joann's health&fitness blog

You probably read about the study in which groups of post-menopausal women were divided into low-fat diet and comparison groups. Results showed non-significant differences in development of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and heart disease. The press seemed to present this as overturning all previous research that indicated low-fat diets high in fruits and vegetables and grains prevent disease. Don't reach for the butter just yet. The researchers were more skeptical of their results than the press. First, any study that depends on self-reporting is going to be inexact. Also, most of the participants did not meet the goal of 20% of calories from fat. Other problems: the study may not have been long enough, types of fat were not differentiated, dietary changes may not have been sufficient for this group. The latest study does not often supercede all previous studies on a topic, although that seems to make good headlines. Eat your veggies, cut back on fat and sugar, and get some exercise.
Joann
http://www.healthandfitness.com/joann

I read in the New York Times online that there had been 4 diabetes treatment centers in that city for 7 years, but 3 recently closed. Diabetes, as we all know, is increasing. As we all should know, it is a very nasty disease, and can lead to blindness or amputation if not controlled. The purpose of these centers was to teach and encourage people with type 2 diabetes to take care of their disease by monitoring blood sugar, eating properly, and getting appropriate exercise. So did they close because they were unsuccessful? No, they closed because they were not profitable. Insurance, even for those of us who can afford it, tends not to pay for preventive measures. So, according to the article, insurance would not pay $150 for a podiatrist to teach a diabetic to care for their feet, but would pay $30,000 to cover an amputation of a foot. It would not pay $75 for a nutritionist to create a dietary plan, but would pay $315 for a dialysis session. In 40 minutes, a nutritionist might give $20 worth of advice, but in the same time period, a surgeon could perform bariatric (stomach stapling) surgery for $50,000. Guess which insurance pays for? The take-home message is that we have to pay attention to our own health. Practice good health habits to avoid disease, and if you have a medical problem, do what the doctor says, but be aware that you have to take responsibility for not only following directions, but learning about what you can do to help yourself. Eat right and work out.

Looking for some ideas for New Year's resolutions? Try these (one or more).
1. Stop smoking. (Don't argue. Just do it.)
2. Exercise more.
3. Eat more vegetables.
4. Eat less junk food.
5. Get enough sleep.
6. Practice stress reduction.
7. Learn something new. It's good for your brain.
8. Don't forget safety precautions--helmets, seat belts, designated drivers.
9. Climb stairs. Don't take elevators unless you're going above the 3d floor. Walk for errands up to 1/2 mile.
10. Watch less TV.
Have a happy, healthy New Year.
Joann (www.healthandfitness.com/joann)

Anybody who is on the Atkins or other low/no carb diet may want to skip this blog. I'm going to tell you what I had for Thanksgiving dinner, and it may upset you to think about it. First, I admit to going to an all-you-can-eat buffet. I am a vegetarian. First I got baked beans, rice, mashed potatoes (no gravy), green bean casserole, and a little macaroni and cheese. Then I went back for more baked beans, corn, carrots, a dinner roll (no butter), and a few french fries. I finished off with a couple of cookies and washed the whole thing down with 6 or 8 ounces of Sprite. Lots of carbs, lots of starch. My companions had the turkey and/or ham, but kept themselves under control. There were, though, lots of people there who did overdo, and many of them were probably regulars at the place. There were a lot of overweight people in one place, and they didn't get that way from eating corn and carrots. The bottom line is that if you are overweight, you probably eat too much, that is too many calories. You probably move too little, too, but most people do slow down as they gain weight, so it's hard to tell which comes first.
A couple of people have done books or movies showing how they ate at McDonald's for a month and lost weight. This is to refute Morgan Spurlock's film "Supersize Me." As I have said before, you can control calories even at McDonald's, and that's what these people did. You don't have to eat 5000 calories a day like Morgan did and ruin your health in a month. This doesn't make McDonald's fare health food, and if you eat too much fatty junk food, you just take longer to damage your health.

It's not too late to order my book How to Get Fit & Healthy through Weight Training for a Christmas gift. It comes in paperback as well as ebook. Give somebody a low-cost gift they will use all year. Shop at: http://www.healthandfitness.com/joann

Seeing as it's almost time for the holidays (or in the midst of it, if you count Halloween), it must be time to talk about holiday weight gain. A few years ago, there was some study or other (or maybe just someone's opinion) that said the average person gains about 6 pounds over the holidays and doesn't lose it. More recently, that was shown to be false. Doesn't really make much sense--the average person would gain 60 lb in 10 years. True, the population is getting heavier--but not that much heavier.

Does this mean there is no danger of weight gain over the holidays? Well, no. If you eat a little more, and exercise a little less, there will probably be no weight gain to speak of over the short term. If you eat a lot more and don't exercise at all, you probably will gain weight, which will be hard to take off in January. The solution? Moderation. Don't eat every cookie that comes your way. Choose one dessert at Thanksgiving, not all three. Stop eating when you're full. And work out more, not less. A good workout the day before you expect to eat a big meal will help you keep your metabolism up to burn off those extra calories. Lots of communities have a "turkey trot" event Thanksgiving morning, which is usually a walk/run. These are fun and make you feel virtuous, and may even make you more inclined to be moderate in your eating.

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You may have read about one of a number of studies that show eating nuts is healthful. We tend to remember these because nuts taste good and we're always on the lookout for a healthy snack. Trouble is, they're full of fat and calories. The upside is they are also strong on protein, fiber, and a number of micronutrients that may not be plentiful in other foods we are eating. An ounce of nuts has 160-200 calories. The number of nuts in an ounce varies: about 22 for almonds, 18 for cashews, 14 halves for walnuts, 32 for peanuts. (Peanuts are technically legumes, like beans and peas, but we include them here as they are part of most mixed nuts. The others are true nuts, often called tree nuts.) Nuts are worth devoting 200 calories to, as long as you eat them instead of the doughnut, not in addition to.
Here's a tip that can keep you from going overboard with this healthy snack. Take a small tin that mints like Altoids come in, and fill it loosely with nuts. This is about an ounce--22 almonds or nuts of similar size. Carry this around with you for your snack. This tip is from the University of California Wellness Letter, an 8-page monthly publication with lots of up-to-date health information. Their web site is www.wellnessletter.com. I recommend this because I think it's good. I don't get anything from it.
I do make a bit from the sale of my books on walking and weight training. Yes, good nutrition and exercise are both important. Take a look at http://www.healthandfitness.com/joann.

There was a story recently from the AP saying, per a recent conference, that Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other source. Shortly after reading that, I got a newsletter from an internet doctor, who seems to see himself as a contrarian, saying that this means coffee is healthier than vegetables. That is not what this means.

All this means is that we drink a lot of coffee. The study, from what was in the AP story, is pretty vague on that, but it's clear that we get more antioxidants from coffee because we consume more of that than other more overall nutritious foods, like fruits and veggies. You don't have to avoid coffee, but it leaves out a lot of other nutrients you can get in other foods.

Here are the top antioxidant sources, according to what we actually eat, in order: coffee, black tea, bananas, dried beans, corn, red wine, beer, apples, tomatoes, potatoes. You know which ones you should go easy on.

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