Nutrition: Identifying Weight Loss Scams

Here at Hilton Head Health, we take a natural and personalized approach to weight loss and wellness. No short cuts, no diet pills, just hard work and results. However, we understand the that there have always been myths about nutrition and weight loss. The recent concerns about TV host and physician, Dr. Oz promoting “miracle” and “magic” weight loss products that had no scientific proof of actually working begs the question, how do we decipher the true from the false? We've created a list of 3 questions to ask yourself before you start a workout or weight loss program that will help you bust the myths and see right through the scams.

1. Does it seem too good to be true? If a pill or program is guaranteeing that you'll lose weight at an alarming rate without really exerting any effort what-so-ever, beware. This may just not bear any truth or produce any results.

2. Is it natural and healthy? Many diet pills are filled with unnatural chemicals, and unhealthy substances. When on the road to a healthier you, why be counterproductive by consuming an unnatural, unhealthy diet product?

3. Does it require me to eat well and exercise? We believe in taking a natural and healthy approach to weight loss and wellness by teaching our guests proper nutrition and exercising. At the end of the day, healthy eating and exercise is where real and long lasting results lie. Any other short term fix that doesn't require a healthy diet and moderate exercise is just that... short term.

We hope that you take these questions into consideration, and that they help you get one step closer to achieving your goals!

Nutrition: Men, Pay Attention to Live Longer

This week is National Men’s Health Week. The purpose of the week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men.

And boy do we need the help.

Women outlive men and have done so for many years. In 1920, women outlived guys by an average of 1 year; now it's 5 years. Why? According the Men’s Health Network – www.menshealthnetwork.org, men die younger from: heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many other chronic diseases. Probably because we are less likely to practice good health behaviors than women, more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors than women and are less likely to seek medical attention when we need to. In fact, men are 24% less likely to have visited a doctor in the last year; half as likely to make an appointment with a physician for preventative purposes and less likely to follow medical advice after a diagnosis.

The good news is that progress is being made, it wasn’t too long ago that women were outliving men by 7 years. But more can be done to narrow the gap even further. It starts, obviously, with practicing the fundamentals of good health - the things that have been the cornerstone of H3 since its inception:

• eating well,


• exercising regularly,


• sleeping well,


• managing stress,


• avoiding tobacco


• and drinking alcohol in moderation (for more specific guidelines, click HERE.)

But as men we have to do a better job of taking advantage of the health care system by following the recommended preventive and diagnostic screenings. Clearly, the sooner a condition can be identified, the greater the opportunity to manage it. For an updated list of screening tests and when men should have them, go to the Men's Health Network.

While this article is about men’s health, it affects women as well.  To quote Congressman Bill Richardson,

“Recognizing and preventing men’s health problems is not just a man’s issue. Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters and sisters, men’s health is truly a family issue.”  

Because men are less likely to take care of their health on their own, we need the help of the women in our lives. Theresa Morrow, from the support group, Women Against Prostate Cancer, put it this way,

“The role of women in keeping the men in their life healthy is invaluable. While it may pain you to nag your husband (or other men you care about) about one more thing, do it anyway. If you recognize unusual symptoms in your loved one, do whatever it takes to get him the help he needs; it may save his life."

Nutrition: How Much Is Too Much?

We are eating more than ever, studies suggest that we are consuming 200 to 400 calories more than 20 years ago.

The result: we have reached the highest rates of obesity in history.

Managing portions might be the most important thing you can do to more effectively manage your weight. But it’s not quite as simple as saying to yourself, you’re are going to eat less. Motivation and discipline are not enough. We have to understand why we are eating more before we can develop effective strategies to manage our caloric intake. There are many factors but according to Brian Wansink, Ph.D., professor of Psychology at Cornell University and author of the book, Mindless Eating, changes in our “food environment” such as: large portions in restaurants, easy and constant access to food, the increased size of plates/glasses/bowls that we put food on, as well as, bigger bags and boxes we buy food in all have contributed to us losing control over what reasonable portions should look like.

Here are a few strategies that can help you take back control of your food environment resulting in effective portion management.

Orson Wells once said, “My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for 4, … unless there were 3 other people." Little did he know how relevant his quote would become.

The Centers for Disease Control estimate the average restaurant meal is more than 4 times larger than in the 1950’s.

Not only are they serving us far more food, we are eating far more often than in the past. For some, cutting back on the frequency of eating out might be a good place to start. Restaurant meals tend to have 2 – 3 times the calories of home cooked meals; home cooked meals tend to be more nutritious, as well. For those who must eat out often or choose to,  here are a few tips that might help:

•      Split entrees and desserts with your partner or friend.


•      Ask that all sauces and dressing be brought on the side. That puts you in control of the quantity.


•      Look on the menu for “small” or petite” portions.


•      Ask for “half to go”. The server brings half of the meal to the table and boxes the other half for you to take home.


•      Pay attention while eating. Focus on eating slowly and mindfully. Mindful eaters enjoy their food more and are satisfied on smaller portions.


•      Eat your calories, don’t drink them. Caloric soft drinks and sweet tea add up, especially with “free” refills.


•      Have a healthy snack - a piece of fruit, small salad, etc. - an hour or so before you go out. It will take the edge off your hunger and make it easier to manage portions.

1. Invest in a new set of dishes. Plate size has increased significantly over the years. Dr Wansink’s research shows that people serve themselves 20 – 30% more food on larger plates than smaller. By having smaller plates (Wansink recommends 10 inch diameter plates,) you will  serve yourself less and not even know it. Bring out the fashionable larger plates if you want to when have guest over but for use your smaller plates for day to day use.

2. If plate size is important, not surprisingly, glass size is as well. We tend to pour more beverages into larger glasses than smaller ones. Use smaller glasses for juice and other caloric drinks. You can always pour a second glass if you really want one.

3. Buy snacks and treats in smaller containers. We tend to eat until the box or bag is empty, regardless of the size of the container. If you are snacking on one of your favorite treats, it’s easier to stop when a 1 ounce bag is empty, than to eat only 1 ounce out of a 6 ounce bag. While it might be a bit more expensive to purchase in smaller quantities, it will be worthwhile if it helps manage your portions more effectively.

3. Remember the phrase “out of sight out of mind”. How many times have you opened the pantry, refrigerator or freezer not thinking about a treat until you see it, then you can’t get off your mind? Keep those treats hidden away until you really want them.

4. When reading labels, pay particular attention to the serving size. If you just look at calories, fat, sugar, sodium and etc., without looking at serving size you can get far more than you bargained for. For example a typical convenience store may have 200 calories per serving but you may not realize that there are 3 servings in the muffin. It ends up being 600 calories not the 200 you assumed it was.

A box of candy at the movies might seem a good choice with only 150 calories per serving but unless you look, you might not notice that that are 6 serving in the box - a total of 900 calories.

5. When considering a treat,  ask yourself the question “Do I really want this?” or "Is it worth it?”.  To help you make an informed choice, keep in mind that we burn about 100 calories for every mile we walk .

That muffin referred to earlier would be the equivalent to 6 miles, the box of candy would be 9.

Recognizing how much effort is involved in expending calories might give you a little added incentive to limit those treats to a minimum.

Nutrition: 5 Keys to Unlock Nutrition for Women

I trust that all the mothers out there had a happy and healthy Mother’s Day! Mother’s Day is not only a time for moms to be honored, but it’s also great time for moms (and other women) to think about what you can do to stay healthy so you can enjoy life to its fullest. A balanced diet is the cornerstone for good health for both men and women. In fact according to Dariush Mozaffarian M.D., D.Ph. Harvard School of Public Health,

“Poor nutrition is now the # 1 cause of death and disability in the United States exceeding smoking by quite a considerable margin. Poor diet is now the single leading cause of poor health in the U.S.”

We all benefit from a balanced diet of plant based / non-starchy vegetables and fruit, whole grains, healthy fats, low fat dairy products and healthy protein sources. But women do have some unique nutritional needs. Here are some guidelines from the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to help women meet them:

1. Because of the risk of osteoporosis, all woman need to be concerned about consuming adequate calcium. If you are still in your 20's, you’re still building bone density; you still have an opportunity to build a strong skeletal foundation that will lower your risk for osteoporosis in the future. Getting enough calcium in your diet will not only help build strong bones but it is important for your muscles, nerves and your heart. Most women need about 1000 milligrams a day. The best sources include:

• non and low fat dairy products,


• leafy green vegetables,


• beans with almonds


• and canned salmon with almonds.

2. Keep in mind that in order to absorb calcium you must also have enough Vitamin D available. The RDA for Vitamin D is 600 international units (IU) for most women. For those in warmer climates, 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure 3 times a week may provide enough vitamin D. But if you live north of the Mason Dixon line, there may be several months out of the year that you may not be getting enough.

Unfortunately, Vitamin D is not very available in food so for some a supplement might be required. Many physicians recommend a supplement in the range of 1000 to 2000 IU. For specific recommendations, talk to your doctor or a registered dietician (RD).

3. Iron is another nutrient that women, especially those who are pre-menopausal, need to be aware of.

Iron is one of the keys to good health and energy in women.

Healthy sources of iron include:

• lean red meat, pork and fish


• kale, spinach, lentils


• and fortified breads and cereals.

The plant based sources mentioned are better absorbed when eaten with vitamin C rich foods.

4. Folic acid is another vital nutrient, especially for women of child bearing age. Deficiency during pregnancy can contribute to serious birth defects. To prevent these birth defects, adequate levels of folic acid must be present at conception. Since many pregnancies are unplanned and many women don’t know they are pregnant for several weeks, the March of Dimes suggests that all sexually active women of childbearing age (not only those trying to get pregnant) should be getting at least 400 micrograms of folic acid a day.

Folate (food form of folic acid) can be found in:

• citrus fruits,


• leafy vegetables,


• beans


• and peas.

Plus, folic acid is added to all grain products sold in the US. Yet, many health care providers still recommend supplementation to ensure adequate levels.

As women move into their 50's things begin to change due to menopause. Registered dietician, Jeannie Moloo, comments that, “Hormone fluctuations can be very dramatic, and with hormone fluctuations can come changes in metabolism.” As a consequence weight tends to creep on, especially in the belly. That risky belly fat is known to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. This is a time when portion control and maintaining a moderate exercise program is especially important.

5. As you hit 60 and beyond, protein and vitamin B12 require more attention. Adequate protein, about 6 ounces a day of a healthy protein from sources such as:

• fish,


• poultry and lean red meat


• eggs, beans, nuts


• and low fat dairy foods.

Those sources along with resistance exercise help to preserve the muscle that many tend to lose with age.

Vitamin B12, is important for cell health and nervous system functioning. It is available in animal products such as:

• meat,


• fish,


• dairy products


• and eggs.

But as we get older, our ability to absorb B12 is diminished. Ask your doctor or RD if you should consider supplementing with B12.

This Versatile Food Could Cut Your Calories by Two-Thirds

As some of you already know, the southeastern part of South Carolina (including Charleston, Beaufort, and Hilton Head) is known as the Low Country. The Low Country is known for its beaches, golf and our favorite local food, shrimp. If you  have seen Forrest Gump, you  know that shrimp is an incredibly versatile food. Shrimp is not only popular in the Low Country; it has been, since 2001, the most consumed seafood in the United States. But is shrimp as good for you as it tastes?

In a recent article in the Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter,  Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, Director of the HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at Tufts University, commented that it can be. “Shrimp is a lean source of high quality protein”. It is relatively low in calories and extremely low in saturated fat.

If you were to substitute shrimp for the equivalent amount of steak or cheese you would cut your calories by almost two thirds and your saturated fat by more than 90%. It is also very low in mercury making it appropriate for pregnant woman and children.

Unfortunately, because of its low total fat content, it is also low in healthy Omega 3 fats.

Historically, the biggest concern about shrimp has been its relatively high content of dietary cholesterol. With almost 110 milligrams per 3 ounce serving, shrimp is twice as high in cholesterol than steak. Fortunately, researchers now know that blood cholesterol is influenced to a much greater degree by saturated fat than the cholesterol in food. So including shrimp regularly, especially if substituted for higher saturated fat foods, would be a good thing. The American Heart Association recommends anyone with high LDL cholesterol and taking cholesterol lowering medications, should limit their dietary cholesterol to 200 milligrams per day.

Of course another major influence on the health impact of shrimp is how it is prepared. They can be boiled, steamed, grilled, baked or sautéed. Click here for some of our shrimp recipes. Lichtenstein recommends they are best when added to a stir fry with lots of veggies, or to a lightly dressed salad rather than to cream sauce based dishes. Although very popular, breading and deep frying turns shrimp into high calorie junk food.

More than 90% of the shrimp consumed in the US is imported. Due to different standards in different countries, there is a concern that some of the shrimp may be less safe for consumers and methods used in harvesting them may create some environment concerns. The Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter suggests that if you are concerned about buying shrimp that is good for you and the environment, you should follow these recommendations from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Shrimp safe for purchase are:

• Black tiger shrimp (Southeast Asia, especially CaMau, Vietnam, farmed using Selva Shrimp criteria – but not other imported black tiger or tiger shrimp.)


• Freshwater prawns (US farmed)


• Pink shrimp (Oregon, wild-caught)


• Pacific or West Coast white shrimp (US farmed in fully  recirculation systems of inland ponds)


• Spot Prawns (Canadian Pacific, wild caught)


• Wild caught Northern or Bay shrimp (from the Atlantic)


• Spot prawns (Canadian Pacific, wild-caught)


• Gulf Shrimp (which may be marketed as Brown, Pink, White, Rock or Ebi Shrimp)


• Shrimp from Thailand (farmed in fully circulating systems.)

Nutrition: Taking a Multivitamin

 



Nearly 40% of American adults regularly take a multivitamin/mineral supplement, spending billions of dollars every year. If you are one of them, are you getting your money’s worth? Most recent studies, including two that were published in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine in December, would suggest not. Neither study found any benefit nor in fact an editorial published along with the articles proclaimed, “Enough is enough; Stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements.”  In February, the U.S. Public Health Services Task Force, an independent group of health care experts who develop recommendations for primary care physicians and health systems, reported that there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against the used of multivitamin/mineral supplements. Stephen Fortmann, MD, of the Kaiser Center of Health Research, lead author of the report, was quoted in the New York Times as saying that consumers may be ‘throwing their money away.” And some studies have not only shown no benefit, but potential harm from multis.

Based on the current information, you should obviously stop wasting money by purchasing supplements, right? To quote a popular college football analyst, "not so fast my friend.” According to the Harvard School of Public Health’s online resource, the Nutrition Source, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/, a daily multi might be beneficial. They agree of course that the best way to meet your nutrient need is to eat a healthy well balanced diet but for those who don’t, a multi can help fill in the gaps. As far as that study suggests this increased the risk.  The Nutrition Source stated that those studies were flawed; looking at all of the evidence, the potential health benefits of taking a standard multivitamin seem to outweigh the risks.  In addition, in the May 2014 issue of the University of California Wellness Letter, it was mentioned that several groups of people including women who may get pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, strict vegetarians, and people on prolonged low calorie diets would likely benefit by taking a multivitamin.

If you chose to take one, the Wellness Letter say that it need not cost more than a few cents a day. Store brand and generics are usually as reliable as brand name products. For added insurance look for supplements that are USP Verified (see the graphic below). When it comes to vitamins and minerals, more is not better. Look for one that keeps to around 100% of the RDA’s a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Nutrition: Label Makeover

The bad news for me is that I am going to have to revise my portion control class; the good news for you is that the food labels are going to become less confusing.  One of the topics that I usually spend at least a few minutes on during the portion control class is the importance of checking out the serving size, and the portions per container on food labels.  As we have discussed in the class the serving size listed on the label is often much smaller than the amount that people actually consume, even for products that appear to be a single serve size. For example, a typical convenience store muffin might have a seemingly reasonable 200 calories per serving, but a close inspection with a magnifying glass would reveal that the muffin has 3 servings, 600 calories not the assumed 200 calories. And how many of you actually get 4 servings out of a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, as the label suggests you should.  According to the FDA, the proposed changes to the serving size requirements will go into effect in about 2 years (the FDA moves slow, but at least I have plenty of time to work on my presentation)   The changes reflect how people eat and drink today  rather than how much the FDA thinks you “should” eat. That 20 ounce vending machine soft drink will be labeled as 1 serving not the 2 and ½ that it currently lists. The muffin discussed earlier would be labeled as 600 calories.

In addition to adjusting serving sizes they will be making a few other changes as well.  The revised labels will specifically list “added” sugars, making it easier to know if you exceeding the American Heart Association’s recommendation to limit added sugars to 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men. In addition, for the first time potassium and vitamin d will be listed, two nutrients that Americans tend to be deficient in.

Since the labels were last revised 20 years ago, these changes should make it easier to make informed choices when checking out food labels.

Below is a video explaining the new label.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/02/27/fda-nutritional-label-changes.cnn.html

Wellness Wednesday: The H3 Plate

In 1992 the Food Guide Pyramid was released with much fanfare. It was supposed give people a simple picture of what a healthy diet should be.  Consumers found it anything but simple, and in fact it created more confusion than guidance. So in 2011 the USDA’s food pyramid was replaced by a plate.  The change made sense, as Marion Nestle, Ph.D. professor of nutrition at New York University put it, “we are people, we don’t eat pyramids, and we eat off of plates.”  Most found the new MyPlate a vast improvement over the pyramid. H3 agrees.  MyPlate is much easier follow, and clearly communicates the message we should be consuming a plant based diet with an abundance of vegetable and fruits, moderate amounts of grains and protein sources.

While the MyPlate was big step in the right direction, H3 felt there was more room for improvement. So we are happy to announce the release of the new H3 Plate, a visual guide to healthy eating. The H3 Plate provides a more complete picture and is more specific in its recommendations for attaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few key points that distinguish the H3 Plate from the USDA’s MyPlate.

The MyPlate is divided into four categories, Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, and Protein; H3’s also has four categories but emphasize Non Starchy Vegetable, Whole Grains, Healthy Proteins along with fruits.

Like the MyPlate, the H3 Plate recommends that vegetables and fruits make up half of the total plate.  We make the important distinction between non starchy vegetables and starchy ones; the USDA version groups them together.  H3 specifically recommend the consumption of at least 3 servings of non starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, green beans, summer squash, carrots etc.) a day. There is no limit, the more non starchy veggies the better. Starchy vegetables (potato, sweet potato, beets, winter squash) are encouraged in moderate consumption and are included as part of the whole grain group.

Both versions of the plate recommend the daily consumption of fruit. The USDA version allows fruit juice to count as a part of the fruit group. While small amounts of fruit juice is acceptable, the H3 Plate recommends the consumption of while fruit to meet the recommended intake. Whole fruits provide more fiber, are more filling and satisfying than juice.

MyPlate  recommends at least 50% of the grains you consume be whole grains. 50% is better than none but that still allows for a significant intake of refined grains within the guidelines. H3 encourages the consumption of grains as well but encourage they all be whole grains. Whole grains provide fiber and important nutrients lost in the refining process. We have also included other healthy sources of carbohydrates including legumes, and starchy vegetables in this category.

Rather than having its own group, as it does on MyPlate, H3 included dairy as a component of two groups.  Beverages and Healthy Protein, we recommend 2 servings per day.  Because of their versatility legumes are also listed in two groups, Whole Grains and Healthy Proteins.

The H3 Plate has a sidebar that complements the main message of the H3 Plate.  Acknowledging the importance of healthy fats and oils, beverages, and flavor enhancers such as herbs, spices, vinegars and salsas to add boldness with less sodium.

Finally the H3 plate recommends a 10” plate. Plate size does matter, the larger the plate we use, the more we serve ourselves. Research suggests that a 10” plate, as compared to the standard 11 – 11 ½”,   is the optimal size.  Using a smaller plate is a simple subconscious way to curtail overeating.

H3 Plate

Is Sleep Deprivation Weighing You Down?

One of my earlier blog posts was recently referenced. It was entitled The Weight of Sleep Deprivation and provided some insight into the relationship between sleep deprivation and weight gain. It also provided some excellent resources for those you want to take some steps to improve the quality of your sleep. The resources are still current, and after seeing how the evidence continues to accumulate strengthening that association, you may want check out that post again.

As mentioned in the previous post, two hormones that influence appetite, leptin and ghrelin, are very much influenced by sleep deprivation. The quick review is that we want our leptin level appropriately high because leptin suppresses appetite, and we want our ghrelin low because it stimulates appetite. A University of Chicago study found that participants who slept only 4 hours for 2 nights had an 18% decrease in leptin and a 28% increase in ghrelin—resulting in a 45% increase in appetite, in particular for high refined and calorie dense foods.

Two studies presented at Sleep 2012: Associated Professional Sleep Societies 36^th Annual Meeting, suggest sleep deprivation selectively and significantly impairs brain activity in the frontal lobe, a region critical for controlling behavior and making complex decisions such as what and how much to eat.

Not only would you gain weight as a result of the extra caloric intake, a study at Wake Forest University suggests that sleep deprived people gain more of the risky belly fat.

Common sense says this but Obesity Source at the Harvard School of Public Health reports that people who are sleep deprived are more tired during the day and less likely to participate in physically active activities. They also spend more time watching TV and pursuing other sedentary activities. As one of my favorite quotes from James Loehr says...

Let’s stop for a moment and review. Studies now show that people who are sleep deprived have significantly increased cravings for high calorie foods, have impaired activity in very part of the brain that might help them resist those craving, if they over eat, more fat is stored as dangerous belly (visceral) fat; and as a result being tired or exhausted, the last thing you feel like doing is exercising or preparing a healthy meal for that matter.

It should, therefore, that a study presented at the American Heart Association’s 2012 Scientific Session found that sleep deprivation had a tremendous impact on caloric intake. Researchers studied 17 healthy, young men and women for eight nights, with half of the participants sleeping normally and half sleeping only two thirds their normal time. Participants ate as much as they wanted. The sleep deprived group consumed an average of 550 additional calories a day. That’s right, 550 calories a day! Another study published in the journal Obesity Reviews, found that compared to those who got 7-9 hours of sleep nightly, those getting 6 hours were 27% more likely to become obese—and those getting 5 hours or less were 78% more likely to become obese.

It is time to acknowledge that sleep is not a luxury, but an essential component of a healthy, weight maintaining lifestyle.

If you'd like to sign-up for our weekly e-mail, simply type your e-mail address in the 'Living the Healthy Lifestyle' box on the homepage sidebar and hit 'submit'. Just like that, you'll start receiving a weekly message from Hilton Head Health with current health information, specials and news updates on the happenings at H3!

Wellness Wednesday: Drinking Alcohol, The Health Pros and Cons

 



H3′s very own, Bob Wright, was featured in an article on grandparents.com.  This is a GREAT read outlining the health effects of drinking alcohol.  “Resolve dissolves in alcohol.” Grandpa Bob Wright gives advice to his fellow baby boomers!  Awesome article, Bob!!   Click the link below and share with your family and friends

http://www.grandparents.com/health-and-wellbeing/health/drinking-alcohol

 

Book Review: Month of Meals

The American Diabetes Association has published a new and improved version of their popular book series Month of Meals. We started carrying the original series of the books in the Fit Shop in the late 1990’s and did so for many years.  Each book in the series provides recipes for 30 breakfasts, 30 lunches and 30 dinner.  All of the meals were designed to be nutritionally compatible, you could mix and match any breakfast with any lunch and any dinner. Making it not only a healthy recipe book, but an clever menu planning tool as well.  We carried the books in the shop  for many years until the books became dated and better resources were available. Now, it’s back and better than ever. The new updated edition, based on  latest nutritional guidelines for diabetes, has 167 breakfast, 167 lunches and 167 dinners, over 300 snack options and again compatible with each other .  Together there are over 4,500,000 daily menu combinations. (Give me a call when you have tried them all) The recipes are simple, healthy, tasty and most importantly it takes the guess work out of meal planning.

The basic meal plan; breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks, totals about 1500 calories, but it can be adjusted down to 1200 or up to 2100 calories. While the menus are designed specifically for those with diabetes, they are appropriate for anyone looking for healthy recipes.

Nutrition: Adding Nuts and Avocados

Two food foods often vilified during the low fat diet days were nuts and avocado.  Their high fat and high calorie content dieters often discouraged their consumption.  However, more recently, since they are both excellent sources of “good” fats, they are popular again and should be included as a part of a healthy diet.  Specifically, nuts and avocados are rich in healthy monounsaturated oils, which have been shown to lower the risk for cardiovascular disease.  Research for the positive attributes nuts add to a diet is so strong, that Jeffery Bloomberg, a professor of Nutrition at Tufts University in Boston and one of the world’s authority’s on antioxidants, commented that “it really is at a point now where I think there is a large body of evidence and is – I would even say – a consensus of nuts being a healthful food choice if consumed in reasonable amounts.”

However, because of their high caloric content, some weight conscious dieters have continued to shy away from nut consumption.  Two recently published studies by the same researcher, Dr. Joan Sabat’e, chair of the Department of Nutrition at Loma Linda University in California, suggests that not only can nuts and avocados be included in a healthy diet; they might actually help people manage their weight. The first study, published in the online medical journal PLOS ONE, confirmed that those who ate the most tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, pistachios and walnuts) about an ounce a day, had a lower risk for cardiovascular disease.   He found that they also had a significantly lower risk for obesity than those who consumed fewer nuts.  Please keep in mind that an ounce a day is still a relatively small amount of nuts, amounting to a small handful for most people.  If you get too liberal with your intake, the calories will begin to add up.

The second study, published in the Nutrition Journal, found that those who that consumed half a fresh avocado (125 calories) with their lunch, reported a significantly decreased urge to eat for as long as 5 hours after, compared to those who had a standard lunch with no avocado.  The addition of the avocado helped to stabilize blood sugar, ultimately helping to manage hunger.  This was a very small study, and funded by the Hass Avocado Board, but Dr. Sabat’e commented that “this leads us to believe that avocado’s potential role in blood sugar management is worth further investigation.”

For those who have been avoiding nuts and avocado, now might be the time to begin to incorporate them in back in to your diet in moderate (the amount mentioned above) amounts.  My favorite way of incorporating avocado in my diet is with one of H3’s recipes. It is a very simple salsa recipe and is absolutely delicious.  Enjoy!

Trio Huevos Avocado

Ingredients:

Avocado, pitted, cubed/diced          2 cups

Tomatoes diced                                   1 cup

Red Onion, finely diced                      2 T.

Cilantro, fresh chopped                     1 T.

Lime Juice, fresh                                  2 T.

Salt                                                          ¼ tspn.

40 calories per 4 T.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; allow flavors to marinate for at least 15 – minutes before serving.

It is a great dip for cut veggies or pita chips, and topping for potatoes, eggs, and salads.

Will store safely in the refrigerator for up to a week, but will start to turn brownish in a couple of days. You can delay the browning process by covering tightly, keeping the pit in the salsa and adding a little more lime juice from time to time.

Make Healthy Choices Easy with the "Unwise, Better, Best" Jingle

For most of you, the phrase “unwise, better, best” is not new but if there is ever a time to apply it, it is during the holidays. For many, it is unrealistic to attempt to stay on an aggressive low calorie plan in the midst of travel and holiday parties. This is a time to give yourself a little more flexibility than usual. If you have a treat, make sure you eat it slowly and mindfully and savor every last bite. When out to dinner, at a cocktail party or looking over the choices available at the holiday buffet, categorize the options into “unwise, better or best.” The goal is make better choices than you may have made in the past; not necessarily the best, but consistently better. To help you remember the phrase, and apply it, Hilton Head Health has put it on refrigerator magnets and t-shirts. Now, we have one more way to help make this phrase stick in your mind.

Those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting and working with David Chesworth is also a musician and a song writer and has written a little ditty about the “unwise, better, best” dieting principle.

It is very catchy and in fact hard to get out of your head once you hear it. David is not only a song writer, but also a video director. So along with Greg Moore (video producer) they have produced H3’s very first music video, and here it is. Enjoy it and let us know what you think.

Have a very happy, healthy holiday season.

Unwise Better Best

 Written by - David Chesworth

Inspired by - Bob Wright

Verse:

When Life gets ya down

Because ya gained a few pounds

And ya ask yourself…

What should I do?...

You’ve tried all kinds

Of diets that worked for some time

But in the end…

ya don’t have a clue

Bridge:

If only there were somethin’ easy

Like a word, a mantra, or a phrase

to remind ya when you’re feelin’ lazy

You will succeed, when I say….

Chorus:

Unwiiiiise    betterrrrrr    best

Just make good choices

And life will take care of the rest

Unwise better best

Just make good choices

And life will take care of the rest

 

Wellness Wednesday: American Heart Association New Guidelines

It's been 15 years since the American Heart Association last issued their guidelines on weight management.  The newest revision, released just last month, announced that losing weight is a battle best fought with the support of others, the advice of experts and a healthy well-balanced approach.  Hilton Head Health pioneered these principles over 37 years ago.  It's about time the rest of the world started closing the gap.

We continue to push the envelope.  We've introduced new culinary classes, home coaching programs and soon each guest will be equipped with the most advanced activity trackers to increase motivation and accountability.  I'm proud to say H3 is still the leading innovator in creating healthy lifestyles.

The new guideline outlines the “gold standard” for a weight management program as one that offers an intensive on site program, behavioral coaching for diet, and exercise in a group or individual sessions with qualified health care providers.  The focus should not only be on weight loss, but on the skills necessary for weight maintenance.   Does that sound familiar?  It should, Hilton Head Health has been offering this type of program for nearly 4 decades.

The American Heart Association continues to use Body Mass Index or BMI as the main screening tool.  Treatment is recommended for those with a BMI of 30 or greater, or a BMI of 25+ with one additional comorbidity or risk factor. (The previous guideline required 2 comorbidities).  Comorbidities include; diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and a waist circumference greater than 40” for men and 35” for women.  The guideline does not endorse one specific diet but recommends that both personal preference and health status should be taken into consideration when determining the nutritional approach.  For me, one of the most significant and encouraging points made by the new guidelines is that “clinically meaningful health improvements can be seen even with a weight loss in the 2% - 5% range.”  For a 200 lb. person that translates to an achievable 4 – 10 lb. loss.

For those who want to review the guideline in their entirety click here.

Wellness Wednesday: diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s

The evidence has been accumulating for some time that diabetes is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.  A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that those who have pre-diabetes may be at an increased risk as well.  Prediabetes is defined as having blood sugars higher than normal, but not high enough for diabetes.  If you are fasting glucose between 100 mg/dl and 125 mg/dl or an A1C between 5.7% and 6.4%, you are among the 79 million Americans who have pre-diabetes.  Since there are no clear symptoms of pre-diabetes, most whom have it  are unaware.   In this case ignorance is not bliss.  According to Tammy Scott, Ph.D. a scientist at Tufts’ HNRCA Nutrition and Neurocognition Laboratory, “hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) in both diabetic and pre-diabetic states can promote inflammation in the lining of small blood vessels, leading to thickening and weakening of the vessel wall.  This type of cerebrovascular pathology plays a role in both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”

The good news is that for most people, it is possible to lower their blood sugar. Studies show that a diet rich in whole fruits (blueberries, grapes, apples, pears, bananas and grapefruit may be the best) vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein, along with moderate exercise (30 minutes a day 5 days a week) and modest weight loss (5 – 7% of body weight) is effective at bringing blood sugars down.  The Harvard Health Letter reports that taking a walk after a meal (sound familiar!) and even taking short but frequent walking breaks – as brief as 2 minutes every half hour, can lower blood sugar.

So while moderate changes can translate into significant benefits, it is hard to get motivated about something you unaware of.  If you haven’t had you blood sugar checked in a while, talk to your doctor about getting it checked, the sooner the better.

Nutrition: Tips to Boost Metabolism Naturally

If you are serious about boosting your metabolism, get serious about building some muscle. Muscles are the driving force behind your metabolism. Muscles are metabolically active, so the more you have, the higher your metabolic rate. Make sure to add some resistance (strength training) exercises to your program. You can lift free weights or use weight machines, do weight bearing calisthenics like pushups and squats, or use resistance bands.

This is especially important as we get older. Starting about age 35 – 40 we tend to lose muscle as we age, as a result, our metabolic rate drops. While maintaining or building muscle is the most important thing you can do boost your metabolism, it certainly not the only thing you can do. Each of the following tips have been shown to raise metabolism:

1. When you drink water, make sure it is cold. Researchers have found that that the body uses energy to warm the water.

2. Have smaller, more frequent meals. Each time you eat, your metabolic rate increases. If you divide a day’s worth of calories into 4 or 5 meals instead 2 or 3, the sum of those metabolic increases will be slightly higher.

3. Take a leisurely walk after a meal. When you eat, your metabolic rate goes up and when you walk, your metabolic rate goes up as well, so when you do them together it goes up a little more.

4. Drink a few cups of green tea per day. The combination of caffeine and other phytochemicals in tea a give your metabolic rate a boost.

5. If you like your food spicy, use hot peppers liberally. Capsaicin, the phytochemical in hot peppers that gives them their heat, can rev up your metabolism as well.

6. Make your exercise a HIIT. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and for those who are fit enough and motivated to do it, you get an extra post-exercise burn as a result.

7. Be sure to consume high quality protein sources. Protein from fish, poultry, lean beef, and pork, eggs, nuts, legumes, and low or nonfat dairy foods is essential for preserving and building muscle. Also, make sure protein is part of your post work-out snack. A glass of skim or even chocolate milk or some peanut butter on a whole wheat sandwich gives your body what it needs to recover from a challenging workout.

8. Get 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation lowers metabolic rate and saps your motivation to do the muscle building resistance exercises emphasized earlier.

Wellness Wednesday: Diabetes Awareness Month

November is American Diabetes Month, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association (ADA); the goal is to raise awareness about this ever growing epidemic and its consequences. The prevalence of diabetes has doubled in the last 20 years (not so coincidentally the rates of obesity have double during the same time period) and most alarmingly are the developing diabetes cases in younger ages.  In fact, it is now estimated that 30% of children and teenagers who are being diagnosed with diabetes have type 2. Until recently Type 2 diabetes, formerly referred to as adult onset diabetes was unheard of in children and teenagers.

According to the ADA nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.  79 million Americans have prediabetes, putting them at a significant risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Prediabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels higher than normal but not yet diabetes.  Recent estimates suggest that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes by 2050.  Diabetes is a costly disease, in fact one out of every five health care dollars are spent caring for people with diabetes.

The consequences of poorly controlled diabetes are severe:

• Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke by 2 – 4 times


• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.


• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults.


• The rate of amputations for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than for people without.


• 60 – 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems.

For those with diabetes, proper care and management can significantly reduce the risk of developing the above mentioned complications.  Talk to your doctor or certified diabetes educator to make sure you are doing everything you can to manage your diabetes.  If don’t already have diabetes, you have a great chance of prevention.  According to Walter Willett M.D., 92% of the cases of type 2 diabetes could be avoided by diet and exercise.  Even those who are at the greatest risk of developing diabetes because they currently are prediabetic can dramatically lower their risk.   Walking 30 minutes a day 5 days a week, eating a healthy plant based diet and modest weight loss can help in prevention.

For more information check out the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org or www.stopdiabetesnow.com.

Coaching Corner: Persistence

 

The obvious goal that most people have when they start a weight management program is to not only lose weight but keep it off.  Unfortunately, the reality is that they gain some, if not all of their weight back.  When this pattern repeats itself over time it is referred to as yo-yo dieting, or weight cycling.  There is a common misconception that this pattern can lower, if not “destroy” your metabolism; making future weight loss difficult if not impossible.  If you believe that you have destroyed your metabolism as a result of previous dieting behavior, you might assume that you can’t lose weight, so why try?  The good news is that according to the National Institutes of Health’s, Weight Control Information Network (WIN), studies show weight cycling does not affect your metabolic rate.  Results for the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), a data base of 10,000 successful maintainers support those findings. The participants of NWCR have lost on average 50 – 70 lbs. and maintained that weight loss for 7-10 years.  Most of the participants had lost and regained weight many times prior to successfully maintaining their weight.  While no one is suggesting it is a good idea to lose and regain weight repeatedly, studies have shown that it does not predict your chance of success in the future.  One common characteristic of the members in NWCR is that they didn’t give up working on managing their weight.  They kept at it, learned from their experience and finally found a plan that worked for them.  In other words, they were persistent.   For those of you who are successful in managing your weight, congratulations, keep up the great work!  For those who have found that goal elusive, do not give up.  Weight management can be compared to many aspects of life; it’s not the one that gets it right the first time, it’s the one who does not give up until they got it right.

As you may know, I am a big fan of quotes.  Sometimes the right quote can help keep or regain focus. Here some great quotes about persistence.

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”     Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”  William Feather

“Ambition is the path to success.  Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”  Bill Bradley

“It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t stop.”    Confucius

“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.”   Gena Showalter

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”   Thomas Alva Edison

“Fall seven times, get up eight.”   Japanese Proverb

Wellness Wednesday: Breast Cancer Awareness

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.   According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States.   By the end of 2013, an estimated 232,340 women (and 2200 men) will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and nearly 40,000 will die from it.  The good news is that in the last 20 years much progress has been made.  In fact since 1990, breast cancer death rates are down by 34%, and there are now nearly 3 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.  Survivors are living longer and healthier lives than ever before.

Unfortunately so much more can be and must be done.  There is reason to be optimistic; the advancement of treatment for breast cancer has improved.  We have a better understanding about what the risk factors are and what can be done to prevent it.  There is a persistent belief about cancer in general and particularly that breast cancer is caused by genetics or just plain bad luck.  While both certainly play roles, much else can be done to reduce the risk.  One organization leading the way in cancer prevention is the American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR).  They focus primarily on the nutrition, weight and fitness relationship to cancer prevention.  The AICR estimates that 38% of all breast cancer cases in the US could be prevented.   86,000 women every year could be spared having to face breast cancer. The chart below lists major breast cancer risk factors; note that several items can be controlled by us.

Age: The   older you are, the greater your risk for breast cancer.	Alcohol:   Drinking alcohol – in any form – raises breast cancer risk.
Weight: Carrying   excess body fat increases risk for post-menopausal breast cancer.	Inactivity: A sedentary   lifestyle makes post-menopausal breast cancer more likely.
Family   History: Inheriting BRCA-1 or other “cancer genes” does increase risk,   but these inherited genetic factors are responsible for only about 5 to 10   percent of all breast cancers.	Breastfeeding: If you   give birth, breastfeeding your baby lowers your risk of both pre- and   post-menopausal breast cancers. Learn more about breastfeeding and cancer

 

The evidence continues to mount, just this month, researchers from the American Cancer Society found that walking 7 hours a week is associated with a 14% lower risk of developing breast cancer after menopause.   Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet high in fruits vegetable and other plant foods not only help you stay at a healthy weight, but may directly reduce breast cancer risk as well.

For more information on breast cancer awareness month check out the October 2013 Tool Kit for National Breast Cancer Awareness Week at http://healthfinder.gov/NHO/PDFs/OctoberNHOToolkit.pdf.

Coaching Corner: Blood Type Diet

Old diets never seem to die and one might be trying to make a comeback.  I hadn’t thought about the Eat Right for your Blood Type Diet in years, but a guest recently asked me if we recommended it, and it was featured in an article in the current Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter.  The book, written by Peter D’Adamo in 1997, encouraged people to eat certain foods and avoid others based on a person’s blood type.  It was a best seller at the time, and diets have a way of resurfacing so I wouldn’t be surprised to it gain popularity again.

The answer to her question is no we do not recommend it, and neither do most other health and nutritional professionals. Susan Roberts, PhD., director of the Tufts University HNRCA Energy Metabolism Laboratory says “There is really nothing scientifically supporting this idea.” John Foreyt PHD., weight management researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine, commented that “I know of no plausible rational behind the diet.” And finally a systematic review of the medical literature led by Dr. Philippe Vandekerckhove published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that “no evidence currently exists to validate the purported health benefits of blood type diets.”

We are constantly looking for a new way, a better way or even an old way, to solve this weight problem (by the way if the Blood Type Diet really worked back in 1997, there would be no reason for it to come back now.) Unfortunately, fad diets like the Blood  Type Diet have never worked in the long run and there is no reason to believe things will be different if it becomes popular again.