LIVESTRONG.COM Blogs

New York City made news when it passed a law to require restaurants with 15 or more outlets nationwide to display calories counts on menu boards, menus or food tags.

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Shot of Le Pain Quotidien's menu. One of many NY restaurants who state the caloric value of their meals on their menu. Shot courtesy of lilveggiepatch blog.

82 percent of New Yorkers surveyed said that seeing the caloric breakdown of their potential meals affected their choices.

So what I want to know is: If this goes into effect in your city or state, do you think seeing the caloric breakdown of your potential meals will affect your meal choices? Do you want to know how many calories are in your potential meals or when you go out for a nice dinner, is ignorance bliss? Sound off in the comments.
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My first thought is, "Of course it's safe! It has to be. Right?"

Then I remember they used to make underwear lined with uranium and I think again.

So I did some reading and it turns out that the waves emitted by bluetooths are lower than the amount a cell phone emits.

But I still wonder...

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Brad Pitt rocking the Bluetooth on the cover of WIRED Magazine. 

I want to know what you think. Is it safe to be wearing something that emits radiation so close to your brain, no matter how low the frequency? Do you worry about the likelihood of your bluetooth or cell phone causing cancer? 

Sound off in the comments.
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The LIVESTRONG.COM Development team staying strong with sanitizer.

Hand Sanitizer is becoming a bigger trend by the minute—and with flu season on the way, and the Swine Flu epidemic earlier this year, it seems like it'll be hard to keep hand sanitizers on drug store shelves (seriously, if you don't already have stock in Purell, buy now).

But I know from school that there is such a thing as good bacteria and bad bacteria—and we need to be exposed to some bacteria in order to build a strong immune system.

My wife, who works in the medical field, says that overuse of hand sanitizers can deplete your hands of the bacteria needed to fight off certain yucky things…like fungus.

A recent NY Times article by Tara Parker Pope focusing on ways to stave off the flu, says that scientists watching a group of Cal Berkeley students studying, found that on average the students touched their eyes, noses, and lips 47 times during a three-hour period, which is once every four minutes. And that's when they were stationary! Think of what you do every day at work. You get a cup of coffee, sit down and type at your desk. You might have lunch at your desk (which is supposedly filthy), shake a new employee's hand, and rub your eyes— all without ever knowing that you're exposing yourself to potential infection.

So I want to know what you think. Are you willing to risk infection in order for yourself or your children to build up your immune system? Or are you going to slather on the sanitizer and just accept the fungus among us?

Sound off in the comments.

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A new film, No Impact Man, follows Colin Beavan as he completely eliminates his personal impact on the environment for a year. It meant eating vegetarian, buying only local food, and turning off the refrigerator. No elevators, T.V., cars, busses, airplanes, toxic cleaning products, electricity, no material consumption and no garbage.

I don't want to know what he did when he needed to use the restroom, but that's another matter. You can watch the movie or learn more about Colin here.

So that got me thinking about my own carbon footprint--and I want to know about yours. Where does your plastic go? While the popularity of Nalgene and non-plastic water bottles are on the rise, a majority of Americans still use and dispose of a large amount of plastics on an everyday basis.

We're talking plastic bags at the grocery store, packaged chicken, trash bags. If you think about all the little things you and your family throw away and waste daily the amount can be staggering.

Watch the below video about what the call "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch," an area in the Pacific Ocean polluted with plastic that they say is 10-million square miles, bigger than the continental United States.

Then I want to know -- Where does your plastic go? How do you reduce your impact on the environment if you do at all? And how far would you or wouldn't you go to protect the environment? Sound off the in comments.


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The answer to the question of, "Where can I get healthy produce?" has for a while now been organic products, and since 2000 the percentage of Americans who buy organic produce once a week has gone up 17 percent. An article in Time Magazine by John Cloud offers a new solution to organic--local produce.

The idea behind local produce, is that purchasing food that is grown less than 100 miles away from where you live is better for the environment. 

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Every Wednesday and Sunday the Santa Monica Farmer's Market comes to the Third Street Promenade, and is frequented by celebrities, santa monica residents and restaurant owners. Delicious food but it can be pricey! Photo courtesy of clairity at flickr.

Buying local produce doesn't always mean the products you purchase are free from pesticides and hormones; but purchasing from a local farmer means supporting your local economy and cutting down on the carbon footprint of importing food from all around the world. It also means buying produce only when it's in season, and sometimes (especially in Santa Monica) it means spending more on produce than you would at the grocery store.

Buying organic food means food free from all the stuff thats not only harmful to the environment but also potentially harmful to your body. Organic products may be free of additives, hormones or pesticides, but I've noticed that organic fruit seems to go bad faster, doesn't always taste better, and often costs more.

So what's the solution? Local? Organic? Local AND Organic? Or damn it all and go to the grocery store? 

I want to know, in an ideal world where would you get your produce, and where do you get it now? Sound off in the comments.
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The Times UK call it a civilized addiction, but can any addiction be healthy?

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Teammate Tim E. is our resident Diet Coke junkie.

We know that drinking coke is bad for us, so a lot of us satisfy our fizzy drink craving with its zero calorie, artificially-sweetened option. We also know that drinking water is the better, healthier option, but still turn to the carbonated options to satiate our thirsts. 

What I want to know is, why is it so hard for us to give up soda? Is it okay to be "addicted" to Diet Coke? And how much soda is too much? 

Sound off in the comments.
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Image courtesy of tvguide.com

Last night was the season premier of the Biggest Loser, and it was the first time I've ever watched the show.

I know it sounds insane, but until I discovered the joys of TiVo, the Biggest Loser was just one of those shows I heard about and never saw.

So after watching the first episode, there were a couple things that came to my mind.

1. How did these people get to be this overweight. Could I ever become this overweight?

I think a lot of people watch the show and think that being obese is just something that could never happen to them. Maybe they're not genetically predisposed to being overweight (I am), or maybe there aren't any emotional triggers that would lead to over-eating. But in an instant something could happen to me like it did with Abby, who tragically lost her entire family, or Tracy, who dealt with the absence of her husband abroad with food. I think It would be really hard to focus on healthy eating and nutrition if everything else around me was crumbling down. 

2. Why do Jillian and Bob scream and curse at the contestants?

I, like Shay, do not do well with negative reinforcement. I shrivel and shrink when yelled at, and I've always believed that when someone starts yelling, the other person stops listening. I get that for many of these individuals on the show, the Biggest Loser is their last chance and it's a life and death struggle when they are in the gym. But putting that aside, how many of you could focus and be successful under those conditions? I want to know!

Leave your thoughts in the comments. I can't wait for next week's episode!
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After fighting pancreatic cancer very publicly for two years, Patrick Swayze has passed.  He died peacefully at home with his family by his side.

Swayze continued to work up until his death, and refused to take pain killers that would have altered his performance in "The Beast."

Swayze is best known for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost.  28 million people are living with cancer today.  Click here to learn more about Pancreatic Cancer.

We applaud Patrick for fighting this fatal cancer so publicly to raise awareness to millions.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Swayze family.

 

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The issues that were affecting some users have all been fixed!
We apologize for the frustration you may have experienced.

-Susy
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Registration/Login Issues

Posted by susysez | September 13, 2009 | 6 Comments

Hello LIVESTRONG Community,

 

As some of you may know we are experiencing site difficulties relating to logging in, registering and using our mobile apps. 

 

For instance, if you registered within the past day, your username is not recognized.

 

I realize this is extremely frustrating for you – it is equally as frustrating for our LIVESTRONG Team.

 

We are working on the issue right now and expect it to be fixed by tomorrow.

 

Thank you for your patience.

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LIVESTRONG.COM Bloggers

Joe Perez

Co-Founder of the The Daily Plate and Head of Product, Marketing & Community - Demand Media

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