Archive for August, 2011
August 29th, 2011 | 
Author: A recurring theme in this blog has revolved around the notion of "fit": The best college for you is the one that fits you best. Unfortunately, this notion seems to be lost on many students as they plan for college. Instead, emotion takes over, leading to college choices that are often regretted.
This can be problematic considering the potential costs involved when a college doesn’t work out—your time, your parents’ money, and the lost opportunity to you as a wage earner upon graduation. Therefore, it might be a good idea to avoid the following emotional factors that can contribute to unproductive college choices—colleges to which you are drawn initially but that do not fit well in the long run.
1. Love: The best college for you is not the place that your love interest attends! Before you and your significant other get too far along in planning the rest of your lives together, know that the odds of maintaining the relationship over four years of college are not in your favor.
In fact, most high school romances break up before the end of the first year of college. Does it make sense, then, for you to commit to four years at somebody else’s college just so you can be together when there is a very good chance that before the end of the first semester she’ll find some other guy—and you’ll end up being a spectator on her campus? Would you call that a good fit?
[Get more advice on applying to college.]
2. Following the crowd: Eager as you might be to graduate from high school, you might not feel like you are ready to leave the people with whom you hang out. As a result, everyone heads off to college together—in many cases, sight unseen. If anybody asks why you chose to attend that college, your response will probably be, "My friends go there."
Now, how much sense does that make? One or two of your friends have it figured out. They know the program and have made deliberate decisions. The rest of you just want to, well, hang out. Now, you are on a campus that is strange to you without any sense of purpose, except that your best friends from high school are there. Is that a good fit?
[Learn 5 things that high school seniors should be doing now.]
3. Parents: The best school for you is not likely to be the place your parents attended or the place they want you to attend! This can become uncomfortable if your parents are already talking about the places you should attend. While you don’t want to disappoint them, you want to find your own college—a place that is the best fit for you. After all, you are different people. What worked for them might not work for you.
If you sense a conflict of this nature brewing, you need to find a diplomatic solution to it early in your search. The longer you allow your parents’ expectations of a destination to linger prominently in the picture, the harder it will be to extricate yourself from those expectations later in the process—that is, assuming you truly want to look in different directions.
[Get answers to parents' college planning questions.]
4. Sports: The best college for you is not likely to be the place that won the national championship. Everybody likes to be around a winner and there is something to be said for body painting and the crowd frenzy on crisp Saturday afternoons in the fall. Just remember, though, that whatever colors you bleed, you still need to be a student Monday through Friday.
5. Prestige: Finally, the best college for you is not necessarily the place that will give you the most impressive car sticker! Unfortunately, in some quarters, the college admissions process has become a high-stakes competition in which a lot of students and their families are more obsessed with "winning the prize" than finding the best fit. The student may win the car sticker and all the bragging rights that go with it, but does she or he have the right college? Maybe, maybe not.
[Discover 8 strategies for starting your college application process.]
Ultimately, you need to remain reflective throughout the process in order to make sure a school, especially a high-profile place, is the right one for you. (Would you buy a good-looking pair of shoes even if they were too snug in the toes?) As you move forward, resist the temptation to act impulsively or run with the herd.
You must be able to live with your choice for four years—and it needs to work for you in the years that follow. Invest in learning more about places that might be right for you—not your love interest, friends, or parents. Now is the time to focus on you and what constitutes a good fit for you, so that yours will be a successful four-year college experience.
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Going gluten-free doesn’t mean giving up the dishes you love, or scouring store aisles for specialty products. Reinvent your favorites with naturally gluten-free ingredients. Instead of buying gluten-free pasta, for example, use spaghetti squash for this lasagna.
[A Gluten-Free Diet Doesn't Have to Be Boring]
Ingredients
Directions
Pierce the squash all over with a paring knife (about an inch deep). Place it on a microwave-safe dish and cook on high power for 12 to 16 minutes—or until the squash is slightly soft. Roll it a quarter turn every 3 minutes during cooking.
Let the squash cool for 5 minutes. Halve it lengthwise. Discard the seeds and any dry, dark orange strands you find around the seeds. Using a fork, scrape the inside of the squash with long strokes from one end to the other. Place the scraped squash into a strainer to drain excess liquid and set aside.
Place the crushed tomatoes in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Spread half of the spaghetti squash across the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Spread half of the tomato mixture evenly over the squash. Follow with a layer of half of the mozzarella and sprinkle with half of the Romano cheese. Repeat the squash, tomato, mozzarella, and Romano cheese layers with the remaining ingredients.
Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.
Hazel Sy is a cooking instructor, food writer, and food photographer. In www.TastyPursuits.com she innovates in the kitchen by exploring and experimenting with classic and new flavors.
But Officials Note ‘Alarming’ Increase Among Young, Gay and Bisexual Black Men
The total number of new HIV infections in the U.S. remained relatively stable between 2006 and 2009, at about 50,000 new cases each year, according to estimates released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that’s far from what public health officials would consider good news. Even one new case of the incurable but largely preventable virus is one too many. In 2006 there were 48,600 new HIV infections, 56,000 in 2007, 47,800 in 2008, and 48,100 in 2009, according to agency findings published in PLoS ONE. Though the numbers didn’t vary much from year to year, experts noticed a disproportionately high number of infections among men who have sex with men, who make up an estimated 2 percent of the U.S. population. They accounted for 61 percent—or 29,300—of new infections in 2009. Young, gay black men ages 13 to 29 experienced an "alarming" spike in infections, and were the only group to show a sustained increase during the four-year study, officials said. New infections in that group rose 48 percent, from 4,400 cases in 2006 to 6,500 in 2009. Stigma, limited access to healthcare, and a tendency to underestimate their risk may be driving this trend, researchers noted.
10 HIV/AIDS Beliefs—Which Ones Are True?
As if waging war against an incurable virus that plagues 33 million people globally weren’t enough, researchers, doctors, and public health officials continue to battle yet another elusive problem: misinformation. Here are 10 myths many have come to believe about HIV/AIDS, U.S. News reported in 2010:
1. If I had HIV, I would know. Not the case, says Kimberley Hagen, assistant director for the Center for AIDS Research at Emory University in Atlanta. About 1.1 million people in the United States are HIV-positive, and as many as 1 in 5 don’t know it, estimates the CDC. Many of them feel perfectly healthy. And those who have symptoms may confuse them with run-of-the-mill flu. Denial also plays a role, say experts. "There is a universal tendency with HIV," says Hagen, to try to say, " ‘This is something that will affect someone else and not me.’ And so you say that you can’t get it doing the things that you do—you can only get it doing the things that other people do. That may be the biggest myth." [Read more: 10 HIV/AIDS Beliefs—Which Ones Are True?]
Don’t Ignore the Symptoms: Sexual Problems, STDs Affect Millions
Sexually transmitted diseases often are announced only by nonspecific signs (like abdominal pain and fever), meaning they may easily be mistaken for other illnesses, U.S. News reported in 2008. That’s not good, say experts: Certain STDs, undiagnosed and untreated, can wreak havoc, bringing serious and even life-threatening consequences. Here’s a list of nine serious STDs—and one that’s just a nuisance:
1. Chlamydia. Nicknamed the "silent disease," chlamydia often does its damage unnoticed; indeed, it produces virtually no symptoms in about half the men and three quarters of the women who get it, according to the CDC. But that can mean trouble, especially for women: Infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and dangerous ectopic pregnancies can result if the infection isn’t stopped with antibiotics. While men rarely experience complications, the infection can spread to the tube that shuttles sperm, leading to pain, fever, and a remote chance of sterility. Once a woman has been infected with chlamydia, she is up to five times more likely to contract HIV if exposed to the virus. To avoid serious problems, the CDC urges—at a minimum—annual screening tests for all sexually active women ages 25 and under, as well as tests for all pregnant women. A mother’s untreated chlamydia infections can invade a newborn’s eyes and respiratory tract, which is why it’s the leading cause of pink eye and pneumonia in infants, according to the CDC. [Read more: Don't Ignore the Symptoms: Sexual Problems, STDs Affect Millions]
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Following Government’s Diet Advice Would Inflate Average Food Tab
Eating healthfully can drain the wallet—so much that it could make it difficult for Americans to follow the government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines, according to a study published Thursday in Health Affairs. The federal dietary guidelines implore Americans to get more potassium, fiber, vitamin D, and calcium, and to avoid saturated fat and added sugar. Actually following that advice is expensive, likely leading to grocery tabs that are hundreds of dollars higher than what the average American spends annually, the Associated Press reports. Meeting the 4,700 milligrams per day recommendation for potassium—a notoriously difficult target—alone could add $380 a year to the average American’s bill. But the payoff could outweigh the cost, since sufficient potassium counters salt’s ability to raise blood pressure, decreases bone loss, and reduces the risk of developing kidney stones. (Potatoes, beans, and bananas are all good sources.) For the study, researchers at University of Washington surveyed more than 1,000 area adults on their eating habits, and calculated the nutrient content and cost of their subjects’ diets. Perhaps not surprisingly, respondents who spent the most got closest to federal recommendations. Food costs dipped considerably each time they got 1 percent more daily calories from saturated fat and sugar, according to the researchers.
6 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Fruits and Veggies
Experts say most people know they don’t eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables (Find how much the government says you should be getting here.) Some may not know how to prepare them. Others might think they don’t like them. Here are six ways to work them into your diet painlessly, U.S. News reported in 2010:
1. Use them in sauces, chili, soups, and casseroles. They’re great at camouflaging zucchini, squash, carrots, or corn. Grate and sauté them or pulse them in a food processor until they’re smooth. But they don’t have to be hidden to taste good. Pasta sauces or toppings on meat dishes are other veggie vehicles. Grab a can of butternut squash soup and cook gnocchi in it—it’s "super yummy," says Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Smother your chicken in ratatouille—an assortment of seasoned, sautéed veggies—or top sea bass with tomatoes, capers, and olives or perhaps a mango salsa. [Read more: 6 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Fruits and Veggies]
How to Stay on a Diet to Lose or Maintain Weight
A diet is only as good as your ability to stick to it. Research has found that most plans will help you lose weight, regardless of type—low-fat or low-carb, for example. What counts is whether you can stay on it long-term. And with restaurant meals, dinners with friends, and hot fudge sundaes to tempt you, adherence is an understandable challenge. Here are five tricks for making your diet stick:
1. Gather the troops. You need support, be it from a friend, a group like Overeaters Anonymous, or even an online community. Research suggests those who go it alone are most likely to fall off the wagon. That’s why some diet plans have a formal support component—Weight Watchers connects dieters via weekly meetings, while Jenny Craig members are assigned counselors for advice and encouragement. If you’re not comfortable talking about your weight face-to-face, log online. By signing up for the free program PeerTrainer, for example, dieters can interact and track each others’ weight-loss progress, pose questions, and swap diet and exercise tips. "It’s important to have people who will pick you up when times are tough and cheer you on when you have successes," says registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet. Plus, she adds: "Healthy habits are contagious." [Read more: How to Stay on a Diet to Lose or Maintain Weight.]
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Study: Packed Lunches Often Reach Unsafe Temperatures
The lunches parents send their kids to school with almost always reach unsafe temperatures. So suggests a new study by Texas researchers, who tested 705 lunches and found that 90 percent were warm enough to foment the growth of bacteria—potentially leading to food poisoning. Even lunches cooled by ice packs were typically warm enough to be dangerous, according to findings published today in Pediatrics. "This study should be an eye-opener for the public," study author Fawaz Almansour, a researcher in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Texas—Austin, told Time. "We don’t always know what got us sick. You can’t easily point a finger at a particular food, but sack lunches could easily be the culprit." Parents can minimize the risk by choosing vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, while avoiding spoil-prone foods, such as meat and dairy products. The study authors also suggest skipping the mayonnaise, since it contains eggs and tends to go bad quickly. And while refrigerating a packed lunch is ideal, parents should teach kids to first remove food from insulated lunch boxes, which can prevent food from staying cool in the refrigerator.
Food-Borne Illnesses Still a Threat, Despite New Food-Safety Law
Ten years ago, while training to be a family doctor, U.S. News blogger Kenny Lin spent several months admitting sick children to a hospital’s pediatric ward. He almost always treated toddlers for severe dehydration—the result of vomiting and diarrhea. Most of them had picked up a highly contagious bug called rotavirus from contaminated food, feces, or other children. It was easy to spot them, with their sunken eyes and parched skin, Lin reported in February. They looked desperately thirsty, but were too ill to drink. Unfortunately, the only treatment for most food-borne illnesses was—and still is—fluid replacement and time.
Today, the infant rotavirus vaccine has made this type of food poisoning much less common. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still estimates that food-borne illnesses affect 48 million American children and adults each year, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. In recent years, infectious bacteria such as salmonella have been implicated in outbreaks of food poisoning from contaminated eggs, peanut butter, and raw vegetables. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine revisits the large salmonella outbreak in 2008 that sickened at least 1,500 people in 43 states and Canada. More than 300 people were hospitalized, and two died. Months of meticulous detective work by public health officials from the CDC and state health departments eventually traced the source to tainted jalapeño and serrano peppers grown on a single farm in Mexico. [Read more: Food-Borne Illnesses Still a Threat, Despite New Food-Safety Law.]
Hungry for Healthy School Lunch Ideas?
Students are carrying more than just their backpacks as they head back to school. Almost 20 percent of kids from kindergarten on up are packing extra pounds, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. America’s children are increasingly afflicted with adult diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. The culprit? In part, the pizza, French fries, and other greasy fare that fills your kid’s cafeteria. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group that promotes preventive medicine, children who buy lunch at school are more likely than kids who bring their lunch from home to be overweight and obese and less likely to eat fruits and vegetables. While the Healthy School Meals Act passed last year attempts to improve adolescent eating patterns by setting new nutrition standards for all food served in schools—from lunchrooms to vending machines—the only way to guarantee that your child’s lunch is nutritious and well balanced is to pack it yourself.
Thankfully, creating a healthy midday meal doesn’t have to be time-consuming, U.S. News reported in 2010. The key is creativity, says Sherrie Le Masurier, a lifestyle columnist who runs School Lunch Ideas, a trove of healthy recipes that can be quickly prepared. "A lot of kids get bored with sandwiches," she says. "But take the same ingredients and package them in a different way, and it becomes a lunch your child gets excited to eat." Your kid might stick her tongue out at a ham and cheese sandwich, in other words, but gobble up ham and cheese shish kebabs—chunks of skewered whole-grain bread, ham, cheddar cheese, and a few cherry tomatoes. [Read more: Hungry for Healthy School Lunch Ideas?]
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