Recipe, World Cuisine, Healthy Guide, Diet Guide

Healthy Body Calculator

2008-07-10T00:55:00.001-07:00

FYI, body frame size is not a factor in calculating BMI which is determined from weight and height only.

Measurement of body frame size has not had a lot of research to back it up. The wrist measurement is based on Caribbean research done on cadavers. I don’t have the reference handy for using elbows. I checked Met Life and they use elbow measurements as well. They still publish height - weight tables, but the ones on their web site look “lighter” than the last published ones I saw.

The bottom line is people think they can weigh more if they have a larger skeletal frame. The reality is most women are small frame and most men are medium frame. Whether you use wrist or elbow, vertical height is still a factor. So the taller you are, the larger your frame and therefore the more you can weigh.

Basically, in order to estimate body frame size, one would have to choose a site where there is very little overlying fat, tissue or skin on top of your skeleton. The wrist and elbow are the 2 most likely sites to reflect skeletal size. The wrist and elbow tables are pretty gross and should only provide an estimate of skeletal size.

http://www.dietitian.com/calcbody.php

Enjoy!

I love “Bananas”

2008-07-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

Bananas can help us keep fit. They can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Strokes: According to research in “The New England Journal of Medicine,” eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

When I put alcohol in a recipe, does it all cook off?

2008-07-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

Alcohol added to a recipe may cook off, but it depends on how long you cook it. Persons with alcoholism should be concerned with how much alcohol is left which will be inconsistent with a sober lifestyle. Rena Cultrufelli of the USDA prepared the following table of alcohol content in cooked foods. You can compare your recipe directions to the table to determine how much alcohol is left.

http://www.dietitian.com/alcohol.html#1