So you’re at your local restaurant and you get the choice of a side: Rice or mashed potatoes. What do you pick?

Given the bad rap that carbohydrates have gotten in the last decade or so, you might go with the rice, though your stomach pleads, “me wants creamy potato goodness.” (That's how yours talks, too, right?)

But don’t rule potatoes out yet, say researchers at the University of Maine.

“Potatoes have a tendency to make you feel full longer,” says Danielle Meyer. “It has dietary fiber and fiber is one of those components that slows your stomach from emptying.”
“It’s also a good source ofvitamin C, potassium and nutrients,” Meyer says.

There are caveats, however. The health benefits of potatoes depends on how they're prepared, Meyer said.

French fries are of course dripping in fatty oil. The other problem is that the processing and the high cooking temperature changes the fiber and starch content.

“With French fries, you’re going to feel less full than having mashed potatoes,” says Meyer.

Meyer, a graduate student in the Food Sciences and Human Nutrition, and her colleagues are in the process of studying what is the best way to prepare potatoes, and will have their subjects eat them mashed, baked, boiled, steamed and fried. Meyer recommends leaving the skin on potato dishes because of the high concentration of nutrients and vitamins.

Meyer acknowledges that other produce may be all-around healthier than potatoes, like, say, broccoli. Potatoes also have a high glycemic index, meaning that it causes blood sugar levels to rise quickly – a big problem for diabetics.

But Meyer says the reality is that potatoes are an affordable part of the American diet, and knowing the best way to make them could maximize the benefits.

"Those are the cutest teabags!" my co-worker yelped when she spotted a handful of these on my desk.

They're actually condom packs designed by Planned Parenthood as an alternative to the monochromatic wrappers you see for brand heavies like Trojan and Durex.

The group hopes their condoms will encourage more women to carry protection, rather than relying on their male partners. As part of the strategy, the condoms will be sold at clothing boutiques, trendy hotels and clubs.

"Women – no matter how far we think we've come – are still pretty shy about buying condoms at the local CVS," says Skeek Frazee from Planned Parenthood of New England.

In New York, you can find the condoms at the swanky W hotel chain, and, says Frazee, they should start showing up in different spots in Portland in the coming weeks and months.

Design does comes at a price, though.

A 3-pack of Trojan condoms goes for $3.29, compared to the $6 suggested retail price for three Planned Parenthood condoms. (The price drops to about $4 if you buy them at a Planned Parenthood center). Frazee said some consumers may like the fact that the money is going to a nonprofit.

After hearing “Crocs this and Crocs that” for years, I got a pair in the mail from my mom, doyenne of comfortable footwear… and I think I get it.

Pretty much clogs made out of resin, Crocs are lightweight and squishy, with ventilation holes for airing things out down there. You’ve seen them on chef Mario Batali and President Bush, who made fashion angels weep when he paired his with dark socks and shorts.

More recently, I learned that one of the brand’s biggest markets is nurses. The slip-ons are so popular that the American Nurses Association offers their members special discounts.

But some hospitals are worried that the shoes could pose health hazards. Hospitals in Pittsburgh and South Dakota are demanding that staff only wear Crocs that are closed-toed because of the risk that needles and bodily fluids could graze the skin through those vent holes.

Over in Sweden, a hospital tried to ban Crocs after linking them to three incidents in which respirators and other machines malfunctioned. The worry is that the shoes set off static electricity that can short-circuit devices.

In Ontario, a hospital association was concerned for all of the above reasons, and sent a letter to 100 hospitals urging them to ban Crocs as a precaution.

I talked to Crocs spokeswoman Shelley Forslund who said the company has found nothing to indicate that Crocs are any more dangerous than sneakers or other types of shoes worn on the hospital ward.

She said Crocs has responded to the needs of health care workers, by coming out with the "Specialist" which has a thicker metatarsal area to protect the top of the foot.

Maine hospitals don’t seem to be as alarmed over the shoes. Mercy and Maine Medical Center in Portland said they don't have any ban on the shoes. Neither does Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford, although spokeswoman Sue Hadiaris said the shoes are currently under review by an internal human resources group.

You might remember that not long ago, there was a similar scare about how cell phone use in hospitals could cause equipment to malfucntion. Then studies, including one from the Mayo Clinic, showed that cell phone calls don’t cause any interference.

So this is what I know about triathlons: they involve swimming, running and bicycling, and talking about it makes the few slow-twitch muscles I have ache.

Still, I'm intrigued by an event being billed as Maine's first all-women's triathlon. It's called Tri For A Cure, and it's a fundraiser for the Maine Cancer Foundation.

The race at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland is an abbreviated triathlon, or a “sprint” – a 1/3 mile swim, 12-mile bike and 3-mile run.

The event isn’t until Aug. 9, and the foundation hasn't even started its formal marketing campaign, but spots for this short-course, or "sprint," triathlon are filling up fast. More than 270 women already have registered to participate, leaving just 300 or so spaces.

Over the last two decades, women have become increasingly drawn to the challenge, says USA Triathlon, which reports that female membership has increased from 11 percent in the early 1990s to 29 percent in 2005.

But all-female triathlons aren't that commonplace, and the ones out there usually have to do with raising money for a cause, said race organizer and triathlete Julie Marchese.

Marchese, whose first triathlon was the all-women’s Danskin event in Webster, Mass., recommends female-only races for first-timers.

The atmosphere is a lot warmer and more relaxed, says Marchese. Lots of high-fiving going on.

“In a regular race, people are trying to win and trying to place in their division, and it’s much more goal-oriented,” Marchese said.

But hard-core competitors don’t have to stay away, Marchese adds. Just bring your novice friends along with you.

"I think triathlons are not as difficult as everyone assumes," encourages Martha Deprez, who has already signed up. "That makes it nice because you get a lot of credit for doing something that is possible."

You can sign up on-line here.

Registration is $75 or if you want to do a relay with two or three of your friends, it’s $50 a person.

Go ahead, jump!

Did you say melanoma? You'd be correct, according to the Melanoma Foundation of New England.

The deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma is getting diagnosed more often than ever thanks to greater awareness about the disease among patients.

In Maine, new cases have climbed from 380 in 2005 to 410 in 2007, says the American Cancer Society. That's no surprise if you look at demographics, said Sue Clifford, a spokeswoman for the cancer society.

The Pine Tree state is one of the whitest in the country, and "melanoma is primarily a disease for white people," Clifford said. "The rates are more than 10 times more for Caucausians than other ethnicities."

The incidence is also rising because Maine is the oldest state in the union.

"The older you are, the more exposure you have had to the sun," Clifford said.

Said Diane Peterson, who co-chairs the state's Skin Cancer Task Force: "People used to go lay out on the black tar roof and spread on baby oil in the 1960s, and 1970s. Now these people are in their 50s, and 60s."

To meet the growing need, the Cancer Community Center in South Portland is launching its first melanoma support group. It will meet the fourth Tuesday of each month, starting next week.

To learn more about the support group, visit the Cancer Community Center or call 774-2200.

For more information on melanoma, log onto the Melanoma Foundation of New England Web site or visit the American Cancer Society.

As my parents' first-born, I am supposed to make more money than my younger sibling, and be loads smarter.

So it's only a theory. But a growing string of studies back up the idea that birth order influences success (in the general sense of the word). Some famous first-borns: Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Bill Cosby, Jessica Simpson.

Psychologists have proposed that older children are given more responsiblities, building brain power. And that first-borns push themselves to live up to higher expectations by parents. Now comes new research from Brigham Young University that expounds on the idea that older children thrive from greater amounts of undivided attention.

The study, published in the Journal of Human Resources, shows that first-borns enjoy 3,000 more hours of quality time with parents between ages 4 to 13 than
the next-oldest sibling during the same age range.

Parents understandably have more time and energy when they only have one child. As the family grows and gets older, what free time there is goes more toward activities such as watching TV, the study showed.

You might think that in this equation, younger children in larger families get shorter shrift. But the study, which used data from a national time management survey from the U.S. Department of Labor, indicates that parents of big families devote more time to their kids. The youngest of four siblings gets as much quality time as the younger of two kids.

For tips on how to make sure all kids get equal attention, check out the "Guide to Siblings" in Parenting magazine: http://www.parenting.com/article/Toddler/Behavior/Siblings-21334851

We've heard that moderate red wine consumption can be good for the heart. Scientists started using the phrase, French Paradox, after observing how French people regularly drink red wine and eat Croque-Monsieurs, seemingly with impunity.

A new study, though, shows that the positive impact of red wine is limited to one glass at a time. Any more servings than that reverses any health benefits.

The study goes on to show that a glass of any alcoholic beverage has the same benefits as red wine. (Mon dieu!)

Researchers at Toronto General Hospital break it down for us: One drink of any alcoholic beverage expands the blood vessels and reduces the work the heart has to do.

Having two drinks, though, begins to stress the body, the researchers said. Blood flow increases, but the blood vessels' ability to expand becomes impaired.

(In case you were wondering, the 13 people in the study – published in this month's American Journal of Physiology, Heart and Circulatory Physiology – were served moderately priced pinot noir and some unspecified spirits.)

A toast to our hair stylists! Ok, now, sip slowly.

When I first heard that ChiRunning combined running with Tai Chi, I envisioned someone doing the Repulse Monkey on a morning jog.

As it turns out, ChiRunning doesn't look that different from running. But it does draws inspiration from the most zen of martial arts.

ChiRunners are taught to relax their limbs and let gravity pull them forward, so they don't expend any unnecessary energy.

ChiRunning isn't the only technique out there. With the number of recreational runners in the U.S. topping 10 million, there is a thirst for advice on how to develop the best running style and prevent injury.

The Pose Method, invented during the 1970s by Soviet running coach Nicholas Romanov, also stresses a forward lean in running, as well as short strides.

There is debate in the running world about whether these techniques actually work, but plenty of devotees are out there.

See for yourself. Here is a clip from the Discovery Health channel on the basics of ChiRunning. Watch how the ChiRunning expert casually runs into the frame right ... on ... cue.

And here is a video of the Pose Method being demonstrated on a beach on the Virgin Islands. Note: You might want to skip to the 2:00 mark to see actual running.

Ice skaters are good at it. So are clowns. I'm talking about falling, and these folks know how to do it without seriously hurting themselves.

On this slushy day, as people skid across sidewalks (I mean me), I thought, what better time to talk about preventing injuries from a bad fall. Here is a rule of thumb that I picked up from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

When you fall, try to land on your side, or buttocks. Then roll over naturally, turning your head in the direction of the roll.

I asked Dr. William Strassberg, the Maine representative of the academy and president of the Maine Medical Association, to elaborate.

"You absorb the energy of the fall as you go down by sort of falling on your side," Strassberg said. "The energy gets spread out between the calves and the shoulder."

"The bottom line is don't let the force of gravity concentrate in one spot," he continued. "When any one area receives less force, it is less likely to get significantly injured."

What if you're not so coordinated?

Strassberg said falling on the buttocks is a good second choice "when things are happening too fast to do the optimum plan."

"It's better than going down on your face," Strassberg said.

Strassberg said that we reflexively try to protect our faces and will splay out our palms to break the fall, but that could damage our wrists.

Hope this helps. Good luck out there today.