Anorexia Robs Yet Another Life

For Isabelle Caro, the struggle ended in death, as confirmed by People.com.

It's been reported that Caro had been suffering since she was 13 years old [cumulatively, 15 years, wasted]. Caro is most known for her nude 'No Anorexia' campaign displayed during Milan's Fashion Week in 2007. Ridiculously, the ad was banned.

The NY Daily News reports:

Through a translator, she said that her desire to be thin began with a fashion designer telling her that she had to lose 10 kilos (about 20 pounds) to make it in the fashion world. Her illness pushed her health to its limits – she had been in a coma in 2006. She weighed only 55 pounds.

After that, she said that she tried to eat and to recover from the illness that plagued her since she was 13.

"I thought this could be a chance to use my suffering to get a message across, and finally put an image on what thinness represents and the danger it leads to -- which is death," she told AFP in 2007

Unfortunately, she turned that image into reality.

Eating disorders are serious and deadly. And a boatload of suffering and unhappiness. Not to sound like a PSA, but if you or someone you know is suffering: You're not alone. There is hope and light at the end of the tunnel. Get help. Never give up. And just keep on trekking.

Happy Healthy Juicy, Beauty Is Just That!

The Top 5 Joys of Aging

We live in an age-defying society and culture that feigns natural and feeds superficiality, spending, and never-ending discontent. While young folks rush to become adults, their older counterparts strive to hold onto that same youth they so anxiously tried to leave behind.



We look at aging like it's a disease. We dread the wrinkles, grays [or balding], sun spots, and sagging, and counter them with even more pore-clogging [clown] makeup, creams, dyes, Botox, scalpels, whatever it takes. And in the meanwhile, we ignore what we actually gain in the process. [And I'm not referring to the weight due to a so-called slowing metabolism, though we often ignore that too.]

Below is a friendly reminder that there are, too, joys of aging. Yup, that's right— joys. No matter how old. Feel free to add your joys in the Comments section following :>

Top Five Joys of Aging--

Number 5: Fully equipped kitchens and real food.

Remember school? We spent most of our youth there and had to subsist on cafeteria slop, re-hydrated freeze-dried foods, and other fast, mass-produced, ready-to-eat crap. Settling into a place with a decently equipped kitchen, cooking real food, and spending time with friends over the homey dinner table— mmm, there's nothing like it..


Number 4: Additions to the family.

'First comes love, then comes marriage (optional), then comes baby in the baby carriage.' Aside from the pooping, crying, and tantrums, how can you resist gushing over all the cute faces of baby spawn, posted by friends and family [in addition to, perhaps, your own]?


Number 3: Shorter memories.

There are definite advantages to forgetting things quicker. For one, it makes forgiveness that much more easier..



Number 2: Wisdom and the ability to give back.

I was helping a third grader with his vocabulary. He gave me this sentence: 'I have a lot of wisdom about baseball.' Wisdom, he read, means knowledge.

But wisdom is more than just knowledge. It's about experience, the ability to know better, and the gift to share it with others. What's better than being able to navigate this grand world with ease, help others, and give back? Like cheese, being aged makes us sharp.


Number 1: Who cares?

Pimpled adolescence is ridden with self-centeredness, -consciousness, and bullying, it's pretty ridiculous and equally amazing that so many of us survived the torment and angst. So after years of trying to figure out the world and our places in it, probably the best thing about aging is becoming more relaxed and comfortable in our selves, learning to let go and not get so hung up on the petty little things, and just enjoy.

See? Aging ain't so bad after all..

Happy Healthy Juicy, We All Get Older So Might As Well Go With It!

Matthew Morrison Rips Up the Cover of Details

What does it take for Mr. Charming on Glee to look like a hunk[a.. salacious meat]?

Well, PER Week, it looks something like this:

• ~100 miles cycling
  
• ~25 miles running
  
• Mini ab workouts during downtime on set
  
• 4 sessions of resistance training
  
• Strict dieting, banning even fruit after dark [which he deems 'too much sugar']

PLUS these bonuses:

• Paddleboarding on days off
  
• Going on a sweet-potato-only diet for a few days right before a photoshoot [..why the editors publish (and probably many think) that it's a 'high-protein tuber', I do not know..]

What is nice to know, however, is that it does take a ridiculous amount of effort to look that ridiculously Mmm... But, maybe not going so extremist, it's also nice to know what you have to do to get [somewhere around] there: Eat Right. Be Active. Plain & Simple.

Happy Healthy Juicy Lesson Learned! Thank you, Mr. Schuester. [angelic voices] Ahhhh....

The Material Girl Gives Us Material Matter to Chatter About

Shocking news!! Celebrities are human, just like us! And they age, too, just like us!

That's Madonna, looking all teary-eyed upset but as lovely as can be for a Dolce & Gabanna ad.



O, the legendary Madonna. We've been watching her for decades now. Yup, that's right, decades. Who would have thought decades later, she'd be decades older?

Everybody was her first hit single in the early '80s. She was only 24, then. Or, alternatively, to reflect our modern-day perceptions, perhaps that statement should read: She was already 24, by then.

Point? We live in a twisted youth-obsessed society, where old is anything beyond 30. Forty is ancient. And 50? Psha, you might as well be dead, given the wrinkles, veins, and sagging will have eaten you alive.


Somehow, we're conned into believing that we're ugly when we can't defy gravity, time, and the human aging process. Famous people like Demi Moore, who has not aged since her mid-thirties, does this beautifully [pun intended]. She helps us believe that celebrities are superhuman or, that with enough funds, getting cut up or filled can make you beautiful just like the rest of Hollywood.


But don't worry. This is not a post on how more and more young girls [teens!] are learning and actually getting cosmetic procedures done each year. Nor is it about supplanting unrealistic, foolish, or superficial ideals into men, women, and children alike.

This is about the striking 52 year-old Madonna, endorsing high-end fashion, and.. [scroll down below but do so at your own risk.. of reality]




















Photoshop!

There's been a lot of hubbub around the differences between the two pics. Unfortunately, though, the chatter's been about her glaring veins and rough skin texture. Eww! Rather than the lying and untruthfulness that we are exposed to every single day over and over.. and over again. How could they?? No one even bothered to give the Material Girl props for having such hearty guns. The nerve..

But, everyone's entitled to creative freedom— the top really does make me want their product more than the bottom.. Just don't forget to let the kids [and other ignoramuses] in on the secret.

Happy Healthy Juicy Something to Blab About!

Facebook has Nothing & Everything to do with Health

Check out this Businessweek article: How Facebook Sells You.

No worries, this is not one of those paranoid Facebook articles that's preaching abstinence from the world's largest social networks. So you can still keep your virtual friends, just.. beware of them.

FB is a tool, still very much in development and changing, and one that can be used in many great ways. Take, for example, me & you, together at last. [giggle]. Likewise, however, it can also be abused— or used in ways NOT intended— in equally as many ways, if not more.

The point is to UNDERSTAND how and why FB is used [not just quit it altogether].

The article is great for illustrating how hungry businesses are to wet your appetite and swallow your cash, and, with that in mind, how much media can affect our psyche, behaviors and, ultimately.. ugh, I know, but health.

When it comes to nutrition and health education, businesses really do reign supreme. Is it really any surprise, considering the amount of money that goes into advertising and healthcare?


Some food for thought and some highlighted snippets, in case you don't care to read the whole thing:

Question: How many times have you done something because someone you care about did it?

"The whole premise of the site is that everything is more valuable when you have context about what your friends are doing," says Facebook co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, who started accepting ads on Facebook as a Harvard sophomore in 2004 in an attempt to cover server costs. "That's true for ads as well. An advertiser can produce the best creative ad in the world, but knowing your friends really love drinking Coke is the best endorsement for Coke you can possibly get."

Question: Are there really that many people engaged in advertising and branding?

"A year ago, Facebook was an afterthought," says Carol Kruse, vice-president, global interactive marketing, at Coca-Cola (KO), which has more than 12 million Facebook fans. "As we go into 2011, it's fully integrated into our marketing plans, with a reliance and a focus on it."

Question: How are businesses using social media?

Facebook calls its ads "engagement ads," because they ask users to take action: play a video, vote in a poll, RSVP to an event, or just comment or click a button to indicate that they "like" it. The "like" button, which Facebook has gradually attached to just about every piece of content on its site and others across the Web, is intended to convey a general recommendation to a member's friends. So while a great majority of users ignore the great majority of ads on Facebook, the numbers change when, say, an ad for a local restaurant is footnoted by friends' names: ("Jordan, Jen, and 3 other friends like this").

That social endorsement is a tiny mnemonic designed to make the ad catchier, and it works. Nielsen, which started measuring the efficacy of Facebook ads a year ago, says that if users see their friend "likes" an ad or has commented on it, they are up to 30 percent more apt to recall the ad's message.

If enough of your friends like or comment on the ad, the ad can escape its right-side quarantine and jump into your main news feed, along with the names of your friends and all the conversation around the ad. The advertiser pays nothing for this migration. In the industry, it's called "earned media." (Think of a teenager wearing a Nike T-shirt or Ellen DeGeneres enthusiastically talking about a product.)

Question: What are the consequences?

Facebook's promise to advertisers isn't to get consumers to buy their products—or really even to get them to click through to their website. Instead, it wants to subtly park the advertiser's brand in the user's consciousness and provoke a purchase down the line. More immediately, it also aims to get you to "like" the brand yourself, which then serves as a sort of all-purpose opt-in, allowing the advertiser to insert future messages into your feed.

Think about it. Amongst the advertising fiends is Big Food trying to get you to eat as much of their manufactured crap as often as possible. Diet [& activity for that matter] is about ongoing lifestyle. So essentially, it's their job to take yours over, and, with 2/3 of our population suffering from overweight/obesity, it looks like they're doing a hell of a job. Literally.

What do you think? Do you buy it? ..oops. Not buy buy, but you know.. agree with, or Like, the argument? [grin].

Happy Healthy Juicy Powers of Social Media! For Better or For Worse.
Educators, Pay Attention!

16 Simple Ways to Decrease Quality of Life - Overweight/Obesity Edu-tainment PSA

'Breast is Best'. But for what and how long?

They say ‘breast is best’ and America seems to agree, only, for the wrong reasons.

Examples?

Christina Hendricks being considered an asset for bringing viewership to Mad Men for her, well, assets.

Katy Perry being dropped from Sesame Street as complaints and comments sparked controversy, such as: "You can practically see her t---.. That's some wonderful children's programming."


Despite what most Americans’ think, though, the purpose of breasts is to nourish babies, not stimulate audiences or sell something [or oneself].


According the government the benefits of breastfeeding are to optimally nourish and protect babies from illness, as well as provide benefits to mothers by lowering certain health problems such as breast cancer and diabetes.


But even despite how highly acclaimed breasts are in American society—breast augmentation ranked among the top five surgical procedures for women last year—when it comes to actually breastfeeding, people are disgusted and many women opt for the less optimal choice, formula.

So it doesn’t help when extreme breastfeeding circulates in the media. A video on YouTube, titled ‘Breastfeeding… at 8’, for example, has accumulated over 28 million views to date.



The issue then becomes not whether a mother should breastfeed, but how long.

From a developmental viewpoint, psychologist Will Braun says,

"I think a child really needs to learn to develop the capacity to soothe oneself, the capacity to tolerate frustration. When a child is constantly given a breast, it might thwart that from happening."

Since all babies and mothers are different, no definitive time frame of how long one should breastfeed can rationally be set. So, like diet and most other things— go for moderation, avoid extreme. Zero breastmilk is extreme, as is 6, 7, 8 years.


Happy Healthy Juicy Breastfeeding, Yes! ..Like everything else, In Moderation.

Should Doctors Be Responsible for Nutrition Education?

New York Times 'Views' Article:
Teaching Doctors About Nutrition and Diet

HealthyButJuicy comments on the New York Times' Well Blog.

Is Snooki Fighting Too Hard for Fame?

I don't know what The Situation is or what everyone thinks is so Woww, as I have yet to witness respectable-enough media coverage of the Jersey Shore cast for me to actually check out their MTV reality hit.

Case and point: Snooki on the cover of OK! mag, plastered with the words: 'My Battle with Anorexia'.

I commend the editors over there for doing their job, as the cover lured me into picking up a copy to check out the story with such a powerful title. That's not to say, though, I condone them for turning a serious issue into what seems to be fodder.

So what does the beehived tanning queen have to share about her experiences?

'In high school, my weight was a very big deal, but when I went to college, it wasn't as big of a deal to me, and I got over it pretty quick, which is pretty surprising to me...

You know, how in college you're eating all kinds of crappy food? That's when I started eating bagels again. I was like, '"Eh, screw it, I'll just eat." I wasn't, like, downing cheeseburgers. I just started eating like a regular person again. And I started to gain the weight back. I really didn't have any problems in college because I was too busy worrying about my studies.'

Worrying about her studies, I'm sure..


We throw around the term 'depressed' when we're bummed out about something. But depression, in the actual clinical sense, is more than being just bummed out— it's long[er] term, affects daily life, and is seriously debilitating. The same goes for anorexia. Usage of the word is sometimes [or often] thrown around as if it's nothing and without understanding of what it actually means or is.

According to the DSM-IV— the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the US— anorexia nervosa is classified using the following criteria:

1. Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85% of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected).
   
   
2. Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.
   
   
3. Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.
   
   
4. In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles.

Snooki claims to have gotten down to 80 pounds in high school, which does sound low, but, note, today, she's only 4' 9''. Moreover, eating disorders, whether it be anorexia, bulimia, or EDNOS [eating disorder not otherwise specified], typically [typically] is NOT something you just get over by saying 'screw it' and then eating bagels. If it were only that simple..

If reality is what you're after, chew on this:

• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
  
  
• The mortality rate associated with anorexia nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate associated with all causes of death for females 15-24 years old.
  
  
• 20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems.
  
  
• Five to ten percent of anorexics die within ten years of onset, 18-20 percent die within twenty years of onset, and only 50 percent report ever being cured.

Stats taken from The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness

Ergo, the point isn't did she/didn't she [have an eating disorder] or was she/wasn't she [anorexic], though it is two-fold:

1. Whether she was sick or not, if she's going to take the responsibility of addressing the issue—which she did by agreeing to give a highly publicized exclusive interview and don the cover of a popular magazine— then she better own up to it and do it with extra care— it comes with the territory of fame, where one is no longer responsible just for oneself.
   
2. Ditto for the magazine/publisher. Though what they're publishing is 'trash', still, it's national, and social responsibility is in order. It's not like they're talking about a trivial thing such as her hair. For some, this really is a reality and really is a matter of life or death [..to be as dramatic as the bold yellow cap-sized font..]

Happy Healthy Juicy Being Responsible, and Knowing What's Appropriate & What's Snot!

Affordable [ahem, Cheap] Fall Fashion 2010

HealthyButJuicy Consultant & Personal Shopper Available!

Best of Convenience Food in the Grocery Aisles

[Click for PDF].

Brutality In Every Step

Warning!, Dear Reader. The image you are about to see below is disturbing, slightly graphic but, to your benefit, slightly blurry as well, due to a terrified, shaky hand [and perhaps moving train]. But what you are about to see is real. No actors or models were used. This is the true story of not just one but millions of women, who sacrifice intact skin in the name of 'pedi-' [pronounced 'petty'] fashion. Arguably, this might even be considered an epidemic form of self-mutilation.



















These snake-skin pumps required not just one or two bandages but TEN. TEN! Five PER foot. Who knows how long even those would last, as walking typically causes chafing and sweat production— neither good for secure, long-lasting adhesion of bandages.

One possible explanation for all of this relies on conspiracy theory: Could it be designers are scheming with Johnson & Johnson et al. to mutually boost sales? It makes sense how Band-Aid is profiting, but vice versa? Yup, vice versa also true, as described in this NY Times article, It’s No Boo-Boo: Bandages as Fashion Accessories.

And check out this 'Best of' review taken from some fashion blog:

Title: A Chic Way to Blister-Proof Your Sandal Feet: Band-Aid Friction Block   [..hurl..]

Strappy sandal season has arrived...which typically means newly-exposed tender winter feet, covered in blisters and plastered over with unsightly bandages. Instead of ruining the look of your fab new footwear, try Band-Aid's clever Friction Block Stick; it contains a lubricating formula that glides on smoothly and reduces rubbing on skin, helping to prevent blisters from ever developing.

Compact enough to fit in your pocket, it is also affordable enough at $5 to stock up and stash in the medicine chest, the glove box of your car, your purse, and anywhere else a blister emergency might arise.

Moreover, is this proof of continued oppression against women? After all, it's been reported that Band-Aids were invented by a man whose wife 'often cut herself while doing housework and cooking' [ref]. And now, even despite three waves of Women's Lib, female feet are still not liberated from harsh conditions. When will this end? I mean, look at this!


From left to right: 1) What women are expected to cram their feet into. 2) What women could wear instead. 3) What women's feet are actually shaped like.


Fourth Wave Proposal? Wide-width, orthotically-correct kickers become all the rage for evermore!


Happy Healthy Juicy Save Our Soles!

Urban Outfitters Should Be 'Rated R' for Violence Against Health - Girls' & Women's Especially

The 'Cigarette' Jeans. That's why.

In fact, there's a whole line dedicated to 'Cigarette' Jeans. So how do they compare to other styles/fits, say, for example, 'Skinny' Jeans [which, yes, they do in fact carry as a separate line]?

The descriptions for each are as follows:
Skinny - Regular Rise, Slim Fit, Skinny
Cigarette - Regular Rise, Super Slim Fit, Super Narrow Leg

Skinny, apparently, wasn't skinny enough.

According to their website, Urban Outfitters' brand profile reads:

'Urban Outfitters operates more than 130 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe, all offering an eclectic mix of merchandise. We stock our stores with what we love, calling on our — and our customer's — interest in contemporary art, music and fashion. From men's & women's apparel and accessories to items for the apartment, we offer a lifestyle-specific shopping experience for the educated, urban-minded individual in the 18 to 30 year-old range — both online and in our stores as well as through our catalog.'

Legal jargon, that last part [in bold] appears to be, because adults [age 18 and over] are certainly not their only consumers [of their clothes or messages]. T(w)eens make up a huge portion of their consumer base, if not the majority. Likewise, 'educated' is a far cry from true.

How educated, for example, would you assess this 'Smoking Smarties' middle schooler?

Lloyd Johnston, a researcher at the University of Michigan for Monitoring the Future, an NIH-funded study, reported the end of last year:

'While great strides have been made in reducing youth smoking in this country, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Among high school seniors in the Class of 2009, 20 percent have smoked in the most recent month and one in nine (11 percent) is a current daily smoker. Further, our follow-up studies have shown that a number of the lighter smokers in high school will convert to heavy smoking after leaving high school.

Given what we know about the consequences of smoking, this is still an unacceptable level of involvement.'

Urban Outfitters' Company Profile reads:

'Our established ability to understand our customers and connect with them on an emotional level is the reason for our success.. The emphasis is on creativity. Our goal is to offer a product assortment and an environment so compelling and distinctive that the customer feels an empathetic connection to the brand and is persuaded to buy.'

..And they forgot, perhaps, use.

This is not the first time, however, the retailer sparked controversy. On Wikipedia, there's an entire list, referencing at least eight separate incidences. The last reads:

'In May 2010, Urban Outfitters released a shirt that read "Eat less." The shirt was widely criticized for promoting anorexia, especially since the model that adorned the shirt on the website was considered to be extremely thin. The company soon pulled the shirt from the website altogether.'

Extremely thin.. yet over 18?..




So the shirt was 'pulled from the website altogether'. Hurrah! Right?


But check this out:
Type in the Search Box of the Urban Outfitters' retail site: 'EAT LESS'.

You'll find it does NOT return 'NO ITEMS FOUND', as typically would be the case for gibberish, but instead directs you to the 'Tops -> Basics' category, displaying nearly 48 images of ultra-skinny women [perhaps girls, too].

Shutter.

Education, including health, occurs everywhere - *Everywhere* - Not just the classroom.

Is this the kind of education you want to buy, wear, endorse, breathe, consume, become? Food for thought.

Happy Healthy Juicy Fashion Shouldn't Hurt or Harm!

Kourtney Kardashian TaKes her Kid on a Karb Krap Spree!

Kourtney Kardashian is just so excited to be a mom. She recently shared the above pic of her kid and this on her blog:

'Every first is so exciting and so much fun to take pictures of and experience!

This is Mason’s first trip to the grocery store. Yes, I know it has been 8 and a half months and I have not been to the market. It has always seemed like such a hard place to take a baby – the germs, the people, and before he was big enough to sit, pushing the stroller and cart at once… all just a big task.

We had so much fun and Mason loved it!! Things that would never seem like they would be meaningful or exciting have a whole new meaning when I experience them all over again for the first time with Mason.'

The germs, huh? What about the...

Whole Corn, Vegetable Oil (Contains One or More of the Following: Corn, Soybean, and/or Sunflower Oil), Salt, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Maltodextrin, Wheat Flour, Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Buttermilk Solids, Romano Cheese from Cow's Milk (Part-Skim Cow's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Whey Protein Concentrate, Onion Powder, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Corn Flour, Disodium Phosphate, Lactose, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Dextrose, Tomato Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid, Artificial Color (Including Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40), Citric Acid, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Red and Green Bell Pepper Powder, Sodium Caseinate, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Nonfat Milk Solids, Whey Protein Isolate, and Corn Syrup Solids.

..in just the Doritos alone??

Phew. [pause]. Catching my breath..

And wondering who's the one who really had 'so much fun' and 'loved' the shopping experience? I mean, at least white bread would have been more cushiony..

It's not really surprising to see this celebrity mom binging on crap, though. Earlier this summer, the reality star blacked out, saying:

'I was just running down the beach like I always have been lately. And then I just woke up. I didn't eat anything this morning.. I'm so embarrassed that I punished my body for a photo shoot.'

She admits: 'I've been obsessing about this weight thing a little too much.'

Just a little..

In the ongoing celebrity race to lose the baby weight ASAP, Kourtney reportedly lost about 33lbs in just three months after delivery. She then flaunted her superficial 'victory' on the cover of Life&Style trash, with flowing hair, a big pearly smile, and all.



The Kardashian sisters are said to have become [gulp] role models for many girls/women. Let's just hope this 'weight thing'/'experience' is not one they will follow.


Happy Healthy Juicy Nourish You & Your Baby Better Than Krap!

A Look Into the (D)evolution of Dating.. & What To Do.

Bar Bites to Keep Noshing.

Bar Refaeli, model and Leonardo DiCaprio's on-&-off-again girlfriend, tweeted yesterday:

'I get so sad when I see 15-year-old pale extremely skinny models at the agency looking all shaky and hungry… when will it end!?!?'



Looks like this Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model can add 'Role Model' to her resume..

Now, if only more models would keep feeding the public these HealthyButJuicy perspectives, maybe girls [& women.. & men!] will actually swallow these Bar-licious bites.

Happy Healthy Juicy Take the Skinny Out of Models! ..& others in the public eye who possess the power to influence! Rarr.

Face It: Beauty is Skin Deep

Elizabeth Hurley Hurls Breakfast Out of Morning

Breaking news! Elizabeth Hurley tweets blasphemy, swearing against the most important meal of the day! Gasp! Shocker! OMG it's the end of the world! What controversy! I can't believe she... Wait, Elizabeth who? Exactly.



Elizabeth Hurley. Austin Powers is the only thing that comes to mind and that came out in the '90s. Yeah, so last century.



According to Wikipedia, 'Hurley started working as an actress in the late 1980s and became a model in 1995. During the 2000s, she worked unsuccessfully as a reality television presenter in Britain.'

Today, according to her website, it looks like she still dons the covers of magazines and now sells beachwear and 'guilt-free snacks', including oat bars, fruit bars, and.. beef jerky! Who knew? Beef jerky, good and good for you?.. Also, according to IMDB, it looks like she may have a couple of movies on the way too, her first since '04.

So what's all the hubbub? Well, yesterday Hurley tweeted:

'Btw my diet survived the onslaught of phenomenal vacation food-doctors disagree, but I swear by almost nothing for breakfast for adults.'
August 24, 2010 1:31:08 PM EDT

'For adults.' Way to be a role model for your kid, Mum.

Seconds later, that was followed by instructions.




'Mugs of hot water first thing, maybe an espresso and a few oat cakes mid morning.'
August 24, 2010 1:32:42 PM EDT






It has been reported that Hurley 'has a long history of bizarre diets', being a notorious crusader for watercress soup.


Truth is, we live in a diet-obsessed society. Likewise, along with, it's riddled with disordered eating and eating disorders.

Not meant to judge whether Hurley falls under either category, but her use of Twitter isn't helping her image, if that's what she's after..

Select tweets [with accompanying commentary] from this past month alone..

'After weeks of greedy Mediteranean guzzling, tomorrow I start a new health regime. Just raided Holland & Barrett for diet supplies....'
1:58 AM Aug 10th


What's there to raid when you're going on a diet?..

O, right. The misnomer that is the 'health food store'..



'I felt lonely this morning so I cuddled and kissed my black spaniel til he begged for mercy'
August 13, 2010 4:10:09 AM EDT

Lonely or hungry?..


'About to make my health shake-Day 3. The key to initial days on diet is never to eat any of your favourite foods. Fish for lunch. sob'
August 13, 2010 6:08:39 AM EDT

After all, deprivation is known to be highly effective..


'The best inspiration for eating less is to go to the ballet-I saw the Mikhailovsky's Swan Lake recently & the girls were enchanting.'
6:21 AM Aug 13th

[hurl. oops.] ..Yes, because ballerinas are known for their quality eating habits..



'I haven't had tinned spaghetti since the 70's but it's mighty tempting. Along with Angel Delight and tinned Corned Beef.'
1:58 PM Aug 18th

Well, Chef Boyardee and Hormel are known to induce salivation.. And Angel Delight? It's a powdered product, designed to whip up into a mousse-like dessert. You can find a description of it on a website called 'Practically Edible'. Practically.


It's obvious Hurley isn't exactly role-model material when it comes to her relationship with food and body but at least she's probably being honest about it. Typically, all you hear celebrities say they have for breakfast is oatmeal and blueberries, as if read straight out of a dietician's handbook [as if that even existed]. In which case, which is worse? Speaking foolishly or like a fabricated saint?

As for what diet regimen is right for you, don't consume blindly— food, fad, or hype— ask questions, do research, and find out why! In the case of Hurley's prescription, for example..

• Consider the source: How trustworthy is Elizabeth Hurley for telling you what and how to eat?
  
• Find the logic: What's the purpose, rationale, and evidence to support skipping breakfast?
  
• Consider the pros & cons: What are the consequences of skipping breakfast?
  
• Be mindful: As a parent, is this a healthy way or 'model behavior' to raise a child?

And note, these questions and considerations are not specific to Hurley's comments but to all advice, claims, and anything else you encounter from media, books, family and friends.

Also, for an interesting read, though typical in editorial approach [think antithesis of Supersize Me], check out: 'My size zero diet nightmare'.


Happy Healthy Juicy Power to the Educated Consumer!

Poor Jennifer Aniston? Her Movies at the Box Office, perhaps, but otherwise, not even Barely.

Jennifer Aniston's new movie turned out to be nothing new. Well, we knew that already— older, single woman, no man, baby issues... But despite her requests for privacy, the movies she chooses continue to parallel her so-called real life. In title anyway: 'Rumor Has It', 'The Break-Up', 'He's Just Not That Into You', 'Friends with Money'.. But seriously, after this weekend, it's official. The Switch wasn't able to change Aniston's infamy for box office flops. The movie opened this weekend to a dim $8.4 million, not to say the media isn't ablaze about it. She still holds the limelight.

The headlines range from..

..pity?..
'Jennifer Aniston's box office blues‎' - CNN

..to defeatist..
'Jennifer Aniston: Where should she go from here?' - Entertainment Weekly

..to hopeful..
Jennifer Aniston To Prowl Into Courteney Cox's 'Cougar Town' - MTV

..to sensational..
'Jennifer Aniston's Publicity Tour Spurs Controversy' - The Celebrity Cafe

..to.. who cares about the movie? what about her love life [or lack thereof]??..
'Jennifer Aniston & John Mayer: Back On or Just Friends?!' - E! Online


And that's the thing. While critics are quick to predict the demise of America's [most talked about] Girl-Next-Door as a shoddy movie star, are they perhaps forgetting she...

• still made Forbes' Top 10 Actresses For The Buck less than a year ago, bombs and all, with an average ROI of $26 for every $1 she was paid?
• still ranks high on Forbes' Celebrity 100 —'a measure of power based on money and fame'— her current ranking as of this summer at #26?
• still has a handful [make that handfulS] of films in production, in development, and probably continuing to be offered?
  
• And even if she isn't acting on the big screen, she still has her production company; advertising campaigns, notably with SmartWater; friends on the little screen offering her parts; now, a new fragrance; covers, interviews, and appearances [because people will pay to see her, even if not at the theater]? By goodness, if Lindsay Lohan can make money, so can Jen!
• And even if she didn't have all that going for her, she could still do nothing and still make a higher annual salary than most of us via syndication of Friends. Heck, with her asset$, she doesn't even need income at all.

So, should the woman who once donned the most sought-after 'do be worried? Plain and simply, no. Money aside, she still serves a purpose, for men and women alike, as someone to..

• Idolize and fantasize about: once her hair, now her svelte 40+yo body.
• Live vicariously through: as a princess when she married the sexiest man alive.
• Sympathize for: when that fairytale tragically ended.
• Pity: when [and continuously still, since] she lost her man to the woman with even more exalted assets than hair—a juicy pucker— and enthusiasm to rear a sizeable brood.
• Empathize with: as she has yet to find another prince charming, is still single and babyless, yet independent and successful.

Let's face it. America still loves her. As this headline tries to proclaim: 'Most American Women Agree with Jennifer Aniston: 83% Surveyed Support a Single Woman Using IVF to Conceive a Child'.

It's the job of sensational media to stir things up and what better way than to beat down others? They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but perhaps criticism is too.


And until she picks a decent non-rom-com to do, we'll just have to be sufficiently sated with her Picture Perfect, offscreen character.


Happy Healthy Juicy Jen Aniston, despite her Derailed love life, is still a Good Girl, Friend, and tied-up Rock Star!

Eco-Cool, Back-to-School Lunch: In Style

Weapons of Mass Reduction: Eco-Friendly Ideas to Combat Unnecessary Waste

There are a lot of little things that are turning our home into a sty. Likewise, there are a lot of little things we can do that'll help revamp our home into a bitchin' crib [like MTV's.. only not filthy but eco-fresh. ..um, hey hey heeyy!].

Corporate and personal responsibility are at the epicenter of making potential considerable change.

Shout out to..


Java [&tea] Sippers, Bring Your Own Cup! - The whole 'Bring your own [grocery] bag' is heavily marketed already. And yes, you should do it. But what about coffee cups? With the explosion of the coffee industry, Star$$[your$alary]$$ and all, did you ever think about how much waste is produced by the trendy, caffeine industry?


According to BetaCup:

The amount of solid waste created and valuable resources consumed throughout the process of manufacturing and drinking coffee is an escalating problem:

58 billion paper cups are thrown away (not recycled) every year.
20 million trees are cut down in the process of manufacturing paper cups.
12 billion gallons of water is approximately how much is used in the process.
53,000 homes could be powered with the energy we consume through our paper cup consumption, according to the Environmental Defense Organization.

To the industry's credit, some are rewarding customers for bringing their own cup— so take advantage! And though bringing your own cup isn't always feasible, those who should be particularly mindful [because it is (feasible)] are 'regulars', office workers, and others who go out specifically for a cup— like diet, it's not what we do once-in-while but what we do on a repeated basis that has more significant consequences.



Corporate (Tech), Stop Printing Receipts <$5! - Nobody wants them anyway. And for those that do, make them available upon request. Ok, maybe it'll cost a little extra to make some coding changes to the registers, but think about the $$$ you'll save on paper&ink.



Snacker/Nosher/Eater, Skip the Bag, Go Straight for the Grub! - Have you ever see someone buy something to eat, have it put in a small paper/plastic bag to go, only for them to walk out of the store to immediately throw the bag out and bite away? It's unnerving.

Hand donuts to cops like ice cream cones, with the paper used to grab them; hand bagel sandwiches to breakfast-goers in just the paper they're already wrapped in; heck, get real plateware if customers are eating on the premises.

As for consumers, make saying, 'I don't need a bag, thank you', second nature, which should be easy because half of the phrase, 'thank you', should already be. Idontneedabagidontneedabagidontneedabag.. Thank you.



School Food Students, Bring Your Own Utensils! That is, Parents/Teachers, Teach&Enable Them To Do So! - Did you know individually-wrapped sporks are used every day at lunch during the school year? What if.. students brought their own utensils to the cafeteria, just like they bring their own pencils to the classroom? Imagine the amount of plastic [waste] our schools, government, and Earth could save from doing so.


These are but a few small ideas that could lead to big impacts. Share them. Do them. And..

If you are interested in campaigning any of them, email HealthyButJuicy [at] gmail [dot] com!

If you have more ideas, share them with HealthyButJuicy and its readers in the comments section below!


Happy Healthy Juicy Kermit Lied, It IS Easy Being Green!

Don't Let Your Health Fall with the Mercury

Just because bikini season is almost over, doesn't mean you should let your body and health fall with the mercury.

Why wait until New Years to make a resolution? Any reason to get healthy is a good one and this changing of seasons is as good as any and couldn't have come at a better time— that is, now!


Some tips & ideas to help you plan for the upcoming months..

Eat your veggies: Fall harvest reaps some of the best & heartiest vegetables that are packed with flavor & nutrients like broccoli, brussel sprouts, and winter squash [which is actually harvested in the fall but called such because it lasts throughout the winter].

Be picky: In the orchards, that is. Apple-, pear-, and pumpkin-picking is a great way to spend time outdoors with the family, friends, and even lovers. For the latter, instead of doing the typical dinner-and-a-movie date-night thing, make it outdoorsy-with-dessert [dessert optional, if it's going well, wink]— apple pie, pear crisp, pumpkin parfait.. the warmth of the oven and aroma of cinnamon will surely make it a cozy night to remember..

Watch the pigments change: As the ones in your skin begin to pale, at least enjoy the green ones in leaves doing the same, which reveal the bold reds, yellows, and oranges. Pick up a camera, go for a walk, shoot, and share. Nature makes it easy in helping you find a non-food-related, active hobby that'll transform you into a fit artist without much effort.



Discover a new activity: Bored of the same workout routine? The new season brings with it new active opportunities, like hiking, tennis, soccer, and football. Find a partner or form a group— it'll help you build strong bonds with others and muscles while you're at it.



Look on the bright side [even though it is going to be darker]: Daylight has already begun shortening, but perhaps this'll help you get to bed earlier for a more and much needed shut-eye. Many people don't get enough sleep at night, which leads to crankiness, less productivity, and dark circles under the eyes. Ditch the concealer and hit the sack— like milk, as they say, it does a body good.


Get together with friends: You probably haven't seen some friends in a while as summer is when most go away on vacation. Make time to gather with friends you haven't seen in a while. You'll probably have things to catch up on and you can easily laugh your way to good health.


Happy Healthy Juicy Rise to Juicy Healthy, Fall of the Un-!