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Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe
Wellness is determined by many factors. What we directly consume–the things we put into and onto our bodies in the way of food, drinks, personal care products, and other consumables–affects us most of all.
In this week’s digest we take a look at some stories that cover a range of consumable products that can make or break our health: sunscreen (as a part of a larger discussion on summer activity safety), flavored nicotine, recalled beef, and more.
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Cookie, candy brands fight to keep their names off flavored nicotine. From CBS News:
General Mills Inc., the Girl Scouts of the USA and Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. are among several companies that have sent cease-and-desist letters to makers of the liquid nicotine demanding they stop using the brands and may take further legal action if necessary.
The actions highlight the debate about the array of flavors available for the battery-powered devices that heat a liquid nicotine solution, creating vapor that users inhale. The Food and Drug Administration last month proposed regulating electronic cigarettes but didn’t immediately ban on fruit or candy flavors, which are barred for use in regular cigarettes because of the worry that the flavors are used to appeal to children.
“Using the Thin Mint name – which is synonymous with Girl Scouts and everything we do to enrich the lives of girls – to market e-cigarettes to youth is deceitful and shameless,” Girl Scouts spokeswoman Kelly Parisi said in a statement.
Oops.
The already beleaguered e-cigarette industry takes another hit. Although in the discussion between sugar or tobacco in the health care world, neither product holds much favor. As long as flavored tobacco exists, there will always be the debate of whether the products target children.
When Your Child Says No to Sunscreen. From First Derm:
The sunscreen stings his sensitive, eczema-ridden skin. I wish he’d have said something before I tackled him football-style, bottle in hand. I opted for the aerosol sunscreen that day because we were running late and it’s easy to apply. I assumed spray sunscreen would be faster than wrestling cream onto 50-pounds of wiggling elbows.
This article was written by a mom that admits that she won’t budge on a few very important decisions as a parent, one being her insistence on her kids using sunscreen. Her intentions were good, but it turned out that her son couldn’t wear it due to the conditions in the above paragraph.
Sure, this story is anecdotal, but it shows us that not every product works for everyone, and those of us with sensitive skin have to go through extra pains to find the right product. In some cases, the wrong product can cause more problems than they attempt to correct, and a market certainly exists for alternative formulas and products that won’t irritate skin. The author of the piece is still on the hunt for the proper sunscreen for her son.
Does anyone out there have recommendations on good sunscreens for people with skin issues like eczema?
Why Are Salad Bars Being Removed From Boston Schools? From Boston.com:
“I have found that anytime children can select for themselves it [fruit or vegetable] consumption does increase, ” claims Deborah Beauvais, RDN, School Nutrition Director in Rochester, New York, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The article cites this report from the Boston Globe published on May 26:
The School Department has refused to stock the salad bar since September and — to the horror of the school’s health and wellness committee — has reinstated the sale of snacks, including cookies and Doritos, during lunch.
The school system’s food services program has been quietly shutting down the salad bars over the past two years as it has struggled with millions of dollars in financial losses. The program racked up a $3.6 million deficit last school year and is on track to incur similar losses this year, according to a review the School Department released last week that also unveiled widespread mismanagement and dysfunction in the program.
School lunch issues have been all over the news of late, from stories of students and parents donating money to pay off negative balances for needy kids in school cafeterias to the nutritional content of the meals offered. This story stands out because it illustrates the biggest problem threatening better nutrition in this country: the fact that unhealthy foods are cheaper and more easily accessible than healthy foods.
Tips to avoid a summertime ER visit. From KGWN.com:
Dr. Antonio Dajer, director of the emergency department at the New York-Presbyterian hospital campus in Lower Manhattan has seen it all: the beachgoer who looks like a lobster; the party animal with a cracked skull who claims to have only had two beers; and the weekend warrior who got a little too creative on a skateboard.
Dr. Dajer gives some tips on common summer maladies and injuries, like drowning, sports-related injuries, too much drinking, sunburn, and insect bites and other allergic reactions. All can be avoided or easily treated with awareness and protection, such as knowing CPR in the event of a major injury or accident, and carrying bug repellents during hikes.
He gives a stern warning on the dangers of drug overdoses in hotter weather:
“Those drugs [cocaine, etc.] in a cooler setting would not be as dangerous, but you’re out in the heat, you’re dancing, you’re active, everyone is jazzing up — that heating can become lethal. It tips you over a point where you can’t cool yourself down anymore.”
For the too long; didn’t read crowd: have fun this summer, but don’t be dumb and land yourself in the emergency room.
Six legs tasty: First edible insect farm opens in US. From New Scientist:
Laura D’Asaro and Rose Wang, who founded Six Foods, plan to get around the yuck factor with insect-based foods that don’t look like the creepy-crawlies they come from. Their cricket flour is about 70 per cent protein by weight – the idea is to blend it into recipes for chips and cookies alongside the other typical ingredients. The foods come out looking and tasting like things people are already used to eating, only with a boost in nutritional value.
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Cricket chips: would you? Photo courtesy of New Scientist
Edible insects certainly solve the problem of less food available for a growing population, but there’s still the mental picture of crunchy exoskeletons in a salad or tiny legs hanging out of your mouth at a barbecue.
There’s another hurdle to clear before the general public can potentially be grossed out by chewy cricket cookies.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) says it doesn’t know of any relevant legislation that covers the production of insects as human food, which makes farming them a risky business.
The article also lists risks like diseases affecting the specifically-bred insects and other environmental factors that could threaten the nutritional value and/or safety of the edible insect crops.
California Firm Recalls Beef Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergen. From the USDA:
Chaparros Mexican Foods, a Southern California-based company, is recalling thousands of pounds of its beef products due to a misbranding of a known allergen, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This recall affects:
100 lb. cases containing 20lb. bags, five per case, diced beef for broiling labeled “Alberto’s Meat Shop”
100 lb. cases containing 20lb. bags, five per case, sliced beef for broiling labeled “Alberto’s Meat Shop”
60 lb. cases containing beef trim labeled “Alberto’s Meat Shop”
100 lb. cases containing 20lb. bags, five per case, beef chorizo labeled “Alberto’s Meat Shop”
Another day, another meat recall. Are you tired of it yet? Please check your beef products and make sure they haven’t been affected by this. Also check the link for more information on what you can do if you have been impacted.
What is a breast milk depot? From Advocate Health Care:
These depots allow moms who have been approved through a screening process the opportunity to drop off their breast milk to benefit at-risk babies who do not have access to their mother’s own milk.
“Breast milk may reduce a baby’s risk for type 1 and 2 diabetes, leukemia and sudden infant death syndrome,” Dr. Rupal Upadhyay, chairman of the pediatric department at Sherman Hospital, says. “For at-risk babies, breast milk can significantly decrease mortality rates and lower the risk of ear, respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.”
Consumption starts early in life. To get babies on the right track to a healthy life, they must be set up with great nutrition from the start. Breast milk depots like the one at Sherman Hospital aims to connect babies and mothers with a resource that isn’t always available to those who need it. It also creates a positive breastfeeding environment, complete with support for nursing mothers.
The post Weekly Health News Digest: Conscious Consumption appeared first on Beacon Urgent Care.
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