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Measles, Mumps, and…Diabetes?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Ami Spencer

The medical community is always looking for ways to prevent diseases, and that often means researching vaccines. We’re used to hearing about vaccines for contagious diseases like HIV, the flu, chicken pox and measles, but newer vaccines are targeting diseases like cancer and diabetes.

There are several diabetes vaccines being developed and tested and it’s likely one or more will be available in just a few years. While most of the vaccines in development now are for Type 1 diabetes, there is also hope for the creation of a Type 2 vaccine.  Considering that diabetes of either type can be have significant health consequences and may be deadly, the benefits of vaccines targeting both Type 1 and 2 diabetes will be immeasurable.

The diabetes vaccines currently being studied are reported to improve the body’s ability to produce insulin by reducing the tendency to destroy it’s insulin-producing cells. Studies are in their early phases, and only time will tell the true effectiveness of this type of vaccine, but the results are promising. Within this decade, it may be possible to vaccinate against diabetes, a medical development that could positively impact the lives and health of millions of people in the United States.

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Mental Health Month – Recognize Signs of Depression

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Ami Spencer

May is Mental Health Month, and there’s no better time than now to pay close attention to your mental health. With the economy in a major slump, an unemployment rate that just keeps rising, and homes going into foreclosure in almost every neighborhood, it’s no surprise that more and more people are reporting stress, anxiety and depression symptoms these days.

While everyone gets sad or “blue” sometimes, when these emotions become so intense that they rule your days and nights, last weeks or months at a time, negatively affect your ability to do day-to-day tasks, or cause serious disruptions in your routine, you may be suffering from depression or another serious mental health problem. It’s important to talk to a doctor, friend or family member if you think you or someone you know might be experiencing symptoms of depression.

As described by the May0 Clinic, depression symptoms may include:

  • Loss of interest in normal daily activities
  • Feeling sad or down
  • Feeling hopeless
  • Crying spells for no apparent reason
  • Problems sleeping
  • Trouble focusing or concentrating
  • Difficulty making decisions
  • Unintentional weight gain or loss
  • Irritability
  • Restlessness
  • Being easily annoyed
  • Feeling fatigued or weak
  • Feeling worthless
  • Loss of interest in sex
  • Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
  • Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

While the symptoms may vary depending on the person, if you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms it’s important to seek help. Even less severe symptoms of depression should be taken seriously and can often be treated. See your doctor, talk to a loved one, or call a hotline like 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You may not be able to convince a loved one that he or she needs help, but listening and encouraging your friend or family member to seek help may be just the support he or she needs to take that step.

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Happiness is Medicine for the Heart

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Ami Spencer

According to a recent study published in the European Heart Journal, happier people may have healthier hearts. The study indicated that people who reported being generally happy and content were less likely to develop heart disease. In fact, it seemed that as a person’s level of happiness increased, their risk to develop heart disease decreased.

It isn’t clear exactly the reason why happier people may have healthier hearts, but adding a little happiness to your life certainly couldn’t hurt. To improve your overall happiness and help your heart, try some of these strategies:

  • Spend some time every day doing something you enjoy. Don’t stress yourself out trying to squeeze something else in, but make your favorite activities a priority–even if it’s only 10 or 15 minutes a day. If you like to read, set aside some time for that book you’ve been wanting to read. Miss knitting? Pull out the yarn and needles and finish a few rows.
  • Get physical. You’ve heard it before, but exercise improves mood. Get those endorphins pumping with a brisk walk, some power yoga or your favorite workout DVD. It doesn’t take much time–just 10 minutes or so, to reap the mood-boosting benefits.
  • Just relax. Don’t wait for your yearly vacation or the infamous “someday” to take a break. Make regular time to relax, whether it’s by soaking in a bath, getting a massage, meditating, or watching your favorite television show. Whatever it is you choose to do, be present and savor the time.
  • Have a good laugh. Put in a funny movie, have lunch with a friend who always makes you laugh, or read the Sunday comics. It’s hard to NOT be happy when you’re laughing so hard your belly hurts.
  • Spin it. When something has you down, try seeing the experience from a positive angle. There’s always a silver lining, you just need to locate it and put your focus on it. It may not eliminate the negative, but it might make it a little more bearable.

Don’t worry, be happy. Have some fun. Try new things. Accentuate the positive whenever you can. Happiness just might be medicine for your heart.

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What You See is What You Eat

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Ami Spencer

Ever find yourself grabbing a handful of nuts and munching away before you even realize it? What triggered that mindless snack? Maybe the nuts were in a bowl on the table in front of you or in a can on the counter while you were preparing dinner. Very often, we eat what we see. Why not take that tendency and tweak it to your advantage?

Make fruits visible. Apples, oranges, pears, peaches and bananas are all naturally pre-packaged, single-serve snacks. Make them easily accessible by keeping fresh fruits in a basket on the dining room table or kitchen counter.

Organize your refrigerator. Keep sliced vegetables, washed grapes and other healthy snacks front and center in your refrigerator. If you have to reach past them to get to the higher calorie snacks, you might think twice about which you grab.

Hide the treats. Out of sight, out of mind. If you have to have pretzels, peanuts or chocolate in the house, why not keep them behind closed doors or in inconvenient locations like the freezer or the highest cabinets. The harder you have to work for it, the more time you have to reconsider why you want it in the first place.

How do you stack the snacking decks in your favor?

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Retrain Your Sweet Tooth

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Ami Spencer

Are you crazy about all things sweet? Do you have a hard time passing up cake or cookies when they’re around? Do you add sugar or another sweetener to everything from tea to cereal? If so, your sweet tooth may be building up a tolerance to sweet flavors. The more sweet you eat, the more you may crave.

Thankfully, there’s something you can do about your sweet leanings. With a little bit of effort and some gradual changes, you can retrain your sweet tooth, decrease your sweet cravings and reduce your calorie intake, too.

Reduce or eliminate your use of artificial sweeteners. Limit purchases of food and drinks that contain artificial sweeteners and decrease the amount of added sweetener using the technique below. Artificial sweeteners are often sweeter than their natural counterparts, can contribute to sweet cravings, and may even affect how much you eat throughout the day.

Halve the amount of sweetener (sugar or otherwise) that you use in your coffee and tea. It may take a few days to get used to it, but once you do you’ll realize it’s plenty sweet. After a week, try halving the amount again. Keep halving until you reach your limit or until you’ve eliminated the need for sweetener altogether.

Buy unsweetened cereals. If you find they’re not sweet enough for your liking, control the sweetness by adding your own sweetener. Try starting with less sweetener than you think you’ll need. You can also use the technique above to decrease the amount of sweetener you need over time.

When you crave sweets, eat some fruit. It’s still sugar, and it’s still a sweet, but you’re getting fiber and other nutrients, too.

It’s not necessary to completely eliminate sweets from your diet, but the less you eat them, the less you’ll crave them. And that can add up to weight loss and improved health over the long run.

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Healthy Eating on a Budget: Protein Without Raiding the Piggy Bank

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Ami Spencer

With the cost of meat these days, it may seem impossible to cut your grocery budget without hearing “Where’s the Beef?” when you put dinner on the table. While you might have to reduce your meat purchases to reduce your grocery bill, there are plenty of ways you can get enough protein in your meals without raiding your child’s piggy bank.

Substitute lower priced cuts in your meat dishes. For example, you can substitute skinless chicken legs and thighs (4 oz, raw = 135 cal; 4.5 g fat; 23 g protein*) for skinless chicken breasts (4 oz, raw = 125 cal; 1.5 g fat; 26 g protein) without a major increase in calories or fat. Remember that if you’re willing to skin and de-bone chicken yourself you’ll also pay less–sometimes as little as half.

Trim like a pro. When choosing lower priced cuts of meat, be careful not to sacrifice your health in the process. Cheaper cuts of beef and pork are often much higher in fat and calories. To reduce the impact that has on your health, trim all visible fat before you cook your steaks, roasts or chops.

Trade the meat for beans. Dried beans are a tiny fraction of the cost of meat, and even canned beans are relatively inexpensive. Replace the meat in your chili or soups with beans (1/2 cup serving = 100 calories; 0.5 g fat; 6 g protein) or reduce the amount of meat in a dish and make up for it by adding beans. Not only are the beans cheaper, but they have more fiber, fewer calories and less fat than most meats.

Shop the sales. Buy meat and seafood when it’s on sale and then package it for the freezer. You’ll have it when you need it and won’t have to break the bank to get it. Bonus Tip: Get friendly with the butcher at your favorite grocery store and you might even get tips on when they do mark downs so you can snag the best deals before they’re gone.

*Nutrition information source: CalorieKing.com

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Lunch Hour Fitness

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Ami Spencer

We often use the excuse of not having enough time to keep us from going to the gym or getting some exercise. There’s no need to fight the clock, though. Instead of going out for lunch, why not use your lunch break to get fit? Try some of the ideas below to take advantage of a mid-day break.

If you have an hour:

  • Head to the gym and workout for 30 minutes, giving you 30 minutes for changing, showering and travel time.
  • Take a brisk 3- to 4-mile walk around the neighborhood.

If you have 30 minutes:

  • Close your office door and do a yoga workout or weight-lifting routine.
  • Take a brisk 1.5- to 2-mile walk around the neighborhood.
  • Do calisthenics (jumping jacks, squats, lunges, sit ups, push ups, etc.) in your office.

What do you do to fit exercise into your day? Share your ideas in the comments.

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Healthy Eating and Alzheimers

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Ami Spencer

There have been several studies to investigate the effects of diet and exercise on the development of Alzheimer’s. One study performed by Temple University School of Medicine researchers showed that eating high levels of an amino acid found in many protein sources might increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers didn’t stop there, though, according to an article in Medical News Today. A recent follow-up study published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology indicates that even once memory and cognitive function begin to decrease, a change in diet can improve symptoms of the disease. The results indicated that, at least in mice, a positive improvement in diet–in this case, a change from a diet high in the amino acid methionine to one lower in methionine–can slow or reverse changes in memory and cognitive abilities caused by Alzheimer’s.

The take-away message here is that our brains are clearly influenced by our diets. Not only that, but positive changes in our diets can have a positive influence on our brain’s function. Remember, a healthy diet isn’t just about what our body looks like. It is also about how well our mind works. For a healthy mind and body, strive to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet now and in the future.

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The Mediterranean Diet: Good for Your Brain

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Ami Spencer

It’s likely that you’ve heard of the Mediterranean Diet before. The Mediterranean diet is composed mostly of foods common in the Mediterranean region like fish, olive oil, whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruit and is low in saturated fat, meat and dairy products.

While previous research has suggested that a regular diet of those foods common in the Mediterranean can have positive effects on heart health, it appears a Mediterranean diet may also be good for your brain. According to a recent study published in the Archives of Neurology, people who ate a diet similar to the Mediterranean diet were less likely to develop Mild Cognitive Impairment and were also less likely for this impairment to turn into Alzheimer’s disease.

The more we learn about our bodies, the clearer it is that what we eat truly affects every aspect of our health. Eating a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables as well as beans and healthy oils (like olive and canola oil) is not only good for our hearts, it’s apparently good for our heads, too. This month, while we’re all focused on heart health, why not get a two-for-one benefit by adding some new foods to your diet. Try incorporating more vegetables into your dinners or consider trading your pasta in for some brown rice or quinoa. A few small changes can add up to big benefits for your health.

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“Eat Right” in March

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Ami Spencer

March is National Nutrition Month® and the American Dietetic Association (ADA) wants you to “Eat Right”. But what is “eating right”?

Eating right can be as simple as making a few small changes to your current eating habits. Focus on the basics of healthy eating: include more fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources and whole grains in your diet everyday; choose low-fat dairy options; and limit your saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugar intake. If you need some ideas to get started, try working on one of these healthy eating goals each week:

  • Make smarter food choices. Instead of focusing on whether foods are good or bad for you, consider whether they are packed with vitamins, nutrients and fiber and have a reasonable number of calories.
  • Mix things up. We all get in food ruts, eating the same foods and meals every week because they’re easy or convenient. But changing things up can be easy. Add fruit to your breakfast and a salad with your lunch. Try a new vegetable or whole grain every week. Get your protein from beans or fish instead of your usual chicken and beef. Find an interesting recipe online and make dinner preparation a family affair.
  • Find the right fats. Fats aren’t all bad. In fact, while watching your saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol intake is important, our bodies need fat to function. Just make sure the majority of your fat intake comes from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Also try to include Omega-3 fatty acids in your diet regularly.

Eating right doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, mixing things up can make meals more satisfying and fun. Try something new–you just might like it!

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