This month marks the first anniversary of my father’s passing, and I miss him terribly. One of the contributing factors to his death was Alzheimer’s disease, so I take note of anything I read relating to memory and health. I recently came upon an article in the Arizona Republic (October 13, 2010) about four spices and their potential to improve memory.
The first is turmeric, widely used in India which has one of the lowest incidents of Alzheimer’s in the world. Turmeric is found in curry and is an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It gets stronger when cooked, so don’t overdo it.
Another promising spice is one of my favorites, rosemary. Also an antioxidant, rosemary protects neurotransmitters in the brain and may not only help prevent Alzheimer’s but also enhance memory. Try adding it to lamb, pork, veal, and chicken. I like to add it to tomato sauce.
Sage is another spice highlighted in the article. Commonly used in stuffing, you can also place whole sage leaves under the skin of poultry before roasting. It is believed to support cognitive function in healthy people as well as those suffering from serious memory loss. Another benefit to note is that studies suggest it helps the mind stay alert and calm – sounds great for those taking exams!
Finally, we have cumin, another strong spice used in Indian cooking. Commonly used in chilis and curries, it helps speed recovery from amnesia and improve memory. Try toasting the whole seeds to enhance the flavor and then adding them to kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to use as a coating for pork tenderloin before baking.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
New Weight Watchers Program Launched
Did you hear that Weight Watchers introduced a new program last week? As a lifetime member and former leader, this caught my attention. Weight Watchers is the most successful weight loss company in the world and has been at it for over 40 years. When the experts there feel that there is enough new information in the weight management field to introduce a major new program after 13 years, I wanted to know more. So rather just stop by for my monthly weigh-in, I stayed for the meeting.
I learned that the patented Points have been revised. Rather than just incorporating calories, fat, and fiber, the Points Plus program now looks at protein and carbohydrates as well. Basically, rather than grouping all calories together and treating them as equal, the new Points Plus calculation incorporates all forms of calories (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) individually. This makes sense to me, because they don’t all have the same number of calories per gram. Fat has nine calories per gram where protein and carbohydrates have four calories per gram each. I also know my body processes these differently. Fat can sometimes upset my stomach, especially saturated fat, because it’s hard to digest. Protein makes me feel full longer, and carbs are very satisfying to me. So now to calculate the Points with Points Plus, we need to know the grams of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and fiber in the food.
After hearing about the new program, I decided to try out it out. This means I have to re-learn the Points value of everything. Foods heavy in carbohydrates have a lot more Points than they did under the old program, but fruit is now Points-free – all fruit. Why would I do this now, during the holidays? Because it forces me to be conscious of my eating, and that’s really important with so many treats around. I’ll let you know how it goes, but in the meantime, be good to yourself as you celebrate this season, and remember – all things in moderation!
I learned that the patented Points have been revised. Rather than just incorporating calories, fat, and fiber, the Points Plus program now looks at protein and carbohydrates as well. Basically, rather than grouping all calories together and treating them as equal, the new Points Plus calculation incorporates all forms of calories (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) individually. This makes sense to me, because they don’t all have the same number of calories per gram. Fat has nine calories per gram where protein and carbohydrates have four calories per gram each. I also know my body processes these differently. Fat can sometimes upset my stomach, especially saturated fat, because it’s hard to digest. Protein makes me feel full longer, and carbs are very satisfying to me. So now to calculate the Points with Points Plus, we need to know the grams of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and fiber in the food.
After hearing about the new program, I decided to try out it out. This means I have to re-learn the Points value of everything. Foods heavy in carbohydrates have a lot more Points than they did under the old program, but fruit is now Points-free – all fruit. Why would I do this now, during the holidays? Because it forces me to be conscious of my eating, and that’s really important with so many treats around. I’ll let you know how it goes, but in the meantime, be good to yourself as you celebrate this season, and remember – all things in moderation!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Preventing Diabetes
Because diabetes is a condition where blood sugar is too high, many people mistakenly think that eating too much sugar is the primary cause of diabetes. While sugar is a contributing factor, there are many other habits that can increase your risk of developing this disease:
• Obesity (BMI of 30 or more) and overweight (BMI of 25-30) both increase the risk of diabetes, and even modest weight loss (9 pounds in three years) in someone with elevated blood sugar levels can cut the risk in half. Regular exercise can lower the risk, as well.
• Consuming simple carbs such as potatoes and white bread increases the risk while whole grain consumption lowers it.
• Trans fats increase the risk of diabetes while those who eat the most polyunsaturated fats have a lower risk.
• Eating one serving of red meat a day increases diabetes risk by 22% over those who eat red meat once a week. Processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and lunch meats increase the risk even more.
For more information on dietary fats, obesity, healthy eating, and exercise, scan the archives of this blog and stay tuned. These topics will continue to appear in the months ahead.
• Obesity (BMI of 30 or more) and overweight (BMI of 25-30) both increase the risk of diabetes, and even modest weight loss (9 pounds in three years) in someone with elevated blood sugar levels can cut the risk in half. Regular exercise can lower the risk, as well.
• Consuming simple carbs such as potatoes and white bread increases the risk while whole grain consumption lowers it.
• Trans fats increase the risk of diabetes while those who eat the most polyunsaturated fats have a lower risk.
• Eating one serving of red meat a day increases diabetes risk by 22% over those who eat red meat once a week. Processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and lunch meats increase the risk even more.
For more information on dietary fats, obesity, healthy eating, and exercise, scan the archives of this blog and stay tuned. These topics will continue to appear in the months ahead.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Blood Sugar and Diabetes
If you watch television, you’ve probably seen ads related to blood sugar testing. The incidence of diabetes is rising, right along with Americans’ waistlines. Diabetes occurs when the body cannot regulate blood sugars. Uncontrolled diabetes increases your risk for eye problems including blindness, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and nerve damage. Data from 2007 indicate that 23.6 million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population—have diabetes, and the number is growing is each year (www.diabetes.org).
What is considered a healthy blood sugar (glucose) level? Glucose levels are measured through a blood test where the sample is drawn by a medical professional from a vein or by a finger stick. There are a variety of tests and the kind of test done determines what a healthy level is, as shown below:
• Fasting (at least 8 hrs since eating): normal range is 70-99 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 126 mg
• Two hours after beginning last meal: normal range is 70-145 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg
• Random: normal range is 70-125 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg*
* Other symptoms must be present such as increased thirst and frequent urination (especially at night), unexplained increase in appetite, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, erection problems, blurred vision, and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
There are several risk factors for diabetes. We’ll look at those next time. In the meantime, make sure you speak to your doctor about how often you need to get your blood sugar level checked. (Unless otherwise noted, the source I used for this article was www.mebmd.com.)
What is considered a healthy blood sugar (glucose) level? Glucose levels are measured through a blood test where the sample is drawn by a medical professional from a vein or by a finger stick. There are a variety of tests and the kind of test done determines what a healthy level is, as shown below:
• Fasting (at least 8 hrs since eating): normal range is 70-99 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 126 mg
• Two hours after beginning last meal: normal range is 70-145 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg
• Random: normal range is 70-125 mg; beginning of diabetic range is 200 mg*
* Other symptoms must be present such as increased thirst and frequent urination (especially at night), unexplained increase in appetite, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, erection problems, blurred vision, and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
There are several risk factors for diabetes. We’ll look at those next time. In the meantime, make sure you speak to your doctor about how often you need to get your blood sugar level checked. (Unless otherwise noted, the source I used for this article was www.mebmd.com.)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Hormones Increase Breast Cancer Risk
Did you read recently in the Arizona Republic that women who take estrogen and progestin after menopause not only increase their risk for breast cancer, but also face even a somewhat increased chance of dying from the disease? How does this differ from what we already knew? How great is the risk? It can be confusing to sort it all out, so here are the facts:
• Eight years ago a federally funded study called the Women’s Health Initiative revealed that the risks of heart disease and breast cancer outweighed the benefits of taking estrogen and progestin for relief from menopause symptoms.
• Although at the time researchers thought the risk of death from breast cancer was not any greater, the use of the hormones dropped almost 65% from 2002 to 2009. Still, some 40 million women were taking the hormone combination.
• As a result of the diminished hormone use, breast-cancer diagnoses started to drop.
• Last year researchers concluded that women who took the hormones were 70% more likely to die of lung cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer are the two leading causes of cancer death in women.
• Now that researchers have 11 years of data from the study, they have determined that the tumors that result from the hormone combination are just as likely to be the more difficult to treat type of tumors, not the smaller, less-threatening ones they had thought eight years ago. This means the risk of dying from breast cancer is slightly higher.
• Still, this newly identified risk of death from breast cancer as a result of hormone use is low.
• Researchers recommend that women who take the hormone combination do so at the lowest effective dose for the shortest period of time. There continues to be debate about whether five years is too long to be on the hormones.
• The use of estrogen alone, which women who have had hysterectomies take, does not carry the risks reported here.
There are many other risk factors for breast cancer, such as smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet high in saturated fat, and genetics. Be sure to discuss your risks carefully with your physician so you can make the most informed choice about your health.
• Eight years ago a federally funded study called the Women’s Health Initiative revealed that the risks of heart disease and breast cancer outweighed the benefits of taking estrogen and progestin for relief from menopause symptoms.
• Although at the time researchers thought the risk of death from breast cancer was not any greater, the use of the hormones dropped almost 65% from 2002 to 2009. Still, some 40 million women were taking the hormone combination.
• As a result of the diminished hormone use, breast-cancer diagnoses started to drop.
• Last year researchers concluded that women who took the hormones were 70% more likely to die of lung cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer are the two leading causes of cancer death in women.
• Now that researchers have 11 years of data from the study, they have determined that the tumors that result from the hormone combination are just as likely to be the more difficult to treat type of tumors, not the smaller, less-threatening ones they had thought eight years ago. This means the risk of dying from breast cancer is slightly higher.
• Still, this newly identified risk of death from breast cancer as a result of hormone use is low.
• Researchers recommend that women who take the hormone combination do so at the lowest effective dose for the shortest period of time. There continues to be debate about whether five years is too long to be on the hormones.
• The use of estrogen alone, which women who have had hysterectomies take, does not carry the risks reported here.
There are many other risk factors for breast cancer, such as smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet high in saturated fat, and genetics. Be sure to discuss your risks carefully with your physician so you can make the most informed choice about your health.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Safe Sex Applies to All Age Groups
In 2007 when I was researching and writing my book, Worth Waiting For: Sane Sex for Singles, I was amazed to learn that unsafe still happens in every age group – a lot. How is this possible? While the safe sex message is not as prominent as it was fifteen years ago, it is still being promoted. The target age group, however, is young—under age thirty. Yet, although the message is aimed at this audience more consistently than it is at those over forty, an alarming number of young adults still have unsafe sex. Of the twenty-five to forty-four-year-olds surveyed, 39 percent did not use a condom the last time they had sex and likewise for 20 percent of the eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds. Sadly almost half of the new STD infections are among adolescent girls (www.alternet.org/sex/62429)!
How about those over 45? Is it possible they have not heard of safe sex? I think it’s unlikely, but consider a study conducted by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in May 2008. Of single people with at least two sexual partners, some 44 percent of those over age forty-five reported not using condoms the last time they had sex. A University of Chicago survey of single women ages fifty-eight to ninety-three revealed that nearly 60 percent said they hadn’t used a condom the last time they had sex. It’s not surprising then that, in less than a decade, STD rates have more than doubled among people ages forty-five and older. From 1996 to 2003, the total cases of chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and genital warts among people over forty-five increased by 127 percent (.http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070805/13senior.htm).
But these STDs aren’t the only concern for this age group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of HIV carriers by 2015 will be over age fifty, and about 15 percent of new infections occur in this age group. It’s alarming to consider that an Ohio University study found that about 27 percent of HIV-infected men and 35 percent of HIV-infected women over fifty sometimes have sex without using condoms (http://www.physorg.com/news96724718.html).
Although HIV/AIDS is not the automatic death sentence it once was, it not curable. Safe sex is not an option. It is a requirement every time for anyone who cherishes their health and well being.
How about those over 45? Is it possible they have not heard of safe sex? I think it’s unlikely, but consider a study conducted by the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in May 2008. Of single people with at least two sexual partners, some 44 percent of those over age forty-five reported not using condoms the last time they had sex. A University of Chicago survey of single women ages fifty-eight to ninety-three revealed that nearly 60 percent said they hadn’t used a condom the last time they had sex. It’s not surprising then that, in less than a decade, STD rates have more than doubled among people ages forty-five and older. From 1996 to 2003, the total cases of chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and genital warts among people over forty-five increased by 127 percent (.http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070805/13senior.htm).
But these STDs aren’t the only concern for this age group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of HIV carriers by 2015 will be over age fifty, and about 15 percent of new infections occur in this age group. It’s alarming to consider that an Ohio University study found that about 27 percent of HIV-infected men and 35 percent of HIV-infected women over fifty sometimes have sex without using condoms (http://www.physorg.com/news96724718.html).
Although HIV/AIDS is not the automatic death sentence it once was, it not curable. Safe sex is not an option. It is a requirement every time for anyone who cherishes their health and well being.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Exercise Your Way to a Better Life
We’ve been told this for years, and we still don’t get it: to live long and well, we must exercise. There’s just no substitute. Dieting and maintaining a healthy weight are great, but they’re not enough. Exercise does things for the mind and body that diet cannot do, that nothing else can. Let me share just a few ways you’ll benefit from regular exercise. See if you can get excited enough about just one to get you going.
1. Exercise can reduce your risk of cancer or improve your prognosis if you do develop it. As the people I know age, I learn of new cancer diagnoses almost every week. The risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer, and several blood forming cancers are all affected by exercise, either directly or indirectly through weight management. Strive to do the highest level of aerobic exercise that you can manage safely and will continue with, since some cancer risks are reduced only with moderate to vigorous exercise.
2. Exercise creates new brain cells. As baby boomers age, more people are becoming interested in maintaining their cognitive abilities. Aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates new brain cell growth and the connections between them. It also increases the supply of BDNF, a protein that promotes the growth of nerve cells and synapses that enhance memory and learning. Last year I lost my father after watching both these capacities diminish in him for the past few years. It was a painful experience for both of us and something I’d like to see us all avoid.
3. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. As we age or put on weight (or both, as many people do), our bodies become less insulin sensitive, increasing our risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In this case, both aerobic exercise and strength training will garner these benefits provided you exercise at least every other day.
Exercise is a simple and inexpensive approach to minimizing your risk of cancer, memory loss, and diabetes – three major health issues threatening the quality of life for millions of Americans. Join me next time for even more reasons to get off that couch and away from the computer.
Source: Nutrition Action December 2009
1. Exercise can reduce your risk of cancer or improve your prognosis if you do develop it. As the people I know age, I learn of new cancer diagnoses almost every week. The risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer, and several blood forming cancers are all affected by exercise, either directly or indirectly through weight management. Strive to do the highest level of aerobic exercise that you can manage safely and will continue with, since some cancer risks are reduced only with moderate to vigorous exercise.
2. Exercise creates new brain cells. As baby boomers age, more people are becoming interested in maintaining their cognitive abilities. Aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain and stimulates new brain cell growth and the connections between them. It also increases the supply of BDNF, a protein that promotes the growth of nerve cells and synapses that enhance memory and learning. Last year I lost my father after watching both these capacities diminish in him for the past few years. It was a painful experience for both of us and something I’d like to see us all avoid.
3. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity. As we age or put on weight (or both, as many people do), our bodies become less insulin sensitive, increasing our risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In this case, both aerobic exercise and strength training will garner these benefits provided you exercise at least every other day.
Exercise is a simple and inexpensive approach to minimizing your risk of cancer, memory loss, and diabetes – three major health issues threatening the quality of life for millions of Americans. Join me next time for even more reasons to get off that couch and away from the computer.
Source: Nutrition Action December 2009
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