Sondra E. Z. Hines, AILT, is an adjunct professor of health & wellness and is certified to teach group fitness exercise and Zumba. Wednesday Wellness - Fitness News You Can Use is published weekly. Email: sondraezhines@yahoo.com.

Last Saturday I joined a 90th birthday celebration for retired educator and philanthropist Daisy Spears Stroud, affectionately referred to as Miss Daisy.

Daisy Spears Stroud

Stroud, who can still make a head or two turn, is stunning. By maintaining a regular exercise routine, she is trim and fit. In fact, she can still easily glide into the original gown from her 1942 wedding. To stay healthy, she eats a sensible diet and operates the Gerson and Daisy Stroud Foundation, awarding college scholarships to deserving students.

At the ripe age of 86, she bested 14,000-plus rivals and won AARP’s The Faces of 50+ Real People Model Search competition. The win landed her in glossy print ads and on Good Morning America. “I try so hard not to be a woman of success,” says Stroud. “I’d much rather be a woman of value.” Happy birthday, Miss Daisy!

Chill Out
Growing up I loved watching my late mother in the kitchen. One visual I recall was her carefully placing beatifically browned meats on the stove to cool, as the warm aroma circled the house. I am surprised to now learn mom added an unnecessary step that could be deadly. “If you leave food out on the counter to cool, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria,” says Ruth Frechman, a registered dietitian in Burbank, Calif., and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Instead, she says, transfer meats to wide, shallow containers and refrigerate while still warm. For soups, gravies, chili, etc., transfer to smaller containers and allow to cool in the refrigerator vs. sitting out.

Avoid Rinsing Meats
In other meat-related news, did you know it’s unnecessary to rinse meats prior to cooking? “Many people think they should rinse meat, chicken and fish before cooking,” Frechman says. “But the latest food safety guidelines strongly advise against the practice.” Running water sprays bacteria and other contaminants off the meat and across sinks and countertops—and besides, it’s unnecessary. “Any bacteria present on raw meat will be destroyed during cooking,” Frechman says.

Where’s The Beef?
Tyson Foods recently recalled a whopping 131,300 pounds of ground beef. The recall is in response to reports of an Ohio family falling ill after consuming meat laced with E. coli, prompting the USDA to issue the recall. The beef was shipped to Food Lion stores in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia and Virginia. Read more:

In case You Missed It …

More Americans Becoming Overweight - A study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says three out of four Americans will be overweight or obese by 2020. Further, says the report, disease rates and health care spending will balloon, unless governments, individuals and industry cooperate on a comprehensive strategy to combat the epidemic. Read more:

Reebok’s Super Shoe Is A Super Hoax – The Federal Trade Commission fined shoe giant Reebok International $25 million for false claims surrounding its Easy Tone and Run Tone exercise shoes (about $80 -$100 a pop). Reebok claimed that by wearing these shoes, women could have toned legs and stronger butts. The FTC investigation found Reebok at fault, thus prompting the fines. “Consumers expected to get a workout, not worked over,” said David Vladeck, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, at a recent press conference. “The evidence was wholly insufficient to support the objective claims [Reebok] was making.”

Drunk Drivers Staying Home – The Center’s for Disease Control reports a 30 percent drop in drunk driving, the lowest in five years. One theory, says the CDC, is that the lousy economy is forcing people to stay home and drink vs. drinking on highways.

Pass The Chocolate – A Swedish study gives me another reason to savor chocolate. A study found that women who had the highest consumption of chocolate (about two candy bars a week) had a 20 percent reduced risk of stroke. Besides its smooth taste, cocoa contains flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and can suppress oxidation of low-density bad cholesterol. Dark chocolate consumption has also been found to reduce blood pressure, lower insulin resistance and help keep blood from forming dangerous clots. Please pass the chocolate.

Until, next time, I wish you good health and wellness!

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