Daily Health and Medicine News

Health department notes March – National Nutrition Month

Press release submitted by RaeAnn Tucker-Marshall

The Henry and Stark County Health Departments announce that March is National Nutrition Month. The Health Department in accordance with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) notes that diet fads come and go, and some may help you lose weight – in the short term. However, the most effective long-term way to achieve a healthful lifestyle is to be 100% Fad Free.

The fact is that you can lose weight on virtually any diet. If you eat less, you will lose weight. The question is, can you maintain a healthy lifestyle over the long term – your life? The real key to reaching long-term goals is to focus on your overall health.

Through National Nutrition Month, the Health Department and the ADA promote healthful eating by providing practical nutrition guidance and focusing attention on making informed food choices and developing sound physical activity habits.

In addition, keep in mind these National Nutrition Month key messages to enjoy a 100% Fad Free lifestyle:

* DEVELOP AN EATING PLAN FOR LIFELONG HEALTH. Too often, people adopt the latest food fad rather than focusing on overall health. Get back to basics and use the new Food Guide Pyramid as your guide to healthy eating.

* CHOOSE FOODS SENSIBLY BY LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE. A single food or meal won’t make or break a healthful diet. When consumed in moderation in appropriate portions, all foods can fit into a healthful diet.

* LEARN HOW TO SPOT A FOOD FAD. Unreasonable or exaggerated claims that eating (or not eating) specific foods, nutrient supplements or combinations of foods may cure disease or offer quick weight loss are key features of fad diets.

* FIND YOUR BALANCE BETWEEN FOOD AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness plus it helps control body weight, promotes a feeling of well-being, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.

* FOOD AND NUTRITION MISINFORMATION CAN HAVE HARMFUL EFFECTS ON YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, as well as your wallet. Look to qualified and science-based nutrition information when developing a diet plan that meets your individual needs.

For more information on good nutrition, or to request a Health Department Nutrition presentation for your group, organization or school class, contact the Department at 852-0197 or visit our website at www.henrystarkhealth.com.

HEALTHY SNACK: Program rates nutrition of vending machine items

Vending machines offer convenience but are often limited when it comes to healthy options. Now a new program through the Iowa Department of Public Health is working to change that.

The effort not only adds healthier options, it also clarifies which snacks are the best.

“Unfortunately when you’re at a vending machine, you cannot read a nutrition label. So you’re going with the information that’s on the front of the pack, and many times it will lead you astray,” said Carol Voss, the Nutrition Coordinator with the Iowans Fit for Life program.

To lead people in the right direction, Voss has started placing colored dots inside vending machines. A green dot means the item has a full serving of fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, or dairy and also meets certain guidelines for fat, sodium, and sugar. The rating system goes down from there with a yellow dot or a red dot.

Voss is working with vendors to try to get thirty-percent of their items meet the yellow or green criteria in a machine.

For now, you’ll find the color-coded vending machines in buildings around the state capitol, but the goal is to expand the program to other local and state facilities.

March is Nutrition Month – Tips for Eating Healthy

March is Nutrition Month across Canada and while it’s always important to eat right, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) wants to remind residents of the following tips and resources available to make eating right a little easier to do.
Decode the Nutrition Label
One of the first steps toward healthier food choices is to read nutrition labels. That’s why OPH is offering a series of workshops between March 15 and March 31 to help participants decode nutrition labels. To check out the dates or to register visit ottawa.ca/health, email nutrition@ottawa.ca or call 613-580-6744, ext. 23403 (TTY: 613-580-9656).
Reduce sodium
By reading labels, making your own meals and snacks at home and eating out less often, you can reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. A diet high in sodium increases your risk for high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. The average Canadian consumes over 3,000 mg of sodium each day – double the recommended amount.
EatRight Ontario
No matter what your age, healthy eating reduces your risk for many chronic diseases. EatRight Ontario is a service that allows you to ask nutrition-related questions and receive feedback by phone or email from a Registered Dietitian. Call EatRight Ontario at 1-877-510-5102 or visit eatrightontario.ca to get answers on your nutrition questions from a registered dietitian.
Healthy Recipes for family meals – Propecia no prescription online
Preparing your own meals can be much healthier and is less expensive than buying convenience and takeout foods. A nutritious meal contains foods from at least three of the four food groups in Canada’s Food Guide. Eat together as a family to encourage healthier habits. OPH has many quick and easy recipes available online at ottawa.ca/health/nutrition.
OPH can also connect organizations and groups with a Community Food Advisor who gives presentations and demonstrations on important topics such as healthy eating on a budget and cooking with kids.

Anti-aging: Healthy Foods Help Maintain a Healthy Body and Mind

Whether you’re nearing menopause or well past it, you may still feel in many ways like you did at twenty. Your body, however, may hold a different opinion. And it always pays to listen to your body.
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Time and aging can usher in some unwelcome changes. Fortunately, a willingness to tweak your lifestyle, including the foods you eat, can ease, delay and even prevent some of those changes.

Not sure you want to mess with your diet? Pretty attached to your favorite foods? If your body has been talking to you about these things, you’ll know it. It has ways of making you reconsider.

You might find that grains now give you indigestion. Maybe you’re gaining weight and don’t know why. Perhaps your energy level isn’t what it used to be. Maybe you’ve been becoming more forgetful, and you’re concerned about the possibilities of Alzheimer’s.

It makes sense to take a fresh look and examine what we’re putting in our mouths. We might just decide to put that old favorite back on the plate and pick up something else.

Consider omega-3 oil. According to research from the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore, MD omega-3 fatty acids are essential for health and are found in fish and nut oils. Omega-3 fatty acids help the brain work efficiently, and assist in healthy growth and development. They reduce inflammation, decreasing the risk of chronic diseases like arthritis, cancer and heart disease.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower, help prevent breast cancer. UMMC’s research pointed to a compound called isothiocyanate which is an anticarcinogen. Tomatoes contain lycopene, which when heated, may help prevent some cancers.

Green and white teas strengthen the immune system, lower cholesterol and sharpen the mind. Blueberries contain antioxidants which fight free radicals, reducing chronic inflammation.

A study in the October 2010 Journal of Nutrition gives high points to luteolin. Luteolin is a plant compound that stops the release of inflammatory molecules into the brain, decreasing inflammation that causes memory loss.

Carrots, celery, chamomile, peppers, peppermint, rosemary and olive oil are some of the foods that contain luteolin.
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Improved My Health
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A paper published online by the journal Archives of Neurology on April 12, 2010, said that risk of Alzheimer’s was lower for people eating cruciferous vegetables, dark leafy greens, fish, fruit, nuts and poultry. While the study does not prove that eating these foods lowers Alzheimer’s risk, they are associated with health improvement and maintenance.

Sorry, eating better won’t make you like you were at twenty. Your body just isn’t going to cooperate that far. But feeding it healthy foods will help you to be a mature woman brimming with vitality.