Let Me Sleep on It

Millions of people have trouble sleeping, whether they have true sleep disorders or just have trouble getting to sleep each night. It’s said about 32 million Americans (one in eight) report having insomnia.

I feel for those people. I’ve been having a lot of stress in my life lately, working hard on lots of projects and holding a lot of things in my brain that I find it difficult to turn off when it’s time for sleep. There are tons of things that are supposed to help:

• Don’t drink caffiene after dark.
• Don’t work out too close to bedtime.
• Don’t eat a big meal before bedtime, but don’t go to bed hungry.
• Don’t drink alcohol before bed (it helps you fall asleep but makes it more likely you’ll wake up in the night.
• Don’t do work in bed, so you only associate bed with sleep and not stress.
• Don’t stress over not being able to sleep, but get out of bed and do some boring reading in low light until you feel ready to go back to bed.

And then of course there are methods to clear your mind in order to help you fall asleep. A sort of meditation sometimes helps to get junk out of the brain and let it drift to sleep.

But some remedies are just silly. I was reading last night before bed a suggestion that you close your eyes and lift your tongue, holding it so it’s not touching the roof or the floor of your mouth or the sides or your gums. I don’t know how that’s supposed to help. I tried it last night and I think it kept me awake longer because I was so focused on keeping my tongue from touching anything.

I think the real solution is to be patient with yourself and to not give up hope. Sleep cycles vary over our lives, and you could just be in a bad phase. But if you’re worried that you have a sleep disorder, talk to your doctor.

If you’d like a self-test on sleep problems, check out this site. Don’t use it as medical advice; it told me I cold have sleep apnea when I have maybe one symptom. Still, it can give you an idea what to look out for. Sweet dreams!

Benevolent Dairy

I like iVillage. No, really, I do; regularly enough, they have interesting articles regarding nutrition, health, exercise, weight loss, and various other topics of interest for a better way of living. Like what Sue Gilbert and Fran Clinton have to say about dairy. See, I also really like dairy. Milk, cheese, yogurt - name it, it’s probably one of my favorite kinds of foods, and I’d be very sorry if I were to be told one day that I can’t eat some anymore for whatever reason. Right now, it’s good to know that there are many benefits in consuming - moderately, as usual - these foods, and that I’m not necessarily shooting my way down to the tomb through them.

So, what can be counted among these benefits? Gilbert and Clinton list ten good reasons.

• High quality protein in milk
• Milk being a superb source of riboflavin
• Our body’s better source of calcium
• Vitamin D
• Helps reducing the risk of certain cancers
• May prevent high blood pressure
• Yogurt boosts immune functions

And now, I’m also glad that they tell us about twenty low-fat ways to incorporate it to one’s diet - because, let’s get honest, we also don’t want to overeat it, right?

The Little Seed That Could

…Turn into a miracle product? Perhaps not, but flaxseeds and flaxseed oil can no matter what be counted among these healthy fats that we all need, namely for their richness in EFA and particularly in alpha-linoleilc acid (known as one of these blessed “omega-3″ we’ve all heard about one day or the other).

These essential fatty acids, that our bodies can’t manufacture on its own, appear to reduce the risk of heart disease, among other ailments. Specifically, flaxseed oil (and flaxseeds) may help to:

• Lower cholesterol, protect against heart disease and control high blood pressure.
• Counter inflammation associated with gout, lupus and fibrocystic breasts.
• Control constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticular disorders and gallstones.
• Promote healthy hair and nails.
• Reduce cancer risk and guard against the effects of aging.
• Treat menopausal symptoms, menstrual cramps, female infertility and endometriosis.
• … and more

Sounds a little too good to be true? More details can be found ob wholehealthmd.com.

Unfortunately, flaxseed oil is a lot more harder to find than one could think after reading such articles, at least in France – in spite of its health benefits, it tends to get rancid pretty quickly and easily, which is probably why it’s not sold around here, not even in pharmacies.

Fortunately, seeds are a lot more easier to find (I could buy some in my regular supermarket, which isn’t that well-stocked to start with), and they also make a nice addition to salads.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Cow

I’m sure everyone has heard by now about the second positive test of a cow having bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, commonly known as “Mad Cow Disease”). If you haven’t, you can read the USDA release here.

The cow was taken out of the food supply in late 2004, but it has taken this long to get a conclusive test on the animal’s tissue (there has been word that the tissue of this cow was actually combined with that of other cows, thus resulting in negative tests for BSE in the past).

The cow in question is called a downer cow because when cows get BSE they can no longer stand up. BSE is a nervous system disorder. Downer cows are removed from the food supply and are not used in feed, so it’s unlikely that any infected tissue made it into the food supply for humans. (For more than you’d ever want to know about BSE, check out this site.)

If you’re worried about the safety of beef, you can do several things.

1. Don’t eat beef. If you’re truly concerned about the minimal risk of BSE, you have a 100 percent chance of being safe if you don’t eat beef. (There are many other reasons not to eat beef from a health standpoint, of course.)

2. Eat organic beef. Organicly fed animals don’t eat the same feed as conventional animals and thus aren’t likely to be fed tissue from a questionable animal.

3. Go grain-fed. Likewise, animals fed only grain will not have the potential for contamination from eating the tissue of other animals.

The USDA is right to say that people shouldn’t be worried. A thousand animals are tested each day and animals with any signs of BSE are taken from the food supply. But you can never be too careful when your health is at stake, so it’s something to think about during grilling season. Pass the veggie burgers!

Quin-wha?

Not very different from brown rice regarding its cooking method (rinse it first, then cook it for ten to fifteen minutes in two measures of water for one measure of grain), quinoa is a usually unexpected source of proteins as well as of complex carbohydrates, that looks like a grain but also contains many nutrients similar to the ones in vegetables; while one might think at first glance that this food is to be classified among “cereals”, it’s actually the seed of a plant close to spinach, which may explain its particularities.

I found out that in many recipes, it can be a great replacement to pasta and other grains - whether in salads or with dishes. No need to even worry a lot about too-high caloric intake: a half-cup of dry quinoa holds around 318 calories, but you sure won’t need that much for one person in a meal. This “grain” is tremendously filling, increasing three to four times in volume after cooking; its delicate taste and almost “amusing” texture also make it easy to appreciate, or at the least, pretty interesting to try.

More about the benefits of quinoa can be found on this page. To quote an excerpt from the article:

Quinoa has excellent reserves of protein, and unlike other grains, is not missing the amino aicd lysine, so the protein is more complete (a trait it shares with other “non-true” grains such as buckwheat and amaranth). The World Health Organization has rated the quality of protein in quinoa at least equivalent to that in milk. Quinoa offers more iron than other grains and contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin, and thiamin. It is also a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, and has some folate (folic acid).

While it’s better known in South America, from which it originates, quinoa shouldn’t be too hard to find nowadays, even if more available in specialized stores than in every supermarket. Whether within the frame of a diet or for more general healthy eating (not only is it rich in nutrients, it also holds a glycemix index of 35 only, for those who’re interested in keeping track of this), it sure is one healthy source of complex carbohydrates to add to the list, especially as per opposition to the usual, low-quality refined starches.

Summertime Health

Of course today is the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere, and it always bears repeating that there are some things you can do to have a healthy, happy summer.

• Wear sunscreen. Even on cloudy days, even when you’re not planning to be outside very long, wear at least SPF 15 sunscreen. If you’re planning a day out of the house, opt for at least SPF 30 and a waterproof or active formula. Reapply every three hours or so.
• Hydrate. It’s hot out there, and easy to get dehydrated quickly. The situation can turn from unpleasant to deadly very quickly, so have water with you at all times and drink at least a cup an hour, more if you’re in direct sunlight or doing something physical.
• Wear cool clothes. Light colors, drapey fabrics and items with built-in sun protection are your best bets. Wear long pants if you’re going to be somewhere with ticks, and wear a hat to protect your face.
• Shade your eyes. Sunglasses should have UV protection and you should wear them whenever you’re outside: gardening, driving your car or on a day at the beach. This is the best thing you can do to protect your eyes now and for the future.
• Take breaks. If you ahve to work outside, take frequent breaks to rehydrate and sit somewhere cool. Resting just five or ten minutes an hour can make a big difference in the way you feel.
• Practice picnic safety. Keep food cool while you’re not eating, keep it in the coolers as long as possible and don’t save any meat, egg or mayonaise-based dishes that have been left out more than two hours.
• Safety first. Don’t drive or operate a boat while drinking. Keep an eye on the kids. Have enough life jackets for everyone. Keep a first aid kit handy.

Summer is full of a lot of fun activities, and with a little pre-planning and mindfulness you won’t have to worry about a thing. Get out there, have fun, be safe and healthy!

Happy Fresh Produce!

I love random holidays. Every week and month are full of days, weeks and the months themselves that recognize different things. A check of Butler Webs tells us, for instance, that June is home to such events as Carpenter Ant Awareness Week, Step Parent Week and Hug Week. It’s also Dairy Month, Rose Month and People Skills Awareness Month.

But to me, the best “month” of all is Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month. I don’t know whose idea this holiday was, but it makes perfect sense. In much of the United States, the farmer’s market season is heating up (pardon the pun) and we’re starting to see lots of fresh fruit and vegetables at roadside stands and markets. I was amazed this weekend to see grown-in-my-state tomatoes in a major grocery chain as well as the first peaches of the year at my local farmer’s market.

I love produce in all its many forms, as long as those forms are organic, locally grown and eaten as close to raw as possible (well, except for roasted veggies, which I love as well).

To celebrate this month, why not go out and try a fruit or vegetable you’ve never had before? OK, if you’re a devoted vegetarian it might be tricky for you to find something you haven’t eaten before, but I’ll bet there’s something. Jicama, bok choy, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, rutbaga, pomegranate, pluot. Wander the stalls at the farmer’s market (or the natural foods store) and let your senses do the shopping. Pick something that looks beautiful or strange, or like something you’ve never tried before.

This is where it helps to go to a market where people really know food, not like my local grocery store where the checker didn’t know what a poblano pepper was (another checker at the same store didn’t know what tofu was!). Ask the grower how he likes his kohlrabi, or ask the produce stocker how she prepares oyster mushrooms. You’re bound to learn something and you just might get to add to your list of favored foods.

Mercury in Salmon

Many of us eat salmon for the health benefit of the high levels of fish oils that it and tuna contain. Not so many of us are lucky enough to be able to buy fresh fish, especially wild (not farm-raised), so we must make do with the canned variety. And we’ve been doing ourselves a favor, as it turns out. The Enviornmental Protection Agency (EPA) has studied the levels of methylmercury, a neurotoxin in fish, and found the average for fresh or frozen salmon to be 1.7 mcg per six-ounce serving (12 times less than that of light tuna.) What’s really astounding is that the level of mercury in canned salmon is too low for the EPA to measure!

Almost all the mercury in the fish you eat is not metabolized by the intestines or the liver. Instead, it goes right into your blood stream and from there, it accumulates in the tissues and remains throughout your lifetime. It is this lifetime accumulation about which people are concerned. Richard Harkness is a natural therapy specialist and pharmacist with an interest in this problem and recently reviewed it for the Knight Ridder News Service. He pointed out the EPA guidelines for eating canned tuna, which contains an average mercury level of 60 mcg per six-ounce serving, suggest eating no more than six ounces a week for children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. You can consult with him at rharkn@aol.com.

Practice Makes Perfect Posture

I’ve been reading this book about little tips and tricks you can do for a healthier, happier life. I may well review it later for you guys when I’m finished reading it, but so far it’s actually not very good.

One thing it did say that stuck with me over the past couple of days is that it can take as many as 10,000 corrections to make good posture a permanent habit. In other words, constant viligance and a long time of vigilance are needed to stop the slouch.

Of course it’s a great lofty goal to have better posture; it’s something I’ve been trying to work on for a long time. Knowing that I have to tell myself to sit up straight another 9,950 times, though, is a little daunting. At least it lets me know that I’m normal, that I shouldn’t have been able to just have the intention to have better posture and it would have magically happened.

Good posture is important for back health and can prevent osteoporosis. You’ll breathe easier and more fully, look thinner and have fewer backaches and headaches, all of which are good reasons to take the time, 10,000 or so times, to straighten up, put your shoulders back and stand like your mama told you to.

If your mama didn’t train you to have good posture or you’ve since forgotten what that looks like, check out The Posture Page, which outlines different approaches to retraining your spine.

So, take some time this week to be conscious of your posture and work to correct it if it needs it. Your back with thank you.

“Book” Review: The Walking Deck

I’m a sucker for things that have the potential to help motivate me to exercise or learn new techniques. So when I saw that Chronicle Books was adding to its great “deck” series (which includes sets of cards on such topics as chakras, pizza, self-defense and the Kama Sutra) with a deck on walking, I just had to check it out.

This deck includes a brief section of training guidelines with information on posture, how often to walk and more. The cards themselves deal with issues of technique (such as stride length and foot placement), intensity (the talk test and a calorie burning chart are among the cards found here), toning exercises (including toe raises and crunches), stretches (such as shin and shoulder stretches), progressive cardio and endurance walks (things like health walks, hill walks and interval walks) and specialty walks (including mall walks and meditation walks).

The deck is a quick read, though of course reading the cards won’t help you at all if you don’t perform some of the exercises on the cards. I like the idea of having a whole exercise program, from the stretching to the different walking routines and strength-training exercises, all in one highly portable place. You could even slip a few cards into a pack or a large pocket if you wanted to do some of the stretches or exercises while you’re walking (two such “interval” routines are provided).

If you’re a person who bores easily, you could take the walking cards and randomly pick one to determine how you will walk that day. Or mix the exercise cards up so you’ll perform them in a different order each time. This helpful guide illustrates each movement so you’ll always know if you’re doing it right, and with 50 tips and techniques in one small package, it will take a while before you run out of ideas for bringing the fun back into your walk.

You can find out more about the deck here. It’s published by Chronicle Books, written by Shirley Archer and retails for $14.95. Chronicle is one of the coolest publishers out there, so be sure to browse around the site; you’re sure to find something you can’t live without!

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