Student Arrested After Cutting Food With Knife

An elementary student in Marion County was arrested Thursday after school officials found her cutting food during lunch with a knife that she brought from home, police said. The 10-year-old girl, a student at Sunrise Elementary School in Ocala, was charged possession of a weapon on school property, which is a felony.
According to authorities, school employees spotted the girl cutting her food while she was eating lunch and took the steak knife from her.
The girl told sheriff's deputies that she had brought the knife to school on more than one occasion in the past.
Students told officials that the girl did not threaten anyone with the knife.
The girl was arrested and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

What Is an Egg Allergy?

You probably know that some people are allergic to certain foods, like peanuts or shrimp. When a person has a food allergy, his or her body responds as if the food is a dangerous substance. This can happen to a little kid who eats eggs because his or her immune system isn't fully developed and can't handle the protein in eggs. (Most children are allergic to the protein that's in the egg whites, but some react to the protein in the yolk.)
The immune system, which normally protects against germs and other problems, uses antibodies to fight the egg protein like it's a harmful invader. A baby who is allergic to eggs might feel sick or get a rash after eating eggs or any food containing eggs. The reaction could happen fast or it might take a few hours.
Signs and SymptomsHere are some symptoms a person might experience due to an egg allergy:
skin: hives, eczema, flushing, or swelling digestive system: belly pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or itching around the mouth respiratory system: runny nose, wheezing, or difficulty breathing cardiovascular system: rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, or heart problems In rare cases, a person could have a very serious allergic reaction, which can cause anaphylaxis (say: ah-nuh-fih-lak-sis). Immediate medical attention is needed because the person may have breathing problems and a drop in blood pressure.
Anaphylaxis is treated with a medicine called epinephrine (say: eh-puh-neh-frun), which is given by injection (a shot). Kids who have a severe egg allergy will usually carry - or have a grown-up carry - an epinephrine injection, just in case.

Eating for Sports

When you play a sport, you make sure you have the equipment you need, like your glove for baseball, cleats for soccer, and high-top sneakers for basketball. You couldn't play the game very well without this gear. But how do you help your game from the inside out?
You shouldn't go swallowing a pair of shin guards, that's for sure! But you should consider swallowing some healthy food packed with the nutrients you need. The right foods and drinks can help you be a better athlete.
Professional athletes know this is true. In fact, many professional teams employ dietitians and nutritionists — people who know a lot about healthy eating — to help players choose the best foods. Read on to learn how kid athletes can use nutrition to their advantage, just like the pros.

Covering the BasesAll kids need to eat a variety of healthy foods, and athletes are no different. Everybody needs foods that include:
protein (found in meat, eggs, and dairy foods)
carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are the best sources) vitamins (as found in fruits and vegetables, for instance) and minerals like calcium (found in dairy products) Kids need some fat, too, but that's not usually difficult to get. It's found in meats, cheeses, nuts, oils, and butter, just to name a few.

What Is A Vegan Diet?

Vegan means "no animal products", including dairy products or eggs. It can be a very healthy diet or not, depending on what is included in the diet. For complete protein, it is best that vegans eat 3 or more kinds of beans / grains / seeds / nuts per day. Any one kind of plant protein would be deficient in some amino acids, though soy isn't bad and hemp is very good as amino acid sources.
Like everyone else, vegans need to make sure they have enough fibre in their diet, that the calory counts are appropriate to their activity level, and that they eat enough green stuff to get their vitamins. A solid diet of chocolate bars and chips is no healthier for a vegan than a carnivore, but a properly constructed vegan diet can be an excellent and healthy way to eat.
At our store, we stock a lot of vegan products, including vegan takeout foods. The ingredients that you need and the meals that help you cope with busy times, are available at Eat Healthy Foods.
Here are some good links describing the design of a healthy vegan diet.

Taking the Fat Out of Food

Food manufacturers are making it easier for fat-conscious consumers to have their cake and eat it, too--and their cheeses, chips, chocolate, cookies, ice cream, salad dressings, and various other foods that are now available in lower fat versions.

These products can help adult consumers reduce their fat intakes to recommended levels while allowing them to enjoy foods traditionally high in fat. A diet high in fat can contribute to heart disease and some forms of cancer and, because fats are calorie-dense, to excessive body weight.
A host of fat substitutes that replaces most, if not all, of the fat in a food, makes these lower fat foods possible. Most of these fat replacers are ingredients already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for other uses in food. For instance, starches and gums are approved as thickeners and stabilizers. New compounds, such as olestra, have undergone or will undergo close scrutiny by FDA to assess their safety.

In theory, the perfect fat replacer is one that contributes everything fat does in a food but without the calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol. The question remains: Can fat-reduced products actually reduce people's overall calorie intake and have a significant impact on their total fat intake?

Food Rules: Dinner must include a green vegetable

When I was growing up, nearly every night my family ate dinner together. No matter what else was for dinner, there was always a green vegetable. On the rare occasion that we'd have breakfast for dinner, my mom would serve apple slices and tell us to pretend that they were green (cauliflower and all squashes counted as green). Because of this early conditioning, I have a very hard time feeling like my dinner experience has been complete if there wasn't a green vegetable on my plate.

I realized that this wasn't the norm about a week ago when I was making dinner. Scott wandered into the kitchen and asked what we were having. I replied, "Turkey burgers and baby bok choy, gotta have a green veggie." He looked at me strangely and so I explained my mom's rule of dinner. He said that wasn't the rule in his house when he was growing up, but that he could see how it made some sense.

So now I'm curious. What were the food rules in your house growing up? What are the rules that you've made for your own kids? I've got a couple of others that were also the law in my house growing up, but before I share those, I want to hear yours.

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Diet and Exercise are Keys to Healthy Living
But you know all this. So our aim is to give you the shortcuts, the little-known tricks and proven methods to help prevent boredom and hopelessness in your quest for good health. Our high tech world has advanced in the fitness field also. In fact, so fast that we want to get the information out to you yesterday. That's what the Health and Fitness Tips Site is all about…the latest up-to-the-minute-in-the-zone information for your health and fitness.

The Purpose of Health and Fitness Tips

To inform you of new developments in the health and fitness fields is our aim. We'll do the research; we have the resources. You get the results. The name of the game is 'current' and 'relevant' for today. Forget all the excess baggage of the so-called fitness gurus.

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While we know you are interested in becoming healthier and fitter or maintaining the health and fitness you have, we also know you have limited time to devote to it. We therefore pledge to you a fast, simple method to hop aboard the fitness fast train. Get on track with the facts.

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Weight loss based on body fat

Measuring body fat, rather than body mass index, appears to more accurately identify people who need lifestyle interventions to lose weight, study findings suggest. Excess body fat is a risk factor for many major health problems such as heart disease and diabetes, researchers note in the Nutrition Journal.

When evaluating individuals for lifestyle recommendations to minimise such health risks, body mass index (BMI) under identifies risk, said Dr Ottavia Colombo of the University of Pavia in Italy. "The use of BMI alone does not discriminate between fat mass and fat-free mass, nor reflect the fat mass distribution,"Colombo said. Colombo and colleagues recruited 23 men and 40 women, aged 20 to 65 years, to undergo body composition analysis in the Human Nutrition and Eating Disorders Research Centre at the university.

The volunteers were healthy, but led sedentary lives and were not following a low-calorie diet. The researchers obtained each person's BMI as well as body-fat measurements including waist circumference and total percent body fat.

Using the Diabetes Food Pyramid

The Diabetes Food Pyramid divides food into six groups. These groups or sections on the pyramid vary in size. The largest group -- grains, beans, and starchy vegetables -- is on the bottom. This means that you should eat more servings of grains, beans, and starchy vegetables than of any of the other foods. The smallest group -- fats, sweets, and alcohol -- is at the top of the pyramid. This tells you to eat very few servings from these food groups.
On April 19, 2005 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a new food guidance system replacing the former Food Guide Pyramid. The new system, called "MyPyramid," provides a set of tools based on caloric requirements to help Americans make healthy food choices. Read the ADA's response.

The Diabetes Pyramid gives a range of servings. If you follow the minimum number of servings in each group, you would eat about 1600 calories and if you eat at the upper end of the range, it would be about 2800 calories. Most women, would eat at the lower end of the range and many men would eat in the middle to high end of the range if they are very active. The exact number of servings you need depends on your diabetes goals, calorie and nutrition needs, your lifestyle, and the foods you like to eat. Divide the number of servings you should eat among the meals and snacks you eat each day.

The Diabetes Food Pyramid is a little different than the USDA Food Guide Pyramid because it groups foods based on their carbohydrate and protein content instead of their classification as a food. To have about the same carbohydrate content in each serving, the portion sizes are a little different too. For example: you will find potatoes and other starchy vegetables in the grains, beans and starchy vegetables group instead of the vegetables group. Cheese is in the meat group instead of the milk group. A serving of pasta or rice is 1/3 cup in the Diabetes Food Pyramid and ½ cup in the USDA pyramid. Fruit juice is ½ cup in the Diabetes Food Pyramid and ¾ cup in the USDA pyramid. This difference is to make the carbohydrate about the same in all the servings listed.

Following is a description of each group and the recommended range of servings of each group.

Making Healthy Food Choices

Knowing what to eat can be confusing. Everywhere you turn, there is news about what is or isn't good for you. Some basic principles have weathered the fad diets, and have stood the test of time. Here are a few tips on making healthful food choices for you and your entire family.

• Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety. Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
• Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
• Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
• Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
• Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
• Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
• Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories. If you're trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
• Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
• Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes.

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Fish

Because the USDA doesn't certify fish, it's not usually identified as organic or nonorganic. Some fish, like salmon, are identified as farm-raised or wild, and in this case wild is your best bet. Most food experts and nutritionists agree that wild fish are both better tasting and more nutritious because of their natural and varied diet.

Many people are concerned about harmful mercury in fish. "All fish contain mercury but some more than others," says Dr. Fuhrman. The most contaminated varieties are tilefish, white snapper, shark, mackerel, swordfish and tuna. The least contaminated: flounder, tilapia, sole and trout. It's best to limit your intake of contaminated fish varieties to one serving per week, less if you're pregnant or nursing.

A Guide to Organic Grain, Meat, Dairy and Fish

Grains
"Like the other food groups, if you have access to organic grains and can afford them, I believe organic is better than conventional and always for the same reason: You're exposing yourself to fewer environmental contaminants with organic," says Dr. Hobbs. Another plus: Most organic grain products are healthy whole grains.

Meat and Dairy
When it comes to animal fats like meat and dairy products, you may want to consider going organic, but limiting your intake of animal fats overall is your healthiest move.

"The higher-fat animal products are also those that deliver the most toxicity to us. I recommend that people eat fewer animal products and opt for lower-fat versions which are less contaminated and are probably better for us anyway," says Dr. Fuhrman.

"For example, instead of foods like cheese and butter, get your fat from healthier sources such as nuts, seeds and avocados." Adds Dr. Hobbs, "If you can afford it, you're better off buying organic meat but at the same time, you should reduce the frequency of meats, regardless of whether they're organic or conventional."

When eating meat, you can cut your chemical exposure by removing as much of the fat as you can since that's where chemicals are likely concentrated, says Holewinski.

It's Okay to Buy These Nonorganic Fruits and Vegetables

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (sweet)
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Onions

Buy These Organic Fruits and Vegetables

• Apples
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

A Guide to Organic Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and Vegetables
When it comes to fresh fruit and veggies, the best thing you can do is to eat more of them -- organic or not. "If you're not eating enough fruits and vegetables overall, then buying organic is like worrying about pennies but not dollars," says Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, clinical assistant professor in the department of health policy and administration at the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Joel Fuhrman, MD, author of Eat to Live and Disease-Proof Your Child, agrees. "Pesticides are not the main factor in determining things like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The main factor is that the American diet gets less than 10 percent of calories from fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds."

That said, "there is some justifiable concern that chemicals are potentially harmful," says Dr. Fuhrman, "but you don't have to eat completely organic. If you avoid the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables, you can eliminate more than 90 percent of your pesticide exposure."

What Does Organic Really Mean?

Organic foods are produced with little or no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and are free of added antibiotics or hormones. In order to be called organic, a product must be certified by the United States Department of Agriculture. Don't confuse "organic" with "natural" though. "There's no legal definition of a natural food," says Terrie Holewinski, RD, a cardiovascular dietitian at the University of Michigan Health System. "The food industry often uses the term 'natural' to mean minimally processed or preservative-free."

So are certified organic foods better for you than conventional foods? "At this point, there is no scientific evidence that organic foods are healthier or safer than conventionally grown foods," says Holewinski. But it's hard to identify the long-term effects of the pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals that are found in so many of our foods.

Do organic foods taste better? Some fans of organic say their food definitely tastes better. But the taste difference could be linked to other factors like the season and growing conditions.

So when should you splurge on organic, and when is it safe to save your money? This guide to the food groups can help you decide.