Although researchers have studied locations around the world described for their “Blue Zone” longevity status, some researchers ultimately went elsewhere in the world to seek out information about characteristics of “happiness” per se. They were seeking to find individuals, some of whom are more affected by the modern day world and industrialized society, who expressed being happier in their lives.
Blue Zones, Habits, Longevity Part 2
In the first blog post in this two-part series, we mentioned that Dr. Michel Poulain, a Belgian demographer researching longevity, along with Dr. Gianni Pes, a medical statistician tied to the University of Sassari, Italy, coined the name Blue Zone. Why choose the name Blue Zone you ask?
Blue Zones, Habits, Longevity (Part 1)
Can each of us find ways in our own lives to embrace similar positive habits to those of higher longevity elders living in “Blue Zones” around the world?
Healthier Employee Motivators: Carrots or Sticks?
Health care costs continue to spiral upwards out of sight. The sad reality is that experts are estimating that health care costs will just keep on climbing at a rate of 8-9% or more per year unless Americans as a nation positively change their health related behaviors. The population health of Americans overall continues to decline. Current health care reform legislation does NOT address a way to actually lower health care costs overall. Employers looking at employee benefits & risks and reviewing current health currency statistics are concerned and with good reason. Consulting firms such as Towers Watson estimate per employee
Habit of Food Journaling May Reap Many Rewards
Registered Dietitians (RDs) aka Registered Dietitians Nutritionists (RDNs) are health care professionals who are fond of saying that good food habits beat out fad diets any day. Habits have been a prime time topic in the media for decades. Research is now showing that indeed some habits may be keystone ones that dramatically influence one’s chances of success in achieving what one really desires.
COOL Food Identification & You
COOL identification for covered food items is something all consumers should be familiar with, yet many still are not. Regulations regarding COOL identification went into effect back on March 16, 2009. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) maintains responsibility for the implementation, administration and enforcement of COOL regulations. Just how familiar are you with COOL food regulations?
Springtime Chocolate Bloom
Springtime conjures up images associated with the season of specialty chocolate bunnies, Easter chocolate eggs, and more. Easter is coming on March 31, 2013 (except for those who belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church and celebrate it on May 5, 2013). Image of chocolate eggs courtesy of gesinek at rgbstock.com. As Lent ends, often consumers look at engaging in some type of chocolate indulgence. Those of the Jewish faith in the USA who celebrate Passover from sunset on March 25, 2013 through April 2, 2013 may also consider a Kosher chocolate indulgence as well. If chocolate has been properly stored,
Onions Can Be Caramelized
Onions are an essential ingredient of many different global cuisines. Onions can be delicious not only raw, but also, for example, caramelized, oven roasted, sauteed, or sweated. Caramelizing onions is a process that is all about recognizing onion’s natural sugar content, natural moisture content, and understanding cooking principles of both time and also temperature. The time needed for “caramelizing” onions or another “aromatic” vegetable exceeds the time it would take for “sweating” the same vegetable. Both are classic techniques for cooking onions and other aromats and used for flavor profile building when cooking in cultures around the world.
Demystifying Chocolate and Cacao Part 3 of 3
In Part 1 of this blog series we provided some background on chocolate and cacao including some cultural information surrounding the growing of theobroma cacao trees around the world and processing cacao beans from grower through manufacturer. In our Part 2 of 3 blog post we discussed some of the best known varieties of cacao trees, as well as some of the flavor notes associated with beans grown in different places in the world. Choco pieces courtesy of lusi via rgbstock.com. In this blog post, we’ll provide some infotainment regarding perceptions of “chocolate cravings” and a bit about flavor sprays,
Behavior Change & 2013 Resolutions Part 1 of 3
We’ll start off this blog post with a true story about a chance encounter with someone in the supermarket who appeared to be ready to make behavior change just this week. While shopping on the day before New Year’s Eve, a fellow shopper was staring at various salad making packages in the produce section. He seemed to be trying to decide if he should get a package and if so, which one to get. He had put a package with added seasoning packets into his cart, then just as our cart was reaching that section, turned right around and put the