A great article shared for Keloland.com -
Keep in mind that taking fish oils is also a great way to improve your heart health.
SIOUX FALLS, SD - Former President Bill Clinton is adding attention to the possible link between a vegan diet and heart disease.
Clinton has a history of heart problems. He says after a second heart procedure last year, he decided to cut out animal products entirely. The former meat lover now says he's a vegan, which means he doesn't eat anything that comes from an animal.
Dietitians at Avera Heart Hospital say they don't usually recommend a vegan diet for those fighting heart disease because it can be difficult to get the needed nutrients and vitamins, including calcium, iron and B12.
"You could develop deficiencies of B12, which is only available through animal foods. A vegan diet restricts all animal foods, including dairy foods, eggs, milk, yogurt, all those foods," Registered Dietitian Joanne Shearer said.
Instead, Shearer recommends a Mediterranean Diet, which allows meat, such as fish, poultry and extra-lean red meat. The focus is on fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and also includes healthy oils and dairy foods. With fewer restrictions, it may also be easier to maintain.
"This is a style of eating that is very easily adaptable to the typical, average American's food choices with some modifications, and it also has very good evidence to support that it's actually a very good way to eat to reduce your heart disease risk," Shearer said.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Backpacks: Chronic Pain Waiting to Happen
As a physical therapist, my job isn't just to treat my patient’s injuries. I've also got to advise them on how to avoid similar injuries in the future. A good physical therapist doesn’t just heal – they prevent. So when I see kids walking around my neighborhood with these great, heavy backpacks that look like they’re filled with rocks, I can’t help but see a chronic back problem waiting to happen.
Backpack misuse is nothing new. I actually remember slinging mine around on one shoulder. But kids today carry more, and new research is revealing this to be a more serious issue than anyone imagined.
I know that backpacks big enough to stuff your child’s whole room into are popular, but they’ll regret it in a few years. Improper use of backpacks can lead to lower back pain, poor posture, spinal distortion, knee problems and even poor breathing patterns. Thousands of children are treated every year by physicians and physical therapists for such injuries, and an increasing number of kids in their late teens are presenting with posture and muscle issues thanks to years of incorrect backpack usage.
Here are some guidelines you can use to make sure your child is using theirs correctly:
If you want to make sure your child stays free from back pain in the future, make sure you buy them backpacks that are appropriate for their body size, and talk to them about good backpack posture today. They might not like having to wear theirs properly, but they’ll thank you later when they can stand up straight and bend over without groaning.
Backpack misuse is nothing new. I actually remember slinging mine around on one shoulder. But kids today carry more, and new research is revealing this to be a more serious issue than anyone imagined.
I know that backpacks big enough to stuff your child’s whole room into are popular, but they’ll regret it in a few years. Improper use of backpacks can lead to lower back pain, poor posture, spinal distortion, knee problems and even poor breathing patterns. Thousands of children are treated every year by physicians and physical therapists for such injuries, and an increasing number of kids in their late teens are presenting with posture and muscle issues thanks to years of incorrect backpack usage.
Here are some guidelines you can use to make sure your child is using theirs correctly:
- A backpack's weight should not be more than 10-15 percent of your child’s own body weight.
- The contents should be organized so that your child doesn’t have any odd lumps or protrusions pressing into his or her back.
- Heavy items should be placed closer to the spine to reduce the leverage and effective weight.
- Packs should not be dropped below the waist.
- Waist straps should be worn, and the shoulder straps should be adjusted for the best fit.
- Good posture should be promoted at all times, whether your child is wearing a backpack or not. This means learning to walk with the head up, the stomach in, and the back as straight as is comfortable.
If you want to make sure your child stays free from back pain in the future, make sure you buy them backpacks that are appropriate for their body size, and talk to them about good backpack posture today. They might not like having to wear theirs properly, but they’ll thank you later when they can stand up straight and bend over without groaning.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Cavemen and Weight Loss
I was a courageous fool last month. I took my daughters camping. One adult, two kids, one boat ride, too much gear, an island off the coast of Southern California – I was outnumbered.
The trip was spectacular. But so much of camping is about food. Eating it, preparing it, carrying it, putting it away out of the reach of marauding raccoons, cleaning it up.
When we think about anxiety and obsession in modern terms, it’s about thinking about something all the time, allowing it to preoccupy you.
Many people who are trying to lose weight are like that – they think about their next meal, portion sizes, hunger. Cavemen, though concerned with survival, had to have been the same – where would they get it their food? How would they share it? How would they prepare it?
The campsite I found myself at was interesting. In order to get to the town where supplies like water could be had, it required a one-mile round-trip hike, includng a half-mile uphill. Making a fire was no small task, the site was perched on a bluff above the sea, and the winds all but blew away many of my attempts to ignite the tinder. Between carrying water, building fires, hiding food, retrieving food, and cleaning up afterward – meals required an epic, 2-3 hour aerobic workout. I burned more damn calories fetching water than I did eating the beans.
And perhaps that is the balance that our evolutionary predecessors were able to achieve. Maybe they achieved a perfect balance between calories in and calories out. When a 1000-calorie salad can be had in 15 minutes via a waiter and a credit card (sadly, we pat ourselves on the back for eating that salad while some burgers would have had less calories) – it’s too easy to eat badly.
Many of us may remember childhoods during which refrigerators were smaller, grocery shopping for fresh ingredients was done more frequently, and less prepared foods were available. Cooking was an effort.
Obviously, today, the right answer is somewhere between slaying and skinning our own dinner and grabbing dinner from the drive-thru. But, I must say my days on that lovely island brought me back to basics. Me and my girls are now spending more time cooking basic food in basic ways, expending effort in the kitchen, and burning calories while making calories. I am eating out less than ever and finding that maintaining a healthy weight has never been easier.
So, treat your kitchen like a campsite, and see where it gets you. Instead of obsessing about portions and calories – make cooking an adventure.
Happy trails.
The trip was spectacular. But so much of camping is about food. Eating it, preparing it, carrying it, putting it away out of the reach of marauding raccoons, cleaning it up.
When we think about anxiety and obsession in modern terms, it’s about thinking about something all the time, allowing it to preoccupy you.
Many people who are trying to lose weight are like that – they think about their next meal, portion sizes, hunger. Cavemen, though concerned with survival, had to have been the same – where would they get it their food? How would they share it? How would they prepare it?
The campsite I found myself at was interesting. In order to get to the town where supplies like water could be had, it required a one-mile round-trip hike, includng a half-mile uphill. Making a fire was no small task, the site was perched on a bluff above the sea, and the winds all but blew away many of my attempts to ignite the tinder. Between carrying water, building fires, hiding food, retrieving food, and cleaning up afterward – meals required an epic, 2-3 hour aerobic workout. I burned more damn calories fetching water than I did eating the beans.
And perhaps that is the balance that our evolutionary predecessors were able to achieve. Maybe they achieved a perfect balance between calories in and calories out. When a 1000-calorie salad can be had in 15 minutes via a waiter and a credit card (sadly, we pat ourselves on the back for eating that salad while some burgers would have had less calories) – it’s too easy to eat badly.
Many of us may remember childhoods during which refrigerators were smaller, grocery shopping for fresh ingredients was done more frequently, and less prepared foods were available. Cooking was an effort.
Obviously, today, the right answer is somewhere between slaying and skinning our own dinner and grabbing dinner from the drive-thru. But, I must say my days on that lovely island brought me back to basics. Me and my girls are now spending more time cooking basic food in basic ways, expending effort in the kitchen, and burning calories while making calories. I am eating out less than ever and finding that maintaining a healthy weight has never been easier.
So, treat your kitchen like a campsite, and see where it gets you. Instead of obsessing about portions and calories – make cooking an adventure.
Happy trails.
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