Odds and Ends

Bigger than Brand X One of the explanations for an increase rate in obesity in any country is the change in portion sizes of meals away from home, drinks and individual food items.  Research suggests that when we have more food in front of us, we will eat more.  A bigger serving means more calories (unless they just add water).  So increased portion size = more calories = weight gain.  (of course, we could have all started to be more physically active when the food portions got bigger but we know THAT didn't happen).  My dismay should be easy to understand then.  This week I noticed a new veggie burger.  A company that sells other frozen meals has joined the veggie burger fray.  The package said something like, "10% more pattie than the leading brand."  I flipped the package over because there was no front of pack nutrient information and noted that it also has 70 more calories per serving.  We have got to stop this.  More food, whether you are a customer or the food provider is NOT what we need right now.

Mammograms and 5 Year Survival For some time, the utility of regular breast cancer screenings with mammogram have been questioned.  The mammogram can detect smaller lumps than a self breast exam, but the lumps are often (not always) harmless. The harmlessness of the lump is not known until subsequent invasive tests and months of  increased stress are endured.  Furthermore, the mammogram does not appear to reduce the risk of breast cancer death. An observation piece written in the online version of the British Medical Journal is quite informative.  When considering the effectiveness of a test or treatment, we often use 5 year survivability as a measure.  The five years begin at the time of diagnosis.  Drs. Woloshin and Schwartz provide a great example in the article.  If a group of women are all diagnosed at the age of 65 and die before they are 70 than the 5 year survival rate is 0.  If those same women were diagnosed at age 63, the survival rate will be increased if they die after age 68.  HOWEVER, they will all still be dead at age 70.  It is a matter of how long one is living with a diagnosis more than whether or not an early diagnosis changed thins.   The important part is what happens AFTER the diagnosis.  The treatment.  You have to make an informed decision about mammograms but I will tell you this - examining your breasts  (feeling them) and looking for lumps IS an effective screening tool. 

McDonalds - Look Here

P&G Snacks Save the Day -  The consumer products company reported a 45% increase in sales from Q4 2011 to Q4 2012 and gives all the credit to its snacking business.  (dratz)

Fruit V Fruit Juice  Dr. Robert Lustig continues to educate people on the problems with fructose as found in sucrose and HFCS.  In a radio interview, he closed his presentation by addressing the issue of fruit.  "YES" he said, People should absolutely eat fruit but just as certainly, avoid fruit juice.  He said that the most important thing that fruit offers us is fiber. He noted that most people will not over consume oranges.  They will eat one.  But think of how easy it is to drink 2-3 glasses of orange juice which has many more calories minus the fiber.

Shower Scene As I was going from the pool area to the locker room one day last week, a younger student(20s) was behind me.  She asked, out of nowhere "How do you stay so thin?"  OF course this turned into a long conversation (I exercise a lot and do not eat too many calories) and a referral to my You Tube channel where she could learn about Volumetrics.  But I also shared some personal info with my young enquirer.  At one time I weighed much much more than I do now, and I have weighed the same lower weight for over ten years. During our conversation I was either in a swim suit or a towel - so yeah - no hiding under clothes.  And she said, "But your skin looks so young."  Awesome right?.  What I think that she meant was that it had elasticity and tone.  Nice. (exercise, use lotion, don't smoke).

Odds and Ends

Battery Recycling - I was depositing a check in the ATM in the Student University Center this week and I noticed a big plastic box in a corner.  It was a recycling station.  It had slots for batteries, cell phones, ink and CDs (I think the last was CDs, it said disks).  That is so cool - now I have somewhere to bring those batteries that I keep putting in a bag in my closet.  Note: we do not want to put batteries in our trash because they contain chemicals that can leech into the soil and poison our food, water, etc.

Of Mice and Morphine - In statistic text books, examples for data analysis often come from actual experiments.  I am learning about ANOVA right now. This involves comparing mean scores between 2 or more groups.  The example that we are exploring involves mice who are given morphine and or saline solution and then placed on a hot surface.  The dependent variable, or what is being compared between the mice groups, is how long they take to lick a paw.  The purpose of the study is to test tolerance to morphine. Long, long story but one of the hypothesis was especially intriguing to me.  If the mouse built up a tolerance to the morphine (i.e. it stopped working and he felt the pain quickly) but was given the morphine in a different setting - the tolerance would not apply and the morphine would work again.  The little experiment supported that assumption.  The reason it matters is - a person using heroine ( a different form of morphine) who has built up a tolerance to the drug and is thus consuming a higher dose, can overdose if they use that same amount in a different "play ground."  School is so cool- I love learning stuff.


Oh Michelle - HPV and Politics - I have very strong opinions on the HPV vaccine and have voiced them here since 2006.  In regards to the recent controversy ignited during the last republican debate, let me just say that Merck is not going to be offering Michelle Bachman any campaign contributions (and Merck is the focus of my ire).  I am upset with Merck because the marketing of the vaccine distracts from the need for annual PAP smears.  The pap smear is the screening (prevention strategy)- for cervical cancer, not the vaccine. However, no evidence is available to support that innocent little girls (aren't they all!) are at risk for retardation from the vaccine.  The evidence that Merck contributed to political campaigns is likely to be much more available.


Weekly "Really" Outrage - There was a sampling display at the grocery store this weekend.  It was Splenda Essentials.  I did not get up close and personal with the display, I saw quite enough from a distance.  Apparently, the makers of Splenda have decided to fortify the sugar substitute with vitamins and minerals.  To which I say, "Really?"  Get your essentials from your food people - that is where science has found the benefit.


What is CNS Health Care? - I heard an advertisement for a quit smoking study.  It referred people to CNS Health Care.  I am still a certified tobacco treatment specialist and even when my certification expires, I will still KNOW stuff. so this intrigued me.  I went to the website which talks about depression and anti depressants.  The blurb on the smoking has to do with depression getting in the way of quitting.  My overall impression of the website was - "not credible".


Weather Changes, Tires and Mood - We had another of those sudden drops in temperature here - the kind that make tires lose air and Deirdre lose equilibrium.  I woke yesterday with a good deal of pressure in my head/sinuses and it lasted most of the day.  I also had a pretty dour mood.  It was not much warmer today, but the sun made appearances.  I also figured out how much air my tires were supposed to have (side panel on the door), went and inflated them myself (using the pressure gauge), thus resetting the low tire warning light - all without going to Good Year. I felt so empowered.  Also - I was mega productive and creative today.  That was nice.

lastly - a couple of weeks ago, somewhat completed a feedback form and requested that I make another All in a Day video.  It was a great email and I felt happy to oblige.  I made this one a little differently and though it does include all that I ate - it is a short clip.  You can see it here.

Odds and Ends

A few days ago it occured to me that I did not do O&E last Sunday! I believe the travel glitch thwarted me there, but this has been a more normal (if 30 degree mornings in SW Florida are normal!) weekend.

I start with the most positive observation:

Yogurt for Power Lifters: I do not drink sports drinks (just my elete water electrolyte mix) and I do not consume protein shakes, powders or bars. I DO eat protein and carbs and I do fuel with protein and carbs when I work out. As you might have deduced, I am going to the gym now a days, as opposed to any time since about 2006. Many days, I see a man there who appears to be training three or four young guys. Maybe they are highschool athletes, possibly wrestlers. The workouts they do are INTENSE. So on Friday, there I was doing my focused but simple weight training, while the 'boys' were doing their own routine. The leader is standing there eating a container of yogurt! He was chided a bit by some of the other muscle bound men, but stuck to his guns about protein in a natural form. I was SO impressed!

Calorie Content: I guess this is the worst thing I read all week. There is a good amount of error in the nutrition content information both on fast food or other restaurant menus and websites AND even on the labels of frozen foods, like Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers. GASP> Well, if you are consistently eating the same things it isn't going to matter, but if you are switching to something and tracking your calories, you could be making costly mistakes. Always round up for sure. This is one of the reasons I just order my food the way I want it cooked, i.e. no oil, fat or butter instead of ordering a menu item that is considered a dieter option with a specified calorie content. Remember, calories do count and if you count them, you want a certain amount of accuracy.

Orange Juice: Always a fan of whole fruit and never one of juice, my thought on the news that orange juice prices were going to sky rocket due to the crazy Arctic weather in the South, was - GOOD. Now maybe people will drink less of it.

Words to Ponder: I was having a conversation about exercise with a physical therapist the other day. She said the follow three things about exercise; 1) it increases quality of life 2) it increases mobility 3) it decreases pain. She then added that it is a protective factor for almost every disease there is.

Restaurant Need to Know: Eating out with my family the other night. I asked for my broccoli to be steamed with no oil, fat or butter. Now, I know that you guys, my sweet, naive readers, think that if a vegetable is steamed it is also free of butter - MMMAWHAHAHAHA - not so. At the restaurant, I did get my fish and veggies cooked the way I wanted, but then the waiter asked me, "so how is that broccoli? (great) I had to go find some in the freezer. Does it taste okay without butter? (delicious) I didn't even know we had that freezer!" That my friends is funny, but also terribly sad. It is also why ordering a vegetable plate over a small steak may NOT be the smartest move you've ever made.

IN the Wake of My Travels: I was happy that my great niece and her dad enjoyed my international coffee (sugar free) so much that they bought some more. I usually have my own decaf skinny cappuccino, but when I travel I buy that. And today, my niece (her mom), let me know that she and her husband were drinking Deirdre cocktails, Seagram Seven and Fresca! I love it when people adopt some of my calorie saving strategies!