HAVE SOME MOVES

Simple Ways to Move Your Body

• Turn off the TV. Once a week, turn off the TV and do something a little more physical with your family. Play games, take a walk...almost anything will be more active than sitting on the couch.
• Walk more. Look for small ways to walk more. When you get the mail, take a walk around the block, take the dog for an extra outing each day or walk on your treadmill for 5 minutes before getting ready for work.
• Do some chores. Shoveling snow, working in the garden, raking leaves, sweeping the floor...these kinds of activities may not be 'vigorous' exercise, but they can keep you moving while getting your house in order.
• Pace while you talk. When you're on the phone, pace around or even do some cleaning while gabbing. This is a great way to stay moving while doing something you enjoy.
• Be aware. Make a list of all the physical activities you do on a typical day. If you find that the bulk of your time is spent sitting, make another list of all the ways you could move more--getting up each hour to stretch or walk, walk the stairs at work, etc.

Healthy environment, healthy lungs

During the formative stage of the project, nine focus groups were conducted on the U.S./Mexico border with local stakeholder groups to determine the community's environmental health needs, the target audience, and appropriate dissemination strategies for a subsequent environmental health education intervention. Focus groups were conducted in April and May of 2006 in Somerton, AZ; Anthony, NM: and Mission/McAllen, TX with three types of stakeholder groups--community residents, health promoters, and health care providers.

Some important conclusions were drawn from the focus groups.

* Perceived contaminants included smoke, fumes, dust, pollen, chemicals, odors, insects, noise, and dead animals.

* All perceived sources of pollution were associated with rapid industrial expansion and inadequate public services.

* Asthma was highly prevalent among community residents, although many other health problems were mentioned in relation to air pollution.

* Participants identified children, senior citizens and people with chronic diseases as especially vulnerable to asthma.

* Some health care providers could benefit from better understanding of the problems experienced by the community they serve and the presence or absence of resources to deal with environmentally-related health problems. As such, their treatment recommendations often do not take into account the barriers to compliance with these treatments that community residents face.

* Residents and health promoters lacked the knowledge about government structure and the confidence to address pollution in their community through civic participation.

* Community residents thought that an asthma health intervention could help them by increasing awareness about pollution and its effects on people's health, and teaching people to recognize asthma symptoms and know when to go to the doctor.

* All three stakeholder groups identified health promoters as the best group to deliver asthma information to the community.

Recommendations

* Since early detection of asthma is important, an environmental health intervention should target children through educating parents about asthma, symptoms and treatment. This strategy would optimize early detection among children--one of the most vulnerable groups to asthma.

* Health promoters would be the best vehicle for the dissemination of environmental health education because they have the trust of the community and the time and social connections to reach more community members.

* Providers need more information on how to talk to their patients about the prevention and treatment of asthma so that they can recommend feasible strategies for asthma management to overcome economic and environmental barriers.

* Community members need and want information and tools to change the environment at the community level. An environmental health intervention should include a module on how to engage community members in the civic process and work with government officials to bring about community change.

Weight Loss and Energy

Like a car, your body needs fuel to function. The diet must supply sufficient energy to support growth and development, maintain basic physiologic functions, meet the demands of muscle activity, and repair damage caused by illness or injury.

In the United States, energy intake and expenditure are measured in kilocalories, abbreviated as kcal, and commonly referred to as calories. Internationally the term is kilojoules, abbreviated as kJ (1 kcal = 4.184kJ). In this book, the terms energy and calories are used interchangeably to refer to the general concept of energy.

Body weight depends on physiologic controls of the balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Weight increases when more energy is consumed than expended, overtime this imbalance can lead to obesity.

Until Einstein's equation E=mc�, which may also be written Calories=mc�, is invalidated the only way to reduce weight (m) is to reduce the amount of calories consumed (E). In other words, to lose weight it is necessary to eat less calories each day than you burn up, and the only way to gain weight is to eat, each day, more calories than you use. [Herbert, J., (Chief Hematology & Nutr. Lab.), Nutrition Cultism - Facts & Fictions , Bronx VA Medical Center, 1981]

The energy requirement of an individual has been defined as:

That level of energy intake from food which will balance energy expenditure when the individual has a body size and composition, and a level of physical activity, consistent with long-term good health; and which will allow for the maintenance of economically necessary and socially desirable physical activity. In children and lactating or pregnant women the energy requiremnet includes the energy associated with the depossition of tissues or the secretion of milk at rates consistent with good health (WHO, 1985).

If energy intake is consistently above or below a person's requirement, a change in body energy stores can be expected. If the imbalance between intake and expenditure continues over long periods, changes in body weight or body composition will occur and may adversely affect health.

Besides energy there are many nutrients that we require. They fall within two categories, Macronutrients and Micronutrients.

Macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Micronutrients include vitamins, minerals and water. Macronutrients primarily provide the body with energy, while Micronutrients do not provide any energy to the body.

Nutritional Effects of Food Processing

FREEZING, DRYING, COOKING, AND REHEATING

Nearly every food preparation process reduces the amount of nutrients in food. In particular, processes that expose foods to high levels of heat, light, and/or oxygen cause the greatest nutrient loss. Nutrients can also be "washed out" of foods by fluids that are introduced during a cooking process. For example, boiling a potato can cause much of the potato's B and C vitamins to migrate to the boiling water. You'll still benefit from those nutrients if you consume the liquid (i.e. if the potato and water are being turned into potato soup), but not if you throw away the liquid. Similar losses also occur when you broil, roast, or fry in oil, and then drain off the drippings.

CONSUMING RAW FOODS

The amount of nutrient loss caused by cooking has encouraged some health-conscious consumers to eat more raw foods. In general, this is a positive step. However, cooking is also beneficial, because it kills potentially harmful microorganisms that are present in the food supply. In particular, poultry and ground meats (e.g. hamburger) should always be thoroughly cooked, and the surface of all fruits and vegetables should be carefully washed before eating. To learn more about preventing common food-borne diseases

GRILLING MEATS

Outdoor grilling is a popular cooking method, primarily because of the wonderful taste it imparts on meats. It can also be a healthy alternative to other cooking methods, because some of the meat's saturated fat content is reduced by the grilling process. However, grilling also presents a health risk. Two separate types of carcinogenic compounds are produced by high-temperature grilling:

• heterocyclic amines (HCAs)
  HCAs form when a meat is directly exposed to a flame or very high-temperature surface. The creatine-rich meat juices react with the heat to form various HCAs, including amino-imidazo-quinolines, amino-imidazo-quinoxalines, amino-imidazo-pyridines, and aminocarbolines. HCAs have been shown to cause DNA mutation, and may be a factor in the development of certain cancers.
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
  PAHs form in smoke that's produced when fat from the meat ignites or drips on the hot coals of the grill. Various PAHs present in the resulting smoke, including benzo[a]pyrene and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, adhere to the outside surface of the grilled meat. PAH exposure is also believed to be linked to certain cancers.

HCA and PAH content in meats can be dramatically reduced by slight alterations in your grilling method. In particular, the following practices will reduce the amount of HCAs and PAHs formed:

1. Select leaner meats.
   Leaner cuts of meat are less likely to drip fat on the grill and produce PAH-laden smoke.
2. Marinate meats before grilling.
   Researchers have determined that marinating meat prior to grilling, even for just a few minutes, can reduce HCA formation by 90% or more. It's believed that the marinade forms a protective barrier for the meat juices that prevents the HCA reaction from occurring.
3. Grill at lower temperatures.
   Lower temperature "roasting" also greatly reduces HCA formation.
4. Prevent flare-ups.
   Flames from grill flare-ups cause the formation of both HCAs and PAHs. Keep an eye on your grill and turn meats frequently to minimize the chance of flare-ups.
5. Don't overcook meats.
   While it's important to cook poultry and ground meats thoroughly, be careful not to overcook any meat. Well-done or burnt meats contain higher levels of HCAs than less cooked meats. For thicker cuts of meat, use a meat thermometer to measure doneness rather than just guessing.

How many calories do you need?

How many calories you should eat in order to lose weight depends on your size, activity level, and how fast you want to lose the weight.

The first step is to determine how many calories you currently burn over the course of a day, using the Daily Needs Calculator. Enter your age, sex, height, weight, and lifestyle (sedentary, some what active, etc.). You'll find some tips to help you select the appropriate activity level. There's also a place to enter in any additional exercise you might do.

Some important things to keep in mind:

1. This formula is VERY approximate. Don't be surprised if you lose weight little faster than the formula suggests at the very beginning of your weight loss program. You'll probably also experience times when you lose weight more slowly. Over time, it tends to average out.

2. Eating fewer than 1200 kcal a day for more than a day or two is not recommended without medical supervision.

3. Be patient. Although quick weight loss may sound desirable, slow, gradual weight loss (1-2 pounds a week) tends to be easier to do (you're not as hungry) and longer-lasting.

4. Increasing your activity and exercise level will increase your "maintenance" number. That means you'll be able to eat more calories and still lose weight.

“Simple” Ingredients May Be Trendy, but Not Necessarily Healthy

There is a hot new marketing trend in the food industry: simplicity. A slew of products in grocery stores are boasting that they contain just a few simple, all-natural ingredients. Problem is, those “simple, all-natural” ingredients are generally things that provide little nutritional value for their number of calories—and they include sugar, cream, flour, salt, oils, and butter.

I figure anytime a processed packaged food product markets the brand with squishy terms like simple, all-natural, naturally sourced, or wholesome, it’s necessary to look beyond the bold type on the package and go straight to the Nutrition Facts panel.

After all, if the product was qualified to make any real Food and Drug Administration–approved nutrient claims (such as, it’s rich in calcium, low in sugar, or high in fiber), then it would. Instead, many are using feel-good marketing terms that may make unsuspecting consumers think that the products might, well, be good for them.

This is where simple turns complex. Many of these foods are calorie- and fat-rich, sugar-filled snack foods, desserts, or other treats that should only be eaten on occasion. Remember, the fact that a food is made from simple ingredients that you can recognize doesn’t mean much nutritionally. (We all recognize sugar, lard, and salt, but we don’t wantthem to be the mainstays of our diet!)

And it’s not like I have a personal vendetta against simple foods; most things I eat are whole foods with few artificial ingredients. But that doesn’t mean that anything without chemicals or hard-to-pronounce additives makes my list.

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And most of my colleagues feel exactly the same way I do. According to Dallas-based nutritionist Jennifer Neily, RD, “Even though a product may only have a few ingredients, that doesn’t mean it’s healthy. A five-ingredient ice cream may still be loaded with calories and artery-clogging saturated fat, so you have to read the labels for the whole story.”

Here are three of the best examples of “simple” marketing that reveal a more complex nutritional picture.

Häagen-Dazs Five
This new ice cream brags that it’s “crafted with only five ingredients for incredibly pure, balanced flavor…and surprisingly less fat!” The ingredients for the ginger flavor include: skim milk (good), cream (not so good), sugar (eek!), and egg yolks (not great). A half-cup serving has 230 calories, 12 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat (that’s more than one-third of your daily limit), one-fourth of your daily cholesterol allotment, and 5 1/2 teaspoons of sugar.

Pillsbury Simply…Cookies
According to the brand marketers, these refrigerated gems “are made with the simple, wholesome ingredients you and your family know and love.” These ingredients are well known, yes, but not for being nutritional all-stars; they include refined wheat flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, and peanut butter.

I love a good cookie, but I don’t try to pass my homemade creations off as something nutritionally superior that I can feel good about eating. A puny 1-ounce serving of the Simply…Chocolate Chip variety will set you back 150 calories, and it has 8 grams of fat (3.5 grams of saturated fat) and 3 teaspoons of sugar. But there’s no appreciable fiber, whole grains, vitamins, or minerals, and that’s no nutritional bargain compared to other chocolate chip cookies.

Sara Lee Simple Sweets
At least frozen desserts don’t give any aura of health and wellness, so I’m going to give them a break. Anyone buying a frozen apple or cherry pie isn’t thinking about diet quality or calories. In fairness, what’s so simple about these desserts is that they go from freezer to perfect-pie-on-your-plate in five minutes. But a slice of cherry will still deduct 330 calories from your bank, not to mention the 16 grams of fat (about one-fourth of what you should have in a day) and 6 teaspoons of sugar.

Simple and smart for your health
How about including more truly natural, single-ingredient foods in your shopping cart the next time you visit your local retailer? Here is what’s on my shopping list today.

• Oats
• Wheat germ
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Raisins
• Olive oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Skim milk
• Coffee and tea
• Brown rice, couscous, and bulgur
• Ground turkey breast
• Eggs