Acupuncture for good health

This Baltimore Sun article headlines the fact that Kentucky Fried Chicken has decided to eliminate trans fats from its food preparation process.  According to the article they are joining a large list of food processors and restaurants taking these steps including:  Kraft Foods (Oreos), The Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s, and food served at Walt Disney Parks.  The pressure is on Macdonald’s and Burger King, both of which still use significant trans fats in their food preparation.

New York City is seriously considering legislation that would ban the food chain enemy, trans fats.  Denmark successfully implemented such a ban several years ago.  Trans fats have been linked to greater risk of cardiovascular disease in studies.  Trans fats, often, used for frying and baking are among the worst things you can consume as they contain both large amounts of calories and a tendency to increase your bad chloresterol and reduce your good chloresterol.

This Chicago Tribune article details the steps being taken by the city government to force fast food restaurants to label their products clearly if  they contain trans fats.  Excellent idea.  The proposal also limits use of trans fats in restaurants over a certain size (in sales.)

According to the article,'"Trans fat is the most harmful fat there is," Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told the committee. Some restaurants already have begun to move to cooking oils that do not contain it, he said, quoting a study attributing 50,000 heart attacks a year to the substance."

This AP article details the results of a recent study involving mice that were studied for their ability to fight off tumors based on their relative leaness.  The leaner mice were more successful in this than the fatter mice.  Leaner, exercising mice had better anti tumor defenses.  Of course mice are not people and researchers are a long way from saying that lean body mass and exercise will definitively help fight off tumors.  

However, as the article says, "this particular study certainly provides a biologic rationale or explanation about why weight loss may be helpful (in fighting cancer.)"

Here is a relatively simple functional exercise utilizing only a simple stretch band as demonstrated by certified personal trainer Jeff Biehl.    Functional exercises emphasize dynamic motion and total body engagement with emphasis on the core. 

Here is Jeff's bio. 

Jefferson Biehl — A fitness professional with over 10 years of experience in the industry.  He is Fitness Director of Memorial Athletic Club and a graduate of the University of Houston with a B.S. degree in Kinesiology.  Advanced certifications are NSCA (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist), NASM (Performance Enhancement Specialist), and ACIM (Personal Fitness Instruction Training & Post-Rehab Specialist).  Jeff is also a Certified Johnny G Spinning® instructor for the MAC Spinning® program.  Jeff has developed exercise programs for seniors and athletes, and educational programs for fitness instructors.  Jeff uses Integrated Functional Training® to train his clients, which was designed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine.  He believes the ability to move functionally is the most important element in fitness.