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Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter September 1, 2002 Issue Vol. 2 No. 12 In This Newsletter Introduction*** The Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter is written monthly, solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers and anyone who may have an interest in staying healthy, living a vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. It does not constitute the practice of medicine and is not meant to prescribe treatments. It is offered strictly as an educational aid. Any medical problems you may have, we recommend that you seek the help of your physician or other healthcare professional. Discussing your intentions with your doctor is always the proper procedure. The newsletter also includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive material on the Internet. You may wish to share this newsletter by sending a copy to a friend, neighbor or relative and suggesting they subscribe to it. Website: http://www.doctorsexercise.com How to subscribe: Click Newsletter on left menu at website for more info and to subscribe or browse directly to: http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/dsenews E-Mail address: newsletter@doctorsexercise.com Healthfully Yours*** Dieting Dilemma!! Have you gone by one day without having heard about what your diet should be? I know I can’t listen to news broadcast, read a newspaper or a magazine without some new diet being suggested that will make me the healthiest individual in the universe. The greatest controversy seems to be whether we should reduce our intake of carbohydrates and increase our proteins, or reduce our proteins and increase our carbohydrates. For a great many years our Government has advocated the use of the food pyramid, but I have to wonder how many people have used it to follow a sensible diet? Seeing all the new diets and theories on dieting leads me to believe that a great majority have not adhered to it. For the past two years, researchers at the University of Miami have had programs that are addressing this dilemma as to what the ratio of carbohydrates to proteins, or, proteins to carbohydrates should be and which would be the best for your health. This research will be continued throughout the following year. There are also others who are conducting similar research. Until more definitive information is found, we can still eat a healthy diet. Using common sense in managing your diet should still be the number one priority on your diet list. We do know that eating a high protein diet; especially animal fats and dairy products can increase the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A diet high in carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates increases the glucose in the blood, which in turn can increase the production of insulin. An over production of insulin affects the body’s ability to cope with glucose uptake and the result is a condition known as hyperinsulinemia. This condition can lead to a progressive array of additional problems. These problems can be ongoing as one will lead to another. To name a few, there can be a risk for many types of cancer, high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), cardiovascular disease, arterial disease and kidney disease. Knowing what foods to eat and what foods you shouldn’t eat are of course of the utmost importance and are the starting point in eating healthy. There are also several tips that will help the individual maintain a healthy diet. Remember, when we discus a healthy diet, we are not discussing weight loss or weight gain. Our aim is maintaining a slim normal weight without going overboard, and yet staying healthy. To accomplish this, knowing what your calorie intake should be is extremely important because an excess of calories will certainly add to an increase in your weight. There is a simple formula to determine the ballpark amount of calories an individual should have. A moderately active man should multiply his weight (lbs.) by 19. The result is the amount of daily calories he should have. A moderately active woman should multiply her weight by 17. The result is the amount of calories she should have. Another simple method for men and women both, would be to multiply their weight (lbs.) by 10, then add 50 percent more of the number obtained to determine your daily calorie intake. Very active athletes can increase their calorie intake by 50 calories for every 2.2 pounds of body weight. Following the above rule will maintain a stable weight throughout your lifetime. To lose weight you should reduce the normal calorie values by 500 calories daily. At the beginning this can take off one pound a week until the body metabolism is stabilized and then the weight lose will not be as much. However, there will be a weight lose that will take longer, and that should prove more healthful in the long run and almost insure that the individual will be able to maintain this weight loss. Staying healthy means eating the right foods to satisfy the body’s needs for the normal daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals should of course include the antioxidants and amino acids needed for the healthy body. To learn more of the tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, read on in the health hints below. Health Hints*** If you are overweight, you must concentrate on losing that extra weight. However, it should be a gradual loss. Unless you are morbidly obese, do not let losing this weight become an obsession. Following a healthy diet and exercising will help you reach your goal. A goal, of losing even one pound a month is not unrealistic. That would be a weight loss of twelve pounds for the year, which may seem trivial. However, if you are twenty pounds overweight, this weight can be very important for your overall health. Slowly losing the weight in this fashion can almost guarantee that the weight will be kept off, which is usually not the case when using an extreme diet. . The portions you eat are of the utmost importance as well. A portion is a half cup of chopped vegetables, a medium size piece of fruit, and a portion of meat or chicken approximately the size of your fist. Eating five portions of fruits and vegetables during the day is not a difficult task when you start with breakfast, which of course you should. Add fruit to your cereal, and you have started on the necessary portions. A piece of fruit at lunchtime, and you are halfway there. Another piece of fruit for a midday snack and fruit for an after dinner desert and you will have met your daily requirement. Simple isn’t it? Just vary the fruits you eat thus giving you a variety of the necessary vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Eat vegetables, that are deep in color, The deeper the color, the higher the nutrient content will be. They should be a deep green, deep yellow and a bright orange. 5. You should also add nuts and grains to the diet, preferably low in sugar and vitamin and mineral enriched. Start your day as mentioned above with a multi-grain, low sugar, or no sugar added cereal, enriched with vitamins and minerals, and one or two varieties of fruit. 6. Snacking during the day can be a piece fruit, carrot and or celery sticks. Nuts can also be a healthy snack during the day, and you can add a handful of raisins to the nuts. A few snacks during the day can be good for you. It will keep you from being ravenously hungry at dinnertime, thereby reducing a tendency to overeat. 7. Eating out can be as treacherous as going through a minefield. Most restaurants serve portions of food that is much too large for the average individual. Don’t feel that you must clean your plate because the food is there. Don’t keep eating until you feel stuffed and bloated. Eat half the portion and don’t be ashamed to have the rest packed to take home for another meal. After all you did pay for it. 8. Shopping for your food at the Supermarket can be another minefield to traverse. First and foremost, do not go shopping when you are hungry. This can result in a tendency to buy the wrong kinds of food. Do not buy any foods without first reading the labels to check on their fat content (and the kinds of fat), the amount of sugar and the salt content. You can learn more about how to read the food labels by checking out the “Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter” dated, September 15, 2001, Issue Vol. 1 No. 4. Learning about the different kinds of fats is very important for your health. 9. When you eat fruits and vegetables you are getting foods that are low in calories. They are also abundant in the “antioxidant” vitamins and minerals. Antioxidant vitamins and minerals play an important role in preventing cell damage that can lead to developing cancer and coronary disease. These vitamins are A, C, E, and the mineral selenium. By serving these fruits and vegetables without oil, butter or salad dressings you are reducing the added fat and calorie content. Eating these fruits and vegetables will tend to slow the oxidation process that affects the cells. It is much like slowing the rust process of metals by applying oil to them. 10. Most people have foods that they will crave. For example “chocolate” is a food that is often craved. Do not deny yourself this simple pleasure, however, do not overdue it. Having a piece of cake or pie once a week should not make you feel guilty. When you do, just make the effort to eat healthy the rest of the week. 11. Another important aspect of our diets should be fiber. Unfortunately most people do not think of adding foods that are high in fiber to their diets and consequently the average individual will not be getting enough fiber in their diet. It is recommended that 20 to 30 grams of fiber be added to your daily diet. Fiber is found in whole grains, fruit, vegetables and beans. 12. And another very important point in staying healthy as you keep to your healthy diet is exercise. By exercising on a daily basis, the individual who has lost weight on their healthy diet will have a much better chance of keeping that weight off. 13. And last, you must remember to stay properly hydrated. You should drink water and not carbonated beverages. Drink the water at room temperature and sip it slowly. Drink at least 32 to 48 ounces. When you exercise, it is permissible to drink a sports beverage such as Gatorade. It will help restore the electrolytes lost due to excessive perspiration. Staying hydrated will aid in the burning of fat, and helps to keep the weight you lost from returning. It will help avoid muscle cramps. It flushes the kidneys and eliminates toxins, while preventing kidney stones. It maintains regularity, keeping stools soft, encourages bowel movements and prevents constipation. The bottom line is using our common sense when maintaining a healthy diet. There is no need to go overboard with any diet. Using the tips above will keep you on track. Doc Cane Copyright, Disclaimer, and Trademark information Copyrightă 1997-2002 Emanuel M. Cane. All rights reserved. Except stated below, this material or parts thereof may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed by any means whatsoever without explicit, written permission from the author. ************* You may circulate copies of the Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Newsletter by Manually forwarding it, providing you forward the issue in it’s entirety, no fee is involved, and you may forward no more than three issues to any one individual. You may not attach advertising or otherwise modify the text of the newsletter. |
