Poll: Should Employers Mandate That Workers Eat Healthy?

The New York Health Department recently sent a memo to its 3000 employees stating that employees are more or less required to eat healthier while on the job.

The memo was entitled "Life in the Cubicle Village" and covered several workplace guidelines in addition to the dietary ones, including personal hygiene, use of perfumes, and displaying offensive material in cubicles, but does this infringe on their workers' rights?

Cakes, cookies, coke, and deep fried foods are on the forbidden foods list as well as any drink that has more than 25 Calories per ounce. Also, water must be served whenever food and drinks are provided.

Now I'm all for healthy eating, but are employers overstepping a bit here and in this case it's even a governmental agency, which starts to get a little scary when I think about it. One of the great things about America is freedom and the ability to choose. If a person wants to drink a Coke during their lunch break they should be able to without punishment from the workplace food police.

What do you think? Participate in the poll and comments below.

Source: NBCNewYork.com

Is it right for employers to control what their employees can or cannot eat and drink while on the job?

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Music and Laughter Help Lower Blood Pressure

A funny joke or listening to music may help lower your blood pressure, says a new study, maybe as much as losing weight or cutting salt from your diet.

The results were modest, but the reductions in blood pressure were associated with a 5% to 15% lower risk of dying from heart disease.

In the United States, one out of three people have high blood pressure, and one in five people have undiagnosed blood pressure; according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Presented on Friday at the American Heart Association meeting in Atlanta, Japanese researchers reported that people who attended bimonthly group sessions involving music and laughter lowered their systolic blood pressure by an average of five to six points at the end of three months. The people involved in the study where 90 men and women, ages 40 to 74.

A control group, who did not receive music or laughter therapy, had no change in either blood pressure reading. Systolic blood pressure is the top number. Diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number.

Experts compared the effects on blood pressure on someone consuming less salt, taking blood pressure medication, or losing ten pounds. But music and laughter is not enough to treat blood pressure.

Previous research has shown that upbeat music improved the inner lining of blood vessels, allowing them to expand by 30%. Also, the release of nitric oxide may help lower blood pressure. Nitric oxide (nitrogen monoxide) is a signaling molecule in the human body and other mammals.

Risk factors for high blood pressure include obesity, lack of exercise, family history, and over-consumption of salt (sodium).

Image credit: DavidDennisPhotos.com

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Link Time! No Calorie Bacon, GeoPalz and More

Do you long to have your bacon and eat it too?

Well BaconAir doesn't exactly let you eat bacon, but it will let bacon lovers consume the calorie free bacon aroma combined with 95% pure Himalayan oxygen.

I thought for sure that this was one of those April Fools jokes, but it looks legit. If you are one of those people who thinks bacon is better than sex, BaconAir might be right up your alley.

It can be extremely difficult for parents to motivate their children to exercise, but this little gadget might just help motivate kids to get moving.

GeoPalz are cute pedometers that kids wear during the day and then log their steps onto the GeoPalz website. Kid's then earn prizes like chocolate and lollies... Just kidding, they earn prizes like footballs, hacky sacks, and frisbees to encourage them to move even more!

Lastly, why should the kids have all the fun. If you're an iPhone, iPad, or iPod user then you may want to check out the Free version of Fun Run Trainer. It allows you to run virtually on the coolest streets/places on the planet all from the comfort of your treadmill.

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The Full Plate Diet

The basis of The Full Plate Diet is eating foods high in dietary fiber as a way of controlling portion size.

What you'll immediately notice about this book is that it's pretty short, only 160 pages, and that it's loaded with colorful pictures. Some say it's more like a glorified storybook, others like the simplicity.

Top Fiber Foods
The diet is set out into three stages, where you work your way up to 40 grams of fiber per day. Some of the main foods recommended are fruits, vegetables, beans, wholegrains, nuts and seeds.

Here are the top five fiber foods recommended from each category:

Fruits: raspberries, pears, apples, oranges, bananasVegetables: avocado, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrotsBeans: navy, lentils, pinto beans, black beans, kidney beansNuts and seeds: flax seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnutsGrains: wheat, pearled barley, quinoa, oats, brown rice

If you are vegan or vegetarian, this book would probably suit you, as they really don't place much emphasis on meat products.

No Set Exercise Plan
The book doesn't include a set exercise plan, but you are encouraged to look for ways to be more active in your everyday life. I feel this is one major area where the book is lacking, as exercise is extremely important, whether you are trying to lose weight, or not.

Conclusion
I like the fact that this book isn't about calorie counting, and that it's pretty simple to follow. It also looks great, with an array of splendid full page color pictures, however, I don't think it offers enough detail for someone wanting to lose weight -- less pictures, more content, would have been better in my opinion.

This book may be helpful if you're after a quick start guide to weight loss. But don't buy it if you're after something new and exciting. This isn't it.

Have you tried The Full Plate Diet? What did you think of it?

The Full Plate Diet is available from Amazon for $14.

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Us bans Japanese food radiation

The damaged nuclear energy reactors in Japan continue to spiral out and worry about the topic of contaminated food, the United States is now prohibited in some food imports from Japan.

The us food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an edict Wednesday when Japanese officials to run the reactors that are close to the radiation in plantations. FDA to contaminated food products enter the United States for food production.

Last week, the Japanese feared that, in the air, following the earthquake, which damaged nuclear reactors, radioactive contamination of the local food production. The Japanese health experts warn that this radiation could be added to certain cancers such as leukemia and the preparation of the risk of cancer and thyroid.

So the FDA has ceased all imports of milk products and fruit and vegetables in the region of Japan. Also the Japanese seafood is radiation screening before it can sell.

But, according to the FDA food accounts for less than 4% of Japan to the United States on imports of food. Sushi restaurants in New York, for example, to import the sprouted much of Japan.

Although the restaurants have experienced a shortage of supply, because many of the ingredients are grown in the United States, other products, such rice and nori wraps, in places such as the soon to be imported from South Korea.

And Japan is facing another challenge. Testing shows the tap water in the levels of radioactive iodine in Tokyo includes a to double the amount of time the safe infants. Radioactive particles are carried out by the moisture droplets in the air. Health officials reported, is not safe for parents in Tokyo to give babies for tap water.

So far, Japan has banned the groups of varieties of spinach beet and raw milk near the damaged reactor sales to States.

In 1986, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine) and the Chernobyl meltdown that destroyed a large displaced population groups, and will be linked to the widespread and serious birth defects throughout the region.

Public institutions in Japan, at the same time, there are, however, continue to maintain the stereotypes to put an immediate end to the risk to human health, such as officials of the United States; people are afraid that the radiation to reach the West Coast, which it is.

Image credit: Japan trends

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The intersection is

You either love him or her, but Jillian Michaels is one of the best-known faces on TV and the internet to anger right now--rather impressive feat, because he is the fitness centre offers state-of-the-trainer and personal life, or some random launched a celebrity.

Personally, I like his tough, no nonsense approach to get people to shape. I believe that it is necessary for some people. And a fitness centre, and he gets the results he recommends.

So what is the book, Making the Cut, all about?

This book is intended for persons who are already reasonably Fit and doing some sort of physical activity, which might be 20 pounds or less to lose. Jillian says

Is now clear: Making the Cut is not about losing 100 pounds; it is in all respects to the intentions of getting strong reinforce or change the configuration of the body. You shedding fat and building lean, strong muscle instead. You will need to develop a drop dead, smokin' hot

-food.This diet is that people are fast of balanced oxidizers or oxidizers, slowly oxidizers. Apparently, slow carbs need more oxidizers. Fast oxidizers higher percentages of protein are needed. And balanced in the middle of oxidizers are somewhere.

The book contains three types of different menus and recipes to fit with each of such persons.

Is described in the book of more than 100 exercises and most of them do not have to use the equipment, because they focus on body weight. Exercise-the requirement to have at least 40 minutes per day, 5 times a week.

Some of the proposals, however, the rehearsal Show all pictures, which can be difficult to make the preforming, if it is earlier in the move.

What I like most about Jillian is that she encourages people to get up and take control of their lives. We need to encourage people like him at the forefront of the media these days.

Unfortunately, the book provides scientific evidence for any dietary advice for back up. Indeed, this theory of the science behind the oxidizer is not strictly fixed, which is probably why!

My guess is that people lose weight on this diet, because the cutting calories and exercising 5 times per week rather than some fancy theory about the oxidizing.

That said, however, you cannot claim that the Jillian Michaels knows exactly how to get people the best shape of his life, and many of the information in the assessment of this book are brimming about how effective it is.

Making the Cut is available on Amazon for $ 8.00.

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