The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Food companies use sugar, fat to get people to eat more

From an early age Americans learn to love sugar.

I know. I’m one of many people who have a “sweet tooth.” I have to work very hard to eat only two or three sweet treats a week. Recently, on a low-carb diet, I’ve eliminated them completely. It’s tough.
 
Last week, it upset me to hear David Kessler, M.D., former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, say in a radio interview that it’s in the business plans of food companies to get American consumers to eat more food.

Kessler, discussing his book “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite,” said it was a goal of the food industry to get food on every street corner, available 24 hours a day.

And by developing processed food with layer upon layer of fat and sugar, food companies have created food that consumers crave, he said. People’s brains have been hijacked, and they can’t stop eating.

The result is Americans are getting fatter and fatter.

Kessler suggested people break the cycle by looking at food differently. When thinking about food and deciding what to eat, ask “Is that nutritious? Is that the kind of food I want?”

The brain can be reprogrammed, he said, and people can get their control back.

Kessler said the food industry needs to change its practices and act responsibly.

I agree. It's wrong for food companies to be making profits by creating addictive foods that make people fat, unhealthy, and stressed.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Tattoos and baby boomers: What are the risks?

Tattoos don’t appeal to me. I won’t be getting one anytime soon. So I was surprised to learn that more and more baby boomers are getting tattoos.

A 2008 Harris poll showed that about 20 percent of adults between the age of 40 and 64 reported having one or more tattoos, according to the article “What Boomers Need to Know About Tattoos” on the DesMoinesRegister.com.

Boomers are usually looking for smaller tattoos that can be hidden, one tattoo artist reported. Flowers, birds, and family references are popular.

Another tattoo artist interviewed said he’s seen more interest in boomers who are retired getting tattoos. Since they aren’t working, they don’t have to worry about being stigmatized for having body art.

But is getting a tattoo risky?

Tattoo artists should follow health and safety practices to protect themselves as well as their clients from blood borne pathogens such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and/or HIV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.

Health and safety procedures for body artists may be regulated by city, county, or state agencies. Reputable shops and tattoo parlors govern themselves and follow strict safety procedures to protect their clients – and their body artists.

Are you considering getting a tattoo?

If you decide to get a tattoo, make sure you go to a licensed facility and take time to discuss the safety procedures with the artists working at the shop or tattoo parlor, the CDC recommends.
They should explain the process and tell you what they do to keep everyone safe and healthy by using sterile needles and razors, washing hands, wearing gloves, and keeping surfaces clean.

What safety procedures should be used?

Tattoo artists protect themselves and their clients when following safe and healthy practices, the CDC advises, such as:

• Use single-use, disposable needles and razors. Disposable piercing needles, tattoo needles, and razors are used on one person and then thrown away. Reusing needles or razors is not safe.

• Safely dispose of needles and razors. Used needles and razors should be thrown away in a biohazard-labeled, disposable container to protect both the client and the person changing or handling the trash bag from getting cut.

• Wash hands before and after putting on disposable gloves. Gloves are always worn while working with equipment and clients, changed when necessary, and aren’t reused.

• Clean and sterilize reusable tools and equipment. Some tools and equipment can be reused when creating body art. Reusable tools and equipment should be cleaned and then sterilized to remove viruses and bacteria.

• Frequently clean surfaces and work areas. Chairs, tables, workspaces, and counters should be disinfected between procedures to protect both the health of the client and the artist. Cross-contamination – spreading bacteria and viruses from one surface to another – can occur if surfaces aren’t disinfected frequently and between clients. Any disinfectant that claims to be able to eliminate the tuberculosis germ can also kill HIV and hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses. Use a commercial disinfectant, following the manufacturer’s instructions, or a mixture of bleach and water – one part bleach to nine parts water.

What are the risks if safety procedures aren't followed?

• Viruses, germs, and bacteria that can cause infections

• Tuberculosis

• Hepatitis B

• Hepatitis C

• HIV and AIDS

What are other problems that could occur with tattoos?

• An allergy to the ink, which may be troublesome because pigments can be difficult to remove.

• Nodules called granulomas that may form around material that the body sees as foreign, such as particles of tattoo pigment.

• Scars called keloid formation that grow beyond normal boundaries may occur in people who are prone to developing keloids.

• MRI complications such as swelling or burning in the affected areas when undergoing magnetic resonance imaging test or MRI.

So be extremely careful if you decide to get a tattoo. Here are references on the things to consider before walking into a tattoo parlor to have body art applied:

 “Tattoos and Permanent Makeup” – U.S. Food and Drug Administration

“Think Before You Ink: Are Tattoos Safe?” – U.S. Food and Drug Administration

“Foot Tattoos: Five Things to Think About Before You Get a Foot Tattoo” – The Fun Times Guide to Feet

“Tattoos: What You Need to Know” – MedicineNet.com

“Tattooing Tips” – Life123

“The Deadly Dangers of Body Tattoos” – Associated Content

“What Are the Dangers of Getting a Tattoo?” – The Sun Chronicle

“About Tattoo Dangers and Side Effects” – eHow

“Having Tattoos Could Be a Sign of Low Self-Esteem” – studentdailynews.com

“Tattoo Remorse Fuels Boom for Dermatologists” – CNNhealth.com

“Color Me Yellow: Hepatitis and the Art of Tattoo” – About.com

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How to have a healthy Fourth of July barbecue

When I go to a barbecue on July Fourth, I love to load my plate with all the traditional foods served for the celebration.

Here’s a typical plate of food I would serve myself, along with the calories for each item:

Hamburger – 279
Hot Dogs (two with no bun) – 294
Potato Salad – 358
Potato Chips – 152
Avocado Dip – 90
Fruit Salad – 125
Green Beans – 44
Baked Beans – 382
Green Salad With Egg and Cheese – 102
Ranch Salad Dressing for Green Salad – 493
Chocolate Cake – 235
Chocolate Ice Cream – 167
White Wine (2 glasses) – 166

That’s a whopping total of 2,887 calories!

Eileen Silva, N.D., offers this menu instead:

Turkey Burgers, Vegetarian Burgers, and Poultry Sausages
Chicken, Fish, or Seafood
Grilled Vegetables with Olive Oil and Herbs
Grilled Pineapple with Chocolate Sauce and Cool Whip

For more information, see “Summer Barbecues” on Silva’s Baby Boomers Blog.

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Blueberries, raspberries, other berries enhance health

I love raspberries. It’s great to be able to go out to my raspberry patch this time of year and eat fresh, organic raspberries right off the plants.

I developed my fondness for raspberries was I was growing up. I was able forage in my great-aunt Mable Kenyon’s raspberry patch in Cashmere, Wash., when my family went to visit.

 

About five years ago, I bought a single raspberry plant at the Olympia Food Coop. Now I have a raspberry patch.

Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and other berries are good for your health.

They contain phytonutrients, chemical compounds in plants that repair cells. These compounds have been and are being studied, reports Richard Brightheart, acupuncturist, in his book “An Integrative Approach to Healing Chronic Illness: Revealing the Root Causes of Modern Disease,” for their ability to:

• Support immune function.

• Prevent illness.

• Slow the aging process.

• Help to support the body in healing.

They are known for their strong antioxidant/free radical scavenging action as well as their ability to reduce inflammation.

Berries that seem to hold these properties, Brightheart reports, include:

• Raspberries

• Cranberries

• Blueberries

• Strawberries

• Goji berries

• The palm berry acai

So enjoy raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries as the summer months unfold. And be sure to look for organic berries at your local farmers’ market.

Disclosure: Richard Brightheart is my acupuncturist, and I edited his book “An Integrative Approach to Healing Chronic Illness: Revealing the Root Causes of Modern Disease.”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What do gay baby boomers need as they grow older?

June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

In a proclamation, President Obama said that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender or LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society.

The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, Obama said, but there’s more work to be done… LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect. And he added:

As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our nation was founded, every American will benefit.

During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

When I marched in the Olympia, Wash., Capital City Pride Parade, I thought about gay baby boomers and what their concerns are, as they grow older.

A study, “Out and Aging: The MetLife Study of Lesbian and Gay Baby Boomers,” takes a look the needs of the boomer generation as it reached midlife and beyond. The study found:

• Both lesbian and bisexual women and gay and bisexual men share a concern about their financial stability as they age into retirement. (1) For women, their greatest fear is outliving their income as they age. (2) For men, their great fear is becoming dependent on others and becoming sick or disabled.

• More than a quarter, 27 percent, of LGBT boomers reported great concern about discrimination as they age, and less than half expressed strong confidence that health-care professionals will treat them “with dignity and respect.” Fears of insensitive and discriminatory treatment by health-care professionals are particularly strong among lesbians, of whom 12 percent said they have absolutely no confidence that they will be treated respectfully.

• LGBT baby boomers want to spend their final days in the comfort of their own homes. Nearly half, 47 percent, said they would like their end-of-life care to take place in their current residence with the help of hospice care, followed at a distant second by 16 percent who would prefer to spend their final days in their current homes without hospice care.

• Lesbian and bisexual women appear to be less financially prepared for the end of life. For instance, they’re less likely than their male counterparts to have purchased long-term care insurance or to have written wills.

• One half, 51 percent, of LGBT baby boomers have yet to complete wills or living wills spelling out their long-term care and end-of-life wishes – yet such documents are important for LGBT older adults given the current lack of legal protection for LGBT couples and families.

• Almost 40 percent of respondents believe that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender has helped them prepare for aging in some way. They’ve developed positive character traits, greater resilience, or better support networks as a consequence of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

The MetLife Mature Market Institute and the Lesbian and Gay Aging Issues Network of the American Society on Aging undertook this national survey of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender baby boomers in February 2006.

A sample of 1,000 LGBT people ages 40 to 61 participated in an online survey conducted by Zogby International, a polling and public-opinion research firm.

Let me know if this survey reflects your concerns as a gay baby boomer consumer as you approach and enter retirement. Do you have additional new worries about the coming years due to the Great Recession?

 
Note: The photos are from Capital City Pride Parade.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison

Study finds baby boomers, Gen X face health-care cost hurdles

Twenty-five percent of Americans say they had difficulty paying for health care in the past 12 months, with the baby boomer and Generation X age groups leading the way, according to a study published by Thomson Reuters.

The study, which tracks the impact of the recession on consumers' health-care behaviors, also found that baby boomers and Gen Xers are 3.5 times more likely to postpone care due to the cost than are older Americans.

Older Americans, who have the access to Medicare, are less affected by the economic downturn when it comes to health care, the study reports.

The analysis is based on a telephone survey of more than 3,000 households conducted from April 21 to May 3.

Thomson Reuters is a research organization providing information for businesses and professionals.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide Recall of the Week: Nestles Toll House cookie dough

The recall of Nestles Toll House cookie dough last week is receiving a significant amount of coverage in the press.

Fortunately, no deaths have occurred, unlike some of the recalls I’ve featured on The Survive and Thrive boomer Guide blog since February.

Consumers are being warned not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7, a bacterium that causes food borne illness.

The warning is based on an ongoing epidemiological study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several state and local health departments.

Nestle said about 300,000 cases of Nestle Toll House cookie dough are affected by the recall, which includes chocolate chip dough, gingerbread, sugar, peanut butter dough, and other varieties.

For information on the varieties involved in the recall, see this list.  

If consumers have any Nestle Toll House cookie dough in their home, they should throw it away, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises. Cooking the dough, which would kill E. coli, isn’t recommended because consumers might get the bacteria on their hands and on other cooking surfaces. This contamination could cause illness.

Since March, health officials have received 66 reports of illness in 28 states. Twenty-five persons were hospitalized; seven with a severe complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

 

This map shows the states where an outbreak strain of E.coli 0157:h7 has occurred since March.

E. coli O157:H7 causes abdominal cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults can recover within a week. Young children and the elderly are at highest risk for developing the syndrome, which can lead to serious kidney damage and even death, according to the FDA.

Individuals who have recently eaten Toll House cookie dough and have experienced any of these symptoms should contact their doctor or health care provider immediately. The illnesses should be reported to state or local health authorities.

Health officials are reminding consumers not to eat raw food products that are to be cooked or baked before eating. They also should: follow directions for cooking temperatures; wash hands, surfaces, and utensils after contact with these types of products; avoid cross contamination; and refrigerate products properly.

Consumers who have questions about the Nestles Toll House cookie dough recall need to contact Nestle consumer services at 1-800-559-5025 and/or visit their Web site at www.verybestbaking.com.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How often should you clean your refrigerator?

One of the most popular articles I’ve written as a consumer journalist was about food storage.

I invited an inspector from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to examine my family’s cupboards and refrigerator. He then told me what we were doing right and what needed improvement.

My column appeared in The Spokesman (Spokane, Wash.) Review. People talked about it for months. They especially mentioned the refrigerator. I’d had some vegetables from the garden that were dried up and inedible. The newspaper held the article for several months so people thought I’d had the old vegetables in my refrigerator all winter.

Before the days of frost-free refrigerators, sorting, defrosting, and cleaning the refrigerator was a weekly event.

Now most people either sort it out weekly and wipe up the spills, let it go until company comes and more room is needed, or deal with the bad stuff when it’s spoiled.

A thorough cleaning – defined as emptying out the fridge, cleaning out the interior surfaces, removing the bins and shelves, and washing and drying them – is needed twice a month, recommends Washington State University Extension.

Doing a thorough cleaning twice a month reduces the risk of microbial contamination. The areas showing greatest levels of contamination are the fruit and vegetable bins, the bottom shelf, and the meat bin.

Recent research conducted by Tennessee State University, Kansas State University, and RTI International found that consumers don’t realize that their own refrigerators can contribute to an increased potential for food borne illness occurring in their own home.

WSU Extension also suggests that consumers buy a refrigerator thermometer to they can make sure that the temperature of the refrigerator is below 40 degrees. This prevents microorganisms from rapidly growing and multiplying.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How often should you change your bed sheets?

My daughter recently had a discussion with her friends on how often you should put clean sheets on your bed.

Some said weekly. Others said twice a month. One said she did it every so often.

My daughter suggested I blog about it.

A poll on mothering.com reported 227 readers washed their sheets as follows: weekly, 32 percent; twice a month, 30 percent; monthly, 29 percent; and other, 9 percent.

Washing your sheets once a week is good, recommends Bedding Care.com. Having a few different sets that you rotate is helpful. If you wash a set of sheets once a month, and use others the rest of the month, they last longer because the fabric has a chance to rest.

Microbiologist Zehava Eichenbaum, associate professor at Georgia State University, said a normal family should change sheets once a week. Eichenbaum did tests in an Atlanta, Ga., home for the CNN article “How to Germ-Proof Your Home, Without Going Overboard."

If anyone in the family has allergies, wash your sheets at least once a week. Family Doctor.org recommends using 130-degree to 140-degree water to get rid of dust mites.

If you sleep in the nude, you should change your sheets twice a week, recommends Michael Breus, Ph.D., sleep specialist, in the WebMD video “How Often to Change Your Bed Sheets." Breus also suggests buying two mattress pads and washing one of them weekly, too.

If someone in the family has H1N1 flu, referred to as “swine flu” when it first appeared, people should avoid “hugging” laundry prior to washing it to prevent contaminating themselves, the Centers for Disease Control recommends. They should wash their hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub immediately after handling dirty laundry.

This recommendation also should be followed if anyone in the family has Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, local health departments recommend.

In an article, “How to Treat Your Sheets,” Bedding Care.com recommends using only non-chlorine bleach on colored sheets, and bleaching white sheets only when strictly necessary as bleach weakens fibers.

A natural way to brighten whites is by adding ¼ cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle, washing in warm water, then tumble-drying or sun drying to increase the effect.

My next post will be on “How Often Should You Clean Your Refrigerator?”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Tell makers of household cleaners you want to know what’s in the cleaners you use

Household cleaner manufacturing giants want to keep secret the chemical ingredients in their products and the health risks they pose.

But you can take action to let these corporations know you want the truth.

Tell them consumers need a full list of ingredients and disclosure of their impacts to health. Armed with this information, consumers can make safe choices about what products to bring into their homes.

Tell Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight, and Reckitt-Benckiser to follow the law requiring them to disclose the chemical ingredients in their products and the health problems they cause.

Earthjustice, a public interest law firm that works to protect the environment, offers an Action Alert you can use to send an e-mail to these corporations to let them know you want action on cleaning ingredient labeling.

Take action on this important issue today.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist