Puggy Treats

This is actually a picture of happy anticipation of their favorite treat (or maybe, of concern that they won't get it).  
Can you guess what it is??
It's not what most people would guess at first, but I have heard of other pugs who also get excited over the some thing.  The answer is below (in comments).  Let them inspire you to follow good health practices in the new year.

That Fattening Time of Year

++Do you gain weight in the winter?  In the USA, the average adult gains 5-10 lb. every winter and only loses part of it in the spring.  The accumulated extra weight eventually leads to aches and pains (e g., extra stress on knees), and increased risk of health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and poor blood lipid (fat, cholesterol) levels.

Part of the problem is that we get less exercise.  In a few areas of the country, the weather invites us outdoor more this time of year, but for most of us, it's harder to get around.  Add to that the holidays and other eating occasions most of us indulge in.  We go from Halloween candy to Thanksgiving desserts to Christmas cookies to New Year's Eve parties to Super Bowl munchies to Valentine's Day chocolate, without a let-up.

It's time to review some tried but true tips to help us still fit into our clothes on Feb. 15: 
- Bundle up the kids (or your sweetheart) and take a walk after supper to admire the holiday lights in your neighborhood, instead of driving.  The dog might like to join you, too.
- Remember that you can sample everything on the buffet or other holiday feast without taking a full serving.  Take a scoop of your favorite (or most traditional) food and only a few bites of anything else.
- Check magazines, web sites, etc., for ways to cut some of the fat out of holiday recipes without quashing your family traditions.
- It's easy to drink a lot of calories without feeling too full. Eggnog, alcoholic beverages, cappuccino. hot cocoa with marshmallows, all can contribute.  So can "everyday" drinks like soda pop. 
- If you're the host, take pity on the guests.  They don't want to gain extra weight any more than you do, and they want to sample all the goodies you've worked so hard to prepare.  Develop a signature fruit dish or other low-cal treat.
- Enjoy all the aspects of the season, not just the foods.

Happy Holidays!!

A Survey - Resolutions

+ The holiday season has begun and in a few weeks, everyone will be crazy-busy with preparations.  The time to make New Year's Resolutions is just a round the corner.  Some people are already thinking about their resolutions.  Take the poll at the right, or share ideas.  Maybe, reading the comments will give you good ideas, or you can share tips with others. (Thanks for your input.)

Here are questions to consider:

• What successful resolutions regarding food and/or health have you made in the past?  (Use your own definition of success.  Mine would be a goal accomplished or a positive change maintained for at least a year.)
• What/who helped you become successful with those resolutions? 
• For any that didn't turn out as well as you'd hoped, what snags bogged you down?  (or, if you are answering this later in the winter, What is bogging you down?)
• What suggestions do you have, if any, for other respondents (or comments on posts for the writer of this blog)?
• What inspires you?

Ancient Feast

 Scholars from the University of Pennsylvania Archeology Museum found King Midas!  As the artifacts in his tomb in central Turkey were studied, the researchers realized that no one washed the dishes after the funeral feast.  Remains were analyzed.  With the help of a chef, they determined that mourners ate lentil and lamb stew (along with something similar to pita bread), and drank something that seemed to be a cross between ale and mead. If you want to try these dishes for yourself, use the link below.  Near the top of the page, click Feast Recipes.  Yes, Midas really lived.  And, now you can eat like a king!

http://www.penn.museum/sites/Midas/served.shtml

(I guess they didn't feast on left-overs like we're doing with our turkey!)

Thanksgiving Food Safety

Alice has put a lot of good information on foods and nutrition on the Lancaster County Extension web site.  Here is an example.

 Thanksgiving Food Preparation Tips- 2010

  

 

Alice Henneman, MS, RD, UNL Extension in Lancaster Co.

"Heap high the board with plenteous cheer and gather 
to the feast, And toast the sturdy Pilgrim band whose 
courage never ceased."
~Alice W. Brotherton

Thanksgiving is a special time for giving thanks and focusing on
family and friends. If you're hosting or thinking about hosting
a Thanksgiving meal at your house, the following links may
be helpful.

NOTE: Turkey meat will be safely cooked when the 
internal temperature reaches 165° F; however, 
the meat may still be slightly pink. Some people 
prefer cooking turkey to a higher temperature 
(whole turkey to 180°F in the innermost part of 
the thigh; turkey breasts to 170° F in the 
thickest part) for meat that is more well done.

 

Quick links to specific sections

1. Planning ahead for Thanksgiving Day
2. Where to call for help on Thanksgiving Day
3. How to prepare a turkey
4. Food safety questions
5. Carving a turkey
6. How to make turkey gravy
7. Stuffing
8. Pumpkin pie & other desserts (includes egg safety)
9. Tips for traveling safely with Thanksgiving foods
10. Recipes for leftover turkey
11. Preparing meats other than turkey
12. Kids' Corner (T-giving coloring sheets, games, jokes)

Where to Call for Help on Thanksgiving

Toll-free USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline
The hotline will be staffed with food safety specialists on  
Thanksgiving Day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time 
to answer your turkey questions.
For food safety questions year round, you may speak with 
a food safety specialist — in English or Spanish — 
from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays.

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline at:
1-888-MPHotline
1-888-674-6854
Or send an Email to: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov 

Have a Blueberry

A 4-year-old was coloring a picture while I was talking to her mother one day last week.  The little girl asked her mom if she could color the glass blue.  Mom replied that there is probably some blue thing to drink.  I said it would likely have blueberry juice in it, and asked the little girl if she knew what blueberries look like.  She said no, so I described them to her, ending by commenting that they are yummy.  She asked me if I had any, and I said, "Yes, at home."  The response:  "You have to give them to me!  It's called sharing."

Halloween Snack

Drying and Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

Many people are interested in how to roast pumpkin seeds during the fall months. Here are some tips from Florida Cooperative Extensive Service:
Drying seeds and roasting seeds are two different processes.
To dry: carefully wash pumpkin seeds to remove the clinging fibrous pumpkin tissue. Pumpkin seeds can be dried in a dehydrator at 115 to 120 degrees F for 1 to 2 hours, or in an oven on warm for 3 to 4 hours. Stir them frequently to avoid scorching.
To roast: take dried pumpkin seeds and toss with oil and/or salt and/or seasoning (e.g. chili powder) and roast in a preheated oven at 250 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Source: Reynolds, Susan, Drying Seeds, Popcorn and Nuts, Fact Sheet FCS 8506, a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: June 1998

Sunshine Vitamin (D)

++The Sunshine Vitamin has been getting quite a bit of publicity.

What we've known for a long time:
  Studies on Vitamin D began when people began to notice that children working in factories in the early years of the Industrial Age had a high incidence of rickets, a bone disease.  Since it was also an age of great interest in infectious disease, that was investigated as a possible cause.  But, soon, the researchers noticed that children who lived in the countryside were much less likely to have rickets, and eventually it became clear that being outdoors and in clear air (instead of smog) was related to their bone health.  A substance was also found in cod liver oil and other foods that was protective against rickets.  It was isolated and named Vitamin D.  As time went along, more details were filled in.  Part of the definition of a vitamin is that lacking that substance in one's diet leads to a specific disease.  The RDA for Vit. D was based on the amount needed to prevent rickets, and was set at 400 IU (10 mcg) per day.  This is about to be increased to 400 IU/day for infants; 600 for those at ages 1-70; 800 for those over 70.

What we're finding out now:
  In some respects, Vit. D is more like a hormone.  It is made in the body in a complex process that begins with ultraviolet-B light, in certain intensities, acting on a substance in the skin similar to cholesterol; in other words, being in the sunshine.  It then can be activated and sent to the cells to do a variety of things, not just regulate calcium (e g. for strong bones).  It appears to influence how cells reproduce themselves, and to modulate some aspects of the immune system.  The details on how it does this are currently the focus of intense research.  Many diseases, such as cancer, are caused by a combination of factors, not just one thing.  But, the more factors you can control, the better you can lower or delay your chance of getting those diseases.  Right now, it looks like insufficient Vit. D increases the risk of hypertension (and associated cardiovascular disease); diabetes; multiple sclerosis; lupus; cancer of breast, colon, prostate; and, of course, osteoporosis.  It may also have an affect on your general resistance to viral diseases.
  Blood tests for the amount of Vit. D in the body have become widely available only recently.  As more safety studies are done, it is more and more evident that the optimum amount in the blood and the safe daily intake had been underestimated.  Although some researchers believe that higher intakes are safe, none recommend over 30,000 IU/week and most recommend less.

Where/how to get it:
  Under ideal circumstances, you can make enough on your own by being in the mid-day sun for a total of 2 hours/week.  Of course, this much exposure causes concern about skin cancer!  (Although, even 10 minutes before you put on sunscreen helps.)  The amount of Vit. D your body can make during exposure to the sun is lower as you get farther from the equator or as the days get shorter during the course of a year.  Vitamin D is also sold in supplements.  D-3 is most effective. 

The bottom line: If you don't get the amount of sun exposure that leads to optimum Vit D levels (which is common), you would probably benefit from supplements of 1000-2000 IU/day of Vitamin D-3.  If you are considering taking more, discuss it with your doctor.  As with any supplements, discuss with a doctor before giving it to a small child or someone with a chronic illness.  (And remember, when a doctor asks what medications you are taking, that includes supplements and over-the-counter, not just prescriptions.)

Humorous side note:  Cathy Breedon, at U. of North Dakota, is known to comment that many people don't get enough Vitamin D because of covering themselves up.  Some people do this because of concern about skin cancer; some do it because of their religion, and some do it as a public service.

quote of the month - food processing

"If it came from a plant, eat it often.  If it was made in a plant, don't."
Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma

Hog Roast

Is it just a coincidence?  Conservation of resources?  I got a newsletter from an alum society the other day, which included an invitation to their tailgate parties at football games.  The featured dish for one week was whole roasted hog.  For the next, it was "burnt ends" (as well as another meat).

Seen in Passing - SWILS

Isn't that quite a name for a package-liquor store?

(acronym for South West Iowa Liquor Store)

Chocolate Tofu

Here is a recipe for a non-dairy pudding.  If you wish to serve it as pie, use a pre-baked pie shell and adjust the baking time.

11 oz.  pkg. silken tofu
1/4 vegetable oil
1/4 sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. baker's cocoa (powdered)
dash salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Cut tofu into chunks.  Put all other ingredients into a blender or food processor and process.  Gradually add tofu with the machine running.  Scrape, then process until smooth.  Pour into 1-1/2 quart baking dish.  Bake approx. 30 minutes, or until it doesn't stick when lightly touched.  Cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate.  Serve cold. 

Another Slant on Weight Control

++   If you are frustrated by the figure you have, you have lots of company!  (And you probably know it)  We hear a lot about the "obesity epidemic."  The media are full of that, and of weight-loss programs.  Let's face it:  if any of them worked well for most people, we'd all be able to stay slim.  Medical and dietetics journals report plenty of studies on why the problem persists.  Now, there is an entirely different approach to this issue.  One name for this approach is HAES(SM), Health At Every Size.

 HAES views obesity from the philosophy that dieting and weight obsessions are unhealthy. . .and proposes that health is a result of behaviors that are independent of body weight. - Miller, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2005 

   How does this apply to you?  Here are some comments on the HAES movement's views, and some related observations.  The basic idea is that when a person obsesses about weight, she (or he) concentrates on numbers - pounds; and maybe blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol - and not on over-all health.  Lowering the numbers is a good thing, but not the only thing.  Many of the health complications that come with being overweight don't come just from carrying extra pounds.  The life-style choices that led a person to put on the weight in the first place contribute a lot to one's health status.

  We're starting to gather research evidence that trying to "fool Mother Nature" is counter-productive because we still have bodies designed in the Stone Age, and She is trying to keep them healthy during famine.  One implication of this is that if you "go on a diet," you will regain weight as soon as you go off the diet. Mother Nature does not know, or care, that the starvation is self- imposed.  Another implication is that there is not one perfect size or shape for everyone - and if there were, it would probably not look like a reed-thin runway model.

  So, what can you do instead?  To start, don't "go on a diet."  Instead, "improve my diet."  You know how to do that - your mother and your doctor have been nagging you for years!  If you are unsure, visit a website such as MyPyramid.gov.  Then, make other life improvements:  get more exercise (in a way that's OK with your doctor); get enough sleep, and at regular times; reduce your intake of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, etc. (or quit - there are places to get help).  If you think all the changes are over- whelming, make changes gradually.  This week, add 1/4 cup vegetables (not fried!) to your daily intake.  Next week, add a short walk each day.  Now, you're sleeping better and feeling a little better.  Next, reduce your sweets intake by 10%.  Cut back another 10% each month until you have it a sane level - by allowing yourself a little, you're less likely to feel deprived and be tempted to go crazy.  Get more ideas from your health-care provider.  Keep it up so it becomes a habit.

  Doing these things will make you feel better - physically and mentally.  You know they will.  The extra pounds won't melt off like magic, but the other numbers usually improve.  For that, you can be proud of yourself.

Echo

One of the less-embarrassing things children repeat when away from home:  As a family was leaving our clinic the other day, the mother said to the child, "Say good-bye to the nurse."  The child turned to the nurse, waved, and said, "'Bye, Darlin', See you later."

Tasty Veggies

++ Just a reminder:  this is a good time of year to visit a local farmers' market.  The vendors often have varieties of vegetables and fruits that aren't widely available at grocery stores.  They also have great tips for preparing them.  So, take time for a chat while you're there.  Then, go home and treat yourself to something you haven't tried before.   Another tip: many kids are more likely to eat a new food if they see you trying something new - even more so if they got to help pick it out.

Iowa Corn

This picture was taken in western Iowa, near Interstate-80. How many food sources can you see in it?

Fish Tale

A little boy, about 3 years old, was talking to our nurse the other day. His t-shirt had a fishing theme to it, so she asked him if goes fishing. He replied that goes with his grandfather. She was asking him more about it when he commented, "I like fishing except when my Grandma goes. She talks too much and scares away all the fish." !!

1932

++ an oldie but still true - "Scientific truth may be put quite briefly: eat moderately, having and ordinary mixed diet, and don't worry." (Robert Hutchinson in Newcastle Medical Journal, 1932)

Nutrigenomics

++ Genomics is currently a hot area of research. Some people are excited about it. Many look at the word and say, "Huh?" Here is a simplified overview.

Epidemiological studies look at large groups of people and try to see connections between life-style and health. They cannot determine cause and effect, but they can suggest where research on cause and effect would be most useful. Often, they pose more questions than they answer. For example, why are people living in a certain area more likely to get a certain disease than people living in an area hundreds of miles away? Why can some people do everything right and never get heart disease, while other people do the same things and get fatal heart attacks in their 40's?

There were high hopes that the human genome project would answer these questions; but, instead, more questions came up. Looking closer, researchers noticed that some genes can be turned on and off. Susceptibility to some diseases depends not only on what version of specific genes a person has, but also on how/when they go to work. Broadly speaking, genomics tries to determine what the switches are. Specifically, nutrigenomics examines the effects that nutrients have on gene expression. This area of study is in its infancy; but, one day, we hope, we can look at a person's genome and recommend diet guidelines that will prolong life and health. This includes not only your own health, but also that of your unborn children (and possibly your not-yet-conceived children and grandchildren).

Here is an analogy that helps many people understand the implications of this: baking a cake. A person's genes are set at conception and are the instructions for how to build the person. A cake recipe is also instructions. Some are better than others (and some people have genetic diseases). Some are designed to give you chocolate cake, white cake, or angel food (and each person is an individual).

The recipe isn't the only thing that controls how the cake turns out. Other things make a difference: recipe substitutions; mixing method; size and shape of the baking pan and what it is made of; how hot the oven is; how long the cake is baked; etc. Recipes and cake pans can be passed down from mother to daughter (or son) to grandchild. Likewise, genes aren't the only things that control how a person's body turns out. Scientists are discovering things that would correspond to the other factors in cake quality: absence or excess of certain nutrients, esp. at critical points in development; pollutants/contaminants; etc. And, if a gene's expression is sub-standard in a parent, that can also negatively affect its expression in offspring.

There is still a lot to learn about genomics. In the mean time, what do we do? The bottom line is to practice good health habits as we know of them now. The well-balanced diet that you follow today will help your children tomorrow!

Irish humor

While on vacation, I also did some "fun" reading, including a book on Irish folklore. That's where I got this little riddle:
Which one of these does not belong with the other 2 and why:
egg, drum, potato

(the last one: you can beat an egg, you can beat a drum, but you just can't beat a potato)

Beach??

I've been on vacation, including driving in western Nebraska. In the Sandhills, I drove past Pelican Beach Golf Club.
(I found it funny: The Sandhills are not a beach, even after recent heavy rains, and are hundreds of miles from where pelicans live.)

Sacrificial Lamb

Every enthusiastic cook as a few disasters to laugh about - later. Here's one of mine:
My mother had a mold that baked a cake in the shape of a lamb. The cake was her Easter centerpiece every year. She used boiled icing, and patted shredded coconut into it for fleece; tinted more coconut green for 'grass' for it to set on; and cut up jelly beans for facial features. One year when I was in my teens, decorating the cake feel to me because Mom had to be away all day Sat. I had never made boiled frosting before, but had in my mind that it was made over a double boiler. Of course, it never boiled or thickened. I asked my dad what to do and he didn't know. Then, I asked a neighbor, but she'd never made boiled icing, either. Dad came in to see how I was doing and suggested just stirring powdered sugar into it. I did, and then started spreading it on the cake. As I worked, the icing cooled and started to set up. As I struggled to frost the head and neck, the poor guy's neck broke. I tried to 'splint' it with toothpicks and they didn't hold. I tried a nut-pick and it didn't hold, either. I was near tears. Dad had an idea! Set the head on the tray next to the cake; thin the remaining icing with a little milk and a few drops of red food dye, and put that on the 2 parts of the neck. I thought we were clever. Mom was furious! (of course, now I understand why, but it took a few years).

Strange News about Weight Control.

++ We (who study nutrition) have known for a long time that the basic issue in weight control is that you will gain weight if calories going in exceed calories going out (in exercise, for example). Maintaining weight (or keeping it off) depends of calories going in equaling calories going out. The puzzle is that so many people have trouble with these simple equations.

A lot of time and effort has been spent in motivating people to keep their calorie counts low and trying to understand why they don't stay motivated. Sometimes, it is due to a form of compensation. Studies actually showed that many people will have a bigger serving of dessert if they drink sugar-free soda or coffee the same day. This was blamed on the attitude, "I was good. I deserve a reward." Now, it looks like there is more to it than that. Science News recently ran a feature on the stomach's sweet tooth. The gist of it is that there are taste sensors in the digestive tract - actual taste sensors, not just glucose sensors. So, if you eat something sweet tasting, your body prepares to digest and absorb it. If the sweet item is non-caloric, your body is fooled and the response is not what a dieter wants! The mechanism for this has not been found. Worse, recent studies found that people who consume large amounts of diet beverages are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. In one study, "large amounts" meant 24 oz/day.

Along with this, many people do not realize how many calories they drink. For example, a cup of black coffee has virtually no calories. Adding modest amounts of creamer and sugar adds maybe 50 calories, depending on your taste. Coffee house drinks (e g. latte) have a lot more than 50 calories/cup. Since you don't feel any less hungry an hour later, it is easy to ignore all those calories.

Another factor in weight control that is not intuitive has been in other reports in the recent past: sleep. It appears that chronic sleep-deprivation can lead to increased weight and increased belly fat. Even shorting yourself by an hour a night can eventually trigger this. Who knows what else they might find?!! The bottom line, once again, is listen to Grandma. She always said to take care of your self: go to bed on time, eat your vegetables and limit sweets, get some exercise. . .

Parenting Information

Overheard while in line at a grocery store: Enjoy your baby! People spend their children's first year wondering if they'll ever walk and talk - and the next 20 years wondering if they'll ever sit down and shut up.

Duh!

Did it ever occur to you that eating crackers in bed is a crummy habit??

Ouch

Seen in Passing:
a Tae-Kwon-Do school right next door to a chiropractor's office

TV and kids

++ I have heard and read much discussion in recent years about the effects of TV-watching on children. The biggest health-related concern is that when a person is watching television, s/he is not physically active, and may be eating mindlessly. This contributes to obesity and all the health complications associated with it. There are also education-related concerns: some programming will teach children the alphabet, how to count (often in more than one language), etc., but children are not learning social skills in the process. Success in school starts with being able to pay attention for more than a few seconds, being able to follow instructions, respect for authority, communicating effectively with others and being able to get along with them, etc. Children can start learning these skills by the time they learn to walk; but, learning pre-math and pre-reading skills depends on developmental readiness. Ask any teacher you know!

Now, the ramifications of these issues have been quantified by a large, long-running Canadian study of over 1300 children, which was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times, and carried by other newspapers. The study first looked at the amount of TV per week that was watched by 2-1/2 year olds. Seven years later (and periodically between), the researchers at Institut de la Stastique du Quebec looked at the amount of TV the children, then in 4th grade, were watching, and at how they were faring in school. Here is an outline of their findings:

• average TV viewing at 29 months = 8.8 hr/wk; at 4-1/2 years = 14.8 hr/wk, and continued to increase
• For every extra hour/week of TV viewing at 29 months, that child, by 4th grade, has measurably lowers levels of classroom engagement, poorer math skills, higher body mass index (BMI - a measure of degree of fatness), and a higher risk of being bullied.
• As TV viewing increased among their parents, fourth-graders had an increase in over-all screen time (TV, videos, computer games, etc.), increased BMI, and lower level of physical fitness.

The researchers surmise that the brains of toddlers are developing the basics of "effortful control." TV-watching somehow disrupts this process, and the results become more and more worrisome as children progress through school and are exposed to more and more challenging subject matter. They did not address the bullying issue, but my take on that is that children who are less fit don't do as well in sports, and they appear to the bullier be less able to stand up for themselves. Other research has shown that watching any kind of programming before the age of 2 does not confer any benefits in learning language or motor skills.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that children under the age of 2 years not watch any TV, and that it be limited in older children. In the United States, toddlers average about 1-1/2 hours per day watching TV.

Bottom line in practice: The experts cited by the public health agency I work for recommend no screen time for children under the age of 2, and no more than 10 hours/week for older children. Parents are advised to monitor the programs watched by the children in their care. Children are great at copying behavior they see, so it is best that they are not often exposed to violence and other asocial behavior. If the program has a lot of merit, otherwise, as documentaries sometimes do, discuss it with the children. I often add that instead of TV, children can be entertained by reading or by imaginative play, such as with dolls, toy cars, etc.; that some active play is also necessary for good development; and that even if siblings are arguing (and driving parents nuts), they are learning about talk and behavior that is - or is not - acceptable to others. I also point out what the characters on the screen are eating. It sure isn't 5 servings/day of vegetables!

Fat Lights the World

Sometimes, I think people have too much time on their hands!  A few years ago I read the results of a "study" in which the researchers used health surveys to estimate how many people in the USA were over-weight, and by how much. They figured out how many pounds of excess body fat this added up to, and calculated how much energy it would take to pile on that fat and maintain it for a year: what it took to grow and transport the food and prepare it, for example. They converted this to the equivalent amount of electricity. That many kilowatt hours per year would have provided all the residential lighting needs for Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, and 6 other major cities! (I no longer remember which other cities, but the situation would be worse by now, anyhow.)

Rowdy Kids

I work with children and most of them are typical preschoolers; but sometimes, one comes in who makes me think of signs I've seen elsewhere. (Not nice, maybe, but appreciated by other customers.)

beauty salon: Rowdy or unattended children will be sold into slavery.
neighborhood coffee shop: Naughty children will be sent home with a free puppy.

Diet cookies

Sometimes, when things occur together, I'm sure they weren't planned that way. For example, at a trade show I attended a few years ago, a weight-loss organization had a booth right next to one for industrial cooking equipment. The equipment maker was enticing visitors to its booth by baking cookies. (I wonder what the weight loss people thought of that!)

Probiotics

++Iowa State University sponsors "Current Issues in Nutrition" webinars Here is my summary of the most recent one. The speakers were Mary Ellen Sanders and Suzanne Hendrich, two respected researchers on this topic.

Probiotics are microorganism that a person might get in food, which may be eaten help the digestive system work better. The scientific definition of a probiotic has 3 parts: 1)living cells, that 2)provide health benefits to an individual 3)when administered in a large-enough dose. There is no legal definition. Therefore, food companies can say what they want to about their artificial baby milk (formula), or yogurt (or kefir), or other products supposedly containing probiotics, even if they don’t match the scientific definition. This may be misleading, but it is not illegal.

Probiotics also have some other characteristics that are being studied by researchers. One is that their activity is species-specific, and usually strain-specific. In other words, one kind of lactobacillus does not function like another, much as some dogs were bred to be hunters and some as herders. Lactobacillus is as different from bifidus as a dog is from a cat or a horse. Another characteristic is that “host flora” affects how well the probiotics benefit the host. In other words, each person has millions of bacteria living inside him/her (mostly useful ones), but the exact kinds and amounts are as specific to each person as finger prints. These exact groupings affect how well the probiotics work to protect the person’s health, or even whether they live long enough to work. There is a lot of interest among researchers on how much help a person can get from probiotics, and on how big a dose a person needs to get any help.

A related topic is prebiotics. You can think of prebiotics as food for probiotics. Dr. Hendrich is doing research on fermentable, non-digestible carbohydrates (a category of dietary fiber) as prebiotics.

A lot of work still has to be done before we can make specific recommendations on what to eat, and how much, in order to get the health benefits of probiotics; but it is always a good idea to eat a varied, balanced diet – and foods like yogurt definitely can be a part of that.

Old Movies

Kids sure don't view things like adults do. Here is an example: Two Girl Scouts were working on a county project together: a teenager I know, and a kindergartner. The younger girl was all excited about the movie she was planning to see that evening, a Disney re-release. The older girl said that she loved that movie when she was in grade school. The younger girl, all seriousness, asked, "Was the movie in black and white when you saw it in the olden days?"