Cereal Recall - Malt-O-Meal

If you were planning on starting your day with a nice bowl of Malt-O-Meal, you might want to check and make sure it isn’t involved in a recent FDA recall.

The Food and Drug Administration recalled unsweetened puffed rice and the unsweetened puffed wheat cereals made by Malt-O-Meal because they could contain strains of salmonella. At least 23 people in 14 states have been diagnosed as a result of eating this tainted food.

Affected products have USE BY dates of April 8, 2008 - March 19, 2008. Consumers are advised to throw these cereals out immediately.

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Food Allergy Awareness Week

The 11th Annual Food Allergy Awareness week kicks off on May 11, 2008 and runs through May 17, 2008.

Food Allergy Awareness week was set up to help educate people about the potential dangers associated with having allergic reactions to food. Approximately 12 million Americans are allergic to one food or another, and these allergies can prove deadly.

“Studies are showing us that the teen years can be particularly risky for individuals with food allergies. Friends can help each other avoid risks, handle bullies, and stay safe.” said Anne Munoz-Furlong, CEO and Founder of FAAN. (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network)

To find out more about food allergies and Food Allergy Awareness Week, please visit Food Allergy.org

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Yogurt Recall

Be sure to check your refrigerator to make sure that you aren’t stocking Stonyfield Organic Fat Free Blueberry Yogurt in a 6 ounce container.

Stonyfield recently issued a voluntary recall on this product after consumers complained about finding foreign objects in the yogurt. Fat-Free blueberry yogurt products affected have these dates:

Apr 13 08, Apr 14 08, Apr 15 08, April 25 08 and Apr 26 08.

To date, there have been no injuries reported.

Consumers can return opened and unopened product to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Other questions can be answered by Stonyfield Farm Consumer Relations at 1-800-PRO-COWS

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Avelox Has Risks

It was recently announced that Bayer was sending letters with additional warnings to doctors in Europe for their product Avelox, used as an antibiotic.

The company says that the use of this drug could cause rare incidents of severe liver and skin side effects.

Yvonne Moeller, a spokeswoman at Bayer said “The side effects are very rare. But when it happens, it is quite severe to patients. We want doctors to be more aware.”

If you are taking this drug, keep an eye out for symptoms and contact your physician immediately.

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Bill 282 - Mississippi Obesity Legislation Faces Opposition

Mississippi has a new bill coming up before politicians slated to help fight obesity in the state that has the highest obesity rate in all of America.

Bill 282 sets guidelines for determining whether a restaurant patron is obese based on criteria set forth by the Mississippi State Health Department. If Bill 282 is passed, dining establishments could be fined or have their Vendor’s License revoked for serving food to those that the Mississippi Government deems “obese.”

One of the Bill’s three authors, State Rep. John Read (Republican) said he wasn’t trying to offend anyone and didn’t think it would become a law. He said “I was trying to shed a little light on the No. 1 problem in Mississippi.”

Needless to say, many people aren’t happy with this idea. Steve Holland, the Democratic chairman of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, stated he will “pocket veto” the bill. “It’s dead on arrival at my desk.”

I think that this is a touchy subject that can’t be mandated. No restaurant owner, manager or server wants to be the one to decide whether or not to serve a patron - that’s what some people would consider “discrimination.” No business owner in his right mind would want to interfere with a patron’s free will and turn down business.

If the government really wanted to help, they’d do better to educate the public about the importance of a healthier diet and exercise. Punishing restaurants is no solution to this growing problem - I’m sure of it.

What are your thoughts on Bill 282? Do you feel it infringes on consumer’s rights?

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EU Health Chief Looks To Provide Nutrition Information On Front Of Packages

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou is calling for a change in food packaging in an effort to try and curb obesity across Europe.

He wants nutrition information be printed on the front of food boxes and packaging so European consumers can quickly and easily find information on how much sugar, fat, calories and salt the product contains. Mr. Kyprianou has said in the past that obesity is the “greatest threats” to the country.

“General labeling … and nutrition labeling is an established way for providing information to consumers to support health conscious food choices,” reads the plan’s latest draft.

“Labeling can be strengthened as a means to support a consumers’ ability to choose a balanced diet,” it says.

According to the World Health Organization, obesity has more than tripled in most EU countries since the 1980s with the number of obese or overweight children rising from 14 million in 2005 to 22 million in 2007.

Of course his plan is being met with resistance from food companies that aren’t happy with the idea that they’ll have to display these nutrition details on the front of their attractive packaging.

What are your thoughts on putting nutrition values on the front of the foods you eat? Do you think it would help you make better easting decisions?

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Obesity Surgery Might Help With Diabetes

There’s a one-two punch when it comes to your health. Obesity and diabetes go hand in hand the way ice cream goes with a sugar cone. Now health professionals are looking at obesity surgery as a way to also help fight diabetes.

Patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs were five times more likely to see their diabetes disappear over the next two years than were patients who had standard diabetes care, according to Australian researchers.

Most of the surgery patients were able to stop taking diabetes drugs and achieve normal blood tests.

“It’s the best therapy for diabetes that we have today, and it’s very low risk,” said Dr. John Dixon of Monash University Medical School in Melbourne, Australia, lead author of the study, which involved 55 patients.

The patients that underwent surgery received stomach banding, which is more popular in Australia than in the U.S.

In a sense, the surgery is having the bonus effect of helping with the diabetes that was exacerbated by being overweight.

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New York Calls For Calorie Information At Restaurants

The “Big Apple” is once again leading the way in restaurant reform. Last year the city mandated “no transfats” at all eateries in the city. This year, they are working to mandate that fast food and other chain restaurants display calorie counts next to their menu items.

Here is a glimpse of the future of menu boards in New York.

The city Board of Health planned to vote Tuesday for a second time on the requirement for major fast-food chains, which make up about 10 percent of the city’s restaurants. A federal judge struck it down in September, but indicated that the rule would be acceptable if it were expanded to include more restaurants.

If the measure is approved, any large fast-food chain would have to list calorie counts prominently on their menu boards. Several chains, like McDonald’s and Burger King, have the information available, but don’t list it on the menu boards that customers read before ordering.

City officials are hoping that the clear display of this information will help people realize exactly how many calories they are consuming. They are also hoping that it will spur the eateries to offer healthier choices on their menus.

I think this is a great idea and hope that it comes to pass in all States. There is no reason to be an uninformed consumer in today’s information age.

What are your thoughts? Would seeing the number of calories in an entree’ make you think twice before eating it?

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Technology Competes With Sleep In Kid’s Bedrooms

When I was a teenager, life was a lot simpler. Our house had 1 phone line. If it was being used, you harassed the sibling that was tying up the line until they hung up the phone. If you wanted
to go somewhere, you took off with out being tethered to a wireless network.

We didn’t have 345 channels of amazing television and the endless list of websites to check out. We didn’t have E-Mail. There was no need for a television in your room because there wasn’t anything worth watching. The banging-est video game was PONG.

If you ever had troubles sleeping, you could use a natural sleep aid to help catch some ZZZ’s.

Fast forward about 30 years (give or take) to the kids and teens today.
They own so many electronic gadgets and devices that they are competing with their sleep. Whether it be a cell phone, an MP3 player or a TV. Researchers have came up with a name for it -junk sleep

Some sleep researchers think today’s teens are loading up on “junk sleep” — the sleep equivalent of junk food — because they sleep with so many distracting devices: cell phones tucked under their pillows, handheld computer games on the bedside table, TVs or music playing in the background.

“We have an epidemic of obesity and we have an epidemic of junk sleep,” says Dr. Morris Bird, head of Florida Hospital’s Center for Sleep Disorders. “With our 24-hour days, the availability of all these things — all of these things are like a big apple pie that is sitting in front of them — and they can’t resist.”

The researchers also said that moodiness is another side effect of not getting enough sleep.

If you think that your child or teen is not getting enough rest at night, here are some simple suggestions that will help.

* Pull the plug on the computer, television, video games and music at 9 p.m. to prepare the brain for sleep.
* Keep the bedroom comfortable, dark and quiet.
* Develop a relaxing routine before bed, such as reading for pleasure or taking a warm shower.
* Avoid bright light in the evening.
* Turn on bright lights at 5 a.m. or as soon as possible in the morning to help teens wake up. It will also help set their body clock.

Source: National Sleep Foundation, sleep researchers

Cape Cod Online

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Is Exercise Fun?

How many people really think exercise is fun? I can’t for sure, but I bet the number is low. Most people use exercise as a means to an end. If they don’t exercise, they can’t achieve goals that are important to them.

I think a lot of people approach exercise thinking that it should be fun. But if you don’t find it to be greatly amusing, you can take the same approach you would to a job: it might not be your favorite activity, but it benefits you, so you do it.

I guess you can always try and make exercise a bit more fun. If you really engage in the type of activities you enjoy, there’s a possibility you might have a good time.

The bottom line is, you need to exercise anyways, so if you can have fun, you’re probably better off in the end.

Is exercise fun for you or do you do it just for the results?

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