TIAs, Fat Ratios,

Matt had yet another TIA yesterday and so we spent time in the hospital again. Wonder of wonders though, we were only there about 2 1/2 hours. That must be a record. However, he is being sent to a neurologist as the doc felt he shouldn't be having so many of these things. He already has an appointment with a neurologist because of his recent episode which shaking so now I guess its up to me to co-ordinate these.

On GMA this morning, there was a segment about body fat. Even if you appear to be at a normal weight, you still might have too high a ratio of body fat to muscle. They were pointing out how dangerous this can be to health and shorten one's life (that puts me in trouble). Even if you have lost a lot of weight, you still might have excess body fat which means you are still at risk. There is an article here http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/HealthyLiving/people-considered-average-weight-normal-weight-obese/story?id=9671590 which tells more about the risks which include diabetes, heart problems and strokes. One way to counteract is to change the way you exercise and add more weight bearing exercises in order to build more muscle. By the way, the Surgeon General in the States is saying that not exercising is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

There was another segment about little kids wearing high heels, not just young kids, but kids still in diapers. I don't mean staggering around in mother's high heels playing dress up, but actually having their own high heeled shoes. The doctors are worried and say the children are at risk of limb damage when their leg and feet bones are still forming. Suri Cruise (Tom Cruise's littlie) has been photographed wearing 'kitten' heels on several occasions apparently. Another concern is that it may sexualise little girls and therefore put them in another risk category. Seems to me they are in that category anyway without wearing heels. Again if you would like to read the article it is at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/girls-high-heels-cute-inappropriate-doctors-parents-debate/story?id=9670407.

Because Good Morning America want you to reduce your fat ratio and knowing that people will still snack, they have a whole load of healthy and flavourful snacks which you can make at home. here is one which appealed to me - well its chocolate!!!

Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Bars Skinny Snacks From the Kitchen of Taste of Home Servings: Over 8 Ingredients 3/4 cup water 1/3 cup butter 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 egg white 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream Cream cheese mixture: 1 package Kraft Philadelphia® Cream Cheese Light (8 ounces) 1/3 cup sugar 1 egg white 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces) Directions In a small saucepan, combine the water, butter and chocolate. Cook and stir over low heat until melted; stir until smooth. Cool. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat in the egg, egg white and sour cream on low speed just until combined. Beat in chocolate mixture until smooth. In another bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg white and vanilla until smooth; set aside. Spread chocolate batter into a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Drop the cream cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls over batter; cut through batter with a knife to swirl. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: about 2 dozen.

Have a great day