Friday, July 31, 2009

The 5 Most Dangerous Food Additives





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Q.Glen, Are the low fat food additive good for you?


A. If you really are what you eat, your health could be paying a serious price. What did you have for lunch today? If you ate a turkey sandwich and low-fat potato chips, you may have consumed a few unexpected ingredients, too. Perhaps some potassium bromate in your bread or sodium nitrite in your turkey. And those chips, were they made with olestra?

The foods currently lining U.S. supermarket shelves contain hundreds of additives designed to enhance color, texture, flavor, and shelf life. And the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives about 100 new additive approval requests each year. While these substances have been deemed safe by the FDA, some still question their short- and long-term health effects.

Ready to find out what you're really eating? Start by taking a closer look at the food label and steering clear of these potentially dangerous additives:

1.

Potassium Bromate

This dough conditioner and bleaching agent, which was once widely used in bread baking, is considered a category 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In 1993, the World Health Organization recommended its removal from all foods, and though it has been banned in many countries, it's still permitted in the United States and Japan. Potassium bromate is still used in Sunbeam and Wonder bread, TastyKake products, and buns from fast-food chains Burger King, Arby's, and Wendy's, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

2.

Sodium Nitrite

Nearly all processed meats are made with sodium nitrite: breakfast sausage, hot dogs, bacon, lunch meat, and even meats in canned soup products. Yet this ingredient may be a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosaminespotent cancer-causing chemicals that may accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body. In a University of Hawaii study, participants who consumed the most processed meats showed a 67 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) actually tried to ban sodium nitrite in the 1970s, but was preempted by the meat processing industry, which relies on the ingredient to make foods look more appealing. Some meats are now processed without using sodium nitrite, and the USDA has set limits on the quantities in which it can be used.

3.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)

This preservative, used to prevent fats from going bad, can be found in butter, meats, chewing gum, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, it may act as a precursor to cancer. In addition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes BHA as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

4.

Olestra

A fat substitute used in crackers and potato chips, Olestra is marketed under the brand name Olean. This synthetic fat is not absorbed by the body and can contribute to abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Furthermore, Olestra may inhibit the body's ability to absorb beneficial fat-soluble nutrients, including lycopene, lutein, and beta-carotene. In two Proctor & Gamble studies, eight grams of Olestra a day (equivalent to a daily ingestion of 16 potato chips containing Olestra) caused dramatic depletion of important carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins in just two weeks.

5.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Used as a flavor enhancer in many packaged foods, including soups, salad dressings, sausages, hot dogs, canned tuna, and potato chips, MSG may pose serious health risks. The FDA has identified a condition dubbed MSG Symptom Complex, which can cause headaches, numbness, and drowsiness. People with severe, poorly controlled asthma may be among those prone to the condition and may suffer temporary worsening of asthmatic symptoms after consuming MSG.



Bottom Line Subtract the Additives!

So, how do you remove, or at least minimize, these potentially dangerous ingredients from your diet? Start by sticking with fresh, whole foods whenever you can, and get in the habit of always reading the label so you know exactly what you're putting in your body and what you're leaving out.

How Many Time Do I have To Tell You?



Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

The 3 Scariest Mistakes That Doctors Make





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Q. Glen, What are some of the Mistakes that Doctors make?


A. Simple screw-ups are a part of life, but in medicine, these mistakes can be fatal. Learn how to protect yourself.


Doctor mistakes can mean the difference between life and death, and sadly, these errors are all too common. According to a study by the Institute of Medicine, medical mistakes in hospitals alone are the eighth-leading cause of death in the United States, exceeding those by car accidents, breast cancer, and AIDS. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce your risk. Read on to find out the three most common doctor mistakes, and learn how protect yourself.

1. Misdiagnosis. With all of the sophisticated medical exams available, it's hard to believe that misdiagnosis is still a widespread problem. But according to a National Patient Safety Foundation survey, 40 percent of people reporting a medical mistake cited a misdiagnosis or treatment error. In addition, many malpractice cases are based on misdiagnosis, and the most commonly misdiagnosed diseases include cancer, infection, appendicitis, aortic dissection, and clogged arteries. As experts explain, once doctors make a diagnosis, they may ignore information that would prove their diagnosis wrong. What's more, once one doctor has made a diagnosis, other doctors will almost always accept it as correct. If the original doctor failed to acknowledge a symptom or ask a crucial question, chances are subsequent doctors will do the same.

Protecting yourself. To avoid misdiagnosis, provide each doctor with a detailed history of your illness and as much information as possible about your symptoms. If you're not satisfied with your diagnosis, ask for more tests, and question your doctor about what else your symptoms could mean. Do not attempt to diagnose yourself, but be sure to research your symptoms and concentrate on being accurate with your doctor.

2. Incorrect assumptions. It's no secret that medical professionals are under pressure to get you in and out of the office. In fact, a typical doctor visit may last for only 15 minutes. As a result, physicians run the risk of stereotyping patients, then making a diagnosis based on what other patients like you may have, whether it's that stomach virus that's going around or a common condition for people of your age group. In addition, doctors may listen to the first few symptoms you describe, but after that, they may lose patience (a landmark 1984 study showed that, on average, patients were interrupted 18 seconds into explaining their problems, and less than 2 percent got to finish their explanations). When a doctor has incomplete patient information, this can set the stage for misdiagnosis.

Protecting yourself. Make sure that you're able to describe all of your symptoms, even if it means having to interrupt the doctor after he or she interrupts you. To improve patient-doctor communication, prepare a detailed list of your symptoms in advance, as well as a list of questions to ask. Also make sure your doctor is aware of your medical history, including allergies, prescriptions you're taking, previous diagnoses, and lab results.

3. Medication mixups. Doctors are notorious for their sloppy handwriting on prescriptions, and this actually leads to many medication errors. What's more, several drugs have similar names, which leads to additional confusion. For example, do you know the difference between the arthritis drug Celebrex, the anticonvulsant Cerebyx, and the antidepressant Celexa? It's easy to see that if one of these drug names was scribbled on a script, it could be mistaken for another. For this reason, the FDA has begun monitoring the names of drugs, and if they seem too similar, it attempts to get the drug agency to change the name.



Bottom Line! Protect yourself

Be sure your doctor communicates with you clearly about which drug you need, and double check with the pharmacist. In addition, ask your doctor and pharmacist whether there are any warnings you should be aware of; many drugs have up-to-date warnings that doctors fail to hear about because they already have a great deal of drug information memorized.



Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Blood Pressure






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Q. Glen, Have you heard What Cocoa Can Do for Your BP?


A. Yes, Study: Dark Chocolate Bar, Cocoa Drinks May Lower Blood Pressure in Overweight Adults

July 28 2008 -- Cocoa, either in a dark chocolate bar or as a hot drink, may reduce blood pressure in overweight adults.

That's what happened in a recent study of 45 healthy adults with BMI (body mass index) near the borderline between overweight and obese.

The researchers -- who included David L. Katz, MD, MPH, of the Yale Prevention Research Center -- gave some of the participants a dark chocolate bar containing 22 grams of cocoa. Other participants got a bar containing no cocoa.

Before-and-after blood pressure and ultrasound tests showed better blood pressure and better blood vessel function after participants ate the dark chocolate bar, compared to the cocoa-free bar.

Likewise, blood pressure and blood vessel function improved after participants drank two cups of cocoa, compared with drinking a beverage containing no cocoa.

How the cocoa drink was sweetened mattered. When it contained sugar, blood pressure and blood vessel function didn't improve as much as when the cocoa was sugar-free.

Katz and colleagues reason that in the sugary cocoa drink -- which contained about 45 grams of sugar per serving -- the sugar may have offset cocoa's effects to some degree.

The study -- published in the July 1 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition -- was partly sponsored by the Hershey Company.

Of course, eating too much chocolate or drinking too much cocoa isn't a great idea. Blow your calorie budget and extra pounds will pile up, w

Bottom Line


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Friday, July 24, 2009

The secret to better health





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Q. Glen, What is the secret to better health ?


A. Plain and Simple. Exercise!


Whether you’re 9 or 90, abundant evidence shows exercise can enhance your health and well-being. But for many people, sedentary pastimes, such as watching TV, surfing the Internet, or playing computer and video games, have replaced more active pursuits.

What exercise can do for you

Millions of Americans simply aren’t moving enough to meet the minimum threshold for good health — that is, burning at least 700 to 1,000 calories a week through physical pursuits. The benefits of exercise may sound too good to be true, but decades of solid science confirm that exercise improves health and can extend your life. Adding as little as half an hour of moderately intense physical activity to your day can help you avoid a host of serious ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and several types of cancer, particularly breast and colon cancers. Regular exercise can also help you sleep better, reduce stress, control your weight, brighten your mood, sharpen your mental functioning, and improve your sex life.

Exercise at a glance

In a nutshell, exercise can:

  • reduce your chances of getting heart disease. For those who already have heart disease, exercise reduces the chances of dying from it.
  • lower your risk of developing hypertension and diabetes.
  • reduce your risk for colon cancer and some other forms of cancer.
  • improve your mood and mental functioning.
  • keep your bones strong and joints healthy.
  • help you maintain a healthy weight.
  • help you maintain your independence well into your later years.

A well-rounded exercise program has four components: aerobic activity, strength training, flexibility, and balance exercises. Each benefits your body in a different way.

Fighting disease with aerobic activity

Aerobic exercise is the centerpiece of any fitness program. Nearly all of the research regarding the disease-fighting benefits of exercise revolves around cardiovascular activity, which includes walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling. Experts recommend working out at moderate intensity when you perform aerobic exercise. This level of activity is safe for almost everyone and provides the desired health benefits. Additional health benefits may flow from increased intensity.

Protecting bone with strength training

Strength or resistance training, such as elastic-band workouts and the use of weight machines or free weights, are important for building muscle and protecting bone.

Bones lose calcium and weaken with age, but strength training can help slow or sometimes even reverse this trend. Not only can strength training make you look and feel better, but it can also result in better performance of everyday activities, such as climbing stairs and carrying bundles. Stronger muscles also mean better mobility and balance, and thus a lower risk of falling and injuring yourself. In addition, more lean body mass aids in weight control because each pound of muscle burns more calories than its equivalent in fat.

Ease back pain with flexibility exercises

Stretching or flexibility training is the third prong of a balanced exercise program. Muscles tend to shorten and weaken with age. Shorter, stiffer muscle fibers make you vulnerable to injuries, back pain, and stress. But regularly performing exercises that isolate and stretch the elastic fibers surrounding your muscles and tendons can counteract this process. And stretching improves your posture and balance.

Preventing falls with balance exercises

Balance tends to erode over time and regularly performing balance exercises is one of the best ways to protect against falls that lead to temporary or permanent disability. Balance exercises take only a few minutes and often fit easily into the warm-up portion of a workout. Many strength-training exercises also serve as balance exercises. Or balance-enhancing movements may simply be woven into other forms of exercise, such as tai chi, yoga, and Pilates.




Bottom Line. Do some form of exercise everyday!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Summer Diet Blunders





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Q. Glen, My favorite summer treats pack a wallop in fat and calories, How do I how to lighten them up ? .



A.In summertime, the livin' is easy, but so is access to seasonal foods that tempt you off your summer diet. Who can resist a heaping bowl of Aunt Maude's potato salad at the family reunion? Or a chilled margarita, poolside? As your favorite ice cream shop beckons, your summer weight -- and resistance -- may waver.

What harm could a little warm-weather indulgence do?

In moderation, not much, say nutrition experts. But beware: some of the summertime food you might pass off as harmless packs a bigger calorie and fat punch than you might imagine. A little bowl of cole slaw, for instance, packs 21 grams of fat, about a third of most people's daily limit.

If you want to maintain your summer weight -- or at least not waddle into fall -- turn to substitutes or slim down the treat you desire, at least occasionally. Here, nutrition experts tell Glen how to watch for five summer diet blunders, along with suggestions on how to lighten up.

Summer Diet Blunder 1: Summertime Salads

What's summer - or a picnic - without potato salad? After all, potato is a vegetable, right? Well, yes. But then, there's the mayonnaise, which a lot of potato salads are swimming in, says Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. And depending on how heavy-handed the salad maker is with the mayo, the fat can more than cancel out the benefits of eating the vegetable.

"Salads made with mayonnaise are usually loaded with calories," she says. Not to mention grams of fat - often so high that fat accounts for more than half the total calories. It's also difficult to estimate calories and fat in your portion, because recipes vary so much, Sandon says.

Summer Diet Fix

If you're trying to limit your fat to 30% of calories on a 2,000-calorie a day diet -- a typical, healthy goal from the USDA -- your limit would be 65 grams of fat a day. So make those salads yourself. Slash calories and fat by using reduced-fat mayo, Sandon suggests.

For example, homemade potato salad with regular mayo has more than 20 grams of fat and 350 calories per cup. Make it with low-fat mayo and you can cut the calories and fat in half. Lower-fat mayo has about 5 grams of fat per tablespoon, while the regular stuff tops out at 11 grams of fat per tablespoon.

If you buy your potato salad on the go, keep in mind that recipes vary widely at different fast-food restaurants. At Kentucky Fried Chicken, a 4.5-oz. serving has 9 grams of fat and 180 calories. Blimpie's version - a 4.9-oz. serving - has double the fat, at 19 grams of fat and 140 calories.


Cole slaw is another staple that sounds like a summer diet food. After all, isn't cabbage one of those "free foods," with so few calories they aren't worth thinking about? True, a cup of raw chopped cabbage has a mere 21 calories and a trace of fat - but then comes the mayo.

Cole slaw, like potato salad, can vary wildly in the amount of fat it contains, says Cathy Nonas, RD, director of the obesity and diabetes program at North General Hospital in New York City. At Chick-Fil-A restaurants, a 4.5-oz. serving of slaw carries 260 calories, with a whopping 21 grams of fat. At Boston Market, the same serving of cole slaw carries a more modest 170 calories with 9 grams of fat.

Advice? Indulge in the mayo-laced salads of summer only occasionally, if you love them. "Have the potato salad," Nonas says, "but understand it isn't a cheap date."

Summer Diet Blunder 2: Festive Drinks

Poolside, or at happy hour, a party drink such as a giant margarita can seem like a fine way to celebrate summer. It's the sociable thing to do, right?

Beware, says Sandon. "That poolside, nice, frosty beverage could become a weight problem that could make you spill over your bikini," she says. A regular-sized margarita has about 170 calories. But that's for one that's barely 3 ounces. The giant margaritas, especially those designed to be shared by two or three people, can spell trouble, Sandon says.

Summer Diet Fix

"If you are going to put in a few laps at the pool, maybe you can have that margarita," Sandon says. "But most people I see at the pool aren't doing a lot of swimming." The rationalization goes like this: "People think they are sitting in the sun, and so they need fluid," Sandon says. "But alcohol is not a good way to hydrate," she says. It actually dehydrates you. If you want an alcoholic drink, "going with a glass of wine might be a better bet," she says. A 3.5-oz. glass of wine is about 80 calories. A 12-oz. beer has about 117 calories.

And if it's the festive flair of the drink -- like the umbrellas topping off tropical summer drinks -- you can customize a lower-cal option, Sandon says. "They might put an umbrella in your beer if you ask them," she says. Other options: ask for lemon-flavored water with club soda for some pizzazz, Sandon says. Or alternate an alcoholic drink with plain water or a non-alcoholic beverage.

Start with a "virgin" drink, Nonas agrees, such as a Virgin Bloody Mary, to reduce calories. It doesn't always work, she concedes. "A margarita doesn't work without the liquor."

Summer Diet Blunder 3: Burgers and Hot Dogs

Some baseball fans can't watch a game without a traditional hot dog. But a Dodger dog, a long-time tradition at Los Angeles Dodger games, packs 240 calories and 22 grams of fat - and that's just the dog, without the bun, ketchup, or other add-ons. Of the 240 calories, 200 of them are from fat. And at backyard barbecues, cheeseburgers often play a starring role. Figure 360 calories with the bun - and nearly 20 grams of fat.

Summer Diet Fix

To lighten up, consider a turkey frank on a roll, for about 190 calories and 10 grams of fat. Or a veggie burger and bun, for about 180 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. Two other healthy options include a chicken breast without the skin, or grilled fish such as grilled salmon.

And at the baseball park, says Sandon, if you find yourself considering the burger or hot dog fare: "Health-wise, you are probably better off with peanuts," Sandon says. They aren't low-calorie, she says, but at least peanuts have heart-healthy fat.

Summer Diet Blunder 4: Frothy Coffee Drinks

Those frosty coffee drinks like frappuccinos seem like a great summertime treat, right? After all, most of us need our caffeine fix.

Brace yourself. "They can run 300 to 700 calories," says Sandon. Especially if you believe that the bigger the coffee, the better. Case in point: Starbucks Orange Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee, promoted as a great way to start your summer day (especially when paired with reduced-fat Orange Crème Coffee Cake). But if you order their "Venti" size (24 oz), it's 520 calories and 16 grams of fat. Add another 320 calories and 8 grams of fat if you succumb to the coffee cake.

Summer Diet Fix

But there are tasty, lower-calorie, and lower-fat -- or even nonfat -- alternatives, Sandon says. Starbucks points those conscious of summer diets to other choices. A 16-oz. Starbucks latte made with nonfat milk delivers no fat and just 160 calories. At any coffee house, Sandon says, you can order a latte with skim or nonfat milk.

Summer Diet Blunder 5: Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt

It's 95 degrees in the shade, and you need ice cream now. But not just any ice cream will do. You're thinking a 4-oz scoop of Baskin-Robbins Baseball Nut ice cream. That'll hit it out of the park, with 270 calories and 14 grams of fat.

Summer Diet Fix

"You have to pick nonfat or low-fat yogurt to get any kind of decent calorie savings over ice cream," Sandon says. Switch to a 4-oz scoop of vanilla nonfat yogurt - though probably not as much fun - for 150 calories with 0 grams fat. Another option: "Try a fruit-flavored frozen treat," Sandon says. A fruit-flavored treat on a stick, she says, has about 60 calories.

If you simply must have real ice cream, turn to the more virtuous - but still tasty - varieties, says Elaine Magee, RD, MPH, a nutrition expert . The good news is that you can now find almost any flavor you might desire in a low-fat version. And the better news: Many of these 'light' ice cream brands are great-tasting.

Some of the newer slow-churned ice creams are particularly tasty, she says, without an overdose of fat. Dreyers and other companies claim their new churning technologies make ice cream taste like it has more fat than it does. The Double Fudge Brownie by Dreyer's (called Edy's on the East Coast) has 120 calories and 4 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving, Magee says.

For ice cream shoppers, read the labels, since not all light varieties are created equal. Magee suggests going by this guideline: a 1/2 cup serving should have no more than 4 grams of fat, 120 calories, and 15 grams of sugar.



Bottom Line! All foods are NOT created equally choose wisely!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Worst Base Ball Game Foods





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Q.Glen , I love Baseball! Any Healthy Eating There?

A. No, But no one goes to a baseball game to eat healthfully any way, but some stadium foods are more diet-deadly than others


There was a time when the national pastime was synonymous with peanuts and cracker jacks. Now, the ballpark menu has expanded-to include one fattening item after another. Stadiums often serve foods made famous by their hometowns (such as cheesesteaks in Philly, crabcakes in Baltimore, or pierogies in Pittsburgh), but many of them should come with an exercise plan on the side. Here, the 10 most fattening ballpark foods in the country.

1. Chili cheese dog. To begin with, most hot dogs contain several grams of saturated fat (the kind of fat that causes high cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association). Add to it the greasy, gooey cheese and loads of spicy chili (and if it's Cincinnati's famous Skyline chili, served at the Great American Ball Park, there may be some chocolate added). The final caloric score of these treats? Somewhere in the ballpark of 400 calories.

2. Pretzel dog. Maybe they're going to for a triple play here: high in fat, high in sodium, and high in carbs. It's not like the hot dog is a health food to begin with, but wrapping a 200-plus-calorie pretzel around it is just adding insult to injury. If a pretzel dog isn't your thing, but you still want all the fatty goodness of the pretzel and sausage, you can order the bratzel (a bratwurst wrapped in a pretzel) the next time you're at a St. Louis Cardinals home game. But beware: You'll be consuming a quarter of your daily calorie intake.

3. Beer. It's technically not a food, but a cold brew is a ubiquitous ballpark staple nonetheless. In fact, the vendors are everywhere, shouting, "Get your beer, here," into the stands. Whether you're having a cold one at Miller Park or Coors Field or any of the other fields not named after beers, each eight-ounce glass weighs in at approximately 100 calories. Light beers could save you about 25 to 30 calories a glass, but they'll still cost an arm and a leg.

4. Garlic fries. These specialty French fries are such a hit, they can be found in multiple stadiums, particularly on the West Coast, including Bank One Ballpark (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks), PETCO Park (home of the San Diego Padres), and AT&T Park (home of the San Francisco Giants). With these fries, you'll be batting 500-calories, that is.

5. Italian sausages. It doesn't matter if you top your sandwich with the hottest peppers or the sweet kind, Italian sausages are a strikeout, for sure. Although the caloric count and fat grams vary widely depending on where you're ordering, they're never low, sometimes swinging as high as 700 calories and more than 40 grams of fat.

6. Anything smothered in barbecue sauce. Pick your poison: the barbecue pork ribs in Atlanta, the barbecue beef sandwich while watching the Royals play at home, or some of Manny's barbecue pit beef in Pittsburgh's PNC Park. To be fair, it's not the sauce that will wreak havoc on your waistline; it's everything underneath it.

7. Cuban sandwich. You can get a Cuban while rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox, or the Cleveland Indians. Regardless of who they're playing, one pre-game prediction is sure to be true: At about 700 calories a sandwich, this ballpark food will ruin your diet.

8. Cheesesteak. It's no surprise that they serve this famous Philadelphia staple at Citizen's Bank Park where the Phillies play. While Geno's Steaks and Pat's King of Steaks continue to battle across the street from each other for dominance in the Philly cheesesteak market, whether you grab one of those or the kind at the park, one thing is clear: You're going to need to loosen your belt after you finish eating it.

9. Pizza. Two slices of Little Caesar's pepperoni pizza stack up to 780 calories. And if that's not enough to convince you to steer clear, consider this the next time you're at a Detroit Tigers home game: Mike Ilitch owns both the team and the pizza franchise, which has made him enough money to earn a spot on the Forbes Richest Americans list. Maybe you should save your money.

10. Chocolate-covered cheesecake. As if the other foods haven't already done enough harm, the final inning brings dessert. And at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, that means chocolate-covered cheesecake, which is sure to issue to the final blow to your waistline.




Bottom Line! Eat Before you go!




Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health


Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Food Shopping Tips




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Q.Glen, I always bring home a lot of junk food when I go to the supermarket! Any Tips?



A.Yes, Fill Your Belly Before Your Cart

When going to the supermarket, it's not only essential to know how to shop, but it's also important to know when to shop. The worst time to go shopping for food is on an empty stomach, especially one that is growling for food. Chances are, if you go when you're hungry, you'll end up leaving with much more junk then you'd hoped. Try to make it a point to shop right after a meal or eat a snack before you hit the supermarket. Make a list before you go, and don't stray from it.


Bottom Line! Eat before you go food shopping!!!!!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Salt




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Q Glen, Is salt really that bad for you?



A. Yes you should learn to "Shake the Salt Habit"

It's recommended that adults eat less than 6 grams of salt a day. For most people, this means cutting salt intake by half. It's important to cut back on salt and sodium to help prevent high blood pressure and reduce your chances of heart disease and stroke. The best way to cut down on salt is to read food labels and purchase items that limit the amount of sodium you eat to 2,400 milligrams each day.


Bottom Line! Use little to no salt!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Biggest Diet Scams




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Q.Glen, I am trying to loss weight! Should I try any of the Over the counter weight loss products?


A Buyer beware: These three weight-loss products promise big results but don't live up to their hefty claims.

1. Diet patches. The idea that you could stick a patch on your skin and peel away the pounds may sound appealing. But to date, there's no evidence to prove that these products actually work. In fact, in 2004 marketers of the seaweed-based "Peel Away the Pounds" patch—which claimed it could shed three to five pounds a week in its infomercials—agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that they made false and unsubstantiated weight-loss claims.

2. Slim suits. These thick, layered "body wraps" promise to increase your body temperature and melt the pounds away. But in reality, they’re just cleverly marketed modern-day girdles that aren't all they're cracked up to be. According to experts, although you could lose a few ounces of water weight through perspiration while wearing one, you'd gain it right back after your next drink.

3. Diet pills. These tablets and capsules might claim they can create bathing-suit bodies in weeks or even days. Recently, however, marketers of four weight-loss pills—Xenadrine EFX, One-A-Day Weight Smart, CortiSlim, and TrimSpa—were fined $25 million by the FTC for making false claims. As it stands now, Alli (active ingredient: orlistat) is the only product with enough favorable research to have earned the FDA's approval.

These products sound too good to be true—and as it turns out, they are.

4. Weight-loss creams. These dream creams may sound like miracle solutions, but it's unlikely that you'll lose anything—except your wallet—by using them. For this reason, the FDA issued warning letters in 2004 to companies selling creams that claimed they could break down unwanted fat, stimulate metabolism, or help lose inches and pounds.

5. Herbal teas. Tea may offer a host of health benefits, but according to experts, weight loss isn't one of them. One of the most fraudulent of these products is Wu-Yi Source's Weight-Loss Tea—a product that the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has received complaints about in 19 states. When consumers seek their "iron-clad" refund, they get "vague answers and stall tactics so that the company doesn't have to honor its 60-day refund policy," the BBB reports.

6. Cortisol-reducers. In recent years, a number of companies have introduced supplements that promise to reduce cortisol and, in turn, belly fat. But it's never been proven that any of these products actually work. Maybe that's why in 2007, the FTC nailed the makers of both Cortistress and CortiSlim with $12 million in fines for making false and unsubstantiated claims.


Bottom Line! Eat Fresh Whole Foods Watch Total Calories and Burn more Calories then you Consume!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Interval Training




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Q. Glen, Why Should I Try Interval Training?



A.For the longest time, most of us thought that the only way to burn fat and calories was to trudge through long, steady workouts, watching the minutes tick past at a glacial pace. While there's no doubt that those slow, steady workouts have a place in any routine, particularly for building endurance, there's another type of training that offers different types of benefits:

Interval training.

This type of training, which involves alternating high intensity exercise with rest periods, makes workouts more fun and it can also:
  • Enhance athletic performance
  • Boost your cardio fitness
  • Accelerate weight loss
  • Improve your body's ability to burn fat
  • Make your workouts more time efficient

The reason they work so well is that, first, the more you shake up your body during the workout, the more energy your body expends getting your body back to normal after the workout. Second, interval training works regardless of fitness level and, by increasing your intensity for short periods of time, you teach your body how to work harder without killing yourself. Below are a few interval workouts you can try:

Make Your Own Interval Workouts

You can make your own interval workout by alternating high intensity activities (think sprinting, jump roping, power jumps, jumping jacks or anything that challenges your heart rate) for a period of time with low intensity moves (walking, marching in place, etc.). The general recommendation is to work at maximal effort for 1-4 minutes (long enough to become breathless) and recover for 5-10 minutes.

But, there are other ways to create an interval workout. You can make your intervals anaerobic, meaning you push as hard as you can, or you can keep the intervals aerobic, meaning you stay within about 75-85% of your maximum heart rate.

Do you have a favorite interval workout? Leave a comment and tell me about it.




Bottom Line! Change your workouts change your results!!!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !


My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?

Ask Glen!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Five Ways to Control Type 2 Diabetes







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Q. Glen, What are some of the Complications of Diabetes?


A. in keeping with the latest research on diabetes, which shows that taking early and aggressive steps to achieve tight control of your blood glucose levels -- by eating right and exercising, for instance -- pays off big time.


Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects the body’s ability to effectively use insulin, an important hormone that enables blood sugar to enter the body’s cells and be converted to energy. The result is an elevated level of glucose, or sugar, in the blood, which damages the body.


Type 2 diabetes in America



Early diagnosis and fast action are best. An estimated 20.8 million people, or 7% of the U.S. population, currently have the disease, but of that total, only 14.6 million know it. This is because type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed years after its onset, giving the disease a head start in causing damage. The result? Serious complications, including heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, erectile dysfunction, infections, and more.


According to Kenneth Snow, MD, acting chief of the adult diabetes section at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, keeping blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible may prevent or slow the progress of these complications. Snow offers five key steps you can take right now to help achieve this goal.


Lose 10 pounds. “More than 80% of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are obese, but people find the idea of losing 40 or 50 pounds daunting. Just losing 10 pounds is doable and will have a huge impact on blood glucose levels,” Snow says.


There are two dietary keys to achieving this goal, he says: Making wise choices about what you eat and limiting portion size. “Spend a little time weighing and measuring your food to learn how much you’re eating. Read the labels. People see that a serving size of cereal is 110 calories, so they just pour it into a large bowl and figure they’re eating 110 calories when they are really eating about 350,” he says.


Increase your activity. “I avoid the word ‘exercise.’ Exercise is fantastic, but it’s very difficult for people to do, at least initially, and sustain. But everyone can add activity to their daily lives,” Snow says.



Some ideas: Take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you work on the 10th floor, you can take the elevator to the ninth and walk up a flight, he notes. Walking is extremely beneficial, so Snow tells his patients to buy a pedometer to measure their daily steps. “Set yourself a goal. Try to get to 10,000 steps a day. If you’ve been sedentary, your goal might be 4,000 steps.” Recently, a CDC study found 52% of people with diabetes also have arthritis. While this may make exercise more difficult for some, people with arthritis can do many low-impact activities, such as walking or swimming. Keeping active helps both conditions, Snow notes.


If you smoke, quit. “If you have diabetes and smoke, that’s slow suicide,” says Snow, who adds that smoking accelerates the onset of every single diabetes complication. Ask your doctor for help to break the habit.


Relax. If you’re under stress, your body can react physically; this is known as the “fight or flight” response, and it can adversely affect blood glucose levels. However, Snow says, “it isn’t only the stress itself, it’s how people respond. Usually, people under stress don’t eat right, so stress impacts in that way.” Stress relievers such as meditation, deep breathing, and relaxation exercises can help.


Monitor your blood glucose levels. Snow prefers the word “monitor” to “test” because test has a pass-fail connotation, which sends the wrong message, he says. “You want to check to see what your blood sugar is doing at different times of the day. That way, you’ll know whether the changes you are making are successful.”


These steps can help you achieve tight glucose control, something Anne Tierney knows a lot about. “I don’t use large plates anymore; I eat my food out of little ramekins,” she says. She exercises on a treadmill and an elliptical trainer, and she lifts weights. And what about the chocolate? “I still eat it, but only the sugar-free kind.”


The payoff is that her high blood glucose levels fell so much she’s now classified as “prediabetic.” According to Snow, this doesn’t happen to everyone, but is a possibility when diabetes is caught early and treated vigorously.


Says Tierney, “I was very fortunate to get my blood glucose levels under control. I’m not going back.”


Checkup Checklist:



Of course, good medical care is also key in controlling blood glucose levels. If you have type 2 diabetes, make sure you get regular checkups for potentially serious complications. Doing so will help prevent heart attacks and strokes (the most common causes of death among people with diabetes) as well as kidney disease and blindness. In addition, be sure you get your blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function, and eyes checked on a regular basis, as all of these can be affected by your type 2 diabetes



Bottom Line! I am a Diabetic.....Do This!!!!Nuff Said


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !



My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health



Any questions?


Ask Glen!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Sleep Good Night!








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Q. Glen, Could getting a good night's sleep be as simple as changing your pillow?


A. The first step to getting a goodnight's sleep is getting comfortable.


Could getting a good night's sleep be as simple as changing your pillow? If pain is keeping you up, making your bed as comfortable as possible is key. If your pillow's too soft or hard or isn't the right height, it could put your head at an awkward angle and cause even more pain. So it's important to experiment to find the right fit for you. There are other ways to create a restful environment for sleep, too:

Keep your bedroom cool. If the temperature is too hot or cold, it may disrupt sleep. Most experts say that a slightly cool room can contribute to good sleep.




Block the noise. Heavy curtains, double-pane windows, and rugs will help absorb the noise. And when all else fails, there are always ear-plugs.




Avoid bright clocks. Position your clock where you can't see it. Watching the time pass when you can't fall asleep can cause extra anxiety. And the extra light doesn't help, either.






The bottom line? Getting A Good Nights Sleep is Essentail to your Overall Health!

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !





My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life." Yours in good health



Any questions?



Ask Glen!




Friday, July 10, 2009

Don't Trust The Scale!






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Q. Glen, I am doing every thing right eating, exercising , resting, weighing myself daily the scale keeps going up and down ! am I doing anything wrong?



A. Yes, Weighing yourself on a scale every day can do more harm than good. Calorie counting and constantly checking the scale usually leads to disappointment, which, in turn, leads to broken resolutions. The body fluctuates in weight as many as 3 to 5 pounds during the day. So while you're actually losing weight, you may think nothing has changed. Also, muscle is denser than fat, so while you may not see the numbers drop or in some cases see the numbers escalate, it may just be that you're gaining muscle. The best way to use the scale is moderately. Try weighing yourself only once a week.




Glen's Bottom Line: Judge how your clothes fit!

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !

My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health

Any questions?
Ask Glen!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

A Guaranteed Way To Drop Weight





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Q. Glen, I need to drop weight! But I have pets...Any suggestions?


A.Got a dog?Take the dog for a walk. Rover is man's best friend, especially when you need a walking companion. Unlike people, there's little chance that your dog will ever stand you up come workout time. A study conducted by the University of Missouri-Columbia discovered that taking the dog for a 20-minute walk, 5 days a week yielded an average loss of 14 pounds over a one-year period. Both you and your dog will benefit from this enjoyable exercise regimen.

Glen's Bottom Line: Walk!

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program.

Please consult your physician !

My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health

Any Questions?
Ask Glen

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Is Your Diet Making You Fat?







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Q. Glen, Can Dieting make you Fat?


A. Yes and a Dieting Mentality Can Lead to Problems

A healthy lifestyle is an ideal that we all strive for. Eat right, exercise regularly, get enough sleep. It seems pretty simple, right? But, we all know that it's much more complicated than a few simple words. While you might be successful in one area, like meeting your diet goals during the week, you can easily fall short in another by not exercising regularly. If you're still in "diet" mode, temporarily changing your habits just until you reach your goal, then one of these dieting dilemmas could be preventing your from reaching your goals - and achieving a permanent, healthy lifestyle.

Your diet might be making (or keeping) you fat if you fail on the weekends.

You strive to eat well and hit the gym throughout the week, but once you leave work on Friday evening, all bets are off. Weekends should definitely be used for unwinding and relaxing, but be careful not to go overboard and cancel out all of the hard work you put in during the week. One weekend of overeating, over drinking, and under-exercising can easily undo the healthy diet and exercise program you followed for five days, stalling your progress towards your goals.

Instead, view weekends as a chance to do the things that you enjoy and spend quality time with your family and friends. “Weekends” should not be synonymous with calorie splurges or alcohol binges. Use your free time constructively: plan your menu for the upcoming week, design a new workout routine, take your time grocery shopping, and read your favorite health magazine. Try cooking up a big batch of healthy meals on Sunday that you can eat without much fuss during the week.

Take advantage of your time away from work to get outside and be active. Weekends are the perfect time to play tennis, go on a walk or work in your yard. Get your kids and other loved ones involved as well; weekends are YOUR time to enjoy physical activity—without watching the clock or keeping a strict schedule!

You make exercise excuses.

No doubt, it's difficult to make exercise a priority in your life. Perhaps you had an extra busy week and didn't have a spare moment to get the gym. Soon thereafter, that exercise-free week turned into two, then three weeks and so on. Exercise can help you reach your weight loss goals much faster than dieting alone. Plus, strength training builds lean muscle that fires up your metabolism so you burn more calories all day long. Are you really “too busy” to include even a little exercise, a few times a week, or are your priorities elsewhere? Taking a 10-minute walk IS better than no exercise at all. Anything that gets your heart rate up and blood flowing is a good start.

Learn how to Help Yourself Over Exercise Hurdles for more ideas to combat your excuses and stick with a healthy exercise program!

You don’t care where calories come from, as long as you are under your goal.

It’s easy (and important) to focus on the calories, but you should also focus on the quality of foods your calories are coming from, as well as meeting other nutrient goals. There is a huge difference between eating 400 calories of chocolate for lunch and enjoying a 400-calorie salad, loaded with leafy greens, beans, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers. For one, the salad will fill you up longer, and boost your protein, fiber, vitamin, mineral, and health-enhancing photochemical intakes. Chocolate, on the other hand, will leave you hungry for the same number of calories.

Make sure you get the most out of what you are eating. If you eat too many high-calorie, low-nutrient foods, you're more likely to overeat and less likely to meet your body's nutritional needs. This increases your risk of lifestyle diseases related to diet, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and osteoporosis. Think about the sources of your calories as you plan out your daily menu.

You starve during the day and gorge during the evening.

You might think that eating as little as possible throughout the day will help you lose weight. Perhaps you skip breakfast altogether and only eat a small snack during the day. But if you don't fuel your body regularly throughout the day, you're more likely to binge in the evening—at dinner and into the late evening. Plus, without adequate nutrition all day, your metabolism will wane, and slow, making your energy levels low and weight loss even harder.

Instead, space out your meals and snacks evenly throughout the day. Always start with breakfast, which is proven to help people lose weight, and enjoy a good balance of nutrients—lean protein, whole grains or unprocessed carbohydrates (fruits for example), and healthy fats like nuts—every time you eat. Eating at regular intervals will keep your energy high and your metabolism boosted while warding off hunger.

You go "off" your diet on special occasions.

This is a very slippery slope once you step onto it. An extra drink for a friend's birthday, a high-fat dessert at your co-worker's retirement party, and pretty soon, you view almost every "special occasion" as a way to justify overindulging in excess calories. You enjoy these special treats so often that you're "off" your diet again, eating everything with a last supper mentality until you're ready to re-start your diet next week, next month, or next year.

Be careful. One key to a healthy lifestyle is moderation, and moderation means setting limits, applying portion control, and making choices based on long-term health goals, not immediate gratification. If you know that you have a family picnic (i.e. unhealthy food fest) coming up, do your best to maintain your healthy eating and exercise habits in the days prior to it. Go on an extra walk or make an extra trip the gym. Make sure that you eat a balanced breakfast the day of the event, and consider eating a healthy meal before you arrive so that your hunger won't tempt you to overindulge. It’s okay to enjoy yourself and to celebrate important events in your friends’ lives, as well as your own. Make your friends and experiences the center of these occasions—not the food.


When you're "on a diet" excuses like these make it easy to go off of it. After all, you just go back on again once you're done having your fun. Forget the "diets" and start going on a "healthy lifestyle" instead.



Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !


My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?


Ask Glen!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The healthiest rate to lose weight





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Q. Glen, I am not losing weight fast enough! what should I do?


A. Focus on losing one to two pounds per week. Slow and steady wins the race. Studies show that people who lose at a slower pace are more likely to keep off the weight. The National Institute of Health recommends dropping one to two pounds a week for safe, effective weight loss. Two pounds a week may not sound like much, but it adds up fast. Over a one-year period, that's 52 pounds.


Glen's Bottom Line: Take your time!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !


My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health


Any questions ?

Ask Glen!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Body Fat Determines Need for Weight Loss:






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Q. Glen, Whats more accurate Percentage of Body Fat or Body Mass Index (BMI)


A. Measuring body fat, rather than body mass index, appears to more accurately identify people who need lifestyle interventions to lose weight, study findings suggest. Excess body fat is a risk factor for many major health problems such asheart disease and diabetes, researchers note in the Nutrition Journal.

When evaluating individuals for lifestyle recommendations to minimize such health risks, body mass index (BMI) under identifies risk, said Dr. Ottavia Colombo of the University of Pavia in Italy.

"The use of BMI alone does not discriminate between fat mass and fat-free mass, nor reflect the fat mass distribution," Colombo told Reuters Health.

Colombo and colleagues recruited 23 men and 40 women, aged 20 to 65 years, to undergo body composition analysis in the Human Nutrition and Eating Disorders Research Centre at the university. The volunteers were healthy, but led sedentary lives and were not following a low-calorie diet.

The researchers obtained each person's BMI as well as body-fat measurements including waist circumference and total percent body fat. The also calculated a measurement similar to BMI that identifies fat mass called body fat mass index. The investigators then compared the percentage of the study group that would be told to lose weight according to each calculation.

BMI calculations, they found, identified 11 percent of the group as needing strong recommendations to lose weight and 41 percent as needing basic recommendations to lose weight. By contrast, waist circumference measurements indicated about 25 percent would need strong recommendations to shed pounds and 36 percent would need basic weight loss recommendations, Colombo said.

Moreover, 29 percent and 48 percent would have received similar weight loss recommendations according to total percent body fat measurements, while 21 percent and 54 percent would receive the same, according to body fat mass index.

"Using criteria based on body adiposity (fatness) rather than body weight would result in a much greater proportion of the study population receiving recommendations for weight loss," Colombo said.

Studies that focus on changes in body fat among larger groups of people recommended for lifestyle change, might better identify which body fat index is most clinically relevant, the investigators say.

Everyone who truly wants to know should get a Hydro Static Body Fat Test!


Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !


My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?


Ask Glen!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Get Pump to Pump Iron!





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Q. Glen, Does having a bad attitude have any affect on my workouts?



A. If you go into the gym with a positive outlook, then you will very likely leave pumped after a great workout. Try to find different ways to boost your energy before your workout. Look at a picture of the girl or guy you'd want to impress, listen to an uplifting song, take out that pair of jeans you're dying to fit into again or just give yourself a fast pep talk before you begin. It might sound corny, but a quick boost of energy can make all the difference in the world.



Glen's Bottom Line! Keep a Positive Attitude Life's Not That BAD!!!!


Any questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program.
Please consult your physician !


My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health


Any questions?
Ask Glen!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A recipe for long life and good health







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Q Glen, Is the Mediterranean Diet Good for a Healthier Life Style?


A. Yes, It’s been almost 40 years since researchers linked the eating patterns of Greece, Italy and other Mediterranean countries to their low rates of heart disease. There have been some bumps along the way, but over all, the basic findings about the healthful effects of the Mediterranean diet have held up well.

The evidence isn’t just epidemiologic, nor are the benefits limited to the heart. Randomized trials have shown that a Mediterranean diet has benefits for people with rheumatoid arthritis and may help reduce colon cancer recurrence. In 2007, Harvard researchers published a study suggesting that Mediterranean eating patterns might cut people’s chances of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in half.

Salute!

Taming individual diseases is certainly a big step in the right direction, but that doesn’t necessarily mean longer life. Smaller studies have hinted, though, that the Mediterranean diet does have overall life-extending benefits, and a large European study (involving 75,000 people from nine European countries) also came to that conclusion in 2005.

There was more encouraging news late in 2007, when the Archives of Internal Medicine published results from an American study. Using food consumption questionnaires collected as part of the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study, the researchers classified respondents by how closely their eating habits matched a Mediterranean diet and then tabulated deaths over the next 10 years.

This was a huge study that included over 380,000 Americans with no history of chronic disease. When the researchers analyzed the data, they found that high conformity to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of death in three categories: death from any cause, death from heart disease, and death from cancer. The benefits of the diet were especially pronounced among smokers.

The Mediterranean diet may have all of these good effects because it quells the low-grade inflammation that underlies so many disease processes. It also has powerful antioxidant effects.

Main features of a Mediterranean diet

  • Lots of unprocessed food from plants: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes (beans)
  • Cheese and yogurt in small to moderate amounts
  • Fish and poultry in small to moderate amounts
  • Unsaturated fat, traditionally supplied by olive oil, in fairly large amounts
  • Wine in small to moderate amounts with meals
  • Red meat in small amounts and used more in sauces and as a seasoning than as a main course
  • Fresh fruit for dessert

Mete out the meat

So what exactly is this life-extending diet? It’s not a diet like, say, the Atkins diet or other highly scripted weight loss plans, although people can lose weight by “going Mediterranean.” Some experts are scrupulous about referring to the “Mediterranean-type” diet in hopes of conveying that it’s a pattern, and not a rigid, single way of eating.

According to some researchers, the heart of the diet is that it’s mainly vegetarian, includes far less meat and dairy than American and Northern European diets, and uses fruit for dessert.

Olive oil is often depicted as being absolutely essential, but researchers, at least, are getting away from that. In the large European study that showed reductions in mortality, the researchers measured the effects of a “modified Mediterranean diet” that grouped the polyunsaturated fat from a variety of vegetable oils with the monounsaturated fat from olive oil. So, with respect to fats, the main thing about the Mediterranean diet is to keep your consumption of saturated fat low, which, as a practical matter, means keeping the helpings of meat and dairy products (the full-fat variety) few and far between.

Other components of the Mediterranean diet include wine in small amounts (a glass or so a day), some fish, and cheese and yogurt. The à la carte aspect of Mediterranean eating is part of what makes it appealing. Researchers and the food industry have chiseled away, trying to figure out whether there’s a particular food or nutrient that confers most of the benefit, but the whole is probably greater than the sum of any particular parts.



Reference: Harvard Medical





Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program. Please consult your physician !


My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."


Yours in good health

Any questions?


Ask Glen!

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About Me

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Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States
Is the Founder of Fitness Builders 4 Life,the WorkOut GEM,G350,G180, G90, Eat 4 Life, Clean, Lean & Mean & Ask Glen. The mission of the Fitness Builders is to provide the community with health education and to empower people to change unhealthy lifestyles thereby increasing life expectancy. By educating the community on healthier lifestyle practices it is the intent of Fitness Builders to reduce the ravages of obesity, heart disease, cancer and other lifestyle or self inflicted diseases. Glen is also a AMA Certified Nutrition Specialist and a ACE, ACSM, NASM Certified Personal Trainer has 30+ years in Sports, Exercise Science and Nutritional Food Management, Learning and Mentoring Men and Women on a more Mental & Physical Healthy Life Style consisting of a low fat, low salt, Low carbohydrate, high protein, organic nutrition which also includes moderate exercise and mental awareness. Stay Informed, Live long and be Mentally and Physically Healthy! Any questions? Ask Glen!

Any Questions? Ask Glen!

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