July 15, 2009 • 7:09 pm 0
By Marie Dufour, RD – We all have favorite childhood recipes. My grown children are no exceptions. Now that they are either in college or married with children, they are asking me to share their favorite recipes. Why not share them with all of you?
Most recipes have been modified for simplicity, versatility, and healthy contents. Take a look at:
http://ninisrecipe.blogspot.com/
More will be coming…
Filed under: Lifestyle, diet , family recipes, Food, healthy eating, Marie Dufour RD, recipes
• 6:25 pm 0
By marie Dufour, RD – Researchers found that it took an average of five days for oral contraceptive drugs to achieve their maximum concentration in women of normal weight, but that it took an average of 10 days for obese women. This doubles the window of opportunity for fertilization. This doubles the risk of failure of oral contraception.
The efficacy of oral contraceptives, like that of many other drugs, is studied on the basis of normal-weight people. With the recent prevalence of overweight and obesity, and with an increasing number of women weighing in excess of 130% of their desired body weight, the recommended doses may not reach the efficacy originally predicted.
Would increasing the dose make a difference in blood levels of oral contraceptives? It is yet unclear. But what is clear is that increasing the dose would definitely raise the risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), stroke, and heart attacks. Caught between safety and efficacy, the many physicians who currently tend to decrease the dose of oral contraceptives in obese women to avoid DVT, are now faced with the need for dose increase to boost efficacy.
What to do then? This is one more evidence that obesity and overweight are dangerous to not only our general health, but also to our reproductive health. If we don’t want to walk around pushing a baby stroller, it’s time to walk, run, bike, swim, and do anything we can to stay out of the obesity zone.
Ref: Alison B. Edelman et al, Impact of obesity on oral contraceptive pharmacokinetics and hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian activity doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2009.04.011
Filed under: Lifestyle , contraception, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, Marie Dufour RD, nutrition, obesity, oral contraceptive, pregnancy, public health, weight loss, women's Health
• 12:09 pm 0
By Marie Dufour RD – I remember when going out for a soda was a special event and sitting at a sidewalk café sipping a 6-oz soda was a real treat. My grandkids think I’m weird as I turn down the 25-cents-upgrade to a 32 oz soft drink at the fast food counter. The drama is that I know the difference between a harmless occasional soft drink as a treat, and a high-fructose corn syrup-based 32-ouncer with every meal. The difference is reflected in the obesity charts and the tragedy of NOT ONE SINGLE US State having reduced its obesity, in spite of public campaigns and millions of dollars injected into the school systems for education and prevention.
It never hurts to know a little bit of history. Food portions have changed drastically in the last 20 years. We now suffer from PORTION DISTORTION.
For example, an 8-oz cup of coffee with whole milk and sugar (45 calories) is now a 16 0z mocha coffee with whole steam milk and mocha syrup (350 calories). It would take 1 hour and 20 minutes to burn off the extra 305 calories. If repeated every day, this little coffee switch translates in a 31-pound weight gain in a year. Amazing, uh? And no wonder we’re getting fatter!
So, what do we do now?
- Be aware – Take the Portion Distortion Interactive quiz at:
- Make choices – Now you know. Make an educated choice and educate your friends and family.
- Work it off – Say you went for that extra coffee on a special day… go for a special walk.
- Advocate for smaller portions – You have the power to generate change. Let your voice be heard at your supermarkets, your schools, your city councils and your government. WE WANT SMALLER PORTIONS!
Filed under: diet , childhood obesity, community nutrition, diet, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, Marie Dufour RD, NIH, portion control, portion distrotion, public health, weight control, weight loss
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