Eating less may spell better health

According to recent study there appears to be some benefit that may accrue to humans by consuming less calories than we actually need. The research was conducted using rhesus monkeys which are close enough to humans and the results, though not supported by  all scientists in the field of anti-aging, appears to show some promise nonetheless.  Read the article in the NYT

Dieting Monkeys Offer Hope for Living Longer – NYTimes.com

Doctor Dog

The most recent amazing thing about your pet dog is that it does not need to go to university to learn to diagnose serious medical problems.   Your dog may be able alter you when you are having a hypoglycemic attack or when cancer may be developing in your body. Wouldn’t that be sweet? Why pay doctors big bucks when a dog can do the same thing for free.  The source of this information came from a reputable National Geographic video.   A dog name Tinker in the video began whining and barking when his owner, who has diabetes, experienced drops in blood sugar.  This is before Tinker was trained now that he has gone to medical school he is a whiz.

 

Catching up on my weekend Web reading, I came across an interesting video from National Geographic, about dogs that sniff out cancer and health problems associated with diabetes. The British research centre, Cancer and Bio-Detection dogs are currently in the process of training 17 rescue dogs to be paired up with diabetic owners, including children, a report stated.

   A survey of 212 dog owners who had Type 1 diabetes showed that 138 owners said their dog had shown a behavioral reaction to at least one of their hypoglycemic episodes. The dogs reacted to the episode by barking, licking, whining or staring their owners in the face, some even trembled.

   Well at last dogs might be earning more than their keep.

Oprah is attacked by Doctors who treat symptoms

In the article below, the traditional health advocates – those who stand to gain the most from over-medicating people – are criticising Oprah for offering the world an alternative to the biomedical model. These old fashion practitioners who were old schooled into treating symptoms just don’t get it. It is the same kind of thinking that has the world economic system in the crisis it is in. It is because we treat symptoms and not the root of things. I think we have evolved and if the medical programs do not incorporate cures into their programs then we will have to continue to look elsewhere to get the holistic treatment that is necessary for us to feel better. I am not saying to throw away traditional medicine but both must go hand in hand and I applaud Oprah for her work in this area as with other work she has done to enlighten the common folks. Thank God for Oprah and for people like Dr. Deepak Chopra, we are becoming more conscious of how everything impacts our health.

AlterNet: Why the Medical Industry Is Lashing Out at Oprah Winfrey

Virgin or Extra Olive Oil?

Many of us know or hear that olive oil is good for us. When we go into the supermarket we are confronted by all kinds  of  Olive oils and we may not know what they mean.  I used to think that the lighter the oil the better it is because it looks better. However I have since learned that the lighter looking the oil, the less valuable it is to our health. Here is a guide to help you sort through the various kinds of oils.

Extra-virgin olive oil. This is the oil  that nutritionists recommend. It comes from the first pressing of the olives, so it’s the least refined and therefore has the highest level of antioxidants. It’s also the highest quality and most-flavorful olive oil, with the lowest acid content.

Virgin olive oil. This comes from the second pressing of the olives and is between 1 and 3 percent acidic.

Light and extra-light olive oil. This is simply a designation used by companies to market a less-flavorful, more-acidic type of oil. The term “light” means lighter in color and fragrance, not less fat or calories. These oils are generally between 90 and 95 percent refined olive oil and 5 to 10 percent virgin olive oil. They have had their color, taste, and fragrance removed by cheical refining process.

(This information comes from Everyday Health and is reliable)

Do you know how much salt you are eating

Here are some staggering numbers you must keep in mind when eating at your favourite fast food or other restaurants.  Some of the numbers are what you should be eating in a week and here you are  eating in one meal. Cut sodium down drastically and refuse to eat meals where sodium is the main spice – no good.

• 1 taco salad = 1,800 mg of sodium
• 1 taco or bean burrito = 1,200 mg
• 8 nachos with cheese sauce = 816 mg
• 1 tablespoon of salsa = 96 mg

An Italian restaurant meal delivers:

• 1 serving of spaghetti with meat sauce = 1,600 mg
• 1 slice of pepperoni pizza = 670 mg

Ordering Asian cuisine? Get ready for:

• 1 cup of miso soup = 2,500 mg
• 1 5.5-ounce serving of Mandarin chicken = 1,150 mg
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce = 902 mg
• 1 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce = 690 mg
• 1 5.5-ounce serving of mixed vegetables = 370 mg

Faster than you can say “fast food,” you’ll get:

• 1 grilled chicken club sandwich = 1,690 mg
• 1 6-inch submarine with cold cuts = 1,651 mg
• 6–8 breaded and fried shrimp = 1,446 mg
• 1 fish sandwich with tartar sauce =1,270 mg
• 1 cheeseburger = 1,108 mg
• 1 piece of battered fish = 790 mg
• 1.5 ounces of low-fat balsamic vinaigrette = 730 mg
• Plain Caesar salad =180 mg
• Plain Caesar salad with 2 ounces of dressing = 680 mg
• Small order of French fries = 160 mg
• 1 packet of ketchup =100 mg
• Fruit and yogurt parfait = 85 mg

Last updated: November 2007 (Everyday Health)

 

First Lady Michelle Obama Pushes Healthy Food for Americans

 

Mrs. Obama was praising the menu last week at Miriam’s Kitchen, a nonprofit drop-in center serving this city’s homeless. And she seized the moment to urge Americans to provide fresh, unprocessed and locally grown foods to their families and to the neediest in their communities.

“You know, we want to make sure our guests here and across the nation are eating nutritious items,” said Mrs. Obama, who served lunch to several homeless men and women and delivered eight cases of fresh fruit to the soup kitchen, all donated by White House employees.

“Collect some fruits and vegetables; bring by some good healthy food,” she said. “We can provide this kind of healthy food for communities across the country, and we can do it by each of us lending a hand.”

In her first weeks in the White House, Mrs. Obama has emerged as a champion of healthy food and healthy living. She has praised community vegetable gardens, opened up her own kitchen to show off the White House chefs’ prowess with vegetables and told stories about feeding less fattening foods to her daughters.

 

Read the entire article here:

Michelle Obama’s Message – Eat Fresh Food – NYTimes.com

Someone wants your ideas

Do you have some ideas about what is good eating from your cultural background?  If so, why not share it with the world  and perhaps we may all be healthier for it.

Click on the link below

 

Michael Pollan Wants Your Food Rules – Well Blog – NYTimes.com

Guide to Natural Living

Check out this interesting site

GARY NULL::Your Guide to Natural Living – Health Freedom Action

Cured meats tied to childhood leukemia risk

Last Updated: 2009-01-28 14:45:42 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Children who regularly eat cured meats like bacon and hot dogs may have a heightened risk of leukemia, while vegetables and soy products may help protect against cancer, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among 515 Taiwanese children and teenagers with and without acute leukemia, those who ate cured meats and fish more than once a week had a 74 percent higher risk of leukemia than those who rarely ate these foods.
On the other hand, kids who often ate vegetables and soy products, like tofu, had about half the leukemia risk of their peers who shunned vegetables and soy.
The findings, reported in the online journal BMC Cancer, point to an association between these foods and leukemia risk – but do not prove cause-and-effect.
Long-term human studies, as well as animal studies, are still needed to see what role, if any, dietary factors have in leukemia development, explained Dr. David C. Christiani of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, one of the researchers of the group.
However, Christiani told Reuters Health, based on this and previous studies, he and his colleagues recommend that children not eat high amounts of cured meats and fish.
During the curing process, foods are preserved and flavored by the addition of salt, sugar and chemicals called nitrites; the foods are often smoked as well. Nitrites are precursors to compounds known as nitrosamines, which are potentially cancer-promoting.
In contrast, vegetables and soy contain antioxidants that may help neutralize those same compounds.
Christiani and his colleagues found that among children who regularly ate cured meats and fish, those who also ate vegetables or soy products had a substantially lower leukemia risk.
The study included 145 children and adolescents, 2 to 20 years old, with acute leukemia who were each matched with at least two healthy individuals of the same age and sex. The researchers collected detailed information on the participants’ diets before their cancer diagnosis or, in the case of the comparison group, before their recruitment into the study.
Cured meats included foods like bacon, ham and hot dogs, as well as traditional Chinese staples like dried salted duck, salted fish and Chinese-style sausage.
Because most cured meats contain nitrites and nitrosamines, Christiani noted, the findings may apply to other cultures as well, even though the particular meats in the diet vary.
SOURCE:  http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/01/28/eline/links/20090128elin003.html

Regular exercise makes you feel good

The Science Behind the Smile
According to Declan Condron, MS, CSCS, and founder and creator of PumpOne.com, “One of the major psychological benefits of exercise is that it improves mood. Exercise stimulates the release of certain endorphins that make you feel better about yourself, more relaxed, and can boost self-esteem and confidence,” he says. “Add this to the physiological benefits of controlling weight, improving physical appearance, and combating diseases, and it’s easy to see how daily exercise can help you through your day.”

Walk up a flight of stairs, walk around the block, stretch at your desk,