Food, Health and Nutrition Recommendations

Today countries around the world start celebrating World Breastfeeding Week, which this year emphasizes the importance of breastfeeding in the first hour of life.



World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2007 is encouraging breastfeeding in the first hour of life because research shows that early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for six months can save lives. This is the reason behind this year's WBW catchphrase: "Breast Feeding the 1st Hour - Save One Million Babies".

World Breastfeeding Week is supported by a number of global and national organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), who are keen to promote awareness about the importance of breastfeeding soon after birth because of the lifelong health benefits of receiving a mother's first milk, colostrum, the "perfect food for every newborn".

A 2006 study published in the journal Pediatrics suggested that 41 per cent of newborns that die in the first month of life could be saved if breastfed in the first hour of life.

The WHO also says feeding colostrum in the first hour increases the likelihood babies will continue to be breastfed which gives them a head start in the "race against malnutrition". There are 170 million underweight children in the world and 3 million of them die every year.

Colostrum is a sticky yellow-white substance yielded by the mother's breast soon after birth. It is rich in antibodies and essential nutrients. Yet, in many cultures, ignorant of its health benefits, the custom is to throw it away. Giving newborns water or other liquids denies them a "good start in life" says the WHO, referring to the WHO Child Growth Standards and how babies fed colostrum within the first hour of being born measure up well against the standards.

Breastfeeding in the first hour or so after birth also confers benefits to the mother, such as improved lactation and less loss of blood.

This year, the theme "Breast Feeding the 1st Hour" is also linked with another phrase: "Welcome Baby Softly". The idea of this theme is to encourage health professionals to "protect" the first hour after birth and help mother and baby bond in a natural, uninterrupted way and maximise the chance the infant will latch onto the breast and stimulate lactation.

President of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA), Rebecca Mannel said that newborns are programmed to find the breast and will often find it by themselves when placed on the mother's chest, skin to skin.

"In the early moments after birth, babies are in a quiet, alert state and ready to learn", said Mannel in a prepared statement.

"Babies use all five senses to explore that world. They use their eyes to memorize their mothers' faces, their ears to associate her voice with her face, and their sense of smell to guide them in finding the breast", she added.

Newborns have a heightened sense of taste too, and this is particularly sensitive to the taste of breast milk. Mannel also said that "When mothers hold their babies skin-to-skin immediately after birth, their babies are kept warm, they regulate their heart, respiratory, and oxygen saturation rates, and they do not feel pain as acutely". Babies who have this experience cry less, and are calmer, she said.

United Nations (UN) agencies and the WHO have recently expressed concern that breastfeeding appears to be declining in the Asia-Pacific regions and this is making it harder for babies and children to survive. They want parents to become more aware of the risks of using breast milk substitutes.

At a conference in Manila in the Philippines last month, experts told an assembly of doctors that breastfeeding reduces child mortality and they showed figures from Cambodia, where child mortality has decreased dramatically following a vigorous and successful breastfeeding campaign.

Between 2000 and 2005 the proportion of Cambodian mothers who were breastfeeding their babies until they were at least six months old jumped from 10 to 60 per cent, according to a BBC report from their correspondent in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This compares with about 30 to 40 per cent across Asia as a whole, according to the WHO.

Child deaths in Cambodia over the same timescale dropped by over 30 per cent, which the WHO credits to the dramatic increase in breastfeeding. The BBC correspondent said that large posters showing mothers breastfeeding were commonplace and the government had set up breastfeeding friendly sites in towns and villages.

A Unicef spokesperson told the BBC that the average family in the developing world believes bottle feeding is better for the baby than breast milk.

Breastfeeding is particularly protective for those babies born in towns and villages where water quality is unreliable and can make formula feeding unsafe.

Child development experts say that breastfeeding benefits all children, not just those in developing countries. It improves cognitive development and reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, for example.

Click here for more information on World Breastfeeding Week.
Click here for the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA).
Click here for WHO Child Growth Standards.

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Copyright: Medical News Today
Main Source: Medical News Today
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Labels: breast feeding, breastfeeding, child breast feeding, why is breast feeding important

Posted by Birju at 1:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

It's no secret that apples have historically played an important role in maintaining a healthful lifestyle. But what is it about the apple that "…keeps the doctor away"? Scientists in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University have concluded that the peel may, in large part, account for the potential cancer-fighting capabilities of apples.


Numerous studies have previously linked the apple's antioxidant properties to reduce the risk of cancer, as well as a positive impact on heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer Disease, and symptoms of asthma. These findings have shown that whole apples and apple products exhibit high antioxidant activity. Researchers are now looking to determine exactly which part of the apple is the most responsible for the activity.

Dr. Rui Hai Liu and his research team at Cornell looked at the chemical composition of apples and identified a group of phytochemicals that are more abundant in the peel and appear to kill or inhibit the growth of at least three different types of human cancer cells: colon, breast and liver.

In the study, recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers processed 230 pounds of apples and extracted the chemical content of the apple peel. Liu and co-author Xiangjiu He then isolated the phytochemical compounds in the peels and tested them on each of the 3 different types of cancer cells. Of the 12 compounds tested, most exhibited potent anti-cancer activity against all 3 cancer cells.

In previous studies, Liu identified apple compounds that appeared to inhibit mammary tumor growth in rats. In this study compounds called triterpenoids were effective against breast, liver and colon cancer cells.

Apples contain a large concentration of various phytochemical compounds, including flavonoids, which act as powerful antioxidants. Liu suggests that, based on his research, apples are one of the largest sources of flavonoids in the American diet. According to the researchers, apples with peels "…may impart health benefits when consumed and should be regarded as a valuable source of natural antioxidants or bioactive compounds."

Source: R.H. Liu, X "Triterpenoids Isolated from Apple Peels Have Potent Antiproliferative Activity and May Be Partially Responsible for Apple's Anticancer Activity," Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 30 May 2007, Volume 55, Issue 11, Pages 4366 - 4370.
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The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 36 state and regional apple associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 300 individual firms involved in the apple business. USApple's mission is to provide the means for all segments of the U.S. apple industry to join in appropriate collective efforts to profitably produce and market apples and apple products.

Source: US Apple Association

Labels: apple and cancer, apple health benefits, fruits and health

Posted by Birju at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity



Overweight in Children and Adolescents

THE PROBLEM OF OVERWEIGHT IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

• In 1999, 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in the United States were overweight. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past 2 decades.
• Risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, occur with increased frequency in overweight children and adolescents compared to children with a healthy weight.
• Type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents. Overweight and obesity are closely linked to type 2 diabetes.
• Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese. Overweight or obese adults are at risk for a number of health problems including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer.
• The most immediate consequence of overweight as perceived by the children themselves is social discrimination. This is associated with poor self-esteem and depression.

THE CAUSES OF OVERWEIGHT

• Overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child's weight.
• Our society has become very sedentary. Television, computer and video games contribute to children's inactive lifestyles.
• 43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television each day.
• Children, especially girls, become less active as they move through adolescence.

DETERMINATION OF OVERWEIGHT IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

• Doctors and other health care professionals are the best people to determine whether your child or adolescent's weight is healthy, and they can help rule out rare medical problems as the cause of unhealthy weight.
• A Body Mass Index (BMI) can be calculated from measurements of height and weight. Health professionals often use a BMI "growth chart" to help them assess whether a child or adolescent is overweight.
• A physician will also consider your child or adolescent's age and growth patterns to determine whether his or her weight is healthy.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS

• Let your child know he or she is loved and appreciated whatever his or her weight. An overweight child probably knows better than anyone else that he or she has a weight problem. Overweight children need support, acceptance, and encouragement from their parents.
• Focus on your child's health and positive qualities, not your child's weight.
• Try not to make your child feel different if he or she is overweight but focus on gradually changing your family's physical activity and eating habits.
• Be a good role model for your child. If your child sees you enjoying healthy foods and physical activity, he or she is more likely to do the same now and for the rest of his or her life.
• Realize that an appropriate goal for many overweight children is to maintain their current weight while growing normally in height.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

• Be physically active. It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) of moderate physical activity most days of the week. Even greater amounts of physical activity may be necessary for the prevention of weight gain, for weight loss, or for sustaining weight loss.
• Plan family activities that provide everyone with exercise and enjoyment.
• Provide a safe environment for your children and their friends to play actively; encourage swimming, biking, skating, ball sports, and other fun activities.
• Reduce the amount of time you and your family spend in sedentary activities, such as watching TV or playing video games. Limit TV time to less than 2 hours a day.

HEALTHY EATING SUGGESTIONS

• Follow the Dietary Guidelines for healthy eating (www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines).
• Guide your family's choices rather than dictate foods.
• Encourage your child to eat when hungry and to eat slowly.
• Eat meals together as a family as often as possible.
• Carefully cut down on the amount of fat and calories in your family's diet.
• Don't place your child on a restrictive diet.
• Avoid the use of food as a reward.
• Avoid withholding food as punishment.
• Children should be encouraged to drink water and to limit intake of beverages with added sugars, such as soft drinks, fruit juice drinks, and sports drinks.
• Plan for healthy snacks.
• Stock the refrigerator with fat-free or low-fat milk, fresh fruit, and vegetables instead of soft drinks or snacks that are high in fat, calories, or added sugars and low in essential nutrients.
• Aim to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching TV.
• Eating a healthy breakfast is a good way to start the day and may be important in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

IF YOUR CHILD IS OVERWEIGHT

• Many overweight children who are still growing will not need to lose weight, but can reduce their rate of weight gain so that they can "grow into" their weight.
• Your child's diet should be safe and nutritious. It should include all of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, minerals, and protein and contain the foods from the major Food Guide Pyramid groups. Any weight-loss diet should be low in calories (energy) only, not in essential nutrients.
• Even with extremely overweight children, weight loss should be gradual.
• Crash diets and diet pills can compromise growth and are not recommended by many health care professionals.
• Weight lost during a diet is frequently regained unless children are motivated to change their eating habits and activity levels for a lifetime.
• Weight control must be considered a lifelong effort.
• Any weight management program for children should be supervised by a physician.

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Labels: obesity, obesity in adults, obesity in children, obesity recommendations

Posted by Birju at 3:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

Whether on a ship, in a car or on an airplane, most people have experienced the miseries of motion sickness. While the cause is always the same — conflicting sensory signals going to the brain — the list of potential remedies is vast. One of the oldest, ginger, is among those backed by the most evidence; several studies have found it effective against nausea from seasickness and other conditions.



A study in the journal Lancet involved 36 people highly susceptible to motion sickness. The researchers had the subjects take either two capsules of powdered ginger, an anti-nausea medication or a placebo, and then, 20 minutes later, spin on a motorized chair for up to six minutes. Taking ginger delayed the onset of sickness about twice as long as taking the medication. The study also found that half the subjects who took ginger lasted the full six minutes, compared with none of those given the placebo or the medication.

A study by Danish scientists looked at 80 naval cadets prone to seasickness and found that those given one gram of ginger powder suffered less in a four-hour period then those given a placebo.

Precisely how ginger works is unclear, but at least one study suggested that one of its active compounds, 6-gingerol, enhances “gastrointestinal transport.”

THE BOTTOM LINE
Ginger has been shown to be effective in treating the nausea associated with motion sickness.

scitimes@nytimes.com
Source: The New York Times

Labels: ginger and motion sickness, motion sickness

Posted by Birju at 3:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

Cancer is now the leading cause of death among teens and young adults after accidents in England. Among this 13 to 24-year-old age group, cancer rates have been increasing at a rate of 1.2 percent per year for the past two decades. The researchers mention genetic factors, lifestyle changes and exposure to toxins before birth as possible causes for the increase, but there are many more possibilities for the steady increase.


Environmental Toxins
Most human research in cancer risk from exposure to toxins begins after the cancer is diagnosed. However, as chemicals and other toxins are increasingly saturating our environment, researchers are beginning to look at the effect of these environmental toxins, such as pesticides and PCBs, on an unborn child.

For instance, several human studies have found a link between fetal exposure to contaminants and cancer in children and young adults. Studies reviewed include occupational exposures of parents and brain cancers in children; pesticides, paints, paint thinners and solvents and leukemia; and cigarette smoke and childhood cancer.

An embryo and fetus develop at a much faster rate than adults. While this development occurs, cell division and growth is rapid. These rapid changes provide many opportunities for mistakes to occur. If a baby is exposed to several toxic compounds in utero, changes may occur that either directly cause cancer, or lengthen the period of sensitivity to carcinogens, therefore making the child more susceptible to cancer later in life.

Polio Vaccines
The polio vaccine seems ever more linked to cancers, especially in children. The evidence seems quite clear yet most continue to go down the path of blindly trusting the traditional paradigm to "save" them from disease through the use of vaccinations.

This should outrage nearly anyone that reads this. We trusted these experts to provide us with protection from polio and instead they planted the seeds of a deadly cancer that would kill over 20,000 a year in the United States.

This is particularly troublesome as polio can be prevented in most people simply by eliminating sugar from their diet.

If you were one of those people who received the vaccine you can do something positive to enhance your immune system. Increasing your amount of omega-3 fats and decreasing the omega-6 fats will be a potent step toward suppressing these types of cancers. Consuming high-quality fish oil or cod liver oil is an excellent way to obtain the outstanding health benefits of omega-3.

Inadequate Prenatal Nutrition
What a woman eats while pregnant can have a profound effect on the future health of her child. Researchers have discovered that a mother’s diet can even alter her child’s gene functions without changing the DNA sequence, which plays a large role in the child’s susceptibility to diseases like cancer, stroke, diabetes, schizophrenia and others.

I am convinced that the single most important dietary influence for prenatal nutrition is adequate omega-3 fats. As I mentioned above, the ideal way to obtain them is through fish oil or cod liver oil. Optimizing your omega-3 fats will virtually guarantee that the baby is full term as well.

Pressure-Treated Wooden Playground Equipment
Some 90 percent of all outdoor wooden structures in the United States are made with pressure-treated wood. The preservative used to treat the wood contains arsenic--a known human carcinogen--that rubs off when the wood is touched.

Children tend to put their hands in their mouth about 16 times an hour while playing, and those who have arsenic on their hands are at an increased risk of developing lung and bladder cancer.

Some woods like redwood and cedar do not require this arsenic-containing preservative and are therefore not a concern. Plastic and metal equipment should pose no risk.

Electricity Power Lines
Children who live near electricity power lines are at an increased risk of developing leukemia. One theory to why this occurs is that the high voltage lines emit charged particles called ions, which may then be inhaled.

CT Scans
CT scans are high in potentially dangerous radiation, and pose a significant threat to children. CT scans, and traditional X-rays, have been associated with cancer and heart disease. I recommend you avoid CT scans unless your or your child's life depends upon it. MRIs are typically safer than CT scans.

By Dr. Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege
Source: Dr. Mercola's site www.mercola.com

Labels: cancer among teens, health for teens, teenage health

Posted by Birju at 2:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

Low-fat foods for children can deprive them of vital nutrients and lead to obesity later in life, according to recent research. The solution is for parents to lead by example with a varied diet.



For well-meaning parents, selecting a diet that will help their child to avoid becoming obese seems pretty straightforward: cut out the junk, pile on the fruit and vegetables. Some gentle persuasion that low fat is good, coupled with limited availability of crisps, chocolates and biscuits, should mean children sail through adolescence without spare tyres.

And yet, parents’ paranoia about the thickening girths of the Play-Station generation has reached fever pitch: more than a quarter of children in English secondary schools are clinically obese, almost double that of a decade ago. But experts are concerned that parents’ attempts to steer children on to a virtuous dietary path can often backfire.

Last week, Dr John Kostyak and a team from the Pennsylvania State University warned in the online magazine Nutrition Journal that so-called “muesli mothers” are taking adult dietary messages to extremes and inflicting them on their children. Of particular concern, Kostyak says, are very low-fat diets consumed by an increasing number of children.

In their study, the Pennsylvania researchers found that children burn considerably more body fat than adults relative to the amount of energy that they use. By cutting out good fats – such as olive oil and sunflower oil – parents are effectively putting their child’s natural development in jeopardy. “Sufficient fat must be included in the diet for children to support normal growth and development,” Kostyak says.

Rachel Cooke, a spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association, says that a healthy diet should consist of about 30 per cent fats, mainly unsaturated from plant sources, and that getting less “might mean that children miss out on vital nutrients, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E that are vital for good health”.

There are also other, less obvious, risks of limiting fat intake. As unlikely as it seems, it could eventually make children fatter than those who gorge on calorie-dense snacks.

This month Canadian researchers produced findings in the journal Obesity that suggest that low-fat diets are not beneficial for children. In a study of rats, the sociologist Dr David Pierce, from the University of Alberta’s Institute of Human Nutrition, found that diet foods can distort the connection that the brain makes between taste and calorie content. In experiments, Pierce and his colleagues showed how the animals learn to associate the flavor of a food with the amount of energy it provides. When juvenile and adolescent rats were fed sweet or salty low-calorie foods over time, the younger animals later overate when fed similar-tasting calorie-dense foods.

The findings suggested that the diet foods distorted the younger rats’ ability to recognize calories and to regulate energy intake. Older, adolescent rats seemed unaffected, probably because they did not rely on taste-related cues. Pierce says his rat studies may provide important clues about how early taste conditioning can lead to overeating and obesity. “Our results indicate that in young children, diet foods may be a poor substitute for healthy foods with sufficient calories to meet energy needs,” he says. “The use of diet food and drinks from an early age into adulthood may induce overeating and gradual weight gain.”

Cooke says that, while more work needs to be done to prove that the effect holds true in young humans, it is the latest in a glut of emerging evidence that parents have a huge influence on altering instinctive food choices in their child’s early years. Babies are born with an innate preference for sweet and salty foods and with internal hunger cues that send satiety signals to the brain. It is social and environmental influences that shape the individual food preferences we develop by adolescence and adulthood, but none more so, it seems, than those in a child’s own home.

A study published a few months ago by researchers from the University of Sheffield discovered, for instance, that parents who restrict their child’s food intake in the belief that they are instilling healthy-eating parameters could be misguided.

Reporting in the Journal of Public Health, Dr Elizabeth Goyder and her colleagues at the School of Health and Related Research reviewed 26 studies analyzing how parents feed their children and attempt to control their diets. Common practices, such as limiting snack foods and openly encouraging children to eat more nutritious foods, were more likely to contribute to weight gain than to prevent it.

What seems to happen when children are exposed to this sort of parental behavior, says Goyder, is that internal hunger cues become confused. Pressure to eat certain foods and to avoid others leads to “uninhibited eating and weight gain, particularly among girls” as they eventually fail to recognize satiety.

“Children should be allowed to learn to regulate their own food intake by responding to their internal hunger and satiety cues,” Goyder says. “This can seem counterintuitive to some parents, especially those who want to oversee what their children eat, but otherwise there can be psychological and physical consequences.” No food, says Cooke, should be banned unless it places a child at medical risk. “As a dietitian, I have seen countless cases of children who are banned from eating certain foods at home, only to develop an obsession about them when they are with their friends or at school,” she says.

“What and how much children eat is the result of a complex interplay of learnt, innate and environmental factors. Keeping them healthy is not as simple as cutting something out.”

Neither does it come down to parental coaxing to “eat up” what is on their plate. In fact, parents who do try the gentle art of persuasion to encourage healthy eating could unwittingly be encouraging weight gain. Dr Julie Lumeng and Lori Burke, of the University of Michigan, videoed and evaluated the eating patterns of four different foods by 21 mother and child pairs. They counted how many times a mother prompted her son or daughter to eat and found that, on average, the children complied with those prompts two-thirds of the time. While obese or overweight mothers did not prompt more often, their children were more likely to respond by eating (67 per cent of the time) than the offspring of nonobese mothers, who complied with 52 per cent of prompts to eat.

“A growing body of evidence suggests that maternal feeding behaviors are related to childhood obesity risk,” says Lumeng. “Prompting may cause a child to eat more even when full, therefore teaching them to ignore internal hunger cues.” Quite how difficult it is for a parent to instill healthy eating habits was outlined in a paper compiled for the British Nutrition Foundation by Lucy Cooke, a researcher at University College London’s Health Behavior Unit. Promising children a reward for eating – eat up your peas and you can watch TV – has been shown to decrease their liking for it.

Likewise, says Rachel Cooke, telling a child something is good for them “should be avoided, as a ‘healthy label’ appears to imply a negative image”. When a group of 40 nine to 11-year-olds was offered an unfamiliar drink, those who were told it was a “new health drink” were less likely to admit liking it than those told it was a “new drink”.

So what is a parent to do? Cooke says parents should remember that they act as role models and that children are more likely to do as they do than to act on what they say. “Their own eating habits are enormously influential,” she says. “It is also important to realize that repeated exposure to certain foods can increase acceptance, so don’t give up. Children need as wide a variety of foods as possible.”

Crucially, though, parents should not be over controlling or obsessive. “If you restrict what children eat, you are likely to do more harm than good,” Goyder says. “They lose their ability to determine when they are really hungry, which can lead to them eating too much. It is better to provide reasonably healthy foods, a few snacks and then leave them to their own devices.”

How to feed your children

1. Don’t restrict fat intake to below 30 per cent of a child’s diet. Children need fat for growth and development. This is especially important for the under5s, who should not be given semi-skimmed or skimmed milk or any other low-fat version of a food.
2. Don’t ban any foods – even seemingly unhealthy ones. It can trigger extreme eating habits, encouraging uninhibited eating which leads to weight gain.
3. Allow children to follow their natural appetites when deciding how much or how little to eat.
4. Set a good example. If you want children to eat more fruit and vegetables, make sure you are seen doing the same.
5. Don’t instill the idea that there are “good” and “bad” foods. Inducing guilt about diet can lead to eating problems including anorexia nervosa or overeating, studies have shown.
6. Encourage children to eat as wide a variety of foods as possible to ensure that they become accustomed to different tastes, textures and flavors.

Peeta Bee
Source: TimesOnline UK

Labels: child health, children diet, children health, children nutrition

Posted by Birju at 2:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

How what you eat and drink can affect your skin
Your skin is the first thing people see when they look at you. Strangely enough, it's considered the largest organ in the human body -- right up there with the intestines, lungs, and liver. It serves many purposes, including acting as our first defense against germs and the environment, and converting sunlight to vitamin D. The layer of fat under the skin's surface helps ensure that the important fluids inside our bodies stay inside our bodies.



The ironic thing about skin is that when people are young, their biggest concern about their skin may be how to get a tan. But as we get older, our top skin priority becomes preventing wrinkles -- and the No. 1 way to do this, of course, is NOT to tan.

(Since I am the kind of person who doesn't tan but only turns different shades of pink, I figured out at a young age that sun worshipping just wasn't in my genetic code. My younger sister did tan as a teen and young adult. And I have to say, I do seem to have fewer wrinkles.)

So when does it become crucial to start taking care of your skin? It's probably earlier than you think. Mark G. Rubin, MD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology of the University of San Diego, believes that not smoking and avoiding the sun starting in your teens will pay off later.

"Since prevention plays a big role in skin aging, the sooner you start the better," he says. "By the time you see changes you don't like in your skin, a lot of damage has already been done."

If you think about it, what we're basically trying to do is delay the normal aging of skin, which ages as all organs do. The best way to slow the aging of many things in the human body, on a cellular level, is to keep body cells from oxidizing. And the best way to keep your body from needlessly oxidizing, experts say, is to avoid smoking and to eat a diet rich in antioxidants (more on this below).

On a physical level, the best way to slow the appearance of skin aging is to keep skin well-hydrated with a nice layer of lipid (fat) beneath the skin to protect the internal moisture. Some experts say you can do this in part by eating a healthy diet that includes some "smart" fats (omega-3s and monounsaturated fat), drinking plenty of water, and having a good skin-care regimen to condition the skin and minimize moisture loss. It's all about keeping the skin healthy from the inside AND the outside.

"Your skin is a reflection of your underlying health, so good nutrition, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, staying hydrated, etc., all play a role in creating better-looking skin," says Rubin.

G.G. Papadeas, DO, a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, adds "no excessive drinking" (of alcohol) to this healthy lifestyle list.

So what foods should you choose to boost your chances of having healthy skin? Read on for a list of skin-friendly nutrients and the foods that are richest in them.

1. Antioxidants

Many dermatologists believe that the major antioxidants (vitamin A, C, and E) can help decrease the risk of sun and other environmental damage by disarming wrinkle-causing "free radicals" -- unstable molecules that damage cells.

Vitamin A - A recent study of healthy men and women in the Netherlands found a significant link between the level of vitamin A in the blood and skin condition. Getting your carotenoids (phytochemicals that your body converts to vitamin A) from foods is your safest bet, because you're far more likely to get too much vitamin A from supplements than from foods rich in carotenoids.

Top food sources of vitamin A include carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, mangoes, spinach, cantaloupe, greens, kale, Swiss chard, and tomato-vegetable juice.

Vitamin C - Vitamin C is a potent topical (that is, on-the-skin) antioxidant, but only in its active form -- the same form you get from food. Of course, including vitamin-C rich fruits and vegetables in your daily diet is a good thing to be doing for your health, anyway.

Top food sources of vitamin C include orange juice, grapefruit juice, papayas, strawberries, kiwis, red and green peppers, cantaloupes, tomato-vegetable juice, broccoli, mangoes, oranges, Brussels sprouts, grapefruit, cauliflower, and kale.

Vitamin E - More research is under way on the possible benefits of vitamin E as an ingredient in products that you rub on the skin, but for now it seems to benefit the skin most as a skin conditioner.

Food sources of vitamin E include vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach, and asparagus. But it's difficult to get much of this vitamin from foods, so many people take a supplement. (Be sure to take no more than 400 international units per day so you don't ingest too much.)

2. Choose 'Smart' Fats

Heart- and joint-friendly omega-3 fatty acids may be skin-friendly too. The omega-3s from fish may help to guard against sun damage, according to a few recent studies on fish oil supplements.

Anti-aging expert Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of The Wrinkle Cure, has advocated a diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3s for better skin, says Rubin, "and there is some scientific data to support that type of diet."

While there's certainly more to be learned about the benefits and risks of fish-oil supplements, it makes sense to increase your intake of foods high in omega-3s.

Top food sources of omega-3s include fish, ground flaxseed, walnuts, and brands of eggs that are higher in omega-3s. Switching to a higher omega-3 cooking oil, like canola oil, can help increase your intake, too.

The Dutch study noted above for its findings about vitamin A also found monounsaturated fats to be associated with favorable skin pH (the balance between acidity and alkalinity that is important for healthy skin).

Top food sources of mono-unsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, almond oil, hazelnut oil, avocados, olives, almonds, and hazelnuts.

3. Eat Whole Foods

Wilma Bergseld, MD, head of clinical research in dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, said in the Environmental Nutrition Newsletter that she makes a point of telling her patients to eat a healthy diet of whole foods. She noted in the newsletter that the same diet that protects against heart disease and cancer is good for the skin.

Researchers at Monash University in Australia may have helped to prove Bergseld's point with a recent study. The researchers looked at the diets of about 450 people age 70 and up from Australia, Greece, and Sweden. They found that those who ate a diet containing more "whole foods" -- vegetables, fruits, legumes, eggs, yogurt, nuts, oils rich in mono-unsaturated fats, multi-grain bread, tea, and water -- had less wrinkling and premature skin aging than those whose diets were rich in whole milk, red meat (particularly processed meats), butter, potatoes, and sugar.

The researchers believe this may have to do with the antioxidants, phytochemicals, and mono-unsaturated fats that a "whole foods" diet contributes.

By Elaine Magee, RD, MPH
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-Feature

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the "Recipe Doctor" for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic and the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.

Source: WebMD

Labels: healthy skin, healthy skin diet

Posted by Birju at 2:58 AM | Permalink | Comments

So you've done an assessment of your risk of developing heart disease, and it turns out to be high. (Click here for information on assessing your cardiac risk.) What needs to happen now?



Step 1: Take this seriously
If you have sufficient risk factors for cardiac disease to place you in a high-risk category, this means one of two things. Either your risk of developing heart disease within the next few years is high, or you already have heart disease and don't know about it.

Unfortunately, a substantial proportion of individuals upon learning that they're in the "high risk" category turn out to already have significant coronary artery disease - they just don't know about it because, so far, they are not having symptoms.

The fact a high-risk patient is not having symptoms is no reason to relax, especially since, in 30% of patients with coronary artery disease, the very first symptom is sudden death.

Being at high risk is very serious stuff, and requires a very serious response.

Step 2: Make sure your doctor is taking this seriously
Finding that a patient is at high risk for a serious cardiac event (such as heart attack or sudden death) ought to elicit a certain type of response from a doctor. The doc should act with alacrity to accomplish two things: a) rule out an imminent risk, and b) modify all the risk factors that are producing the high risk in the first place.

Because some high-risk patients will already have heretofore unknown but significant coronary artery disease, and thus might be at imminent risk for a cardiac event, an evaluation ought to be done to rule out this possibility. Generally this should be a stress/thallium study, but in some instances it might be appropriate to go directly to cardiac catheterization. The purpose here is to make sure the patient is not in imminent danger of a heart attack.

At the same time, the doctor should also lay out a clear plan for attacking all modifiable risk factors - including diet, weight loss, smoking cessation, hypertension, and cholesterol - and should initiate therapy immediately. The doc should offer you all the resources at his/her disposal to encourage and assist in exercise, weight loss, and smoking cessation, and should ride you pretty hard about accomplishing these things.

He/she should display an especially aggressive attitude toward reducing LDL cholesterol, increasing HDL cholesterol, and controlling the blood pressure, since accomplishing these tasks is usually primarily the doctor's responsibility, and since doing so often requires using the right drug therapy in the right doses. In general, controlling cholesterol and hypertension will require fairly frequent office visits and frequent measurements of blood pressure and/or cholesterol levels, as well as many medication adjustments. This all should be done on a fairly aggressive schedule, with clear targets in mind.

Beware of the doc who puts you on a medication or two, pats you on the back, and then considers his job done. The doctor should clearly understand what "high risk" implies, and should behave accordingly. If this lackadaisical physician is also the one who neglected to mention assessing your cardiac risk in the first place, it's time to go to someone who will actually care whether you live or die.

However, also keep in mind that doctors are human, and human nature makes it difficult to pull out all the stops for a patient who is refusing to act in his/her own best interests. It's hard to motivate yourself as a doctor to go the extra mile for the patient who just won't make a genuine and persistent effort to exercise, lose weight, or stop smoking. Which brings us to -

Step 3: Start your own Manhattan Project
While it is important that your doctor take appropriate action to make sure you are not at imminent risk and to guide you to appropriate risk factor modification, the real responsibility rests with you. Successfully reducing your risk is something that happens only with your dedication, and it's not easy. Doing what needs to be done often involves fundamental changes in both attitude and lifestyle of the sort that many people seem not to be able to accomplish. The degree of effort required is akin to the effort the US made to develop an atomic bomb during WWII. It was something that seemed to be barely possible, yet, if we did not do it the risk was high that either the Germans or the Japanese would beat us to the punch. So, against all the odds, we marshaled the resources and did it.

And it's a good thing we did.

This is exactly the kind of effort you need to make. Against the odds, you need to change your life. If you don't you will suffer the consequences - possibly decades earlier than is necessary.

That the vast majority of patients who are in the high risk category end up making only half-hearted efforts to modify their risk may be related to the failure of primary care docs and cardiologists to stress the utter life-and-death importance of changing their lifestyles, to their use of "you really should" instead of "you must, or your children will be orphans."

Is there any group of docs who have succeeded in getting their patients to stop whatever they're doing, to suddenly focus every ounce of energy on regaining their health? Yes. The oncologists. Patients who are told they have cancer often put everything else on hold and steel themselves to doing whatever is necessary (whether surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, often painful, and often lasting for months or years) to attempt a cure. This is the same attitude that patients ought to adopt who are told they are at high risk for heart attack, sudden death, or stroke. After all, being told you are at high risk for a cardiac event is not all that much different than being told you have cancer. Heart disease is often no less fatal, and the outcome no less dependent on your attitude and your active participation in doing what's necessary. If anything, you have a much better chance of favorably altering the ultimate outcome than the average patient with cancer.

In general, the high-risk patients who are most successful are the ones who adopt a "change it all now" attitude - the ones who accept that a complete change in lifestyle is needed. They'll stop smoking, adopt an exercise program and change their diet all at once. And they do it by making risk factor modification the central organizing theme of their lives. One day they're a high-risk-lifestyle kind of person, and the next day they're not. They take on all the modifiable risk factors at once - it becomes the chief focus of their lives until the new lifestyle is an ingrained habit (and they are a different person.) DrRich seen several of these patients achieve remarkable success. But when DrRich hears "I can't do everything at once," in general he worries that he's facing a patient who doesn't quite get it. The sort of lifestyle changes that are necessary to reduce the high risk we're talking about here essentially amount to a complete transformation of attitude, something like the transformation of attitude Americans experienced at about 9 AM on 9/11/01. America became a different kind of country. These patients must become a different kind of person.

The more gradual approach to lifestyle changes, while seeming quite reasonable on its face, often does not work. If diet and exercise are postponed until smoking is stopped, for instance, think about what that means. The patient is essentially living the same kind of life they always did except they're trying to stop smoking. Somehow the smoking never really stops, and and the diet and exercise never get addressed at all, and pretty soon a year or two or five go by - and then it's too late.

There's no a priori reason the gradual approach can't work. DrRich's theory is that gradualism here simply reflects a constitutional failure to accept the deep-rooted changes that are really necessary. Gradualism, in other words, may reflect a lack of the sort of battle-ready attitude that is necessary to achieve the desired end.

Which risk factors need to be modified?
All the risk factors are important, and it is important to improve all the modifiable risk factors that count against you. Here is information on what those modifiable risk factors are, and what you can do to improve them: The cardiac risk factors and what you can do about them

From Richard N. Fogoros, M.D.
Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
Source: About.com

Labels: heart disease, heart disease recommendations, heart patients

Posted by Birju at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments

A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight cardiovascular disease. It’s not as hard as you may think! Remember, it is the overall pattern of the choices you make that counts.



Make the simple steps below part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart.

Use up at least as many calories as you take in.
Start by knowing how many calories you should be eating and drinking to maintain your weight. Don’t eat more calories than you know you can burn up every day. Increase the amount and intensity of your physical activity to match the number of calories you take in. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week or — best of all — at least 30 minutes every day. Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. If you can’t do at least 30 minutes at one time, you can add up 10-minute sessions throughout the day.

Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups.
You may be eating plenty of food, but your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy. Nutrient-rich foods have vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but are lower in calories. To get the nutrients you need, choose foods like vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products and fat-free or low-fat dairy products most often.

• Vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber — and they’re low in calories. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and your blood pressure.
  
  
• Unrefined whole-grain foods contain fiber that can help lower your blood cholesterol and help you feel full, which may help you manage your weight.
  
  
• Eat fish at least twice a week. Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (for example, salmon, trout, and herring) may help lower your risk of death from coronary artery disease.

Eat less of the nutrient-poor foods.
There is a right number of calories to eat each day based on your age and physical activity level and whether you are trying to gain, lose or maintain your weight. You could use your daily allotment of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but you probably wouldn’t get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Limit foods and beverages that are high in calories but low in nutrients, and limit how much saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium you eat. Read labels carefully — the Nutrition Facts panel will tell you how much of those nutrients each food or beverage contains.

As you make daily food choices, base your eating pattern on these recommendations:

• Choose lean meats and poultry without skin and prepare them without added saturated and trans fat.
• Select fat-free, 1 percent fat, and low-fat dairy products.
• Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
• Cut back on foods high in dietary cholesterol. Aim to eat less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day.
• Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
• Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim to eat less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. That means one drink per day if you’re a woman and two drinks per day if you’re a man.
• Follow the American Heart Association recommendations when you eat out, and keep an eye on your portion sizes.

Also, don’t smoke tobacco — and stay away from tobacco smoke.

For more information on the 2006 American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations. . .

• Download our podcast.
• Read the news release.
• Read the scientific statement in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation.
• Call 1-800-AHA-USA1 to order a free consumer-friendly brochure.

Main Source: American Heart Association

Labels: heart disease, heart disease recommendations, heart patients

Posted by Birju at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments

Every 30 seconds, somewhere in the world, someone loses a lower limb as a result of diabetes. That's because diabetes and wounds are a dangerous combination.



If you have diabetes, there's no such thing as a minor wound to the foot -- even a small foot sore can turn into an ulcer that, if not properly treated, can lead to amputation. The rate of amputation for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than for those who don't have the disease.

Most of these amputations could easily be prevented with good foot care and wound treatment. "You can't always prevent an ulcer, but you can almost always prevent an amputation," says Harold Brem, director of the Wound Healing Program at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Here's what you need to know about preventing foot sores and treating them in order to avoid an amputation.

Diabetes and Wounds : Prevention Matters
People with diabetes are at increased risk for complications from wound healing for several reasons. First, diabetes decreases blood flow, so injuries are slower to heal than in people who do not have the disease. Second, many people with diabetes also have neuropathy -- reduced sensation in their hands or feet -- which means they don't necessarily notice an injury right away.

Why are feet at more risk for diabetes wounds? Because feet just take more of a beating in our daily lives than hands do, and we don't look at them as often, so it's harder to spot a wound.

5 Tips for Preventing Foot Sores
The best way to prevent wound complications is to prevent the wound in the first place. You do that by taking good care of your feet. Top ways to keep your feet in good health include:

1. Check your feet every single day, and wash them with mild soap and water. (Be sure to check the water temperature first.) Make it part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth.
   
   
2. Dry your feet well. Moisture retained between the toes can cause skin breakdowns.
   
   
3. Be cautious in nail salons. Though some specialists recommend avoiding salons and having your nails cut only by a podiatrist, others simply urge caution. "You want to make sure the salon's certification is current and visible," says Brunilda Nazario, MD, a diabetes specialist and senior medical editor for WebMD.
   
   And ask when the salon was last inspected by the state, Nazario says. Before treatment, watch to see that the tools are properly sanitized. They should be freshly unwrapped or have just been removed from heat or chemical sterilization -- if it's not clear, ask. If you choose, you could also bring your own nail files. Will you be using a foot spa? Find out whether it's been cleaned and disinfected. "These precautions aren't just for people with diabetes," Nazario says, "They apply to everyone."
   
   
4. Keep your feet from drying and cracking with regular applications of foot cream. You don't need a special cream -- any moisturizer available at your drugstore, like Aquaphor, Cetaphil, and Eucerin, will work.
   
   Use an antifungal cream if you have evidence of athlete's foot (tinea pedis) or other fungal infection. Athlete's foot can make the skin crack and peel, which increases your risk for an infection. Be on the lookout for fungal nail infections, too (nails will look and feel harder, darker, and thicker). See your podiatrist or your doctor about treatment and care.
   
   
5. Avoid fancy footwear. This means no tight socks and, above all, no tight, pointy shoes with high heels.
   
   "Footwear is probably one of the biggest offenders," says Jeffrey Buehrer, MD, a vascular surgeon and wound care specialist at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, Ohio. A well-fitted pair of athletic shoes is often a safe bet, or your podiatrist can work with you to have shoes custom-fitted for your needs -- often at no charge through the Medicare therapeutic shoe program. Brem admits that these shoes may not be the most stylish, "But they will likely save your limb."

Diabetes and Wounds: Getting Timely Treatment
What if, despite your best efforts, you develop a foot sore? "Any break in the skin of the foot is an absolute emergency," declares Brem. "There's no such thing as 'just a little cut.'" Brem's recommendations:

• Put a triple antibiotic cream on the foot sore immediately
• Cover the wound with a light gauze and keep pressure off the area
• See a local wound center within seven days at most

And calluses, which are precursors to foot ulcers in many diabetic patients, should be considered -- and treated -- just as seriously.

"Diabetic foot wounds can develop complications rapidly," explains Buehrer. "I'll see patients who tell me that they scratched their foot in the garden and everything seemed fine, and then they woke up two days later to find it horribly swollen. Early intervention is always better."

Once you go in to see the doctor about your foot sore, he or she may do several things:

• Test that you have a good blood circulation to the area. This is called an ankle brachial index.
  
  If the ankle brachial index is 0.9 or less, you should see a vascular surgeon to determine if intervention is necessary. "An ankle brachial index of 0.9 or below could point to a 50% occlusion of a major artery."
  
  
• Cleaning a foot sore is a process known as debridement. The doctor can culture the area to check the type of bacteria that may be present.
  
  "Looks can be extremely deceiving in a person who has diabetes and a foot ulcer," Brem says.
  
  
• Offload your foot. This means putting it in a special custom-designed support boot -- such as the Cam Walker or Air Calf Boot. "This may be bulky, but it's absolutely necessary until you heal," says Brem. "If everyone did these steps, amputations would decrease by 90%."

Diabetes and Wounds: Putting the Specialists Out of Business
"If everyone followed these steps, I'd be out of business," says Brem. "I'm begging you -- put me out of business. Most amputations can be avoided through prevention and early treatment."

SOURCES: Boulton, A.J. The Lancet, November 2005; vol 366, issue 9498: pp 1719-1724. American Diabetes Association: "Complications of Diabetes in the United States." Harold Brem, MD, director, Wound Healing Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery: "Diabetic Foot." Jeffrey Buehrer, MD, vascular surgeon, wound care specialist, Firelands Regional Medical Center, Sandusky, Ohio. National Diabetes Education Program: "Medicare Coverage of Therapeutic Footwear for People with Diabetes." American Society for Clinical Investigation: "Cellular and Molecular Basis of Wound Healing In Diabetes." Brunilda Nazario, MD, diabetes specialist, senior medical editor, WebMD.

By Gina Shaw
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
Source: WebMD

Labels: diabetes guidelines

Posted by Birju at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments

It's a simple recipe for optimal aging: Good nutrition plus regular exercise.

As a woman ages, her body naturally loses muscle -- and body fat accrues more easily. Triggering these changes are alterations in a woman's hormonal balance, says Kathleen M. Zelman, LD, RD, MPH, WebMD's director of nutrition.



Good nutrition and exercise don't just slow down muscle loss and aid with weight control, they also help a woman guard against heart disease, stroke, a broken hip because of osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, cancer, even the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Those risks increase with family history, inactive lifestyle, and eating a poor diet.

3 Good Nutrition and Antiaging Secrets

1. Keep weight gain at bay: Cut back on calories, get regular aerobic exercise, and do strength training -- like lifting hand weights. The more muscle the body has, the more calories it can burn, says Zelman. And there's an added bonus: belly fat melts away when you exercise.
2. Keep bones strong: Get adequate calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin D is critical to calcium absorption in your body. While the body can synthesize vitamin D from sun exposure, as the body ages it's less able to process the sun's vitamin D.
3. Prevent heart disease and more: Enjoy the bounty native to Mediterranean countries -- plenty of seafood, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and olive oil. Red meats are eaten less often and wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts. The good nutrition found in a Mediterranean-style diet is thought to lower heart disease risk, because it is low in calories and fat, especially trans fats and saturated fats.

9 Healthy Eating Basics

1. Take a daily multivitamin for your age group. These will compensate for gaps in your nutrition picture. Women over 50 need less iron than younger women.
2. Boost calcium and vitamin D. That means three to four 8-ounce servings of low-fat dairy every day. If you are lactose intolerant, try hard cheese, yogurt, fortified products like orange juice, canned salmon, broccoli, and legumes. Take 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium daily if you are not getting adequate calcium in your diet.
3. Eat more fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes. These will give you plenty of disease-fighting antioxidants, more fiber, and less sodium.
4. Get enough fiber. Whole-wheat pasta, cereals, and breads, oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, and fresh fruits and vegetables all are high in fiber.
5. Eat the right proteins. Get a balance of lean protein (like skinless chicken), fatty fish like salmon (with omega-3 fats), and vegetable protein.
6. Enjoy a vegetarian meal a few times a week. A plant-based diet is low-calorie and dense in vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants.
7. Cut salt intake. Too much salt is linked to high blood pressure.
8. Choose fats wisely. And keep them to a minimum. Avoid trans and saturated fats, like those found in butter, margarine, salad dressing, fried foods, snack foods, sweets. "Good fats" are vegetable oils like olive oil and peanut oil.
9. Curb the sweets. Limit the soft drinks, sugar, and sweets; they can be loaded with calories and have little nutrition.

Want to do your part to keep your body vibrant, strong, and healthy? Make these simple steps for good nutrition a part of your life as you age.

==========

SOURCES: Kathleen M. Zelman, LD, RD, MPH, director of nutrition, WebMD. WebMD Medical Reference in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic: "Staying Healthy Through Good Nutrition," "Heart Disease: Heart-Healthy Diet." WebMD Features: "Aging Well: Eating Right for Longevity," "8 Ways to Make Your Diet More Heart-Healthy." WebMD Medical News: "Exercise Fights 'Hidden' Body Fat."

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD, March 19, 2007.

Main Source: WebMD

Labels: nutrition tips, women health, women nutrition

Posted by Birju at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Diabetes Food Pyramid divides food into six groups. These groups or sections on the pyramid vary in size. The largest group -- grains, beans, and starchy vegetables -- is on the bottom. This means that you should eat more servings of grains, beans, and starchy vegetables than of any of the other foods. The smallest group -- fats, sweets, and alcohol -- is at the top of the pyramid. This tells you to eat very few servings from these food groups.


NEW!! On April 19, 2005 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a new food guidance system replacing the former Food Guide Pyramid. The new system, called "MyPyramid," provides a set of tools based on caloric requirements to help Americans make healthy food choices. Read the ADA's response.

The Diabetes Pyramid gives a range of servings. If you follow the minimum number of servings in each group, you would eat about 1600 calories and if you eat at the upper end of the range, it would be about 2800 calories. Most women, would eat at the lower end of the range and many men would eat in the middle to high end of the range if they are very active. The exact number of servings you need depends on your diabetes goals, calorie and nutrition needs, your lifestyle, and the foods you like to eat. Divide the number of servings you should eat among the meals and snacks you eat each day.

The Diabetes Food Pyramid is a little different than the USDA Food Guide Pyramid because it groups foods based on their carbohydrate and protein content instead of their classification as a food. To have about the same carbohydrate content in each serving, the portion sizes are a little different too. For example: you will find potatoes and other starchy vegetables in the grains, beans and starchy vegetables group instead of the vegetables group. Cheese is in the meat group instead of the milk group. A serving of pasta or rice is 1/3 cup in the Diabetes Food Pyramid and ½ cup in the USDA pyramid. Fruit juice is ½ cup in the Diabetes Food Pyramid and ¾ cup in the USDA pyramid. This difference is to make the carbohydrate about the same in all the servings listed.

Following is a description of each group and the recommended range of servings of each group.

Grains and Starches
At the base of the pyramid are bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. These foods contain mostly carbohydrates. The foods in this group are made mostly of grains, such as wheat, rye, and oats. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, and corn also belong to this group, along with dry beans such as black eyed peas and pinto beans. Starchy vegetables and beans are in this group because they have about as much carbohydrate in one serving as a slice of bread. So, you should count them as carbohydrates for your meal plan.

Choose 6-11 servings per day. Remember, not many people would eat the maximum number of servings. Most people are toward the lower end of the range.

Serving sizes are:
1 slice of bread
¼ of a bagel (1 ounce)
½ an English muffin or pita bread
1, 6 inch tortilla
¾ cup dry cereal
½ cup cooked cereal
½ cup potato, yam, peas, corn, or cooked beans
1 cup winter squash
1/3 cup of rice or pasta

Vegetables
All vegetables are naturally low in fat and good choices to include often in your meals or have them as a low calorie snack. Vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. This group includes spinach, chicory, sorrel, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, and lima beans are counted in the starch and grain group for diabetes meal planning.

Choose at least 3-5 servings per day.

A serving is:
1 cup raw
½ cup cooked

Fruit
The next layer of the pyramid is fruits, which also contain carbohydrates. They have plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. This group includes blackberries, cantaloupe, strawberries, oranges, apples, bananas, peaches, pears, apricots, and grapes.

Choose 2-4 servings per day

A serving is:
½ cup canned fruit
1 small fresh fruit
2 tbs dried fruit
1 cup of melon or raspberries
1 ¼ cup of whole strawberries

Milk
Milk products contain a lot of protein and calcium as well as many other vitamins. Choose non-fat or low-fat dairy products for the great taste and nutrition without the saturated fat.

Choose 2-3 servings per day

A serving is:
1 cup non-fat or low-fat milk
1 cup of yogurt

Meat and Meat Substitutes
The meat group includes beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, tofu, dried beans, cheese, cottage cheese and peanut butter. Meat and meat substitutes are great sources of protein and many vitamins and minerals.

Choose from lean meats, poultry and fish and cut all the visible fat off meat. Keep your portion sizes small. Three ounces is about the size of a deck of cards. You only need 4-6 ounces for the whole day

Choose 4-6 oz per day divided between meals

Equal to 1 oz of meat:
¼ cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp peanut butter
½ cup tofu

Fats, Sweets, and Alcohol
Things like potato chips, candy, cookies, cakes, crackers, and fried foods contain a lot of fat or sugar. They aren't as nutritious as vegetables or grains. Keep your servings small and save them for a special treat!

Serving sizes include:
½ cup ice cream
1 small cupcake or muffin
2 small cookies

The Diabetes Food Pyramid makes it easier to remember what to eat. For a healthy meal plan that is based on your individual needs, you should work with a registered dietitian (RD) with expertise in diabetes management. To find an RD with diabetes expertise, read the section below titled For More Help and Support.

For More Help and Support
To find out exactly how much of what types of foods you should eat, we suggest you work with a registered dietitian (RD) who has experience working with people who have diabetes. This person can help support your efforts to change your eating habits and control your blood glucose level.

Adapted from the book Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy. Written by Hope S. Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, a nationally recognized expert on healthy eating and diabetes.

Source: American Diabetes Association
Photo of Diabetes Food Pyramid - American Diabetes Association

Labels: diabetes food pyramid, diabetes guidelines

Posted by Birju at 1:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

Walking briskly just three times a week for 30 minutes results in weight loss and improved fitness and cardiovascular health, according to research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.



Current guidelines recommend:

• 30 minutes of regular exercise five days a week to reduce the risk for cancer and cardiovascular events
• Moderate to vigorous activity for at least 45 minutes on five or more days per week may further reduce the risk of breast and colon cancers and also may reduce the risk of kidney, endometrial, and esophageal cancers
• The exercise can be moderate in effort and can be broken up into smaller time periods, and therefore it is within the reach of nearly everyone

Just over 100 healthy, sedentary middle-aged men and women were enrolled in a walking program for three months. One group walked briskly for 30 minutes three days a week, another walked briskly for five days a week, and 20 of the participants did not engage in any regular exercise.

They found that systolic blood pressure fell by 5 mmHg in the three-day walking group but no effect was noted on diastolic pressure; in the five-day group systolic pressure fell by 6mmHg and diastolic by 3 mmHg. As well, waist and hip size fell significantly in both walking groups. Strangely, while the three-day-a-week walkers lost weight, the five-day walkers did not. Total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio also decreased significantly in the three-day group, and functional capacity increased in both groups, whereas the non-walking group showed no changes in any measurement.

The results are encouraging, especially for people who don’t have time or don’t want to exercise five days a week. In addition, it is important to remind our patients that everyone-regardless of their health risks- should be encouraged to eat a healthy diet, rich in fruits, vegetable, and whole grains, and to undergo an annual physical exam.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Maria Radina.

Source: Insider Medicine Canada

Labels: blood pressure control, health recommendations, walking, weight loss

Posted by Birju at 2:55 AM | Permalink | Comments

Garlic (Allium Sativum)
Garlic is a magical herb that has proven its effectiveness in almost all common ailments. It is very effective in heart diseases particularly in lowering cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. So if you are the one having high cholesterol, increase your garlic intake. It will also help you to reduce blood pressure. As garlic helps in reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, it also reduces the risk of heart attacks and heart diseases.



Chemical agents found in garlic are

• Allilin
• Allicin
• Diallyl disulphide
• Ferulic acid
• Saponin
• Beta Carotene
• Beta Sitosterol
• Phytic acid
• Minerals found in garlic are
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Calcium
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Folate
• Iron
• Potassium

Vitamins found in garlic are

• Niacin
• Ascorbic acid
• Thiamine
• Riboflavin

Garlic works as an antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and a germicide. It is also an antioxidant, so diet rich in raw garlic fights against harmful free radicals. It improves blood circulation, and also helps in prolong erection. It is an excellent remedy for whooping cough. Syrups of garlic is given in doses of five drops to a teaspoonful two or three times a day in this condition.

Garlic helps in preventing blood clots especially if you are prone to blood clots in the legs. It also helps in regulating blood sugar. It helps in relieving the symptoms of dizziness, shortness of breath and the formation of gas within the digestive track. According to some researches - smokers with high garlic intake have a relatively lower stomach cancer risk than smokers with low garlic intake. It is thought that the allyl sulfur compounds present in garlic prevents cancer by slowing or preventing the growth of the cancer tumor cells.

Apart from above, garlic is a wonderful herb that is very effective in treating various disorders and helps in improving the performance of the body. Below are some conditions in which garlic is very helpful -

• Infections
• Fungal infection
• Hyperlipidemia
• High cholesterol levels
• Indigestion
• Diabetes
• Impotence
• Decreased sperm count
• Worm infestation
• Cancer
• Blood disorders
• Decreased body immunity

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved.

Read more about the Benefits of Garlic. Visit Natural Cures Guide for easy and effective home treatment for common ailments.
Source: American Chronicle

Labels: garlic, vegetables and health

Posted by Birju at 2:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

Five a day
Scientific studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables may have a lower risk of getting illnesses, such as heart disease and some cancers. For this reason, health authorities recommend that you eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day - and it doesn't matter whether they're fresh, tinned, frozen, cooked, juiced or dried.



How much is a portion?

• One piece of medium-sized fruit - eg, an apple, peach, banana or orange
• One slice of large fruit, such as melon, mango or pineapple
• One handful of grapes or two handfuls of cherries or berry fruits
• One tablespoon of dried fruit
• A glass (roughly 100ml) of fruit or vegetable juice
• A small tin (roughly 200g) of fruit
• A side salad
• A serving (roughly 100g) of vegetables - eg, frozen or mushy peas, boiled carrots or stir-fried broccoli
• * The vegetables served in a portion of vegetable curry, lasagne, stir-fry or casserole

So how does this advice translate to real life? How do you make sure that you get your five portions a day? Here's some ideas:

• Glass of pink grapefruit juice for breakfast = 1 portion
• Small pack of dried apricots for mid-morning snack, instead of a chocolate bar or bag of crisps = 1 portion
• Side salad with lunch = 1 portion
• Sugar snap peas and asparagus, served with main meal = 1 portion
• Strawberries with dessert = 1 portion

Vitamins
Eating a wide variety of fruit and vegetables means you're more likely to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. But what are vitamins - and why are they so important to your good health?

• Vitamins are organic substances - this means they're found in plants and animals.
• Most vitamins can't be made by your body, so they must be sourced from your diet. Vitamin D and the B vitamin niacin are exceptions to this.
• Nutritionists have divided vitamins into two groups: fat-soluble and water-soluble.
• The fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E and K - are transported through your body by fat. They can also be stored in your fat and liver cells for a limited period of time.
• The water-soluble vitamins - B and C - are absorbed by and transported through your body in water. They need to be eaten every day, as you can't store them for any length of time.

Minerals
Vitamins aren't the only nutrients to be gained from fruit and vegetables. Minerals also have an important role to play in your good health.

• Minerals are inorganic substances. This means they're found in the rocks and soil.
• Vegetables absorb mineral goodness as they grow, while animals digest it through their diet.
• Like vitamins, minerals can also be divided into two groups - those that are needed in minute quantities and those that are needed in larger quantities.
• Minerals needed in larger amounts - the major minerals - include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and phosphorus.
• Minerals needed in tiny amounts are called trace minerals. This group includes iron, zinc, iodine, selenium and copper.

Source: BBC UK

Labels: fruits and health, vegetables and health

Posted by Birju at 2:03 AM | Permalink | Comments

Pineapple juice has been fermented into an alcoholic beverage in the past, and used to alleviate body heat and fevers. It was used externally to dissolve warts, callouses and painful corns.



Due to the large amounts of natural acids (citric, malic, and tartaric) and bromelain enzyme, large amounts of fresh pineapple should not be consumed as a main dish. On the other hand, it is these same juices in moderate amounts that aid in digestion as they closely resemble natural gastric juices.

Pineapple is also a natural diuretic, helps clear mucous from bronchial tissues, and its fiber aids in elimination.

The resin in the pineapple skin may cause an itchy rash in some people (as does the mango).

Gloves are recommended for those prone to rashes while handling and skinning the fresh fruit.

Unripe pineapple is not only inedible, it is poisonous, causing throat irritation and severe vomiting and diarrhea.

Excessive consumption of the fibrous pineapple core can result in fiber balls collecting in the digestive tract.

Source: About, Inc.

Labels: fruits and health, pineapple

Posted by Birju at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one. Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.
photo of peas

To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat less food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and vegetables in place of higher-calorie ingredients. The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.

Here are some simple ways to cut calories and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day:
Breakfast: Start the Day Right
* Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese.
* Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.

Lighten Up Your Lunch
* Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original.
* Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won’t miss those extra calories.

Dinner
* photo of two soupsAdd in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.
* Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables.

Smart Snacks
* Most healthy eating plans allow for one or two small snacks a day. Choosing most fruits and vegetables will allow you to eat a snack with only 100 calories.

About 100 Calories or Less
* a medium-size apple (72 calories)
* a medium-size banana (105 calories)
* 1 cup steamed green beans (44 calories)
* 1 cup blueberries (83 calories)
* 1 cup grapes (100 calories)
* 1 cup carrots (45 calories), broccoli (30 calories), or bell peppers (30 calories) with 2 tbsp. hummus (46 calories)

The fruits and vegetables in the box above all have about 100 or fewer calories.
Instead of a high-calorie snack from a vending machine, bring some cut-up vegetables or fruit from home. One snack-sized bag of corn chips (1 ounce) has the same number of calories as a small apple, 1 cup of whole strawberries, AND 1 cup of carrots with 1/4 cup of low-calorie dip. Substitute one or two of these options for the chips, and you will have a satisfying snack with fewer calories.

Remember: Substitution is the key.
It’s true that fruits and vegetables are lower in calories than many other foods, but they do contain some calories. If you start eating fruits and vegetables in addition to what you usually eat, you are adding calories and may gain weight. The key is substitution. Eat fruits and vegetables instead of some other higher-calorie food.

More Tips for Making Fruits and Vegetables Part of Your Weight Management Plan
Eat fruits and vegetables the way nature provided—or with fat-free or low-fat cooking techniques.
Try steaming your vegetables, using low-calorie or low-fat dressings, and using herbs and spices to add flavor. Some cooking techniques, such as breading and frying, or using high-fat dressings or sauces will greatly increase the calories and fat in the dish. And eat your fruit raw to enjoy its natural sweetness.

Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are good options when fresh produce is not available.
However, be careful to choose those without added sugar, syrup, cream sauces, or other ingredients that will add calories.

Choose whole fruit over fruit drinks and juices. Fruit juices have lost fiber from the fruit.
It is better to eat the whole fruit because it contains the added fiber that helps you feel full. One 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 85 calories, compared to just 65 calories in a medium orange.

Whole fruit gives you a bigger size snack than the same fruit dried—for the same number of calories.
A small box of raisins (1/4 cup) is about 100 calories. For the same number of calories, you can eat 1 cup of grapes.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This is also available as a print-friendly Adobe Acrobat document from CDC & P website - PDF file (PDF-706K)

Labels: fruits and health, health, vegetables and health, weight loss, weight management

Posted by Birju at 6:51 AM | Permalink | Comments

People who unwind with a cup of tea every night may have a lower risk of two common forms of skin cancer, new research suggests.



In a study of nearly 2,200 adults, researchers found that tea drinkers had a lower risk of developing squamous cell or basal cell carcinoma, the two most common forms of skin cancer.

Men and women who had ever been regular tea drinkers — having one or more cups a day —were 20 percent to 30 percent less likely to develop the cancers than those who didn’t drink tea.

The effect was even stronger among study participants who’d been tea fans for decades, as well as those who regularly had at least two cups a day, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

However, the findings do not mean it’s OK to bake in the sun as long as you have a cup of tea afterward. The researchers found no evidence that tea drinking lowered skin cancer risk in people who’d accumulated painful sunburns in the past.

Nor did the study look at the relationship between tea drinking and malignant melanoma, the least common but most deadly form of skin cancer.

Still, the findings support the theory that tea antioxidants may limit the damage UV radiation inflicts on the skin, according to the study authors, led by Dr. Judy R. Rees of Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H.

In particular, a tea antioxidant known as EGCG has been shown to reduce burning on UV-exposed skin.

The current findings are based on interviews with 770 New Hampshire residents with basal cell carcinoma, 696 with squamous cell carcinoma, and 715 cancer-free men and women the same age.

Tea consumption was linked to a lower skin cancer risk, even with factors such as age, skin type and history of severe burns considered. However, tea drinkers who’d suffered multiple painful burns in the past did not have a lower risk of skin cancer.

It’s possible, the researchers explain, that the antioxidants in tea are enough to limit skin damage caused by moderate sun exposure, but not the “more extreme” effects of sun exposure, such as cancer-promoting damage to the DNA in skin cells.

Source: Reuters

Personal Recommendation of Tea Vendors (No Association what so ever) - just for your convenience (I have already ordered from some) - These are tea merchants who, I believe deliver good teas.

Upton Teas - A massive range of good selection of teas from around the globe.
Adagio Teas - A stylish tea vendor selling a wide selection of teas, one attraction is their tea maker machine.
Thunderbolt Tea - Mouth watering teas specially dealing with Darjeeling Teas, Thunderbolt Tea is a good sourcing, if you are a fan of Darjeelings.
Le Palais des Thés - Good tea vendor from France carrying exotic varieties of teas, but a bit expensive.
Harney & Sons - A tea vendor from United States having a good selection of teas including tea gifts and tea accessories.
Dilmah Tea: Carries exclusive varieties of Ceylon Teas. A reputed company from Sri Lanka.

Labels: cancer, tea and health

Posted by Birju at 9:54 PM | Permalink | Comments