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SOME GOOD ADVICES FOR HEALTHY DIET
Author: admin
How Much?
How much should you consume at each meal? It’s best to eat small portions of a variety of foods. Eat slowly; when you eat rapidly your stomach fills up before your brain gets the signal to turn off your appetite. Eat until you feel almost full, then stop. A short time later your brain will get the message, and you’ll feel comfortable. Never eat until you feel stuffed. The Super Food diet is more concerned with your “doctor within” and your immune system than with weight loss. If you wish to lose weight, eat more vegetables and less grains and beans.
Give It Time
The Super Food diet is based on something that many of us are unfamiliar with—the natural taste of food. We’re so accustomed to fat, sugar and artificial flavors and textures we often turn up our noses at real, unadulterated food. I remember how hard it was, many years ago, to persuade my young children that apple juice was really brown in color, not yellowish.
Give your taste buds a little time to get used to food’s natural flavors. At first you may miss the salt, gravies, sugar, sauces, oils and butter that we habitually pour all over our food. But soon you’ll realize just how good fresh foods taste all by themselves.
Healthy Lunches at Work
Relatively few people consistently eat lunch at home. “How can I eat a decent lunch at the office?” many patients ask. Good, healthy lunches can be brought from home. Many of my patients who are executives, bankers, accountants and businesspeople, carry their vegetables and other foods right in their briefcases. Bringing food to work is also less expensive than eating out all the time. Healthy and economical—what a deal! But if you must eat out, order lightly steamed vegetables, served without rich sauces or other foods prepared in the ways I have described.
Having mastered the Immune For life philosophy of eating, and its daily applications, it’s time to turn to the exercises that will benefit your “doctor within.” In the next chapter you’ll learn how brisk walking, as well as other exercises, help to make your “doctor within” as strong as it can be.
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“I know what red peppers are, but what are beet greens, collards and kale?” That’s the typical reaction to my suggestion that people start eating these overlooked Super Foods. You’ll find beet greens, collards and kale in the vegetable section of your market. They’re the foods you walk right by, hardly noticing, as you head for the more familiar spinach and lettuce.
In addition to large amounts of beta carotene and potassium, beet greens, collards and kale contain good supplies of vitamin C. Sweet red peppers are great sources of vitamin C and beta carotene.
There is no doubt that the immune systems suffers if it doesn’t get enough vitamin C. Patients with low levels of vitamin C in their blood (hypoascorbemia) not only suffer from retarded wound healing, they are able to mount only weak defenses against invading microbes. The ability of the immune system to fight back depends on sufficient amounts of this important vitamin.
I like to dice up these Super Foods, rich in beta carotene and vitamin C, and add them to my daily salad.
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“Big” diseases such as AIDS are grabbing the headlines. But as a physician, an internist and a cardiologist, I can tell you that the diseases you read about, terrible though they may be, are only the tip of the iceberg. The number-one killer in this country is heart disease: 50 percent °f us will fall prey to heart conditions. Cancer will claim another 20 percent. About 36 million of us are suffering from arthritis; another 10 million have diabetes, which is the leading cause of new cases of blindness, about five thousand per year. An additional 20 thousand people a year have toes, feet or legs amputated because of diabetes. Add to that the innumerable colds and flus, the general aches and pains, the fatigue and weariness, the listleness and unhappiness I see so much of.
Martha R. is a 42-year-old mother of three who came to my office and announced, “I haven’t been healthy in ten years. They ought to make a TV show about me, ‘What’s My Disease?’ On the average I have four colds a year, the flu twice, six to eight asthma attacks, migraines twice a month. I have to drag myself out of bed every morning, my life is boring and nothing makes me laugh. Oh, and my last doctor said I also have hypoglycemia.”
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There’s some possible good news on the horizon for smokers who want to quit. Newly developed “one-a-day” patches which administer a timed dose of nicotine may prove to be an extremely effective aid to “kicking” the smoking habit.
In a six-week clinical trial of the new patch, conducted at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, smokers were given either 21-, 14-, or 7- milligram doses each day. A placebo group was given patches with no active medication. During the final four weeks of the trial, subjects with the highest dose were twice as likely to have stopped smoking as those who were given the placebo.
The researchers say that one important advantage of the patch over nicotine gum is that it thwarts withdrawal symptoms. With gum, the individual waits at least 15 minutes before it takes effect. The patch, which is placed on the upper body, provides a fuller, more constant nicotine replacements according to researchers.
WARNING: The Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports that some people have suffered heart attacks as a result of smoking while wearing a nicotine patch. While the patches have been shown to be safe, the packaging does warn against smoking and wearing the patch at the same time. The best advice is to heed that warning, and to consult your doctor to be absolutely certain.
Quit Smoking Easier With This Grocery Store Food
Recent studies suggest that an extract of common oats may help reduce the craving for nicotine. In one study, heavy smokers were given either a placebo or an oat extract. After one month, researchers noted a significant decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked by people who took the oat extract compared with those taking the placebo. According to researchers, the oat extract seems to help diminish the craving for nicotine. While this is encouraging news for people who want to quit smoking, more research is needed before any definite conclusions can be reached.
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NEW TREATMENT FOR PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM LUPUS
Author: admin
Recent studies reveal that there are more than 500,000 Americans who suffer from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), more commonly known as lupus, a chronic disease which involves a malfunction in the body’s immune system. While there is still no known cure, medical research has made significant progress in diagnosis and potential treatment. And even though the exact cause(s) of lupus are as yet unknown, the advances made by researchers have led to the development of more effective treatments which can help reduce the effects that lupus has on some sufferers.
Experts say that there seem to be many things which can “trigger” a flare-up of lupus symptoms, wherein the disease affects the body in a more intense manner. Stress appears to play a major role in triggering a flare-up of lupus symptoms, with stress-related fatigue and the adverse effects of sunburn to the body being frequent factors. However, since each individual is unique, the triggers of a lupus flare-up cannot be overly generalized.
The latest research reveals that sufferers of lupus can help avoid, or at least minimize the number and severity of lupus flare-ups by learning more about their individual triggers. Once you have discovered your own unique triggers, you can take steps to “head them off”. You can protect yourself from excessive exposure to the sun, and try to avoid stressful situations. Try not to exert yourself, either physically or mentally, to the point that you become overtired. You do have a certain amount of control simply by being aware of what triggers your lupus flare-ups and doing everything you can to avoid them.
In some cases, drugs may trigger a lupus flare-up. If that occurs, altering the dosage, or stopping the medication altogether usually alleviates the flare. The key in this type of self-treatment is to recognize your triggers and in being alert to any warning signs that might indicate that a flare-up is imminent. Some common warning signs include a low-grade fever with no known cause, weakness and/or excessive fatigue, and, in some cases, frequent chills.
Currently, the most effective general treatment of lupus involves adjusting one’s general lifestyle to accommodate specific changes in both behavior and activity to avoid possible flare ups; learning how to control emotions which could lead to added stress; medication to help suppress specific symptoms: and the maintenance of a healthful diet which provides essential nutritional needs. It is important to remember however, that each individual has his or her own unique symptoms and specific reactions to lupus.
When your doctor sets up a treatment program for you, it is based on your individual needs.
In order to cope with lupus, the best advice may be to learn all you can about the disease by talking to medical professionals and doing as much research as you can. There are several books dedicated to the discussion of lupus, and one of the best source books on the subject is Coping With Lupus by Robert H. Phillips, Ph.D (Avery Publishing Group, New York, 1991). Another good source is Understanding Lupus by H. Aladjem (Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1985).
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The purpose of organic gardening is to grow food naturally, without pesticides and artificial fertilizers. It is an effort to utilize natural resources to provide various foods. You can have any type of vegetable you want in your organic garden. Here is a list of some of the foods which have been proven to contain natural substances that are both healthful and healing, and which can be organically grown for fun and money-savings:
1) Early spring planting— onions, lettuce, peas, spinach and radishes.
2) Mid-spring planting— carrots, beets, parsnips, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, and early potatoes.
3) Late spring planting— tomatoes, bush beans, summer squash, winter squash, and sweet corn.
4) Early summer planting— Brussels sprouts and snap beans.
5) Mid-summer planting— turnips, rutabagas, and kohlrabi.
Many of the above vegetables can be planted in more than one planting group.
Other healthful foods you can grow in your organic garden include, beans of all types; celery; eggplant; endive; garlic; artichokes; kale; sweet potatoes; parsley; okra; melons; peppers; and Chinese cabbage. Of course this is just a partial list. With your own organic garden, you can grow any type food you want. The results are good for both your health and your budget.
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EVEN IF YOU HAVE A “SWEET TOOTH”
A recent innovation in diet planning and weight control is custom-tailored, computerized diets. These computerized diets allow you to enjoy all of your favorite foods and still lose a desired amount of weight— even if you like chocolate candy and pastry. One such customized diet is the Woman’s Day “Have- It-Your-Weigh” Diet, which is available from WOMAN’S DAY magazine for about $20.00. You supply the information that goes into your computerized diet by filling out a questionnaire.
The “Have-It-Your-Weigh” diet features six weeks of customized menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll also get two alternate menus for each regular menu—one for splurging when the mood strikes, and another to make up for splurging. The diet also provides a list of food substitutions in case you can’t find some of your favorite foods on the questionnaire. You’ll also get a small cookbook featuring recipes for a variety of foods.
The computerized diet also features a guide for “eating out”. The guide explains what kinds of food to avoid, what to order and how your food should be prepared in just about any kind of restaurant imaginable, from fancy to fast-food. The “Have-It-Your-Weigh” computer will also automatically give you the correct balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, including saturated fats, in your diet.
Your custom-tailored diet will be based on the information you provide about how much you exercise, your favorite foods and your lifestyle.
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Recently, some British researchers found that the amount of salt or sugar in prepared foods may change the way foods absorb microwave energy. According to the research, a high salt or sugar content prevents food from reaching a high enough temperature to kill salmonella and other dangerous bacteria. Instead, microwaving such foods may only heat bacteria to a temperature that, rather than killing them, helps them grow.
When microwaving prepared foods, the best way to avoid food poisoning is to microwave them longer and at a lower temperature than the package recommends. Let the food sit for a few minutes—after microwaving—to be certain that dangerous bacteria are dead.
Another possible health hazard associated with microwave ovens is the adverse effect they can have on pacemakers. Modern pacemakers are relatively unaffected by interference, but in some cases they can be affected by powerful electromagnetic pulses and their ability to help regulate the heartbeat may become impaired.
You should also check the microwave door gasket regularly to make sure the seal is tight so that no stray radiation can leak out.
To get the best nutritional value out of fruit and vegetables, you should eat them raw. Without cooking, vegetables retain their essential vitamins intact and are more potent as health protectors. If you don’t care for raw vegetables, the next best thing is to cook them as quickly as possible. When you microwave vegetables you will preserve nutrients such as vitamin C to a much greater extent than you do when you allow them to simmer in large amounts of water. And if not overcooked, microwaved vegetables will remain both crisp and brightly colored.
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