How to get started in healthy living — part 1

How to lead a healthy lifestyle

Never before has there been so much talk about healthy living. The newspapers are packed with stories about the latest dangers and hazards to our health — from mobile phones to sugar, mercury fillings to artificial sweeteners, and genetically-modified foods to noise pollution. The headlines can leave you feeling confused and overwhelmed — and above all, powerless.

But in reality, choosing to live a healthier lifestyle is a choice that any of us can make. It’s not about reacting to the latest scare story, banning certain foods or products from your life and adopting an extreme, all-or-nothing approach — it’s about balance and moderation. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being a little more health aware, and doing the best you can on a daily basis. After all, it’s not what you do for the next seven days that’s going to affect your health for the next seven years; it’s what you do for the next seven years!

The health jigsaw

You could view healthy living as a jigsaw puzzle — made up of many different pieces, all crucial to the finished picture — but all of different shapes and sizes. If one piece is missing entirely, the overall picture isn’t complete. For example, you could be a fitness fanatic who eats healthily and never drinks alcohol — but you haven’t found a way of coping with the high levels of stress your job brings — and you can’t remember the last time you went for a health check. Or you could be someone bursting with energy, who survives on four hours sleep a night, thrives on stress and never gets ill — but who lives on junk food and caffeine.

While there are quite obviously some pieces missing in these jigsaws, scenarios such as this are far from unusual. For example, while you may be debating whether to have your mercury fillings removed, are you taking the simple step of flossing daily to look after your dental health? As many as 23 per cent of women between 30 and 54 have severe gum (periodontal) disease, according to the American Academy of Periodontology, which, as well as being the leading cause of tooth loss, has been linked to heart disease, premature births and chronic inflammation in the body.

Big health issues

Evidently, we sometimes aren’t seeing the wood for the trees — we’re worrying about the little things (should I drink normal coke or diet coke?) while ignoring the bigger issues. According to the Sleep Council, for example, 20 million people in the UK — that’s roughly a third — don’t get enough sleep, and two thirds claim that stress is a major factor in their lives.

We’re missing a few jigsaw pieces on the healthy diet front, too. While the UK’s average daily fruit and vegetable intake is three pieces — significantly less than the minimum recommended intake of five per day — research from the Office for National Statistics shows that 17 per cent of adult women drink over the recommended 14 units per week, while over a third of men drink above recommended levels.

But while we are glugging down the booze, many of us aren’t drinking enough water. Research by the Lucozade Sport Science Institute found that around 50 per cent of people hit the gym in a dehydrated state — (and that’s before they’ve even started their workout!). At least they’ve managed to get to the gym, though —56 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women aged 16 to 54 in the UK fail to reach the recommended levels of physical activity for health benefits. While 10,000 steps per day is the Holy Grail — sufficient to reduce you risk of heart disease, aid weight loss and improve musculoskeletal health — a report in the journal Sports Medicine found that less than 5,000 is more typical for the average Brit.

A positive attitude to healthy living

 Fascinatingly, our health isn’t just about what we do with our lives, it’s also about how we think, too. In 2002, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the United States found that optimistic people decreased their risk of early death by 50 per cent compared with those with a less positive outlook. How? The researchers speculate that it’s likely to be to do with pessimists having a greater risk of future problems with their physical health, emotional stress and career achievements — along with possible changes in their immune systems.

With the wrong outlook, you could see the healthy living jigsaw as an overwhelming, unachievable challenge. How can you possibly manage to put ticks in all those ‘health’ boxes? But look again, and you’ll see that the fact that there are so many pieces means that there are countless ways you can make small changes in your life, which will have a big impact on your health and How to get started in healthy living — part 2 shows you how to do exactly that …

http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/how-to-get-started-in-healthy-living-part-1/

Miracle foods: a special report

“Curry could save your life.” “Beetroot can fight dementia.” “Asthma risk linked to burgers.” Every day there’s a new crop of seemingly life-changing headlines about how the food we eat affects our health.

Food stories are one of the most common topics that Behind the Headlines covers, accounting for about one in five of our appraisals. Often, news stories have claimed that foods can offer remarkable health benefits, such as fighting disease or slowing ageing.

Our special report: Miracle foods: myths and the media (PDF, 2Mb) looks at some of the foods that regularly appear in the news and examines whether the reports match the scientific evidence behind them.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/02February/Pages/miracle-foods-special-report.aspx

Healthier takeaways

Takeaways are often cheap, convenient and satisfying but, unfortunately, they're not always very healthy. 

Some takeaway meals can push you over your recommended daily maximum amount of salt and fat, which can lead to a variety of health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Some takeaways and restaurants now list calories on their menus, which lets you opt for something with fewer calories.

Below are some tips on foods to avoid and healthier options when ordering your favourite takeaway.

Fish and chips

There are lots of ways of making your trip to the chippy a healthier one. Have a portion of baked beans or mushy peas with your fish and chips. Watch out for other foods that are high in fat, such as pies and sausages.

The thicker the chips the better because they absorb less fat. Try to have a smaller portion or share your chips. Ask for your fish and chips without salt – if you want some salt then add a small amount yourself.

Don't eat all the batter around your fish because it soaks up a lot of fat. If available, have fish coated in breadcrumbs as it soaks up less fat.

Fish and chips that are cooked in oil at the right temperature taste better and absorb less fat. So watch out for soggy batter and chips because this is often a sign that the oil wasn't hot enough.

• Try to avoid: thin-cut chips, pies such as cheese and onion or steak and kidney, jumbo sausages.
• Healthier options: fish coated in breadcrumbs, mushy peas, thicker-cut chips without salt.

Italian

If you're having pizza, choose lower-fat toppings, such as vegetables, ham, fish and prawns. You could ask for some extra veg on your pizza to bump up your daily fruit and veg portions. But if you don't want to increase the saturated fat content and number of calories in your meal, don't ask for extra cheese.

With pasta dishes, if you want a lower-fat option then go for a sauce that's based on tomatoes or vegetables rather than cream.

If you're having a starter or a dessert then you could go for a smaller main meal such as a starter-size pasta with a side salad – Italian restaurants often serve two sizes of pasta dishes.

Rather than garlic bread, which often contains a lot of butter (and is therefore high in fat), you could try bruschetta, which is a tasty ciabatta bread toasted and topped with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

• Try to avoid: large deep-pan pizzas, pizzas with the crust stuffed with cheese, triple cheese with pepperoni pizzas, creamy pasta sauces, garlic bread.
• Healthier options: small or medium pizza with a thin base and vegetable or lean meat topping, tomato-based pasta sauces, bruschetta.

Chinese

Anything that’s battered or marked as "crispy" on the menu means it’s deep fried. Watch out for starters such as prawn crackers and spring rolls because these are generally deep fried. Anything in batter will be high in fat. Sweet and sour pork is usually battered.

Steamed dishes are the best option, but stir-fries are fine because they're usually lower in fat and include vegetables.

• Try to avoid: sweet and sour battered pork balls with special or egg fried rice, prawn toast, spring rolls.
• Healthier options: crab and corn soup, steamed dumplings, steamed vegetables and plain boiled rice, steamed fish, chicken chop suey, Szechuan prawns.

Thai

Try to stick to stir-fried dishes or steamed dishes containing chicken, fish or vegetables instead of curries.

Thai curries, such as the popular green and red curries, contain coconut milk, which is high in saturated fat. If you choose a curry, try not to eat all the sauce. Have some steamed rice with your meal instead of egg fried rice.

• Try to avoid: fried rice, fishcakes, spring rolls, prawn crackers, satay skewers with peanut sauce and sweet and sour dishes.
• Healthier options: clear soups such as tom yum, salads, stir-fried meat, fish or vegetable dishes, steamed seafood dishes, such as fish or mussels.

Indian

Try to avoid anything that’s creamy or deep fried. To reduce the amount of fat in your meal, choose dishes with tomato-based sauces, such as tandoori and madras, plain rice or chapatti. Also choose plenty of vegetables, including lentil side dishes (known as dhal).

• Try to avoid: any creamy curries such as korma, passanda or masala with pilau rice, naan, bhajis, pakoras and poppadoms.
• Healthier options: tandoori or madras with chicken, prawns or vegetables, plain rice and chapatti.

Kebab and burgers

Doner kebabs can be high in fat. For a healthier option, go for a shish kebab, which is a skewer with whole cuts of meat or fish and usually grilled.

If you’re having a burger, avoid breaded or battered chicken or fish patties, extra cheese, bacon strips and high-fat sauces such as mayonnaise. Instead, go for a regular, single-patty hamburger without mayo or cheese and have with extra salad.

• Try to avoid: large doner kebab with mayonnaise and no salad, burgers with cheese and mayonnaise, thin-cut chips, chicken or fish patties deep fried in batter.
• Healthier options: shish kebab with pitta bread and salad, grilled burgers made from lean fish or meat (beef or whole chicken breast) and without cheese and mayonnaise.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/men1839/Pages/Dodgytakeaways.aspx

6 Healthy Old Wives’ Tales That Are Actually True

Grandparents love an old wives’ tale. ‘Starve a fever, feed a cold,’ ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ ‘eat your crusts – they make your hair curly!’ But how many of these are actually true?

We tend to take old wives’ tales with a pinch of salt – it’s only superstition after all.  But how many of us still reach for the chicken soup when we’re feeling unwell?

If you’re unconvinced that your Grandma’s words of wisdom hold any truth, these 6 tales will get you thinking.

Chicken Soup Helps Beat Sickness

They say it’s good for the soul, but can chicken soup really help fight a cold? Dr. Stephen Rennardfrom the University of Nebraska Medical Center believes so.

For centuries, it has been commended for its medicinal properties, without anyone knowing exactly why. Rennard conducted a study that compared the activity of white blood cells against infection, both with and without the presence of chicken soup. He concluded that it’s the anti-inflammatory properties found in chicken soup, which work to support the immune system and relieve cold and flu-like symptoms. 

More traditionally, soup offers the feel-good factor needed to recover from winter bugs. It’s warm and tasty – the perfect comfort food. Soup also keeps you hydrated and helps beat congestion, important factors when fighting a cold.

Carrots Help You See In The Dark

We can’t promise night vision, but this old wives’ tale isn’t as ridiculous as it first seems.  The myth was popularised back in World War II, when the British government published a press release to fool German officials. In it, they convinced readers that the Royal Air Force’s nifty night work was thanks to a high-carrot diet; that the carrots gave them superhuman seeing powers.

Jokes aside, there is some truth in what they said. Carrots are rich in vitamin A; an essential nutrient needed for healthy vision.  It helps protect the surface of the eye, reducing the risk of cataracts, glaucoma and degeneration.

Eating carrots increases your vitamin A intake and can therefore help you to see better in the dark. However, you can only see as much as humanly possible. No amount of carrots will enable you to see perfectly in complete darkness.

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

We’ve heard it time and time again, but does it actually mean anything? According to researchers from Cornell's Food Science and Toxicology Department in New York, apples are much more than a bite to eat. In a recent study, they found that one fresh apple contains ‘antioxidant properties equivalent to 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C’ - reaching the upper limit of your recommended daily allowance.

Vitamin C is key to strengthening the immune system, protecting against cardiovascular disease and maintaining a healthy glow. However, many of an apple’s nutrients are found in its skin, so don’t peel if you want to stay fighting fit.

Fish is Brain Food

Rumour is, eating fish can make us smarter – and it’s true.  Oily fish is packed with essential omega-3 fatty acids that promote healthy cognitive function and efficiency, in particular docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This acid plays a fundamental role in the development of nerve tissue within the brain.

By incorporating oily fish into a balanced diet, you can increase DHA levels and improve your memory/ brain performance over time. For the omega fats to work most effectively, aim to broil or grill the fish.

Parsley Cures Bad Breath

If you’re partial to a coffee or two, you might want to try shopping for parsley – it’s a natural way of dealing with bad breath. Chewing a small handful of the herb helps to neutralise toxins and keep any bad smells at bay.

Alternatively, if you don’t enjoy the taste of parsley, take your pick from other leafy greens, like peppermint and sage. These are also rich in chlorophyll; a compound packed with the anti-inflammatory properties needed to banish bad breath.

High in antioxidants, parsley deodorises the damage left by food and drink – leaving you with lovely, fresh breath that your friends will appreciate.   

Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day

Sometimes busy schedules don’t leave us enough time for breakfast – you’re lucky if you grabbed a coffee! But neglecting this first meal of the day can be more damaging to your diet than you realise.

As the name says, breakfast ‘breaks-the-fast,’ providing much-needed nutrients after a long night’s rest. It restores glucose levels, improving focus and concentration, and gives you the carbs needed to work at your best. Ultimately, this meal is a vital source of energy; without it, you’re running on empty.

Instead of having an extra 10 minutes in bed, get up and prepare yourself a healthy, hearty breakfast that sets you up for the day ahead.

https://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/6-healthy-old-wives-tales-actually-true-090000218.html

5 A DAY on the go

If your life keeps you on the run – working late, travelling often, always busy – it might seem hard to make sure you eat enough fruit and vegetables. But by making a few easy changes, you can fit 5 A DAY into even the busiest schedule.

When you eat out, it can be hard to know exactly how much, if any, fruit and veg is in your food. For example, fast-food meals often contain less fruit and vegetables (and more fat, sugar andsalt) than the meals you'd cook for yourself.

All that can mean trouble when it comes to getting your 5 A DAY. But a few easy habits and a little planning ahead can help you increase the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat.

Adding a 5 A DAY portion

Dietitian Azmina Govindji has helped many time-pressed professionals fit 5 A DAY into their lifestyle.

"Changing your diet is a matter of acquiring a new habit," she says. "When you eat out or eat a ready meal, you're less in control of what's going into that food. So get into the habit of asking: what can I do that will add at least one portion of fruit or vegetables to this meal?"

For example, if you have a ready meal for dinner (ideally this will only happen occasionally as many are high in fat and salt), add some vegetables on the side, says Azmina.

"It can be as simple as opening a can of sweetcorn to put on the side. Just remember your question: 'What can I do to add a portion of fruit or vegetables?'"

Once you get into that habit, says Azmina, you'll find it can be applied in many different situations.

5 A DAY at breakfast

You could slice fruit over your cereal or just grab a banana before you leave the house. If your breakfast is scrambled eggs, add some mushrooms or tomatoes.

5 A DAY snacks

Take apples, clementines, pears or satsumas to work to snack on. Or why not have some carrot or celery sticks with reduced-fat houmous? This requires a little forward planning. Think about what you want to take to work and buy it the next time you do your shopping.

5 A DAY at a sandwich bar for lunch

Can you add extra salad to your sandwich, roll or baguette? And have some fruit or a fresh, unsweetened 100% fruit juice for dessert.

5 A DAY in a restaurant

Can you order a starter, side vegetable or salad, or add an extra ingredient – to a pizza for example – that will count as one portion? Check the menu for starters and sides, and don't be afraid to ask if the chef can add steamed vegetables to a dish or fruit to a pudding. Instead of ordering chips, ask for a fresh salad or some roasted vegetables.

Find out more about healthy eating out.

5 A DAY when ordering a takeaway

How can you add a portion to a takeaway? If you have a Chinese takeaway, for example, add stir-fried vegetables. When ordering a pizza, ask for extra mushrooms on top to help towards your 5 A DAY. If you're having a curry, order a side vegetable dish.

Be aware that some vegetable dishes may be high in fat. Dishes that come in a tomato or vegetable-based sauce are usually lower in fat than those in cream or cheese-based sauces. Steamed vegetables are normally lower in fat than fried vegetables.

Most takeaways and other fast foods contain high levels of fat, salt and sugar, so only have them occasionally or in small amounts as part of a balanced diet.

Find out more about healthier takeaways.

5 A DAY when eating out

Why not order a salad filled with a variety of vegetables for your main course, and ask for either a lower-fat dressing or for the dressing to be on the side so you can add less?

How will you add one portion of fruit and vegetables to food on the run? Make that question part of your daily routine and you'll soon hit your 5 A DAY target.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/5ADAYontherun.aspx

Type 1 Diabetes: Scientists Step Closer To A Cure

An accidental drug discovery could be the answer to preventing and curing type 1 diabetes, as scientists embark on new trials to find out if a blood pressure drug will work for other illnesses

A drug normally used for blood pressure, heart complaints and migraines could hold the key to curing type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 is the genetic strain of the disease, as opposed to type 2, which is more common (90 per cent of diabetes patients in the UK have type 2).There are around five million diabetes sufferers in the UK, 10 per cent have Type 1 (REX)

Type 2 diabetes is caused by lifestyle factors such as being overweight, and in many cases can be managed or even reversed by lifestyle changes. But because type 1 is caused by the body's failure to make insulin, it needs to be treated medically.

Currently there is no cure or prevention for type 1 diabetes. Instead it's managed with careful monitoring and reactive treatment. But unexpectedly, research into the drug Verapamil, has given scientists hope that a more effective treatment could be in sight.

Insulin is a protein that we need to keep our blood sugar level stable. It works by enabling sugar in the blood stream to enter cells where the body can use it as energy.

When you eat, the food is broken down into sugars, which enter the blood stream, raising our blood sugar level.

When this happens, a signal is sent to the pancreas, telling the cells to make insulin. It does this and releases it into the blood stream, where the insulin unlocks pathways into the cells for the sugar to be absorbed and used. This in turn lowers our blood sugar level.

Diabetics need to regularly test their blood sugar levels and inject insulin if required.

Tests on mice and on human cells have shown that the drug could help reduce the amount of a protein called TXNIP in the body, which has been found to thwart pancreas cells when they try to make essential insulin.

The next step in the research is for the team at The University of Alabama in Birmingham, US, to begin conducting human trials. They've been given a grant of $2.1million over the next three years to investigate.

It's an exciting development because this type of treatment has never been tried before and could be the key to helping the body's own cells to make the insulin it needs, returning it to normal function.

The drug could also potentially be used to treat more extreme cases of Type 2 diabetes, where lifestyle changes have failed.

https://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/type-1-diabetes--scientists-step-closer-to-a-cure-135149095.html

5 Scary Health Conditions Your Dentist Can Spot

[Rex]

“It’s becoming clear that we need to consider integrating oral and general health care,” says Steve Offenbacher, D.D.S., director of the Center for Oral and Systemic Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “The oral cavity is the mirror to the rest of the body, so we can pick up on systemic problems by simple dental examinations.” In other words, the state of your smile may shine a light on the rest of your body — sometimes even before other symptoms show up.

Case in point: Offenbacher once told a middle-aged patient he suspected she was pregnant, based simply on the redness of her gums. “The next week, she came back and said, ‘I went to the doctor, and yes, I am pregnant!’’ he recalls. In that case, Offenbacher was the bearer of good news, but not all of the secrets your mouth may reveal are so positive. Your teeth may also provide clues about these five health-threatening conditions:

Diabetes

Your dentist isn’t just worried about how white your teeth are. In a 2014 study, nearly two-thirds of dentists said they’d refer a patient with periodontitis (inflammation around the gums) for a diabetes evaluation. Why that’s a good thing: “Diabetes is not only a common problem, but it’s also highly under-diagnosed,” says Offenbacher. Read: Lots of people have diabetes and don’t know it, which means adding your dentist to your team of health detectives is a smart idea.

So what’s the dental-diabetes link? High blood sugar may be as damaging to your oral health as the sweet stuff in a can of soda. That’s because the condition can cause dry mouth, which increases plaque build-up, making people with uncontrolled diabetes more prone to dental problems.

“[Periodontal disease in diabetics] is usually severe for their age or for local factors, meaning they have pretty clean mouths, but they still have a periodontal problem,” says Offenbacher.

Two common oral signs of diabetes: multiple abscesses on the gums and bad breath. “It’s kind of a sour fruit smell,” Offenbacher says. “It’s ketones — metabolic products associated with poor glycemic control — in their bloodstream that you can smell.”

[Rex]

Heart disease

Your teeth may reveal what’s going on with your ticker. A 2007 study review found that people with periodontal disease are significantly more likely to develop heart disease than folks with good oral health. Among people who have both diseases, “if the periodontal disease is treated, the heart disease is greatly improved,” says Marjorie Jeffcoat, D.M.D., a professor and dean emeritus of dental medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

The common thread? Inflammation. “When you look in a patient’s mouth and you see chronic inflammation, you know that it’s creating systemic stress,” says Offenbacher. 

Although there are no dental red flags specific to heart disease, “more severe periodontal disease is strongly associated with heart disease risk,” Offenbacher says. Signs include loose, shifting, or missing teeth, and increased probing depths, where the pockets around the teeth have deepened.

Dementia

Can tooth loss indicate memory loss? In recent British research, a lack of teeth was associated with mental decline, while a 2012 study found that older adults with poor dental hygiene were 76 percent more likely to develop dementia. This is a relatively new area of research, which means the link between the two isn’t entirely clear, says Jeffcoat. However, a small 2013 study detectedPorphyromonas gingivalis — a bacteria associated with gum disease — in the brains of people with dementia, suggesting that it may play a role in the inflammation associated with cognitive decline.

You expect your dentist to flag cavities, but did you know your drill-wielding doc might also be able to spot trouble that extends well beyond your pearly whites?

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis won’t cause your teeth to decay — but your dentist may be able to spot bone loss in the surrounding structures, like the jaw, with digital X-rays, says Jeffcoat. Normal, healthy bone should be dense both at the edges and in the interior, and when that’s not the case, “the patient is more likely to have osteoporosis,” she explains.

In fact, in a 2013 study in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, the thickness of postmenopausal women’s jawbones — as measured with a panoramic X-ray — was correlated with the bone density of their spine. This means that dentists could potentially diagnose osteoporosis, which often goes undetected until a fracture occurs, in its early stages, the scientists say.

Acid reflux disease

You may feel heartburn most intensely in your chest, but its effects may be most obvious in your mouth. If you have acid reflux disease, the constant uprising of stomach acid could wear away at the enamel on your teeth, says Jeffcoat. “You’ll usually see it in the lower front teeth,” she says. “You’ll see erosion of the teeth — they get thinner. You can’t miss it.” Another sign you may be suffering from acid reflux disease: You have a persistent sour taste in your mouth, she says. 

In a 2008 study review, researchers found that about a third of adults with dental erosion also had gastrointestinal esophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Keep in mind, this erosion can happen even in the absence of chest pain — that is, you may have reflux without knowing it, until your dentist points out the damage to your choppers. 

https://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/5-scary-health-conditions-your-dentist-can-spot-140548144.html