Vanilla Latte Health Benefits

Skinny lattes offer a less caloric version of a flavored latte. Made with sugar-free vanilla syrup, nonfat milk and espresso, these treats pack all the benefits of a latte without the guilt. The chemicals in fake vanilla syrups used in these lattes are not universally appealing however, and the drinks can get expensive. There are ways of transforming your skinny vanilla latte into an even healthier pick-me-up by making your own vanilla syrup with real vanilla beans.

If you’re a caffephile, you don’t need this Johns Hopkins study to tell you that a cup or two a day increases your sense of well-being and happiness. You can thank dopamine for that, which also contributes to coffee’s addictive nature. But be aware, the study also noted that more than 2 cups daily increases the risk of anxiety and panic attacks. Some people respond more readily than others – if you find yourself feeling jittery or nervous, ease up on the joe.

LATTE

What is it: 1-2 shots of espresso with steamed milk.
Calories: Small, 200; large, 341.
Fat: Small, 10.6g (6.6 saturated); large, 17.9g (11.2 saturated).
Verdict: Surprisingly unhealthy. A large latte contains almost one third of the daily recommended fat intake for women. Add a vanilla shot and you 380 calories and 14.5g of fat in each large cup. This is equivalent to ten rashers of bacon.
How to make it healthier: Stick to skimmed milk and the calories in your large latte drop to 160, reduce saturated fat to zero and still provide a healthy dose (450mg) of calcium. Soya milk contains 50 calories more per large serving, but is still healthier than whole milk.

Foods that can Increase Uric Acid

Purines are organic compounds, which create uric acid on breakdown in the body. While your body needs uric acid for blood vessel health and other processes, a buildup of excess uric acid can lead to gout, diabetes and even cardiovascular disease. Purines consumed in the diet account for about 50 percent of the uric acid produced in the body. Therefore, avoiding foods high in purines or following a modified purine diet may help improve uric acid levels.

According to the American Medical Association, purine-containing foods include:

Beer, other alcoholic beverages.
Anchovies, sardines in oil, fish roes, herring.
Yeast.
Organ meat (liver, kidneys, sweetbreads)
Legumes (dried beans, peas)
Meat extracts, consomme, gravies.
Mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower.

Any foods with a lower pH and that create acidosis in the system should be avoided, according to Dr. Theodore A. Baroody in his book "Alkalize or Die". Some of these foods are artificial sweeteners, food additives such as MSG, wheat, goat and lamb, pork, deer, chocolate, coffee, tea, turkey, white rice and liquor. Acid forming foods are known to aggravate gout and increase the levels of uric acid in the blood.

Headbanging Risks

Forget cigarettes, fried food and holding your breath too long – there's another indulgence that some doctors wish to quash. Rockers should cease their headbanging, Australian scientists have advised, or wear a less-than-rocking neck brace.

"We identified a definite risk of mild traumatic brain injury from headbanging," Dr Andrew McIntosh, of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), told the Australian newspaper. "We would suggest a proper public health warning, as for smoking." The results of his research were published in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal.

Head banging involves violent up-and-down, circular swinging, or side-to-side movements of the head and neck while dancing or listening to music, and the risk of injury increases as the music's tempo does, professor Andrew McIntosh and his research assistant Declan Patton report in the an online version of BMJ.

You can reduce your chance of injury by using protective equipment like neck braces, or simply moving your head to slower tempos, the researchers say.

So could someone render themselves unconscious while head banging? Unlikely, say the authors, unless they are banging their head on the stage or connect with someone else's head.

And what of two of the most famous head bangers, Beavis and Butt-head? When head banging at a tempo of 164 beats per minute to "I Wanna be Sedated" the range of motion of Beavis' head and neck is about 45º, say the authors, so he would be unlikely to sustain any injury. But the news for Butt-head may not be so rosy. Preferring to head bang at a range of motion of 75º, he may well experience symptoms of headaches and dizziness.

Luckily, there are a number of possible ways to protect against these injuries, write the authors. These include calling for bands such as AC/DC to play songs such as "Moon River" instead of "Highway to Hell", public awareness campaigns headed by musicians such as Cliff Richard and the labelling of music packaging with anti-head banging warnings.