All posts tagged "Wellness"

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Mateo County recently became the first county in the country to recognize loneliness as a public health emergency. The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to approve a resolution introduced by Supervisor David Canepa declaring loneliness a health emergency. In the resolution, Canepa outlined several strategies to address loneliness. These include strengthening social infrastructure, implementing pro-connection public policies, mobilizing the health sector, conducting research to deepen knowledge, reforming online environments and fostering a culture o......

A Kansas judge blocked a series of abortion restrictions Monday, a decision further elevating the state’s standing as a crucial regional access point for individuals seeking to end their pregnancies. Johnson County District Court Judge Christopher Jayaram issued a temporary injunction stopping officials from enforcing a 24-hour waiting period for abortions. He also halted enforcement of rules mandating abortion providers, without evidence, post information in clinics and online warning abortions can increase risk of breast cancer and premature birth in future pregnancies. The injunction puts d......

Bill W. asks, “Is drinking many of our fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds in a smoothie as healthy and nutritious as eating them?” Surprisingly, even though the whole food we pop into the blender may have the same nutrients as the liquid smoothie, how those nutrients are absorbed can be affected by their form and structure. A 2019 paper published in the journal Food & Function describes how researchers tested the digestibility of three different forms of foods (solid, semisolid and liquid) that were identical in nutrient content. Then they measured how the varied forms of food affected appetit......

CHICAGO — The 15-year-old Smoke-Free Illinois Act, which makes most indoor public spaces off-limits for smoking, now governs electronic cigarettes as well after Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed into law a measure that was approved with bipartisan support in the spring legislative session. “Illinoisans deserve to enjoy public spaces without being exposed unwillingly to secondhand vapor and other electronic cigarettes byproducts,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Now, e-cigarettes and vapes will qualify under existing anti-smoking laws, reducing air pollution and making a more accessible, healt......

WASHINGTON -- A glass sat in front of Sen. Roger Marshall in a Senate hearing on food policy this February. On the outside, an etching of the Kansas State University mascot. On the inside, whole milk. “Let me clear my voice here for a second with a glass of whole milk,” Marshall said, before taking a sip. “The greatest drink known to mankind, known to humankind.” It wasn’t the first time that the Kansas Republican performatively drank milk in a meeting of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He did the same in a December subcommittee meeting, though that time from a sma......

Beta glucan, guar gum, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. What would you do if saw these listed on a food ingredient label? If you are of the mind not to buy any food with ingredients you cannot pronounce, you may be surprised that these ingredients are included in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration definition of dietary fiber. What is dietary fiber exactly? That’s not an easy question apparently. According to the International Food Information Council (IFIC), scientists around the world have not landed on a singular definition. They do agree on a few things, however. Dietary fiber is only found......