New Delhi: Prunes are dried plums and possess numerous health benefits. They are packed with minerals and vitamins that contribute to good health.

Prunes are high in fiber, which helps prevent hemorrhoids brought on by constipation a common problem in older adults.

To help you make better, healthier choices, nutritionist Rohini Saran tells us more about this fruit as she debunks some myths around prunes.

Myth: All plum varieties can be dried and made into high-quality prunes.

Fact: There are a variety of plums and while some sources report that any plum may be used to make prunes, Del Monte - a manufacturer and marketer of processed foods, primarily canned vegetables, fruit and tomato products says it ensures that its product are high quality prunes by using special high-sugar plum varieties with optimal qualities needed to produce a good prune.

Myth: Its good for older men and women.

Fact: Prunes are packed with various vitamins and minerals like vitamins A (beta carotene), K, potassium and dietary fibre with added benefits of antioxidants. It can be consumed by both children and adults of all ages. Research suggests that eating a daily recommended dose of 100g or 10-12 prunes may be useful in digestive, bone and dental health in adult men and women. They can be eaten as a simple dried fruit snack or used in a variety of recipes, including salads, entrees, jams and desserts.

Myth: Prunes can only be eaten in winters.

Fact: Prunes can be eaten all through the year. In fact, it should be consumed daily in moderation to keep the gut happy. Prunes act as a great snack that help you curb your desire to binge eat.

Myth: Prunes are not good for people with diabetes.

Fact: Unprocessed, unsweetened prunes have a relatively low glycemic index and high dietary fiber content. Even though prunes are a good source of energy, they do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. However, for diabetics moderation is the key and excessive consumption should be avoided.

Myth: Dried plums (prunes) cause diarrhoea.

Fact: Prunes are known for their natural laxative benefits and help to maintain regular bowel movements. They are a natural remedy for constipation. Prunes consumed in moderation can be safely eaten and included in your diet in the long term.

So, keep a pack prunes handy for a power packed day. You can have them early morning to kick start your day or have it in the evening as an instant snack when feeling drained out.

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Prunes: Health benefits, myths and facts - Zee News

A Florida man told police that his dog shot his sleeping girlfriend.

I believe it.

Normally, Im skeptical of elaborate explanations of seemingly simple events.

The undisputed facts seem clear: Brian Murphy, 25, was sharing a Jacksonville house with his girlfriend, Summer Miracle, who while sleeping in their bed late one night last month, woke up with a burning sensation in her right leg, which turned out to be a bullet wound.

Its Murphys gun. There are no intruders or other people to blame.

Ergo: Murphy must have shot his girlfriend.

Not so fast. Theres another mammal to account for in the house: Murphys dog, Diesel.

Am I saying that the dog shot the woman? Absolutely.

This is Florida.

As a student of dog-perp shootings in Florida, Ive already placed the shooting of Summer Miracle on my blotter of Fido firearm carnage.

Lets see, theres Jerry Allen Bradford, the Pensacola man who was shot in the wrist with his own gun 13 years ago by a German shepherd puppy he was holding in his other hand. Then theres a Lee County woman who was shot six years later by another dog that reached for her gun.

Two other Florida men Billy E. Brown, in Pasco County, and Gregory Dale Lanier, in Highlands County were both shot by their dogs in 2011 and 2013.

In both cases, the men were driving pickup trucks with loaded weapons on the seats, and their dogs simply walked on the trigger of the guns, shooting both men in their legs.

So it happens. Weve got lots of guns and lots of er, well Whats the kind word here? Floridians.

Which is why I believe Murphys explanation to police; That after taking Diesel for a late-night walk, the dog bounded into the bedroom, and got its paws on the loaded handgun on the beds nightstand. A round went off and it struck his girlfreind.

Perfectly plausible for Florida. And thats not just me talking.

Two years ago, The Washington Post did a survey of shootings committed by dogs. It turns out that about once a year, a dog in America will shoot a person. According the newspapers data, the four aggravating factors for predicting dog-perp gun violence are:

(a) happened while hunting (b) happened in car (c) happened in boat, and (d) happened in Florida.

Florida appears to be home to several more of these accidents, the story pointed out.

Yeah, and theres no telling how many times it was never reported because the dog shot and missed, or the human victim was too embarrassed to phone it into 911.

Yeah, my dog shot me. No, Im not kidding My dog. Yes, my dog. Whats so funny? No, I wont say it again for the speaker phone. Never mind.

So I have a simple regulatory fix.

The courts have finally ruled that Florida legislators cannot write laws that prohibit pediatricians from asking their patients whether they have guns in their homes, and if so, whether those firearms are safely stored out of the reach of children.

State lawmakers, with a lot of cheerleading from the NRA, had passed a law, now deemed unconstitutional, that made it illegal for doctors to ask their patients about guns and the potential safety hazards they might pose on themselves or their children.

The First Amendment ensures that doctors cannot be threatened with state punishment for speech even if it goes beyond diagnosis and treatment, said last months 10-1 opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta.

Could a state legislature prevent a doctor from explaining the risks or benefits of a vegan diet? Or prevent a doctor from explaining the risks or benefits of playing football? the court asked. This type of thought experiment should give us pause.

With the Florida Legislature properly castigated in this so-called Docs vs. Glocks case, its time for Floridas veterinarians to take the next step.

Yes, a Rovers vs. Revolvers or maybe Canine v. Tec 9 bill that encourages Florida veterinarians to advise the owners of their furry patients about the potential dangers posed by dogs and guns.

Any questions? Just ask Ryan Murphy and his wounded girlfriend.

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Cerabino: Doggone it. It's happened again in Florida. Fido's got a gun! - MyPalmBeachPost

Eating an "inflammatory diet" as a teen may increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, a new study suggests.

Researchers studied women who, as high schoolers, had consumed diets thought to increase levels ofinflammation in the body. Results showed that these women were more likely to develop breast cancer as adults prior to menopause, compared with women who ate a different type of diet as high schoolers.

Women who consumed inflammatory diets during their 20s, 30 and 40s were also at increased risk ofbreast cancerbefore menopause.

An inflammatory diet is one that's low in vegetables and high in sugar-sweetened and diet soft drinks, refined sugars and carbohydrates, red and processed meats, and margarine, said study researcher Karin B. Michels, an epidemiology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health. Consuming these foods has been linked to higher levels of markers of inflammation in the body, Michels said.

"Our results suggest that a habitual diet that promotes chronic inflammation when consumed during adolescence or early adulthood may indeed increase the risk of breast cancer in younger women before menopause," Michelssaid in a statement.

Many factors affect a woman's risk of breast cancer, including her genetic predisposition to the disease, as well as other demographic and lifestyle factors. The new study suggests that an inflammatory diet may be another factor that affects women's risk of the disease, Michels said.

For the study, the researchers analyzed information from more than 45,000 female nurses who began the study when they were ages 27 to 44, and were followed for 22 years. Every four years, the women answered questions about their current diets. In addition, when they were ages 33 to 52, they were asked to complete a survey about the types of food they ate in high school.

The researchers gave each woman's diet an "inflammatory score," with higher scores indicating diets that, in previous studies, have been linked with higher levels of inflammation in the body.

Women were then divided into five groups based on the inflammatory scores for their high school diets. Those in the group with the highest score were 35 percent more likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer, compared with those in the group with the lowest score.

The researchers also performed a similar analysis using the women's inflammatory scores for their diets in adulthood (when the women were ages 27 to 44). This analysis found that those women with the highest scores were 41 percent more likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer, compared to those with the lowest scores.

The researchers did not find a link between an inflammatory diet and the risk of breast cancer after menopause.

It's important to note that the study found only an association between an inflammatory diet and the risk of breast cancer, and cannot prove that this type of diet caused the women's breast cancer. In addition, the study asked women to recall the diets they ate in high school, and some people may not have remembered their diets very well, which could affect the results, the researchers said.

The study was published March 1 in the journal Cancer Research.

Original article onLive Science.

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How your teen's diet could affect her breast cancer risk - Fox News

Mayor Ed Murrays tax would exempt diet drinks, and data show it could place a heavier burden on the people the tax is supposed to help. The tax would apply only to sugary beverages, and for a 2-liter bottle of Coke, it could add $1.35 to the cost.

Mayor Ed Murrays proposed tax on sodas exempts one kind of soft drink more typically favored by an affluent, educated and white population in Seattle and beyond: diet drinks.

The 2-cents-an-ounce tax would apply only to sugary beverages, such as regular sodas, energy and sports drinks, and bottled teas and coffee that are sweetened with sugar. For a 2-liter bottle of Coke, the tax could add $1.35 to the cost.

Money raised estimated at $16 million per year would be used to support various programs aimed at reducing disparities between white students and black and Latino students.

But this proposed tax could also place a heavier burden on the very groups its aiming to help.

Market data show significant racial and ethnic differences in patterns of consumption between sugar-laden beverages and their artificially sweetened counterparts.

When surveyed by research firm Nielsen Scarborough, 70 percent of Latinos and 66 percent of blacks in the Seattle area said theyd consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink in the past seven days, compared with just 54 percent of whites and 56 percent of Asians. This disparity is consistent with national data.

Regular consumers of sugary drinks are also poorer and have lower levels of education, on average.

But diet drinkers have a very different demographic profile.

Asians and whites consume artificially sweetened beverages at a slightly higher rate than blacks or Latinos.

Adults who regularly drink sugar-free sodas are more likely to have a college or graduate degree, and theyre also a lot wealthier. In the Seattle area, they have a median household income more than $10,000 higher than that of folks who favor sugary drinks.

The survey data also showed the Seattle metro area ranks very low for the rate of consumption of sugary drinks 75 out of 77 markets.

According to Benton Strong, a spokesperson for the mayor, the proposed tax is intended to have a public-health benefit. Sugar-laden drinks have been identified as a major cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes, so the tax could act as a deterrent.

But if the assumption is that diet drinks are a healthier choice, the evidence increasingly suggests they are not.

Many researchers now say that drinking diet soda does not help with weight loss, and could in fact contribute to obesity and type 2 diabetes, just like regular sodas. There are more questions than answers regarding the long-term effects of consuming these artificial sweeteners, but there is enough concern for the Harvard School of Public Health to conclude: Diet soda may not be a healthy substitute for sugary soda.

In January, a soda tax similar to the one proposed for Seattle went into effect in Philadelphia the first in a major U.S. city. But there are a couple important differences.

Philadelphias tax is a little lower, at 1.5 cents per ounce, but it is also broader, applying to both sugary and diet soft drinks. The approach spreads the burden more evenly among racial and income groups.

According to Strong, the city will analyze the proposed taxs impact on racial equity before releasing the final plan.

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No soda tax for diet drinkers? Seattle's plan excludes drinks favored by rich and white - The Seattle Times

Home Harvard Health Blog Sharpen your cooking skills and improve your diet (and even your social life) - Harvard Health Blog Posted March 03, 2017, 8:15 am

When I was in college, my cooking skills were limited to a giant skillet of Tuna Helper. Meals were chosen by how quick and how cheap. Nutrition? Never heard of it.

My outlook on cooking has changed since those days, and I now realize that despite my still limited culinary know-how, in the kitchen I have all the tools to transform my health.

Cooking is easier than people think, says Dr. David Eisenberg of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It is more fun and cheaper than eating out. And no matter your ability, anyone can learn to do it.

The more you cook for yourself, the healthier you live. It is that simple. People who frequently cook dinner at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less, according to a study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition. The findings also suggest those who frequently cook at home (six to seven nights a week) also consume fewer calories on the occasions when they do eat out.

Cooking also expands your intake of healthy foods. For instance, people who live alone who are less likely to cook on a regular basis often have diets that lack core food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, and fish, according to a review of 41 studies published in Nutrition Reviews.

You dont need to be a contestant on Top Chef to improve your cooking. Instead of learning individual recipes, you need to learn techniques, says Dr. Eisenberg. This way, you can master a few basic staples and have the recipe for making all kinds of meals. Here are some basic skills he says people should learn:

In-person guidance is always better than learning from videos, says Dr. Eisenberg: You need someone in the kitchen to hold your hand, give you direction, and walk you through the process. Here is where you can find that kind of guidance:

Your new and improved cooking skills can heat up your social life. You may form a closer bond with your partner as you both become more involved with meal preparation, and you may be motivated to invite others to share a meal you cooked yourself.

You also might discover cooking can be a relaxing and liberating activity. People find personal satisfaction in cooking, or come to view the experience as a way to tap into their creativity, says Dr. Eisenberg. Cooking no longer becomes a chore, but something that gives them great pleasure. And you dont even need Tuna Helper.

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Sharpen your cooking skills and improve your diet (and even your social life) - Harvard Health (blog)

He's beefing up big time for his upcoming match against Kevin Owens.

Photo: Getty Images

In an interview with GQ, professional wrestlinglegend Bill Goldberg revealed just how much food he's been packing down to prepare for his WWE Fastlane match against Kevin Owens this Sunday, andho-ly shit.

The 50-year-old fitness freak told the mag that he's always had a fast metabolism, and because he hasn't stepped into the WWE's ring since Armageddon 2003, he had just six weeks after signing his contract to make up for 12 years of losing weight.

Fox Sports pulled all of the mentions of food to show his daily meal regimen. Check it out below:

The first breakfast I had today, I had six servings of oatmeal, 20 blueberries, and a couple tablespoons of honey on it. Then I trained.

Afterwards, I had twelve eggs with two yolks, six pieces of bacon, four pieces of gluten-free toast with avocado. Then a shake.

After that I had two gluten-free pizzas with loads and loads of hamburger meat for protein on top of it. Then another shake.

My son and I are about to go to Muay Thai, but on the way were going to have some pho. Some soup and noodles, some shrimp.

Then Ill do some training at Muay Thai and on the way home well get some pho again for dinner, because the wife hasnt eaten it yet today.

Then Ill do the family thing, and then Ill eat again. I dont know what Ill have this evening. Probably I dont know. I do this meal service called Regiment Meals, and theyve helped me out tremendously because one of the biggest issues is food preparation.

Tonight, Ill probably do some beef tips and sweet potato fries and an avocado and probably another shake. Then Ill go workout again, and Ill have another shake after that, and Ill do my cheat, which is popcorn.

He claims his food intake at least doubled following the deal, and for his sake we hope that's true, becauseeating just half this amount of food would be a ridiculous feat.

While it's not quite as crazy as the literal ten pounds of food GOT's "The Mountain" shovels into his mouth, we still don't recommend trying to take on this Herculean amount of sustenance at home.

h/t: New York Post

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Wrestling Legend Goldberg's Insane Daily Diet Might Make You Hurl - Maxim

How can an eating pattern that came about decades ago in the rural areas of the Mediterranean possibly be the diet of the future? Well, today it is no secret that the Mediterranean diet is the gold standard of diets. Not only because it has years of research supporting it, but also because it is an eating pattern that tastes really good. The new, updated U.S. Nutrition Guidelines recommended it as a healthy eating pattern, a few days ago a report by prominent physicians and researchers also recommended the Mediterranean diet as the ideal diet for prevention of cardiovascular disease. The diet is the most researched diet that exists and is also considered a sustainable diet. The Mediterranean diet has been presented as a model and example for a sustainable diet by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

But somehow, even though we know this diet is good for our health, taste buds and the environment, people are not following it as would be expected. And even more so in Mediterranean countries such Italy, Spain and Greece where the diet originated. Why and what can be done about this? This is the question that a group of highly esteemed experts from around the globe gathered to answer. And what better place to discuss the renaissance of the Mediterranean diet than the Vatican?

The Food Values Conference "The Renaissance of the Mediterranean diet and significance for a 21st century world" took place in the Casina Pio IV inside the Vatican City, presented with the gracious hospitality of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Conference speakers and guests included individuals from different backgrounds including researchers, media, health professionals and culinary professionals to look at the importance of the Mediterranean diet in the 21st century and the value we place on food.

The stage was set by Dr. David L. Katz director of the Prevention Center at Yale University and president of The True Health Initiative, who stressed the importance of prevention indicating that surveys have shown that 80% of premature deaths are due to diet, smoking and lack of physical activity. But he also discussed the problems with adherence to a healthy diet, adding that knowledge is not power when it comes to diet. Dr. Francesco So from the University of Florence and co-organizer of the conference discussed the importance of adherence, providing information to the public in the right way that resonates, but also learning from the past and identifying what is Mediterranean and what is not. Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou, professor and chairman of the Hellenic Health Foundation described what the traditional Mediterranean diet was, a diet that manifested through festivals and celebrations and the fact that it is not just a diet but a lifestyle. She stressed the need for greater exposure of the Mediterranean diet at a younger age, as today more and more young people particularly from the Mediterranean region are not following the diet of their forefathers.

Greg Drescher, vice president of strategic initiatives and industry leadership at The Culinary Institute of America stressed that in order to achieve a renaissance of the Mediterranean diet there needs to be more excellence in the growing, processing and preparation of the plant based core. Sara Baer-Sinnott, director of the non-profit organization Oldways, which created the first Mediterranean diet pyramid, pointed out that top consumer trends for 2017 include authenticity and healthy living, making this conference and the Mediterranean diet a timely discussion. She talked about common misconceptions of the diet providing evidence that it is affordable, but also easy to follow. The final presenter Simon Poole, physician, author and co-organizer of the conference said that it is necessary to look back to the value we place in our diet, redefining our relationship with the food which in turn will result in a reduction of chronic disease in the population. In closing, he presented three urgent issues that need to be addressed:

1. Government. Policy Makers must consider the nutritional, cultural, social and contextual value of food in respect to all policies, legislating to actively promote a more sustainable and healthy environment.

2. Education. Food Illiteracy is endemic in many parts of the world and education is key to improving skills in preparing food and ensuring a better understanding of its value and its role in health and well-being.

3. Industry. Those making a profit from producing food must have a greater regard to their responsibility of the impact of their products and marketing on the health of consumers.

Elena Paravantes is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Food Writer and a Mediterranean Diet Expert.

For more information, inspiration, tips and recipes on the Mediterranean Diet and Greek Food visit: OliveTomato.com

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Mediterranean Diet, The Diet Of The 21st Century? - Huffington Post

A poor diet while young may do more than just make it tough to fit into a pair of jeans: New research suggests it might also raise a younger woman's risk for breast cancer.

"A diet high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and red and processed meat makes it more likely that you may experience early onset breast cancer," said study senior author Karin Michels. She is chair of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, in Los Angeles.

An unhealthy diet appeared to increase that risk by more than one-third, but the findings can't prove cause-and-effect, Michels said. "We are talking about a link or association," she noted.

The study tracked data from more than 45,000 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II. All of the women completed food frequency questionnaires about their teen and early adult diets, and were followed up for 22 years.

The researchers assigned the diets an inflammatory score, based on a method that links diet with established inflammatory markers in the blood. Eating a high-sugar, refined carbohydrate diet has been linked to higher levels of inflammatory markers in the blood, Michels explained.

RELATED: Many Breast Cancer Survivors Don't Get Life-Extending Therapy

Compared to the women with diets with a low inflammatory score, those in the highest of five groups during their teen years had a 35 percent higher risk of breast cancer before menopause, Michels and colleagues found.

And those in the highest inflammatory group during their early adult years had a 41 percent higher risk.

However, the inflammatory score was not linked with overall breast cancer incidence or with breast cancer occurring after menopause, the researchers found.

During the follow-up period, 870 of the women who finished the high school diet questionnaire were diagnosed with premenopausal breast cancer, and 490 were diagnosed with postmenopausal breast cancer.

The researchers can't explain why inflammation may drive up the risk. And while the main components of the inflammatory diet were foods that aren't surprising (such as white bread, hamburgers and pasta), the list also included lesser amounts of certain vegetables, such as celery, green pepper, mushrooms, eggplant and fish.

That finding deserves future study, Michels said.

The study also has limitations, the authors said, including the possibility of error in remembering a high school diet when the women were in their 30s and older.

Leslie Bernstein is a professor in the division of biomarkers for early detection and prevention at the Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. She was not involved in the study but reviewed the new findings and said, "It's a modest increase in risk."

Bernstein agreed that the mechanism for why inflammation may drive up risk is not fully understood by experts.

What advice would she offer women?

"Same thing I would tell them before this was written," Bernstein said. "Eat a diet that is healthy -- more chicken and fish than red meat, complex carbohydrates, eat a lot of vegetables, eat fruit and don't drink sugary drinks.''

The study was published March 1 in the journalCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

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Bad Diet in Youth Might Raise Risk of Early Breast Cancer - Everyday Health (blog)

Good governance is about as sexy a topic as a high-fiber diet, eight daily glasses of water, and regular exercise.

But, just as those three things are important to your physical well-being, responsible administration is crucial to the health of the body politic. It help keeps state finances regular.

Evan-Amos | Vanamo Media

Last week saw an excellent in-depth article in the pages of this paper exploring Maines cash pool. While the intricacies of state finance arent the most titillating subject, having the Maine bank account in the black saves all of us money. If it goes red, the state treasurer has to borrow funds with interest to make sure the checks dont bounce.

From 2008 through 2015, Maine taxpayers werent so lucky. The General Fund kept spending dollars that hadnt yet been collected. So we kept borrowing for short periods of time, paying interest. Of course, we also found interest-free financing not paying Maine hospitals the bill run up by government programs, for instance. Not particularly responsible.

Yet, like an aircraft carrier, Maines finances have finally turned around; it just took time. We arent reading headlines about the need for tens of millions in emergency funding to carry our safety-net programs to June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Instead, we can make policy free from crisis.

Thats important. Every two years in Augusta, the largest policy document enacted by the Legislature is the states biennial budget. For over a decade, it jumped from shortfall to shortfall, with the structural gap the amount required to be spent under existing law versus the amount forecast to be collected from taxpayers in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Gov. John Baldaccis tenure was in near-perpetual budgetary crisis, in large part due to the $1 billion structural gap he inherited from his predecessor, Angus King.

Damir Sagolj | Reuters

As we continue through the final two years of the LePage administration, there is an opportunity to take a longer-term view with the budget. Thats good; there are many large questions facing our state, the answers to which will likely chart the course of Maines future.

There will be a significant debate about what our tax code should look like. Question 2 and its tax increase giving us the second highest marginal rate in the nation, behind only California is likely to come under question. It eked out passage in November by approximately 9,500 votes; it won in Portland by over 11,000. Not exactly a resounding statewide mandate.

The other half of Question 2 school funding is likely to be a subject of debate as well. LePage proposes spending all state funds directly in the classroom, giving municipalities responsibility for administration. The administration proposes innovation grants to encourage, rather than mandate, collaborative regional solutions. Without a pending crisis in benefit programs, we can explore these reforms and resource them.

Of course, there will also be debates around our safety-net programs. Charges are already being levied that the changes previously made to public benefits went too far. The Department of Health and Human Services proposes refocusing more dollars on elderly and disabled Mainers, further reducing eligibility for those able-bodied adults without children. Regardless of your position on those issues, we now have a chance to make clear-headed decisions; we arent looking for $70 million to bail out already-promised cost overruns.

And as we try to find the appropriate places to spend tax dollars, other programs can be looked at on their merits, rather than as a source of easy money to solve an immediate problem. With a new governor taking office in 2019, the rumors of potential candidates have begun to swirl and the potential field is large. If everyone rumored jumps into their respective primary battles, we could have 15 candidates on the ballot next June. Under the so-called Clean Election Act, they would each be eligible for up to $1 million in their primary race. Are political campaigns the best use for $15 million from the public treasury? We dont have a massive hole to fill, so we can decide that on its own merits.

State finances are boring, but they impact policy every step of the way. And regardless of what you might think about the governor or his policies, he has led Maine to a position where we can have those debates free from a budgetary Sword of Damocles.

So the reward for good governance? Knock-down, drag-out fights over ideas instead of dollars. In politics today, well call that progress.

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Like a high-fiber diet, good governance keeps Maine's finances regular - Bangor Daily News