This may work in some work environments ~ realistically, according to the Alliance for Natural Health, periodically taking time out from your computer, desk, television, and driving time to walk, move around, stretch, and flex your muscles, are all associated with a smaller waist circumference, lower body mass index, and lower blood lipid levels, and better glucose metabolism.

What about moderate or even vigorous exercise?  Would that make a difference?  According to a study of 4,757 adults by the European Health Journal, prolonged sedentary periods led to larger waist sizes and higher levels of blood fats, even if subjects participated in regular sessions of moderate to rigorous exercise outside of their inactive hours. So who fared the best? Those who did both regular exercise and took breaks to stand or walk at regular intervals.

According to ANH-USA, animal studies show that how much time we are sedentary is related to how well our bodies process fats.  The studies in rats show that leg muscles only produce the lipase lipoprotein (fat-processing) molecule when they are being actively flexed ~ that is, when standing, or better still, walking around ~ and low levels of he molecule are associated with health problems, including heart disease.  In short, sitting makes this important molecule slow down.  In fact, actively contracting the muscles produces a whole suite of substances that have a beneficial effect on how the body uses and stores sugars and fats.

So maybe it is time to stick to those new year’s resolutions as well as adding some new ones.  The daily decisions we make, including not sitting so much, can truly impact the state of our health and well-being.  One of the interesting facts I learned from ANH-USA was that we even have specialized muscles designed for low-intensity activity ~muscles very rich in enzymes which grabs fat and cholesterol from the blood, burning the fat into energy while shifting the cholesterol from LDL (the bad kind) to HDL (the healthy kind).  But when we are sedentary, our muscles relax, dropping that enzyme activity by 90% to 95% ~ the fat is left in the bloodstream and our healthy cholesterol soon dives by 20%!

How about you?  Does your job keep you glued to your desk?  If so, consider a few spurts of activity each hour.  And perhaps all that sitting watching those favorite TV shows should take a back seat as well!

Watching this little film clip made me think about our medical treatment options offered today. Most of us have family members who, upon learning their cholesterol is high, are immediately offered a prescription to take care of it. Should we really be abdicating control of our own personal health?

Dietary and lifestyle choices have been shown to be far better than treatment. According to Dr. Dean Ornish, author of Reversing Heart Disease, there is a genetic variability in how efficiently (or inefficiently) a person metabolizes dietary saturated fat and cholesterol.  Some people can eat almost anything yet their blood cholesterol levels do not increase very much.  Others find that even a small amount of dietary fat or cholesterol makes their blood cholesterol levels increase.  Most people are somewhere in between on this spectrum.

In 1985 Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery of LDL-cholesterol receptors, located primarily in liver cells, and they bind and remove cholesterol from the bloodstream.  According to Ornish,  “The more cholesterol receptors you have, the more efficiently you can metabolize and remove cholesterol from your blood.”  And this is, in part, genetically determined.

So what is the answer?  Ornish goes on to state that if the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet is low enough, then your blood cholesterol level will be low even if you don’t have very many cholesterol receptors.  Three fourths of the cholesterol in our blood is made by the body.   It’s the excessive amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat in our diet that lead to coronary heart disease.

By eating healthier, controlling our weight and supplementing wisely, the rewards can be great, particularly over a lifetime.  According to Ornish, if drugs are used to control a patient’s symptoms without also treating the underlying causes of the illness, than that patient will probably have to take these drugs for the rest of his or her life, often in ever-increasing dosages and with unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side effects.  Not a pretty picture!

With one in three American adults having high cholesterol, one option is using a natural way to lower it.  Natural compounds called plant sterols and stanols, when added to a healthy diet, can significantly reduce LDL cholesterol.  These sterols and stanols are found naturally in plants, fruits, vegetables and grains and because their structure is similar to cholesterol, they compete for absorption, and thereby may help to decrease the level of cholesterol in the body.  Ask me about it.

I am so happy and grateful that I am still prescription-free just as I celebrate my 69th birthday.  Fortunately I took control of my own health and it has been very rewarding for me.  What about you?   What changes are you making daily that keep you on the path of wellness?  I would love to hear your comments.

Watching the news this morning I learned that Hostess Brand, a 87 year old company and maker of the infamous Twinkies is going bankrupt again.

This made me very happy considering the fact that the Twinkie, (150 calories and 4.5 gr of fat) is not really a food but a mixture of chemicals and trans fat, filled with an unidentifiable sugary cream filling that never goes bad.  Of course when my children were growing up, if they found a Hostess Brand Ding Dong (368 calories, 19.4 gr of fat) or Twinkie in their lunchbox, I was truly “Mom of the Day!”   Here are the exact ingredients of that Twinkie:

Apparently, because there has been more demand for healthier options such as yogurt and energy bars, purchase of this gooey snack has diminished.    Under its most recent bankruptcy filing, it is looking to restructure into a “strong, competitive” company.  I found the following video very enlightening about this subject:

Another sugary issue is our love for sweet drinks.  Every year Americans drink 13.8 billion gallons of soda, fruit punch, sweet tea, sports drinks, and other sweetened beverages.  According to Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and of epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF (University of California, SF), after analyzing the effect of a nationwide tax on these sugary drinks, estimates of  240,000 cases of diabetes per year,  100,000 cases of heart disease, 8,000 strokes, and 26,000 deaths over the next decade could be realized  simply by slapping this  penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages.

Even more impressive would be the savings to the public of $17 billion over the next decade in health care related expenses due to the decline of obesity-related diseases (as well as the $13 billion per year in direct tax revenue).  The fact that surprised me was that the scientists who generated this first study to generate concrete estimates of the health benefits and cost savings of such a tax are only estimating a reduction of 10 to 15% over a decade!

Some interesting facts about these sugary drinks:

• 17 teaspoons of sugar in a typical 22-oz soda
• 45 gallons consumed annually per person of sweet beverages
• 70,000 calories is average number person consumes per year in sweet drinks
• cost per decade of excess coronary artery disease attributable to elevated consumption of sweetened drinks may be as high as $500 billion!

We all know deep down that sugar is toxic.   If it takes a tax to stop even 10 to 15% of us to stop consuming so much of it, then it is a worthwhile tax.  Just happy to see that Americans are choosing yogurt over twinkies some of the time!

Are you one of the many who have been prescribed a statin drug by your doctor as a way to prevent heart disease?   A recent study  of postmenopausal women,  led by Dr. Yunsheng Ma of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, has found that statins may increase some people’s chances of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Steven Nissen, cardiology chairman at the Cleveland Clinic, who was not involved in the research, fears that people who need and will benefit from statins will be scared off of using the drugs because of reports like this.

So what exactly are statins?  According to the Mayo Clinic,  statins are drugs that can lower your cholesterol. They work by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. Statins may also help your body reabsorb cholesterol that has built up in plaques on your artery walls, preventing further blockage in your blood vessels and heart attacks.

Statins include well-known medications such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and others. Lower cost generic versions of many statin medications are available.  This class of medication, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, generate more than $15 billion in worldwide sales every year; and 40 million Americans have been recommended to take them for the rest of their lives.  Basically, statins have become the most profitable drug class in the world.

One interesting fact about statins ~ In Canada all statin drugs require warnings that the drugs reduce the coenzyme Q10 level ~ one  the substances needed for the creation of energy by virtually every cell of your body.

According to Michael B. Schachter, M.D., when these drugs are given to lower LDL cholesterol levels in order to reduce risks of a heart attack, CoQ10 levels in the tissues are lowered, thus increasing risk for heart disease.  He believes anyone taking Mevacor or similar type drugs should be on a significant dosage of CoQ10.  He also mentions beta blockers, drugs that are used extensively to treat heart disease, high blood pressure and other conditions, also deplete the heart and other tissues of  CoQ10.  Unfortunately, most cardiologists and conventional physicians in the U.S. are unaware of this fact and do not give patients on these drugs supplements of CoQ10.

The Women’s Health study mentioned above certainly can be looked at as a needed note of caution for women.  Taking a statin cholesterol-lowering drug should be your last resort, but if you do take one, it might be advantageous that you also take the supplement  CoQ10 to replenish what has been lost by taking that statin.

My husband was recently requested by his doctor to begin taking a statin to reduce his cholesterol.  Rather than take a drug, he chose to take a heart-healthy choice,  containing 2,000 mg of plant sterols and stanols found naturally in plants, fruits, vegetables, and grains,  and clinically proven by more than 80 studies to lower LDL cholesterol.  Other suggested lifestyle changes for lowering our cholesterol include:

1. Decreasing our intake of saturated at to less than 7% of total calories
2. Decreasing our dietary cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg per day
3. Losing 10 pounds if overweight
4. Adding  5-10 g of soluble fiber to our diet each day
5. And adding that 2,000 mg of plant sterols and stanols to our diet each day

Wikopedia describes a New Year resolution as a commitment that an individual makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. According to Gretchen Rubin (author of best-seller “The Happiness Project”): “You hit a goal, you achieve a goal. You keep a resolution”.

It further states that this lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous. A New Years Resolution is generally a goal someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year. Some examples include resolutions to donate to the poor more often, to become more assertive, or to become more environmentally responsible. A key element to a New Years Resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year, and new beginnings.

So as the days of 2011 come to an end and 2012 looms ahead, what are your resolutions?  Mine include, of course, exercise more and eat less!  Actually, I have joined with a group of like-minded individuals and formed an actual team to work together on this resolution.  We plan to meet weekly, discuss our victories and challenges, share healthy tips and recipes and hold ourselves accountable to our stated goals.  If you are in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area ~ you are welcome to join us.  We will be meeting every Saturday from 11:00 am until Noon at Kinetix Health Club, 503 W. Main Street, Carrboro, NC ~ free childcare provided!

I look forward to posting many more healthy articles for you to read in this upcoming year as well.  Happy New Year to everyone and I wish you all a healthy life!

Last evening our extended family met at my twin sister’s farmhouse out in Chatham County for our annual “Holiday Family Feast.”  Each family brings their best dishes and we all converge on the huge dining room table which is laden with a variety of mouth-watering amazing dishes.

This year was different for me ~ since March I have not eaten meat so ham was definitely not going to be on my plate.  I usually bring meatballs in a great sauce (my father’s recipe) and for years I only used beef.  Last year we chose to offer beef as well as ground turkey.  This year I chose to make the turkey meatballs, but no beef, but also brought something for myself ~ vegetarian meatballs ~ and they were amazing!  I noticed that these, along with the turkey ones, disappeared quickly!  (If you would like the vegetarian version recipe, let me know) ~ it came from a Meatball Shop Restaurant and apparently they sell faster than the meat ones!

The great thing about this year was that everyone thought to bring a salad ~ we had potato, green, Lebanese, bean, persian ~ they were all delicious.  And Robyne’s Carrot Raisin Rice, as always, was delicious.    So when the desserts arrived ~ Maia’s famous sugar cookies, Aunt Joyce’s fudge, Raelee’s Whoopie Pies, Jaleh’s Gingerbread Cake, etc. we indulged without guilt!  (well, sort of)

I am sure there are many of you attending such holiday events.  It is all part of the season.  But what about all that rich holiday food and drink?  Knowing that salt and alcohol can raise blood pressure, fatty foods can boost cholesterol, and even one rich meal can adversely affect blood vessels ~ perhaps those veggie meatballs and all those salads were a great choice!  Although that rich holiday food and drink have not been linked to a rise in winter heart attacks, stress, according to Robert Kloner, a cardiologist at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, plays a pretty major role.  Heart attack deaths peak on three days of the year, and one of them is Christmas.  The other two are the day after Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Perhaps creating a simpler holiday and facing the holiday with less expectations can help with that stress.  We all know that flu and pneumonia can play a role in the winter so keeping our immune systems strong is important.  One of the ways I practice prevention is by taking an immune support supplement.  When used daily, it increases the production of my body’s natural interferon, a critical activator of the immune system. It works at the cellular level, by rapidly activating my immune system’s defenses.

A recent study published in Cell Metabolism showed that by taking a resveratrol supplement for 30 days significantly lowered multiple markers associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and many other chronic diseases.  These include markers of inflammation, improved mitochondrial capacity, lowered blood pressure, and blood glucose.  The study participants showed significant increases in markers of mitochondrial function (our body’s energy producers that tend to decrease in number and output as we age).    I take a high potency resveratrol supplement daily for a longer and healthier life.

As we all enjoy the holiday season and “indulge” in those occasional feasts and parties, perhaps we can focus on making our holidays a little slower pace, lessening our expectations, and most importantly practicing prevention by providing our body with important immune and cell defense.  Happy Holidays!

As I look at my little snowmen marching across my mantle, I cannot believe another year has passed.  The holiday season is upon us and I feel like summer had barely ended.

Is that what “getting old” does to us?   It doesn’t seem possible that the children in our lives are so grown up!  It makes me want to even more take the time to enjoy the present.

One thing for certain ~ I am paying more attention to ways I can improve and instill habits that will help me live healthier long into the future.  I loved this video by Dr. Oz where he shows us in just 7 minutes how we can get going.
I came across some interesting health trivia the other day ~

• At age 20, our health is affected by genetics 80%, by the environment 20%
• At age 30, genetics is a 50% factor in our health and the environment 50%
• But, by age 50, genetics is responsible for only 20% of our health ~ the environment and our lifestyle choices contributes 80% to our health!
• AND the average 50 year old weighs 15 to 20 pounds more than they did at 30

One of the things I have done consistently for the past 18 years is to take a protein shake each morning.  It is a complete meal for me (24 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, lactose free, non-GMO protein, gluten free, and low glycemic  index.  I often add frozen organic berries (which are filled with antioxidants and help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress).  At times I just mix it with water and add organic kale and berries for a “green shake.”

Taking a break in the afternoon with an Energy Tea Mix (I love my Pomegrante tea) is a great alternative to sugary snacks and coffee (particularly since I have had to give up coffee) for a quick energy lift.

Probably the most helpful addition to my diet has been to add a resveratrol and proprietary phytonutrient blend liquid dietary supplement each day.  I just learned that in a  well-designed human clinical study, (Cell Metabolism) researchers showed that taking a resveratrol supplement for 30 days significantly lowered multiple markers associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and many other chronic diseases.  This was very exciting new to hear about.

Of course we all know that stress plays a big role not only in the breaking down of our immune system   According to Deepok Chopra, M.D., in his book, Ageless Body, Ageless Mind, most of the time our cells are occupied with renewal ~ roughly 90% of a cell’s energy normally goes to building new proteins and manufacturing new DNA and RNA.  When the brain perceives threat, however, the process of building is set aside.  Whatever you decide to do in fight-or-flight situations, your body needs a massive burst of energy to propel your muscles.  To allow this, the normal style of metabolism that builds the body, called anabolic metabolism, converts to its opposite, catabolic metabolism, which breaks down tissues.  This adrenaline launches a cascade of responses ~ blood pressure rises,  muscles tense, breathing becomes shallow and rapid, sexual desire and hunger are suppressed, digestion stops,  and the brain becomes hyperalert.  At times this stress response is vital, but if not terminated in time, Chopra states that the effects of catabolic metabolism are disastrous, leading to such illnesses as hypertension, ulcers, impotence, wasted muscles, and diabetes,  all of which are common signs of aging

I just recently learned that processed meats such as bacon, sausage and hot dogs, all of which contain nitrates, may be linked to Alzheimer’s.  Perhaps that “fake bacon” is not so bad after all?  In a society that eats half of its meals at fast-food stands and runs record-high rates of obesity,, alcoholism, eating disorders, and crash dieting, we can see that improper diet is clearly linked with disease and premature aging.  Choosing a diet consisting largely of plant-derived foods, with occasional bits of meat and fish,  along with nuts, seeds and grains and certainly eliminating sugar as much as possible (average American diet contains 130# of sugar per year) can help add to our healthy years.

My other “tool” to avoid aging too fast has been to take care of my skin.  I chose a product that was nutrient based, pH balanced, never animal tested, always hypoallergenic, with no Parabens, FD&C or D&C dyes, Propylene glycol, animal products or by-products, mineral oils or petrolatum, Sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate as well as no Phthalates.  As a result, my skin looks and feels great.

What about you ~ what are your “anti-aging tools?”  In closing I found this quote and found it very appropriate:

“People don’t grow old.  When they stop growing, they become old.”

When I look back at my own past in raising my five children, yes, life was stressful.  I do think it was family support and my own aversion to drugs that kept me from what 1 in 4 women are doing today according to a recent report from MedCo Health Solutions…taking a prescription drug  for depression, ADHD, anxiety, insomnia, etc.  I do remember many nights without sleep ~ am not sure how I caught up on that one!

Watching the nightly pharmacy ads on tv certainly validates all of this.  They seem to really zero in on women’s issues ~ and relief is just a pill away.  As I watched this short clip showing the stresses this woman was under, I can see why those ads would be so appealing.   That second baby, as she stated, was the catalyst that triggered immense stress for her as well as lack of sleep.   Caught up with not only the full-time of motherhood with two young ones, she was also juggling a full-time job as well as a home, and a husband.  It reminds me of a being on a moving treadmill that literally never stops!

According to Dean Ornish, M.D., stress can have a negative impact on just about every part of your body.  It can suppress your immune function, cause a heart attack or stroke, increase your risk of cancer, delay wound healing, promote inflammation, cause you to gain weight, impair your memory, cause depression, exacerbate diabetes, worsen your sexual function, and makes you age faster at a genetic and cellular level.

What alternatives are out there besides taking those appealing tv drug solutions ~ which all come with side effects?  According to Dr. Ornish, stress comes not only from what’s going on in your life, but, even more important, from how you react to it.  Practicing some simple stress-management techniques on a regular basis, you can be in the same job, the same environment, even the same family but react in more constructive and healthful ways.  Suggested techniques ~ yoga-based stretching, breathing techniques, meditation, and imagery as well as participation in a support group.

Dr. Frank Lipman, in his book, Total Renewal, states the following benefits of breathing with awareness:

• It helps relieve tension.
• It energizes us.
• It anchors us in our bodies.
• It leads to better health.
• It is easy and convenient ~ it can be done anywhere, anytime.

One of the leading proponents of mindfulness meditation, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, describes meditation this way:

Mindfulness is about living fully in the present moment, observing ourselves, our feelings, others and our surroundings without judging them.  Mindfulness meditation is moment to moment awareness.  It is being fully awake.  It involves being here for the moments of our lives, without striving or judging.  Mindfulness is coming home to yourself, to live your own life, as you are, in the only moment that you have to live ~ this moment.

Caffeine, a stimulant found in coffee, tea, sodas and chocolate and even some medication, can add to daily stress.  It shortens your fuse, making you more reactive to stress.  (the opposite of meditation)   It gives you immediate energy but then later you feel really tired ~ thus you want more stimulant to pick yourself up ~ it becomes a vicious cycle.   I was very attached to my coffee  throughout the day until I had acidity issues and had to give it up.  Now when I want a “pick-up”, particularly in the mid-afternoon, I drink a delicious tea that offers me a safe, natural energy boost.  It is an exclusive, antioxidant-rich blend of teas, including Matcha (a premier ceremonial green tea from Japan), white tea (magnificant and rare), red tea (from South Africa and antioxidant-packed), and taurine.

Exercise is a known physical benefit and is a great way to discharge all those stressful feelings.

How do you deal with the stress in your life?  Are you the 1 in 4 women taking prescription drugs to calm down or sleep better?  I would love to hear your suggestions about alternatives to the drug approach to relieve our daily stresses of life.

As we all begin to celebrate the winter holidays I thought this TED video was very appropriate as “food for thought” about the amazing “gift of life” that each one of us has been given.

The video I am featuring is done by Alexander Tsiaras, a photographer who wants his pictures to inspire better health. According to U.S.News & Report, Health, each of Tsiaras’s visual explorations of the human body is an essay, always moving, occasionally disquieting. He displays them on Oprah, the Discovery Health Channel, in books and museum exhibits, on the Web–everywhere he can. His mission: “We want to change how people think about health, think about their bodies. The way to do that is by telling stories–beautiful, compelling, visual stories that show what an amazing thing the body is.”

Enjoy!

My granddaughter informed me last week that she definitely wanted to participate in our traditional family Thanksgiving preparations this year.  I thought this was a great idea and we began making a list of ingredients and recipes.

My mind suddenly went back to a post I had written back in April of this year,  declaring my mission to no longer purchase cans because of the BPA ,  an estrogenic chemical (bisphenol A), present in the majority of canned food liners and that lab studies have linked to breast cancer).  I’ve actually done quite well with that ~ my pantry is now filled with pretty glass jars and I am preparing all of my legume dishes with dried beans that I have prepared myself (quite a simple task by the way and also a money-saver!)

But the pumpkin pie!  I have always used that familiar can of pumpkin pie filling ~ it is so simple ~ just add spices and evaporated milk and pop it into the oven.  Now I feel even more driven to avoid the cans with the latest study by The Breast Cancer Society.

The Breast Cancer Fund wanted to know how much BPA  may be in a typical Thanksgiving meal, so the following favorite canned foods used to make Thanksgiving dishes were tested:

• Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Campbell’s Turkey Gravy
• Carnation Evaporated Milk (by Nestle)
• Del Monte Fresh Cut Sweet Corn, Cream Style
• Green Giant Cut Green Beans (by General Mills)
• Libby’s Pumpkin (by Nestle)
• Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

The results:  for half of the products tested, a single 120-gram serving of the food contains enough BPA to show adverse health impacts in lab studies. Have some pumpkin pie after your green bean casserole and gravy, and the amount of BPA delivered to each holiday diner adds up to a concerning chemical dose.  Apparently the doses of BPA were “all over the map”  ~ even those of the same brand and content.  What to do?

Just what I will do with my granddaughter.  Breast Cancer Fund’s Cans Not Cancer campaign is advocating us to avoid cans and seek other alternatives during this holiday season.    My plan for the holidays is to purchase organic sugar pumpkins with Isabel, and experience a “real” pumpkin pie!  Cranberries are not an issue as I have never purchased canned cranberry sauce.  I cannot even imagine that.  Fresh organic cranberries bubbling on the stove with spices and a little sugar is heavenly!  And turkey gravy?  No, no no.  We always make that from scratch.  Green beans in a can???  Fresh beautiful green beans has always been our choice!.  My husband loves creamed corn ~ I will have to find a recipe for that.

What about you?  Is your grocery cart filled with those typical Thanksgiving Dinner cans?  By the way, Happy Healthy Thanksgiving everyone!