Your health
Walk it off
If you're not going to turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning, there's nothing like a brisk after-dinner walk to rouse you from your overstuffed torpor and burn off some of those calories.
Make it a long, long walk.
Just for kicks, we tried the online Thanksgiving dinner calculator at walking.about.com/library/cal/blthanksgivingcalories.htm. Select what you are going to eat, and it tells you how many miles you need to walk to neutralize those calories.
We chose moderately (we thought): Three cups of salad with diet dressing, 6 oz. white and dark turkey, 1/2 cup stuffing, 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup gravy, 1/2 cup green bean casserole, one dinner roll, one pat of butter, and one piece of pumpkin pie. No ice cream, and just one glass of wine.
It added up to a mere 1,790 calories, not all that much as far as Thanksgiving feasts go - or 17.9 miles of walking. And after that, who wouldn't want some leftovers?
Healthy surfing
Googling may be good for the aging brain, according to research to be published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychology.
For the study, 24 participants, ages 55 to 76, underwent MRI scans while conducting Internet searches, U.S. News & World Reports writes. Researchers measured their brain activity.
Participants who had previous experience with online searches - about half of those in the study - experienced higher brain activity. But even those who weren't familiar with Internet searches had a boost in brain activity after doing them for an hour a day for five days.
Sneaking it in
To a kid who's used to plain hamburger rolls and sliced white, grainy whole wheat bread can look strange and suspiciously "healthy." But a new study shows kids will eat more nutritious bread products if the percentage of whole grains is gradually increased.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota observed meals fed to kindergartners through sixth graders for one school year. Red and white whole-grain flour was gradually added to the bread and rolls in school lunches. The kids didn't show a preference for either type of flour, and didn't start throwing away more bread products until the amount of whole-grain flour reached about 70 percent.
The research shows a gradual approach to improving children's diets can be successful both at school and at home, said Len Marquart, one of the study's authors.
Something to smile about
People with diabetes who get their teeth professionally cleaned four times a year are better able to manage their blood sugar level, studies show. "That's why we now cover additional cleanings for our members with diabetes," said Dr. Jed Jacobson, senior vice president of Lisle-based insurer Delta Dental of Illinois.
Even if you don't have diabetes, your regular dental checkup covers more than your teeth and gums. Dentists can spot all sorts of health problems from oral cancer to symptoms of heart disease.