Office of Student Life & Athletics

Eat Your Wrinkles Away

It's true: you are what you eat. Your face, just like the rest of you, can reflect what you eat. Here are some delicious ways to avoid getting wrinkles:

• Make fruit a permanent and plentiful part of your diet; fresh, canned, or frozen.
• Eat lots of carrots. Carrots contain carotene, a skin-health agent.
• Add broccoli and fresh spinach to salads. These are also excellent sources of carotene.
• Tired of fruit? Try a fruit smoothie. A combination of yogurt blended with your favorite fruits can offer a blast of carotene.
• Try some chilled melon balls with a splash of champagne as an after dinner treat.
• Opt to drink juices made with fruits that are higher in carotene - Papaya Juice, anyone?
• Fresh broccoli florets and low-fat dip are a great snack to feed your face!

Athlete's Foot

Tinea pedis, better known as athlete's foot, can be a chronic condition that lasts for years. The fungus that causes athlete's foot thrives in warm, moist environments like showers and pools. Walking barefoot and stepping on the contaminated skin of someone's foot is one way of becoming infected. The warm, moist environment of socks and shoes contribute to fungi growth.

Symptoms include itchy feet, cracked, blistered, or peeling skin, especially between the toes. Redness or scaling on the soles of the feet may also be symptoms. Relief can come by over-the-counter medications or, for more severe cases, treatment by a physician.

To prevent athlete's foot,

• keep your feet clean and dry
• wash your feet thoroughly every day
• wear a clean pair of socks after you bathe or shower
• wear thongs or sandals to prevent being exposed to contaminated floors
• wear leather shoes rather than vinyl
• wear cotton socks to absorb sweat
• air out your shoes between wearings
• don't share shoes
• use foot powders to keep feet drier

The Fat Facts: Obesity

• Obesity is the second most preventable cause of premature death and disease.
• Serious health risks associated with obesity can include diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, gout, and cancer.
• Obesity raises the risks of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 300 percent.
• Obesity raises the risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke.
• Obesity raises the risk of developing cancer, possibly due to shifts in hormone levels.
• When both parents are obese, the likelihood of their child being obese is as high as 80%. When neither parent is obese, the chances are less than 10%.

Shrimp-Lovin' News

Although shrimp is higher in dietary cholesterol than fish or chicken, it's low in saturated fat. Saturated fat is the main culprit for raising blood cholesterol levels. Not only is shrimp low in saturated fat, but it also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can be heart healthy.

On the downside, 3 ounces of cooked shrimp provide a whopping 167 milligrams of dietary cholesterol. Since some experts recommend that dietary cholesterol levels not exceed 300 milligrams per day, you can still enjoy shrimp. Simply balance your intake of shrimp with other low cholesterol foods such as fruits, vegetables, and nonfat dairy products.

The Bare Beer Truth

Recent studies are suggesting that beer, when consumed in moderation (1 per day), has a positive effect on your heart. Beer drinkers are 62% less likely to have a heart attack than people who drink more or even no beer. Surprisingly, those who drink two or more beers per day are just as likely to suffer a heart attack as nondrinkers.