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View the Health Cheat Sheet

Eat 2 servings of fish per week. (Serving size 3ozs.) The American Heart Association, and the FDA recommend eating fish to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Eating fatty fish such as salmon, trout, herring, mackerel or anchovies will provide much needed Omega-3 fatty acids. These can protect against heart disease.[1]

Eating a variety of fish will reduce the risk of Mercury, PCB and Dioxin toxicity. Remove the fat and skin before cooking. This would reduce the PCB and Dioxin contamination. Wild salmon has less PCB and Dioxin than farmed salmon.[2]

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS: ALA and EPA, DHA

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients not made by the body. They are required for normal body function and must be obtained by an external source. 40% of the fatty acids in the brain are Omega 3.[3]

ALA can be found in canola oil, flax seed, walnuts, broccoli, spinach, and other green vegetables. ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are found in fatty fish like salmon, trout, halibut, mackerel, and sardines.[4]

The diet should balance Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 6 is found in safflower, sunflower, corn, and soy. The optimum ratio of Omega 6 : Omega 3 is 4:1.

MARGARINE VS BUTTER

Butter is made from a small number of natural ingredients: cream, salt, milk. Butter is high in saturated fat and has cholesterol. Light butter has less cholesterol and less saturated fat but contains a lot more ingredients.

Margarine is made from oils that need to be processed to make them solid. Previously, the food industry solidified oil by hydrogenation producing trans fats. Now that trans fats are found to increase the risk of heart disease, many margarine brands solidify oil using saturated vegetable fats from palm oil and palm kernel oil. Also gelatin and pectin are added for consistency.

US government guidelines for margarine: must contain at least 80% fat. Otherwise, it is called a spread or light. In 2006, the federal government required packaged foods to include trans fats in the list of nutritional information.[5]

Soft margarine spreads in tubs and squeeze bottles have the lowest levels of trans fats. A margarine brand is allowed to report trans fats as 0 if there is less than .5 g of trans fats per serving.

TRANS FATS

Chemistry: Position of Hydrogen’s across the Carbon – Carbon bond.

Trans Fats can occur naturally and are found in plant and animal fats. Trans fats can also be a by product of hydrogenation of plant fats in the production of a more saturated fat such as margarine. These type of trans fats cannot be metabolized by the body. They can line the artery walls and lead to an increase in heart disease and stroke.[6]

LIPIDS: FATS AND OILS

Recommended Fat intake for US: 20 – 30%. France: 30 – 40%.

Elevated levels of saturated fat can lead to an increase in heart disease and stroke. High levels of HDL (bad cholesterol) attach to the blood vessels and prevent blood flow. This blockage can result in a heart attack or stroke.

CHEMISTRY:
Saturated Fats are solid at room temperature. All the carbon bonds are loaded with hydrogen’s.

Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. One or more of the carbon pairs have Carbon – Carbon double bonds. Monounsaturated fats have one Carbon – Carbon double bond. Polyunsaturated fats have more than one Carbon – Carbon double bond.

CHEMISTRY: The first Carbon – Carbon double bond is the third carbon from the methyl end.

RESEARCH: Several important studies have concluded that Omega 3 fatty acids reduce heart disease, hardening of the arteries, and blood pressure. Fish consumption lowers the risk of heart disease by 36%.[1]

ANTIOXIDANTS

FOODS: Blackberries, walnuts, strawberries, cranberries, coffee, raspberries, blueberries, grape juice, chocolate, cherries, wine, tea.

TYPES: beta-carotene, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, flavonoids(tea), carotenoids, polyphenols, catechins(tea)

RESEARCH STUDIES:
People who have a low intake of fruits and vegetables have a greater risk of heart disease, cancer and age-related eye disease. Researchers attributed this to a high level of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. It was also discovered that free-radical damage occurred in early atherosclerosis and may also contribute to cancer formation and vision loss in old age.

Researchers tried to isolate some of these antioxidants: beta-carotene, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, flavonoids. Most studies show that high doses of antioxidant supplements don’t reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease or age-related eye disease.[7]

Laboratory studies show strong antioxidant effects from flavonoids in tea. Green tea has the largest levels of antioxidants. Animal studies show green tea protects against cancer. In humans, the studies aren’t as conclusive. Green tea may help prevent some cancers, protect against heart disease, and slow the progress of memory loss.[8]

Some studies indicate an INCREASE in cancer among patients taking beta-carotene supplements.[9]

SALT
1 teaspoon salt = 2325mg sodium
US Recommended Dietary Guidlines:

• Normal Adult: 2300mg per day
• Adult with high blood pressure: 1500mg per day[10]

Foods with high sodium:

• Pickled foods: olives, pickles, sauerkraut
• Salty meats: bologna, bacon, ham, frankfurters, luncheon meat, sausage
• Processed foods and preserved foods: canned corn, canned green beans.
• Canned and Packaged soups
• Condiments and dressings: salad dressing, soy sauce, catchup, BBQ sauce.

EXERCISE

The National Institute of Health, Center for Disease Control, and American Heart Association Recommendation:

• moderate-intense aerobic exercise for 30 minutes 5 days per week.
  Brisk walking (more than 3.5 miles per hour)
• vigorous-intense aerobic exercise for 20 minutes 3 days per week.
  Jogging
• Combination – 30 minutes brisk walking 2 times per week, 20 minutes jogging 2 times per week[11, 12]

REFERENCES:
[1] Fish Recommendations: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632

[2] Omega 3 Harvard Research: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2006-releases/press10172006.html

[3] Omega-3 Effects: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/86/5/1259

[4] Omega-3 Levels in Fish, Nuts, Oils and Vegetables: http://www.tufts.edu/med/nutrition-infection/hiv/health_omega3.html

[5] Margarine Guidelines: http://www.margarine.org/howtousemargarine.html

[6] Trans Fats: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032/NSECTIONGROUP=2

[7] Antioxidant Harvard Research: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/antioxidants/index.html

[8] Antioxidants in tea, Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2008-mchi/4749.html

[9] Harmful Effects of Antioxidants, Harvard: http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/medicine-health/articles/new-metabolic-safeguards-against-tumor-cells-revealed

[10] Sodium: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284

[11] Exercise: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17762377?dopt=Citation

[12] Harvard on Exercise: www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/staying-active/staying-active-full-story/index.html

DECIDING WHAT TO SELL
Collectables are the most popular items on eBay by category. They represent 17% of all eBay sales. Coming in second is Clothing/Shoe/Accessories at 11% and Entertainment at 11%. Find out the details at popular.ebay.com and pulse.ebay.com.

Still not sure about what to sell? Search amazon.com for product research. Amazon.com includes a Sales Ranking in the Product Details section. This incorporates current and historical sales data to indicate a product’s popularity. In the Amazon rating system, the lower the number the higher the sales.

PRICING YOUR ITEM

Press the “Sell an Item” link at the top right menu on eBay.com to get started. The What’s it Worth section helps you determine the average price for your item.

Need more detailed information? Use the advanced search to find all listings that have completed. (Under the Search Including section, check the Completed Listings box. Results include both sold and unsold listings including their prices.

I’ve sold textbooks, and DVD’s. Textbooks in their most recent addition are popular. Pick a time around the beginning of the quarter. I listed 3 textbooks a week before the University of California schools were about to start and sold the books with out any problem.

LISTING AN ITEM ON EBAY

How do you make your used product sound good and still be honest about the items condition? Here are a few descriptive terms that are useful:

• Good condition with some wear.
• Shows signs of wear.
• The edges of the cover are slightly curling.
• No highlighting. No markings.
• Book comes without a book jacket.
• DVD has been watched only once.

SHIPPING YOUR ITEM
One key to success on eBay – Keep your shipping costs down. USPS media mail provides an economical option for sending DVDs, CDs and books. Just buy your packing material in bulk.
Ebay and PayPal prints online shipping labels for USPS priority mail flat rate packages. There is a slight discount for online transaction. Payment comes out of the PayPal account automatically. It’s easy and fast. USPS include tracking with their online orders through PayPal.

Be careful though. Sometimes the flat rate can be more expensive than using Priority Mail by weight.

[Here's how to create a Picasa Photo Gallery on your website.]

VIEW DEMO

1. Generate a Picasa photo gallery. Add the gallery to your web site.
   Check that the photo gallery displays properly. VIEW GALLERY WITHOUT HEADERS.
   
2. Create a web page that contains all of your headers and menus. Make sure this page displays properly and has plenty of space for the photo gallery. Save it anywhere you like on your server. (It doesn’t need to reside in the same directory with your Picasa gallery.)
3. Edit your webpage from step 2. Add this line to the html:
   

   <iframe width="850" height="750" frameborder="1" 
   src="http://www.yourwebsite.com/youralbum"></iframe>

   Change the width and height attributes to match Your photo gallery.

4. Save changes and run the web page. The photo gallery should appear in the iframe.

VIEW DEMO

1. Generate a JAlbum photo gallery. Add the gallery to your web site.
   Check that the JAlbum displays properly. VIEW GALLERY WITHOUT HEADERS.
   
2. Create a web page that contains all of your headers and menus. Make sure this page displays properly and has plenty of space for the photo gallery. Save it anywhere you like on your server. (It doesn’t need to reside in the same directory with your JAlbum gallery.)
3. Edit your webpage from step 2. Add this line to the html:

   <iframe width="650" height="600" frameborder="1" 
   src="http://www.yourwebsite.com/youralbum"></iframe>

   Change the width and height attributes to match Your photo gallery.

4. Save changes and run the web page. The photo gallery should appear in the iframe.

View the Questionnaire Demo

View the Quiz Demo (Scoring: one correct answer)

View the Health Survey Demo (Scoring: answers weighted from 0 to 3)

Questionnaire Instructions: No Scoring

1. Create a Form in CformsII. Add the form to a WordPress page or post. Click for more information on creating a CFormsII form.
   
   Here’s what the demo Questionnaire looks like in the CForms Designer:
2. The survey results will be sent to the admin’s email account and the user’s email with the CC option.

Quiz Instructions: Scoring is Involved

1. Create a Form in CformsII. Add the form to a WordPress page or post. Click for more information.
   
   Remember the form number and field numbers.

   This form below is form #8 and the quiz includes fields 4 through 8.

   Each of the radio button answers are set up with a value = 1 for the correct answer and a value = 0 for the incorrect answer.

   

2. Edit my-functions.php .
   • Use the editor of your choice to edit wp-content/plugins/cforms/my-functions.php.
     OR
     Go into Plugins->Editor. Select plugin to edit: cforms. Click the cforms/my-functions.php file near the bottom of the long list of files.
   • The my-functions.php file has sample code for numerous actions. For example setting the redirection link, or changing an email address. By default, these functions are commented out.
   • Define my_cforms_logic to change the success message. In this example, the values for fields 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 are totaled. Correct answers have a value of 1 and incorrect answers have a value of 0 so the total represents the score.
   • Within the my_cforms_logic function, there are several ways to access the field data. In this example, the field value is referenced using it’s field number when combined with $$$.
   • To see the variables that hold field data use the @email function. The results will be sent to email.
3. Save Changes to the server
4. Run the form.

Here’s the code:

 
function my_cforms_logic($cformsdata,$oldvalue,$setting) {
 
   // Form number 7 is the Health Quiz:  the radio button value is weighted from 0 to 3.  This value gets added for a total score.
    if (( $cformsdata['id']==7 ) && ( $setting == "successMessage" )) {
         ### note: '$$$mypick' references the ID of the HTML element and has been assigned
         ### to the drop down field in the form configuration, with [id:mypick] !
	 $form   = $cformsdata['data'];
 
	 $total = $max = 0;
         $ptsPossible = 3;
 
	 for ($i = 4; $i <= 8; $i++) {
	 	$curField = '$$$' . $i;
	 	$total += $form[$form[$curField]];
                $max += $ptsPossible;
	 }
 
         $yourScore = "<p>You scored " . $total . " out of " . $max . "</p>";
	 if ( $total >= 12 )
	        return $yourScore . ' <p>Good Work!  Keep up your healthy eating habits</p> ' . $oldvalue ;
         else if ($total >=8)
                return $yourScore . ' <p>Your score indicates a need for improvement.  Try adding some healthier elements to your diet.</p> ' . $oldvalue ;
         else 
               return $yourScore . ' <p>Your score shows a need for improvement.  Try adding some healthier elements to your diet:  Whole wheat cereals and breads are found to reduce heart disease.  Fish such as salmon and halibut have large quantities of omega-3 fatty acids.  These can reduce cholesterol.  USDA recommends 20% of your total daily intake of fat.  Especially the unsaturated fats found in plants.</p> ' . $oldvalue;
 
//@mail('your@email.com', 'cforms my_filter_nonAjax test', 'Form data array (nonAjax):'.print_r($cformsdata,1), 'From: your@email.com');
	}
 
         // Form number 8 is the TV Questionnaire:  the radio button value: 0 = wrong, 1 = correct.  This value gets added for a total score.
         if (( $cformsdata['id']==8 ) && ( $setting == "successMessage" )) {
 
		### note: '$$$mypick' references the ID of the HTML element and has been assigned
                ### to the drop down field in the form configuration, with [id:mypick] !
		$form   = $cformsdata['data'];
 
		$totalCorrect = 0;
		$total = 0;
 		for ($i = 4; $i <= 8; $i++) {
		         $curField = '$$$' . $i;
		         $totalCorrect += $form[$form[$curField]];
                         $total++;
 		}
 
                $percent = ($totalCorrect / $total) * 100;
                $yourScore = "<p>You scored " . $totalCorrect . " out of " . $total . ".  That's " . $percent . "%!</p>";
		if ( $total >= 4 )
	               return $yourScore . ' <p>Good Work!</p>' . $oldvalue ;
		else
		      return $yourScore . ' <p>Better Luck Next Time!</p>';
 
		//@mail('your@email.com', 'cforms my_filter_nonAjax test', 'Form data array (nonAjax):'.print_r($cformsdata,1), 'From: your@email.com');
	}
	return $oldvalue;
}

SimplePhotoBox includes a gallery with a page of scrollable thumbnails and a slide show. Switch between small thumbnails, large thumbnails and detail photo slide show. Click here for installation instructions.

VIEW DEMO

DARKGALLERY

DarkGallery is a simple photo album that includes a gallery with scrollable thumbnails and a slide show. The slide show starts automatically on load. Stop the slideshow by clicking the pause button. Click here for installation instructions.

VIEW DEMO

WHITEGALLERY

WhiteGallery is a simple photo album that includes a gallery with scrollable thumbnails and a slide show. The slide show starts automatically on load. Stop the slideshow by clicking the pause button. Click here for installation instructions.

VIEW DEMO

WHITEGALLERY WITH LEFT DOCKING

WhiteGallery with left docking thumbnails. Click here for installation instructions.

VIEW DEMO

RELATED POSTS

• Create a Photo Gallery From Your Picasa Album
• Embed a Picasa Slide Show Into Your Website

View a Photo Gallery Demo

1. CREATE A WEB ALBUM IN PICASA
   Use the Picasa application to create an album, or choose an existing album. Make sure the album is selected before you start the export. You can select individual photos or the entire album for export.
2. INSTALL THE TEMPLATES
   • Search the internet for Picasa Templates.
   • Download and unzip the template onto your computer in the folder:
     ProgramFiles/Google/Picasa3/web/templates

     [Mac Users: Use the Finder window to locate Picasa in the applications folder. Right Mouse Click on Picasa Application. Select Show Package Contents Copy the template folder into Contents->Resources->web->templates].

     (I used the DarkGallery template. Click here for template download.)

3. EXPORT THE ALBUM
   • Bring up the Picasa Application.
   • Make sure you have an album selected.
   • Select menu: Album -> Export as HTML page
     Mac Users: Folder-> Export as HTML page
   • The new window “Export as HTML Page” will appear. Once the desired export options are selected, choose a location for your photo gallery and press the Next button.
   • The window “Select a Web Page Template” will appear. Choose your template. Now press the finish button. Picasa exports files into the location above. Transfer these files to the sever and your slideshow is ready to view!

RELATED POSTS

• What’s Next: Add Headers and Menus to a Picasa Gallery
• Picasa Template Downloads
• Embed a Picasa Slide Show Into Your Website

View a Slide Show Demo

View a Slide Show Demo in a WordPress Post

1. CREATE A WEB ALBUM IN PICASA
   Use the Picasa application to create an album, or choose an existing Picasa album. Make sure your album is synced to the web. I set the Visibility to Public so anyone can view the photos.
2. RETRIEVE THE SLIDESHOW LINK FROM PICASA
   • Open the Web Album in your favorite browser. (You can use the link “view online… ” from within the Picasa application.)
   • Select “Link to this album “. (Found on the right column of the Web Album page.)
   • Select: “Embed Slideshow “.

   

   • The new window “Create a portable slideshow for your website…” will appear. Once the desired slideshow options are selected, copy the HTML text at the bottom of the window.
   • Paste the HTML code into your webpage. [I use Dreamweaver to edit my web pages but something as simple as NotePad will do.]

     For Dreamweaver users: Bring up your web page in the Design tab. Click to mark the insertion point. Change to the Code tab. Paste the HTML code (Ctrl V). Save File.
     Now save these changes to the sever and your slideshow is ready to view!

     For WordPress: Log into WordPress administration. Create a new post or edit an existing post. Paste the HTML code from Picasa into the editor and save the changes.
     [If you created your website through a web hosting service like GoDaddy, you may need to use their web site editting services. Make sure you go into HTML mode before pasting.]

RELATED POSTS:

• Create a Photo Gallery From Your Picasa Album
• Picasa Template Downloads