Top Ten Do's and Don'ts for the New Year
DO take extra folic acid daily
FOLIC ACID, also known as folate, is continuing to show tremendous benefits in a
wide variety of conditions from the prevention of birth defects to prevention of
cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke), Alzheimer's disease, and some
forms of cancer. Many of these benefits may relate to folic acid's ability to
help the body metabolize and eliminate homocysteine. Homocysteine is now considered as important (perhaps more important) to control as cholesterol. By supplementing with folic acid daily, Americans will be able to help prevent many of the common, serious conditions noted above.
We recommend taking between 400 and 800 micrograms of folic acid daily as a preventative measure. Both of us take 800 mcg daily. At these levels, there is no toxicity from folic acid, and many people take 1000 mcg daily or more if a therapeutic reason exists.
Folic acid works with 3 other nutrients to lower homocysteine levels; these include Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and trimethylglycine, also known as betaine. We recommend 50 mg of Vitamin B6 daily, and at least 100 mcg of Vitamin B12 daily. Several supplement companies now manufacture combination vitamins that include folic acid, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and trimethylglycine together. Another option would be a B-complex vitamin with an added folic acid supplement (e.g. an additional 400 mcg of folate) daily.
DO add extra fiber to your diet - ground flax seeds and/or psyllium seeds are good choices
FIBER comes in two main "flavors" - so-called soluble and insoluble fiber. Both forms are important and can be helpful not only with weight loss, but can also improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and support healthy gastrointestinal function.
The ways that fiber can help promote health include the following:
- Fiber tends to reduce appetite by providing a "full" feeling in the stomach .
- Fiber can bind cholesterol in the intestinal tract and help remove it from the body.
- Fiber also helps rid the body of unwanted chemicals or accumulation of hormones.
- Fiber intake before or with meals slows down the absorption rate of food from the gut, resulting in a "smoothing out" of peaks in blood sugar levels.
- Fiber promotes healthy intestinal function by supporting the healthy, beneficial bacteria in our colon that help protect us from less desirable microbes that can flourish on a low fiber diet.
High fiber foods include fruits & vegetables, beans, nuts & seeds, and whole grains. Many fiber supplements are also available. We recommend adding ground organic flax seeds to your diet often, e.g. 1-2 tablespoons daily. Flax seeds have the double advantage of not only being high in fiber, but also in the healthy omega-3 oils. Ground seeds should be kept refrigerated in an opaque container that is can be sealed, since they will spoil if left at room temperature or are exposed to light for too long.
Since flax seeds tend to have a laxative effect, an excess of flax seeds will usually cause diarrhea, so don't overdo it. Instead, you may want to supplement with other sources of fiber, e.g. psyllium seeds, which can be taken before meals to reduce appetite and promote satiety.
DO add strength training 2-3 times weekly to your exercise program
Strength training is one of the best ways we know of to boost your metabolism. Unfortunately, we can't "think off" calories, or worry them off; we can only burn them and our muscles are our furnaces. The only way to really increase our metabolism, that is, the number of calories our bodies burn at rest, is to increase the size and number of muscle fibers.
Accordingly, since our buttock, thigh, hip, hamstring and calf muscles are among the biggest muscles in our bodies, this is where our strength training efforts should be directed. Of course it's nice to have well-defined arms, but if metabolism, weight control and health are your goals, DON'T FORGET THE LOWER BODY! We recommend strength training 2-3 times weekly with a focus on the lower body. This includes squats, lunges, and selective muscle strengthening, with weights or gym equipment. A personal trainer can help you get started with this.
You can consider building leg muscles akin to adding two more cylinders to your car's engine - even at an idle it burns more gas. This means that by building muscle, you will burn more calories even while you sleep - now there's a great deal - lose weight while you sleep! There's no better "trick" for both men and women interested in maintaining their weight and/or figure, while improving your health at the same time. It's also great for improving the bone density of the hips! Aerobic exercises are great for the cardiovascular system, but don't forget the strengthening exercises!
To read more about strength training click here.
DO reduce inflammation through diet, herbs, and medications
What do heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
disease, arthritis, allergies and asthma (and many other conditions) have in
common? ....
INFLAMMATION!!
Did you know there were dietary means of reducing inflammation? Here are the ways:
- Get an oil change
- Increase your intake of small, oily fish such as sardines, herring, mackerel, salmon, and anchovies
- Add ground flax seeds to your diet - we recommend a tablespoon daily
- Increase your intake of anti-inflammatory foods and herbs
- Ginger
- Curcumin (from turmeric)
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Cherries
- Rutin
- Boswellia (an Ayurvedic herb)
- Glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate also may may anti-inflammatory properties
Also, you should ask your doctor for the high sensitvity C-reactive protein blood test, which will indicate if inflammation is a problem for you, and ask your doctor's advice about the possible source of inflammation and recommendations for treatment of this is discovered.
To read more about inflammation click here.
DO regular preventive dental and periodontal care and maintenance
Dental care is an often neglected facet of one's health. Recent studies have identified associations between unhealthy teeth and gums and cardiovascular disease. This link may occur as a result of activation and stimulation of the immune system by a low-grade infection, which leads to inflammation. There may also be a direct link between bacteria residing in the teeth and gums and the subsequent potential for a bloodstream infection that could lead to cardiovascular disease. (This is the reason why people with abnormal heart valves are advised to take antibiotics before and after dental work).
Tooth retention has also been directly related to bone health and the absence of osteoporosis. (How many times have we heard people brag about the health of seniors in terms of "still having all their own teeth?")
Poor dental health may lead to cavities or eventually lead to a root canal or implant. These may be a source of smoldering infections. Lots of cavities often means lots of silver (amalgam) fillings, which can often result in toxic exposure to excess mercury.
Our advice is to brush and floss at least twice a day and to visit your preventive dentist at least annually.
To read more about good dental health click here.
DO reduce the amount of sugar and refined carbohydrates in your diet
Face it - as Americans, we eat too much SUGAR - about 150 lbs. per year each, and that doesn't include all of the foods our bodies turn immediately into sugar, such as refined grains and starches. Foods such as white sugar, white flour, white bread and pasta, white rice and potatoes eaten in excess are turned into sugar quickly by our bodies. This causes weight gain and a host of medical problems from high blood pressure to diabetes to cardiovascular disease. This excess of sugar and refined foods is a key problem leading to poor regulation of blood sugar and magnifies and aggravates insulin resistance.
We recommend reducing the amount of sugar and refined foods in our diet, while increasing the amount of fiber. That means eating more fruits and vegetables in general (with a few notable exceptions of low fiber, high starch varieties), as well as nuts & nut butters, beans and whole grains.
DON'T eat an excess of mercury-contaminated fish in your diet
Mercury is one of the toxic "heavy metals". Other toxic metals include lead, arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and others. Mercury toxicity is felt to be a possible cause of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's-like brain failure, heart failure, heart arrhythmias and irregularities, and certain cancers.
Unfortunately, unlike most poisons, which cause illness very soon after ingestion or exposure, mercury toxicity is a chronic, insidious and slowly progressive disorder. Often by the time symptoms occur, there is already a heavy mercury burden in the body with substantial and possibly irreversible damage.
Mercury exposure and toxicity is far more common than most of us tend to think. Once it enters our bodies, mercury is eliminated extremely slowly, so mercury accumulates in our bodies over years, eventually leading to organ damage and potentially serious disease.
The main sources of mercury exposure come from eating large, predatory marine fish (such as swordfish, tuna, mahi-mahi, shark, tilefish and King mackerel) and from large amalgam dental fillings.
What can we do to prevent mercury toxicity?
- Choose smaller fish instead of the large predatory marine fish. These safe and healthy fish include sardines, herring, smelt, mackerel, trout, salmon, pollock, tilapia, catfish, sole, and scrod.
- Limit intake of large fish to once a week (or less if a significant mercury burden is already present). These fish include tuna, swordfish, shark, mahi-mahi, halibut and sea bass. Some shellfish, particularly Gulf coast shellfish may have moderate levels of mercury, also.
- Ask your dentist about mercury-free fillings if any preventive dental work is needed. Be particularly careful about having existing fillings removed, since this can potentially cause more exposure and release of mercury. Any removal of existing mercury fillings must be done only by an experienced dentist.
- Enhance the body's natural elimination of mercury by increasing your intake of fiber, clean water, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, and Vitamin C.
To learn more about mercury toxicity click here.
DON'T overeat late at night
Eating late at night is now just bad for your weight and metabolism - it may represent a specific health condition. According to Albert Stunkard, MD of the University of Pennsylvania's Weight and Eating Disorders Program, "Not only is night-eating syndrome an eating disorder, but one of mood and sleep as well. People who fall prey to this syndrome are not simply indulging in a bad habit. They have a real clinical illness, reflected by changes in hormone levels."
"People with this syndrome start out daily with morning anorexia-- or not eating anything all morning -- and consume fewer than average calories throughout the day. As the day wears on, their mood worsens and they become more and more depressed," said Stunkard. Then comes the night, when victims raid the refrigerator and cupboards for high-carbohydrate snacks, sometimes up to four times a night. As anxiety and depression increases throughout the night, so does eating.
"This snacking may be a way for these persons to medicate themselves," speculates Stunkard, "because they eat a lot of carbohydrates, increasing serotonin in the brain which in turn, leads to sleep."
"Night-eating syndrome shows distinctive changes in hormones related to sleep, hunger and stress. The nighttime rise in the hormone that accompanies sleep, melatonin, is greatly decreased in night eaters, probably contributing to their sleep disturbances. Similarly, night-eaters fail to show a nighttime rise in the hormone leptin, which suppresses hunger, and the stress hormone cortisol is elevated throughout a 24-hour period."
We recommend refraining from overeating after dinnertime, and shifting your intake of calories to earlier in the day, while spreading out your calories over the day more evenly, to avoid large surges of blood sugar and insulin late in the day. This improves metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
To read more about Night Eating Syndrome click here.
DON'T eat too quickly - chewing is the most often neglected phase of digestion
Chewing is the most often neglected phase of digestion. Our lives often have become so rushed and stressed and we have so little spare time, that our digestion pays the price. We squeeze meals into our busy schedules and compress the time allotted for eating in an effort to be more productive.
Chewing food completely not only begins the process of complete digestion (that is, breaking food down into its basic building blocks - proteins into amino acids, carbohydrates into simple sugars, and fats into fatty acids), but is also an important trigger for the body's production of digestive enzymes, including salivary enzymes and digestive enzymes in the stomach and intestines. When food is incompletely digested, the entire environment in the gastrointestinal tract is thrown out of balance.
Incompletely digested foods often lead to food allergies or sensitivities, which lead to activation of the immune system and inflammation. This can also be the beginning of autoimmunity, where the body begins to produce antibodies not only to foods, but also to our own tissues. Incomplete digestion also alters the gastrointestinal environment and can promote the growth of undesirable microbes and bacteria in our intestinal tract, which place added strain on the immune system.
We recommend chewing every bite of food as completely as possible before swallowing. This means allowing more time for meals and eating meals in a relaxed, calm environment. Practice putting your eating utensils down between each bite of food and being mindful to chew each bite completely.
DON'T overuse antacids on a regular basis
Rampant overuse of ANTACIDS is becoming a commonplace occurrence. High-powered
prescription-strength antacids are now available over-the-counter and Americans
have been led to believe that the solution for indigestion is to take antacids.
Quite to the contrary - indigestion stems from our poor eating habits and food
choices, not from an excess of stomach acid.
Our stomachs were designed to produce a high amount of acid when we eat. This acid is necessary for the proper digestion and breaking down of food, as well as for the absorption of essential nutrients (e.g. calcium, magnesium, the B vitamins, etc.), and to kill the germs we normally swallow with our food. This acid production is also essential in maintaining a healthy gastrointestinal environment.
As a result of our stressful, rushed eating and lack of chewing, as well as our food choices, indigestion is at epidemic proportions. Intake of caffeine, alcohol, fats and chocolate causes symptoms of heartburn and reflux or "GERD" (gastro-esophageal-reflux disease). Rather than avoiding these foods, Americans more often opt to take antacids to relieve heartburn, resulting in the vicious cycle of incomplete digestion, alteration of the gastrointestinal environment, and impaired absorption of nutrients.
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