Mmm, Chocolate

This chart is from a SparkPeople.com article. It gets a little political, but the idea is that, given all of the good press chocolate has received, there are still some important considerations to be made.

Good for Your Health	Leave it on the Shelf
"70% Dark Chocolate"	"Milk chocolate"
Cocoa butter	Partially hydrogenated oil
Cocoa liquor	Natural or artificial color
Sugar or cane juice	Corn syrup
Dairy-free	Milk, milk fat, or lactose
Cocoa powder	Dutch processed or Alkalized
Thick, tight wrapper	Thin wrapper or exposed to light
Glossy, dark or smooth texture	Blotchy, streaky or rough texture
Fair Trade and Organic	Conventional (no distinction)

Lucky Number 13

WedMD has "13 Healthy Habits to Improve Your Life". You should read them, in detail, but here's the list:

1. Eat Breakfast Every Morning
2. Add Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids to Your Diet
3. Get Enough Sleep
4. Make Social Connections
5. Exercise for Better Health
6. Practice Good Dental Hygiene
7. Take Up a Hobby
8. Protect Your Skin
9. Snack the Healthy Way
10. Drink Water and Eat Dairy
11. Drink Tea
12. Take a Daily Walk
13. Plan

BMI Hits Life Insurance

You will see more and more of this, and soon. From BusinessWeek.com -

"The Phoenix Cos. is one of the first insurers to offer discounts on life insurance to customers based on their body mass index ratio."

Cancer Prevention

I found this article in Men's Health especially informative for my age group. I hear more and more about inflammation and insulin levels. Apparently these are two of the main factors in aging and disease, cancer and diabetes in particular. Some of the suggestions are intuitive, but others, such as the benefits of small amounts of sun exposure, are not. I was also happy to read the corn with butter recommendation.

You're So Vain. I Bet You Think This Post is About You.

The internet seems to be feeding our appetites for the things we love the most, ourselves! I joked on my own MySpace page that my first "Interest" was myself (though that has been supplanted by my niece and nephew), and I originally had a headline of "Hey Everyone, Look at Me!" but I was apparently only half-kidding. Dale Carnegie, whom I mention regularly, writes in "How to Win Friends and Influence People" that one's name is "the sweetest and most important sound in any language".

The self-esteem movement that began in the 1980s in this country has seemingly turned into a monster. Read the article on MSNBC.

"Narcissism can have benefits, said study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia, suggesting it could be useful in meeting new people 'or auditioning on American Idol'.

"'Unfortunately, narcissism can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others,' he said.

"The study asserts that narcissists 'are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors.'"

What's the point, you might ask? Part of being a valuable member of society is the ability to get along with others. How can you live a fulfilling life if all you care about is yourself? If you become self-absorbed, you will lose your ability to empathise with others, and to solve problems and compromise. These societal failings no doubt lead to phenomena such as road rage and a rising divorce rate. A positive effect of the narcissistic trend, though, would hopefully be increased exercise and healthier eating. I am all for that.

Mmm, 2,000 Calories, 100 Grams of Fat, 3000 Milligrams of Sodium

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has published a list of "X-treme" meals. I agree that they could have just spelled the word normally. Anyway, they list some menu items from some popular restaurants that have failed thus far to provide nutrition information on their own. I guess they're waiting for the government to make them do it. Isn't that nice? [Cough cough, sarcasm]

We have aimed at Cheesecake Factory before, and they get a spot on this list as well. CSPI makes it clear why we're the fattest country on Earth; listing appetizers, entrees and desserts that carry a whole day's worth of calories, fat and sodium on their own. Here's CSPI's article.

I am reluctant to include the slide show from MSN Health & Fitness since the foods all look so delicious, but here it is.

Honey, I'll Be Right Back. Just Need to Grab Some Insurance.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida has opened its first retail insurance store
in Jacksonville.  Read the press release here.  I find this fascinating. 
I guess time will tell if this is a good move.

"Florida Blue is a place where consumers can go for easy access to
insurance products, health and health care information and to get their
service questions answered all under one roof," said Michael Guyette,
senior vice president, sales and account management for BCBSF.

"BCBSF has been very aggressive in developing the tools consumers need
to make educated and informed health care choices regarding their personal
health situation, as well as decisions concerning quality, access and
potential out- of-pocket costs," said Guyette.

"He cited the company's recent introduction of quarterly personalized
health reports, e-medicine capabilities, enhanced service and the CareCalc
patient cost calculator as additional examples of the company's foray into
the consumer-empowered retail market. Guyette added that Florida Blue will
be a success even if consumers do not sign up for BCBSF products on the
spot, because it will expose potential customers to BCBSF's extensive
portfolio of products and services in a no-pressure environment and
favorable way."

MQOTD

"The very first step to building wealth is to spend less than you make."

-Brian Koslow

Duh...I hadn't heard of the guy before being emailed this quote. It turns out he has a company called Breakthrough Coaching and he has some pretty good lines:

www.brainyquote.com

The Greatest Country in the World?

Well, I still think we are, but we've got a hell of a lot wrong with us.

"British, U.S. Kids Worst Off in Industrialized World, UN Says"

This is really quite shocking:

"The United States was last among the 21 countries for health and safety, measured by rates of infant mortality, low birth weight, immunization, and deaths from accidents and injuries.

Britain was last in the family and peer relationships ranking, which measured such things as the rate of single-parent families and whether families ate the main meal of the day together more than once a week.

Britain also finished at the bottom in behaviours and risks, which considered factors such as the percentage of children who ate breakfast, consumed fruit regularly, were overweight, used drugs or alcohol or were sexually active.

The United States was second last in both the family and peer, and the behaviours and risks categories."

What good is all of this prosperity if people aren't safe, healthy and happy?

Dude...

"'I’ve torn my ACL, chipped my front tooth, and had surgery – all without insurance,' said a local snowboarder who wished to remain anonymous. 'Now I have $400 a month automatically taken out of my paycheck because I have $40,000 worth of medical bills. I think I could have afforded health insurance.'"

Read the entire article on Planet Jackson Hole Online.

The importance of reviewing your insurance policy -

"Dawn Sheue at Summit Insurance Services believes that she can find affordable health care for most people in Jackson, especially the ski-toting yahoo. 'You have to know how to play the game,' she explained. 'Health insurance is not something you want to settle into because we never see [premium] rates decrease. That’s the reason we review our clients if not every year, every two years.'"

An important quality in an insurance broker (who works for the insured, rather than an agent, who works for the insurance company) -

"Sheue reviews her client’s premium rates this often to make sure they are getting the most affordable rate out there. 'My loyalty is not with the insurance company but with my client. You’re going to have to move from carrier to carrier every two to three years to get that introductory rate. And that’s how you win the game.'"

The reader comments of the article highlight a growing debate in this country surrounding personal versus shared responsibility. I'll tell you my own personal experience is affected. I play soccer once or twice a week and I am thinking about that high deductible insurance plan when I'm out there, believe you me.

Reader Comments

Come and Get It (and by "it", I mean communication, manners, nourishment, encouragement to try new things, better grades, saved money...)

Well, the author (a licensed dietician) doesn't propose how a family is to get over the many hurdles cited to scheduling family meals, but I don't remember that being an issue when I was growing up. We did eat later than most families (around 7:30, usually), but other than dinner time, when would a family even have a chance to learn what is going on in everyone's life? It certainly won't happen sitting in front of the boob tube together. According to A.C. Nielsen Co., Americans watch an average of 4 hours of television per day. How can the average American complain about not having enough time? After earning the money to pay for the meal, what could possibly be more important than spending time with one's family?

Read the list of benefits to a family that eats dinner together on SparkPeople.

Too Good To Be True

Health insurer Humana Inc. is rolling out plans that cap premium increases on three-year contracts. It doesn't take too long to figure out that there's nothing so exciting about that news. Humana raises the deductibles on existing plans and can raise them and co-payments during the contract period. Don't be fooled.

"In Chicago, Humana is introducing a plan for businesses with 51 to 99 employees called "No Worry," a health insurance package that caps premium increases for three years at 6 percent annually, or 4.5 percent if businesses also choose a Humana dental plan and agree to certain other terms. In exchange, deductibles can rise from $500 to $2,500 depending on the products being offered."

This is what a Cigna executive had to say:

"It's very easy to cap renewal increases if you are going to substantially reduce benefits," said Pat Boughey, president and general manager of Cigna HealthCare Illinois, a subsidiary of health insurance giant Cigna Corp. "I am not sure what benefit that provides to an employer in the long run."

Read the article in the Bradenton Herald.

The American Prospect Progressive Perspective

Please don't read that title aloud. You'll get saliva all over your computer screen.

Here is an interesting critique by Ezra Klein of the current, employer-sponsored health insurance system.

"There is no earthly reason for employers to control not just their workers' salaries, but their health security, too. There is no justification for a health system that dissuades would-be entrepreneurs from testing their brilliance, or unhappy laborers from striking out on their own, or disgruntled workers from leaving their positions. Nor is there a compelling rationale for forcing employers to assume the moral burden of providing medical coverage, or putting the generous employer at a competitive disadvantage because his competitor offers barebones coverage, or having GM pay more for health care than steel. On every level, in every way, the employer-based system is unjust, inefficient, and unwise. No plan that preserves it should be considered acceptable."

Your Sponge and Toilet Seat Aren't So Different, After All...

Gabriel Bitton, professor of environmental engineering at the University of Florida, discussed the findings of a recent study on bacteria in sponges:

"Cooks should microwave their sponges every other day, he suggested. The warm, damp environment of kitchen cloths is the ideal breeding ground for microbes. In the right conditions one bacterium can multiply to more than four million in just eight hours. This can make them up to 200 times more infested that [sic] a lavatory seat."

Yuck. You should microwave your sponges periodically, while damp, for 2 minutes on high.

You may read the full article on The Daily Mail website.

State of the HSA

The President's big (mis)speech is tonight. Listen for his proposals for health insurance reform.

From Reuters -

"The president is proposing tax deductions -- $15,000 for a family and $7,500 for an individual whether or not they purchase their own health coverage or get it from their job -- to help buy insurance."

The END of employer-sponsored health insurance..?

Blue Monday?

I guess that's what today is called. There are a few links on today's Drudge Report about it. Some reasons given for being down this time of year are holiday debt, nasty weather, and failed resolutions. It surprises me that so many people would have given up on themselves so early in the year. Here's an article about the phenomenon in the Daily Mail. Another article posted on Drudge about the "World's Happiest Man" reminds me of one of Abe Lincoln's lines, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be".

FYI - UHA, New HSA? Maybe, if AHIP has its way.

If you haven't been reading my blog, I don't know where to start. Oh wait, yes I do:

FYI - For Your Information (that's easy)
UHA - Universal Health Account (that's new)
HSA - Health Savings Account
AHIP - America's Health Insurance Plans (organization of health insurers)

Read the entire article on Heartland.org.

"The UHA could be paired with any health plan--or none at all, if the UHA owner opted not to purchase insurance."

That differs from current HSA rules which require the participant to have a qualifying high deductible health insurance plan.

"Moreover, the UHA plan described by AHIP would allow contributions to be made into the accounts by the federal government. For persons with incomes less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level, the federal government would make matching contributions up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for families. AHIP suggests the federal government should also create rules to allow states to contribute to the UHAs as well."

Premature Celebration?

"Growth in Health Spending at Lowest Rate Since 1999"

The increase in health care spending slowed to 6.9% for 2005. According to the above article in the South Florida Business Journal, due largely to the influence of consumer-directed health plans on prescription drug prices.

The Commonwealth Fund notes that the US still spends twice as much per capita on health care than any other country.

Good Advice from Dale Carnegie

“Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”

-Dale Carnegie

That's a variation of the old line "anything worth doing is worth doing well". It's good to remind ourselves once in a while. Take pride in what you do; even the little things.

Matri-money

My father thinks I have a negative attitude toward marriage, but I think my generation in general has such a strong feeling of independence, that being unmarried is not strange to us. Anyway, he recently handed me a copy of an article from The Wall Street Journal that was published on February 12, 1999.

In "Getting Married Pays", the authors discuss one of their rules from "Getting Rich in America: 8 Simple Rules for Building a Fortune and a Satisfying Life" (HarperBusiness, 1999).

Some key points:

-Married couples are twice as wealthy as unmarried ones.
-Married people take better care of themselves and live longer.
-Married people have lower rates of cancer and hypertensive heart disease.
-Married people are more likely to plan for and think about the future and therefore save more.

I found a copy of it posted here.