Weekly Gravy « Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

A quirk in quality testing could mean that pot-laced chocolates are more potent than their label indicates, researchers report. Many states that allow the sale of marijuana-infused edibles — gummy bears, cookies and chocolates — require package labeling that shows the products’ level of THC, the compound that gets you high. But potency testing on chocolate products appears to be slightly skewed, said David Dawson, a research principal with CW Analytical Laboratories, one of California’s longest-operating marijuana testing labs. It turns out that larger samples of chocolate used in testing actually produce less accurate results than smaller samples, Dawson said. “It’s pretty striking and definitely goes against your basic gut instinct,” Dawson said. “As the amount of sample you are testing increases, it should be more representative of the whole of the product. Thus, you should be getting more solid values,” Dawson said. “We saw the opposite here, where we actually start getting less accurate and precise values the more actual product we are testing at a given moment.” The testing flaw tends to cause a chocolate product’s THC levels to be reported as lower than they actually are, Dawson said. For example, a bar containing 97 milligrams of THC might test at 93 milligrams. The variance “isn’t enough to truly pose a danger to consumers, but it is enough to possibly make a good… read on >

Books, tablets, lunch: Stuff can really start to weigh heavily in your kid’s school backpack. And so experts at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) are offering tips on backpack safety to parents as a new school year begins. That’s because heavy and improperly worn backpacks can trigger back, neck and shoulder-related pain in children, the group says. In fact, in 2018, almost 51,000 people were seen for backpack-related injuries at emergency departments, doctors’ offices and clinics, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Back pain due to improperly wearing and overloading a backpack is a common symptom,” AAOS spokesperson Dr. Afshin Razi, an orthopedic spine surgeon, said in an academy news release. “To limit injuries or back pain, encourage your children to limit the load and utilize both padded straps for proper posture and weight distribution.” Ideally, healthy children with a normal body weight should not carry more than 10%-20% of their body weight in a backpack. Always have kids use both shoulder straps when carrying a backpack, so that the weight is distributed more evenly across the back. Tighten backpack straps to keep the load closer to the back, as well. The bottom of the backpack should sit at waist level, the AAOS said. Kids should carry only items that are required for the school day, and heavier items should be… read on >

Do you eat healthy during the week, then ease off the brakes on the weekend? You’re not alone. But such a five days on-two days off eating regimen can erode diet quality, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Not only did participants take in more calories on weekends than on weekdays, they were less healthy calories, to boot. They consumed more alcohol and fat, and ate less of the good stuff, like yogurt, fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, chicken, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. And if the calories you consume on the weekend exceed the number you take in during the week, that’s a net surplus — read: weight gain. Besides stalling any weight-loss efforts, weekend junk-food binges can also negatively impact the healthy bacteria in your gut. A lab study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that cycling on and off junk food was almost as detrimental to the delicate balance of the gut microbiome as eating it all the time. In particular, a junk-food diet reduces the microbes needed to metabolize flavonoids, a category of micronutrients thought to help with weight loss and brain health. If you look forward to letting loose on the weekends, find other ways to unwind. For instance, try a new activity — you’ll burn… read on >

“Eating the rainbow” is a great way to harness the different micronutrients in fruits and vegetables. Among the reds (and yellows), naturally sweet beets are a great source of folate, the B vitamin, fiber and potassium. If you shied away from beets as a kid, it’s time to give them a try. A fun introduction involves using a spiralizer to prep the beets. It’s an essential kitchen tool for those who love a big plate of pasta but not the carb and calorie overload that comes with it. The spiralizer turns veggies like beets, as well carrots and sweet potatoes, into spaghetti-like squiggles. Spiralized beets make a nutritious swap for the standard pasta used to make classic cold sesame noodles, a zesty, do-ahead dish that family and guests alike will love. Cold Sesame Beet Noodles 4 large beets, peeled 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or Sriracha 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/3 cup unsalted vegetable or chicken broth 1/4 cup peanuts, roughly chopped 4 scallions, chopped Select the spiralizer blade for the thickness of the noodles you want to make. Fit a beet into the front of the spiralizer where spikes hold the vegetable in place. Next press the hand crank into the other side of the beet. To make noodles, turn… read on >

A staggering number of teen girls are experiencing an insidious form of relationship abuse: reproductive coercion. Researchers report that it affects 1 in 8 adolescent girls who are sexually active. Reproductive coercion is a form of abuse in which a girl or woman is pressured into pregnancy. From a male partner threatening to leave if his female partner refuses to have his baby, to poking holes in condoms before sex, the coercion can take shape in a variety of ways. “Reproductive coercion is a form of power and control exerted via influencing women’s health, sexuality and health care behavior,” said study co-author Heather McCauley, an assistant professor of social work at Michigan State University. She added that the findings highlight a broader public health issue. “Our society so often normalizes the abusive experiences girls and women have in their relationships, making it difficult for young people to recognize that what they are experiencing is not healthy,” McCauley said. Researchers described the new study — published in the August issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology — as the largest look to date at how many teen girls face this pressure. Most studies of reproductive coercion have focused on young adult women. For the study, McCauley and her colleagues analyzed data collected from 550 sexually active girls between age 14 and 19 at eight school-based health… read on >

Your dog might be your heart’s best friend, if a new study is any indication. Researchers found that compared with people who had no pets, dog owners tended to have fewer risk factors for heart disease: They got more exercise, and had healthier diets and lower blood sugar levels. Even compared with other pet owners, they were doing better with diet and exercise. The study of nearly 1,800 Czech adults is not the first to suggest our canine friends can do our hearts good. In fact, in 2013 the American Heart Association (AHA) issued a scientific statement saying that dog ownership is likely linked to a lower risk of heart disease. That was largely based on evidence that people with dogs are more physically active. The new findings suggest the benefit might extend to diet and blood sugar levels. It’s easy to see how having a dog could get people moving, according to senior researcher Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez. And it’s possible that dog owners’ lower blood sugar levels were related to their exercise habits, said Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. It’s less obvious, though, why dog ownership would encourage a healthier diet. One possibility is that the two are not directly related, he said. On the other hand, past research has shown that dogs do more than demand walks and… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Secondhand smoke (SHS) has the same harmful chemicals that smokers inhale, says the American Cancer Society. Non-smokers who breathe SHS take in nicotine and toxins, and are at risk for cancer. Cancer is not the only illness that SHS can cause. It affects the heart and blood vessels, also increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke in non-smokers. Studies show that children exposed to SHS get sick more often, have more lung infections and are more likely to cough, wheeze and have shortness of breath.

Using a rich moisturizer, even an inexpensive one like petroleum jelly, is one part of keeping eczema under control. Now researchers have found that this skin care step can keep many newborns at risk for the condition from developing it. Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is the most common inflammatory skin condition among children. With eczema, the skin’s natural barrier isn’t working correctly, leaving skin red, dry and itchy. It typically runs in families with a history of asthma and allergies, and affects up to one in five infants. The most common areas of the body affected are the face, neck and head. Note that eczema in children is more likely to appear in the bends of elbows and knees. Eczema Symptoms Itchy skin Redness Dry, scaly skin Skin that has become leathery Tiny blisters that may ooze Studies have found that moisturizing for six to eight months, starting within baby’s first few weeks, can reduce their eczema risk. What moisturizer should you use? Researchers from Northwestern Health recently looked at seven over-the-counter moisturizers, including several popular drugstore brands, as well as plain petroleum jelly. The investigators found that petroleum jelly was the most cost-effective, but that even the most expensive product was a fraction of what the cost of eczema care would be. What’s more, this has the potential to save baby from great discomfort… read on >

The health risks of sugary drinks, from juice to soda, are well known. They can lead to overweight and diabetes, stroke and other problems in the brain, including poorer memory and smaller brain volume. But diet sodas aren’t the answer. A number of studies have found an association between artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, heart attack and other heart-related deaths in women. The most recent was published earlier this year in the journal Stroke, with researchers suggesting that, even without identifying a specific cause and effect, people should seriously consider the potentially harmful effects of artificially sweetened drinks. And there’s more. Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine followed 4,000 people of both sexes over 10 years. Using MRI tests, they linked just one artificially sweetened soda a day to brain changes that can lead to dementia, as well as the type of stroke caused by a blockage in a blood vessel. These risks were triple those of people who don’t drink diet sodas. It didn’t seem to matter which common artificial sweetener — saccharin, aspartame or sucralose — was consumed. While some people see diet soda as a way of weaning off regular soda, it may be healthier in the long run to skip this type of transition. If you like soda’s carbonation more than the better… read on >

Weekly Gravy

Look Good – Feel Good – Feed Good

A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Your Chocolate Pot ‘Edible’ Could Hold a Hidden Danger

Your Chocolate Pot ‘Edible’ Could Hold a Hidden Danger

Backpacks Shouldn’t Be a Back-to-School Burden on Health

How to Get on Track When Weekend Eating Is Your Downfall

Give This Recipe for Tasty, Nutritious Beets a Try

1 in 8 Teen Girls Has Faced ‘Reproductive Coercion’

Your Dog May Be Leading You to a Healthier Heart

Health Tip: Risks of Secondhand Smoke

How to Protect Your Baby Against Eczema

Why Diet Sodas Aren’t the Answer for Your Sugary Drink Cravings