Health

Fridays with Dr. Glass: Health Concerns and the Sweets Industry
Woman Eating Chocolate

(Photo Credit: The Guardian)

When consuming sweets, it’s important for you to exercise moderation. If you make the choice to constantly overindulge in sweets, leading to excess levels of sugar in your body, you have no one to blame but yourself. While most of us love sweets, we all have a responsibility to consume them wisely. Today, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Santresa L. Glass, a successful small business owner in the sweets industry and a small business and social media expert, about health concerns associated with sweets and how she works to mitigate those concerns in her own praxis. Dr. Glass also divulges Valentine’s Day specials Magnolia’s Sweet Haven, LLC is offering, so you should certainly check out those specials to experience what “Pampering Your Sweet Tooth” really is about—without depleting your bank account.

In what ways, if any, do you attempt to make your sweets as healthy as possible?

One of the main things that I and my interns strive for and execute is using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients. There is a massive difference in the taste of baked confections when using the best and most readily available ingredients. We do not offer any sugar-free desserts, but always encourage our clients to indulge in moderation with our addictive confections.

What is your response to those who say it is those in the sweets industry who are helping to make us an increasingly unhealthy nation?

You cannot blame an entire industry for the nation’s problems with obesity. As with delicious savory dishes, one must consume sweets and desserts with limits. I believe in using good, unsalted sweet cream butter and advocate celebrating life with something sweet; perhaps cheesecake, in moderation.

What special plans does Magnolia’s Sweet Haven, LLC have for Valentine’s Day?

Magnolia’s Sweet Haven is running Valentine’s Day specials for the Savannah/Hilton Head areas. “Pampering Your Sweet Tooth” is something that we delight in doing year-round with mini-cheesecakes, chocolate-covered strawberries, wine-infused and traditional flavored cupcakes as well as dessert tables and candy buffets.

Connect with Magnolia’s Sweet Haven, LLC:

Website: www.pamperedsweettooth.com

Email: msweeethaven@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magnoliasssweethaven

Instagram: instagram.com/magnoliassweethaven

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

The 4 Best Time & Money Savers for Busy College Students
Black Students and Care Packages

(Photo Credit: NWI Times)

Managing classes, exams and special projects makes it difficult to find any “me” time, and according to a recent survey conducted by Citi Group and Seventeen Magazine, almost four out of five college students work while attending school, making personal time just about impossible.  Save time and money by taking advantage of the following four resources—you don’t have to go off-campus for these services, and they’ll help you get it all done with some down time to spare.

Wellness Around the Clock

Studying for finals might seem more important than tending to a cold, but sometimes you need to receive input from a medical professional.  If you get sick but aren’t sure if you should take time off from classes to see a doctor, schedule a consultation with an online healthcare provider at MeMD. You’ll get high-quality, affordable healthcare from a board-certified doctor right from your mobile device.

A Workout You Can Do Anywhere (and It’s Free)

College involves a significant amount of time sitting: you sit through lectures, sit to study and sit to type papers.  If you don’t have the funds to join a gym or the time to spend working out at one, download the free Tabata Timer app.  In Tabata training, you do 20 seconds of high-intensity exercise followed by a 10-second break for four-minute increments.  The routine, commonly referred to as high-intensity interval training, offers optimal results when performed three to four times throughout the day or over the course of 20 minutes, according to the American Council on Exercise.  You can easily set the timer from anywhere, bust out the moves and be back to studying in less than 10 minutes.

Join a CSA

If money is tight, you probably already do your own grocery shopping instead of eating out.  Join a Community-supported Agriculture (CSA) to save even more on food.  In this system, consumers buy seasonal, locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs and often meat and fish directly from a farmer.  Boxes are delivered on a bi-weekly basis, and many CSAs deliver right to college campuses.  Not only does this type of service support a well-rounded diet with just-picked produce, it conserves time and money; no driving to the store every week.  Split a box with your roommates or neighbors to save even more.

Tell Your Family What You Need

If your grandmother and aunt send you random assortments of cakes and knitted sweaters, tell them what you really need the next time they ask.  Supplies such as reusable water bottles, lotion, shampoo, snacks and other personal care items add up.  A subscription care-package service such as PijonBox is a cool way for your family to help you get the supplies you need sent right to your door every month.

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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6 Things Thought Impossible that Are Possible


1.      Ending Poverty in America.  In the richest nation in the world, there’s no reason why any person should live in abject poverty.  We have to be committed to an economic system that is not going leave no one behind in poverty.  It’s a conscious choice America makes to not eradicate poverty.  If our nation was truly interested in eliminating poverty, it could be done in a matter of minutes.  For this to happen, there must be a greater will expressed by the American people, and there must be significant pressure placed on local, state and federal leaders to engender policies and legislation that will end poverty.  Although there’s a burgeoning movement to exterminate poverty, a massive number of more people must get involved in this movement for it to accomplish the essential goal of living in a nation devoid of poverty.

2.      Ending Illiteracy in America.  If we make a true commitment to education at the local, state and national level, there’s no reason why we cannot eliminate illiteracy in America.  More people could be helped with their inability to read if they would shed their pride and ask for help.  Of course, there needs to be more resources made available to assist the illiterate.

3.      Ending Homelessness in America.  In the wealthiest nation in the world, every individual should have adequate shelter.

4.      Ending Chronic Hunger in America.  America has enough money to ensure everyone has adequate food to eat.  This is why the food stamps program should be supported and not attacked.  We need to make necessary reforms to remove waste, fraud and abuse in the program, but people who don’t have money to purchase food to eat should be provided with the resources.

5.      Ending Unemployment in America.  In this nation, we have the ability to guarantee that every person who desires to work can be employed, including self-employment.

6.      Ending HIV/AIDS and Cancer.  With many of the most remarkable researchers and scholars in the world, we should remain hope that a cure to incurable diseases will emerge.

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Don’t Be a Leech

You should not always have your hands stuck out begging. At some point, you should have something to offer to someone else. When people give to you, learn how to give back to them. People will start to hate seeing you come around them because they know you will have something that you want them to do for you. Do you have people in your life who only call, email, text, and/or visit you when they want something from you and you never hear from them until they want something? Today, I want to let you know they are leeches. If you continue to feed leeches, they will zap all of the blood out of you. You may not understand what’s going on with how you feel,  why things are not going right in your life, why it seems that you don’t have enough time in the day, and/or why you are not able to meet your daily responsibilities. You need to check for leeches in your life. Leeches could be the very reason you are not progressing, improving, and/or feeling the way that you long to feel.

Don’t be so compassionate that you allow people to crumble your foundation. You have to be wise in your giving. Always examine your giving and make sure that you are giving to the right people and places. You are not the savior of the world, so don’t attempt to help too many people because you will be denying yourself from the great things that you need to enjoy for yourself. Helping too many people on your own is simply not healthy and not wise. You will physically, mentally, and emotionally weigh yourself down with stress when you are trying to help everyone. When you need some help, watch how many of those people who you helped will be there for you.

People will hang around you and contact you just to get benefits from you. Now, this can be expected from the complete strangers you may help or the random people you meet, but it’s those friends and family members you have to be more alert about being leeches. Leeches are not always easy to detect. We allow friends and family members to occupy certain spaces in our life that we don’t allow others to occupy. This is the reason why we have to have on more protective clothing when we are around our friends and family—they could be the greatest leeches we have on us. If you are always thoroughly examining yourself, then you will know if your friends and family members are leeches.

We often make ourselves too vulnerable to people who we believe love us and have our best interest in mind. You need to understand that you need to constantly assess those who you make yourself vulnerable to in some way. It can be the venomous people around you who are killing you and pushing you off of your road to greatness. The people who you love and trust can be the very people who are simply using you for what they can get from you. You cannot sit there and allow folks to suck all of the blood out of you and not have enough left for yourself.

I know that it might be difficult to think about your loved ones being leeches, but you have to be willing to examine them as potential leeches. Guard yourself in wise ways. Build necessary walls with certain people in your life. We hear a significant amount of discourse about tearing down walls, but there needs to be more discussion about building necessary walls. Walls exist for a purpose: to make sure that not just anyone can enter.

Beware of the leeches out there—they might be some people you least expect! If you are consciously a leech, stop being one today!

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Think About Your Breath

Bad Breath

Now, if you have some kind of medical problem that contributes to you having bad breath, then this piece is not directed at you. However, if you don’t have some type of medical problem that contributes to you having bad breath, then the first thing that I want to tell you is to brush your teeth as soon as you wake up every morning. Use some mouthwash and floss your teeth. It’s important to have good oral hygiene. Some people spend a tremendous amount of money on their clothes and look really nice in their clothes, but their breath will greet you before you even get close to them. If you don’t have the necessary money or insurance to go to the dentist, use some baking soda to work with your teeth and breath. Some of you ladies are really beautiful, but you have to understand that it’s important to brush your teeth. To you men, there’s nothing masculine about having funky breath—brush your teeth! I want you all to know that maintaining poor hygiene can lead you to severe illnesses.

I know some people will say that they really cannot afford to have their breath smelling great like it needs to be. The least you can do is brush your teeth and keep some type of mint in your mouth. If you know that you are not properly taking care of your breath, don’t get up in people’s face and don’t talk so much. Far too often, the people with the most unpleasant breath are the main ones doing all of the talking and the main ones all up in your face. Men, these women don’t want you when your breath smells awful. Women, men think it takes away from your attractiveness when they cannot distinguish the difference between your mouth and a filthy toilet.

Some people flaunt themselves around like they are really more special than fresh air. Unfortunately, when we get around some of these people, their breath makes us desire fresh air more than life itself. I really think that you are not being considerate of others when you don’t make a serious attempt to have fresh breath. It’s not enough to simply take care of body odors and to take baths; you have to take care of your mouth too. Your mouth can smell just as terribly as your body if you don’t take care of it.

For those of you who may not understand why you stay sick all of the time, poor oral hygiene just may be the reason why.

Some people can pollute an entire room with their funky breath. You should be ashamed of yourself—funky self! Don’t let your foul breath be the reason people try to avoid you.

I just want to raise people’s awareness about their breath. Always take daily periodic self-examinations of your breath. Make sure your breath is fresh before you come around people. Give yourself daily pleasure by brushing your teeth and using mouthwash as often as you can—at least twice a day.

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

The Protein Shake Struggle

While this is probably the least serious piece I have ever composed, I thought that I would share my horrible experience today with you. For those of you who drink protein shakes, I know you can understand that these phenomena are quite horrible. Although this is not my first day drinking a protein shake, I had the most difficult time getting this protein shake down today. I tried everything that I could do today to get this protein shake down and finally did! It took me from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to get this protein shake down!

It is quite amazing the phenomena we are willing to do to keep our bodies in great condition. I have to drink one more of these shakes tonight and hope that I do not have the same struggle that I experienced early today. I know my reader is wondering why I am wasting time composing such an article, but it has a larger significance: It causes everyone to think about the phenomena that they consume and how he or she cares for his or her health.

We have to become more conscious about taking care of our bodies. Although I am having fun with my struggle with drinking my protein shake today, I understand how important it is to helping me to achieve the physique I desire. I am making tremendous progress toward my goal of achieving a highly muscular body and being in tremendous shape and health. I have discovered that what is most critical to moving toward great health is having the mental commitment to achieving great health. Once the individual makes up in his or her mind that he or she is going to have great health, then he or she will do what it takes to accomplish this feat.

I hope this article will help those of you struggling with protein shakes to be better able to drink them after reading this article. If it does not, I hope that it will add some level of comfort that you are doing an essential deed by drinking the protein shake. It is my desire that companies will begin to make protein shakes that are better tasting, while not sacrificing the effectiveness of the shake. My deepest support is with all of you protein shake drinkers!

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison