From HealthNewsDigest.com
A Valentine Gift for You: Tips to Keep You Healthy
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Feb 7, 2010 - 7:20:53 AM
(HealthNewsDigest.com) - When it comes to your health size does matter. For men, if your waist measures more than 40 inches (for women 38 inches) you are at greater risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and other serious health problems.
Set your exercise goal.
To improve health = 30 minutes of brisk walking most days of the week.
To lose weight = 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week.
To maintain weight loss = 60 to 90 minutes of walking every day.
Food journals work. People who keep track of what they eat are less likely to overeat and more likely to make healthy lifestyle changes.
Eat fruit and veggies for better vision. The carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin found in green leafy veggies and colored fruits protect the retina and lens of your eyes. These pigment substances make your eyes function better and may help to prevent age-related eye diseases.
Coffee won’t sober you up. When you drink too much you feel tired and intoxicated. Add coffee and you feel stimulated and awake, but you are still drunk and your decision-making abilities are compromised. This could lead to driving while drunk or placing yourself in dangerous social situations. Alcohol + caffeine is not a quick fix.
Raisins don’t cause cavities. Many dentists have cautioned that sticky foods like raisins cause cavities because they are hard to remove from tooth surfaces. Research has shown that raisins are rapidly removed from teeth just like apples, bananas and chocolate.
When it comes to agave, sugar is just sugar. Agave nectar comes from the cactus-like plant that gives us tequila. Its refined syrup is very similar to the much maligned high fructose corn syrup. You body cannot tell the difference. Bottom line: sugar by any name is still sugar.
Gluten free diet may not be gut friendly. The number of gluten free foods on the market has exploded but a small study shows that a gluten free diet reduces the number of friendly bacteria in the gut which will reduce the body’s natural immune response. Only those who are truly gluten-intolerant should regularly eat gluten free foods.
Being overweight may outpace smoking as a health risk. As the US population gets heavier and heavier, and less and less of us smoke, overweight is fast becoming a greater risk for disease and early death than smoking. Staying slim and not smoking is still the best prescription for a long, healthy life.
Small changes in your 20s can curb serious problems in your 40s. Those who are seriously overweight, have high triglycerides, high LDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure in their 20s have a greater risk of a heart attack or stroke in their 40s. It is never too early to work on your health.
Couch potatoes beware – Every extra hour of TV watched a day increases your risk of dying young. The human body was meant to move. Those who watch more that 4 hours of TV a day have an 80% higher risk of dying from heart disease.
An apple a day really does keep the doctor away. Apple lovers eat more pectin, the gooey fiber found in apples. Pectin promotes the health of your friendly intestinal bacteria which is the first line of defense against invading germs.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 8 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Calorie Counter, 5th Ed., 2010
The Ultimate Carbohydrate Counter, 3rd Ed., 2010
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to The Nutrition Experts
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