Men prefer meat, Women prefer vegetables

Men and women have different choices in food, with men favouring meat and poultry, and women fruits and vegetables, researchers said in what was touted as the most extensive study to date of gender differences in eating habits.
More than 14,000 adult men and women were surveyed from May 2006 to April 2007, for the Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), to determine their eating habits, including high risk foods such as undercooked meat and eggs.
To our knowledge, there have been studies in the literature on gender differences in eating habits, but nothing this extensive. Researchers found that men were more likely to eat meat and poultry, especially duck, veal, and ham, and certain shellfish such as shrimp and oysters.
Women instead were more likely to eat vegetables, especially carrots and tomatoes, and fruits, especially strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples.
Women also preferred dry foods, such as almonds and walnuts, and were more likely to consume eggs and yogurt when compared with men. The difference remained the same when it came to fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and nuts.
In addition, men were more likely to eat risky foods like undercooked hamburgers and runny eggs, while women were more likely to eat alfalfa sprouts.

There were also some exceptions too : men were significantly more likely to eat asparagus and brussels sprouts than women, while women were more likely to consume fresh hamburgers as opposed to the frozen kind, which the men preferred.

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Eat and get glowing skin

* Low-fat dairy products.

The best sources for vitamin A. The health of your skin cells depends on dietary vitamin A.


* Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums.

These four fruits rate the highest when it comes to ‘total antioxidant capacity’. And you do know that antioxidants are great secrets to healthy skin!


* Healthy Oils.

Get the ones with essential fatty acids, like olive oil and canola oil. Good-quality oils keep skin well-lubricated.


* Wholewheat bread, muffins and cereals.

These are rich in selenium, which is known to work well against acne and also as an antioxidant.


* Green tea.

This deserves a category all its own in any article about foods for skin. It is anti-inflammatory and protects the cell membrane. It may even help prevent or reduce the risk of skin cancer.

* Water.
While the exact amount you should drink each day varies, no one disputes the role that good hydration plays in keeping your skin looking healthy and youthful. Though fluids like juice and soups are good, nothing works better than water.

Peas, Peas !

When most people think of peas, they remember them as the food that they loved to hate when they were children, yet one that was extremely fun to play with on their plates. Yet, many of them have become adults and learned to appreciate this vibrant and delicious legume due to its wonderful taste and texture. There are generally three types of peas that are commonly eaten: garden or green peas, snow peas and snap peas. Garden peas have rounded pods that are usually slightly curved with a smooth texture and vibrant green colour. Inside them are green rounded pea seeds that are sweet and starchy in taste.
Green peas provide nutrients, including vitamin C, which are instrumental in helping to prevent the development of cancer. A high intake of vitamin C has been shown to reduce the risks for virtually all forms of cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, and lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers as well as sex hormone-related cancers like breast, prostate, cervix, and ovarian cancers. Vitamin C is your body’s first and most effective line of antioxidant protection. Vitamin C protects cell structures like DNA from damage; it helps the body deal with environmental pollution and toxic chemicals; it enhances immune function and it inhibits the formation of cancer-causing compounds in the body.
* All peas are good sources of vitamin A, C, folate, iron and phosphorus

* Frozen peas retain their colour, flavour and nutrients better than canned ones and are lower in sodium

* Peas freeze beautifully if they are fresh. Fresh frozen peas do not need to be cooked upon thawing. Just add to soups, stews or heat briefly before serving

* Green peas provide nutrients that are important for maintaining bone health. They are a very good source of vitamin K1, which activates osteocalcin, the major noncollagen protein in bone. Osteocalcin anchors calcium molecules inside the bone .

Red signal for red lipstick !

Awidely forwarded e-mail message and a recent study have revived fears that some brands of red lipstick contain potentially harmful levels of lead, a well-known neurotoxin. The e-mail claim has been circulating for some time, but it gained traction last month when a consumer advocacy group published a small independent study of 33 red lipsticks from various brands. The group, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, said tests showed that one-third of the samples contained lead levels greater than 0.1 parts per million — the federal limit for candy.
The group said it chose that comparison because there is no federal standard for lead in cosmetics. But critics of the study say the comparison is misleading, because unlike candy, lipstick is generally not ingested and any trace amounts ingested accidentally would be harmless. Stephanie Kwisnek, a spokesperson for the US Food and Drug Administration, said in an interview that the agency had conducted its own analyses based on past reports and found that such concerns about lipstick were unfounded. She said the agency was currently conducting a review of the latest report.

Mushroom fresh !

When it comes to selenium content, mushrooms surpass all other items in the produce category. White button mushrooms are also good selenium sources. With a significant amount of selenium in every serving, mushrooms could turn out to be important ingredients in a cancer-fighting diet, especially in lowering the risk of prostate cancer.
They are also good sources of three essential B-vitamins: riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. Mushrooms are a particularly rich source of riboflavin: a serving of white mushrooms supplies one-quarter of what we need daily. They are rather under-recognised source of potassium, an element that helps regulate blood pressure, helps keep the right balance of water in fat and muscle tissues, and helps ensure the proper functioning of cells.
Whether you’re counting carbs or calories—or just trying to include more health foods in your diet—fresh mushrooms are an ideal fit. Five medium mushrooms contain only 20 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrate, and are virtually fat free.

HOW TO COOK MUSHROOMS
There is nothing like fried mushrooms on toast for breakfast, served sizzling hot straight from the pan. Once cooked, mushrooms go soft and flabby, they taste okay, but the pleasure is not so great. They are largely composed of water and shrink noticeably during cooking. They also take up a lot of fat as they cook so it is best to use butter or a good olive oil for frying. Fry them briskly so that as they shrink the water evaporates and they don’t stew in their own juices. For the same reason, do not fry too many mushrooms at once in the same pan. Mushrooms should also never be washed but wipe with a damp cloth or a kitchen towel. Unless the skins are very discoloured, it should not be necessary to peel them, although you probably will need to trim the very base of the stem.

Wide Open Ear !

From mushy songs to parental advice to soporific college lectures, your ears help you hear all these. Can you imagine life with ears that didn’t hear properly? You don’t want to, right? So, take good care of your ears!
COMMON EAR PROBLEMS
Infections: Fungal, bacterial or viral; may lead to watery or pus-filled discharge. Hearing impairment: Occurs when sound is not conducted properly into the eardrum; could be due to fluid, pus or blood in the middle ear.
DOS AND DON’TS
• Be careful when you bathe. Don’t let
water, shampoo or soap get inside your
ear as it can lead to painful infections.
• Never, ever clean your ear with
matchsticks, pens or any other sharp objects. Always use a soft-tipped cotton bud.
• In fact, you don't need to use ear buds all the time. Ears have a self-cleaning mechanism. Gently wipe them with a towel if water has gone in.
• Try to avoid loud and noisy places such as discotheques.

Divya Dutta has lost tons of weight !

Actress Divya Dutta shocked us when we spotted her last. The actor has lost tons of weight and told us she is constantly being asked, ‘Whatever happened to you?’ The actor adds, “Well, I have lost weight and I am feeling good about myself.

The only thing is that people don’t believe this is me and are asking me, “Where is your elder sister Divya?” she laughs. Well, a compliment like that can do great things to women!

Habits To Improve Your Life !

A little planning goes a long way. Eating healthy never happens by accident. For the most part, neither do good fitness, skin protection, healthy teeth, weight loss, and social ties. Many of these habits take effort that need to be scheduled into busy lives .

* EAT BREAKFAST EVERY MORNING

*ADD FISH AND OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS TO YOUR DIET

*GET ENOUGH SLEEP

*MAKE SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

*PRACTICE GOOD DENTAL HYGIENE

*EXERCISE FOR BETTER HEALTH

*TAKE UP A HOBBY

*PROTECT YOUR SKIN

*SNACK THE HEALTHY WAY

*DRINK TEA

*DRINK WATER AND EAT DAIRY

*TAKE A DAILY WALK

The Valuable Lemon !

• Lemon juice is valued in the home as a stain remover, and a slice of lemon dipped in salt can be used to clean copper-bottomed cooking pots. Lemon juice has been used for bleaching freckles.

• Lemon peel oil is much used in furniture polishes, detergents, soaps and shampoos. It is important in perfume blending and especially in colognes.

• Petitgrain oil (up to 50 per cent citral), is distilled from the leaves, twigs and immature fruits of the lemon tree in West Africa, North Africa and Italy.

• Lemon peel, dehydrated, is marketed as cattle feed.

• Lemonade, when applied to potted plants, has been found to keep their flowers fresh longer than normal.

• Lemon wood is fine-grained, compact, and easy to work. In Mexico, it is carved into chessmen, toys, small spoons, and other articles.

• Lemon juice is widely known as a diuretic, antiscorbutic, astringent, and febrifuge.