Fitting Fiber In

So we always hear how we should eat fiber, that it’s good, and that unfortunately, most people don’t eat near enough of it. If you’re however like me, who wants or even needs to know “why” before doing something (is it a good or bad habit, I don’t know…), this article published on the Mayo Clinic website will hopefully take care of the why part:

A high-fiber diet may lower your risk of specific disorders, such as hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome and the development of small pouches in your colon (diverticular disease). Fiber — particularly soluble fiber — can also lower blood cholesterol levels and slow the absorption of sugar, which for people with diabetes, can help improve blood sugar levels. A high-fiber diet may also reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Eating a high-fiber diet may also help with weight loss. High-fiber foods generally require more chewing time, which gives your body time to register when you’re no longer hungry, so you’re less likely to overeat. Also, a high-fiber diet tends to make a meal feel larger and linger longer, so you stay full for a greater amount of time. And high-fiber diets tend to be less “energy dense,” which means they have fewer calories for the same volume of food.

To read the whole article, go to the Roughing it: Fitting more fiber into your diet page.

Echinacea Edict

All the papers today have stories about a big, rigorous study that found that Echinacea isn’t effective at preventing of treating colds (The New York Times article can be found here, or, if you’re in a hurry, check out USA Today).

The study, published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine involved dropping rhinovirus (the stuff that causes the common cold) into people’s noses. Some were given Echinacea for a week before infection, others took it only after infection, and still others took placebos throughout.

Those who took Echinacea, either before or during the time of infection, were no less likely to develop a cold, their symptoms were no less severe, they had as much virus in their noses and their colds lasted as long as those who did nothing. The study involved 347 people secluded in hotel rooms for five days.

The National Center for Health Statistics says about 14 million people have used Echinacea, spending about $155 million on the herb last year.

Some scientists involved in the study say more research is needed, using different varieties of Echinacea and different doses. But in an editorial published in the same edition of NEJM, Dr. Wallace Sampson says the historic evidence that Echinacea was effective at treating colds is murky at best.

“Emerging as a panacea in 19th-century America, echinacea somehow became popular for the treatment of respiratory illness in Germany,” Sampson wrote. “In the early 1900s in the United States, echinacea was used as an “oral anti-infective” and a local application for wound healing; it then fell from favor after the introduction of antibiotics. Modern histories do not connect these trails. The supplement boom that started in the 1960s brought echinacea back to the United States as a cold remedy.

“Between 1950 and 1991, more than 200 clinical reports of studies of echinacea appeared. Most of these were of small, inadequately controlled European studies sponsored by industry. Researchers who were looking for confirmation performed scores of in vitro studies on entire specimens of echinacea plants and on parts and extracts of plants. Positive findings included nonspecific stimulation of immune-cell division and cytokine release, but these effects have little or no correlation with clinical results. Nevertheless, advocates claimed that echinacea spurred stimulation of the immune system.”

Whatever the studies show, millions rely on Echinacea and say that it helps them with colds and to prevent flu. One way or another, it seems to be helping people. More study is certainly needed to find out why it seems to work.

Facing Fibro

I know a lot of people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a stress-related disease that causes people to be particularly sensitive to pain. People with fibro often experience anxiety, depression and fatigue as well as pain.

It is now thought that fibro runs in families, as people in the same line seem to be more suseptible to the disorder. But it takes a traumatic or stressful event to trigger symptoms, such as an accident, injury, illness, taking certain drugs or experiening something very stressful or emotional.

Most of the people I know have fibro brought about and made worse by stress, so the first thing you can do to help yourself when diagnosed with fibromyalgia is to remove any stress from your life that you can. Work on relaxation techniques, take up yoga if you feel well enough. Do whatever you can to eliminate stress-related flare-ups.

More generally, it is recommended that people with fibromyalgia change their diets to eliminate partially hydrogenated oils, increase intake of Omega 3 fatty acids (from fish and flax) and eat more fruits and vegetables. Good advice for anyone, really. Additionally, people with fibromyalgia should eat or take supplements containing tumeric and ginger, as these herbs are potent anti-inflamatories and may help lessen the pain.

Exercise and breath work are also recommended, so try a yoga class or going for a walk daily. Do what you can to work through the pain and you will end up having less pain.

No one really knows all the answers about fibromyalgia, what causes it, what it does to the body or how to treat it, but as with all things, eating a healthy diet, exercising and limiting stress when you can are a big help.

Trader Joes - The Exotic Healthy Alternative Grocery Store

If you’re looking for a place to obtain healthy foods, exotic foods, and unique foods - Trader Joes is the key … fastly growing and with an intent on health consciousness, this unique new grocery outlet won’t disappoint you. It never does me …

Trader Joes Upper Queen Anne Hill, Seattle (#135) 112 Galer Street Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 378-5536 Between 1st Avenue W. and 2nd Avenue W. http://www.traderjoes.com/locations/map/135.asp Trader Joes is my favorite grocery store, though this location is not one of its better stores in the selection and space venue. Still, good enough for the fix I needed today. Trader Joes is a “Unique Grocery Store” with a unique selection of goods, groceries, and food stuffs from all over at very low prices. Originally a small outlet in California, it has quickly grown in popularity from coast-to-coast. When I live in a city where there is a Trader Joes, that’s the only place I shop. I of course grabbed some of my favorites for the camping venture this weekend: Vanilla soy milk, Chai, panang curry thai tuna, cashew butter, blackberry jelly, wheat bread, macadamian carmel popcorn, the famous $2.95/bottle wines, and other munchies. Rated: (storewide: 5 stars out of 5, this store: 4 out of 5)

“Trader Joe’s began in 1958 as a chain of convenience stores called “Pronto Marketsâ€? in the Los Angeles area. In 1967, the founder, Joe Coulombe, the original Trader Joe, wanted to expand the stores’ offerings and enhance their image. He doubled the floor space and offered hard-to-find, boutique domestic and imported wines and gourmet food items at outstanding prices. He decked out the stores with cedar plank walls and nautical décor and garbed the Captain (the store manager), the First Mate (the assistant manager) and the Crew Members in colorful Hawaiian shirts. “Trader Joe’s” was born.
Currently Trader Joe’s has expanded to over 200 stores in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.” ~ Trader Joes website history.

Lyme Awarness

Where I live, and in most of the country where there are woods and grasslands, ticks are a problem. Between the heat, the ticks and the snakes, I don’t do a whole lot of hiking in the summer.

But I know there are lots of people who can’t resist the woods, even in the heat, and even with the bugs.

If you live in a part of the country that has deer ticks, the primary spreaders of lyme disease, you’ll want to take a few precautions before heading out into the woods:

–Wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I know it’s murder in the heat to have long sleeves on, but light-colored, light-weight clothing is a big proector against these ticks.

–Tuck you pants into your socks. Ticks love to crawl into your socks and other warm, dark places, so don’t give them the chance.

–Use a commercial tick repellent like Permanone (Repel) or Permethrin. Be careful, though, to only spray these on clothing, not on bare skin.

–Try aromatherapy. Rose geranium and pennyroyal are the most effective tick repellents. Make your own repellent with two tablespoons of vegetable or nut oil and 10 to 25 drops of rose geranium or American pennyroyal essential oil. This is safe to apply on skin or clothing, but pennyroyal is not reccomended for use by pregnant women.

–Perform a tick check. As soon as you’re off the trail, check for ticks. Remember, they like dark places, so just because you were wearing clothing doesn’t mean you’re protected.

–Take a shower. If you can, take a shower as soon as possible after possible tick exposure. Scrub well and check again for any little specks that aren’t freckles.

If you’ve been exposed to ticks, watch out for strange rashes, particularly those that look like a bull’s-eye. If you have a fever or joint pain, consult a doctor who knows a lot about lyme. It can be treated with antiobiotics. Left untreated you can have bouts of arthritis-like weakness, potentially for years to come.

Go out there and enjoy it, but stay safe and watch for creepy-crawlies!

Cobblestones for Healthy Walks?

PORTLAND, Ore. - The path to better health and lower blood pressure may be paved with cobblestones.

When people over 60 walked on smooth, rounded cobblestones for just a half-hour a day over four months, they significantly lowered their blood pressure and improved their balance, a study showed.

Behavioral researchers from the Oregon Research Institute investigated the health effects of cobblestones after observing people exercising and walking back and forth over traditional stone paths in China.

“We noticed in several cities we visited that people were walking on cobblestone paths, and people were standing on them, and sometimes dancing on them, doing weight-shifting,� said John Fisher, who led the study at the institute in Eugene.

“We thought if we could scientifically measure it, we could see if there were health benefits,� he said.

The full article can be read here. It seemed to me like an interesting read; I’ve often noticed that when feeling sore after having stood for a few hours, such as in one of my former jobs, walking on uneven paths (the center area in my town was full of these, actually), I would then feel better. Maybe it’s indeed worth being tried more often.

Medicine Head!

A short and sweet warning today from someone who knows.

My allergies have been killer all year, a lot more dramatic than normal. I’ve been having days where my whole body itches, coughing and sneezing fits, all sorts of fun stuff.

I had an outbreak last night/this morning and, because its Monday and I had to go to work, I took an over-the-counter allergy relief pill.

Yes, just one. The dose for a six-year-old. And I’ve been feeling stupid-loopy ever since.

The lesson here is to be careful with drugs, even OTC drugs that are supposed to be perfectly safe. They all have side effects, and though frankly I’d take loopy over feeling like by skin is burning off, it’s a good reminder to me that lots of people are super-sensitive to drugs and if you’re planning to take some medicine, even OTC medicine, that you haven’t taken before, don’t make plans to drive or use your brain for a few hours afterword just in case you have a particularly strong reaction.

Next time, I think I may just stay in bed.

Skipping Breakfast

We probably all know by now that we shouldn’t skip breakfast, even if we’re trying to lose weight, because the blood sugar fluctuations and the hunger will cause us to eat more later in the day anyway.

Still, a lot of people don’t do eat breakfast, and a lot of people don’t make their kids eat breakfast, either.

A new study, done, strangely, by Nickelodeon, the children’s television network, found that half of all kids don’t eat breakfast every day. Only 39 percent of those surveyed said they routinely eat three meals a day. Almost three-quarters said they choose what they want to eat for breakfast all or most of the time.

Meanwhile, parents think their kids have better eating habit than they do, with 68 percent of parents saying their children eat breakfast every day, while only half of the kids said they did.

Studies have show that kids who eat breakfast every day are less likely to be obese.

The network is producing shows and public service announcements to teach kids about health and wellness and the importance of eating a good breakfast. Parents should take this information as a sign that they need to pay more attention to what their kids are doing in the mornings and to give them more guidance on what to eat when they are eating breakfast: putting the focus on whole grains, a little protien, a little fat, and fresh fruit or fruit juice.

The healthy pattens you can teach your kids today will help them be healthy for the rest of their lives.

More Obesity Woes

It turns out the news is worse if you’re obese and a man. Obesity is a problem for millions of Americans, but new study shows that women who are obese have things a little easier than their overweight male counterparts.

Women performed better in physical fitness tests and seemed to process carbohydrates better than equally overweight men, according to the study, which originated in the Netherlands (check here for more details).

The study of 22 mena nd 34 women found men had less stamina and were more sensitive to carbs, which puts them at a higher risk for diabetes.

All those studied had a body mass index of 40 or above. A healthy BMIis bewteen 20 and 25, while above 30 is considered obese. Scientists thought some of the difference in how the men and women performed could have to do with the way fat is distributed differently on men’s and women’s bodies.

Whatever your gender, if you are obese, you probably don’t need me to tell you that you need to lose weight. But particularly if you’re a man, this study makes it even clearer that you must do all you can to reduce your weight or risk even more serious health problems in the future.

I won’t pretend to know how you do that, but I do know the only diet that works is one that has you eating less and moving more, with less sugar, refined or processed foods and more fruit, vegetables and whole grains. It’s hard, but absolutely necessary for your long-term health and quality of life.

New Season’s Resolutions

I just had this wonderful theory about why New Year’s Resolutions, particularly those having to do with diet and exercise, fail so predictably.

It’s cold outside in January (in the northern hemisphere, anyway).

I wonder if such pledges to work out more and eat better are stuck to better in Australia and other nations where it’s warm in January. May be.

We could all move south, or we could just use the summertime to redouble our efforts on health and fitness goals. Whether you’re looking to get rid of the love handles, run a 5K or just have more energy, summer is a great time to work on those goals.

People often feel like they have more time in the summer because it gets dark later in the day. Those long twilight hours are great for getting outside and playing with the kids or going for a walk.

And it’s easy to eat well in the summer because of the huge variety of fresh produce that is available everywhere. Skip the grocery store and find dinner at a farmstand. It will teach you and your kids a great lesson about where food really comes from, and you’ll have an easy nutritious and delicious meal in no time. Think about a veggie filled pasta salad, fresh salsa, roasted or grilled vegetables stacked high on a sandwich. Add some fresh fruit to pack in lunches (yours and the kids’) and you’ll reinforce the lesson of eating healthy all week long.

Summer is a great time for other resolutions, too. When television is full of reruns, you might feel like you suddenly have more time on your hands to pick up a hobby, read more or volunteer. Use that time to the fullest, and when the television shows come back in the fall, you might wonder why you wasted so much time watching them before.

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