As Americans get older and fatter, the number of adults with high blood pressurehas climbed to almost 1 in 3 over the past decade, putting more people at risk of a stroke, heart attack or kidney failure. A little more than a decade ago, the number was closer to 1 in 4. Two decades ago, it was falling. But then came the obesity surge in the late '80s.
"It's not surprising because we've seen that Americans are getting fatter, and we know that blood pressure goes up when people gain weight," said Dr. David Goff, an epidemiology expert at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina. (duh).
About 65 million American adults now have high blood pressure — 30 percent more than the 50 million who did in the previous decade, according to the report in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. The report did not specifically examine reasons for the spike, but experts said the aging U.S. population and the growing proportion of overweight and obese Americans are probably major contributors. (duh)
"The big message to the American public on that is that we need to pay attention to our lifestyle and those that are overweight need to get slimmer," said Dr. Daniel Jones, dean of the School of Medicine for the University of Mississippi Medical Center and an expert on high blood pressure.
The risk of hypertension, or high blood pressure, is increased by old age, excess weight and lack of physical activity. High blood pressure is defined as 140 over 90 or higher. Blood pressure less than 120 over 80 is generally considered ideal. People in between these categories are called pre-hypertensive.
The study found that at least 65 million Americans either have blood pressure in the high range, take blood-pressure lowering medicines or have been told at least twice that they had high blood pressure. High blood pressure adds to the workload of the heart and arteries. Over time it can mean the heart and arteries do not work as well as they should.
High blood pressure can be treated with medicine and lifestyle changes, including eating less fat and more fruits and vegetables, becoming more physically active and limiting salt intake.
The new figures are from Census data and a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which included 4,531 adults. It estimates that 31.3 percent of Americans have high blood pressure, up from 28.9 percent in the previous national health report.
And the numbers are even worse for blacks. 4 out of 10 black-Americans have high blood pressure, compared with about 3 out of 10 Mexican-Americans and whites. "It's clear we're not paying enough attention to the things that can prevent and manage high blood pressures," Jones said.
There are no symptoms of high blood pressure. "That's why they refer to it as the silent killer," said Dr. Larry E. Fields, lead author of the study and an adviser to the U.S. assistant secretary for health. So he said healthy adults should be checked at least every two years. Only 2 out of 3 people who have high blood pressure know that they do, and only 1 in 3 has the condition under control.
It's here—whether you're ready or not. Just look at the seasonal shelves in your favorite store. Retailers like to call it ‘holiday season' but let's be more accurate. Weight Gain season begins now and runs straight through New Year. The month will bring ample opportunity for you to expand your waistline. Of course the choice is yours. Now is your opportunity to plan for the weeks ahead. Once the craziness begins, you'll be to busy to put a plan into action.
So let's take this moment of clarity, this calm before the storm, to outline a two-part plan that will save your waist from unwanted holiday inches.
Part One: Your Exercise Plan
Exercise is the first thing people cut when they get busy, and the holiday season is notorious for empty gyms. This year do something different—obligate yourself to exercise. Promising to yourself won't do it, you need to promise to others so that you won't drop the ball.
Sign up to work with a fitness expert – This is the perfect solution for consistent, challenging and effective workouts. We give you the attention and assistance you need to power through the holidays in better shape than ever – talk about motivating!
Join a class – You won't be as effective exercising on your own during the busy holiday season, so join a class for accountability. Find something challenging that gets your heart rate elevated and uses strength training.
Get a serious exercise buddy – Some friends can be an awesome help when you get a bad case of the "I just don't feel like it's."
Part Two: Your Diet Plan
The holidays offer ample opportunities to indulge, so you need to hammer down some guidelines before hitting the buffet line. I'm not saying you shouldn't indulge in any seasonal treats, but use moderation. Don't use the holidays as an excuse to eat until the point of being uncomfortable – will you really miss that bloated feeling?
Don't bring edible treats to the office or to parties. You know that the leftovers will come home and you'll end up eating far more than your share. This year do everyone a favor by not gifting fattening treats.
When faced with a buffet line, load your plate first with greens, vegetables and lean meats before breads and heavier foods. Also drink water with your meal.
Beware of holiday drinks – most are brimming with calories. Hot drinks from coffee shops, cocktails at parties and creamy eggnog are all very enjoyable and all filled with empty calories. Stick with hot tea or unsweetened coffee.
Everywhere you go during the holiday season brings you face-to-face with a plate of sweets. To avoid being a bore but without adding inches to your waist, try the one treat rule. Each time you're in a social situation that involves sweets just eat one, and enjoy your treat slowly.
You don't have to gain weight this holiday season. The key is mindset. If you approach the holidays with the mindset of, ‘I deserve to indulge and I shouldn't have to exercise' then you'll enter 2012 a few pounds heavier, a little less healthy, and with lower energy than ever before.
Instead enter 2012 in better shape than you are today, healthier than you've been in a long time, and with more energy than you thought possible. I'm here to help – call email to set up a fitness consultation. I'd love to show you how to transform your body over the weeks to come.
Being health-conscious doesn't necessarily mean Ayou can't enjoy the holiday season and have a little bit of what you crave. It simply means that you should continue to be vigilant and be prepared for the festivities.
1. Exercise: Most people have a little extra time available over the holiday season when they are not at work. Take this opportunity to get some exercise! This will help to burn off the excess calories and fat consumed over this period. And maybe it will get you into the habit of exercising, and you can continue the regime after the holiday season is over.
2. Review your cooking methods: These days there is no excuse for not utilizing the many healthy ways in which food can be prepared. Instead of frying, grill your food. If you're roasting, use one of the many available low-calorie spray oils. Steam vegetables to retain nutrients and flavor.
3. Invest in lower fat ingredients for cooking: If you're preparing a big dinner, why not use half-fat ingredients whenever possible? It is often difficult to tell the difference where taste and flavor are concerned. You can even get low-calorie beers, wines and soft drinks. By simply swapping regular ingredients, foods and drinks for their half-fat alternatives you can make a big cut-back on fat and calorie consumption.
4. Eat regularly: If you are going to a big party or dinner, don't starve yourself all day in anticipation. You're in danger of arriving there feeling “starved” and eating everything in sight. Instead, have healthy snacks throughout the day. By doing this, you'll be less likely to over-indulge whilst you are out.
5. Prepare for outings: If you have some big nights out and meals planned over the holiday season, compensate by having some healthy eating days leading up to the event. Many of us think that we may as well forget about healthy eating over the holidays. However, it should not be a case of forgetting about your health, but simply managing it a little more carefully over the holidays.
6. Balance your meals out: Don't be tempted to fill up your plate with purely rich, calorie-laden food. Instead, have a little of everything including fruit and vegetables. This way, you'll still get to indulge as well as receive valuable nutrients and vitamins.
7. Be wary of sugary foods: Always remember that rich, sugary foods have a nasty habit of making us crave yet more rich and sugary foods. We've all been there...over-indulging in sweet or rich food...feeling bloated, sick, and making rash promises to never eat again...and, a couple of hours later, finding ourselves back in the kitchen, picking at leftovers. By ensuring that you practise healthy eating over the holidays, and throw in some form of regular exercise, you can expect to have more energy and fewer cravings.
8. Stock up on healthy snacks: When you go shopping, be sure to throw some healthy snacking items in to your trolley. Fill up on raw vegetables, such as carrots or celery, which can make a simple snack in times of temptation.
9. Moderate alcohol intake: Don't forget that alcohol is fattening too. That innocent-looking glass of sparkly wine or that small bottle of beer may look as though it will do no harm. However, alcohol contains calories and lots of them. Try and control the amount of alcohol you consume over the holiday period and, in the same way as food, try not to over-indulge regularly. There are plenty of lower-calorie beers and wines available that can help, so opt for the healthier version whenever possible.
10. Be assertive: Don't feel as though you have to say yes to everyone that offers you food and drink. If you are not hungry, then simply say so. Do not let yourself be bullied into eating something that you really don't want.
12. Leave what you don't want: Despite what your parents may have drummed into you as a child, don't feel obliged to clear your plate. When you feel full, stop eating. Simple
Food and festivity will always be a major part of the holiday season - and there is certainly nothing wrong in that. However, the holiday season is also a stressful time for many of us, and we need plenty of energy and stamina to cope with it. It is therefore essential that we eat the right type of food with the necessary nutrients to give us energy and reduce stress levels. This is not to say that we shouldn't allow ourselves to indulge a little, but we should eat in moderation and maintain a varied diet.
I'm sure that many reading this blog entry are new Altitude Bootcampers (there's over 100 of you) & thus new to the world of Coach Derrick. I'd also be willing to bet that many have either felt or heard someone else feeling the wrath of one of my "NO DEATH TALK IN MY GYM!" rants. So for those who may be uninitiated - here's the low low on what that's all about.
Christianity is my particular expression of faith. I don't cram it down anyone's throat nor do I begrudge anyone who chooses otherwise. One of the great things about this nation is we are free to worship and express our faith as we choose, or not at all. The pastor of our house of worship tells a fascinating story:
In former years he was a meat-cutter. Worked in a butcher shop & interfaced with the public every day of the week. One day he says he felt the unction to "shut up, stop doing all the talking, & just listen to people". Pay careful attention to the things people say. So he did so one day & says he noticed an amazing phenomena. We speak 3 things over ourselves all the time; death, sickness/disease, and poverty. Think about it. How many times have you said or heard:
"Makes me sick!"
"You're kill'n me!"
"So broke I can't pay attention"
"That movie last night was so funny, we were just dying laughing!"
"Oh man, I was dead after that."
And so on. We say it all the time. Well you know what? Words are containers. Whether we believe it or not, they are. Words are VERY powerful things. And in life we tend to get what we say. If you go around saying, "I'm a loser. Nobody likes me. I have no friends and I never will..." Well guess what? And of course the opposite is equally true.
And so he began a campaign years ago to say, "Look, if you're going to joke around about that stuff - joke on the right side of the power curve." So instead of, "I'm dying" make it, "I'm living".
As fitness professionals we're forever hearing this. "You just about killed us with all those squats yesterday."; "I was about to die." Etc. Etc. Etc. Imaging if you had a position where people accused you, on a daily basis, of killing them!
So in the Achieve Fitness USA and Altitude Fitness Camps gyms -we turn it around! I'm don't KILL people (!), I do just the opposite - I LIVE them!
So next time you're in one of my workouts and you throw out a "death statement" & get the requisite verbal smack down,....you'll know why. You're coming to workout so that you can LIVE and have more LIFE. Keep it on the right side of the power curve!
I was going round and round with a friend/potential client yesterday about joining our new "Altitude Bootcamp" and he as giving me the, "It's too early" whine. So Rob, my friend, this blog's for you!
Will morning training will help you shed pounds quicker. The answer is "yes," morning training has been proven efficient for weight loss. The reason is simple: Training in the morning will help "jump-start" your metabolism and keep it elevated for up to 24 hours, thus burning more calories throughout the day.
Here's why training in the morning is a great way to blast fat: Your body pulls energy from 2 primary sources, carbohydrates and fat. Sugar and carbohydrates are immediately available, short-term fuel sources. So you grad those first. Once depleted you make the jump over to the long-term source, aka: fat.
Your levels of muscle and liver glycogen (also called stored carbohydrates) are normally very low when you wake up first thing in the morning - since you haven't eaten anything in 8 hours. With depleted glycogen and lower blood sugar, you'll give your body the perfect environment to burn fat instead of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates or glycogen are your body's primary and preferred source of energy. When they're low, your body will tap into your secondary energy reserve, which is your body fat. The less carbohydrates you have, the more fat your body will burn, and you never have less than in the morning.
Of course there's an adjustment period. The same way you're jet-lagged after an overseas trip or drowsy when you suddenly have to switch from the graveyard shift to a regular 9 to 5 shift, training in the morning will require some lag time. Normally, it should take about three weeks for your body to fully adjust to the time change. You'll start feeling fully energized; you'll wake up more easily and will generally be more alert.
But once you've made the shift and are on a new routine, its easy. And morning training has lots of advantages.
First of all, training in the morning will free up the rest of your day, allowing you to focus on work and enjoy your evening activities.
By completing your workout early in the morning, you're also guaranteeing that you'll actually do it. We all know that after a long day at work, it's easier to make excuses or other plans in order to skip a workout. In the morning, your body and mind are fresh and ready to rock 'n' roll. Just remember that being disciplined is the key to staying fit, so start losing your snoozing habits.
As you know, exercise increases mental acuity. By training in the morning, you'll wake up faster and be mentally alert at the crack of dawn. It'll also give you time to plan your day effectively before getting to work.
A good morning workout provides that rush of adrenaline and a sense of accomplishment that will stick with you throughout the day. Plus, you sleep LIKE A BABY at night. You've never slept as well as you will when you do morning workouts.
Finally, have you ever noticed how healthy you feel after a workout? And how you become turned off by greasy, unhealthy food? That said, training in the morning will force you to start watching what you eat from the first meal of the day. It will help regulate your appetite and set a "healthy mindset."
Now all you need is a louder alarm clock to help you get up those first few weeks. Before you know it, you'll be a lean, mean, morning machine. So Robert, rise and shine, my friend, because training in the morning definitely has its benefits.
Every parent wants good things for their children: a positive outlook on life, a healthy respect for authority, a strong sense of self, a disease-free body...a healthy body weight.
Despite our best intentions, a recent report suggests that for the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
With all the advances in medicine, how could this possibly be true? The blame falls squarely on today's toxic food environment. In short, your kids are eating too much junk.
And who can blame them? Junk food tastes great.
The good news is that healthy food also tastes great. Take these simple tips and transform your child's diet into one that is packed with good health.
1) Add Color
Adding bright and colorful fruits and veggies to your child's plate will get their diet on the fast track to health. Fresh fruits and veggies are filled with fiber, vitamins and minerals that are essential to good health.
If your kids are resistant then make it fun. Serve veggies with salad dressing as a dip. Cut fresh fruit in the colors of the rainbow and place them on a skewer. Serve a color themed meal – all green, all red or all orange. Use your imagination and you'll come up with an endless number of ways to make fruits and veggies fun to eat.
2) Think Whole Foods
Processed foods are the biggest problem with our modern diet. Packaged and refined food products are devitalized and filled with empty calories that quickly lead to weight gain. Unfortunately, processed foods make up a large portion of the diet of many children.
Train your kids to opt for whole foods, rather than packaged ones. Whole foods are foods that are in their natural state. An apple. A piece of sprouted grain bread spread with natural peanut butter. A piece of hormone-free chicken. A bowl of beans. You get the idea.
3) Use Wholesome Sweeteners
Refined sugar and corn syrup are packed into many of the foods that your kids love. But wait, there are more wholesome sweeteners available – sweeteners that add vitamins and minerals rather than empty calories. Use the following rather than white sugar or corn syrup:
•Sucanat: This pure, dried sugar can juice retains its molasses content. Use
it to replace white sugar in baking.
•Pure Maple Syrup: Forget the "fake" syrups containing corn syrup. Pure maple yrup
contains potassium, calcium and some amino acids.
•Brown Rice Syrup: Use this dark syrupy sweetener instead of corn syrup. It takes
longer to digest and won't spike your blood sugar like refined sugar.
•Dates: Throw a few seeded dates into your blender to sweeten your smoothie rather
than adding white sugar.
4) Make Smart Substitutions
Kids love pizza and pasta and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and that's not going to change any time soon. Rather than fight your kids on their favorites, try making smart substitutions to make their favorites more nutritious.
•Pizza: Up the nutritional content of your pizza by opting for wheat crust over
white, adding veggies to the toppings and sticking with lean meat toppings.
•Pasta: Use sprouted grain or whole grain pasta rather than traditional white
pasta. Add veggies to your pasta sauce. Stick with red sauce, since white sauce is
so high in fat.
•PB&J: A PB&J, made with white bread using sugar-filled peanut butter and corn
syrup-filled jelly, is fairly void of any real nutritional value. Try the PB&J
Makeover recipe below instead for a sandwich that will provide real wholesome fuel
for your child's day.
5) Ban Sugary Drinks
One of the best things that you can do for your child's good health is to instill in them a love for water rather than sugary drinks. Soda pop and juices are filled with empty calories that encourage weight gain. Its literally this simple: consumption of soda is killing our nation.
The easiest way to do this is to stock your house with lots of pure, filtered water. Don't have fruit drinks or soda pop readily available so they don't grow accustom to drinking them.
While I presented these tips as improvements to be made to your child's diets, these tips will also do wonders for your diet. Try these 5 tips out for 30 days and I guarantee you'll look and feel better.
Parents all want good things for their children. Now how about doing something good for yourself as well? You are your child's biggest role model on how to live, for better or worse.
Treat yourself right. Get started on an exercise program that will change your life for the better.
Just the other day I was talking w/a client about one of my "signature" presentations - "Formula for Success". Many of you have heard it. Its simple really. Formula for Success = small disciplines repeated on a daily basis. Conversely; Formula for Failure = small errors in judgment repeated on a daily basis.
Weight loss requires changing the way you eat, the amount you exercise, the way you think about food, and more. That's a lot! And when looking at such a huge step from square one, it can seem really scary.
But break the weight loss process down into smaller steps, and success will seem more accessible. As you accomplish each "mini-goal," you'll feel like a winner. And that winning feeling is great motivation for meeting more mini-goals, and more, until suddenly you're at the weight you've always wanted.
"Making small changes one at a time is a great strategy," agrees Dr. Howard Rankin, a Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, psychologist and author of Inspired to Lose (Step Wise Press, 2001). "It's not overwhelming, and it results in a slower, more steady weight loss."
Remember: When it comes to weight loss, slow and steady wins the race. It's the pace that will help you get to your goal, then stay there.
Do Sweat the Small Stuff
A bunch of small changes add up to big results. Maybe cutting the cream out of your coffee seems like a small feat to you. But once you've got that down you can add another small feat, then another.
Baby steps are the way to go. Especially when you're just starting. There seem to be so many things to do, it's overwhelming. Little things become habits, and eventually the whole process doesn't seem so overwhelming.
I've asked dozens of people like you what small steps they've taken in order to see their way toward their weight goals. This is what they said
About Small Eating Changes
Water, water, water, water. (Your skin will look great, too!)
·Order half portions at restaurants, or share a full portion with somebody. Or ask for a to-go container when you order your food, and pack up half the portion before you even start eating.
·Cut back on butter and mayo.
·Limit fried foods to once or twice per week.
·Use less or no sugar in your coffee or tea.
·Replace ground beef with Boca products or turkey.
·Try at least one new food every week. If you're bored with what you're eating, you're more likely to give up.
·Eat fresh, raw veggies instead of chips with sandwiches.
·Measure your portions until you're sure you know what a cup, a half-cup, and a tablespoon look like. This way, you can be sure you're accurately counting your POINTS.
·Try not to drink your POINTS. Save them for food, so you feel fuller.
·Dip your fork in a side of salad dressing before each bite, instead of pouring it directly on your salad. You'll find that you are satisfied with much less than you usually put on.
·Find the lowest-POINTS alternative to all your favorite high-POINTS foods.
·Never eat out of a bag or box. Take out a measured/counted quantity of food and put it in a bowl. This way, you know exactly how much you're having.
·Always eat something for breakfast.
·Read food labels. Check serving sizes.
·Add vegetables to everything.
·Plan meals in advance; use that information to make out a complete shopping list.
·Give guests food to take home.
·Make sure your Journal is easy and always accessible (like the online Journal that WeightWatchers.com subscribers get).
·Record foods and their POINTS values in your Journal before you eat them.
About Small Exercise Changes
·Take the stairs every single time they're an option. No more elevators or escalators.
·Make exercise a priority, not an inconvenience.
·Park far from your destination, so you're forced to walk this works at the supermarket, mall, wherever. (This also helps you waste less time looking for a parking space!)
·View tiring chores (shoveling snow, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, taking the garbage out, grocery shopping) as a chance to get in some activity.
·Take the grocery cart back to the store when you're done loading your bags into your car.
·If you take public transportation, get off one stop early.
Achieve Fitness Colorado Springs is about to launch our latest fitness venture - Altitude Bootcamp! Visit www.altitudebootcamps.com.
THE FACILITY
The search for the perfect location finally ended when we landed an agreement with Play it Now Sports. The facility is PERFECT! Easy to get to, center of town, massive (over 54,000 sq. ft.), indoor, constant 72 degrees, soft flooring. We now have the largest and best bootcamp workout facility in CO Springs, hands down. And on days when the weather is right, we'll head out to one of CO Springs beautiful parks to hike and/or rock climb.
THE WORKOUTS
If you've never done 'bootcamp' style workouts, you're in for a treat. Most of you are familiar with Derrick's "outside the box" methods of conditioning. Well, with this kind of space I can really go to town on the creativity side. These camps will be the most fun you've had since kindergarten recess. We play games - like medicine ball golf, have tug 'o wars, and all sorts of other engaging activities that promote balance, teamwork, coordination, core-conditioning, cardiovascular endurance and muscle building. I offer my personal guarantee, you laugh out loud AT LEAST four times each workout or I will drop and knock out 20.
We're very aware that people come in all shapes, sizes, ages and levels of capability. No matter how long its been, how de-conditioned you are, DO NOT feel intimidated. I and the Altitude coaches are trained, capable and anticipate a wide range of ability and take that into account when designing exercises and activities. (hey, we're professionals, alright?)
THE LOCATION
Play it Now SPORTS is on the NE corner of Academy & Union Blvds. In the same plaza as "Big Lots".
THE DAYS & TIMES
Here's the only catch....you've gotta get out of bed. For the first camp workouts are:
While it may be a struggle the first week or 2 while your body clock resets, believe me - if you've never done it - you'll come to love the morning workout. You're more alert & have more energy during the day and absolutely sleep better at night.
THE COST
And here's the good news! Camps are designed to run 5 weeks on/1 week off. In order to get Altitude Bootcamps launched and rolling I'm offering an introductory rate of just $159 per camp. Yes, you read correctly. That's just $10.60 per workout.
To make the offer even sweeter, I'm tossing in a handful of enticing goodies:
Goodie #1 - a 4th workout each week......for FREE. Yes, free. We'll also workout Saturdays 8:30 - 9:15am at absolutely no add'l cost. Come on Saturdays and your cost per workout drops to just $7.95. NO WHERE can you beat that.
Goodie #2 - a special offer for readers of my eNewsletters and blog ONLY. For you I'm throwing in a BOGO. Bring a friend, spouse, co-worker,...whom ever. You buy one & he or she gets theirs for FREE. Give it as a gift or split the difference. Either way, that knocks your cost of participation down to to under $4 per workout. But don't drag your heels. I'm only going to offer this until we have about 20 campers - then its gone forever.
So if you've been sitting the fitness thing out b/c you just couldn't squeeze it into the budget - I've just destroyed that objection!
SIGN UP
Best and fastest way is to email info@altitudefitnesscamps.com. Many of you on my blog and newsletter list used to workout with us on a regular basis...but then life happened. Why not treat yourself to a summer of looking and feeling great! Its fun, its inexpensive. Come to the new gym and do some sweat'n to the oldies!
It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's ... walnuts? Don't laugh. The humble walnut, along with a dozen other dietary choices -from beans to yogurt- is no less than a "superfood," say some health experts.
Steven Pratt, MD, is one of them. In his book "SuperFoods RX: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life", he goes into detail why he thinks these foods are so potent.
Pratt, an ophthalmologist who specializes in ocular plastic surgery at ScrippsMemorialHospital in La Jolla, Calif., says he became convinced of the power of these basic foods when he saw the positive results of a few simple diet changes in his patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration - a leading cause of blindness.
"Whether you're trying to prevent cataracts, macular degeneration, cancer, or cardiovascular disease, the same type of preventive dietary measures apply," he says. "The whole body is connected: a healthy heart equals a healthy eye and healthy skin. You'll hear about all these special diets for special health needs, but really, the same diet and the same lifestyle choices prevent the same diseases. With rare exceptions, you don't need 20 different preventive modalities - just one really good diet."
And that "one really good diet," Pratt says, should be founded on these "superfoods":
·Beans
·Blueberries
·Broccoli
·Oats
·Oranges
·Pumpkin
·Salmon
·Soy
·Spinach
·Tea (green or black)
·Tomatoes
·Turkey
·Walnuts
·Yogurt
When incorporated into your regular daily diet, these foods, says Pratt, can stop some of the changes that lead to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer's, and some cancers. "I picked them out after researching all of the world's healthiest diets: for example, Japanese diets, Mediterranean diets, and even some of the healthier dietary patterns in the United States," he says. "I noticed that it's the same food groups wherever you live."
Walnuts: The Good Fat
Every nut, even macadamias - the fattiest - has been found to improve cholesterol, Pratt reports. "Walnuts are among the superstars. They're an excellent source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids," he says. Salmon is another great source of these heart-healthy fatty acids.
"Studies show that you can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by 15% to 50% if you eat a handful of nuts five times a week. If you found a pill that did the same thing, you'd make a fortune." Of course, chowing down on a huge tub of walnuts can be counterproductive, so as always, watch your intake. A handful of dry, roasted, unsalted walnuts - about 14 walnut halves - has about 150 calories, and is enough to yield "superfood" benefits.
Add Some Color to Your Diet
Its true that good things come in small packages. Used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes, blueberries are a tiny fruit that combines a wide variety of nutrients. "Blueberries don't have a huge amount of any single nutrient, but they have the synergy of multiple nutrients," Pratt says. "There's vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, carotenoids, and hundreds of other compounds in this one small fruit. Blueberries also have a very thick skin, which is where nature packs most of its nutrients."
When you're thinking "superfoods," think color, says Beverly Clevidence, PhD, a research leader at the USDA's Diet and Human Performance laboratory. That means foods that are deep blue, purple, red, green, or orange. They contain health-enhancing nutrients that protect against heart disease and cancer, and also improve our sense of balance, our memory, and other thinking skills.
Nutritionist Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, director of nutrition of the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic, offers these tips on how to add some color to your diet:
·Top your cereal with almonds or berries; add tomatoes to sandwiches, soups or stews; layer your whole grain bread sandwich with slices of peppers and fresh spinach.
·Pack a snack bag of nuts, baby carrots, raw broccoli, grape tomatoes, and bell pepper slices for a nutritious pick-me-up between meals.
·Fruit and nut granola bars stash easily into briefcases for quick energy and a tasty treat.
Soy for Cholesterol
No, adding soy to your diet does not mean pouring more soy sauce on your Chinese food, It does mean adding soy foods such as tofu, soy milk, soy nuts, or the green soybeans -- called edamame by the Japanese.
Not everyone is convinced about soy's heart-healthy benefits but its cholesterol-lowering benefits do seem powerful enough. A study reported July 2003 in The Journal of the American Medical Association showed that a diet of soy fiber, protein from oats and barley, almonds, and margarine from plant sterols lowered cholesterol as much as statins, the most widely prescribed cholesterol medicine.
Tofu takes on the flavor of foods that it is cooked with. Try a stir-fry of colorful veggies and cubed tofu with a light Asian sauce for a quick meal. You can also find cereals at the store loaded with both soy and fiber. Serve with skim milk and you'll get three super nutrients for breakfast.Take a soy protein bar for a quick snack or lunch during the day. Soy nuts are another great portable snack option. Edamame (Japanese name for green soybeans) are snacks even kids will love! Find these nutritious nuggets in the freezer section at your supermarket. Serve them plain or with a low-fat dip.
Fiber for Your Whole Body
Beans and oats are great sources of fiber. Fiber helps keep our cholesterol and blood sugar levels low and our bowels functioning smoothly. Studies show that dietary fiber - including foods such as apples, barley, beans and other legumes, fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, oat bran and brown rice - clearly lower blood cholesterol. High-fiber foods are also digested more slowly, so they don't cause spikes in blood sugar levels like white bread, potatoes and sweets do. Of course, everyone knows that fiber helps keep you regular. High-fiber foods also help us feel full, making it easier to control weight.
Read food labels to find whole grain breads and cereals that provide three or more grams of fiber per serving. A bowl full of bran or high-fiber cereal is a great start. Whole fruits and veggies are great for a healthy dose of fiber. Aim for five to nine servings of fruits and veggies a day for a healthy dose of fiber. Juices don't contain as much fiber as whole fruit. And beans are loaded with fiber and protein, so add them to soups, stews, salads, eggs, and salsas.
Calcium for Your Bones
Yogurt and other dairy products help keep your bones strong and lessen your chance of fractures as you get older, calcium also keeps teeth strong, helps your muscles contract, and your heart beat. Recent studies have even shown that calcium may lower your risk of colon polyps, and help you lose weight. Researchers at PurdueUniversity found that women who consume calcium from low-fat dairy products, or get at least 1,000 milligrams a day, showed an overall decrease in body weight.
Dairy products are the best source of calcium. Choose skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese to avoid saturated fats. A single serving can provide you with 20% of the 1,200 milligrams a day you need. You can also add calcium to your diet with calcium-enriched cereals and orange juice. Foods such as dark green vegetables, dried beans, and sardines also contain calcium.
Start your day with café au lait made with half skim milk and half strong coffee,.Add a bowl of whole grain cereal topped with skim milk and fresh fruit for a breakfast of champions. Snack on low-fat yogurt or cheese between meals for an energizing treat.
Another plus for the "superfoods": they can all be found in pretty much every supermarket in every town in America. You might not be able to buy bok choy everywhere, but every grocery store sells broccoli. Both dark green leafy vegetables with similar health benefits, broccoli makes the "superfood" list and bok choy is one of its "sidekicks."
So are "superfoods" for real, or just another diet-book gimmick in a market flooded with them? "I think it's a good message," says Beth Kitchin, MS, RD, assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. "There's good data to support the health benefits of all these foods. They're what we might call 'functional foods,' because you eat them for a very specific purpose. The walnuts and the salmon are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, yogurt is a great source of calcium and natural bacterial cultures that help maintain a healthy digestive tract, and tea has been shown over and over again to have a role in preventing some cancers."
Can you lose weight on a "superfoods" diet? Of course you can, says Pratt, although that's a side benefit. "The Superfoods way of looking at things is a lifestyle choice, not a weight-loss program," he says. "But if you make these foods a lifestyle choice, you'll feel better and you'll look better."
You can't toss a baguette these days without hitting someone who's talking about the pros & cons of carbs. Yet with all this carb chatter it's not always easy to figure out exactly which are the good carbs & which are the bad. Enter the glycemic index (GI) - a reference source that can help indicate which foods are high GI, & therefore most likely to contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, & a number of chronic diseases including heart disease. Now a new study reveals that a steady intake of high GI foods may be associated with one of the most common & deadly types of cancer.
Dangerous load
The glycemic index is a measurement system developed to help diabetic patients manage their blood glucose levels. In a nutshell: Low GI foods(such as most fruits and vegetables) prompt a slow increase in blood sugar levels, while high GI foods (such as processed baked goods and starchy foods) produce a quick spike in blood sugar levels. A steady intake of high GI foods promotes a gradual insensitivity to insulin - the precursor of type 2 diabetes.
I’ve written in the past about the discovery 70 years ago that cancer cells use glucose (sugar) for growth. All cells have a requirement for glucose, but cancer cells consume as much as 4 to 5 times more glucose than normal, healthy cells. In fact, they're unable to multiply rapidly without it. So the results of new research from UCLA are not entirely surprising. Using data from the Women's Health Study, the UCLA team found 174 cases of colorectal cancer among a group of more than 38,000 women. Researchers estimated the glycemic load (GL) for each subject by analyzing dietary information gathered from food-frequency questionnaires over a period of about eight years. Their conclusion: "Dietary glycemic load was statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer." Generally speaking, glycemic load increases when foods that are high on the glycemic index also contain high amounts of carbohydrates.
Help from down under
A recent study looked at adolescents who ate either instant oatmeal or unprocessed oatmeal for breakfast. The study showed that the group eating instant oatmeal consumed more food later in the day than the unprocessed group. The reason? The higher glycemic index of the instant oatmeal causes it to be digested more rapidly, so hunger returns sooner.
This is one of the worst aspects about foods with a high GI: They actually make you hungrier than foods with a low GI. As a result, you end up eating more. And if the foods you're eating more of are high GI too; you're caught in a vicious cycle that can only lead to weight gain and all of the other problems that come tagging along as the pounds increase.
The solution is to become aware of the GI value of the foods you eat. At one time that would have been easier said than done. But a web site operated by the University of Sydney now makes it very easy. The site (glycemicindex.com) provides a GI Database where you can search for the GI and GL of different types of food. The slight drawback for those of us in the U.S. is that the database is sometimes specific about brand names, which are mostly Australian and European. Nevertheless, the database still offers an excellent guide for making low GI dietary choices.
The next thing
I believe there's a good chance that all of the current buzz about carbohydrates will soon give way to glycemic index as the hot dietary topic. So if you want to stay ahead of the curve, the next time someone starts talking carbs, tip them off to the index that will help guide them away from the types of carbs that can do the most harm.
