Worker Bees’ Daily Bites:

The week’s off to an interesting start! Here’s the latest from the world of health.

1) Bird Flu Gets Real

From those news nuts over at The Lede: Culling has begun in the UK to curtail bird flu. Regardless, nobody should be eating chicken nuggets.

2) This Just In: Kids Like Junk Food, Study Says

That’s Fit reports that kids are fatter than ever thanks to zero exercise and an abundance of junk food in everything from school cafeterias to Costco’s towering shelves. Is this a surprise?

We can all moan and groan about it, but better to be proactive. Maybe you have kids. Maybe you are a kid. Either way, these steps are non-negotiable when it comes to health:

– Daily exercise of some sort. It can be as basic as walking home from school, mowing the lawn, helping out with household chores, or walking the dog. But exercise is a must. Make it a requirement for TV and computer privileges. Worried about enforcing it? You make them brush their teeth, do their homework and occasionally even bathe. Add this to the list.

– Daily vegetable intake, preferably not fried. Whether you spend an hour on Sundays putting together baggies of veggie snacks, or whether you make them do it for themselves, get veggies into your kids! Kids love junk food. Their taste buds are literally wired for it. It’s probably not realistic to think they aren’t going to eat junk ever, but you can at least keep it out of the house. Always serve a salad for dinner, and keep washed fruit available at all times. Kids don’t mind peas or green beans – even the most finicky kids will eat a bowl of peas. Kids do crave starch, but keep those options green. Avoid the fries, tater tots, chips and other pale starches.

– Lie. Tell them eating healthy will diminish acne, mood swings and body odor. (Actually, it’s not even a lie).

– Enact and enforce a zero-tolerance soda ban. As far as your kids are concerned, soda is Satan.

Kids are gonna do stupid stuff – you can’t watch their every move. But you have more influence than you may think, so use it. This means setting a good example, of course!

3) Tofi

Diet toffee? Tea-coffee? Hipster tofu?

No, TOFI stands for something else entirely, and it’s a…big…problem.

4) Enviga’s Going Down!

Mark’s Daily Apple was among the first to debunk this ridiculous new “negative calorie” drink from Coke. Now the big guns are getting on Coke’s case, too. Aha!

5) Making Single People Everywhere Feel Really Fabulous

Thanks, Scotsman. No, seriously, thanks. This study is small, merely highlights reasonable correlation (rating your own emotions: not exactly the gold standard of scientific inquiry), and also, it’s totally annoying. It makes sense that the more socially active and fulfilled you are, the healthier you will be. Studies prove that consistently. This is more about finding something sensational to whip up on a Monday. If we were betting bees, we’d lay good money that tonight’s news will start with: “Stay tuned: one more reason why you are doing everything wrong for your health!” Which isn’t really a risky bet, since that’s what they say every night. You’re not doing everything wrong. You’re here, aren’t ya?

6) Quote Me

Things Big Puff (that’s Big Tobacco, not Puff Daddy…er, Diddy…Diddly? Duddy?) really must regret saying. Thanks, Healthbolt. Also check out the Australian cig warnings. Subtle!

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