OK, so this is a bit of a derivation from my normal posts, but I had to share with you this amazing new site that is circulating among my legal groups.  Say ‘hello’ to Alltop.  Alltop packages the top feeds in a variety of categories and presents them to you as a sort of “table of contents.”  Categories include “Law,” “Health” and “Photography.”  These are all subjects near and dear to my heart and might be of interest to you too!  If not, there are a whole lot more categories where those come from, so go and check it out already!

It seems that the answer could be ‘yes’ or ‘no.’  Some fruits - like bananas - lose their nutritional value the longer you keep them around.  Others - like dark plums - seems to get a little bit more nutritious with age.

Either way, get your 4 servings of fruit every day.  And if those bananas start looking a little less nutritious, you can always make banana bread.

Source: RealAge.com

There are a few things that I believe have contributed to my weight loss so far. One new habit is planning out my meals for the whole week. By deciding in advance what I will eat everyday during the week I am able to make smart choices from the start. I can guarantee that I will have my required number of fruits and vegetables. I also know the total caloric count for the day and know where I would have room for a drink with a friend. Then again, I can also plan my own healthy snacks!

And I will also add that this cuts down on the grocery bill. I only buy what I know is on my meal plan and shopping list and not extra food that usually ends up as empty and unhealthy calories.

Thursday starts the official first day back to school here at UC Hastings. That means time to start reading for those first classes. I don’t remember having to read before school actually began in undergrad, so this is one of the many changes you get when you step up your level of education. Most of my reading is for my Mediation Clinic and my Wills & Trusts class. The Mediation clinic reading has been something I have known about all summer, I just haven’t finished it. Yes, I procrastinate.

My other reading today comes in the form of news. I find myself reading more and more news now that I have canceled my expanded cable with DVR. The cancellation was in an attempt to focus on law school and to begin being more financially responsible. During my drive cross country from Tennessee back to California, I listened to a lot of Dave Ramsey on XM Radio. He has me convinced that I am doing something wrong financially (and The Husband would agree). So now I have a weekly allowance and no more expanded cable with DVR.

Anyways, I was talking about the news. Now some of this is standard news (MSNBC) and other is non-standard (personal blogs). I figured that the more interesting items should be publicized here to be shared with my readers. Some of this you may of heard before and some of this might be new to you. Read it, comment on it, pass it on!

• Mattel’s Toy Recall: You would think that a company would be monitoring the production of their toys in overseas factories (China). Mattel didn’t and now there are toys out there with lead paint. I understand that maybe there is a toy defect that doesn’t get caught until a kid does something crazy with a toy to expose it, so the magnets are a little bit more understandable. But how do you not know they are using lead-based paint? It this a problem with Mattel or a problem with outsourcing to foreign countries?
• Obesity Tax: An Indiana company is charging individuals who have a high BMI, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and/or who smoke. They say these people cost them more when it comes to health insurance. OK, pass the extra premium along to them. Fine, right? Most companies already make you take drug tests upon a job offer. Or is it discrimination? Does it make a difference that smoking and being obese (besides for medical reasons) is a choice? Should they have to disclose that they are obese because of a medical condition or is that an invasion of privacy? What happens if they don’t stop there and expand the tax to anything that can increase the cost of health insurance?
• HFCS in Diet Goods: On to ‘lighter’ news, food companies are putting high fructose corn syrup in to foods marketed to dieters. Talk about an oxymoron! This is why you always, always, always read the label. I am not going on a diet any time soon, but I have made the decision to eliminate HFCS from my food intake. I just think it is not good for you (it isn’t) so I shouldn’t eat it! You have been warned!
• What The World Eats: This is just a super-cool pictorial that shows families from around the world with the foods they eat in a week. How does your family compare?
• $20 at the Farmer’s Market: You might have heard of the movement to eat close to home. You have a better chance of getting good, fresher produce. If nothing else, you get to know who is growing your food and what is added, or not added, by ways of chemicals and pesticides (there are usually more organic options at the Farmer’s Market). This article compiles some responses as to what $20 would buy at your Farmer’s Market. Think about how much junk food that same $20 would buy and make the change!

Hope you have learned something new today! I know I did.

Technorati tags: law school, uc hastings, Dave Ramsey, XM Radio, recall, obesity, diet, farmers market