Category Archives: Diet And Food

There are some common-sense things you can do to fight memory problems. Not surprisingly, they involve diet, exercise and maintaining overall good health.

Studies have shown that exercise helps generate new brain cells in the temporal lobes, the data banks in the brain that store memory, according to Palm Beach Gardens neurologist Dr. Michael Tuchman.

There also are other factors that might affect all forms of dementia. They are high blood pressure, eating foods that are high in cholesterol, and diabetes, which is known to be a risk factor, even for Alzheimers itself, Tuchman said.

We know that if you eat smart less fat and more fish and if you exercise, your likelihood of expressing dementia, even of the Alzheimers type, is somewhat reduced.

You might delay the expression of the disease by a year or a year and a half. And thats a good thing, because thats another year or a year and a half that you have a quality of life.

Daily consumption of berries especially blueberries and strawberries has been linked to preventing dementia, according to Dr. James Loomis, medical director of the Barnard Medical Center in Washington. The center is associated with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an organization that promotes a plant-based diet as a way to avoid many types of illnesses.

Blueberries have been associated with lower risk of dementia across the board, Loomis said. Its an extremely potent antioxidant.

While its difficult to prove cause and effect with diets, population studies comparing one group to another suggest there might be some validity to the connection between diet and dementia.

Women who consumed at least one serving of blueberries and two servings of strawberries a day slowed the rate of cognitive decline by as much as two years, Loomis said.

Staying intellectually engaged is another benefit.

The only way we learn something and retain it, is by making connections between neurons thats how memory works, Tuchman said. The more you put into the bank in the beginning, the more you can afford to take something out and still have something left over.

He said hes often asked if doing mental exercises delays the onset of dementia.

I think as long as you stay intellectually engaged it doesnt matter what you do. Theres no evidence that one is better than something else. When youre not intellectually engaged, that seems to produce a worse outcome.

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Diet, exercise can fight memory problems - Palm Beach Daily News

Evolving trends dietary guidelines, moving to new plate visual by Rupa Nallamothu | Apr 10 2017 | 10 hours ago

The food pyramid, a product of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, represents the optimal number of servings per day from each of the major food groups. The government uses the food pyramid to communicate healthy eating guidelines to families, children and adults. The U.S. Departments of Health and Agriculture collaborate to produce the guidelines, which have changed over the past few years.

Within USDA, the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is the lead agency that manages the process with support from the Agricultural Research Service, professor of medicine Anna Maria Siega-Riz said.

In 2011, MyPlate replaced the original food pyramid structure with a diagram of a plate separated by food group. MyPlate currently serves as the the basis for federal food and nutrition policy, with the new diagram enabling guidelines to focus on each consumer individually.

The change from the food pyramid to MyPlate marked a shift from a nutritional diet to a personal approach. Instead of referring solely to serving sizes, appropriate proportions of each food group are outlined in relation to that of the other groups.

Food groups represented in MyPlate include grains, fruits, vegetables, protein and dairy. For women 19 to 30 years old, the diagram recommends two cups of fruit, six ounces of grains, two and a half cups of vegetables, five and a half ounces of protein and three cups of dairy products daily. The dietary recommendations for men in this age group are similar, requiring only an additional ounce of protein and grains and an additional half cup of vegetables.

The guidelines specify that the grains group should be further divided into whole grains and refined grains. Based on the diagram, refined grains intake should be limited to half that of whole grains. Furthermore, the consumption of saturated fats should be limited to less than 10 percent of total daily caloric intake

Disagreements between consumers or industries and the government often arise relating to the guidelines endorsement of certain foods. In 2015, when the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee almost did not endorse red meat as part of the healthy diet, the meat industry came into conflict with the DGAC.

There was a strong political backlash from the meat industry [in 2015], led by the North American Meat Institute, which also strongly opposed the DGAC recommendation to take environmental sustainability into consideration when making dietary recommendations. Ultimately these sustainability provisions were not included in the final Guidelines, Politics Prof. Paul Freedman said.

The DGAC puts out healthy eating recommendations with the intent of helping individuals achieve and maintain a healthy weight, decreasing the prevalence of diseases and promoting an increased level of health for everyone two years and older.

The food pyramid was the governments translation of the Dietary Guidelines into actionable consumer messages that [are] crucial to help individuals, families and communities achieve healthy eating patterns, Siega-Riz said.

The primary purpose of food diagrams is to prevent disease. Specifically, the guidelines seek to prevent diet-related chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and obesity.

The guidelines are reevaluated every five years. Since the guidelines are based on nutritional science and surveys of the population, the DGAC publishes reports based on their research findings and justifying the information within MyPlate. Currently, guidelines focus on eating patterns due to recent research suggesting most Americans do not consume a diet reflecting the DGACs recommendations.

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Bringing an individualized approach to diet - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

Eunice Mesick-Local Columnist

You may say I dont have time to exercise. Or you may say I dont want to exercise. Take a look at some of the benefits of exercise.

Hi, this is Eunice from Diet Center.

Research has shown that even a little weight loss resulting from exercise can result in significant health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and better blood sugar control. The loss could be such a small amount that you dont have to see any significant physical changes. Researchers are also looking at how the small loss helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

What researchers are finding is that a modest loss in weight from exercise comes from fat lost under the skin, as well as loss of intra-abdominal fat. One study, in which participants lost a modest average of 3 pounds after joining an exercise program, showed that the participants lost 7 percent of their intra-abdominal fat. This amount of fat loss around the bodys internal organs is what can significantly benefit a persons health.

So try not to become discouraged if you have started an exercise program and the weight is not coming off as quickly as you thought that it would. You can be losing a good amount of body fat while improving your health.

Please dont forget that muscle tissue is actually denser than fat tissue. Therefore, a mass of muscle takes up less volume than a mass of fat that is equal in weight. If you are exercising to lose weight, you may find yourself losing inches without losing any weight. In fact, you may even gain a little from losing fat because youre gaining muscle. Its hard to not be disappointed when the scale doesnt move, and youve been dedicated to an exercise routine.

This is why its important to not just rely on the scale as a measurement of your success. Instead, think about your energy levels and how they may have increased. Think if you have seen numbers like your blood pressure and your blood sugar coming down. Examine how your clothes are fitting you. Has the waist band become looser? Are your pants not as tight around your thighs as they once were? Losing inches is a good sign of progress.

Just because the pounds arent dropping, doesnt necessarily mean youre not burning body fat especially when you are exercising! So try not to lose motivation when you are losing inches, but not pounds. You are probably losing fat and getting fit. Remember, the key to long-term success is a good diet along with exercise, and Diet Center can help you with that.

Thank you for reading Diet Centers exercise tip of the week.

If you are struggling with weight loss please contact Diet Center today at 928-753-5066 or stop by 1848 Hope Ave.

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Diet Center's Excercise Tip of the Week: Big Benefits - Kdminer

Plant-based diets provide healthy, sustainable alternative by Ruhee Shah | Apr 10 2017 | 10 hours ago

According to a 2012 Gallup Poll, five percent of Americans self-identified as vegetarian and another two percent as vegan. While people may choose vegetarianism or veganism for a number of reasons, a study of vegetarianism by the National Institutes of Health revealed that people often choose the lifestyle for religious or ethical reasons, environmental concerns and the health benefits of a plant-based diet.

According to Melanie Brede, registered dietician in the Office of Health Promotion at Elson Student Health, there are a variety of health benefits associated with a well-balanced vegetarian or vegan diet, including reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the NIH states that vegetarian and vegan diets can lower the risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and certain cancers.

For example, a diet rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium and low in sodium is associated with healthy blood pressure, Brede said. Food sources of these nutrients include fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and low-fat dairy products. Additionally, it is helpful for cholesterol management to minimize saturated and trans fats and replace them with unsaturated fats. Replacing butter with olive oil, avocados and nuts is one way to do this.

However, Brede said a poorly-balanced vegetarian diet may be lacking in protein, calcium, vitamin B-12, vitamin D and iron. Vitamin B-12 is found only in animal products, so vegans are advised to take a supplement. Iron-deficiency anemia can also be a problem among vegetarians, since iron is more easily absorbed from meat products than plant products.

Vegetarians, especially females, would do well to have a medical check-up that includes checking iron status, Brede said. Iron-deficiency anemia causes fatigue and can be most effectively corrected with supplements. However, iron supplements are not recommended unless deficient, because excess iron is toxic.

In addition to being a healthy lifestyle choice, vegetarianism and veganism are also popular because of environmental benefits, which include a lower carbon and water footprint.

According to Reilly Park, member of animal rights CIO Animal Justice Advocates and fourth-year College student, choosing a plant-based diet is one of the most significant influences individuals can have on the environment.

Animal agriculture requires a massive amount of water, feed and transportation resources to meet the high demands of humans' dietary patterns which, as demand increases and the environment consistently becomes depleted, is unsustainable, no question, Park said. Cows produce 100 kilometers of methane each year, which is the equivalent to a car burning 235 gallons of gas. With that fact in mind, imagine how much less of a negative impact choosing plants over animals has on the environment with each meal.

Furthermore, Park said animals account for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, greater than the percentage associated with transportation.

In addition to carbon footprint, meat production also has a large water footprint. According to Park, beef production requires 1,847 gallons of water per pound of meat.

Environmental costs of meat production can extend beyond direct production costs as well. Runoff from animal agriculture productions can cause E. coli contamination of food and resulting E. coli outbreaks.

The runoff, much of which is feces from animals, as well as antibiotics given to them to sustain them in the abusive, putrid environments they subsist in, seeps into our drinking water, crops and overall environment which makes humans sick and damages ecosystems, Park said.

While plant-based foods may seem like the more sustainable option, soybeans the source of the major vegetarian protein tofu have a relatively high water footprint compared to other plants, according to The Water Footprint Network.

However, the environmental costs of such a high-impact plant product are still less than those associated with meat products, Park said. Animals carbon dioxide emissions and the additional environmental costs of growing animal feed contribute to the almost universally higher costs of raising animals as compared to growing plants.

Practicing veganism is about more than our tastebuds, Park said. When you choose to eat plants, you're choosing to protect the planet's water, air, soil, animals and your health.

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Benefits of vegetarian, vegan diets - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily

Sometimes called possum wood, persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) is a native plant in the Eastern United States. Growing wild since prehistoric times, Native Americans cultivated persimmons as a healthy addition to their diet.

Persimmons are high in vitamins A and C. Growing from southern Connecticut along the Eastern U.S. to Florida and west to Texas, Oklahoma and Iowa, the persimmon is an often-overlooked garden plant. In western Pennsylvania, cultivars such as Meader and Early Golden will produce well. Hybrids of American and Oriental mixes are becoming very popular.

The shriveled, orange, ping-pong ball size fruit, which is edible, is actually a berry.

It is loved by wildlife and is treasured for its intense flavor. The berries of American persimmons are delicious when ripe and soft. If picked too early, they are astringent. The Oriental persimmons, like Fuyu, with a slightly red-colored fruit, are fine to eat while still hard. This makes it a good choice for commercial growing, since it can be shipped without damage.

Persimmons are harvested in fall. Persimmons are nice to eat out of hand; no peeling necessary. They are delicious sliced, dried, or tossed fresh into salads. Their pulp can be used in baking or making puddings. Connoisseurs compare the taste to dates and sweet tomatoes. Some say its orange, seedless fruit reminds them of honey with a hint of citrus.

The hardwood of the persimmon is also called White or American Ebony. It is of value to craftsmen, and especially good for turning. The heartwood is thin and dark brown to black in color. The wide sapwood ranges from white to a pale yellow-brown, which darkens with age. The heavy wood has a straight grain, which makes it work well as a veneer.

Growing 30 to 80 feet tall, persimmons like well-drained soil. You have to be patient as it takes three to six years before you get fruit. Persimmons are dioescious, so you need both male and females plants for successful pollination. Both insects and the wind pollinate its fragrant, white flowers. The flower clusters are shaped like those on a sumac tree.

Growing in central and west Texas and southwest Oklahoma is the persimmon (Diospyros texana) with dark purple fruit that turns black on the outside when it ripens. This tree has peeling bark and grows 10 to 40 feet tall.

The most widely planted commercial persimmon is the Oriental-cultivated Diospyros kaki, which has nice-sized berries and ships well. California is the biggest domestic producer of persimmons. There are smaller orchards, often family owned in many states. If you arent lucky enough to have your own tree, in the fall look for persimmons at local farm markets. Their color reflects the colors of autumn and their flavor is a treat.

Martha Murdock is a Master Gardener with Penn State Extension Beaver County.

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Persimmon a healthy addition to diet - Timesonline.com

Baton Rouge leaders have spent years revitalizing downtown and have since turned their eyes on infrastructure projects that will radiate from the urban core to the south and east.

With the summer construction season approaching, the government is laying out plans for millions of dollars of road work to implement the Government Street "road diet" and to fix up streets in the Nicholson Drive corridor.

The long-discussed "road diet" had called for slimming most of Government Street to one lane in each direction and adding a center turn lane and bicycle lanes. For years, officials have said they want to make the thoroughfare feel more like New Orleans's Magazine Street. There are plans to make a transportation hub, including a stop for a future commuter train to the Crescent City, at the old Entergy building on the corner of 15th Street.

The road diet is also expected to reduce crashes caused when drivers try to make left turns off or onto Government either because they cross in front of traffic or people behind them try to pull into the right travel lane. Those crashes are so common that the changes are being partially bankrolled through a federal public safety grant.

However, portions of Government have more traffic than is recommended for a road diet, so the plan has changed from three lanes back to four lanes two eastbound, one westbound and one turning, with no bicycle lanes between North Foster and Jefferson Highway, said Eric Kalivoda, deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development.

And there still isn't any dedicated space for buses. Capital Area Transit System CEO Bill Deville said Friday that CATS is ready to be flexible and accommodating, but he has not yet heard of any spots where buses will be able to pull out of the remaining travel lanes to pick up riders.

Bidding for construction of the road diet, sidewalks and a roundabout at Lobdell Avenue will open in July, Kalivoda said. DOTD estimates the project will cost about $9.3 million and take approximately 18 months to complete, after which maintenance of Government Street will be turned over to the city-parish.

The state and East Baton Rouge Parish last year agreed to a $71.5 million deal in which DOTD will repave several state-owned roads roads, then pay the city-parish to take care of them.

A massive infrastructure deal is in the works that will send tens of millions of dollars of

Last week, the state gave the city-parish a check for $5 million to repair streets off the Nicholson Drive corridor near the Water Campus research facility another area local leaders have targeted for investment. In addition to fixing the side streets, the city-parish has proposed using road transfer money to widen Nicholson and help pay for a proposed downtown-LSU tram to run along the corridor.

Bidding on the street repair project will begin sometime in the coming weeks, Kalivoda said.

+2

City-parish leaders have signed off on a $71.5 million road deal with the state, and commute

Follow Steve Hardy on Twitter, @SteveRHardy.

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'Road diet' for Government Street in Baton Rouge aims to look like Magazine Street in New Orleans - The Advocate

Ive been helping people lose weight for more than 20 years. In all of that time I have seen some weight loss mistakes being repeated over and over. One mistake in particular is failing to make a plan.

Holidays are a major cause of stress for many dieters.

There are known threats to diets. Some women have a monthly threat that their lack of planning sets their diets back a few days every time around that time of the month. Then there are the seasonal threats and the holiday threats that are equally predictable but for which too many dieters fail to make a plan.

Easter is coming. Its a threat and Ive already heard dieters say, Ill be fine. Ill just be careful.

This isnt a good plan. Its not a plan at all. Planning isnt difficult and the results are worth the time and effort. Rather than opening your eyes on Monday morning feeling bloated and full of regret, a little planning can turn that around. Instead of worrying about whether youll be able to get your control back, you can celebrate your Easter success.

Be prepared for your Easter gathering. This is not the day for leggings and a long tunic top or sweat pants. Wear something thats snug around the waist, not stretchy. Eat somefruit and vegetables before you go. Think of your stomach as a balloon 3/4 full of air. An empty belly (totally deflated balloon) makes it harder to practice flexible restraint.

1. Be very choosy about Easter candy.

2. If you will be in a situation where tension runs high with family members find ways to physically or mentally remove yourself.

3. When faced with the meal and the hors doeuvres pick carefully.

4. Avoid alcohol altogether or mix wine with sparkling water for a spritzer.

5. Move, move move!

6. Practice, practice, practice these tips by creating images in your head and watching yourself successfully perform the actions you will do to stay on track.

A well-formed plan is the best way to ensure you will great the scale with confidence after Easter.

Things dont always work out as planned. Your best shot of sticking to your plan is making it as specific and detailed as possible. Then reviewit in your head over and over and over. The more familiar you are with your plan the greater the chances it will become a reality.

If your best laid plans go awry, you didnt fail, you just need to adjust your plan so that it works the way you want it to work next time. Dont beat yourself up or start giving yourself negative self-talk, instead write the word Easter on a piece of toilet paper, flush it, and go on with your program as though Easter never happened. A little weight gain is not a setback or a roadblock, its just a detour.

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Do not let the Easter bunny wreck your diet - Bangor Daily News

Are you eating a low-carb, high-fat fad diet like Adkins or Paleo in order to lose weight? Do you have a family history of diabetes or have you been told you have prediabetes? If so, then you really need to read this.

Low-carb diets like the Paleo or Adkins diet are still really popular. Many people lose weight following them, but others dont. Furthermore, for those with prediabetes these low-carb, high-fat diets dont reduce the risk of advancing from prediabetes to diabetes.

A 2016 study reported in Nutrition and Diabetes magazine found that New Zealand Obese mice with prediabetes fed a low-carb, high-fat diet gained weight, and did not see an improved function of their insulin-producing pancreas. The mice were fed a low-carb diet consisting of 13% protein, 6% carbs and 81% fat, with over half of the fat calories coming from saturated fat. Even thoughtheir triglycerides and HDL(the good cholesterol) improved, they gained weight and their was no improvement to the health of their pancreas. In other words, they got fatter and their prediabetes did not improve.

Researchers believethat a low-carb, high-fat dietcauses an accumulation of fat in the liver causing the liver to keep making glucose. In healthy people, higher insulin blood levels halt the production of glucose in the liver. This normal process goes awrywhen someone with prediabetes eats a low-carb, high-fat diet. Keep in mind, the CDC reports that more than 1 out of 3 adults in the U.S. have prediabetes.

The diet used in the low-carb, high-fat diet study consisted of a very high fat diet over 3/4 of the calories were coming from fat and half of those were from the heart-clogging saturated kind. I wonder what the results would have been if the diet had consisted of slightly less fat and the heart-healthy unsaturated kind the mono- and polyunsaturated fats.Would there have been weight loss and improved pancreatic function?

From Adkins.com

The Adkins and Paleo diet depending on what you choose to eat could have you consuming a diet low in carbs but really high in fat the saturated kind if you are not careful. There are a few differences in the two diets. The Paleo diet forbids dairy, meaning cheese, yogurt, and milk and encourages only grass-fed meat.

From the Paleodiet.com

It also emphasizes heart-healthy fats mainly from fish, seeds, oils like olive and flax seed, and avocado. The Adkins diet does not discern between saturated fat and healthy fats. It also allows cheese and only full fat dairy after phase 1. Both diets encourage lots of non-starchy veggies, but the Paleo diet allows fruit from the start and expects that 35-45% of your calories come from non-starchy fruits and veggies.

You have to usesome common sense when it comes to dietary choices.Why not use some of the dietary tips from the Omniheart study that protectsheart health while still eating a lower carb diet? Here are some other tidbits:

Fad diets like Adkins and Paleo may seem like a prescription to a lovely destination, but are you losing weight? And if you reached your goal are you going to keep maintaining on that diet? You most likelystill have to learn how to keep old habits at bay. Find a path to health that is sustainable. NutritionAction.com, a nonprofit group that has consumers interests at heart (they are the ones that got trans-fats listed on food labels), has a wonderful guide that will help you lose weight in a sensible way and keep your heart healthy.

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And you think Adkins and Paleo diets always work? - Bangor Daily News (blog)

People love their bananas. Ask anyone to grab a snack, and 9 times out of 10 theyll pull out a banana from their backpack and pocketbook. In fact bananas are the most popular fruit in the US with the average person consuming 25 pounds a year. They dont need any washing or refrigeration. They are high in fiber and potassium, and low in calories. What could be wrong with them? Depending on the ripeness and size, a banana can have a huge impact on blood sugar. That can be a good thing if you are running a marathon, but a bad thing if you are watching your blood sugars or tryingto lose weight. Bananas are not alone in spiking blood sugars; there are other foods high on the glycemic index scale that do the same thing.

Glycemic index (GI) is a scale used to measure the impact of a specific food on blood sugar. GI ranks foodin comparison to a food reference point, either glucose or white bread, which are both ranked at 100. The GI of a food tells you how quickly the sugar from the food will enter the blood stream. Eating low GIfoods have helped with weight loss as well as maintaining steady blood sugars in those with prediabetes or diabetes. Eating foods that keep blood sugars from spiking requires less insulin. A lower blood insulin level lessens the workload for the pancreas, preserving its function, and also helps with weight loss. Here are some examples of low, medium and high GIfoods:

Glycemin index is only part of the picture. To completely understand how much a food will impact blood sugar you also need to know how much sugar it will deliver. This is called the glycemic load. Glycemic load takes into consideration portion size.A glycemic load of 10 or below is considered low, while a glycemic load of 20 or more is considered high.

ripe bananas are sweeter but also have a much higher GI

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition maintains a list of glycemic index and glycemic load of over 750 commonfoods. The table below lists glycemic index, serving size based on grams, and glycemic loadof a ripe banana, a slightly under-ripe banana and an over-ripe banana with some brown spots. I could not find any information on a fully green banana, but you can safely assume it has an even lower GI than the slightly under ripe banana.

A study reported in Diabetic Medicine on the effect of banana ripeness on blood sugars in people with type 2 diabetes, revealed:

Green bananas contain more resistant starches. Resistant starches are starches that resist digestion in the small intestine. Resistant starches are fermented by our healthy gut microbes and help to produce vitamins and health-promoting compounds as well as destroy potential cancer causing toxins. Resistant starches also help to reduce blood sugars.

When fruits ripen the resistant starches convert to sugar which is why a ripe banana tastes sweeter and will raise blood sugars much more than a green banana.

This is where Glycemic Load comes into play. A small banana has 18.5 gms of carbs, while a 9 inch banana contains over 35 gms. When you consider serving size in addition to ripeness, you can easily see how blood sugars could really spike by eating a large ripe banana.

Diabetes.org discusses other factors that impact the GI of foods.

I remember my mother telling me that green bananas would give me a stomach ache. Part of that problem is from the fermentation process that occurs in the gut. People with a normal digestion and a healthy diet should not experience this problem. But people with irritable bowel syndrome or some other digestive problem, green bananas could cause gas and bloating.

For the rest of us, unless you are getting ready for a marathon, this is what you should do:

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Go bananas, but go green for a lower glycemic index - Bangor Daily News (blog)

Turning plastic, grease and beer mash into cash The San Luis Obispo Tribune "Local farmers save money on feed and it helps us quickly and safely dispose of the grain that would turn pretty nasty in a few days," said Andrew Nations, president/owner of Great Raft Brewing in Shreveport. "It's a great way for both of us to get the ... and more »

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Turning plastic, grease and beer mash into cash - The San Luis Obispo Tribune