Save money, get healthy
The economy’s taken a nosedive and you’re wondering how you can feed your family nutritious foods since healthful foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables tend to cost more than less–healthy convenience foods. In fact, a 2007 study from the University of Washington found that fruits and veggies cost more per calorie than junk, and prices of nutritious foods have risen much faster than those of unhealthy foods. Before you give in and load up on junk food, try these money–saving tips for eating healthy:
• Be a smart produce–shopper. Buy frozen or canned fruits and vegetables in bulk when they’re on sale. And when your favorite fruits and vegetables are in season—and cheaper—freeze them so you can enjoy them throughout the year.
• Think carefully about organic foods. While they may not contain hormones, antibiotics or pesticides, they’re pricey and there’s no scientific proof that they offer you and your family any more nutritional benefits than nonorganic foods.
• Forgo trendy eats. Pricey pomegranates and costly açai berries, while rich in antioxidants and vitamins, can easily be substituted with less–expensive options that pack just as much nutritional punch. Try blueberries, plums and blackberries.
• Buy the basics. Keep fiber–rich staples like beans, brown rice, pasta, oatmeal and barley on hand and use them to make vegetarian casseroles or stews to save on more expensive meats.
• Dilute the juice. One–hundred–percent juice can be watered down to save you calories and make the bottle last longer.


Menthol cigarettes more addictive
Finding it hard to kick that menthol cigarette habit? Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey say these cigarettes are tougher to quit, especially for African–American and Latino smokers. The researchers followed almost 1,700 smokers attending a quit–smoking clinic. Overall, 46 percent of the smokers lit up with menthol cigarettes. However, menthol cigarettes were the cigarette of choice among more than 80 percent of African–Americans and 66 percent of Latinos. At a four–week followup, quit–rates among all menthol smokers were lower than among those who didn’t smoke menthol cigarettes. But success rates for menthol–smoking African–Americans and Latinos were about half that of non–menthol–smoking members of the same ethnicity. Previous research has found that people who smoke menthols may smoke fewer cigarettes overall, but they inhale more nicotine and carbon monoxide per cigarette. This may lead to a stronger addiction and a harder time quitting, as well as more health problems. In fact, experts say this may be why African–Americans in particular have higher rates of lung cancer. What makes menthol so harmful? Researchers think it could be the ingredient’s cooling effect, which hides the harshness of tobacco as smokers inhale more.

Physical fitness goes down the tube
Do your daughter a favor: Tear her away from the TV, Internet and cell phone. It may be one of the best things you can do for her heart. A study from the University of Sydney in Australia found that girls in 8^th and 10^th grade who spent more than two hours a day in front of a screen were less likely to be physically fit. This falls in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations that children get less than two hours a day of recreational screen time. Playing video games and engaging in other small–screen diversions didn’t seem to affect older teen boys’ physical fitness, possibly because their growth spurts may help them maintain muscle mass and physical fitness, say the researchers. Boys are also more likely to play sports. More than 2,700 6^th, 8^th and 10^th–graders were involved in the study.


Weight–loss products cited by FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning about nearly 70 weight–loss products, including Imelda Perfect Slim, ProSlim Plus and 8 Factor Diet because they contain additional active ingredients—not listed on the label—which can cause serious health problems. Although many of the products claim to contain only “natural” or “herbal” ingredients, investigators found they were tainted with other substances such as unapproved drugs, antiseizure medications and even a cancer–causing solution. These ingredients may cause high blood pressure, seizures, heart palpitations, heart attack or stroke and may interact with other medications. The FDA urges consumers who have used any of these products to stop taking them and consult a doctor.