Here's a video on Winter Squash that I did while I was with the USDA's Network for a Healthy CA. 

While it's aimed at classroom teachers, it does include a great recipe and some fun nutritional facts.  

I hope you enjoy it!

Twitter and New E-Newspaper Launched!

Good news!  You can now follow me on Twitter at @factsonfoods!  Just click the link, or type it into your address bar.  Just make sure both of those main words are plural by including an "s" at the end of both!  Get the latest updates and helpful, healthful tips from me and a variety of top-name reliable national sources.  No politics. No slant. Just the facts on foods for you and your family.

ALSO:  Follow my new DAILY E-NEWSPAPER at http://paper.li/factsonfoods/1350930679 !!!  Subscribing is absolutely free.  Every 24 hours, my E-Newspaper, "Chew On This!" will supply you with news, articles, recipes, tips and more ALL ON EATING HEALTHY!  News from top magazines and news services including "Eating Well Magazine", the USDA, World Food Safety, and many more.

I'm becoming a regular Nutrition-ista!  Hope to see you at each of my new sites.  Your feedback is always welcome.  Thanks for your support, and always remember: Eating Better = Living Better.  

The Fattest Places in America

I had originally posted the following information on obesity last year on another of my blogs, but after reviewing it I now feel that the information it gives could perhaps be used better if placed on this one, where we focus more about our health and the nation's in general.   

The article gives a great deal of good and useful information about where the obesity epidemic in this nation is hitting us hardest, however in order to combat this situation, we need to understand why this type of behavior and resulting condition could exist in our country in the first place.  I have done a good deal of research on obesity and general health, and feel that, in my opinion, the leading contributors to obesity in America are Accessibility, Economy, and Education.  

Accessibility: Our nation, as a whole, has lost the ability to get to and grow our own food.  True, we have one of the healthiest and heartiest agriculture industries in the world, but a century ago, and even up to 50 years ago, we were still a largely agricultural society as individuals, as well.  More than 85% of the American population was involved in the production of food at the end of the 1800s.  By the close of the 1900s, that number was below 50%.  We used to grow our own vegetables, harvest our own fruit, raise our own meat.  Where once this nation had more than 1000 slaughter houses, we now have less than 20.  Today the number of Americans even capable of growing their own vegetables is shockingly low, due to a lack of space and knowledge.  There's simply more concrete than soil in a lot of areas, and not enough organized instruction to cultivate those spots that are open.  Community gardens are on the increase, which is good news, but true locally grown produce is hard to come by.  And places to purchase any locally grown foods used to be just that: local.  However those spots that used to be literally around the corner have been killed off during the past few decades by huge processing and grocery conglomerates.  Our access to fresh food has drastically decreased while the accessibility of fast food, deep fried, high-calorie food with low nutritional value, has become commonplace.

Economic Factors: Thanks to economic trends during these last several decades, those most in need of healthy foods have become the ones least likely to be able to get to it or afford to purchase it.  Based on the distance and cost, local growers cannot get their food to those most able to benefit from it within most of our major metropolitan areas.  And those farmer's markets that do exist are too few and far between for low-income, elderly, or disabled persons to frequent.  What's more, many are set up in higher-income areas, where the public can pay better prices to make it all worthwhile for the grower.  

Education:  Over the last 100 years, America not only has forgotten how to grow food on their own, they've forgotten why they needed to in the first place.  There was a time not too long ago that we all made our own foods, we knew what was in them, and we got decent amounts of exercise raising, harvesting, and simply making it all.  An increase in processed foods and "convenience" in purchasing pre-made meals became part of our lifestyle, replacing the simple joy of growing and eating our own fresh foods.  Mom used to stay home and make meals thirty years ago.  Today, it's easier for many of us to grab a bucket of chicken, and understandably so.  However a studied examination of the food we buy, if not a more concerted involvement in creating our own meals, could do many of us a world of good.  Read labels, examine portion sizes, and try easy alternatives to high-calorie mainstays.

It is my hope that by understanding these three factors we as a nation will be able to better determine a course of action to combat obesity in America.  However in order to do so, we have to first adapt that understanding to our own lives.  Beginning with the health of our individual families we can take the first steps in becoming a healthier country, and perhaps increase the health of the following states. 

10 States With the Deadliest Eating Habits

by Charles B. Stockdale, Douglas A. McIntyre and Michael B. Sauter
Wednesday, February 9, 2011


Americans are fat and getting fatter by the year. Recent data reported in medical journal Lancet showed that BMI (Body Mass Index), a recognized measurement of obesity, is higher on average in America than in any other nation.  The obesity problem, however, is international. The report in Lancet states that "In 2008, 9.8 percent of the world's male population were obese, as were 13.8 percent of women. In 1980, these rates were 4.8 percent and 7.9 percent." U.S. eating habits and diets have been exported, many experts say. Nations which before had relatively lean diets which were high in grains and fruits now consume many more soft drinks and hamburgers.

Fat Americans are more likely to have diabetes, coronary artery disease, strokes and certain forms of cancer. Less well reported are links between obesity and dementia, obesity and postmenopausal estrogen receptors, and obesity and social status. Thin people, apparently, are more likely to be chief executives and billionaires.

The journal Health Affairs reported last year that overall obesity-related health spending reached $147 billion in the U.S., about double what it was a decade earlier.


And here are the Top Ten FATTEST States in the Union. And remember: "Per Capita" means the average amount "for EVERY individual in that state."  That's babies just born to elderly folks in nursing homes and everybody in-between.

10. New Mexico

Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.26 (23rd)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $737 (8th most)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 58 (12th least)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 111 (13th least)

New Mexico's worst rankings occur in two metrics. It has the 44th-greatest percentage of households without a car that are more than 10 miles from a supermarket or grocery store and the 44th-greatest percentage of population that has low income and is more than 10 miles from a supermarket or grocery store, according to the United States Department of Ag1riculture. These metrics are significant because they suggest a lack of access to affordable and nutritious food. Residents may rely on fast food restaurants and convenience stores instead. New Mexico has the eighth-greatest amount of money spent on fast food per capita among all the states considered.

9. Arizona
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.17 (47th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $761 (4th most)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 60 (21st least)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 109 (11th least)

Arizona has the second-fewest grocery stores per person, with only 0.17 for every 1,000 people. This illustrates a major restriction on healthy food access for one of the country's fastest growing states. One of the ways in which residents of Arizona are supplementing their diets is with fast food. Arizonans spent an average of $760.50 each on fast food in 2007, the fourth-greatest amount among the states.

8. Ohio
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.18 (45th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $622 (20th least)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 70 (11th most)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 122 (10th most)

Because a large part of Ohio's poor population is located in major urban centers like Cleveland and Cincinnati, the state ranks well in regards to access to grocery stores among the poor. However, the state ranks third-worst in store availability across all income classes at 0.18 locations per 1,000 people, compared to 0.6 in first place North Dakota. Ohio's population has the 11th-greatest consumption of soft drinks, and top-10 highest consumption of both sweet snacks and solid fats. As a result of these poor diets, Ohio has an adult diabetes occurrence of over 10%, which is the 11th-worst rate in the country.

7. South Dakota
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.5 (4th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $547 (9th least)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 64 (23rd least)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 122 (8th most)

South Dakota has the fifth-smallest population in the country, and yet, it is the 17th-largest state in terms of geographic area. As a result, many residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food. In fact, South Dakota has the greatest percentage of households with no car and which are more than 10 miles from a supermarket or grocery store, as well as the greatest percentage of low-income households which are more than 10 miles from a supermarket or grocery store. Only 10.1% of adults in South Dakota consume the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' recommended two or more fruits and three or more vegetables per day, compared to the national average of 14%. This is the fifth-worst rate in the nation.

6. Nevada
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.23 (29th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $939 (most)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 58 (10th least)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 114 (19th least)

Nevada spends the most per capita on fast food -- nearly $940 per person per year. This is roughly 25% more than Texas, the second-worst state, and well more than twice what Vermont residents spend. As might be expected, the state ranks in the bottom 10 for both households with no cars and low-income populations, defined as people with income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty thresholds, and proximity to grocery stores. Nevada's obesity and diabetes rates, are above average.

5. Oklahoma
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.25 (24th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $676 (15th most)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 69.8 (8th most)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 103.2 (3rd least)

The rate of household-level food insecurity, including households with food access problems as well as households that experience disruptions in their food intake patterns due to inadequate resources for food, is 15.2% in Oklahoma. The national rate is 13.5%. Oklahoma also has the third-lowest rate of adults who meet the recommended two fruit/three vegetable daily intake, with only 9.3% of adults doing so. Perhaps this is part of the reason Oklahoma's obesity rate is 31.4%, the fifth-worst in the country.

4. Kansas
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.35 (7th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $610 (19th least)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 64 (23rd most)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 121 (12th most)

Kansas has some of the easiest access (seventh-best) to stores where cheap and healthy food is available. It is clear, however, that most residents do not take advantage of this, as the state has one of the worst diets in the country. Residents consume the 12th-most sweet snacks per person as well as the 12th-most solid fats -- more than 20 pounds per person. The state ranks 28th in adult diabetes and 31st in obesity -- 28% of the state's adults are considered overweight.

3. Missouri
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.26 (22nd)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $623 (21st least)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 65 (18th highest)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 121 (17th most)

Missouri does not rank especially poor in any of the metrics considered, however it does rank badly in about almost every one. It has the 11th-lowest rates of adults eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, the eighth-greatest rate of food insecurity, and relatively high rates of soft drink, sweet snack and solid fats consumption. Missouri has the ninth-worst rate of obesity among adults, with 30% having a body mass index greater than 30.

2. Alabama
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.21 (37th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $649 (23rd most)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 77 (4th most)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 113 (16th least)

Alabama residents consume 77 gallons of soft drinks per capita per year, the fourth-highest amount in the country. This is roughly 33% more than Oregon, which consumes the least. Soft drinks like cola have more sugar per ounce than nearly any other food we regularly consume, and it is clear that soda has helped contribute to Alabama's poor health outcomes. The state has the seventh-highest obesity rate and, predictably, the second-worst diabetes rate. More than 12% of the state's adult population has the disease.

1. Mississippi
Grocery Stores Per 1,000 Residents: 0.21 (34th)
Amount Spent on Fast Food Per Capita: $588 (17th least)
Gallons of Soft Drinks Purchased Per Capita: 82 (most)
Pounds of Sweet Snacks Purchased Per Capita: 113 (17th least)

Mississippi has the worst eating habits in the country. Only 8.8% of the adult population eats the recommended amount of daily fruits and vegetables, the lowest rate in the country. Residents consumed just under 82 gallons of soft drinks per capita in 2006, the greatest amount reported. Furthermore, the state has the third-highest rate of household-level food insecurity, with 17.1% of households being affected. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that the state has the highest rates of both adult diabetes (12.8%) and adult obesity (34.4%).

And there you have it.

As I mentioned, the trend seems to indicate that we are keeping the freshest food away from the Americans who need it most.  And I have always been a believer that better nutrition makes better people.  And a case could be made that what this country needs right now is a better crop of people.  However in any case, no matter where you live, it is your right and responsibility as an American to make sure we grow the healthiest and most intelligent society in the world.  You can and by all means should be involved in getting this situation turned around.  It would cost you half an hour and 50 cents to write a letter to the USDA about this article.  Or you could check in your own kids schools to see what's in their vending machines. It might surprise you to hear who's in charge of those machines.  Have you got any local farmer's markets in your area that you could ask to be involved with your kids' Back to School Night or after-school programs?  How about a farmer's market at the High School some weekend?  I hope you'll look into these ideas or come up with your own, and we'll be able to help our country where we can do the most - at home.

Soup is Good Food....Right?

One of my favorite comfort foods is soup. Nothing warms me up and improves my mood like a good, soothing cup of soup on a cold, lazy day.  However, many of the soups available to us may not be as nutritious and benefitial as we think. 

Before buying any canned soups at your grocery store, I hope you're reading that nutrition label on the side of the can or box.  Nutritionists agree that a good percentage of Americans fail to read the labels on the sides of prepackaged foods while grocery shopping.  It is one of the best ways to see what you're really consuming, and if you have any type of dietary concern, including high blood pressure, diabetes, calorie counting, carbohydrates, or other health issues, it is the best way to see exactly what's right for you personally.  Aside from cooking up your own soups at home (which is much easier and economical than many people think! Really! Google it.), reading the nutrition label is your number one way to protect yourself from additives, preservatives, chemicals, and other individual health concerns.

But what if you're out at a restaurant?  There's no label on the ladel, and no nutritional info on the side of the bread-bowl.  So unless you're in the back whipping it up yourself, there's really no way to know what's in there, is there?

Well, here is an article from Men's Health magazine that shows what's really inside many of our favorite soups.  What I like about it is it not only lists the sodium, calories, and fat in each soup, it also gives you an alternative to the more unhealthy choice which is lower in these key areas.  Take a look at this article and see if some of what you've been putting into your body is as good for you as you were thinking.  And then let me know what you think at scottsaidso@yahoo.com.  I'll be here, slurping up a bowl of hot tea. 

9 of the Worst Soups in America

Soup may be the ultimate comfort food. It’s warm, it’s nourishing, and you don’t even have to chew it. No wonder Mom made it whenever you were sad, cold, or just plain under the weather.

But here’s a dirty little secret: A lot of soups out there aren’t comfort food at all. They’re discomfort food. That’s because they can make for a lot of discomfort every time you step on the scale, test your blood pressure, or try to squeeze into last year’s swimsuit. Everybody likes a nice, rich broth, but some soups are the Donald Trumps of food: too rich, too thick, and ultimately, full of nonsense.

So whether you’re watching your weight, your blood pressure, or just your general health, take a second look at what’s in your bowl. Here’s how to spot a bad bisque, quick!

#9: WORST SUPERMARKET SOUP
Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder (1 cup)
230 calories
13 g fat (2 g saturated)
890 mg sodium

Each can contains two servings, so the net damage of a full bowl is 460 calories and 1,780 milligrams of sodium. Eat that alongside a sandwich—even a simple ham and cheese—and you're facing an energy tariff of nearly 1,000 calories. The good news? Campbell’s offers a Healthy Request collection of highly improved, updated versions of classic favorites. Make the swap here and you cut an effortless 200 calories from this can and slash the sodium by more than 50 percent.

Eat This Instead!Campbell’s Healthy Request New England Clam Chowder (1 cup)
130 calories
3 g fat (1 g saturated)
410 mg sodium

#8: WORST ASIAN SOUP
P.F. Chang’s Hot and Sour Soup (Bowl)
400 calories
15 g fat (5 g saturated)
5,000 mg sodium

Soup is notorious for being loaded with sodium, but no other bowl on this page comes anywhere close to the 5,000 milligrams in Chang's Hot and Sour. Sure the mineral is necessary for normal bodily functioning, but no person should take in more than 2,300 milligrams per day. Most people would be better maxing out at about 1,500 milligrams. At current rates, Americans consume roughly double their recommended daily intake, which is perhaps why one in three—that's more than 100 million Americans—lives with high blood pressure. Unfortunately there's not a safe bowl on Chang's menu, so if you want soup, you'll have to downgrade to the starter size. Egg Drop is the best choice, but if you slip up and order a full bowl, expect the sodium to skyrocket to 2,410 milligrams.

Eat This Instead!PF Chang’s Egg Drop Soup (Cup)
60 calories
3 g fat
640 mg sodium

Bonus Tip: Many people never look past the calorie and fat counts on food labels, but sodium is every bit as important to monitor. To learn more about which sodium-packed foods to avoid, check out the 30 Saltiest Foods in America.

#7: WORST POTATO SOUP
Applebee’s Baked Potato Soup (Bowl)
440 calories
31 g fat (14 g saturated)
1,270 mg sodium

Starting your meal with this bowl of soup is like swinging through the McDonald's drive-thru for a Double Cheeseburger on the way to dinner. Of course, the cheeseburger is healthier—it won't saddle you with as much sodium or saturated fat. If you're looking for a starter soup, think broth. It whets your appetite without pumping you full of cream or butter.

Eat This Instead!Applebee’s Chicken Noodle Soup (Bowl)
160 calories
4 g fat (1 g saturated)
1,120 mg sodium

#6: WORST SOUTHWESTERN SOUP
Chili’s Sweet Corn Soup (Bowl)
450 calories
36 g fat (20 g saturated)
960 mg sodium

Unprocessed corn is a great source of fiber, folate, phosphorus, and manganese. But this bowl? It's just a great source of saturated fat. In fact, one serving contains 20 grams, which is your entired day's allotment. Instead, opt for the Chicken and Green Chile soup. It’s garnished with heart-healthy avocado, and the heat from the peppers will jumpstart your metabolism. The sodium is a little higher, but in this case it's worth it—you shed 250 calories and cut the saturated fat by 85 percent.

Eat This Instead!Chili’s Chicken and Green Chile Soup (Bowl)
200 calories
7 g fat (3 g saturated)
1,240 mg sodium

#5: WORST VEGETABLE SOUP
Einstein Bros. Broccoli Cheese Soup (Bowl)
470 calories
33 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,910 mg sodium

Most iterations of broccoli cheese soup are made up of very little broccoli and a whole lot of cheese, and no bowl exemplifies that problem better than this one from Einstein Bros. These florets amount to little more than flotsam in a sea of highly saturated dairy fat. Opt for the Chicken Noodle instead and you'll win every nutritional matchup as well as earn 80 percent of your vitamin A for the day.

Eat This Instead!Einstein Bros. Chicken Noodle Soup (Bowl)
180 calories
6 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
1,210 mg sodium

DID YOU KNOW? Smart snacking can work wonders on your waistline. Curb your cravings between meals with any of these great 50 Best Snack Foods in America—they'll help keep you lean and full all day long!    

#4: WORST CHOWDER
Red Lobster’s New England Clam Chowder (Bowl)
480 calories
34 g fat (20 g saturated)
1,390 mg sodium

Notice something here? This is the second clam chowder on this list. That's because the New England version of the soup is made with a thick and fatty base of oil and cream. But don't worry; you don't have to give up chowder entirely. Just swtich to Manhattan style. It swaps out the cream for tomato, eliminating virtually all the dangerous fats. If you make this switch just three times a week, you'll drop 9 pounds over the course of a year. The sodium's still culpable though, so make an effort to go low-sodium for the rest of the day.

Eat This Instead!Red Lobster’s Manhattan Clam Chowder (Bowl)
160 calories
2 g fat (1 g saturated)
1,420 mg sodium 

#3: WORST BISQUE
Au Bon Pain’s Lobster Bisque (Large)
540 calories
39 g fat (24 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
1,830 mg sodium

Lobster on its own has a number of merits: it’s tasty, low-fat, and loaded with protein. Too bad those merits don't hold up when it's drowning in a viscous puddle of fat. This bowl comes with the usightly blemish of trans fat plus 20 percent more saturated fat than you should consume in an entire day. And in terms of overall energy, you would have to run five miles to undo the damage. Better choice: Switch to the Tomato Rice soup. It keeps the calories commendably low and carries one of the lowest sodium counts you're likely to ever encounter in a commercially prepared soup.

Eat This Instead!Au Bon Pain’s Tomato Rice Soup (Large)
170 calories
2 g fat (0 g saturated)
390 mg sodium

#2: WORST CHILI
Panera’s All-Natural Steak Chili with Cornbread (Large)
580 calories
26 g fat (8 g saturated)
1,330 mg sodium

Chili has a lot going for it: protein from the meat, fiber from the beans, and plenty of phytonutrients from the tomato base. This bowl might actually pass muster if it weren't for the 200-calorie hunk of cornbread that comes with it. If you must order the chili, opt out of the cornbread. Otherwise, you're better off with the soup-and-salad combo below.

Eat This Instead!Panera’s Low-Fat Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto and Classic Café Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette (You Pick Two combo)
190 calories
8 g fat (1 g saturated)
960 mg sodium

#1: WORST “HEALTHY” SOUP
Cosi’s Tomato & Basil Aurora Soup (Large)597 calories
54 g fat (33 g saturated)
1,701 mg sodium

In terms of saturated fat, this bowl trounces every other soup on this page. That's nothing to be proud of. What's most frightening here is that one would expect a tomato-based soup to be relatively safe. Guess it's true what they say: You can't judge a soup by its vegetables. (They do say that, right?) Switch to the Chicken Queso Tortilla Soup for a low-calorie, high protein alternative.

Eat This Instead!Cosi’s Chicken Queso Tortilla Soup (Large)
300 calories
13 g fat (7 g saturated)
1,200 mg sodium

BONUS TIP: Desserts are like soup. Some rev up your metabolism and provide nutrients that push the junk out of your diet—and the fat out of your body! Others contain more than an entire day's worth of calories, fat, sugar and salt! This is why you need this handy (and certainly eye-popping) list of the The 24 Best (and Worst) Desserts in America.

Let Scott know what you think! Email him at scottsaidso@yahoo.com.

5 Foods That Help You Sleep

Here's some timely information from Yahoo! Health that I stumbled upon during a night of restless sleep.  I've always heard that "warm milk" was a soothing way to induce sleep if you were up late and not able to get to sleep on your own.  That got me thinking as to why, and what other types of foods might get us to feel sleepy.  Like Thanksgiving, right?  Eating that big turkey dinner always put half of my family into some kind of food-induced comas half way into the football game.  And I know that if I eat any breads in the morning, I need a nap!

So take a look at these 5 Foods That Make You Sleepy, and see if you have any of these are better than counting sheep for you.

Five Foods That Make You Sleepy

Should you let yourself have that midnight snack if you're having trouble sleeping and you think hunger might be part of the problem? Here are five foods that can actually help you drift off:
Can't Get a Good Night's Sleep? 5 Surprising Reasons

1. Cherries. Fresh and dried cherries are one of the only natural food sources of melatonin, the chemical that controls the body's internal clock to regulate sleep. Researchers who tested tart cherries and found high levels of melatonin recommend eating them an hour before bedtime or before a trip when you want to sleep on the plane.

2. Bananas. Potassium and magnesium are natural muscle relaxants, and bananas are a good source of both. They also contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP in the brain. The 5-HTP in turn is converted to serotonin (a relaxing neurotransmitter) and melatonin.

3. Toast. Carbohydrate-rich foods trigger insulin production, which induces sleep by speeding up the release of tryptophan and serotonin, two brain chemicals that relax you and send you to sleep.

4. Oatmeal. Like toast, a bowl of oatmeal triggers a rise in blood sugar, which in turn triggers insulin production and the release of sleep-inducing brain chemicals. Oats are also rich in melatonin, which many people take as a sleep aid.

5. Warm milk. Like bananas, milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep.

I would be interested to hear what you think about these foods and if they've had any affect on you. Feel free to contact me at the email scottsaidso@yahoo.com.   For more information and to see the actual article, please clink on the link below.

5 Foods That Help You Sleep

National Nutrition Month and More!

While it has been said it often comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, the Month of March is famous for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Spring! New life, full of promise, and a great time to make important changes in our lives.  If you're considering making any improvements in your life, consider your diet. What you eat plays a tremendous role in every aspect of your life, and is a great way to look towards increasing energy and vitality.  March is the perfect month for things nutritious, as it just happens to be National Nutrition Month!  It's loaded with events and activities, including Physical Activity Week, National School Gardening Week, and even National School Breakfast Week!  And March is also known as:
•National Caffeine Awareness Month

•National Flour Month
•National Frozen Food Month
•National Noodle Month
•National Peanut Month
•National Sauce Month
•UK: National Veggie Month

Of the many events crammed into the month of March, here are just a few:
•American Chocolate Week (3rd week)
•Bubble Gum Week
•Egg Salad Week
•Florida Strawberry Festivals
•Garden Book Week
•Great American Meatout - Don’t eat meat today.
•Shrove Tuesday - International Pancake Day (can be in Feb or March)
•Maple Festivals at various locations
•National Agriculture Week
•National Poison Prevention Week
•National School Breakfast Week
•Pancake Week
•UK: National SPAM Appreciation Week
•Daylight Savings Time begins on the last Sunday in March and ends the last Sunday of October

Any way you slice it, March is one tasty month.  Punch any of these into your web browser and see what's happening in your area!  If you know of anything in particular you feel our readers could benefit from knowing about, please don't hesitate to let me know!  I look forward to hearing from you.

Burger Beware!

Here's a scary little story, just in time for Halloween: If you have young children at home, you are more likely to spend a larger percentage of your household income each year on Fast Food than on books, educational materials, DVDs, CDs, music downloads, trips to the movies, and video games combined.
And it gets even scarier! Remember, restaurants and fast food franchises are no more interested in our children's health than they are in your own. Consider, for example, that the average burger, soda, and fries that we ate when we were kids had an average of 214 less calories in the 1970s than that same meal has today! And that means that's enough calories to add at least 3 pounds of weight a year to your child's body, even if your child only eats that fast-food meal once a week.
When you examine the evidence, or look at one of those "Nutrition Facts" guides that all fast food places BY LAW must make available to customers, some of the nutritional stats in the foods they sell under the title "kids' meals" are simply terrifying. A grilled cheese with as much fat as 25 strips of bacon? A child-size dessert with more than half a day's worth of calories? Is it any wonder that childhood obesity rates in America have tripled since 1980 — today, 16 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese. An additional 15 percent of kids are "at risk of becoming overweight or obese." 41% of children 9 to 11 years of age in California are overweight or at-risk of obesity. And still more frightening is the fact that 70% percent of overweight adolescents end up as overweight or obese adults. And since obesity increases your odds of heart attack, stroke, and early death, think about the impact of an entire generation of overweight children on our country's already troubled health care system. And the effect on families, loved-ones, children. It's a chilling thought, especially if one of those children is your own.
My advice? Know everything that goes into your child's mouth, onto their plate, and what they are eating when you aren't around. Yes, it is extra work for you. But that's why they call it "Parenting". You never get a day off. Check the facts provided by restaurants when you go out to eat. Look into your child's school's lunch and snack program. Read the cereal boxes in the morning, and stay away from "pre-packaged" lunch and snack items. They are usually loaded with extra sugar, sodium, and fats. Make sure your kids eat something green at least once in a while. It is a rarity if they will get anything other than shredded lettuce or deep-fried potatoes in their systems without your diligent intervention. Do what you can, and remember that what they eat now will have direct impact on how they live, and how long they live, in the future.