The same can be said for foods that we eat for our other meals. So, how do we know what we should and shouldn’t be eating? Well, I’ve never been one to say that you should never eat treats or “forbidden” foods, but this should always be done in moderation. There’s a huge difference between having an occasional evening of ice cream and chips while watching a movie and having them every second night. Or for breakfast.

I found this Analyze My Plate program over at the Centers of Disease Control (CDC). They have lots of great information and you could really get lost looking around that site.

Anyway, what’s great about this particular site is you choose the meal you want to analyze and then click and drag the types of food onto your plate. As you do this, the Nutrition and Serving Totals at the top (cups of fruit, cups of veggies, total calories and total fat) are added up. When you’re done with your plate, you can click on “Analyze my Plate” and you’ll get a quick run down on how you did, particularly if you click on “more detail.”

Maybe this could help you or your kids learn how to judge what you’re eating. What do you think?

~~~

Images: MorgueFile.com

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But finding out what pesticides might be on your food hasn’t been that easy. That is, until now. Thanks to the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), you now have at your fingertips a searchable database, What’s on my food,  which links “…pesticide food residue data with the toxicology for each chemical, making this information easily searchable for the first time.”

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Well, turns out there’s an easier way to get your kids to eat their greens, yellows, and oranges.
Just give them a cool name like ‘X-ray Vision Carrots’, ‘Tomato Bursts’, or ‘dinosaur broccoli trees’ and the vegetables won’t stand a chance. They’ll be goobled up quick.

That’s the finding of a new study by Cornell University researchers. They presented 186 four-year old “X-ray Vision Carrots” and found that these pre-schoolers ate nearly twice as much as they did on the lunch days when they were simply labeled as ‘carrots’.

As researcher Brian Wansick says “Cool names can make for cool foods”. And the best of this is that once the kids started eating the carrots, they continued to eat them even on days when they were no longer labelled ‘X-ray Vision Carrots’.

Such a simple idea with great results. But I think that many mothers already knew this.

But the interesting thing is that doesn’t just work on kids. Adults too have an affinity for cool food names. For example, changing the name of seafood filet to ‘Succulent Italian Seafood Filet’ on a restaurant menu resulted in sales increased by 28% and taste rating increased by 12%.

Maybe it’s all in our mind.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Here’s their Top 10 picks…

1. Panera Bread
2. Jason’s Deli
3. Au Bon Pain
4. Noodles & Company
5. Corner Bakery
6. Chipotle
7. Atlanta Bread Company
8. McDonald’s
9. Einstein Bros. Bagels
10. Taco Del Mar

To be honest, the only one I’ve ever heard of is McDonalds, which, of course,  is here in New Zealand. But from the descriptions of the other nine on the list, I’m hoping they might also make their way over here…

Meanwhile, I’ll just have to be satisfied with reading about these yummy sounding fast food chains over at Health.com.

Post from: Healthbolt

Now you can simply and easily with the Coheso’s CaloriesSmart Mini CSNL-100.

No more guessing or search – CaloriesSmart offers ‘facts at your fingertips.’

It might look similar to a blackberry but this nutrition calculator does something that the blackberry can’t – it lets you manage your diet on the go.

Want one?

Then you might be in luck. Healthbolt has one to giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment by 5th Jan telling us why you think this CaloriesSmart nutrition calculator should be yours.

And who knows, it just might be.

This giveaway is open worldwide.

The winner will be announced on 6th Jan and sent an email with the subject heading ‘Healthbolt Giveaway Winner’ with instructions on how to claim their prize.

Happy New Year!

Post from: Healthbolt

 Yes, it’s that time again. Actually, it’s a little late this week because of all the giveaway logistics that I’ve been trying to juggle. But I promise, this Healthbolt Carnival is worth the wait.

So I hope you’re comfortable, get something to drink (coffee, tea, chai latte, or maybe a wine or beer), and are ready to wander through the blogosphere to see what health and fitness bloggers have been writing about…

First, a little humor to start you off with Madeleine from Mad Kane’s Humor Blog who’s Fishing For Company.

Fiona King from U.S. PharmD lists the 50 Best Video Games for Senior Health.

Ahuva Goldstand from Jerusalemite blog has A conversation with Uzi-Eli Chezi, remedy and refreshment guru. Uzi-Eli, who has been peddling citron juice for over 20 years in Jerusalem has a marketing style straddles the line between old-time witch doctor and gimmicky theme park stall: Rambam-inspired folk medicine for the masses.

Erin Pavlina from Erin Pavlina’s Blog writes about Going Raw for 30 Days, saying, “I’ve decided to do a 30-day trial on a raw diet. I’m really excited by this challenge. Three or four years ago I tried going raw for 30 days but stopped after a couple of weeks.”

Lauren Rose from Supertraining Blog.com lists 7 Surefire Strategies to Avoid the Dreaded Holiday Bulge, saying, “Unfortunately, the holidays are the time of year when many people end up putting on the extra “holiday pounds” which is easy to do for the season continues for just about two months!”

Kara-Leah from Prana Flow NZ discusses How to build a home yoga practice, saying, “”As a yoga teacher, my goal is to inspire my students to practice yoga at home. It’s great when people get themselves to classes three times a week, but the true benefits of yoga really start to unfold when you commit to just showing up on your mat by yourself and seeing what happens.”

Clara Myers from Mind Mart suggests becoming more self-reliant and environmentally friendly by having A Chicken In Every Cul de Sac. Seems raising chickens is easier than you may thing.

Turn the page to read more interesting and informative carnival entries…

Are you a stess eater? You know, you find yourself reaching for comfort foods and junk foods whenever you become stressed. Well, Andy from How To Stop Eating – Stop Binge Eating has some Stop Stress Eating Tips for you.

Aparna from Beauty and Personality Grooming tells us that “dust that gets accumulated in our houses is a host to millions of germs and microorganisms” and suggests you should Beware of dust mites on your pillows.

Andy from Weight Loss Window writes about how Tomorrow Never Comes for those who keep saying ““I’ll start eating healthy tomorrow” or “I’ll start exercising tomorrow”.

Cory from Eating Healthy looks at Caffeine: Sources and Effects, saying, “Caffeine can have a lot of effects on your body if you consume it constantly in large doses.”

axel g writes about Living With Physical Pain.

TherapyDoc from Everyone Needs Therapy presents Those Active Therapeutic Agents.

Jimson Lee from Speedendurance.com discusses Dynamic Warm Up vs. Static Stretching Controversy, saying, “A look at the differences between static stretching and dynamic stretching in the Warm-up, including the benefits of microstretching.”

Brain Blogger looks at The Need for Post-Marketing Surveillance of Drugs, saying, “When a new drug is approved and enters the marketplace, often the only safety and efficacy information available is based on a few thousand people who took the drug during strictly controlled clinical trials. Not surprisingly, these trials are designed to focus on the drugs’ benefits, and may not include a large enough sample size to elicit serious adverse effects”

Matthew from Fast Medical Information writes about Advance Medical Directives, saying, “Advance directives refers to specific treatment preferences of a patient and also the designation of a decision-maker if the patient themselves is unable to make their own decisions. This includes a living will, the power of attorney and health care proxy.”

Loi P from Life Experiments suggests you could Go Vegan.

Valeria from Timeless Lessons lists 10 Benefits of Meditation and How to Do It.

Mike Salara looks at How to make patience work for you.

Grace R Young OT looks at how bloggers can keep in good shape despite spending a lot of time at the computer in Computer Comfort.

Tammy and Susie from a href=”http://the100calorieblog.com” mce_href=”http://the100calorieblog.com”>The 100 Calorie Blog looks at Adventures in 100 Calorie Eating, Cooking and Dieting at the The 100 Calorie Blog.

Alvin Hopkinson from High Blood Pressure Treatment and Medication Reviews provides 6 Healthy Tips to Control Hypertension in Foods for High Blood Pressure.

Lazy Man and Health writes about I Joined a Gym.

Jeremy Waller from Natural Remedy Reports gives information on What Does Eczema Look Like?, saying, “Eczema comes in many shapes and varieties. Some of which can be pretty unsightly…”

Patricia Turner from Pharmacy Technician Certification reports on why Exercise is good for the Heart.

Cory Albertson from Eating Healthy looks at pushups in An Oldie but a Goodie.

Joel Gray from Health Tips 101 has some Herbal Weight Loss Solutions.

Jeff Carlson from Gobs Channel says to Remember Posture.

Weight Loss Journal from Weight Ladder lists the The Right Kind of Foods Your Body Needs for Weight Loss, Fitness, Exercise, and Health

brigid from New York Public Library presents Brain Fitnessat the New York Public Library, saying, “After attending a recent staff training session offered by the library’s Office of Staff Development, I decided to return to a habit of my childhood–eating sardines.”

Will Edwards from White Dove Books discusses The Tragedy of Drugging Our Children , saying, “Americans are among the unhealthiest people on earth and this situation continues to get even worse. The reason is clear why this unfortunate situation continues to be so frightening. It’s because you cannot get well by taking prescription drugs to resolve your ailment. I don’t understand why the general public is so gullible to think this is the way to wellness.”

Relax from The Wise Curve discusses How to Become a Sleeping Winner, saying, “Get good quality sleep with Progressive Muscle Relaxation, and proper matress + pillows.”

Astrid Lee from World Healing looks at how to stay worry-free and stress-free in Trust, Stress-Combatting Thought & Saintly Help.

And that’s it for this edition of the Healthbolt Carnival.

Want to join next time? It’s as simple as submitting a health, wellness, or fitness related blog post using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: a healthbolt carnival, blog carnival.

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