DAILY EXERCISE

No doubt about it, most of us need more exercise for its health benefits.  Beginning with children who now spend so much of their time sitting around watching TV, playing video games, etc instead of playing outside, riding bikes, etc, to adults whose jobs keep them behind desks and in front of computers hours and hours a day, we need to move around!  Daily exercise doesn't mean an expensive gym membership, it can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.  Take a few minutes to think back over your day and how many times you could have exercised more.  Here are a few ideas in addition to the one just mentioned:

• Only going a few blocks?  Walk instead of drive.
• Park farther from the door to your office or the shopping center, etc.
• When watching TV get up and walk around during commercials or between shows.
• When talking on the phone, stay active.  Instead of getting in your comfy chair, walk around, load the dishwasher, pick up the room, etc.
• Carry your groceries in one bag at a time.  The extra trips are exercise!
• Get a friend to walk around the block with you, push the young ones on the swing, work in the yard, etc.
• Put dishes, etc that you use often on a higher shelf.  Stretching to reach them is exercise!

Start now to add exercise to your life daily, no matter how small.  This is especially important for diabetics, most people with heart disease, etc.  And get the young ones started out right by limiting 'lazy activities' and encouraging 'busy activities'.

CHEWING GUM FOR HEARTBURN?

According to Kings College of London researchers, chewing gum can reduce heartburn-related symptoms.  Chewing gum (sugar-free!) boosts the production of saliva which is an alkaline that helps neutralize stomach acid.   More saliva also means more swallowing.  More swallowing stimulates the muscle contractions that help digest food, according to the researchers.  Also, a piece of hard candy or a lozenge may have the same effect.

Note: This is in reference to mild and occasional heartburn. Severe or constant heartburn is a reason to see your doctor.

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PARKISON'S DISEASE AND VITAMIN-E

Some studies have shown that patients who suffer from Parkinson's disease, when compared to their similar-aged siblings, ate a diet with less nuts and seeds.  Nuts and seeds are high in vitamin E and an actual study of Parkinson's patients at Columbia University found that those taking megadoses of vitamin E did have fewer symptoms than those who did not take the extra vitamin E.  Probably worth your while to add some walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc (see E photo below) to your diet if you aren't already doing so.  They have many health benefits and this seems to suggest another one.

HEALTHY CANNELLINI BEANS

Cannellini Beans are an excellent 'white food' that should be included in our diets on a routine basis.  One cup of these beans provides almost half of our daily fiber needs and provides 14 grams of protein.  Fiber is important in so many different health ways and protein is essential to our daily diet.  Protein and fiber are also both great blood sugar stabilizers for diabetics and both are filling, thus helping to keep us feeling full.  Cannellini beans are easy to work into the diet for those who don't want to sit down to a bowl of beans.  Learn to include them in your soups, salads, etc.

 

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PISTACHIOS AND HEART DISEASE

Research shows that pistachios help to lower ones risk of heart disease.  Researchers at Penn State University found that adults who got 20% of their calories from pistachios reduced their LDL cholesterol by 12%.   For an 1800 calories a day diet, that would mean eating about 1/2 cup of pistachios.  You may not want to eat that many pistachios a day, but including them in your diet on a routine basis would probably be a good idea.

HOW MANY CALORIES DO YOU NEED?

Don't over diet!  According to Neal Barnard, MD author of Breaking the Food Seduction, eating too little can work against dieting.  Eating too little not only depletes glucose, it also curtails the production of leptin, a hormone made by fat cells that helps regulate appetite.  "Within a few days of starting a diet, your leptin levels can drop by half.  Plummeting levels can increase appetite and bring on a binge." 

Use this formula to determine the number of calories you should eat a day.  Multiply your target weight X 10 and never eat fewer calories than that number daily.  In other words if your target weight is 140 pounds, you should not eat less than 1400 calories a day.  And be sure to exercise 30 to 40 minutes a day (walking is fine and is a good exercise-expensive gyms and equipment are not necessary).  And research shows that daily activity maintains healthy leptin levels.

Remember, when trying to lose weight, crash dieting is never a good idea.  Always eat a healthy diet and learn to control quantity.

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GREEN TEA IS A FAT BURNER

Learn to replace at least some of your carbonated drinks and coffees that you drink loaded down with sugar and cream with green tea or water with lemon.  Green tea has been scientifically proven to be a fat-burner.  If you don't currently drink green tea, try replacing one of the above beverages a day with green tea for your health.  Green tea offers many benefits (see the post on this blog about teas), but today I wanted to point out that it is a fat burner!  Aren't we all looking for more ways to burn fat?

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HOT COFFEE OR TEA VS MRSA

It is estimated that 2.5 million Americans carry MRSA, an often deadly, antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria, in their nasal passages without showing symptoms.  People who drink hot coffee or hot tea are 50% more resistant to the disease. 

This study was published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Note:  The benefits were found only when drinking hot tea and coffee.  Drinking the beverages iced did not improve ones chances of resisting the disease.

 

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SUBBING MUSHROOMS FOR BEEF

Research from John Hopkins University showed adults who ate a mushroom-based version of beef dishes such as lasagna and chili felt just as full as when they ate the same dishes with beef.  Not only were they just as full they ate around 420 fewer calories and 30 less grams of fat.  It might be a good idea to replace beef in dishes such as the above along with casseroles, etc with mushrooms once or twice a week.  Mushrooms are a good protein source.

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POTASSIUM & STROKE RISK

Eating plenty (at least your daily requirement) of potassium rich food may cut your risk of having a stroke by 21% and lower your risk of heart disease, according to recent studies.  This is a general statistic for the overall population, not specific just to those at a higher risk of stroke.  Having taken care of my mother after she suffered a massive stroke, let me assure you that it is well worth loading up on these tasty potassium-rich foods to cut your stroke chances by any percent!  A few of the potassium rich foods are, bananas, spinach, potatoes, sweet potatoes, poultry, cantaloupe, kidney beans, tomatoes, raisins, mushrooms, etc.  Now I know there are some of those foods you like!  If not, you have a real problem with your diet and should set out to change it immediately!

Potassium also helps to blunt the effects of sodium making it important in reducing high blood pressure.

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EGGS = ANTIOXIDANT

I don't know about you, but this little statistic surprised me.  According to a study from Food Chemistry, 2 cooked egg yolks have the same antioxidant power as an apple!  I still recommend eating the apple, but if you are one who eats more eggs than apples, you are still getting some good antioxidant power.  And there is no doubt about the benefit of antioxidants on the body!

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