BACK!!

I am back!!  I am so sorry I was gone for so long.  I had a very long six weeks at work precepting two pharmacy students and a pharmacy resident.  In the midst of that, our nanny of almost 2 years moved to Maryland...and then I broke out in shingles, lol.  It's been a long, busy few weeks!!  I am very excited to start blogging again and have lots of new ideas.  Talk to you soon!!!

On break

Sorry...I've been meaning to come on here and let everyone know I would be back shortly.  It looks like it might be a little longer than I expected.  I have quite a few work projects and now need to find a new nanny.  Be back soon!!

Diet Coke dangers

There is a new study being released by the NIH and Purdue University that suggests that aspartame actually leads to weight gain!  It's all over the news and health websites this morning.  Everyone eating a salad and diet coke or sugar-free aspartame flavored yogurt needs to reconsider that they may be shooting themselves in the foot.  They may actually be worsening their plight to lose or maintain weight. 

I can safely say that this is one ingredient that is 100% absent from our house.  We do not consume soft drinks.  Neither child has had so much as a sip (that I am aware of).  We do not use any sugar-free foods.  I limit the amount of sugar they eat but when they do consume it I avoid alternative sweeteners.  We opt for unsweetened products like full-fat organic yogurt (or homemade) and sweeten with honey or fruit.  Sometimes you really have to read labels closely to see what sweetners it contains.  Notice the popular vitamins in the picture.  Here are a few articles that give the details of the NIH study results:

Jordan Rubin's Garden of Life newsletter

Dr. Mercola's article

Cloth diapers: $$$$

After researching several diaper cost calculators and estimates, the average cost of disposable diapers is around $75 as best as I can tell.  At some point I might go back through my son's diapering costs and come up with a more accurate amount.  This cost should also include disposable wipes and diaper pail refill costs.  That means that we would have spent $900 the past year on just diapers.  By my best estimate, that means we have already saved $400-500 dollars in one year alone, and I am predicting that we probably have at least another 12 months of diapers.  The savings is not including the money we will also recoup by selling her cloth diapers (yes, there is actually a popular market with 50-70% resell value). 

McDonald's Oatmeal

Photo credit

Have you heard about the newest item on McDonald's menu?  Oatmeal.  With maple syrup and fruit.  Thankfully it has finally started to get some attention.  I am entirely in favor of McDonald's adding healthier items.  McDonald's is the only food option available in the hospital on the weekends, except for a small cafe across the street that charges $8 for a salad or sandwich.  I think McDonalds got this one wrong.

Their oatmeal contains 290 calories, 10 calories less than a cheeseburger or Egg McMuffin.  Without the brown sugar it still contains more calories than a McDonalds hamburger.  It contains as much sugar as a Snickers bar, and it has 21 ingredients, including natural flavor, barley malt extract and caramel color.  It also comes with cream, which contains 7 of the ingredients (2 are dairy).

McDonalds argues that people add all sorts of stuff to their oatmeal at home and that most of the sugar is from brown sugar (duh) and fruit sugars.  Still, I would much rather control the amount of brown sugar I am adding, and you specifically have to ask not to get it. 

One of the babysteps we have made is making old fashioned oatmeal.  It really does taste better, and I was shocked to see how much sugar was in Quaker Instant flavors.  We just start it a few minutes before breakfast and everyone gets to add their own topics...with known ingredients and known amounts.

Thanks to Mark Bittman, NY times food columnist and food expert, for putting some heat on McDonalds for this decision!
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/how-to-make-oatmeal-wrong/

Handwashing

This winter one of my greatest goals in life is to keep us healthy.  Washing our hands is one of the very most, if not THE most, important way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.  Antibacterial soap has soared in recent popularity.  However, it is really a myth that you need a good antibacterial soap.  For one reason, many infections are caused by viruses, which are immune to antibiotics and antibacterial soaps.  Here are a few other myths about handwashing:

Myth: The use of any soap is better than plain water in handwashing.

Soap isn't designed to kill bacteria. It acts as a surfactant to lift dirt off of surfaces so it can be rinsed away.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2005/1212-fighting_cold_and_flu_germs.htm

Myth: Hot water is better than cold water for effective handwashing.

Scientists with the Joint Bank Group/Fund Health Services Department pointed out that various temperatures had "no effect on transient or resident bacterial reduction." They found no evidence that hot water had any benefit, and noted that it might increase the "irritant capacity" of some soaps, causing contact dermatitis.

Source: www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/health/13real.html

Myth: Hand sanitizers kill germs more effectively than soap.

The efficacy of alcohol-based hand-hygiene products is affected by several factors, including the type of alcohol used, concentration of alcohol, contact time, volume of alcohol used and whether the hands are wet when the alcohol is applied. Applying small volumes (i.e., 0.2-0.5 mL) of alcohol to the hands is not more effective than washing hands with plain soap and water.
Source: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a1.htm

Myth: Frequent handwashing or use of hand sanitizers promotes healthy skin.

Occupationally related contact dermatitis can develop from frequent and repeated use of hand hygiene products, exposure to chemicals and glove use.
Source: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5217a1.htm

Myth: Wearing gloves replaces handwashing.

Wearing gloves does not eliminate the need for handwashing. Hand hygiene should be performed immediately before donning gloves. Gloves can have unapparent defects or can be torn during use, and hands can become contaminated during glove removal. In addition, bacteria can multiply rapidly in the moist environments underneath gloves.
Source: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5217a1.htm

Myth: Alcohol gels are an effective means to reduce infection.

Alcohols have very poor activity against bacterial spores, protozoan oocysts and certain nonenveloped (nonlipophilic) viruses.
Source: www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/IndustryandRegulatoryAssistanceandTrainingResources/ucm135577.htm

Myth: Soap with triclosan is an effective antimicrobial for handwashing.

A recent study compared an antibacterial soap containing triclosan with a non-antibacterial soap and concluded that the former did not provide any additional benefit. Concerns have been raised about the use of triclosan, because of the development of bacterial resistance to low concentrations of biocide and cross-resistance to some antibiotics.
Source: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241597906_eng.pdf

One last mistake that the majority of people is not washing your hands long enough.  You really need to wash and scrub for at least 20 sec.  We are taught at the hospital I work at to sing Row Row Your Boat or Happy Birthday.  You do not want to go overboard and become obsessive about washing your hands because that can actually strip the natural oils from your skin and actually destroy the protective barrier of your hands, leaving them dry and cracked and open to infection.  However, you should wash your hands:

"when they look dirty, and prior to, or after, performing certain tasks that could spread infection, such as in these instances:


Before and after preparing food, especially when handling raw meat and poultry

Before eating

Before and after treating wounds or taking/giving medicine

Before touching a sick or injured person

Before inserting contact lenses

After using the toilet or changing a diaper

After touching an animal, its toys, leashes, or waste

After blowing your nose or coughing/sneezing into your hands

After handling garbage or potentially contaminated waste "

From Dr. Mercola's hand hygeine article 2/25/11 and  Beckers ASC Review

Is organic worth it?

Do you ever get tired of trying to eat right, live right, be healthy?? Do you ever wonder if it really makes a difference? Honestly, I get so tired of trying to be healthy sometimes. I did not feel awful before. It was so easy to fix canned, frozen, microwavable foods. I could enjoy a Coke, mmmm.


Once you start cutting out processed foods and sugar, it makes it so hard to go back. Now when I eat sugar, I feel AWFUL. I feel like a gain a pound each time I eat a tiny piece of candy. I get a headache, sometimes for days. I do not sleep as well when I start eating less healthy. Sometimes it really does seem like it has to be all or none…forget the baby steps.

Photo credit

I am sometimes envious of people that can drink a cup of coffee at night and still sleep, or eat a 6 lb bag of gummy bears and not feel sick. I do think it is important not to be too legalistic about being healthy. However, I know I do truly feel better when I eat right, even if I cannot tell at the time. All it takes is one heavenly chocolate covered raspberry to remind me how little sugar I can tolerate anymore. While it is a pain, I am glad that my body can tell a difference. I am glad I do not tolerate junk food as well. Here are two more babysteps towards eating right regularly…