A new study suggests that while most Americans know they should limit unhealthy saturated and trans fats, few know which specific foods to avoid. Published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers present findings from a study that surveyed 1,000 adults in 2006 and 2007 about their awareness, knowledge, and behaviors related to fats and oils and their perceived impact on heart disease. Positive findings during the 1-year study period included: increases in awareness of trans fat; increases in perceptions that trans fats, saturated fats, and partially hydrogenated oils increase the risk of heart disease; and improved behaviors related to trans fat

  Back in the 1960’s the feds made cigarette manufacturers put a warning label on cigarette packages stating “Smoking may be hazardous to your health.”   Maybe we should put a similar warning, “TV watching may be hazardous to your health,” on television sets.  Here is one reason why. Using data from a very large prospective study of African-American women, researchers recently showed that the more hours of TV watched per day, the higher the risk of the women being diagnosed with diabetes during the 10-year follow-up period.  Women who watched 5 hours or more of TV per day were nearly

Researchers from the University of Minnesota recently analyzed data from 349 adolescent-caregiver pairs to assess adolescent and parental knowledge related to energy (calorie) intake and expenditure and the link between this knowledge (or lack thereof) and weight related behaviors (like fast-food intake, sweetened beverage intake, physical activity, television viewing, body composition and weight status).1 Findings indicated that knowledge related to energy (calorie) intake and expenditure was poor, particularly among adolescents. Furthermore, as knowledge increased so did moderate physical activity; and as knowledge decreased, television viewing went up. But knowledge was not associated with sweetened beverage consumption, fast food intake, weight status, and/or

To exercise when it is cold or rainy or not to exercise?  That is the question.  Not for Hamlet but apparently it is for Canadian adolescents.  Researchers at McGill University in Montreal looked at what, if any, influence weather and season have on physical activity levels for boys and girls from about age 12 to age 17.  They tracked the number of physical activity sessions per day in a group of students and correlated activity level with the daily weather conditions.  They found that for each four-inches of snow accumulation the students had 3% fewer activity sessions.  Similar drops in activity

Reading the entire 683-page scientific  committee report on the new Physical Activity Guidelines  for Americans can be a hard slog.  Even the 22-page consumer-level guide to becoming more active may be a bit much for today’s time-starved consumers. So you can thank the University of Missouri Cooperative Extension for coming up with the Cliff Notes version.  Click the graphic above to view a two-page graphical description of what the latest research tells us adults need to be doing to garner the myriad of health benefits of regular physical activity.  You’ll see that it looks vaguely familiar.  That’s because it’s modeled after the USDA’s

  Had a rough day? Feeling under the weather? Longing for home? These feelings often trigger people to turn to comfort foods – especially this time of the year! While typically high in fat and calories, comfort foods don’t have to be unhealthy. Next time you’re craving a home-cooked helping that’ll make you feel warm inside, choose one of these healthy alternatives. Pizza – The best way to enjoy a health pizza is to make it yourself. Start with whole-wheat crust (homemade or store-bought whole-wheat dough or ready-made whole-wheat crust); spread on a layer of marinara or pizza sauce; then, top with a sprinkling

We have a friend who complains that he has a “metal disorder.”  (That’s metal without an “n.”)  “I have silver in my hair, gold in my teeth, and lead in my pants,” he quips with a twinkle in his eye.  For those of you with a similar affliction, listen up. A team of researchers at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada found that doing both aerobic and strength-training exercises while maintaining a healthy diet significantly reduced health risks and improved ability to live independently in people between the ages of 60 and 80.  Yes, you have heard this before.  What is unique