Carole Carson

Trivia Question

Meatless Monday is a national public health campaign encouraging individuals to eliminate meat one day of the week. The campaign is designed with a number of goals in mind:

• Improve health. Eating a diet lower in saturated fat, found mainly in meat and high-fat dairy products, helps prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, the four leading causes of death in America.

• Lose weight. By eating meatless meals rather than meat-based meals on Mondays, individuals typically consume fewer calories.

• Help the environment. Consuming vegetable-based meals helps conserve fresh water and better the environment by eating food raised in a sustainable manner. Participating in Meatless Monday also helps reduce, albeit modestly, the harmful environmental impact of cattle farming.
  

Who originated the Meatless Monday campaign?

1. Vegetarians who believe that the healthiest diet is one based on plants

2. The surgeon general, in an attempt to encourage Americans to tackle the expanding problem of obesity by cutting back on calorie-laden meat

3. A religious organization whose members believe that humanity is best served by giving up the practice of eating animals

4. Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman, who encouraged patriotic citizens to forgo eating meat on Mondays to make more food available to troops overseas and to minimize worldwide food shortages

The correct answer is number 4. The tradition began with presidents Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman, who were trying to conserve food for overseas troops during a time of worldwide food shortages. If you’d like ideas on what to serve for your Meatless Monday, check out some easy-to-prepare recipes here.

Trivia

Adults 55 and over now make up what percentage of health club members, and how has that number changed since 1990?

1. Adults 55 and over make up 10 percent of the health club members, and this percent has doubled since 1990.

2. Adults 55 and over make up 25 percent of the health club members, and this percent has quadrupled since 1990.

3. Adults 55 and over make up 18 percent of the health club members, and this percent remains unchanged since 1990.

The answer is 2. Adults 55 and over make up over 25 percent of the health club members, and the percent has quadrupled since 1990. Seniors are resisting the advance of age through exercise in advancing numbers. Improving the quality of life by greater ease in performing daily tasks rather than increasing longevity is the goal. Some insurance companies buy gym membership for older clients through the Silver Sneakers program, and many communities offer free or low-cost exercise programs targeted at seniors.

Newsletter Trivia Question

Exercise benefits the body from the neck down. True or false?

False. Exercise benefits the brain as well. Aerobic exercise, such as walking, helps ward off Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and memory loss, according to a report by Dr. Arthur Kramer, professor of human perception and performance at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Kramer asserts that our brains tend to shrink as we age; however, aerobic exercise reverses the shrinkage, particularly in the region of the brain that processes memory. To improve your brain health, step outdoors and begin walking.

Trivia Question

Research results soon to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that black adults were more likely than whites to suffer heart failure. By a factor of what number were blacks at higher risk for heart failure than whites?

1. Blacks were 3 times as likely to suffer heart failure as whites.
2. Blacks were 10 times as likely to suffer heart failure as whites.
3. Blacks were 20 times as likely to suffer heart failure as whites.

The answer is number 3. Blacks are twenty times more likely to develop heart failure than whites and die decades before their white counterparts. Moreover, blacks in the 30’s and 40’s had the same rate of heart failure as whites in their 50’s and 60’s. Dr. Eric D. Peterson, a cardiologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, emphasizes that if undertaken early enough, changes in lifestyle could reduce the disparity.

Trivia Question

What percent of women die each year from some type of cardiovascular disease, and how does this percentage compare with deaths from breast cancer?

1. Less than 25 percent of deaths of women are caused by cardiovascular disease, and an equivalent number die from breast cancer.

2. Less than 10 percent of deaths of women are caused by cardiovascular disease, and twice that number of women die from breast cancer.

3. Approximately 37 percent of deaths of women are caused by cardiovascular disease, and this represents six times the number of women who die from breast cancer.

The answer is 3. Heart disease is—by far and away—the single leading cause of death of women in the United States. Other causes of death, even when aggregated, do not exceed the number of deaths of women related to cardiovascular disease.

Yet women tend to view cardiovascular disease as a man’s disease. Consequently, a woman may underestimate the risk to herself, her mother and her sisters and daughter. Women frequently fail to recognize the symptoms, resulting in delayed treatments. Both men and women need to familiarize themselves with symptoms to assure prompt medical attention. Equally important, both men and women need to adopt heart healthy lifestyles that can help reduce the risk.

Trivia

What fruit will protect against the risk of stroke, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? What fruit will boost the immune system, prevent tooth decay, aid hair growth, protect the skin against the sun, prevent bone loss, stabilize blood sugar, aid in the prevention of kidney stones and facilitate weight loss?

1. Acai Berries

2. Apples

3. Blueberries

4. Persimmons

5. Pomegranates

If you chose apples, you were correct. Apples are indeed a nutritional superfood. An average apple has only about 80 calories, yet it contains potassium, folic acid, vitamin C and 3.7 grams of fiber. Apples also contain trace amounts of B vitamins, iron, magnesium and more. The skin and the portion of apple just under the skin contain most of the nutrients. Consequently, eating unpeeled apples provides the greatest nutritional benefit; however, unpeeled apples need to be washed thoroughly to make sure they are free of toxic pesticides.

Over 300 varieties are identified by www.allaboutapples.com. So go ahead and enjoy this understated and underappreciated fruit.

Trivia Question: Are there some things only a woman can do?

Until the early ‘90s, clinical trials involving medical research excluded women because researchers theorized that hormonal fluctuations would distort the results. Drugs and treatment programs focused on the standard 154-pound male. Even animal research was limited to males. The policy was abandoned once researchers embraced the idea of sex-based biology. Today’s approach measures the biological and physiological differences between men and women found at the system, organ, tissue, cellular and sub-cellular level, which can determine the body’s response to pharmaceuticals.

According to the survey by the Society for Women’s Health Research reported in Today’s Health & Wellness August/September 2008 issue, what percent of women have participated in medical research studies and clinical trials?

1. 9 percent

2. 15 percent.

3. 18 percent

4. 21 percent

Only 9 percent of women have participated in a medical research study. More participants—males and females of all ages and ethnicities—are needed. To see how you can participate, go to ClinicalTrials.gov for information on over 60,000 clinical trials. To learn more about clinical trials for women, go to the Society for Women’s Health Research outreach program, Some Things Only a Woman Can Do.

Trivia Question

What percent of Americans' household food budget is spent on processed foods?

1. 90 percent

2. 50 percent

3. 33 percent

4. 28 percent

5. 12 percent

If you guessed 90 percent, you are right. Unfortunately, the majority of processed foods are stripped of nutrients and filled with additives. The four additives most harmful to your health are trans fats, refined grains, salt and high-fructose corn syrup. To provide your body with the valuable nutrients it needs to stay healthy and energetic, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, reduced fat dairy products and lean sources of protein are your best choices.

"As I see it every day you do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself."             Adelle Davis

Trivia Question

In the period between 1989 and 2005, the real price of fats fell 26.5 per cent. What is difference in the real price of fruits and vegetables for the same period?

1. Same as for fats. The price dropped 26.5 per cent.

2. No change. The real price remained unchanged.

3. The real price rose 26.5 percent.

4. The real price rose 52.8 percent.

5. The real price rose 74.6 percent.

The answer is 74.6 percent. If you’re on a limited family income, what kind of food will you have to buy to keep from going hungry even if it packs on pounds?