Tips For HeaLthy EatinG...

EAT SLOWLY. Chew food slowly and put the eating utensils down between bites. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register fullness.

FOLLOW THE 15-MINUTE RULE on cravings. Try drinking a glass of water first -- you might just be thirsty. If after 15 minutes the craving does not pass, settle for a small portion. Control your appetite, don't let it control you.

AVOID GRAZING and raiding the ref every so often. If you really want that bar of chocolate or piece of cake in the ref, sit down and eat it.

USE THE NON-DOMINANT HAND when eating finger foods to avoid overstuffing.

DON'T MIX EATING WITH OTHER ACTIVITIES. Mindless eating (like when watching TV) loads your body with excess calories -- and no real feeling of satisfaction.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER throughout the day. It will give you the feeling of being full but minus the calories. On hot days, have an extra glass every now and then.

Source: excerpt from Tip Sheet
by nutritionist Luchie Callanta.

Popeye's Secret

“Popeye the sailor man,” was the cartoon character who magnified his strength by eating spinach. Even so, spinach never was, nor is now considered a delicacy.

It is virtually a forgotten vegetable, as mothers say to their children, “Eat your broccoli!” That’s fine, but other than the iron in spinach, just how valuable is it to our bodies? Is it in the iceberg lettuce category (low value) or in the powerhouse broccoli-cauliflower league?

It’s very, very valuable, according to new discoveries by teams of medical scientists at three university medical centers. One group, from the departments of Chemistry, Dietetics and Nutrition at Florida International University, of Miami, found that taking the nutrient lutein (found in spinach) significantly raised its level in the blood. This is important, for other scientists have found that a deficiency of lutein is a risk factor for the development of cataracts.

A second group, from the Department of Preventive Medicine at U.C.L.A. and the Atherosclerosis (hardening of the Arteries) Research Unit of U.S.C., both in Los Angeles, discovered that the lutein reduced the appearance of arthrosclerotic disease in animals.

And surprisingly, another group found that lutein inhibited tumor growth and even enhanced immunity against disease in general in animals.

Source: Popeye’s Secret by William A. Kent,
Health Bulletin: Using Foods Instead of Drugs for Health

Immunizations Aren't Just For Babies

Although our immune system grows stronger as we grow older, we might still be at risk of catching infectious diseases. There are factors that make us more susceptible to illness, such as aging, chronic illness, poor nutrition, unhealthy environment, or a genetic predisposition. Sometimes, our behaviors makes us more likely to get infected -- eating unclean food, leading a stressful lifestyle, sexual promiscuity, drug abuse, travel, extreme sports, or not seeking medical care when ill.

WHY IS IS GOOD TO GET THOSE SHOTS?

To fight off infectious diseases. No one wants to get sick. It feels bad; it cuts productive time; you can't be close to people you might infect. Why risk suffering, disability, or even death?

To stop the spread of communicable diseases. Infectious disease jumps from one vulnerable person to another. Because you can't infect other people when you are disease-free, you break the cycle of transmission, and slow down what could be a raging epidemic. The technical term for this is herd immunity. If a high majority ( as much as 90 percent) of a population is vaccinated against a disease, then the disease can't go very far and everyone (even the unvaccinated ones) is protected.

To ensure health and safety at work. Health care workers are at high risk for getting a wide variety of serious infectious diseases every day, and must receive all the important vaccines. If your work involves close contact with people, you should get vaccinated. If you have a physically demanding job that carries some risk of injury, make sure your tetanus immunization is current. Advocate for inclusion of vaccinations in your employee benefit package.

To ensure health and safety at play. Look closely at your hobbies, interests, and sports. Tetanus vaccine is important if you engage in physically demanding adventure sports like climbing, camping, hiking, or scuba diving. Your immune status should also be solid if you do volunteer work for people who might be sick.

For extra insurance while traveling. If you travel overseas, it's important to check on the immunization requirements of the country you are visiting. The longer you plan to stay, the more important it is to decrease your risk of catching a communicable disease. As an overseas contract worker, ask your recruiter or prospective employer about vaccination requirements. Costs might even be included in your employment benefits. Get your shots at least a month before the trip to give your body time to build up immunity.

To protect your unborn child. You can decrease the risk of miscarriage or birth defects by building up your immunity before you get pregnant. Vaccinations against hepatitis A, measles/mumps/rubella, chicken pox, pneumococcus, and polio can't be given during pregnancy because they might harm the fetus. Have the immunizations scheduled many months before a planned pregnancy. After immunization, make sure there is no possibility of pregnancy for several months. There are three vaccines that are relatively safe to receive even while pregnant: hepatitis B, influenza, and tetanus+diphtheria.

For your peace of mind. You know your body and lifestyle best. If you are at risk for certain preventable diseases, then get those vaccinations done.

Secrets on How To Live Longer

In his article “How to Live Forever – Secrets of longevity from the Island of 100-year-old men”, John Hodgman shared facts on why Sardinians managed to live a longer life.


DON’T WORRY, BE GRUMPY. Sardinian’s Centenarians expect little and take what life offers with fatalistic equanimity. They do however, exhibit a deep sense of duty to those around them – and a sense of humor as dry as their wine. It’s theorized that this wry blend of existential altruism lowers stress and protects the arteries. The day’s work will disappear, but family, town and a good joke go on forever.

EAT LIKE A SARDINIAN. Everything the Sardinian Centenarians ingest is the very definition of organic. “Organic produce has much less water than the standard supermarket variety, and less water means more nutrients,” says Chris Speed, dietician for the Oldways Preservation Trust, a Boston-based group that advocates traditional Mediterranean eating. “And with meat and cheese, the difference in healthy compounds is even more dramatic.”

EAT 10 TO 20 PERCENT LESS. The example of the Sardinian Centenarians suggests that you may be able to prolong your lifespan significantly by eating as much 8000 or even 8800 kilojoules a day. It comes down to figuring out how much your body ideally wants to eat, and then trimming that amount by 10 to 20 percent. Spend a month cutting out junk food and paying careful attention to eating only until you’re full. What you’re eating at the end of the month is your ideal diet. Now you can start counting kilojoules and gradually adjusting the setting down by ten percent.

A GLASS OF MOUNTAIN WINE. In 2002, British scientist Roger Corder spent two weeks hiking the Sardinian Hills drinking wine. At 600 meters, the altitude of some of the vineyards he studied, grapes protect their skins against UV radiation by pumping out more of polyphenols, the antioxidants that promote health and stimulate production of sirtuins, the same life-extending enzymes sparked by kilojoules’ reduction.

DON’T EXERCISE SO MUCH. To live long life, don’t waste time competing in marathons. Stick with the relatively modest activity loads that let you realize the health benefits of exercise with less stress on your body. In the world-famous Harvard Alumni Health Study, for example, the biggest longevity bounce – associated with a reduction of as much as 40 percent in heart disease, colon cancer, and stroke – came from burning as little as 4000 kilojoules via exercise per week.

Make Healthy Food Choices

Making sure that our family is healthy and always in good shape is one of our major concerns being mothers and homemakers. A matter of choosing the right and healthy foods is not so difficult to maintain good health. Fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes tend to be low in fat and have no cholesterol. Most are also good sources of dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates and vitamins.

The American Heart Association suggests that you eat foods high in complex carbohydrates and fiber. Some kinds of soluble fiber, such as pectin and oat bran, when eaten in large amounts in a diet low in saturated fat, may reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.


Here are some tips of healthy eating:

• Coconut is high in saturated fat; olives and avocados are high in monounsaturated fat and calories. Use these items sparingly to avoid getting too many calories from fat.
  
• When vegetables, grains and legumes are cooked or processed, saturated fats or cholesterol are often added. For instance, egg yolks may be added to breads and pastas.
  
• Canned, processed and preserved vegetables also may contain added sodium. And in some people, too much sodium (Salt) can lead to high blood pressure. Some food companies are canning vegetables with less salt. “No Salt Added” varieties are also available. Look for these in the market or choose fresh or frozen vegetables.
  
• Nuts and seeds tend to be very high in fat and calories, but most of the fat is polyunsaturated or monounsaturated (e.g. walnuts, almonds, pecan). Some varieties, such as macadamia nuts, are also high in saturated fats, so check the label. Nuts and seeds don’t have cholesterol and are good source of protein.
  
• Canola, corn, olive, sunflower, sesame, soybean and safflower oils are low in saturated fat. There are good to use in limited amounts for cooking or dressings.
  
• Peanut oil has slightly more saturated fat. Don’t use it as a major cooking oil. You can use it now and then for flavoring.
  
• Vegetable oils are hydrogenated for use in margarines and shortenings. Hydrogenation adds trans fat, which may partly offset some of the benefits of using polyunsaturated or monounsaturated vegetable oils.
  

Source: American Heart Association site