Caffeine Test

Last night some television announcer said average womens weight has gone from 140 pounds in 1980 to 160 pounds in 2012. Ill take either weight gratefully. And if anyone wants to know, I have enrolled in a pay-now program using powerful machinery to whip me into shape one way or another. Then my age and back enjoined in marriage, causing my back to hurt whenever it chooses, probably because of friends Mr. Arthur and his horribly cruel friend Mrs. Osto. This occurred during my initial week of exercise possibly because I left the walking machines and decided to work on one to eliminate one of my stomachs. Big mistake.

In 1991, I paid my dues with back surgery for a three-type rupture on the bottom of my spine. I thought I had given enough at the Office of the Bones. Then in 2011-2012, the old ladys back finds me with vengeance on the mind and this is one ailment people doubt the most of anyone having, unless structure of the body almost meets the ground or magnetic items stick to the back of ones garment because the spine has a metal pipe in it to let the back sufferer stand.

I should not tell this secret of the hefty and harmless, but Im talking and cant shut up. Most of us at the head of the scale class are professional rationalizers, able to lie (no tall tale) to ourselves about how we can rest on the couch with a sack full of pretzels beside us or two over-sized peanut brittle patties which run a close, close second to pralines and actually convince ourselves we do no harm unless a normal person happens to see or catch us in our pigging out.

Then the shame and guilt are overwhelming. I usually drink a gallon of water afterward somehow to appease my nutrition madness. Once I ate an entire frozen Mrs. Fields Pecan pie. I halved it, not placing the entire concoction in front of me at one time. I made the walk to the kitchen to get the second half. In my bloated reasoning, perhaps I thought the little trip to the room of goodies and surprises might help. No, I did not get ill and probably enjoyed the evening meal. Help. Age and internal wearing to digestive power have slowed me. Thankfully.

But as I was putting on pounds, so was my spouse. Both skinnie Minnie and Moe in our twenties, we had found stress, fast-food places, owned a microwave, about the healthiest food item going down us was milk. My two sons could chug a lug to quench thirst. Everyone in the family liked milk which came only in full percent then (that I knew about). And these children around our table were skinny. Therefore, mashed potatoes with butter sat on the table once a day along with a variety of others things to make healthy(?) kids. Why Dad and I could wipe away our excess at any time. Everybody knows a man looks better with weight anyway.

My husbands mother enjoyed making preserves and jellies in the summer. There was a favorite, her peach preserves.

My husband would say, Please dont give us this jar. Your daughter-in-law will have the entire jar secretly eaten by the time we get home. The loving woman would give us two jars.

Secretly, so far back in my mind, I remembered a few aunts who lost poundage as they aged. Maybe if I were lucky, this could happen to me. My parents were always the right weight, but Dad still weighed less as he approached his 70th birthday. One day my middle daughter brought up this weight-loss factor to me, her mother. How would I know why it was not happening to me? Possible answers: I never really grew up. Some who do lose older dont want to. Some are passed up and get bigger. Sickness can take it right off. Did my daughter wish that on me?

Im not saying it aloud, but I think our three natural borns are going to take after me and have to fight the weight problem. One already leaves no doubt.

In closing (hoping this fits) I read that diet drinks had something in them dangerous to our internal organs.
I called a friend to whine. Ive been on diet-drinks for more years than I can count, I said, one a day, and they are said to be dangerous for us.

Friend, my advisor said, You are well into that geezer grouping. Youve been drinking these colas since you turned against the taste of another one. Shut up already. (Ive heard its ridiculous when adults try to use slang; is it our fault its out of date when we finally realize what it means and how to use it?

If you see me walking by the side of a road with my dog club, please dont tempt me by asking if I need a lift. Besides, the lifts I need have to be done in a medical environment.

As our (awesome) regular readers likely know, one of us, ahem, recently had a mega Diet Coke habit. Two six-packs a day was nothing. The other one (with his wife, Lisa) finally braved an intervention and got Dr. Mike down to a can a day. Last September, he went to zilch. And lived! Now all he misses is the extra strength-training from shifting 20-pound cases of cola.

We mention this because chugging soft drinks already looked bad when Dr. Mike laid off. Both regular and diet drinks had been tied to obesity and high blood pressure — colas to bone loss and full-sugar sodas to type 2 diabetes, lousy teeth and more.

Now it turns out there’s something in regular soda that’s particularly bad for women.

If you’re a female, just two cans a day makes you more likely to add inches to your waist, get into blood sugar trouble, have soaring triglycerides and develop heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes — even if you don’t gain a pound. Throw in kidney damage, too.

This isn’t the first evidence of these links, but it’s the first to spot how vulnerable women are. Why? That’s as clear as muddy waters. Maybe because you burn fewer calories than guys. Or replace more healthy foods with useless fizzy stuff. Or always eat sweets with soda. Or something no one’s figured out yet.

Our New Year’s wish? Pull a Dr. Mike: Switch to water (or caffeinated water), seltzer with fruit, hot/iced tea or (his fave) coffee. It’s giving tea real competition as the world’s No. 1 health drink.

The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz, host of The Dr. Oz Show and Mike Roizen of Cleveland Clinic, are authors of YOU: Losing Weight. For more information go to www.RealAge.com.

(c) 2011 Michael Roizen, MD and Mehmet Oz, MD

Here we are 2012 — welcome to another year of your life.

I love the buzz and newfound energy that comes as January begins. It makes me happy to see people excited about making changes for the year ahead. As you think about the new commitments you want to make for yourself, be cautious not to overcommit.

Everyone wants to dive full force into his or her new commitments. You need to make sure the things you dive into dont cause you to drown in a few weeks.

One of the most common resolutions people make is to begin a new workout routine. Lets say you made the commitment to be at the gym every day at 5:30 am This is a great goal, but guess what? You might not be a morning person. You started off with a bang on Jan. 2. The alarm went off, you jumped out of bed, put on your shoes, and you were off. You had a great workout, and this morning you did it again. This routine goes well for a few weeks, but then you start getting tired. Youre getting up early but you havent adjusted your bedtime to go with your new morning routine. It becomes harder and harder to stop pressing the snooze button. And then one day, the alarm goes off and you say to yourself, Forget it, Im just too tired. This happens a few mornings in a row, and pretty soon you find yourself out of the routine and back to where you started.

Now dont get me wrong, early morning workouts are absolutely perfect for many and might be an excellent commitment for you to make. However, if you know mornings arent really your thing and youre just going to end up feeling burned out and exhausted, choose a different time to go to the gym. This will save you from defeat.

Another common commitment is to give up soft drinks. It sounds easy enough — just dont drink them, right? I know individuals who broke the habit for good without any trouble. But if you think it will be a struggle for you or youve tried it in the past unsuccessfully, I recommend trying this process.

Even though I dont recommend diet drinks as a new addiction for giving up regular soda, I do think they can be helpful when trying to break the habit. I also dont recommend switching from soft drinks to juice or sweet tea. Start with a switch to diet drinks for a while, and then wean yourself to caffeine-free diet drinks. Then after a few weeks, see if you can make the switch to water. When the urge starts to build for a sugary liquid treat, make sure you have a backup plan.

So, take a good look at the goals you have set for yourself and make sure they are realistic for you. If you want to make a permanent change, it must be something you can do permanently.

And always remember, if you fall off the wagon, tomorrow is a new day for you to get right back on.

Jones switched to diet soda after drinking coke for concern about his weight. But is the diet alternative really better for you? A study lead by Qing Yang from the University of Yale reveals that diet drinks increase your desire to eat more. Dr Vicci Owen Smith said Diet coke has artificial sweetener and contains caffeine. Too much of either can cause harm.

Weather you have your caffeine cold or hot, how much is too much…….. And when do you know if youre addicted? According the The National coffee Association 68% of all Americans are addicted to coffee. If you buy one $4 latte a day your coffee addiction will cost you over $1500 a year.

But the cost of caffeine does not appear to deter consumers, as energy based drinks such as red bull and monster are expected to rise in sales by 60% this year. New energy drink controversially named cocaine boosts 280 milligrams of caffeine which is 350% stronger then a red bull beverage.

But the benefits of caffeine consumption, is that it can boost your memory and improve concentration. But too much can cause high bloody pressure, increased blood sugar and decreased bone density.

Kathy Clarke said it’s possible for a person to live a healthy life with diabetes, but it requires taking control of your health with proper eating choices.

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Clarke, a diabetes educator at Heritage Valley Sewickley Hospital, said she knew of a family who ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in the fast food drive-through.

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“We do a lot of fast food,” Clarke said.  ”No matter how healthy you eat, if you do that, it’s not healthy.”

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Clarke gave a presentation on diabetes Saturday to about a dozen women at St. Matthews AME. Zion Church as part of the church’s health ministries. The event was open to the public.

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All those in attendance were touched by diabetes in some way, either being personally diagnosed or knowing a relative or friend with the disease. The group took turns answering myth and fact questions related to diabetes. 

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As many as one in three adults in the United States could have diabetes by 2050, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. African-Americans in particular are disproportionately affected compared to the general population.

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To top it off, Clarke told the group that one out of every three children born in the United States after the year 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes, which makes up about 95 percent of all diagnoses.

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“The tide has changed,” said Clarke, referring to the growing percentage of young children now affected by Type 2 as opposed to Type I diabetes, formerly known as juvenile onset diabetes.

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As she is not a dietician, Clarke encouraged those interested to meet with a specialist for a personalized meal plan. Heritage Valley Sewickley offers classes on healthy living with diabetes. But in general, she discussed healthy foods, empty calories, exercise and other ways to stay healthy as an at-risk diabetic or an individual living with diabetes.

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For instance, Clarke said carbohydrates in moderation are fine as long as they come from healthy fruits and vegetables, rather than high fructose corn syrup. Consuming too much sugar can affect a person’s insulin and sodas and juices are the main culprits.  Clarke classified carbs as any starch, fruit or grain, as well as drinks such as fruit juice, milk, soda and other non-diet drinks. Protein is also good in moderation, she said, with one serving equaling the size of a deck of cards.

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Clarke also encouraged eating smaller portions more often and warned against skipping meals. She suggested keeping a diet diary to track food intake.

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“Writing it down on any diet, keeping a journal to realize what you eat…it really makes you think,” she said.

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And she warned against beating yourself up if you fall off the wagon.

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“If food is your comfort and it happens, get back on track,” she said.

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Constance Pickett of Sewickley said her brother-in-law has diabetes and she wished her sister could have heard the presentation. She said it was extremely informative and “opened a lot of people’s eyes.”

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“I thought it was wonderful,” Pickett said.

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“She’s so informative. When I listen to her, I learn so much,” agreed Ada Milliner, chairwoman of St. Matthews Sacred Health Ministry.

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Milliner organized the diabetes presentation in conjuction with Sisters With A Purpose, or SWAP and said the event was just one of many activities from the health ministry. A week before Christmas, Milliner said participants completed a “Walk to Bethlehem” an exercise challenge that started in early October. Walkers charted more than 6,000 miles, shattering the designated goal by 300 miles.

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Saturdays diabetes event was to include diabetes testing, but that portion was cancelled.

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Are you a man on a diet?

Sorry, my bad. I should ask that question with a deep bass voice while hot rod engines rev and a heavy metal guitar shatters your ear drums. Maybe throw in some fireworks. Apparently, if you want to sell men on losing weight, you have to gussy up the idea to make it look like something only the toughest tough guys do.

More related to this story

• Why real men dont eat quiche
• lsquo;Manly yogurt: Yes, there is such a thing
• Beverage-makers unveil gay beer and manly soda

Are we really this insecure?

Theres some grinding guitar accompanying former NBA player Charles Barkley in his new ads for Weight Watchers, which began airing on Christmas Day. Dressed all in black and standing against a black backdrop (colours are for women!), Barkley boasts that hes lost 23 lbs so far with Weight Watchers and then tells viewers the companys new tagline, Lose like a man.

Its a step in a much more macho direction than Jason Alexanders pitchman work for Jenny Craig.

Marketers have seemed to learn that if you want to sell weight loss to men, you cant make it schlubby and self-deprecating. You need to make it hardcore! and manly! and drop and give me 20!

Just look at Dr. Pepper Ten, a soft drink that came out last fall with an advertising campaign trumpeting the tagline, Its not for women. Yeah! Lets chug some low calorie soda and ride dirt bikes, fellas! Climb up in to the clubhouse and put the sign on the door. No girls allowed!

The can is painted gun metal grey (obviously) and all its packaging studiously avoids the term diet.

The commercial for the drink is ironic, of course, but its also depressingly patronizing.

Sadly, the company that makes Dr. Pepper reportedly created the new drink after research found men avoid diet drinks that, as USA Today put it, arent perceived as lsquo;manly enough.

Are men really so juvenile that we can be sold on a non-diet diet soda because were told its not for women?

Its something to think about while we chug beer cans and them crush them over our heads and chop down trees with our bare hands, because of course thats how we spend our time while drinking full calorie pop.

But Leatherhead noted that reformulating carbonated soft drinks such as cola could make the difference with diet products less clear.

“Sugar and calorie levels are already falling for many of the market’s leading brands, as a result of which the distinction between regular and diet drinks may become less clear,” the company said.

Coconut water growth

Despite continued successful penetration by sports and energy drinks, exploiting a wide consumer base in emerging markets especially, Leatherhead warned growth here could slow.

“Growth within both segments may…slow in parts of the world over the next few years. The growing demand for coconut water may have an adverse effect on the sports drinks market, while concern over artificial additives and ingredients may turn some people away from energy drinks.”

Both Coca-Cola (Zico Beverages) and PepsiCo (Amacoco) have invested heavily in coconut water in recent years – with the global market for such drinks now worth $500m – which was being positioned as a competitor to mainstream sports drinks such as Gatorade.

“Sales are thought to be developing especially fast in markets such as the US and UK, where coconut water is increasingly being positioned as a rival to many sports drinks,” Leatherhead said.

A new Crystal Light ad makes the specious claim that you should buy the unpalatable beverage because 8% of women meet their husband in the grocery store. This seemed suspiciously high to us, so we decided to investigate.

First of all, its not entirely clear why the likelihood of meeting a spouse at the local Key Food should make you buy Crystal Light. Will he be impressed with your knowledge of diet drinks? Will you bond over your shared love of aspartame? Or maybe CLs making a more general claim drink Crystal Light and be skinny, because you never know when a hot guy will come along looking for a slender lady just like you. That appears to be the point of the companys recent bikini season ad.

But do dudes really troll for svelte wives-to-be at the grocery store? This claim is also advanced by every dating advice guru ever, who will invariably tell you to wear lipstick and strike up conversations over the arugula. But is there any evidence? I contacted Crystal Light to ask for their source, but I havent heard back. However, Prof. Reuben Thomas, sociologist and coauthor of a forthcoming study on how couples meet, told me that Crystal Lights 8% statistic was an odd claim. He explained,

We do estimate (from a nationally representative survey [...]) that almost 9% of married couples in the USA met in some sort of customer/client scenario, broadly defined. But looking through our data, I found only 27 couples (out of 2,960) that initially met each other in a grocery store or supermarket, and in 17 of those cases it is clear that at least one of them was working at the store (often both of them, with many of them students at the time). So I estimate that less than 1% of US married couples met in a grocery store or super market, and mostly when at least one was a store employee at the time.

There you have it. Unless Crystal Light comes back at me with some pretty compelling data, you can keep going to the supermarket in your ugly sweatpants and Garfield t-shirt your spouse is probably not waiting for you there.

Food and beverage taxes have been proposed and discussed in the United States, but Northwestern University research into the effectiveness of taxing sugary beverages to fight obesity suggested raising the prices of sugared soda would have little effect on obesity rates because most overweight people already consume sugar-free diet drinks, ScienceDaily reported.

The workshops supported by local businesses including Campbell Soup Company, Engineered Arresting Systems Corp, NuStar Energy, LP and Johnson Matthey brought professional female mentors onto the campus to share their history, knowledge and experiences with the girls.

After a keynote speech by Underwood Memorial Hospital CEO Eileen Cardile, the girls headed into the labs for some hands-on training in various sciences.

In Sense and Sciences Develop Your Own Beverage, the students, led by Campbell Soup Senior Technologist Patty Capperella, used the same techniques as food scientists to develop a marketable juice drink.

Half of the group will design a regular beverage, and half will design a diet beverage, said Capperella.

She said the students should use their taste and sensory knowledge to develop an appealing and flavorful beverage, create labels for the beverage and then share it with their peers so the group could decide which was best.

Capperella told the girls the regular drinks should be 100 percent juice and the diet beverages should be 50 percent juice and 50 percent water. The students were required to combine three or more juices in a 12-ounce container with a cost of less than 90 cents per serving. Regular drinks were required to be 190 calories or less, and diet drinks had to be 90 calories or less.

Wearing lab coats and hair nets, the girls sampled each of the individual juices and nectars before mapping out recipes in spreadsheets. One group of students first created a mix of apple, lime and blueberry juice for a diet drink but found it to be lacking in taste. They then undertook a complete redesign to make a more marketable beverage.

We ended up with a mix of carrot, blueberry, pomegranate and apricot juices plus water, said Gianna Morrone, 14, from Chestnut Ridge Middle School in Washington Township. The last one we tried didnt have much of a taste. I like this lab because you get to taste everything as you go.

Julianna Rezzetti, 13, also from Chestnut Ridge, said she thought the workshop was fun as well.

It gives you a lot of tips on how to create things, said Julianna. I think the best-designed drink would be something pretty sweet.

Down the hall, students learned about arresting systems designed to stop commercial aircraft in trouble, military planes and even tractor trailers. The girls were asked to build their own arresting system which would stop a toy car at the base of a ramp. The car held an egg passenger that needed to be protected from the impact.

Several of the students designed successful systems using materials like bubble wrap, cotton balls, pantyhose, straws and rubber bands.

We filled the pantyhose with cotton balls to serve as a backup in case our net didnt hold, said Trista Olier, 17, from West Deptford High School. I liked this experiment because it showed the science behind stopping cars and planes at high speed.

Alexa Fagan and Marissa Steinmetz, from Kingsway Regional and Deptford High School respectively, created a double safety system with an arresting net and bed.

Earlier, they had shown us a specific type of concrete which crumbled to stop a moving plane, and we imitated that with the bubble wrap which can compress, said Marissa, 14. It bunched up and prevented the car from going further.

Marissa said the aerospace lab and the fair as a whole was very enjoyable.

I think its all very beneficial, said Marissa. If you have any doubts about being interested in science, just come here.