Your Health

Counting calories

Want to cut calories?

Harvard Medical School offers the following advice:

First, calculate your daily caloric need by multiplying your body weight by 15 - roughly the number of calories needed to maintain weight if you are moderately active.

If you weigh 155 pounds, that sets the bar at 2,325 calories a day.

To lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you'll need to eat 500 to 1,000 calories less than that each day.

Buy a book that lists calories for different foods and keep track of what you eat.

Then, eat filling, low-calorie foods like whole grains and beans; eat only 4 ounces of low-fat meat per meal; avoid fried foods, fast food and junk food; use low-fat or nonfat dairy; and limit drinking pop, juice and alcohol.

Pearly baby whites

Trying to get kids to brush their teeth can make you grind your own teeth. Evanston dentist Andie Pearson offers a few hints:

Trade brushes: Play a game by letting your child brush your teeth for a minute, then return the favor by brushing theirs. Alternate this by having everyone brush their own teeth as a group.

Change the paste: You may have to go through 10 tubes of toothpaste before you find the right one, but it's worth it. If you can't find a yummy one, try a drop or two of essential oil, or nothing at all.

Let the child choose: Take your child to the store and let him or her pick a toothbrush. That way, it's more likely to get used.

Bribery: If all else fails, try bribing your child with a long-term reward. Collect a sticker a day on the calendar for brushing, and at the end of the month pay up with a Barbie or Tonka truck. Who wouldn't brush their teeth for that?

Vision loss seminar

McHenry County College will hold a free public seminar next week on macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in adults.

Doctors will discuss the newest treatments for macular degeneration and other vision problems and will offer free hearing screenings.

There will be free refreshments, hands-on activities, prizes and informational booths. Information will be available on magnifiers, TVs and computers.

For more information or special accommodations, call (815) 332-6800 or (815) 332-6820 (TTY). The program will run from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 20, at 8900 U.S. Highway 14, south entrance, in Crystal Lake.

The event is sponsored in part by Genentech, producers of Avastin and Lucentis.

MS seminar

A local expert on treatment for multiple sclerosis will hold a seminar on options for relapsing MS.

Amy Perrin Ross, who coordinates the MS clinic at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, will cover the basics and explain therapies.

The event is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, at Jimmy's Charhouse, 2290 Point Blvd., Elgin, and includes a free dinner, sponsored by drugmakers EMD Serono and Pfizer. Call (877) 329-8327 to register.