Striving4Zen

June 23 - Kellogg Co., maker of sugary Frosted Flakes cereal and Keebler cookies, is moving into the diet and nutrition section of the grocery store with a line of protein-fortified foods, the company said on Friday.

Kellogg will expand its Special K line of foods with protein waters, snack bars and meal bars starting in November.

The new products are the first offerings of its new Health & Wellness Division.

http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybrid.aspx?storyID=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20060623:MTFH44523_2006-06-23_14-07-23_N23233419&type=comktNews&rpc=44

Eggs have long been demonised as being bad for the heart. Yet new research suggests that this is not only untrue, but that eggs could even be considered a 'superfood'.
Eggs could actually protect against heart disease, breast cancer and eye problems and even help you to lose weight.
For years people assumed eggs were bad for cholesterol levels. But a review just published in the British Nutrition Foundation?s Nutrition Bulletin found they have no clinically significant impact on heart disease or cholesterol levels.
Dr Bruce Griffin of the University of Surrey?s school of biomedical and molecular science analysed 30 egg studies, among them one from Harvard University which showed people who consumed one or more eggs a day were at no more risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease than non-egg eaters.
Egg yolks contain cholesterol, but nutritionists now know it is the saturated fats in food, not dietary cholesterol, that raises blood cholesterol levels, a risk factor for heart attacks.

To view eggs solely in terms of their dietary cholesterol content is to ignore the potential benefits of eggs on coronary risk factors, including obesity and diabetes, Dr Griffin says.
Eggs are actually good for you.
They are rich in nutrients, says Joanne Lunn, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation. One egg provides 13 essential nutrients, all in the yolk (egg whites contain albumen, an important source of protein, and no fat).
Lunn says eggs are an excellent source of B vitamins, which are needed for vital functions in the body, and also provide good quantities of vitamin A, essential for normal growth and development.
An eggs vitamin E content protects against heart disease and some cancers; theres also vitamin D, which promotes mineral absorption and good bone health.
Eggs are rich in iodine, for making thyroid hormones, and phosphorus, essential for healthy bones and teeth.
Teenage girls who eat an egg a day may give themselves additional protection against breast cancer in later life, according to a study in the journal Breast Cancer Research.
It is the essential nutrients in eggs, such as amino acids, vitamins and minerals, that may be responsible for this protection.
Egg yolks contain the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, which could help to prevent or even reverse the age-related eye problem macular degeneration (MD). This is one of the leading causes of blindness and occurs as a consequence of getting older however, low lutein intake is implicated as a risk factor.

Eggs are also low in calories: a large egg contains only 75 calories and 5 grams of fat and other research suggests they can help you lose weight. A study published last year in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition looked at the breakfast habits of obese women.
Scientists from the Wayne State University in Detroit found that when the women were given either an egg or bagel breakfast, each providing the same number of calories, the women eating the eggs felt fuller and consumed fewer calories overall in the following 24 hours.
Health experts used to recommend a maximum egg consumption of three a week to avoid a rise in blood cholesterol levels. But since evidence has shown that it is saturated fat intake that affects cholesterol, advice has changed.
Now the Governments Foods Standards Agency (FSA) says there is no limit as long as they form part of a healthy, balanced diet.
According to the Food Standards Agency, theres nothing wrong with having them fried occasionally. If you do want a fried egg, use oil that is high in unsaturated fat, such as sunflower oil. Drain off as much of the oil as you can, and it will also help to pat the egg with some kitchen paper before eating.
And while eggs added as ingredients to foods such as cakes and pasta will provide the same nutrients, you need to be careful the end product is not high in sugar and fat.
According to the British Egg Information Service, storing eggs correctly is vital to maintaining their freshness and nutrient content.
They advise buying eggs only from a reputable retailer, keeping them in the fridge in their box and eating by the use-by date.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/dietfitness.html?in_article_id=391520&in_page_id=1798

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13423753/

It is slow going....but soon America will get to realize healthy can be good and fun too!

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-officefood19jun19,1,5009784.story?page=1&ctrack=1&cset=true

Healthy food = healthy employees!

N.V. Perricone, M.D. Active Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 ($65) ranks as one of the most expensive tinted moisturizers available, but at least all of the necessary bases (and then some) are covered. Featuring an in-part titanium dioxide sunscreen, the formula applies smoothly, and its creamy texture leaves normal to very dry skin sufficiently moist, with a fresh, dewy finish that doesn’t feel greasy. The formula even includes several antioxidants, and it’s packaged to ensure they remain stable after the product is opened. Two of the three shades are great; only Tint 03 is quite yellow, with an effect that is difficult to soften on medium skin tones. Still, it may be worth a try at the counter to see how it looks, assuming you’re willing to pay the premium price. For about half as much money, equal kudos go to Bobbi Brown’s SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer ($38) and Aveda’s Inner Light Tinted Moisture SPF 15 ($25). For even less money, Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Enhancer SPF 20 ($11.99) and Paula’s Choice Natural Finish Oil-Absorbing Makeup SPF 15 ($12.95) are other prime options.
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/bulletin/061506-full.htm#review3

1 Mr. Beller's Neighborhood
www.mrbellersneighborhood.com
True, often funny stories about living and sometimes drinking Snapple in N.Y.C.

2 Hot or Not
communitywalk.com
One of the easiest interfaces to create your own mash-up (New York by microbrew, for example), even for newbies.

3 Real Estate Auctions
2realestateauctions.com
A great mash-up for people wanting to invest in hot properties.

Others of note:
OnNYTurf
onnyturf.com/subway
An interactive transit map lets you plan out your dream route.

Man Map
propertyshark.com/singlemen.html
The city broken down by rich men.

Housing Maps
housingmaps.com
An amazing map of Craigslist housing ads across the country. (Sadly, no one has yet tackled Missed Connections.)

CommunityWalk
communitywalk.com
One of the easiest interfaces to create your own mash-up (New York by microbrew, for example), even for newbies.

Gothamist Labs
gothamist.com/labs/maps
Useful events and information charted around the city, including concerts, meet-ups and pizza reviews.
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/putting_down_routes_entertainment_.htm

Key footwear and accessory trends for summer include:
-- Gladiators - the Grecian-inspired sandal with up-the-leg strap detail.
-- Flats - delicate ballet flats to simple thong sandals featuring a range of uppers and details.
-- Espadrilles and Wedges - thick soles made of cork, wood and jute provide "wearable elevation" and style to your step.
-- Macrame - knotted, woven uppers with fresh, earth-tone colors for a natural, "organic" summer look.
-- Flowers, Studding and Stitching - details from flowers to nail heading, studs and dark brown whipstitching are featured on footwear and handbags.
-- Metallics - metallic finishes in a range of silver, deep bronze and copper are perfect for glamming up an outfit or updating a casual look.

Foods that weaken immunity include dairy, animal fat, tropical fruits, oily foods, sweets, alcohol and certain medicines such as steroids and antibiotics.

Foods that strengthen the immune system include whole grains, particularly brown rice and millet. Miso soup made with naturally processed miso is also good for immune health. So are cooked vegetables, including green leafy vegetables and root vegetables like carrots and daikon. Lentils, chickpeas and other beans are also grist for a healthy body. The best protein comes from white-meat fish such as flounder. Olive and sesame oils are great for cooking. Some oils on salad may weaken immunity and recommends a dressing made of tahini, vinegar and crushed sesame seeds.

Medicare will reimburse heart patients for two wellness programs that focus on wholesale changes. Supporters see the move as a shift toward proactive care.
LIFESTYLE changes can boost the health and well-being of heart patients, proponents of such programs have long said. Now Medicare has acknowledged that as well. The federal insurance program will now pay for the intensive cardiac rehabilitation plans created by preventive health guru Dr. Dean Ornish and mind-body medicine pioneer Dr. Herbert Benson — the first time the federal government has agreed to reimburse consumers for specific lifestyle intervention programs."This exciting breakthrough could change the face of medical care," said Ornish in a statement.He and Benson have been working for years to obtain Medicare reimbursement for their cardiac wellness programs because it's seen as a critical first step to making their programs more widely available — and getting other insurance providers to pay for them as well.
Both have conducted clinical research demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes — including support groups; good nutrition and low-fat diets; exercise; and stress management, such as yoga, meditation or deep breathing — may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease without drugs or surgery.Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease is offered at eight sites in Pennsylvania and at five medical centers in West Virginia. At least one private insurer in each state already has agreed to cover the programs in those states.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-ornish12jun12,0,7218320.story?coll=la-headlines-health

As D's benefits become clearer, we're urged to get more -- much more -- of it.

Even the most brazen snake-oil salesman might blush at trying to sell the public on a pill to ease aches and pains, strengthen bones, slow down cancer and prevent diseases as varied as Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.But these claims aren't the frothy hyperbole of a sideshow huckster. A growing number of serious scientists are quite willing to speculate that a single compound may be able to accomplish all of these feats — and possibly more. They're not talking about a new miracle drug, but a common nutrient: vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin."

Once seen as merely a defense against rickets, vitamin D has in recent years gained recognition as a major force that acts throughout the body. It improves absorption of calcium, controls the growth of cells (both healthy and cancerous), strengthens the immune system and seems to rein in overzealous immune system cells that cause diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.Much of vitamin D's potential is still just that: potential. But at this moment, to some scientists the potential looks huge.

"Even if two-thirds of these things don't pan out, it's still a blockbuster," says Dr. Robert Heaney, a professor of medicine at Creighton University in Omaha, who specializes in osteoporosis.As excitement about vitamin D grows, so does the concern that many people may not be getting enough. In March, an article in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings called vitamin D deficiency "a largely unrecognized epidemic in many populations worldwide."Heaney and many other researchers believe the Food and Drug Administration should consider radically increasing the suggested daily dietary intake of the vitamin, which is currently set at 200 international units (IU) for anyone younger than 51, 400 IU for people 51 to 70, and 600 IU for those 71 and older. They cite studies such as one published earlier this year that found that cancer deaths were especially common in men with low levels of vitamin D, and a series of studies showing that high levels of vitamin D improved strength and prevented falls in elderly people."

The daily allowances for vitamin D are outdated," says Anthony Norman, a professor of biochemistry at UC Riverside. "I would recommend 1,000 IU per day for all ages, with a maximum of 2,000 IU. I'm considering taking 2,000 IU myself." And, he adds, current evidence suggests that even 10,000 IU — overkill by anyone's standards — would probably be safe."I'm 99% sure that vitamin D deficiency is becoming more common," says Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University who has conducted several studies on the health effects of vitamin D. In one of them, he and his colleagues estimated that an extra 1,500 IU of vitamin D each day could reduce the risk of deadly cancers of the digestive system by 45%.Willett believes that more than 1 billion people on the planet — including about two-thirds of whites and almost all blacks in America — don't have enough for optimal health. In recent years, shortages of the compound have even led to a resurgence of rickets, a childhood bone deformity, especially among dark-skinned babies who are exclusively breast-fed.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-vitamind12jun12,0,7815295,print.story

Labels: supplements, Vitamin D

June 13, 2006 -- CHICAGO - Doctors are considering endorsing a tax on soda.
An American Medical Association committee recommended that the nation call for a "small" tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks because they are "devoid of nutritional value" and help make Americans fatter.
A resolution, which calls for the tax proceeds to go to anti-obesity efforts, will be voted on at the AMA convention in Chicago this week.
A health advocacy group, Center for Science and the Public Interest, estimated a penny-a-can tax could bring in more than $1 billion a year.
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/docs_push_for_soda_fat_tax_nationalnews_.htm

June 13, 2006 -- OUT of the blue, reseachers have developed a new technology that could put big-screen, high-definition TVs within reach of just about every wallet.
The technology, from Canadian tech firm iFire, would allow manufacturers to create super-sharp TVs less than two-inches thick that could hang on the wall - and cost less than $1,000.
The tiny company already has created 34-inch TVs that weigh in at just a few pounds, and 37-inch screens that would cost consumers half of what the cheapest similarly-sized TV sells for now.
"We can see them on the market by 2007," says iFire vice president Don Carkner.
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/tube_much__entertainment_don_kaplan.htm

Here's some food for thought - what you eat is affecting your sex life. And, it's not looking good.
According to Robert Fried and Lynn Edlen-Nezin, two New York doctors who have written "Great Food, Great Sex," a new book out this month, sexual problems aren't always because of your mate. It might be what's on your plate.
"With giant portions of high-salt and high-sugar foods, Americans are having less sex and less interesting sex," Edlen-Nezin says. "Food and sex are there for the taking, and we should be enjoying both."

http://www.nypost.com/health/69688.htm

NEW YORK

Antonio Prieto Salon
Haircut: $40 (regularly $100 to $175). Color: $40 to $70 (regularly $90 to $245).
127 West 20th Street, Ground Level
212-255-3741
Fridays, 12 to 8 P.M., evaluation; Tuesday morning (color only); Thursday morning (cuts only).
Avon Salon & Spa
Haircut: $25 (regularly $100 to $175). Color: $35 (regularly $100 to $300).
725 Fifth Avenue, 6th fl
212-755-2866
Tuesday nights at 6 P.M.
Bumble and Bumble
Haircut: Free (regularly $85 and up).
415 West 13th Street, 6th fl
866-7BUMBLE
Model assessments Mondays between 5:30 - 6:30 P.M.
John Barrett Salon
Haircut: $35 (regularly $110 to $400). Color: $35 for single process (regularly $110 and up).
754 Fifth Avenue at Bergdorf Goodman
212-872-2700, x1
Wednesday mornings; January–May, September–November.
John Frieda Salon
Haircut: $25 (regularly $120-$500). Color: $30 to $40 (regularly $85 to $400).
797 Madison Avenue, 2nd fl
212-879-0409
Wednesdays and every other Tuesday.
Julien Farel Salon
Haircut: $15 (regularly $130 to $290). Color: $15 (regularly $110 to $300).
605 Madison Avenue, 2nd fl
212-888-8988
Tuesdays at 6:30 P.M.
Louis Licari Salon
Haircut: $35 (regularly $110 to $180). Color: $50 (regularly $85 to $460).
693 Fifth Avenue, 15th fl
212-758-2090
Wednesdays at 5:30 P.M.
Miwa Alex Hair Salon
Haircut: $25 (regularly $65 to $150).
24 East 22nd Street, Ground Level
212-228-4422
Tuesday and Thursdays at 10:30 A.M.
Oscar Blandi Salon
Haircut: $40 (regularly $115 to $390). Color: $50 (regularly $110 and up).
768 Fifth Avenue at the Plaza Hotel
212-593-7930
Wednesday at 5 A.M.
Vidal Sassoon Salon
Haircut: $20 to $40 (regularly $92 to $154); color: $30 to $60 (regularly $85 to $250).
730 Fifth Avenue, 2nd fl
212-535-9200
Wednesday evenings at 6 P.M.
Warren-Tricomi
Haircut: $41 (regularly $111 to $300). Color: $46 and up (regularly $111 and up).
16 West 57th Street, 4th fl
212-262-8899
Mondays at 5:30 P.M.
http://www.allure.com/beautydirectory/training/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13089171/
eBay store: eBay makes money by charging fees to list items, ranging from 25 cents to $4.80, depending on the starting value of the auction. If the item sells, eBay takes an additional 5.25 percent of the selling price for items up to $25. Items sold for more than $25 have an additional 2.75 percent commission charged for the value between $25.01 and $1,000, and 1.5 percent on top of that if the value is over $1,000.
Amazon store: Amazon charges a 6 percent to 15 percent commission, depending on the type of product, plus a 99 cent transaction fee, and a closing fee that ranges from 65 cents for music to $1.23 for books, or 45 cents plus 5 cents per pound for larger items such as electronics or sports equipment. However, Pro Merchants don't pay transaction fees.
Direct sales: You collect payments from customers and use that money to pay the wholesale cost of the company's merchandise, keeping the difference for yourself.
Cart or kiosk: As an independent retailer, you pay the wholesale price of the merchandise and set your own prices on the products. You must also lease the kiosk from the mall at which you sell.
Where to Start?
Before you begin your business, you'll need to square away these details.
Unlike traditional retail stores, smart and easy retail businesses can be set up quickly, with little risk and few resources required. Here's the lowdown on what you'll need to get started:
Online store: Inventory, regular access to a computer, and shipping supplies, which you can get for free if you use U.S. Priority mail
Direct sales: The initial investment, which can be as little as $100, and a phone
Cart or kiosk: A monthly lease, which can cost anywhere between $800 and $2,000, as well as your inventory and a cash register

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on what it terms the “explosive” and ‘extraordinary” growth experienced by Earthbound Farms, which “started two decades ago as a three-acre roadside farm” 90 miles south of San Francisco and “has grown into the country's largest grower of organic produce, with more than 100 types of fruits and vegetables on 28,000 acres in the U.S. and abroad.
“Earthbound's extraordinary growth is only the most visible example of how organic farming is changing,” the Chronicle writes. “Small family farms created as an alternative to conventional agriculture are increasingly giving way to large-scale operations that harvest thousands of acres and market their produce nationwide. And with Wal-Mart, Safeway, Albertson's and other big supermarket chains expanding their organic offerings, the transformation may only be in its early stages.”
The big concern in some quarters is that what sometimes is called “Big Organic” is becoming increasingly industrialized, and that the shift will “lower food quality, weaken standards and hurt small family farms.
As organic goes mainstream, critics say, the movement loses touch with its roots as an eco-friendly system that offers a direct connection between consumers and the land where their food is grown.”Of course, the folks at Earthbound Farms and their brethren do not share these concerns, saying that they follow the same organic procedures as smaller farms, and that the greater availability of organic produce can only grow the category, not diminish it.