From Men’s Health Magazine

A cheeseburger is a thing of beauty. But from an aesthetic and health viewpoint, sushi is possibly a nearly perfect food. “it is very attractive and very tasty—plus it is in a neatly controlled package,” says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

More important, these finger foods are nutritional smart-bombs—with potassium and iron in the seaweed,
fiber in the vegetables, and omega –3 fatty acids and protein in the fish, Plus, sushi has a low calorie count – about 200 for five pieces.

You can get all of this without dropping a couple of bills at a sushi joint. Just buy some sushi ingredients and call some friends. “Let people make their own,” says Jonathan Silverman, editor of Sushi. The seaweed wrapper (nori) can be found at high-end grocery stores. For the fish, visit a good supermarket or a fish monger, and ask for sushi grade fish. If they stare at you like a grouper, go elsewhere. The flesh should bounce back when pressed with you finger, and it should smell of seaweed, but not strongly of fish, says Silverman.

Ralph Pfremmer,

Pumpkin Head: Scare Off Disease—

Pumpkins are everywhere, and you’re thinking about how you can use them to scare your classmates. You think how wonderfully they can boost your health. Pumpkin is high in antioxidants and beta-carotene—known heart disease and cancer’ fighters. It is also low in calories and full of fiber. Don t wait for Thanksgiving pie; try this soup, from the pumpkinnook.com.

13 ¾ oz fat free chicken broth
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. pepper
16 oz canned pumpkin
2 c evaporated fat-free milk
¼ c low –fat sour cream
4 tsp. bacon bits (optional)

In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, onions, carrots, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the carrots are soft. Then put all in the food processor and blend., Add the canned pumpkin and evaporated milk, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream and bacon bits, if desired.

Per serving 125 calories, 8 grams (g) protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fat (11% of calories). 1 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, and 372 milligrams sodium.

Don't Refill Those Water Bottles!

It is not a good idea to reuse disposable water bottles because dangerous bacteria and potentially toxic plastic compounds have been found in them, according to research conducted in the United States and Canada.

Researchers in Calgary, Alberta, found bacteria in bottles used by students "that would prompt health officials to issue boil-water advisories if the samples had come from tap water," the Canadian Press news service reported.

University of Calgary researchers discovered bacteria in approximately one-third of samples collected from a Calgary elementary school, with some samples showing evidence of fecal coliforms.

"If a town water supply had fecal coliforms in it, it would have be shut down," commented professor Cathy Ryan, who led the study.

Washing Won't Solve The Problem

A separate study conducted in the United States seemed to suggest that washing the bottles thouroughly to kill bacteria could cause other probvlems. According to research conducted at the University of Idaho, repeated cleaning can cause toxic chemicals to migrate from the bottles into the liquid contents.

"The fact is, a lot of these compounds have not really been studied in terms of their human health effects," said University professor Margaret Von Braun.

Single-use water bottles are typically made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which can break down over time. One contaminant that appears regularly in reused water bottles was DEHA (di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate), a suspected human carcinogen that is known to cause weight loss and liver and reproductive problems if consumed in high quantities.