12.31.07

Boston officials spread word about tax credit program

Posted in Uncategorized at 7:23 pm by heaven

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the City of Boston are getting the word out about a tax credit program that provides eligible working-families and individuals up to $5,000.

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Mass. health insurance penalties to spike in ‘08

Posted in Uncategorized at 5:57 pm by heaven

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue said Monday the tax penalties for not having health insurance in 2008 will more than triple for many people in the state.

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Family Meals Establish Lifetime Habits

Posted in Uncategorized at 3:27 pm by heaven

Eating together establishes good habits later in life, researchers at the University of Minnesota say. In the study, more than 1,500 participants were surveyed once during high school, then again when they were 20 years old. Participants were asked questions about how often they ate with their families, how much they liked sitting down to dinner with family and friends, if they had a tendency to eat and run, and how often they ate breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The researchers say that those who ate meals with families as adolescents were more likely to eat fruit, dark green and orange vegetables and drank fewer soft drinks as young adults. The frequency of family meals during adolescence also predicted eating meals more frequently as adults. Those who experienced more family meals were more likely to have higher intakes of key nutrients, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and the like.

The researchers say the results show that structured meal times with family are associated with improved diet quality for young adults. Families should be encouraged to share meals together as often as is practically possible, they say.

The results were originally published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

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