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I just came across this post on The Happiness Project: Resolutions Not To Make For Your New Years Resolutions. So what kind of resolutions should you NOT make? Resolutions that aren't fun!
That got me thinking about what kind of health-related resolutions I could make that would include fun. What do you think? What are some resolutions you're thinking of making to improve your health? Is there a way to make them fun?
The Coca-Cola Co. just received a slap on the wrist from the FDA for making "inappropriate" health claims on bottles of its new Diet Coke Plus earlier this month. Apparently there are not enough nutrients in Diet Coke Plus to merit the "Plus." In a warning letter to the company, the FDA requested Coke to "take prompt action to correct these violations" by the end of the month.
The FDA also questioned the very idea of nutrient-enhanced snack foods, like fortified sodas. I should say so! The likes of Diet Pepsi Maxi sound like wishful thinking in a bottle to me.
Will the Coca-Cola Polar Bear bring us a more accurate label by Christmas--perhaps something along the lines of Diet Coke Weebitmore? Don't hang up your stocking just yet. A Coke spokesman says there are no plans to change the beverage's labeling, though the company will have a response by early January.
Read about the story here in the Wall Street Journal. Read the FDA's warning letter to Coca-Cola Co. here.
Looking for some last-minute gifts? We've compiled a great list for PeanutAllergy.com! And because we give gifts all year round, we'll keep a link to this gift guide her on the WELLalarm blog, too--look for it in the right-hand column under "Topics."
Books
One of the Gang: Nurturing the Souls of Children with Allergies was penned by Gina Clowes, Founder of Allergy Moms, an online support group and resource for families living with food allergies. The book features accomplished individuals, from Robert Wood, director of pediatric immunology at Johns Hopkins, to hockey players and beauty queens, all living with food allergies.
Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children's Story of Peanut Allergies is a children's book about the perils and triumphs of an elephant that tells her life story of what it is like to live with peanut allergies. The book is geared towards educating pre-school through 3rd grade children, and has helped many adults understand peanut allergies as never before.
Fun...and Safe
Peanut-shaped WELLcharms are a sweet way to remind teachers and caretakers of your child's condition. The charms link with WELLalarm's web-based medical alert service. See also the cute Train WELLcharms!
Cards
If you're worried about what happens when your child goes to a playdate without you, here are Allergy playdate cards. The cards are customized to include your child's name, birth date, allergies, EpiPen directions, and your contact information.
Beyond a Peanut food allergy awareness flashcards teach children and those who provide care for them about avoidance and staying safe with a TREE NUT and PEANUT allergy.
Safety Products
AllerGators
are T-shirts, wristbands, and other safety products designed to make
the message fun for kids with allergies. 10% of their profits go to the
Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
WELLalarm iron-on labels are perfect for small children on the go. They connect with WELLalarm's patent pending web-based service that offers easy secure, 24/7 access to your medical information from anywhere in the world. Tags can be personalized.
STATkids products are allergy-specific, age-appropriate wristbands, lunch bags, backpacks, and posters that quickly and clearly identify children as havin a peanut allergy. They are running a holiday special through the end of December: 20% off all orders of $50 or more.
You can attach these personalized and laminated allergy alert tags to your child's lunchbox.
Tattoos With A Purpose are temporary tattoos that alert of peanut allergies. Tattoos are sold in convenient travel packs that have everything you need to apply the tattoos.
Awareness Badges are vinyl stickers, lunchbox tags, luggage tags, and medicine bags alert care givers to your child's allergies. All come in cute, kid-friendly designs. (Many thanks to Lorraine Burke of Arico Natural Foods, maker of casien free and gluten free snacks, for telling us about Awareness Badges!)
Allergy Kids carries its own line of med sacks, labels, stickers, wristbands, and other gear for kids with allergies.
From another woman named Stephanie, I thought this post on the O Magazine "How Did I Let This Happen?" cover was fabulous, especially the way she re-writes the headlines (scroll down to the end of her post). Via Live Well 360, which also has a great post on the cover.
According to a new study, low-glycemic carbohydrates like beans and nuts appear to be an excellent food choice for Type 2 diabetics. Note the caveat that the glycemic index of a food can change depending on its preparation.
While you are reading the New York Times, check out these 6 Medical Myths for the Holidays. Take heed, revelers--there is no cure for a hangover. The best way to avoid one is to drink moderately (or not at all).
And the kookiest thing I've read lately: actor Jeremy Piven has pulled out of the Broadway play Speed the Plow because of mercury poisoning. Apparently he was eating sushi twice a day. Really. David Mamet was quoted saying Piven was "leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.
Finally, check out our Holiday Gift Guide for Kids With Peanut Allergy on Peanutallergy.com!
Does carrying heavy shopping bags count as a holiday workout?
I typed in the words "holiday" and "workout" into a Google search. Here's what I found:
This workout video from Metacafe. Oh my, what an opening shot. How do you feel about pushup claps?
This Workout by Fit Mummy--as if there weren't enough pressure to get rid of the post-partum fat, the holidays add yet more pressure.
Here is a fitness routine by Men's Fitness that will help you lose five pounds during the holidays. Really! But it won't be easy, the author warns. You try it first--let me know how it goes?
The more links I follow, the more the consensus seems to be that quick, intense workouts are ideal for busy holidays. I think, on a psychological level anyway, they help you feel like you're somehow making up for missed workouts. Or maybe the most intense workouts are a kind of penance for the egg nog, champagne, and buttery latkes... regardless, I do think it's important to make time to work out during the holidays--but with the gift of no guilt if you happen to miss a few!
(Image via Ralf Hennig)
Over the summer I visited my sister who is allergic to everything. I mean, everything--soy, nuts, seeds, casein, and I can't remember what else. So when it came time for us to grill some bison steaks (she can eat meat!) I had to find a way to distinguish her steak: the one without the allergen-filled sauce.
I wish I'd had some Grill Charms on hand. These are little stainless steel charms you place directly on your steak (or hamburger, portobello mushroom, ribs...) to distinguish whose food is whose. It's a great idea for any group of people with different tastes, but especially helpful if you're trying to keep track of food allergies!
Incidentally, the founder, Leslie Haywood, is a breast cancer survivor. So my favorite Grill Charms set is the Pink Collection--10% of profits go towards finding a cure for breast cancer.
