To Your Health

WASHINGTON – A popular snack food sold nationwide is being recalled
 because of concerns about contamination.

All lots and sizes of Veggie Booty Snack Food are being recalled, the company
 said, following a report of 51 cases of salmonella poisoning that may be associated
 with the product.

Georgine Hertzwig of Robert’s American Gourmet in Sea Cliff, N.Y., said the
company acted after the Food and Drug Administration contacted them about
the illnesses in 17 states.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, especially in young
children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.
Symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Hertzwig said none of the products has tested positive for salmonella, but the
company acted as a precaution after the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control
 and Prevention reported that many of the infected people had eaten the product.

Veggie Booty Snack Food is sold in supermarkets, health food stores, vending
 machines and online in the United States and Canada. It is sold in flexible plastic
 foil bags in 4-ounce, 1-ounce and half-ounce portions. The brand name is Robert’s
American Gourmet, and all codes and expiration dates of Veggie Booty are being
recalled.
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The company said consumers who purchased Veggie Booty and still have the product in
 their homes should discard the contents and contact the company at 1-800-626-7557 for reimbursement.
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© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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WASHINGTON – Farmed seafood joined tires, toothpaste and toy trains
 on the list of tainted and defective products from China that could be
hazardous to a person’s health.

Federal health officials said Thursday that they were detaining three types of
Chinese fish — catfish, basa and dace — as well as shrimp and eel after
repeated testing has turned up contamination with drugs unapproved in the
United States for use in farmed seafood.

The officials said there was no immediate health risk and stopped short of
ordering an outright ban.

The Food and Drug Administration announcement was only the latest in an
expanding series of problems with imported Chinese products that seemingly
permeate U.S. society.
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READ MORE: URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19487107/
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Functional Fitness

One of the most basic measures of physical fitness is your functional fitness:
your  ability to perform daily activities — such as walking, bending, lifting
and climbing  stairs — without pain or discomfort. Functional fitness comes
from having healthy lungs, heart, muscles, bones and joints, and it influences
your risk of disease and early death. Good indicators of your functional fitness
are the number of minutes you engage in physical activity each week  and the
number of calories you burn in the process.

Physiological Determinants

Physical fitness can also be measured using a series of physiological assessments
that chart  how effectively your body rises to the demands of physical activity.

Cardiorespiratory endurance. Cardiorespiratory endurance, also known as aerobic
 fitness, is perhaps the best-studied gauge of fitness. Measurements of cardiorespiratory
 function indicate how efficiently your heart, lungs and blood vessels can supply oxygen
 to your cells during extended bouts of physical exertion.

Muscle strength and muscle endurance. Measurement of muscle strength assesses
the a mount of power your muscles are able to exert. Your muscle endurance indicates
 how long your muscles can work before becoming fatigued.

Flexibility. Flexibility is the ability of your joints to move easily through their entire
range  of motion. As you age, flexibility becomes increasingly critical for avoiding injury
and maintaining independence.

Body composition. Also relevant to your overall fitness is your body composition
— the proportion of fat you carry in relation to your lean muscle mass. Many diseases,
including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, are linked to the accumulation of extra fat,
particularly in the abdominal area.
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Last updated May 19, 2006