3.5 grams fiber. But the brown rice contains much higher quantities of thiamin, niacin, B6, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. Healthier for you, brown rice does take more than twice as long to cook. (HINT: The easiest way to cook rice is to buy a rice cooker/steamer. You measure the water and rice, set it and forget it. White rice cooks in about 20-30 minutes, depending on amount, while brown rice takes about an hour and a half. But you can make a double batch and reheat in steamer or microwave when needed.)

A recent study conducted over 22 years with 197,000 participants found that found that those who ate more refined white rice had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, while those eating more brown rice had a lower risk of the disease. Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital assessed three different studies and found across the board that having more white rice in the diet was associated with an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes.

In addition to white and brown rice, there are a number of other rice alternatives that are healthy for you. Break out of your rut and try something new.

Typical U.S. Rice Varieties

* Long grain white rice has a long, slender kernel, and when cooked the grains are separate, light and fluffy.
* Medium grain white rice has a shorter, wider kernel and is more moist and tender, clinging together more than its long counterpart.
* Short grain white rice has a short, plump, almost round kernel which becomes soft and clingy when cooked.
* Brown rice has only the hull removed. (Further milled, it becomes white rice.) slightly chewy texture with a nut-like flavor. Rich in minerals and vitamins.
* Aromatic red rice has a deep, honey-red bran and is minimally processed to retain the bran layers. This makes it slightly chewy and nutty in flavor.
* Basmati rice is an aromatic long grain rice with a flavor similar to that of popcorn or roasted nuts. Cooked grains swell lengthwise and separate and fluffy.
* Black japonica is also an aromatic rice but with a dark black bran. Also minimally processed, it is slightly chewy and sweet.
* Jasmine rice is another aromatic, with long grains that cook soft and moist, but cling together. Like Basmati, the taste is similar to popcorn or roasted nuts.
* Arborio rice is characterized by a white dot at the center of each medium-sized grain. This is the typical rice for risotto because of its ability to slow cook, absorb various flavors, and become creamy and slightly chewy.
* Wild rice is not really rice at all, but a grass seed. Taking longer to cook and with a distinct flavor, it is a bit more costly but is richer in protein and other nutrients.

Health Insurance Reform: Grandfathered Health Plans



The new regulation protects the ability of individuals and businesses to keep their current plan while providing important consumer protections that give Americans – rather than insurance companies – control over their own health care. The new regulation also provides stability and flexibility to insurers and businesses that offer health insurance coverage as the nation transitions to a more competitive marketplace in 2014 when businesses and consumers will have more affordable choices through exchanges.

“The Affordable Care Act gives American families more control over their health care by providing greater benefits, cost savings and protections,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. “Today, with the announcement of the new ‘grandfather’ rule, we’re providing the market stability and flexibility to ensure that families and businesses can make the choices that work best for them.”

While the Affordable Care Act requires all health plans to provide important new benefits to consumers, under the law, plans that existed on March 23, 2010 are exempt from some new requirements. The “grandfather rule” issued today makes it clear that these plans can continue to innovate and contain costs by allowing insurers and employers to make routine changes without losing grandfather status. Plans will lose their “grandfather” status if they choose to significantly cut benefits or increase out-of-pocket spending for consumers – and consumers in plans that make such changes will gain new consumer protections.

“The rule we are announcing today will allow employers to make routine and modest adjustments to co-payments, deductibles and employer contributions to their employees’ premiums without forfeiting grandfather status. This flexibility will encourage employers to continue offering health coverage to their employees and help to ensure coverage for all Americans,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.

All health plans – whether or not they are grandfathered plans – must provide certain benefits to their customers for plan years starting on or after September 23, 2010 including:

* No lifetime limits on coverage for all plans;
* No rescissions of coverage when people get sick and have previously made an unintentional mistake on their application; and
* Extension of parents’ coverage to young adults under 26 years old;

For the vast majority of Americans who get their health insurance through employers, additional benefits will be offered, irrespective of whether their plan is grandfathered, including:

* No coverage exclusions for children with pre-existing conditions; and
* No “restricted” annual limits (e.g., annual dollar-amount limits on coverage below standards to be set in future regulations).

“The Affordable Care Act positions consumers, instead of insurance companies, as decision makers when it comes to their health care,” said Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy Michael Mundaca. “The rule we’re announcing today preserves individuals’ ability to keep their current plan and provides strong consumer protections that give Americans more control over their health insurance choices.”

Grandfathered health plans will be able to make routine changes to their policies and maintain their status. These routine changes include cost adjustments to keep pace with medical inflation, adding new benefits, making modest adjustments to existing benefits, voluntarily adopting new consumer protections under the new law, or making changes to comply with State or other Federal laws. Premium changes are not taken into account when determining whether or not a plan is grandfathered.

Plans will lose their grandfathered status if they choose to make significant changes that reduce benefits or increase costs to consumers. If a plan loses its grandfathered status, then consumers in these plans will gain additional new benefits including:

* Coverage of recommended prevention services with no cost sharing; and
* Patient protections such as access to OB-GYNs and pediatricians without a referral by a separate primary care provider.

Details about what routine changes insurers and employers can make without losing their grandfathered status, and the projected impact on large and small employer plans and the individual plan market can be found at http://www.healthreform.gov/newsroom/keeping_the_health_plan_you_have.html.

Most of the 133 million Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance through large employers will maintain the coverage they have today. Additionally, large employer-based plans already offer most of the comprehensive benefits and consumer protections that the Affordable Care Act will provide to all Americans this year – such as preventing rescission of coverage.

The roughly 42 million people insured through small businesses will likely transition from their current plan to one with the new Affordable Care Act protections over the next few years. Small plans tend to make substantial changes to cost sharing, employer contributions, and health insurance issuers more frequently than large plans. To help small businesses afford employee coverage, the Affordable Care Act includes a tax credit for up to 35% of their premium contributions.

The 17 million people who are covered in the individual health insurance market, where switching of plans and substantial changes in coverage are common, will receive the new protections of the Affordable Care Act sooner rather than later. Roughly 40 percent to two-thirds of people in individual market policies normally change plans within a year. In the short run, individuals whose plan changes and is no longer grandfathered will gain access to free preventive services, protections against restricted annual limits, and patient protections such as improved access to emergency rooms.

In 2014, small businesses and individuals who purchase insurance on their own will gain access to the competitive market Exchanges. These Exchanges will offer individuals and workers in small businesses with a much greater choice of plans at more affordable rates – the same choice as members of Congress. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that, on an apples-to-apples basis, premiums will be 14- 20 percent lower than they would be under current law in 2016 due to competition, lower insurance overhead, and increased pooling and purchasing power. Small businesses also will have more affordable options. CBO has estimated that a family policy for small businesses would be available in the Exchanges at a premium that is $4,000 lower than under current law in 2016.

These reduced premiums do not take into account the tax credits available to small businesses and middle class families to help make insurance affordable. These additional new choices and cost savings may further lower the likelihood that small businesses workers will remain in grandfathered health plans. Consumers insured through large employers are more likely to remain in grandfathered plans in 2014 and beyond.

A fact sheet about the regulation can be found at: http://www.healthreform.gov/newsroom/keeping_the_health_plan_you_have.html

You can view the regulation at: http://www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2010-14488_PI.pdf.

Meat and High-Protein Diets Linked to Early Onset of Puberty



Every generation seems to enter puberty at an earlier age than their predecessors, but what exactly is the cause of this shift? There are certainly enough postulations and assumptions going around: increase in obesity among children, hormones used by meat and poultry producers, and now, a link to a high-meat diet.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the average age for female puberty was 14 years. In one century that number had dropped to 12.5 years of age. That’s 18 months in a span of 100 years, or about 1 month for every 5 years that has passed. That is a significant evolution. In “The Problem of Precocious Puberty” by Sherrill Sellman, an even more alarming fact comes to light: “One girl out of six eight-year-olds in the USA, Australia and Britain is racing into puberty. In fact, it is a pattern emerging in young girls all over the world. Reports of early puberty have come from many diverse countries and climates including Canada, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. This compares with one in 100 a generation ago.”

Investigating breast cancer causations led Dr. Marisa Weiss, of Lankenau Hospital in Pennsylvania and founder of the advocacy group Breastcancer.org to find that “fat makes extra hormones and can bring on puberty earlier.” (The same fat that “makes extra hormones, which lead to extra cell activity and extra abnormal cell activity, i.e breast cancer.)

The FDA allows the use of implanted hormonal agents for raising beef cattle, including oestradiol, progesterone, the synthetic progesterone norgestomet, testosterone, and the synthetic anabolic steroids trenbolene and Zeranol. Hormones are used by cattle farmers in Canada and the United States to increase the weight of cattle prior to slaughter. Some milk producers also use hormones, all of which is present in the products that stock your supermarket.

“It is very likely that hormone residues in North American beef is a factor in the early onset of puberty among girls in recent decades,” said Carlos Sonnenschein of the Tufts University School of Medicine at Boston (as mentioned in an article from the Organic Consumers Association).

A new study, conducted by the University of Bristol, involved 3,000 girls and reviewed their dietary intake at ages 3 and 7. Follow-ups recorded onset of puberty. What they found is that girls who had a higher intake of meat (and protein) at ages 3 and 7, were more likely to begin menstruation at age 12.5. The higher intake translated to 12 or more servings per week of protein.

While protein is a good source of many vitamins and minerals and is part of a healthy diet, the study results indicate that lowering the amount of daily meat and protein intake would be beneficial for female children. And given the amount of meat containing hormones, which would logically compound the problem, trying to find meat, poultry and dairy products not tainted by hormones would also help guard against premature puberty.

FDA Investigating Genetic Tests Marketed to the Consumer



Genetic testing, while available through the medical community for decades, has more recently been available to consumers through a more direct means—the internet. While there are still only a handful of companies offering these services, the competition has been heating up of late, testing costs have dropped dramatically, and the government has stepped in to provide oversight

Original players included 23andMe, Navigenics, and deCode Genetics. Pathway Genomics entered the game in July of 2009, offering genetic results for over 90 disease traits as well as an extensive analysis of an individual’s DNA for risks of diabetes, Alzheimer’s and several other serious diseases along with ancestry tracing, counseling, education and networking. What used to cost thousands of dollars was now available for under $500—in some cases less than $200—without the need for a visit to the doctor.

Pathway had a simple saliva kit that consumers could order through their website, along with a choice of ancestry testing, health marker testing or both. But earlier this year they went one step farther and partnered with CVS/Walgreens to offer the saliva tests on pharmacy shelves across the country. Consumers could pick up the kit and mail it in, paying an additional fee based on the extent to which they wanted their DNA tested.

The over-the-counter version never quite made it to the consumer, as there was public concern over the reliability of the tests and how people might interpret them. At this point the FDA jumped into the fray and expressed concern. Next step was a House panel that was convened to investigate genetic tests, not just from Pathway but also from 23andMe Inc. and Navigenics. While these saliva tests are not FDA-approved, the companies maintain that this was not a necessary step to bringing the product to market.

The FDA has now requested that five companies provide data that their diagnostic tests present scientific evidence that a test result, either positive or negative, is linked to a disease or the risk of one. They also want the companies to seek regulatory approval for the tests, although they stopped short of requiring that the companies pull their tests from the market, at least for now. In fact the letter itself is rather tame, “appreciating a response within 15 days,” but again not “requiring” it.

This looks to be a long-term battle, one in which the consumer may lose out.

Is Mirafit a Miracle Weight Loss Supplement?



Some people are just loathe to give up their bacon, brie or barbecue. They want to be able to eat what they want and maintain or lose weight. While that is an unrealistic expectation, one small Michigan company is trying to make those dreams come true.

ArtJen Complexus USA LLC, formed by two University of Michigan professors, has begun distribution of its new dietary supplement Mirafit. The brainchild of Joseph Artiss, associate professor of pathology at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine and K-L Catherine Jen, chair of nutrition and food science in Wayne State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, this daily supplement reduces the absorption of consumed fat.

Mirafit is a soluble corn-based fiber comes in tablet form. Taking 6 tablets per day theoretically provides weight loss of approximately 1.5 pounds per week. Each tablet (one gram) of Mirafit FBCx® removes 81 calories (9 grams) of dietary fat. One fat gram has double the calories of protein and carbohydrates making it a natural target for weight loss. Taking the recommended dosage of 6 tablets per day will wipe out 486 fat calories. In seven days that equates to 3402 calories, just under 1.5 pounds. A 30-day supply (180 tablets) is $74.99 which equates to a cost of $12.50 per pound lost.

The active ingredient in Mirafit fbcx alpha-cyclodextrin, has been designated by the FDA as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). Alpha-cyclodextyrin is a naturally occurring cyclic oligosaccharide produced enzymatically from starch and commercially available in large volumes in food-grade quality. It is utilized in cholesterol-free foodstuffs.

Note that this product is considered a “dietary supplement,” not a weight-loss drug like Alli or Xenical, which would require FDA approval. Alli, whose main ingredient is orlistat, also works by preventing absorption of a quarter of fat that is eaten. But Alli is meant to be taken with a low-fat diet and can have nasty side effects like regular runny bowel movements. Mirafit is meant to be taken with a regular diet and will be less effective with a typical low-fat diet, as there is less fat for the alpha-cyclodextrin to bind to. No side effects of Mirafit are noted on the site or in any press releases.

If you are looking for a weight loss plan that does not include dietary supplements like Mirafit, visit the HealthNews diet pages and test out our Individual Diet Selection tool, which can help find the right diet for you lifestyle.

Let’s Move Campaign Moving Into America’s Cities




In February of this year, First Lady Michelle Obama launched a childhood obesity initiative, “Let’s Move,” with the goal of developing workable ideas to help end childhood obesity within one generation. Working toward that end, a meeting of the minds occurred in April at the White House, with Task Force members getting set to prepare a report that will “serve as a very important road map, with goals, benchmarks, [and] measurable outcomes…” The task force meeting, about 100 strong, was composed of senior Administration officials, doctors, teachers, activists, and other individuals who are committed to ending childhood obesity.

Yesterday Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius launched the Let’s Move Cities and Towns component of the Let’s Move! campaign at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City. Addressing an audience of more than 400 mayors and municipal staffs, Secretary Sebelius encouraged local officials to adopt a long-term, sustainable and holistic approach to fight child obesity in their communities.

Let’s Move Cities and Towns reaffirms the commitment First Lady Michelle Obama made to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in January to work in partnership with local leaders to tackle the challenge of child obesity.

“You occupy a unique position in your community,” the First Lady told the Conference of Mayors via video. “You can bring communities together around great challenges, you know how to develop effective solutions, and you can spur action at the grassroots unlike anyone else.”

Let’s Move Cities and Let’s Move Towns asks local communities support the Let’s Move Initiative and its four pillars: helping parents make healthy choices, creating healthy schools, providing access to healthy and affordable food, and promoting physical activity.

“Mayors and local leaders are critical to the Let’s Move! campaign” said Secretary Sebelius. “We recognize that every community is different, and every town requires a distinct approach. We designed Let’s Move Cities and Towns to empower local leaders to take steps that will have a real impact on their own unique communities, whether that’s building sidewalks and parks, supporting local farmers markets or bringing healthier food into schools.”

Lose the Weight, Lower Your Health Risks



Exhaustion, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. These are the common problems we associate with excess weight and obesity. But did you know that the danger stretches far beyond these “usual suspects?” Many obese people also suffer from liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, breathing problems, some types of cancer—and many women even experience infertility.

These are just the physical dangers. People who are overweight tend to suffer from significant and prolonged emotional distress, as well. Unfortunately, dieting is difficult, and entire industries have sprung up, promising easy shortcuts to help people lose the pounds from a pill. Such “shortcuts” have a fretful and fatal history, proving that the quick-fix diet pill is both a proven waste of money and a deadly deceit, pulled on innocent people who are desperately trying to make important life changes.

New Hope for Downtrodden Dieters

In order to lose weight, we must eat less. That’s really all there is to it. According to Dr. Alan Hirsch, (MD, FACP) a noted neurologist and psychiatrist, and developer of the Sensa Weight-Loss System, “What you eat is important, to be sure, but even more important is how much you eat. The problem is portion control. When you take in more calories than your body can use up, it turns to fat and excess weight.”

The deadly diet industry promotes “lose weight quick” pills that contain everything from stimulants to fat blockers to laxatives. They offer no help to make healthy lifestyle changes, and all too often, when dieters do lose weight with these products, they gain it back quickly because they slip into old, harmful habits.

A New, Safe Way to Lose Weight

Recognizing that for most people losing weight is a battle against their very nature, the Sensa Weight-Loss System is based on over 25 years of research, as a natural way to gradually, healthfully lose weight and stop over-eating. The program addresses the desire to overeat head on — literally — by using the sense of smell to activate an equally primal process in the brain that tells your body it’s time to stop eating.

Sensa is an all-natural, food-based product – not a pill - which is sprinkled on food. The Tastants, as Dr. Hirsch calls them, are undetectable by us, but are picked up by the brain. Without any harmful side-effects, the brain simply communicates to the body that the stomach is full.

No Drugs, No Dieting, No Problem!

Over time, Sensa users become accustom to feeling full faster, so they eat smaller portions. By the time they have met their weight-loss goals, they have already trained their body to stop overeating - all the while eating the foods they love. “Sensa works with your body’s natural urges, not against them,” Hirsch says, “so you can eat less without even thinking about it.”

Sensa is not intended to be a life-long program and in a clinical study, 1,436 participants lost an average of 30.5 pounds in six months! Most users find that they have also tamed their cravings and overeating in that time. But weight loss is personal and individual, so results will vary. That’s why the makers of the Sensa Weight-Loss System are offering a free trial of this amazing program, so users can get started right away and make a personal decision about how long they need the program.

Losing weight is difficult, but making the effort will be one of the healthiest decisions – emotionally and physically – that anyone will make in their lifetime.

If I exercise and take antioxidant supplements, I’ll be superfi t

Working out leads to more oxidation and an
increase in free radicals. That’s not a bad thing.
“Since free-radical production is a normal
response to exercise, taking a large dose of
antioxidants right after a workout could interfere
with the natural, benefi cial response to
exercise,” says nutritionist Alan Aragon, M.S.,
a Men’s Health weight-loss expert. The logic is
unexpected but clear: Scientists speculate that
the oxidative stress triggered by exercise promotes
insulin sensitivity and weight loss, and
possibly reduces your risk of diabetes.
Case in point: A 2009 German study found
that when exercisers took antioxidant supplements
(vitamins C and E), they weren’t
rewarded with the typical postexercise boost
in insulin sensitivity. So much for that wellintentioned
antioxidant-fortifi ed recovery
drink. Michael Ristow, M.D., an author of the
study and chairman of the department of
human nutrition at the University of Jena,
Germany, speculates that other antioxidant
supplements might have similar negative
eff ects, though more study is needed.
Supplements can even sap your power:
A 2006 British study found that runners who
took 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily for a
week lost muscle strength.
Do this If you’re exercising to lose weight,
your antioxidants should come from whole
foods, not from supplements or antioxidantenhanced
food products. When it comes to
antioxidants, more isn’t always better.

Antioxidant-fortifi ed foods are healthier

The ink was barely dry on early antioxidant
studies when food companies started slapping
the A-word on their packaging. You can
even chug an antioxidant-fortifi ed version
of Cherry 7UP. The FDA requires food manufacturers
to list the variety of antioxidant
in a product; that part is often in fi ne print.
Look closely, and the label reveals that you’re
receiving a tiny helping of vitamin E. Perhaps
“Cherry 7UP Vitamin E” didn’t sound
as impressive.
If you’re relying on processed foods to supplement
your antioxidant intake, you may be
surprised to fi nd that many processed foods
have relatively small amounts of just one or two
kinds. Since variety is critical, you probably
aren’t making up for lost ground.
Do this Ignore the hype—there’s no research
to prove that packaged products provide the
same health benefi ts that whole foods do.
Instead, focus on the ingredient list. If a food
product contains mostly plant foods, it’s likely
to be rich in antioxidants.

All antioxidants come from fruits and vegetables

The entire plant kingdom—including beans,
nuts, seeds, and grains—is awash in antioxidants,
according to a recent study from the
University of Scranton. That’s because all
plants produce antioxidants to fi ght against
predators and UV rays, says Vinson. It’s
important to steer clear of refi ned grains,
though; they’ve been stripped of most of their
antioxidant benefi ts.
Even meat, dairy products, and eggs contain
some antioxidants, which mainly come from
the nutrient-rich plants the animals fed on.
Do this Eat whole-grain foods, beans, nuts,
and seeds regularly. When animals are on
the menu, make sure they’ve been grass-fed;
meat and dairy products from these betterfed
beasts have been shown to contain higher
levels of antioxidants. Eggs from pastured
hens also rank higher in anti oxidants—look
for them at farmers’ markets.

All antioxidants are created equal

Any molecule that protects your cells against
oxidation is technically an antioxidant, says
Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a professor of chemistry at
the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania.
“They’re anti-oxidation.” This includes familiar
nutrients, like vitamins, as well as more unfamiliar
types of antioxidants, like fl avonoids
and polyphenols—about 8,000 varieties in all.
But don’t assume that all antioxidants
operate the same way, Blumberg warns. “You
can’t say, ‘Well, I’m not going to worry about
taking in enough vitamin E, because I take
lots of vitamin C.’ All the vitamin C in the
world won’t substitute for vitamin E,” says
Blumberg. Some antioxidants excel at fi ghting
certain types of free radicals (yep, there are
diff erent varieties of those, too) while others
are eff ective only in specifi c parts of a cell.
Still others can battle free radicals only under
the right conditions.
“Think of antioxidants as an army,” he says.
“You need generals, lieutenants, corporals,
privates, and others with specifi c duties. You
can’t fi ght an enemy with only generals.” So
how do you create an eff ective defense system
The Truth about Antioxidants
in the battle for your life? By building a multipronged
counteroff ensive—er, diet.
Do this Branch out and try something new in
the produce aisle. In a 2006 study, researchers
at Colorado State University found that people
who ate the widest variety of fruits and vegetables
had the most DNA protection.

The Truth about Antioxidants

IT’S BILLED AS AN EPIC STORY OF GOOD VERSUS
evil—biology in comic-book form. The villains:
free radicals, those nefarious DNA-attacking
poisons of modern life. Our fearless defenders:
antioxidants, poised to protect us from—well,
everything, right? You’ve heard the claims:
They cure cancer!
They prevent aging!
They supercharge your immune system!
But while we think we know what antioxidants
do, few of us know what anti oxidants
actually are. And food manufacturers are fi ne
with that; the less you know, the more likely
you are to swallow the hype. “Antioxidants
have a health aura around them,” says Marion
Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of nutrition,
food studies, and public health at New York
University. “They are supposed to fi ght something
bad in your body. Who wouldn’t want to
consume more of a helper like that?”
There’s no doubt that antioxidants can be
good for you. But to maximize their benefi t, we
fi rst have to strip away some assumptions.
Myth #1
Free radicals must be destroyed
Not so fast
The basics: Antioxidants fi ght free radicals,
which are unstable molecules in the body that
can cause DNA mutation. Even though free
radicals have been linked to serious conditions
like heart disease, Parkinson’s, and cancer, they
aren’t necessarily villains—they’re by-products
of a basic metabolic process called oxidation.
“They’re absolutely essential to life,” says
Jeff rey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the antioxidants
lab at Tufts University. “For example,
immune cells will shoot free radicals onto
invading bacteria in order to kill them. They’re
an important part of the body’s defenses.”
Too many free radicals, on the other hand,
are harmful. Pollutants, cigarette smoke, and
sun overexposure can generate so many free
radicals that your normal antioxidant defenses
become overwhelmed, leaving you vulnerable
to cell damage and disease. Some researchers
also link free-radical oxidation with aging.
That’s where antioxidants come in. “We
need to make sure we have adequate antioxidant
defenses to combat all the excess free
radicals,” says Blumberg.
Do this Assuming you’ve curbed bad habits
such as smoking and excessive tanning, turn
to your diet. If you eat a wide variety of fruits
and vegetables, your diet is naturally rich in thousands of antioxidants. Studies suggest
eating at least fi ve servings of fruits and vegetables
a day to reap the most health benefi ts.

Sleep hormone: Melatonin

When the sun goes down, your pineal gland
switches on like clockwork to secrete melatonin,
a hormone that helps you fall asleep
and regulates your circadian rhythm. It lowers
your core body temperature, which if too
high promotes wakefulness. Production of
melatonin peaks in the middle of the night,
and the process can be disrupted by even
very low levels of artifi cial light.
Are your hormones in tune? Mounting evidence
suggests that exposure to light at
night—whether you’re asleep or awake—
might play a crucial role in cancer, diabetes,
and obesity. The World Health Organization
classifi ed “circadian disruption” as probably
carcinogenic, and light at night is considered
by some to be an endocrine disruptor
that may aff ect melatonin, cortisol, ghrelin,
leptin, and testosterone. “Most people
think, and the drug companies want you to
think, that waking up at night is bad for
you,” says Richard Stevens, Ph.D., a cancer
epidemiologist at the University of Connecticut
health center. But that’s not the
case, he says—it’s exposure to light at night
that’s the problem. “If you wake up at night,
as most of us do, that is a period of quiet
wakefulness—stay in bed, in the dark, and
enjoy it,” Stevens suggests.
You don’t have to be asleep to have good
melatonin rhythm, but you do need to be in
the dark. Buy heavy curtains, cover your
alarm clock, and turn off gadgets. “Make it
dark enough that you can’t see your hand,”
Stevens says. “If you go to the bathroom and
turn on that bright light, you’ll lower melatonin
almost immediately,” says Stevens. “I
actually have a red night-light in my bathroom,
because red light has less eff ect on melatonin
than white or blue light,” he says.

Energy hormone: Thyroxine

Your thyroid gland controls your metabolism,
which is your body’s mechanism for
turning calories into energy. It’s yet another
chain of command: Your hypothalamus
detects fatigue and then your pituitary gland
signals your thyroid to secrete thyroxine.
This hormone enters almost every cell in
your body. “It boosts sugar burning and oxygen
intake in cells,” says McLachlan. “This
raises your body temperature and increases
your heart rate.”
Are your hormones in tune? When this system
is out of whack, the result can be muscle
breakdown, weakness, fatigue, and weight
gain. While most thyroxine disruptions are
genetic, there is growing evidence that some
environmental compounds can block thyroxine,
says McLachlan. A 2009 study suggests
that BPA can displace thyroxin from its
receptor and block it. Brominated fl ame
retardants (BFRs) and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) also both interfere with
your thyroid. (BFRs are found in clothes, furniture,
and electronics; PCBs, which are no
longer in use in the United States, can still be
found in the environment, particularly in
farmed salmon.) “If you’re exposed to these,
you could end up with a form of hypothyroidism—
an underproduction of thyroxine that
causes low energy and weight gain,” says
McLachlan. On the other end of the spectrum,
hyperthyroidism, or overproduction of
thyroxine, can cause anxiety, increased heart
rate, weight loss, an enlarged thyroid, and
swelling behind the eyes. Your doctor will be
able to identify thyroid problems by prescribing
a thyroid-stimulating hormone
(TSH) blood test; fi xes for both may include
surgery or dietary changes, as well as lifelong
daily doses of prescription drugs.

Sex hormones: Testosterone, LH, FSH

That rock-hard erection you’re so proud of?
Thank your hormones—specifi cally, testosterone,
the key ingredient for normal sexual
health in men. Its production is prompted by something called luteinizing hormone (LH),
while the follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH) helps produce the actual sperm.
When you’re aroused, your adrenal glands
pump out epinephrine and norepinephrine,
raising your heart rate and moving blood
into your muscles, brain, and penis. Then
the hormone dopamine increases your sexual
appetite and communicates with the
hypo thalamus to orchestrate your erections.
Are your hormones in tune? Elevated estrogen
levels can eclipse your testosterone, zapping
sex drive. Yes, men have estrogen too. “In
fact, the most widely spread hormone receptor
in the body is the estrogen receptor,” says
McLachlan. When a man is exposed to estrogenic
chemicals—such as bisphenol A (BPA),
the endocrine disruptor found in plastics and
food-can linings—he can experience erectile
dysfunction and weight gain.
Your best defense against an estrogen
invasion is to lose weight and build muscle.
“Fat converts your testosterone to estrogen,”
says Jack Mydlo, M.D., chairman of the
department of urology at Temple
University school of medicine.
Dropping
pounds will
improve your
testosterone-to-estrogen
ratio, which improves your sex
drive as well as your erections. And when
you’re actively building muscle, you become
more sensitive to insulin, which means you
can push more glucose into the muscle, says
Dr. Fonseca. This produces more fat-burning,
libido-boosting energy.

Your hormones are part of a finely tuned system. That finetuning makes them vulnerable.

you’re metabolizing a meal and that you
shouldn’t consume any more. Leptin, a hormone
produced by fat cells, also tells your
hypothalamus that you’re full by prompting
the secretion of alpha-MSH, which is another
appetite-suppressing hormone.
All this helps your body maintain a balance
between hunger and satiation. Why so many
hormones in the game? “Energy regulation is
necessary for survival, so we have many
redundant pathways in case any fail,” says
Robert Lustig, M.D., an endocrinologist at the
University of California at San Francisco.
“But we were never supposed to have so
much food so readily available, and certainly
not this much sugar.”
Are your hormones in tune? Hungry? Full?
You may not be able to trust your gut. When
you put on extra weight, you start secreting
excess leptin. “And if you secrete a lot of leptin
on a chronic basis, it should tell your brain,
‘Look, you’re putting on weight; you need to
cut back,’ ” says Dr. Fonseca. But disruptions
in leptin (mostly from too much sugar)
instead tell your brain to send out hunger signals,
even if you’ve just eaten. This can lead
to fatty liver disease and insulin resistance.
“When your insulin goes up, it blocks leptin
signaling, which means your brain thinks
you’re starving,” Dr. Lustig says. This, of
course, sets up a wicked feedback cycle as you
pack on the pounds.
Beyond losing weight, your best defense
against leptin disruption is to reduce your
sugar intake. Americans consume an average
of 22 teaspoons of sugar a day; the American
Heart Association recommends that men eat
no more than 9. And it’s not just high-fructose
corn syrup that you need to avoid; table sugar
and fruit juice can be as bad as soda. In fact,
100 percent fruit juice has 1.8 grams of fructose
per ounce, while soda has 1.7 grams per
ounce, Dr. Lustig notes.

YOU MIGHT REMEMBER
hormones from your sexcrazed
teen years. Or your
partner’s most recent crying
jag. But if you’re sitting there
smugly thinking that you’re
immune from hormonal chaos
just because you’re (a) no longer
a teenager and (b) male,
think again. In fact, if you
knew all the ways hormones
could mess up your life, you’d
probably start crying like a little
girl. Off -kilter hormone
distribution can make you
store too much fat, hamper
your ability to fi ght stress, and
cause you to eat when you’re
full. It can lead to metabolic
syndrome and diabetes and
can adversely aff ect your sleep
and sex life.
That’s a lot that can go
wrong. This is due to the
vast reach of your endocrine
system, which commands
body activity utilizing powerful
hormones. “It’s like your
body’s internal Internet,” says
pharmacologist John McLachlan,
Ph.D., director of the
center for bioenvironmental
research at Tulane University.
“Your hypothalamus and
pituitary glands are the control
centers, like servers sending
out messages going back and forth among your organs. Your pancreas,
adrenal glands, thyroid, and testes are all part
of this fi nely tuned system.”
That fi ne-tuning increases the system’s vulnerability,
as it relies on complex feedback to
regulate itself. “If that feedback is distorted, it
can disrupt the process,” says Vivian Fonseca,
M.D., chief of endocrinology at Tulane University’s
health sciences center.
Use our guide to ensure your hormones are
doing their jobs.

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TALK ABOUT AN OVERACHIEVER. Korean barbecue would be plenty tasty
even in its simplest state—Asian-style, soy-marinated meat, grilled until its
edges become deeply caramelized. But when Korean BBQ hits the table, it
comes with a posse: a greed-satisfying spread of cool vegetable salads, spicy
kimchi, and crisp lettuce that transforms a dose of protein into an all-star
feast. And it all comes together in record time. • “Korean-style barbecue is
so simple and so fl avorful it will change the way you cook,” says Wuchung
Kim, executive chef at Don’s Bogam, in Manhattan’s Koreatown. Start by
steaming rice and prepping the sides, and then turn to the meat. Boneless
beef short rib, a fatty, fl avorful cut, is a classic choice. Kim slices it thin,
massages it with an intense marinade, and grills it until it’s as tender as a
slow-cooked brisket, as full-fl avored as a New York strip, and as satisfying
as a quarter-pound patty. • At the table, the spectrum of sides and toppings
pays off big time. Wrap a piece of meat in a lettuce leaf, and then experiment.
Like it spicy? Add kimchi. Want crunch? Tuck in carrot slices. With Korean
BBQ, you can customize every bite.

I THINK LOVE DIES IN MUCH SAME WAY THAT

a heart does. Over the life of a relationship, all
the little resentments and tiny disappointments
can accumulate like plaque in an artery,
imperceptibly choking out the intimacy—the
lifeblood of any relationship.
As much as I wish I could blame Rose for
that, I can’t. She’s a wonderful person—intelligent,
idealistic, passionate, and devoted to her
children. It would be so much easier for me to
move on if she were a worthless human being.
And unfortunately for her, despite my lengthy
list of faults, I’m a decent enough guy.
No, I think the ultimate cause of our uncoupling
lay not in all the little things we did wrong,
but in the unanticipated eff ects of all the big
things we did right—from falling madly in love
to having kids. That’s why it’s diffi cult to move
on. But understanding this allows me to look
back at the relationship and appreciate its
meaning and beauty, despite its imperfections.
Rose is, and always will be, the best mistake
I ever made.

Chaos became our comfort zone

During our family’s year from hell, a brandnew
crisis would arrive at our doorstep every
4 weeks or so. It was almost as if we had inadvertently
enrolled in the tragedy-of-themonth
club. The hypervigilance that sustained
my wife and me through these crises was not
so conducive for relaxed date nights and handholding.
And when the end of the world
becomes your comfort zone, each new crisis is
actually a relief from the stress of worrying
about what will befall you next.
It reached the point where I felt closest to
my wife when we were racing to the hospital
together. That was our date night.
According to Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D., a neuroscientist
and the author of The Emotional
Brain, fear-based memories are encoded in a
part of our brains called the amygdala. So
while my more logical hippocampus and prefrontal
cortex understood that the year from
hell was over—and that my wife was a person
distinct from that horrible experience—the
story was less clear down in my amygdala.
Eventually, posits LeDoux, my wife and I
came to associate each other’s presence with
stressful situations. Not good.

hormonal level. “Men and women do have
‘chemistry,’ ” he says. “A woman gives off pheromones
when she feels taken care of by a man.
What men fail to realize is that on an interpersonal,
chemical level, it’s the small stuff
that really does matter.
“If you want to score 36 points, you don’t
give her 36 roses,” he says. “You give her one
rose on 36 separate occasions.”
When I landed my fi rst book contract, I
viewed it as a chance to fi nally contribute in a
signifi cant way to my family’s bottom line.
More important, the book documented our
family’s year from hell and spoke directly to
the challenges my wife and I had faced as a
couple. In my mind, going off to work each day
was a romantic mission to save the sinking
ship that was our marriage. All my wife knew
was that I was gone. Completely caught up in
my work. For close to a year.
When I fi nally looked up from my work, I
discovered that the marriage I thought I was
saving was gone.

Chaos became our comfort zone

During our family’s year from hell, a brandnew
crisis would arrive at our doorstep every
4 weeks or so. It was almost as if we had inadvertently
enrolled in the tragedy-of-themonth
club. The hypervigilance that sustained
my wife and me through these crises was not
so conducive for relaxed date nights and handholding.
And when the end of the world
becomes your comfort zone, each new crisis is
actually a relief from the stress of worrying
about what will befall you next.
It reached the point where I felt closest to
my wife when we were racing to the hospital
together. That was our date night.
According to Joseph LeDoux, Ph.D., a neuroscientist
and the author of The Emotional
Brain, fear-based memories are encoded in a
part of our brains called the amygdala. So
while my more logical hippocampus and prefrontal
cortex understood that the year from
hell was over—and that my wife was a person
distinct from that horrible experience—the
story was less clear down in my amygdala.
Eventually, posits LeDoux, my wife and I
came to associate each other’s presence with
stressful situations. Not good.hormonal level. “Men and women do have
‘chemistry,’ ” he says. “A woman gives off pheromones
when she feels taken care of by a man.
What men fail to realize is that on an interpersonal,
chemical level, it’s the small stuff
that really does matter.
“If you want to score 36 points, you don’t
give her 36 roses,” he says. “You give her one
rose on 36 separate occasions.”
When I landed my fi rst book contract, I
viewed it as a chance to fi nally contribute in a
signifi cant way to my family’s bottom line.
More important, the book documented our
family’s year from hell and spoke directly to
the challenges my wife and I had faced as a
couple. In my mind, going off to work each day
was a romantic mission to save the sinking
ship that was our marriage. All my wife knew
was that I was gone. Completely caught up in
my work. For close to a year.
When I fi nally looked up from my work, I
discovered that the marriage I thought I was
saving was gone.

I THINK LOVE DIES IN MUCH SAME WAY THAT
a heart does. Over the life of a relationship, all
the little resentments and tiny disappointments
can accumulate like plaque in an artery,
imperceptibly choking out the intimacy—the
lifeblood of any relationship.
As much as I wish I could blame Rose for
that, I can’t. She’s a wonderful person—intelligent,
idealistic, passionate, and devoted to her
children. It would be so much easier for me to
move on if she were a worthless human being.
And unfortunately for her, despite my lengthy
list of faults, I’m a decent enough guy.
No, I think the ultimate cause of our uncoupling
lay not in all the little things we did wrong,
but in the unanticipated eff ects of all the big
things we did right—from falling madly in love
to having kids. That’s why it’s diffi cult to move
on. But understanding this allows me to look
back at the relationship and appreciate its
meaning and beauty, despite its imperfections.
Rose is, and always will be, the best mistake
I ever made.

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Man to Man - I Love You



in love is awash with the feel-good hormone
dopamine. In fact, love activates the
same pleasure center in the brain
that cocaine does, says Helen
Fisher, Ph.D., a biological
anthropologist and research
professor at Rutgers
University.
But why would humans
choose mates while they’re in
such a compromised state?
“The human animal has not
evolved primarily to be happy,”
says Fisher. “We evolved primarily
to spread our DNA.”
So when Rose and I met and fell
in love, we really were feeling something
bigger than both of us: a primordial
drive to mate. Instead of
acting with our heads, we acted with
our, well, genitals. Bad choice.
This drive didn’t care a lick that I was
just fi nishing grad school, or that I’d previously
decided that I’d never settle down before
my career was humming. It was equally indifferent
to Rose’s upbringing in a nice Jewish
family where a central tenet is that a husband
provides fi nancially for his wife. That made
hitching her wagon to a penniless fi lm student
not necessarily the wisest choice.

We had kids as newlyweds
Right after we were married, my wife’s biological
alarm clock began ringing. Not that I wasn’t
complicit in heeding it—it meant having a lot
of sex. Great work if you can fi nd it, right? And
it was both of those things—great and work.
Trying to conceive can feel like you’re having
a ménage à trois with a fertility chart. What
should have been the most intimate of experiences
was now something we were sharing
with doctors and our families. “Looking forward
to meeting our grandson!” they’d say.
The thing is, making a grandson for somebody
is not very hot. “The most unique aspect
of a romantic relationship is not love, but intimacy,”
says relationship expert David Deida,
author of The Enlightened Sex Manual. “We
love lots of people, including our families and
friends. But what makes a relationship truly
unique is the intimacy you share with your
partner alone.”

While we were trying to conceive, we
called sex “trying.” As in, “We’re going to try
this month.” All that trying yielded two
beautiful boys who are the most important
things on earth for me. But it
also complicated the physical relationship
between Rose and me for
the rest of our marriage.
A couple’s memory of their
passionate early years helps orient
their deepening romance in the
later years of marriage, says Deida.
While other couples can look back
and say, “We’ll always have Paris,” we
got stuck with “We’ll always have that
funky motel off the turnpike where we
had to meet to do it during your
ovulation window.”

We busted gender stereotypes . . .
uncomfortably
Rose earned more money than I did. And not a
little more. Often I felt like the miscellaneous
expense line in her budget. And although a
third of wives outearn their husbands these
days, I’ve never felt comfortable with it. “For
many men, identity and self-esteem depend
on doing well at work,” says Brenda Shoshanna,
Ph.D., the author of Why Men Leave. “So when
a wife earns more, the husband can feel he’s
really not the man in the family.”
A further complication was our decision to
work from home so we could both take care of
the new baby—a great idea that broke bad on
us. When her work line rang, I’d get stuck
changing diapers, enviously watching her do
big busi ness. Meanwhile, of course, as she was
stuck on the phone, she’d enviously watch me
change diapers. It was almost funny. Almost.