Eye catching

Have you ever noticed how many advertisements are out there.  The list is endless. Huge billboards tower over freeways and line neighborhood streets. It seems impossible to escape commercials nowadays. They seem harmless but some of the messages that are promoted can cause harm.  Most lower income neighborhoods are saturated with fast food and beverage advertisements.

 Living in a community where healthy food is not only inaccessible but under advertised causes an unhealthy diet.  I believe our government should promote healthier options as much as they allow large corporations to promote there products.  This way the market is still free but we have a political figures promoting our well being instead of a cartoon telling us how cheesy it really is.  Also it is the companies duty to create products that better our life's not shorten them.

Think smart when shopping,

Yohan Callen

Choose your fine!

OK, readers I know that I have thrown some curve balls at you in the past but I promise what I am about to say is oh so real. The mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg has proposed a soda law that would prohibit businesses from selling drinks over 16 ounces in size. That’s all good but check this: Governor Andrew Cuomo also proposed a new bill that would lower the penalty for those caught in possession of an ounce of marijuana.  And of course, the the media has got hold of this interesting conundrum.  New York Times,  Huffington Post, even Jon Stewart have been discussing the fact that   if both of these bills are passed, soda beverages 16oz and higher will be subject to a $200 penalty while all drug transactions 25 grams and under if caught walk away with a $100.  Honestly, this sounds pretty fair to me, seeing how the majority of humanity drinks soda and such a small percent take part in recreational pot smoking.  This plan, if voted yes will be a great step forward to a healthier America.   The mere comparison alone in the media should be eye opening to the public.  Have we lost our self control?  Do we really need legislature to tell us to be healthy? I think not but the government thinks so.  If we had taken charge of our bodies from the start there would be no fines. Fines = lack of responsibility. People are fined for parking in the red, running a stop sign and coming, soon drinking and selling sodas over 16oz. I love it!!!!!

Drink water, there's no fine!

Yohan Callen

Eat this not that!: Corner Store Ettiquete

Is the healthy choice always the easy choice?  Not usually, but its hard to be decisive when you are hungry and there are so many flashy goodies in our faces.  Here's a list of better options when you only have a couple of dollars and a corner store is your only place to grab a bite.  

1.       1. You want chips and you are going for a big bag of Lays.  Instead, give the Baked Lays a try! You’ll save calories and fats by choosing baked over regular potato chips.  And you still get that crunch!

2.      2. You want a something sweet and so you are thinking about a big Arizona Fruit punch.  Grab a Tropicana 100% fresh squeezed orange juice.  I know I know , you don’t get nearly as much in quantity, but your body will thank you.  Pure juices (no additives) in general can help hydrate your body, keeping you mentally and physically energetic.  The sugars that are packed into Arizona and other fruit ‘juice’ options actually dehydrate us. 

3.      3.    You know how he slogan says, “Hungry? Grab a Snickers” We say, “Hungry? Grab a Cliff Bar or an Odwalla Bar” They’re sold at most corner stores, and give you protein, fiber, and some deliciousness too!  Our favorite is Cool Mint Chocolate, one of the lowest sugar flavors too!

4.       4.  It’s 3:30 and you’re craving  a bag of pork rinds, or maybe pretzels.  You have that itch for salt, I know….we recommend buying the smaller bag of salted cashews or almonds.  (Stay away from the flavored nuts, especially those 99 cent bags of flavored peanuts from Planters or Mr. Peanut. 

5.       5.  Crackers, there are so many to choose from.  Saltines, Cheez-Its, the list goes on.  How about grabbing a bag of whole wheat Pepperidge Farms Goldfish crackers?  They satisfy that need for crunch but also have the whole grains our body needs!

Yes we know, it’s not easy to always choose healthy…but your body will love you for it!