Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas — these will be the best places to live by 2032, a new Gallup analysis predicts.
This “West North Central” region of the U.S. earned high marks in forward-looking categories like job creation, economic confidence, and general optimism (residents believe their standard of living and the cities they live in are getting better and not worse), according to data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
In addition, workers in the West North Central region have the highest levels of full-time employment in the nation — important for building a strong economic future — and score highly for access to clean drinking water and safe places to exercise, the latter of which is key for reducing weight and maintaining high well-being, the analysts say.
The region scored a 3.3 on a scale of one to 10 (one is best) for Future Livability by the pollsters. The Mountain regions (Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico) and Pacific regions (California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska) come in a close second and third, with future-livability scores of 3.5 and 3.6, respectively, Business Insider reported June 22.
The East South Central region, comprising Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, fared worst, scoring a 7.2 on the future-livability scale. This region has traditionally suffered lower well-being due to high levels of obesity and diabetes as well as low levels of physical activity.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Smart grocery shopping
“Functional foods,” those nutrient-fortified, antioxidant-rich foods said to do wonders for your health, may not be all they’re cracked up to be, the Washington Post reported June 18.
Health claims for food products have to be significantly substantiated by science, so often you’ll see promotional phrases like “fortified with calcium” (which doesn’t make a direct claim about your health) or “full of heart-healthy fiber” (the fiber is heart-healthy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the product is) that just skirt the edges of falling under government regulatory scrutiny.
Take pomegranate juice, for instance. Manufacturer POM Wonderful faced a cease-and-desist order from the Federal Trade Commission this year for overstating its health claims (everything from preventing and treating heart disease to erectile dysfunction). Pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants, and while research shows the juice may reduce stress and lower blood pressure, the other health benefits remain unproven.
That doesn’t mean that foods that make healthy claims are bad for you, only that labels can often be misleading. While the “organic” label sounds great, for instance, don’t waste your money on organic fruits and vegetables that have tough rinds like oranges, avocados, and onions, since pesticides don’t reach the edible part of the fruit, anyway. And keep in mind that a sugary, fatty, or carb-heavy food is probably not great for you, no matter how many nutrients it’s been fortified with.
Health claims for food products have to be significantly substantiated by science, so often you’ll see promotional phrases like “fortified with calcium” (which doesn’t make a direct claim about your health) or “full of heart-healthy fiber” (the fiber is heart-healthy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the product is) that just skirt the edges of falling under government regulatory scrutiny.
Take pomegranate juice, for instance. Manufacturer POM Wonderful faced a cease-and-desist order from the Federal Trade Commission this year for overstating its health claims (everything from preventing and treating heart disease to erectile dysfunction). Pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants, and while research shows the juice may reduce stress and lower blood pressure, the other health benefits remain unproven.
That doesn’t mean that foods that make healthy claims are bad for you, only that labels can often be misleading. While the “organic” label sounds great, for instance, don’t waste your money on organic fruits and vegetables that have tough rinds like oranges, avocados, and onions, since pesticides don’t reach the edible part of the fruit, anyway. And keep in mind that a sugary, fatty, or carb-heavy food is probably not great for you, no matter how many nutrients it’s been fortified with.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Grinnell Games
Congrats to all those folks that particiated in the Grinnell Games last weekend. Hopefully by now you've all recovered.
The inagural Yoga in the Park took place at the same time as the 5K and half marathon. There was a great turn out for all the events. Yoga had a nice mix of ability levels so it truely is a class designed for all. Come try it out next Saturday from 9-10 at the Central Park gazebo.
The inagural Yoga in the Park took place at the same time as the 5K and half marathon. There was a great turn out for all the events. Yoga had a nice mix of ability levels so it truely is a class designed for all. Come try it out next Saturday from 9-10 at the Central Park gazebo.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Yet another reason we should love our fruits and veggies
Fruit and Vegetables May Help Smokers Kick the Habit
Eating more fruit and vegetables may help you quit smoking, University of Buffalo researchers say.
Smokers who up their fruit and vegetable intake wait longer to smoke their first cigarette, smoke fewer cigarettes per day, and have lower nicotine-dependence scores than smokers who eat fewer vegetables, the Toronto Sun reported June 6. More importantly, fruit and veggie eaters were three times more likely to be tobacco-free during a follow-up study than those who ate the fewest vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables may make cigarettes taste worse, decreasing smoking rates, earlier studies have shown.
In addition, “It is also possible that fruit and vegetables give people more of a feeling of satiety or fullness so that they feel less of a need to smoke, since smokers sometimes confuse hunger with an urge to smoke,” the study authors say.
The study appears online in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
Eating more fruit and vegetables may help you quit smoking, University of Buffalo researchers say.
Smokers who up their fruit and vegetable intake wait longer to smoke their first cigarette, smoke fewer cigarettes per day, and have lower nicotine-dependence scores than smokers who eat fewer vegetables, the Toronto Sun reported June 6. More importantly, fruit and veggie eaters were three times more likely to be tobacco-free during a follow-up study than those who ate the fewest vegetables.
Fruit and vegetables may make cigarettes taste worse, decreasing smoking rates, earlier studies have shown.
In addition, “It is also possible that fruit and vegetables give people more of a feeling of satiety or fullness so that they feel less of a need to smoke, since smokers sometimes confuse hunger with an urge to smoke,” the study authors say.
The study appears online in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
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