That's Fit

We have all heard that pets can help teach kids patience, responsibility, and empathy, but according to a recent study, having a dog in the home during childhood, especially during the first year of infancy, seriously decreased a child's likelihood of developing sensitivities to allergens like pollen. Our own Maggie first broke this story a few days ago but it's worth repeating for those thinking about investing in a canine commitment -- and for those who like photos of cute kids and cute dogs. See gallery that follows.

So the science behind this theory is that dogs bring germs inside on their coats and in their mouths, thus exposing kids to them and boosting the child's immune system. Older generations were often exposed to more dirt and germs as children (you know, because kids used to actually play outside instead of sitting indoors playing video games), and therefore developed a greater resistance to many allergens than kids today.

This study in particular has taken blood samples from 3,000 six-year-olds and will test the samples for hints that the child might become allergic to things like pet hair, dust mites, and pollen. The children will be retested at age 10, but the lead researcher has already stated with confidence that, "Our results show clearly that the presence of a dog in the home during infancy is associated with a significantly low level of sensitization to pollens and allergens."

We talk a lot about reading labels here at That's Fit, like how whole wheat bread isn't always whole wheat, and "natural" and "organic" can mean several things. However, more than just your food is labeled -- so are your cosmetics.

In honor of Earth Day this past Tuesday, I wanted to tell you a bit about how you can find cosmetics and beauty products that are truly cruelty-free. After all, causing pain for an animal just isn't pretty.

Companies use several different types of wording to make the extent of their animal testing ambiguous. For example, if the label says Final product not tested on animals, that means that while that particular lip gloss might not have been put on an animal, the ingredients going into it might have. Or, if it says This brand does not test on animals, it could mean that a supplier or lab that brand works with tests on animals.

I'm all about helping my family follow a healthy diet, and by family, I mean everyone, including my dogs. I make an effort to buy a high quality dog food, do the vet visits as needed, and keep them free from fleas and heartworms. I like to treat them as well, and I often bring home treats from the neighborhood doggy bakery, and have been known to bake up some doggy biscuits for special occasions.

However, when it comes to my dogs' daily meals, I think I have to draw the line at preparing it myself. I came across a section in All Recipes where they list a number of different recipes for homemade pet food, such as Doggy Meatloaf with Vegetables and Poochie Meat Cakes (both of which take longer to prepare and bake than many of the things I make for the humans in my family).

What do you think? Does homemade dog food cross the line, or is it a great option for pet owners who wish to have more input in their dogs nutrition?

(If you do opt to make a change in your pet's diet, please discuss it with your vet to ensure your furry friend will receive the proper nutrition!)

I don't think it's any surprise anymore that pets can be a great thing for the health of older adults, especially seniors living alone. But for those on restricted incomes (and that's quite a few) the cost of owning a pet can simply be too much. But the Humane Society in Colorado Springs, CO is making a difference in the lives of pets and people through a program called The Senior Citizens Pet Companionship Program. The program not only does the obvious of matching up seniors with happy companionship animals as new pets, but it gives them an annual allowance to help offset the costs of caring for them.

One 77 year old woman named Joan lost almost 40 pounds, stabilized her diabetes, and feels happier and less lonely since adopting a little Jack Russell Terrier named Monty through the program. Now doesn't hearing a story like that just give you the warm fuzzies?

Heavily processed foods have been blamed for the ever-expanding waistlines of the human population, as well as a number of health problems. But humans aren't the only ones affected by how our food is made. According to this article, animals at the zoo in Seoul, Korea, have become so overweight from their diet of processed foods that they are going on a strict diet.

I think this is very unfortunate -- it's one thing for humans to cause their own health problems by giving into their cravings, but it's another when harmless animals are being fed junk food when they're helpless to do anything about it -- especially because it probably boils down to the zookeepers being too frugal to purchase real foods for the animals.

It sounds ridiculous, but a reduction in animal farts might slow climate change.

The theory is that if we ate less meat, there would be less livestock, which would mean fewer flatulent animals to release methane into the atmosphere. And it's no joke -- animal gas makes up nearly a quarter of all emissions worldwide, leading many environmentalists to believe that reducing meat consumption is a significant way for people to protect the planet.

This is all besides the fact that you're probably eating too much meat anyway. There have been a number of studies linking excessive red meat consumption to heart disease, cancer, and obesity, for instance. So by cutting down your consumption, you can better your health, and the health the health of the planet -- all in one feel swoop.

I've mentioned my hesitance to eat meat before -- and while I'm not a vegetarian per se, becoming one wouldn't be much of a stretch for me. I like meat, but I don't like to consider where it came from, what kind of hormones are in it or how many questionable practices were used to get this slab of meat on my plate. I'm what this article might call a 'compassionate carnivore' -- I don't see much wrong with eating meat, as long as the animal lived how nature intended it to. I'll eat meat, but I prefer it to be free-range. I also believe that the food industry needs to come up with sustainable farming practices.

Compassionate carnivores are a new breed of meat eaters that it's thought are inspired by Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. I can't say the book inspired me because, well, I've yet to read it, but there's lots of literature out there these days that calls into question to methods used to get animals on our plate. And whether you believe in vegetarianism or not, I think it's important to figure out what you're putting into your body -- don't you?

Pets have been shown time and time again to benefit people's wellbeing by helping to lower stress, relieve anxiety, and even boost our immunity. In a nutshell, here are some of the great things our furry friends do for our health:

• Dogs and cats are allergy fighters. Studies have shown that children who grow up in households with pets have a reduced risk of developing allergies and asthma.
• Dogs are date magnets. This is not one I would have guessed would be on this list, but it's true that dogs are natural conversation starters and can help people find new friendships and relationships.
• Pets greatly benefit the aged. Whether it's a dog getting an elderly person out for a short walk or a cat curling up on the lap of an Alzheimers patient, studies have shown that animals have a way of improving the quality of life (and sometimes the length of life!) for older adults.
• Pets are good for their owner's mental and spiritual health. People with debilitating diseases and high stress jobs have been shown to suffer less depression and lower blood pressure when they own and love a pet, and petting your cat or dog has been shown to release positive and calming brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin.
• Pets benefit your heart. Not only do pet owners generally have fewer symptoms and risk factors for heart disease (like cholesterol) but also people who do suffer heart attacks tend to survive longer afterwards if they're pet owners.

We're getting pretty conscious of what good disease and infection control means in this country, what with instant hand sanitizers, toilet seat covers, and signs reminding us to wash our hands in public bathrooms. But somehow all that great effort flies right out the window when it comes to petting zoos, where the majority of safety precautions to limit people's exposure to organisms like E. coli, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and campylobacter are frequently not followed. The simplest of interventions, like washing hands when leaving the petting zoo, were not done by people as often as 77% of the time in a recent survey.

Now that you know there's no excuses: wash your hands! And save the snacks and drinks for later.

When Victoria Beckham bought the book Skinny Bitch by Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman, she probably had no idea she'd start a media frenzy that would pit vegans (aka 'meat haters') against carb-phobics (aka 'morons'). There's no word on whether she actually endorses the book, but having a celebrity buy your book and be seen with it is enough to get people talking. Wait a minute -- Victoria Beckham reads? About food? She obviously isn't eating it anyway.

The book is written by two ex-model types and using vulgar language and abrupt, sometimes offensive rants chastising anyone who enjoys any sort of animal product. Of course, the non-vegans don't like this and have some pretty blunt responses of their own. I haven't read the book so I don't know what to say -- except I stand by my love of cheese.

Have you read it?