Cookie Monster

Have you heard of the “Cookie Diet?” It’s been around the block a time or two after it was introduced in the 1970s. Many are claiming that the bakery-based diet is back in style, since cookies are now available for purchase online. Plus numerous celebrities have been spotted with the designer cookies, including Denise Richards, Jennifer Hudson and Kim Kardashian.

The cookies on various cookie diets claim to have a special formula of amino acids and/or fiber to keep you satisfied with an overall plan averaging about 1,000 calories each day. No wonder you lose weight on the cookie diet! While many studies have shown that calorie balance is crucial for weight maintenance, the cookie diet daily calorie count is very low for anyone, not to mention active individuals. Most plans suggest eating a diet of almost solely cookies, with perhaps one other meal for the day. One scary aspect: some of the cookie “formulas” are secret, so you aren’t completely aware of what your body is living off of for the vast majority of its sustenance. Plus, there is no mention of a couple of very important food groups—fruits and vegetables.

Founders claim that these plans are “behavior modification programs” not diets, but if I were to change my behavior to eat packaged cookies everyday, I don’t think that it would be something I could maintain. What would you do if you had a catered lunch at work or were invited to dinner with friends? Still, one woman quoted in the New York Times article said she was happy with her results: a weight loss of 40 lbs. in three months (with a price tag of $56/week for the cookies, that means $672 over the course of the three months).

What do you think about the cookie diet? Would you like to try it?

(courtesy of salon.com)

It’s a Party in the USA

Swine (H1N1) Flu parties are sweeping the nation. Why? Some parents feel that their kids will be better off acquiring the H1N1 virus from their friends at these get-togethers and receiving immunity that way, before the disease can mutate into something potentially more virulent. (Similar to chicken pox parties some parents have when a classmate contracts chicken pox. The aim is to get the child infected so that they gain immunity and are protected from the virus when it is more severe in adulthood). So should we be seeking out the latest sick person and cozying up to them? Experts think not.

Partygoers may acquire complications from a disease they may have completely avoided, or they may pass the virus on to someone who may be particularly at-risk for complications. Doctors quoted in this article say that your best bet is vaccination, when it becomes available to you.

What about the safety of the quickly-manufactured vaccine? It’s virtually the same as the seasonal flu vaccine distributed every year, just with a different viral component to combat this particular strain.

How are you feeling these days? Any tips that you swear by to keep healthy when others around you are ill?

(courtesy of mid-day.com)

Water Cooler Conversation Starter: Constant cell phone alerts harm memory, cognitive performance and decision-making skills, according to a study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology reported in SELF. Sounds as if “silent” mode may make you some friends at work! (Sidenote: when walking in a busy area, it’s best to hang up. You may miss the unicycling clown—or a car speeding through the intersection).