Food Reward Fridays

Each Friday, I'm going to post a picture of a modern food so ridiculous it makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.  I'm doing this for two reasons:

1. To raise awareness about the unhealthy, fattening foods that are taking over global food culture.  These are highly rewarding, highly palatable, energy-dense foods that drive people to eat in the absence of hunger, and continue eating beyond calorie needs.  In many cases, the foods have been specifically designed to maximize "craveability" and palatability.
2. Because it's funny.

Without further ado... the first lucky winner:

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Tips For Anti Aging Skin Care

Getting good anti aging skin care advice can be difficult, especially without having to spend a lot of money. Thankfully, much of the anti aging skin care products and advice on the market doesn't really have to cost that much money. A lot of what is especially useful in the fight against aging is actually available in the home, making do-it-yourself regimens more possible than ever. For anti aging skin care, one of the best places to start is with body weight. As long as body weight stays similar to what it was in the late teens, skin care has a solid foundation to build upon. Of course, gaining weight is a part of life and there are few people who weigh what they did when they were eighteen. An anti aging alternative is to take supplements (buy vitamin b6 tablets or any vitamin b 50 complex product). These enable the skin to heal and grow properly without applying direct topical medications or serums to the face. An anti aging alternative is one of the best weapons in anti aging skin care. The chemicals in supplements can boost the output of the cells and the mitochondria, preventing the breakdown of the cells. The link between anti aging and food is also important. This is because anti aging skin care begins with taking care of what's inside. Skipping a meal a day or reducing food intake can have a direct effect on skin care. This occurs because of the reduction of insulin intake. Of course, a balanced diet will likely have the opposite effect. Other people swear by topical solutions such as anti aging lotions. These products, applied directly to the skin, can increase the vitamin count on the surface of the skin. Anti aging lotions are a common weapon in the anti aging skin care battle, but it is often not the most useful or beneficial. Instead, a basic regimen of some of the ideas we've mentioned combined with an anti aging lotion can be the best way to combat signs of aging. Anti aging skin care is about total body care. Taking care of the outside of the body and the surface of the skin will only combat half of the problems that lead to aging, so a full anti aging skin care plan must also look within.

Candy at the Cash Register

Last week, the New England Journal of Medicine published an interesting editorial titled "Candy at the Cash Register-- a Risk Factor for Obesity and Chronic Disease."  This fits in well with our discussion of non-homeostatic eating, or eating in the absence of calorie need.

There are a few quotes in this article that I find really perceptive.

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Anti-Aging Research

Anti aging research provides a lot of information on the process of anti aging and the medications involved. The main goal of this research is the development of effective anti aging medicines and treatments. Many anti aging sprays, capsules, pills, tablets and therapies are the outcome anti aging research. Anti aging research aims to prevent, slow, or reverse the aging process. It is proved that some substances found in food and wine can extend human life. According to new anti aging research, caloric restriction with sufficient nutrition is the only way to reduce aging. Many findings of anti aging research confirm that natural herbs such as nopal cactus, gymnema sylvestre, reishi mushroom, konjac mannan, wild American ginseng and blueberry leaf can increase longevity. Along with caloric intake, there is a trend to use the fasting method to help extend life. Fasting has benefits beyond extending life; it is effective in helping overcoming certain diseases. When the intake of food is eliminated for a period of time, the body has a chance to repair itself through natural processes. According to anti aging research, the human growth hormone (HGH) can help with weight lose, boost the immune system, improve memory and mood, lower blood pressure, gain lean muscle and help in many other ways. With the recent discovery of anti aging mortality genes, genetic anti aging research has become a hot topic and many scientists are joining in. Recent research aims to reveal anti-aging technologies that could prolong your life span by as much as 25 years.

Private Health Insurance Exchanges––Will They Save Money? Will the Idea Grow?

Private health insurance exchanges will save employers money but not make health insurance cheaper.

Because private health insurance will save employers money, they will grow.

Will Private Insurance Exchanges Reduce Health Insurance Costs?

There's lots of buzz these days about private insurance exchanges. The idea is to give employees more choice in purchasing their own individual coverage

Photos and More Gardening

I've needed new professional and blog photos for a long time.  My friend Adam Roe was in town recently, and he happens to be professional photographer, so he graciously offered to snap a few shots.  Despite less than ideal conditions, he did an outstanding job.  Here's a larger version of the photo on my profile (which Blogger shrinks down to a tiny thumbnail):

To see more of Adam's work, head over to his Facebook page, and don't forget to 'like' and share it if you enjoy it.  Adam is currently based in Berlin.

Gardening Update

Here's a photo of today's harvest (taken by me, not Adam; you can tell by the poor focus and primitive lighting):

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Will Many of the Smallest Employers Circumvent the Affordable Care Act by Using Self-Insurance?

Not surprisingly, only about 10% of firms with fewer than 200 workers take advantage of self-insurance––and almost no very small groups (fewer than 50 workers) use the product. It just isn't worth it for these small employer groups to take the risk that they will either have too many claims or very big claims from their workers––that is what insurance companies are for.

Already, 96% of workers