Here are the details of the family of 4 we adopted through the Children's Cabinet. They are experiencing considerable hardship exacerbated by a recent fire in their home.
Natasha, 1 year old: Clothes (12 months), socks (12 months), crib sheets (pink or white), sippy cups, baby push/walker, any other age appropriate toys, and baby gate.
Samuel, 5 years old: Shirts and pant (size 6/7 boys), Lego's, shoes (size 13 boys), socks (size 13 boys), art supplies (paper, crayons, paints, markers, coloring books, etc.), board games (Sorry, Connect 4), puzzles (Ben 10 or Superheros), any age appropriate books, a new bicycle (18" tires).
He is in kindergarten and LOVES puzzles, he recently completed a 1,000 piece puzzle.
Courtney, Mom: Socks (size 8 women's), bath towels (white or green), any VHS tapes or DVDs (scary movies or Disney movies), vacuum cleaner.
Bruce, Dad: New coat (size 3x in men's), socks (size 12 in men's), shoes (size 12 in men's), PS3 games (Resident Evil 5, Medal of Honor)
Family Wish: Any gift cards to Lowes/ Home Depot to assist w/ home repairs. In March, Bruce's Dad passed away, family moved into a mobile home which is in need of repairs. The family experienced a fire in their home on October 21st and are still living there and working to repair fire damage.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Christmas in November
It's that time of year again! Like last year, we are adopting a family through the Children's Cabinet. From November 1st- December 17th The Back Doctors will be taking cash, clothing, and toy donations to distribute to an under-privileged family in the Reno area.
For any donation equal to or greater than $25.00, the doctors will offer to donate their time and services to any friends or family members who are in need of Chiropractic care.
Donations will quality friends and family to take advantage of a no cost consultation and examination, including X-rays.
The Children's Cabinet will be sending us the family's wish list by this coming Friday, November 5th. As soon as we get the list, we will put it up on the blog. If you would like to make a cash donation, we will use that money to purchase anything that is remaining on the family's list.
This is a great way to donate to a good cause and give the gift of health!
For any donation equal to or greater than $25.00, the doctors will offer to donate their time and services to any friends or family members who are in need of Chiropractic care.
Donations will quality friends and family to take advantage of a no cost consultation and examination, including X-rays.
The Children's Cabinet will be sending us the family's wish list by this coming Friday, November 5th. As soon as we get the list, we will put it up on the blog. If you would like to make a cash donation, we will use that money to purchase anything that is remaining on the family's list.
This is a great way to donate to a good cause and give the gift of health!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
4 Foods to Help You Fight the Flu
Article taken from the Living Well magazine: published by the Northern Nevada Medical Center
1) SALMON. A recent study of Japanese schoolchildren suggests that a daily dose of vitamin D during winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, a common strain of seasonal flu.
The children in the study took vitamin D supplements, but oily fish such as salmon is an edible option. Fortified milk and cereals are good sources, too. This nutrient is also made naturally in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight, but it's not always enough when they days grow shorter. As your doctor how much Vitamin D you need.
2) GREEN TEA. Several studies have found that drinking green tea may improve your immune system- but can it battle the flu bug? In one study, participants took capsules containing two green tea components (L-theanine and epigallocatechin gallate). The results showed the capsules decreased the number of people reporting cold and flu symptoms by about a third. There was also a big decrease in how long the symptoms lasted.
3) YOGURT. Probiotics are live microorganisms that live in the gut. They are found in some foods, such as yogurt, and come as dietary supplements.
In a recent study, researchers gave 3 to 5 year old probiotic supplements to see if that would affect flu symptoms. Some children received one probiotic strain, while others received a combination of two. After six months, both groups showed a reduction in the incidence and duration of flu symptoms when compared to a placebo group. The group that took the combination of the two probiotic strains had the best results.
4) HOT LIQUIDS, LIKE SOUP. Fluids help your body fight infection, and hot liquids like chicken soup may relieve symptoms, too. In a small study, 30 volunteers with cold-or-flu-like symptoms drank either a heated or room temperature fruit drink. Researchers then tested their nasal airflow and asked about six symptoms: runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness, and tiredness. While the airflow test showed no significant improvement with either drink, participants who drank the hot beverage reported relief from all six symptoms. Those who drank the cooler drink experienced relief from only three: the runny nose, cough and sneezing.
1) SALMON. A recent study of Japanese schoolchildren suggests that a daily dose of vitamin D during winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, a common strain of seasonal flu.
The children in the study took vitamin D supplements, but oily fish such as salmon is an edible option. Fortified milk and cereals are good sources, too. This nutrient is also made naturally in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight, but it's not always enough when they days grow shorter. As your doctor how much Vitamin D you need.
2) GREEN TEA. Several studies have found that drinking green tea may improve your immune system- but can it battle the flu bug? In one study, participants took capsules containing two green tea components (L-theanine and epigallocatechin gallate). The results showed the capsules decreased the number of people reporting cold and flu symptoms by about a third. There was also a big decrease in how long the symptoms lasted.
3) YOGURT. Probiotics are live microorganisms that live in the gut. They are found in some foods, such as yogurt, and come as dietary supplements.
In a recent study, researchers gave 3 to 5 year old probiotic supplements to see if that would affect flu symptoms. Some children received one probiotic strain, while others received a combination of two. After six months, both groups showed a reduction in the incidence and duration of flu symptoms when compared to a placebo group. The group that took the combination of the two probiotic strains had the best results.
4) HOT LIQUIDS, LIKE SOUP. Fluids help your body fight infection, and hot liquids like chicken soup may relieve symptoms, too. In a small study, 30 volunteers with cold-or-flu-like symptoms drank either a heated or room temperature fruit drink. Researchers then tested their nasal airflow and asked about six symptoms: runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness, and tiredness. While the airflow test showed no significant improvement with either drink, participants who drank the hot beverage reported relief from all six symptoms. Those who drank the cooler drink experienced relief from only three: the runny nose, cough and sneezing.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Long-term effects of infant colic: a survery comparison of chiropractic treatment and nontreatment groups.
Miller JE, Phillips HL.
Advanced Professional Practice Chiropractic Paediatrics, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK. jmiller@aecc.ac.uk
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Investigation into the alleviation of long-term effects of infant colic on the toddler is a neglected area of research. The aim of this study was to document any behavioral or sleep disturbances experienced by post-colicky toddlers who were previously treated with chiropractic care vs those who had not experienced this treatment as an infant.
METHODS: Two groups of children were sampled from clinic records from a chiropractic clinic and from a child care center in similar regions of England. Patients were classified in the treatment group if they had been treated for infant colic with routine low-force chiropractic manual therapy. The nontreatment group consisted of post-colicky children in the same age group who had received no chiropractic care for their diagnosed colic as infants. A survey of parents of 117 post-colicky toddlers in a treatment group and 111 toddlers in the nontreatment group was performed.
RESULTS: Toddlers who were treated with chiropractic care for colic were twice as likely to not experience long-term sequelae of infant colic, such as temper tantrums (relative risk, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-3.0) and frequent nocturnal waking (relative risk, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-2.8) than those who were not treated with chiropractic care as colicky infants.
CONCLUSION: Untreated post-colicky infants demonstrated negative behavioral patterns at 2 to 3 years of age. In this study, parents of infants treated with chiropractic care for excessive crying did not report as many difficult behavioral and sleep patterns of their toddlers. These findings suggest that chiropractic care for infants with colic may have an effect on long-term sequelae.
Advanced Professional Practice Chiropractic Paediatrics, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK. jmiller@aecc.ac.uk
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Investigation into the alleviation of long-term effects of infant colic on the toddler is a neglected area of research. The aim of this study was to document any behavioral or sleep disturbances experienced by post-colicky toddlers who were previously treated with chiropractic care vs those who had not experienced this treatment as an infant.
METHODS: Two groups of children were sampled from clinic records from a chiropractic clinic and from a child care center in similar regions of England. Patients were classified in the treatment group if they had been treated for infant colic with routine low-force chiropractic manual therapy. The nontreatment group consisted of post-colicky children in the same age group who had received no chiropractic care for their diagnosed colic as infants. A survey of parents of 117 post-colicky toddlers in a treatment group and 111 toddlers in the nontreatment group was performed.
RESULTS: Toddlers who were treated with chiropractic care for colic were twice as likely to not experience long-term sequelae of infant colic, such as temper tantrums (relative risk, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-3.0) and frequent nocturnal waking (relative risk, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-2.8) than those who were not treated with chiropractic care as colicky infants.
CONCLUSION: Untreated post-colicky infants demonstrated negative behavioral patterns at 2 to 3 years of age. In this study, parents of infants treated with chiropractic care for excessive crying did not report as many difficult behavioral and sleep patterns of their toddlers. These findings suggest that chiropractic care for infants with colic may have an effect on long-term sequelae.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Polymeal: Top Food choices for disease prevention and health promotion
Wine
Fish, Meat (Lean & Organic)
Dark Chocolate
Vegetables
Fruit
Spices (garlic & ginger)
Almonds (raw)
Based on the principles of combating inflammation
Fish, Meat (Lean & Organic)
Dark Chocolate
Vegetables
Fruit
Spices (garlic & ginger)
Almonds (raw)
Based on the principles of combating inflammation
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Double-O Dozen: 12 Reasons to Buy Only Organic
RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The Environmental Working Group has just released its latest Shoppers Guide to Pesticides, a handy downloadable card that lists the kinds of conventional produce that have the highest levels of pesticide residues and the kinds that have the lowest. It includes their “Dirty Dozen,” the fruit and vegetables found to be most contaminated. While Rodale.com applauds that sentiment, we also want to point out the myriad reasons to choosing organic food at any possible opportunity. “Pesticide residues are an important indicator, but it’s not all a person needs to think about,” says Greg Bowman, communications manager at the Rodale Institute. “The farming system that grows the food is really what has the biggest impact on your health and the environment.”
So here are 12 reasons why you should buy only organic, or as close to it as you can get.
Organic produce is always better than crops grown with synthetic fertilizers and water-polluting pesticides because:
1. It leads to healthier neighbors. We all know pesticides are bad for wildlife, but they’re also bad for the people who apply them, and for the people who live near farms. A 2006 study published in the Annals of Neurology found that workers who reported using pesticides had a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease than workers who didn’t use pesticides. A follow-up to that study, published this past February, found instances of Parkinson’s were threefold greater among people who lived near farms sprayed with two types of pesticides, compared with people who weren’t exposed.
2. It leads to healthier kids. Kids are exposed to pesticides in their diets more than in sprays used around homes or in schools. Organic diets cut down on all dietary pesticide exposure in kids, and especially exposure to organophosphates, a class of highly toxic agricultural pesticides that can affect neurological development.
3. Organic farming uses less energy. In a review of the Rodale Institute’s Farming Systems Trials, which compare conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, Cornell University researcher David Pimentel found that organic corn and soybeans can be grown with 30 percent less energy than conventionally grown corn and soybeans, and still produce the same yield.
4. And it helps to mitigate global-warming emissions. Not only do organic growing techniques require less energy—and therefore produce less greenhouse-gas emissions from burning fossil fuels—they literally add carbon back the soil. Also, according to research done at the Rodale Institute, we could pull up to 25 percent of climate-warming carbon emissions out of the atmosphere if all U.S. farmland were converted to organic farmland.
5. Organic produce contains more nutrients. The nutrient levels in conventionally grown produce have declined over the years, largely due to the amounts of synthetic fertilizers applied to fields. Those synthetic fertilizers kill the beneficial microorganisms that, in organic soil, feed crops and supply them with higher nutrient levels. Virginia Worthington, a clinical dietician and advocate for organic foods, surveyed more than 40 years’ worth of studies and found that the results showed that organic produce had much higher levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus than conventional produce.
6. It’s better for your drinking water. In its surveys of groundwater quality, the U.S. Geological Survey has detected at least one pesticide in every stream tested. The most frequently detected pesticides, and those with the highest concentrations, were synthetic chemicals used in conventional agriculture. The less we rely on pesticides to grow our food, the less reliance we’ll have on expensive filters for pesticide-free drinking water.
7. It protects our soil. Agrichemicals kill more than pests—they wipe out beneficial microorganisms in the soil that help create rich, sponge like soil organic matter (SOM) that holds nutrients and soaks up rainwater. While organic growing methods nurture the development of SOM, chemically treated fields leave soil loose, lifeless, and more vulnerable to erosion.
8. It’s cheaper in the long run—and sometimes at the register. Comparing price tags between organic and chemical produce is somewhat misguided, since the latter costs so more in terms of poorer health and a poisoned environment. And organic food doesn’t have the benefit of subsidies to keep its prices artificially low. But we all have to make ends meet—these days, more so than ever. So visit your local farmer’s market and do some price comparisons with the chemically grown produce at a nearby grocer. You might just get a better deal on fresh, organically grown food than you would at the store, especially when you buy food that’s in season. If there’s a CSA program in your area, you can buy organic food at bulk prices and support local organic growers. And check the frozen food aisle: Sometimes (though not always) frozen organic produce is cheaper than its chemical counterpart.
9. It isn’t Franken-food. USDA-certified organic farmers can’t grow crops from genetically modified (GM) seeds (not that they want to). In addition to creating greater biodiversity on organic farms, excluding GMO food may result in more nutritious fare: One study found that GMO tomatoes had lower levels of antioxidants than non-GMO tomatoes.
10. It’s hasn’t been sprayed with crap. And we mean that literally. Also disallowed under USDA organic regulations is the use of sewage sludge and biosolids on crop fields. As if the leftovers of wastewater treatment aren’t inherently disgusting enough to make spraying them on food a bad idea, biosolids can be contaminated with heavy metals, such as lead, and with a wide variety of pharmaceuticals that don’t get extracted during sewage treatment, including antiepileptic drugs and prescription painkillers.
11. Organic means humane treatment for animals. Yeah, this is a list about produce. But it’s worth mentioning that organic meat and dairy animals aren’t treated with hormones or given routine antibiotics. That means they can’t be crammed into overcrowded feedlots, where antibiotic treatment is the only way to keep shoulder-to-shoulder critters from constantly infecting each other.
12. Organics just taste better! It seems a no-brainer that crops grown in healthy soil and not sprayed with sewage sludge and tons of synthetic pesticides will end up with superior taste. But studies show that organics are richer in flavor as well as nutrients.
So here are 12 reasons why you should buy only organic, or as close to it as you can get.
Organic produce is always better than crops grown with synthetic fertilizers and water-polluting pesticides because:
1. It leads to healthier neighbors. We all know pesticides are bad for wildlife, but they’re also bad for the people who apply them, and for the people who live near farms. A 2006 study published in the Annals of Neurology found that workers who reported using pesticides had a 70 percent higher incidence of Parkinson’s disease than workers who didn’t use pesticides. A follow-up to that study, published this past February, found instances of Parkinson’s were threefold greater among people who lived near farms sprayed with two types of pesticides, compared with people who weren’t exposed.
2. It leads to healthier kids. Kids are exposed to pesticides in their diets more than in sprays used around homes or in schools. Organic diets cut down on all dietary pesticide exposure in kids, and especially exposure to organophosphates, a class of highly toxic agricultural pesticides that can affect neurological development.
3. Organic farming uses less energy. In a review of the Rodale Institute’s Farming Systems Trials, which compare conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, Cornell University researcher David Pimentel found that organic corn and soybeans can be grown with 30 percent less energy than conventionally grown corn and soybeans, and still produce the same yield.
4. And it helps to mitigate global-warming emissions. Not only do organic growing techniques require less energy—and therefore produce less greenhouse-gas emissions from burning fossil fuels—they literally add carbon back the soil. Also, according to research done at the Rodale Institute, we could pull up to 25 percent of climate-warming carbon emissions out of the atmosphere if all U.S. farmland were converted to organic farmland.
5. Organic produce contains more nutrients. The nutrient levels in conventionally grown produce have declined over the years, largely due to the amounts of synthetic fertilizers applied to fields. Those synthetic fertilizers kill the beneficial microorganisms that, in organic soil, feed crops and supply them with higher nutrient levels. Virginia Worthington, a clinical dietician and advocate for organic foods, surveyed more than 40 years’ worth of studies and found that the results showed that organic produce had much higher levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus than conventional produce.
6. It’s better for your drinking water. In its surveys of groundwater quality, the U.S. Geological Survey has detected at least one pesticide in every stream tested. The most frequently detected pesticides, and those with the highest concentrations, were synthetic chemicals used in conventional agriculture. The less we rely on pesticides to grow our food, the less reliance we’ll have on expensive filters for pesticide-free drinking water.
7. It protects our soil. Agrichemicals kill more than pests—they wipe out beneficial microorganisms in the soil that help create rich, sponge like soil organic matter (SOM) that holds nutrients and soaks up rainwater. While organic growing methods nurture the development of SOM, chemically treated fields leave soil loose, lifeless, and more vulnerable to erosion.
8. It’s cheaper in the long run—and sometimes at the register. Comparing price tags between organic and chemical produce is somewhat misguided, since the latter costs so more in terms of poorer health and a poisoned environment. And organic food doesn’t have the benefit of subsidies to keep its prices artificially low. But we all have to make ends meet—these days, more so than ever. So visit your local farmer’s market and do some price comparisons with the chemically grown produce at a nearby grocer. You might just get a better deal on fresh, organically grown food than you would at the store, especially when you buy food that’s in season. If there’s a CSA program in your area, you can buy organic food at bulk prices and support local organic growers. And check the frozen food aisle: Sometimes (though not always) frozen organic produce is cheaper than its chemical counterpart.
9. It isn’t Franken-food. USDA-certified organic farmers can’t grow crops from genetically modified (GM) seeds (not that they want to). In addition to creating greater biodiversity on organic farms, excluding GMO food may result in more nutritious fare: One study found that GMO tomatoes had lower levels of antioxidants than non-GMO tomatoes.
10. It’s hasn’t been sprayed with crap. And we mean that literally. Also disallowed under USDA organic regulations is the use of sewage sludge and biosolids on crop fields. As if the leftovers of wastewater treatment aren’t inherently disgusting enough to make spraying them on food a bad idea, biosolids can be contaminated with heavy metals, such as lead, and with a wide variety of pharmaceuticals that don’t get extracted during sewage treatment, including antiepileptic drugs and prescription painkillers.
11. Organic means humane treatment for animals. Yeah, this is a list about produce. But it’s worth mentioning that organic meat and dairy animals aren’t treated with hormones or given routine antibiotics. That means they can’t be crammed into overcrowded feedlots, where antibiotic treatment is the only way to keep shoulder-to-shoulder critters from constantly infecting each other.
12. Organics just taste better! It seems a no-brainer that crops grown in healthy soil and not sprayed with sewage sludge and tons of synthetic pesticides will end up with superior taste. But studies show that organics are richer in flavor as well as nutrients.
Monday, August 9, 2010
4 Must-Know Restaurants Secrets
By: David Zinczenko, Men's Health Magazine
If being an anonymous blip on a giant corporation’s assembly line makes you feel like a character in some bleak sci-fi movie, we’ve got good news. There are plenty of ways to fight back—to enjoy all the convenience of modern restaurants and all the foods you still like to eat without paying extra money every 6 months for a new pair of pants.
You see, all major restaurant chains—from the fast-food purveyors to the sandwich shops and coffee bars to the sit-down dinner joints with their vaguely Italian/Mexican/Chinese/whatever themes—operate with the same set of secrets, secrets they don’t want their customers to know. And if you know these secrets, well, guess what? The power to eat what you want and still stay slim is in your hands. Lucky you!
This list of sneaky secrets, straight from the book Eat This, Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide will help you start taking back control! And, even better, we’ve created an Eat This, Not That! iPhone app—it’s like having your own personal nutritionist at your fingertips!
Secret #1: Don’t get “supersized” Sure, it feels like you’re getting a bargain because you’re getting proportionately more food for proportionately less money. But a “value meal” is only a value for two sets of people: the corporations that make the food and the corporations that make liposuction machines and heart stents. Because food is so inexpensive for manufacturers to produce on a large scale, your average fast-food emporium makes a hefty profit whenever you supersize your meal—even though you’re getting an average of 73 percent more calories for only 17 percent more money. But you’re not actually buying more food. You’re buying more calories. And that’s not something you want more of.
Secret #2: Remember, the waiter is a salespersonA 2005 study published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services found that you’re more likely to order a side dish when the server verbally prompts you. (“Do you want fries with that?”) Restaurants know this, and now you know it, too. When the waiter makes a suggestion, remember his job is not to make you happy. His job is to extract money from your wallet and insert fat in its place.
Secret #3: Don’t get too excitedYou eat out all the time. A 2008 study in the International Food Research Journal found that people are less likely to make healthy restaurant choices when they feel that they’re dining out for a “special occasion.” And as we said, dining out used to be special. But before you head out to your next meal, really take stock of how many times you’ve eaten out this week. If you’re eating every meal at home and dining out truly is a once-a-week splurge, then don’t worry about it so much. But if you’re like most of us, eating out is probably more like a once-a-day splurge. And if that’s the case, remember, there’s nothing special here. Eat smart today because you’ll have to do it again tomorrow.
Bonus tip: Download our free Eat This, Not That! guide to shopping once and eating for a week—and save calories, time, and money!
Secret #4: Start smallHere’s the good news: No one is going to stop you from ordering seconds. So be like any good businessperson, and start small. Here’s exactly how expensive it really is whenever you go for the “bargain”:
7-Eleven: Gulp to Double Gulp Coca-Cola Classic: 37 cents extra buys 450 more calories.
Cinnabon: Minibon to Classic Cinnabon: 48 more cents buys 370 more calories.
Movie theater: Small to medium unbuttered popcorn: 71 additional cents buys you 500 more calories.
Convenience store: Regular to “The Big One” Snickers: 33 more cents packs on 230 more calories.
McDonald’s: Quarter Pounder with Cheese to Medium Quarter Pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal: An additional $1.41 gets you 660 more calories.
Subway: 6-inch to 12-inch Tuna Sub: $1.53 more buys 420 more calories.
Wendy’s: Classic Double with Cheese to Classic Double with Cheese Old Fashioned Combo Meal: $1.57 extra buys you 600 more calories.
Baskin Robbins: Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Kids’ Scoop, to Double Scoop: For another $1.62, you’ve added 390 calories.
The bottom line on all this? For just a hair more than 8 bucks, you’ve bought yourself an additional 3,620 calories. If you ate each of these once a week, and you were to switch to the smaller size each time—again, still all your favorite foods, just in a more reasonable size—you’d save about $417 a year. It’s not going to buy you a new car, but it could put you on a plane to the Bahamas. But far more important than that is what it will mean to your waistline, because in saving that $417, you’ll also save 188,240 calories in a year—enough to shave a whopping 54 pounds of flab off your body! (Hey, take the 400 bucks and buy some new pants!)
If being an anonymous blip on a giant corporation’s assembly line makes you feel like a character in some bleak sci-fi movie, we’ve got good news. There are plenty of ways to fight back—to enjoy all the convenience of modern restaurants and all the foods you still like to eat without paying extra money every 6 months for a new pair of pants.
You see, all major restaurant chains—from the fast-food purveyors to the sandwich shops and coffee bars to the sit-down dinner joints with their vaguely Italian/Mexican/Chinese/whatever themes—operate with the same set of secrets, secrets they don’t want their customers to know. And if you know these secrets, well, guess what? The power to eat what you want and still stay slim is in your hands. Lucky you!
This list of sneaky secrets, straight from the book Eat This, Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide will help you start taking back control! And, even better, we’ve created an Eat This, Not That! iPhone app—it’s like having your own personal nutritionist at your fingertips!
Secret #1: Don’t get “supersized” Sure, it feels like you’re getting a bargain because you’re getting proportionately more food for proportionately less money. But a “value meal” is only a value for two sets of people: the corporations that make the food and the corporations that make liposuction machines and heart stents. Because food is so inexpensive for manufacturers to produce on a large scale, your average fast-food emporium makes a hefty profit whenever you supersize your meal—even though you’re getting an average of 73 percent more calories for only 17 percent more money. But you’re not actually buying more food. You’re buying more calories. And that’s not something you want more of.
Secret #2: Remember, the waiter is a salespersonA 2005 study published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services found that you’re more likely to order a side dish when the server verbally prompts you. (“Do you want fries with that?”) Restaurants know this, and now you know it, too. When the waiter makes a suggestion, remember his job is not to make you happy. His job is to extract money from your wallet and insert fat in its place.
Secret #3: Don’t get too excitedYou eat out all the time. A 2008 study in the International Food Research Journal found that people are less likely to make healthy restaurant choices when they feel that they’re dining out for a “special occasion.” And as we said, dining out used to be special. But before you head out to your next meal, really take stock of how many times you’ve eaten out this week. If you’re eating every meal at home and dining out truly is a once-a-week splurge, then don’t worry about it so much. But if you’re like most of us, eating out is probably more like a once-a-day splurge. And if that’s the case, remember, there’s nothing special here. Eat smart today because you’ll have to do it again tomorrow.
Bonus tip: Download our free Eat This, Not That! guide to shopping once and eating for a week—and save calories, time, and money!
Secret #4: Start smallHere’s the good news: No one is going to stop you from ordering seconds. So be like any good businessperson, and start small. Here’s exactly how expensive it really is whenever you go for the “bargain”:
7-Eleven: Gulp to Double Gulp Coca-Cola Classic: 37 cents extra buys 450 more calories.
Cinnabon: Minibon to Classic Cinnabon: 48 more cents buys 370 more calories.
Movie theater: Small to medium unbuttered popcorn: 71 additional cents buys you 500 more calories.
Convenience store: Regular to “The Big One” Snickers: 33 more cents packs on 230 more calories.
McDonald’s: Quarter Pounder with Cheese to Medium Quarter Pounder with Cheese Extra Value Meal: An additional $1.41 gets you 660 more calories.
Subway: 6-inch to 12-inch Tuna Sub: $1.53 more buys 420 more calories.
Wendy’s: Classic Double with Cheese to Classic Double with Cheese Old Fashioned Combo Meal: $1.57 extra buys you 600 more calories.
Baskin Robbins: Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Kids’ Scoop, to Double Scoop: For another $1.62, you’ve added 390 calories.
The bottom line on all this? For just a hair more than 8 bucks, you’ve bought yourself an additional 3,620 calories. If you ate each of these once a week, and you were to switch to the smaller size each time—again, still all your favorite foods, just in a more reasonable size—you’d save about $417 a year. It’s not going to buy you a new car, but it could put you on a plane to the Bahamas. But far more important than that is what it will mean to your waistline, because in saving that $417, you’ll also save 188,240 calories in a year—enough to shave a whopping 54 pounds of flab off your body! (Hey, take the 400 bucks and buy some new pants!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)