Archive for February, 2011

Putting the salt shaker away may not be enough

Monday, February 28th, 2011


 

By P. Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com


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Is your salt shaker your sidekick at meals? Do you like to sprinkle or pour salt over your food to give it an extra zing? If you are a salt addict and know that it’s time to part with your salt shaker, that’s definitely a step in the right direction. But that won’t make you a member of the “within the recommendations of daily salt/sodium,” club.

 

The newly released 2010 Dietary Guidelines are advising that Americans should not consume more than 2300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. The American Heart Association recommends that sodium intake should be under 1500 mg per day. Depending on how much salt you add to your food and the sodium content of foods you eat, that number could resonate the thought, “not going to happen.”

Every food consumed has sodium, so it’s a good idea to start checking the amounts on the Nutrition Facts label of the products you eat. Keeping sodium intake within recommended levels helps you get a chance to prevent high blood pressure. High blood pressure is unfortunately a risk factor to many other diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.  For more information on lowering your salt and sodium intake, check out:

http://www.healthfulfilling.com/sodiumplate.html

Keep making healthy changes, it can lead to a fulfilling life!

 

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Young people (kids and teens, too) are getting strokes

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011


 

By P. Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com


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When you hear that someone had a stroke, you might be thinking the person is older. Would you believe it if someone who had a stroke was your age, younger, and even more frightening, not even an adult? Yes, you read that last line correctly, not even an adult.  Recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the incidence of stroke amongst younger people under age 35 has increased.  Here is some of the data:

For hospitalizations of ischemic stroke between 1994 and 2007:

  •  51 percent increase for males of age 15 to 34
  •  17 percent increase for females of age 15 to 34  

For kids and teens:

  •  31 percent increase for boys between age 5 and 14
  • 36 percent increase for girls between age 5 and 14

Younger middle aged group:

  •  47 percent increase for males ages 35 to 44
  • 36 percent increase for females ages 35 to 44

 Ages over 45:

  •  25 percent lower for men
  •  29 percent lower for women

With disturbing data like this, it means that our youth and middle aged adults are not immune to diseases like stroke, and lifestyle changes are essential. Some physicians and researchers are thinking that the higher incidence of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes might be a contributor.  A recent article by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center discusses that roughly 30 percent of obese children have high blood pressure.

Stroke can be devastating at any age.  That is why prevention and awareness are keys to be equipped with regardless of your age. Find out what the risk factors are for stroke, and do what you can to eliminate any that you are in control of.  Visit the American Stroke Association website at:

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/UnderstandingRisk/Understanding-Risk_UCM_308539_SubHomePage.jsp

Article source for CDC stroke data:

http://www.newsroom.heart.org/index.php?s=43&item=1250

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Sweet stuff without excess calories

Thursday, February 10th, 2011


 

By P. Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com


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Before you go out to shop for Valentine Day gifts and candy, try to find ways to go easy on the calories, especially if you and your sweetheart are trying to keep up any health related New Year resolutions. Remember those? Those resolutions sure might have been put on the “back on it tomorrow” list with Superbowl munchies just last week and any other impromptu food lure or event.

The good news is that if you’re a chocolate lover, chocolate does have some health benefits since they contain antioxidants and flavenols, which are natural disease fighting chemicals in foods. Before you go out and buy the biggest box of chocolates to get those benefits, there a few things to keep in mind. Look for only chocolate or real cocoa in the ingredients, and there should not be other items like palm oil, coconut oil or hydrogenated oils in the ingredients.  Even though the actual chocolate might have health value, the added sugar and fat are the notorious calorie contributors.  So you’re better off eating it in moderation, like a small piece daily or every other day depending on your weight management goals.


 

Don’t forget all the sweet gifts without any calories, like a gift card to a spa to relax, a salon facial or manicures, massages, perfume, or jewelry. For the guy in your life, things like a gift card to a sporting goods store, massages, or things for his hobbies.

It’s all about love so it doesn’t always have to be pricey! Throw in coupons/notes for “me time,”  “I’ll cook lunch or dinner,” “Surprise wisk you away for a date night,” or “I’ll do the dishes tonight,” “let’s take a walk together,” or anything else to make things easier or fun.

If you and/or your significant other is working hard on losing weight and focusing on getting healthier, this is an ideal time to write a note saying how proud you are of his/her efforts, and encourage them! One of the best ways to show your life partner how much you care is to take good care of yourself and be healthy for all of your loved ones!

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Snowed in and not much left to eat but chips?

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011


 

By P. Mehta, RD/ www.healthfulfilling.com


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You’re driving home from work and realize you need to stop at the store to get milk and some other odds and ends that you forgot on your last grocery trip. Common scenario, right? Not so much last week!  With all the relentless snow and ice storms around the country, a lot of people couldn’t get to the grocery store as usual to pick up staple foods they might have run out of like milk, bread, cereal, etc.  So when you’re out of the basics, you could end up just eating non perishables that might not be the healthiest, like chips and other snacks. Not the best way to keep healthy and definitely not close to filling!


It kind of makes us realize that we have to “stock up” for storms, especially for parts of the country that aren’t used to having snow storms too often! Next time there might be another round of impending winter weather, be sure to get extra necessity foods, and some healthy non perishable items like canned tuna, beans, rice, pasta, dried fruits, nuts, and whole grain bread and crackers. You can also stock up on extra vegetables and fruits, and even on ingredients for a favorite recipe you want to cook, which you normally don’t get time to.

Being snowed in and having extra ingredients on hand can be a good thing since you have a lot of time to make a hot, healthy and home cooked meal! It’s also a perfect opportunity to get into meal planning and healthier eating habits. In case power is lost, you can use items like the canned tuna, whole grain breads, crackers, peanut butter, powdered milk, cereal, dried fruits, granola bars, and cookies made with whole grains and dried fruits.

Stay warm and healthy!

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