By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY
Cutting back on carbohydrates appears to slow the growth of prostate tumors, even if pounds aren't lost, according to an animal study in this week's online edition of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Other research has suggested a diet light in carbs could slow tumor growth, but the animals in those studies also lost weight, says lead author Stephen Freedland, a urologist with the Duke Prostate Center in Durham, N.C.. He says scientists know weight loss can restrict energy that feeds tumors, but they were not sure if pure carbohydrate restriction, even when pounds aren't lost, had an impact until now.

Although his study was in mice, Freedland says his findings as well as those from other studies are strong enough for him to recommend patients reduce intake of refined carbohydrates — such as sweetened drinks and white bread. His recommendation mirrors recently released Prostate Cancer Foundation guidelines he helped create. Whether carbs need to be scaled back to Atkins diet levels will be the focus of future research, he says.

Article Source: www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-05-28-cuttingcarb-prostatecancer_N.htm

WEDNESDAY, May 27 (HealthDay News) -- The benefits of eating right, exercising and keeping your weight down are well-known, but few Americans are living that healthy lifestyle, researchers report.
In fact, over the past two decades exercise rates have dropped, fruit and vegetable intake has also fallen, and in the meantime obesity rates have soared, a new study finds.
"This is somewhat of a report card on how we are doing on healthy lifestyles compared to 18 years ago," said lead researcher Dr. Dana E. King, a professor in the department of family medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. "The results are about a C minus."
There is no mystery behind the increasing rates of diabetes and high blood pressure since they are directly related to healthy habits, the researchers said. But it's never too late to change -- by living a healthy lifestyle you can produce profound effects on your overall health and even extend your life, they added.
King believes that Americans rely too much on drugs - not diet and exercise -- to lower blood pressure and cholesterol and prevent diabetes and heart disease.
"I wonder if we have become a little bit of a 'take a pill' society," he said. "'Take a pill and I can eat what I want.' The fact is no pills are as potent and as powerful as a healthy lifestyle," he said.
The report is published in the June issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
For the study, King's team collected data on more than 15,000 people aged 40 to 74. Among these people, 7,340 had participated in the 1988 to 1994 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and 7,811 participated in the same survey for the years 2001 to 2006 .
In the 18 years between the studies, the percent of obese people had increased from 28 percent to 36 percent. The number of people who exercised 12 times a month or more dropped from 53 percent to 43 percent, and the number of people eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily decreased from 42 percent to 26 percent, the researchers found.
Smoking rates barely budged (26.9 percent to 26.1 percent), King's group found. More people did report drinking moderately in the 2001 to 2006 survey versus the earlier survey (40 percent to 51 percent), the researchers said.
Overall, the number of people practicing all five healthy habits dropped from 15 percent in 1988 to 8 percent in 2006, King noted. This low percentage was seen in both healthy people and people with chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
"We are not eating our fruits and veggies," King said. "We are exercising less, we're more obese. It's not a good end-of-the-year report card. But we can do better next semester. We need to get back to the basics of healthy lifestyles and not taking the easy way out of pills, because they are not as effective as a healthy lifestyle in preventing cardiovascular disease and maintaining vitality through the middle and later years."
Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, believes that changes in society that foster healthy lifestyles need to be enacted to help reverse these trends.
"A consistent and compelling body of scientific literature makes clear that a very short list of lifestyle behaviors, dominated by dietary pattern, physical activity level and tobacco use, overwhelmingly influence both the likely number of years in our lives, and the quality of life in our years," Katz said.
The current study is disheartening, "if not depressing," Katz said. "In every way conceivable, from cost to convenience, the modern food supply favors the consumption of highly processed, low-nutrient, high-calorie foods. Every aspect of modern life, from hectic schedules, to constant stress, to the reliance on labor-saving technology, fosters sedentariness," he said.
These regrettable trends are a dose of reality, Katz said. "We cannot, with any hope of success, devise a world that fosters ill health, and encourage people to navigate through it as if it weren't there. Eating well, being active, and in general taking good care of oneself and one's family must lie along paths of lesser resistance."

Article Source: news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090528/hl_hsn/americansscorelowonhealthylifestyle

Come on people we need to bring this grade up to an A!

Most Americans are either trying to lose (53%) or maintain their weight (25%), by changing the amount of food they eat (71%); changing the types of foods they eat (65%); engaging in physical activity (62%); changing how often they eat (44%); and counting calories (19%).

This is according to the “2009 Food & Health Survey, Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health." It was conducted online Feb. 19 to March 11 by the International Food Information Council Foundation here.

When asked about hurdles to staying on track, 44% said they didn’t see results quickly, 43% expressed lack of will power and 40% noted a lack of time.

Confusion about the relationship between calories and weight gain may also inhibit progress. Only 30% believe that calories in general are what cause weight gain, while just 11% correctly estimated the number of calories a person of their age, weight and height should consume per day. Close to half (47%) overestimated, 16% underestimated and 26% didn’t even venture to guess.

The findings indicate educational opportunities for supermarkets.

“Consumers crave consistency and they really want us to talk in positive terms about what they should be eating, instead of what they shouldn’t eat,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, director of health and nutrition for IFIC. “We need to provide alternatives, positive choices to consumers, so they can improve their health.”

Article Source: supermarketnews.com/news/americans_weight_0522/

 One good help to lose or maintain weight is with flaxseed. The high fiber and low carb makeup of Kathy's Krackers make them a great snack or meal replacement. 
What are some ideas that you have about losing weight? Anything that has worked well for you?

There’s so much attention being paid to what we’re supposed to avoid when we dine out that it got me thinking about a new way to peruse restaurant menus.

I get the fact, of course, that we’re all supposed to avoid overeating, oversalting and over slathering our food with butter and cheese sauce to keep our arteries clear and our waistlines in check, but what about the health problems that happen because we aren’t getting enough of something? What should we be ordering more of?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “What We Eat in America” report, the seven most neglected nutrients are calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamins A, C and E.

Take the mineral calcium, for instance. Currently, nine out of 10 teenage girls fail to get enough calcium, which significantly impacts the likelihood of developing bone fractures now and osteoporosis later in life.

Teen years are the peak bone-building years. So, rather than suggesting these girls skip the soda and get water, parents should be encouraging their daughters to drink nonfat or low-fat milk when dining out.

Milk and milk products are the major source of calcium in the diet and provide other important bone-building nutrients, including vitamin D, protein, potassium and phosphorus.

Moms should be thinking about drinking milk, too. U.S. dietary guidelines recommend three cups of milk or milk products a day. May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, with the goal of beating this debilitating bone disease that affects one in two women older than 50.

Change your menu

Sure, you could pop a multivitamin pill to help cover nutrition shortfalls, but food sources of these nutrients also provide hundreds of other healthy compounds needed for optimal health.

97 percent not getting enough potassium (regulates blood pressure)

Fill the gap: citrus, cantaloupe, bananas, lima beans, potato, spinach

Menu tip: spinach salad with orange sections

96 percent not getting enough fiber (aids digestion, lowers cholesterol and linked to cancer prevention and appetite satiety)

Fill the gap: oatmeal, brown rice, whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables

Menu tip: brown rice sushi with cucumber salad

93 percent not getting enough vitamin E (supports immune system, healthy skin and works as anti-oxidant to lower risk of heart disease and cancer)

Foods to fill the gap: vegetable oils, avocados, nuts.

Menu tip: sliced avocado sandwich with low-fat mayo

70 percent not getting enough calcium (supports bone health and healthy blood pressure)

Fill the gap: fat-free or low-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheeses), almonds and canned salmon

Menu tip: carton of nonfat milk with handful of almonds as snack

56 percent not getting enough magnesium (needed for bone and muscle health, including heart health)

Fill the gap: bran cereal, spinach, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, salmon, halibut

Menu tip: grilled salmon with sauteed spinach

44 percent not getting enough vitamin A (needed for healthy skin, eyes and immune system)

Fill the gap: orange-colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, squash, sweet potatoes and mangoes

Menu tip: oven-baked sweet potato fries brushed with olive oil

31 percent not getting enough vitamin C (healthy immune system, wound healing and healthy skin)

Fill the gap: Citrus, green peppers, red peppers, kiwifruit and strawberries

Menu tip: Grilled fish served with citrus salsa

Carolyn O’Neil is a registered dietitian and co-author of “The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!” E-mail her at carolyn@carolynoneil.com.

Article Source: www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/05/20/eatingout0520.html

Did you recently submit to a screening of your blood sugar levels? If the monitor obtained a reading of 70, but not more than 126 mg/DL, you are within a range that is categorized as normal blood glucose levels by the American Diabetes Association. Sadly, over nineteen million Americans a year end up being diagnosed with the metabolic disorder called type 2 Diabetes. Triple the numbers and you now have a rough estimate of the emerging medical condition called pre-diabetes that refers to elevated blood sugar levels running between 100 to 126 mg/DL. Quite alarming, do not you think? The typical American diet becomes the major culprit of it all. This is the reason why diabetics and pre-diabetics alike have been fervently encouraged to increase Omega 3 intake as an integral part of any diet change agenda related to diabetes control and prevention. To this end, Omega 3-enriched foods such as whole grains, fish oil andflax seed oilhave been prescribed as supplementation.

Among the food choices, flax seed has become a renowned resource for Omega 3, not only for being the richest plant source, but also due to a diverse range of health benefits that include lowering blood sugar levels, regulating metabolic functions, and promoting weight loss - physiological processes that are relevant to type 2 diabetes. The husk of the flax seed is packed with dietary fibers to aid in weight loss and digestive functions, while trapped inside the husk is flax seed oil, a substance richly concentrated with Omega 3, an unsaturated type of fat much needed by the body.

Omega 3 is a nutrient not synthesized by the body and should therefore be obtained from the foods we regularly consume. A century ago, diabetes was hardly a health concern due to the fact that people obtained a balanced proportion of nutrients from the diet. The same could not be said of our present food choices where saturated fats has taken deliberate control over total fat intake to exceed the ideal 30% proportion while Omega 3 uptake has been considerably reduced. Excessive deposits of fat lingering with the body can become the precursor to cardiovascular ailments and insulin resistance, the latter being attributed to the onset of diabetes mellitus. Moreover, the increasing presence of Omega 6 nutrients only undermines our nutritional position.

So what then becomes an ideal diet plan for diabetics or even non-diabetics for that matter? A moderate diet change would most likely suffice where regulated fat intake becomes the primary consideration. As a rule of thumb, unsaturated fats should comprise of at least 60% of total fat intake while an optimal ratio of 4:1 between Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids should be sustained.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Flax-Seed-Supplementation-Helps-Prevent-Diabetes&id=1095586

Kathy's Krackers is a great way to get these Omega 3's into your diet!

Highlighting the negative impact tobacco use has on cardiovascular health, researchers say that heavy smokers were 2.5 times more likely to die than their non-smoking peers during a 30-year study in Norway.

The newly available research found that nonsmokers lived longer and experienced fewer incidents of heart attack and cardiovascular disease than smokers, especially when compared with heavy smokers (those who lit up at least 20 cigarettes a day).

Smokers were also at greater risk of developing diabetes and strokes than nonsmokers, according to the study findings, presented last week at the EuroPRevent 2009 conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

"What these results show is the cumulative long-term association between smoking and death and cardiovascular risk," investigator Haakon Meyer, a professor at the University of Oslo and Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said in a news release issued by the European Society of Cardiology. "Around two-thirds of the middle-aged heavy-smoking men and half the heavy-smoking women had died or had a cardiovascular disease within the next 30 years. The incidence was much lower in never-smokers and reflects the tremendously adverse effect of smoking on health and longevity. The difference in outcome between the never-smokers and heavy smokers was substantial."

The study began in 1974 with 54,075 middle-aged Norwegian men and women agreeing to take part in a basic cardiovascular examination. By matching the participants to population records over the next three decades, the researchers recorded 13,103 deaths, then followed-up on the living participants with a questionnaire during the mid-2000s.

The team found that 45 percent of males considered to be heavy smokers had died during the study period compared with 18 percent of the men who never smoked; among the women, 33 percent of heavy smokers died while 13 percent of the non-smoking women did.

"These results show what a tremendous impact smoking has on mortality," Meyer said. "We are talking about very high numbers of people."

The questionnaire responses revealed that 21 percent of the heavy-smoking men had experienced a heart attack compared with 10 percent of their non-smoking peers. For women, the rate was similar: 11 percent among the heavy-smoking female survivors and 4 percent among those who never smoked.

"This study underlines the public health messages about smoking. We have seen declines in the prevalence of smoking in developed countries, but challenges still remain. Certain population groups -- young women, immigrant communities -- still have high rates of smoking, and there's more to be done here."

Article Source: healthday.com/Article.asp

The immune system has many different mechanisms that can cause a reaction to food. Food allergy symptoms may come on immediately OR up to four days after eating an offending food, so allergies are difficult to pinpoint by merely "observing" food reactions. A food allergy blood test can determine food allergies,
sensitivities and "intolerances" and recommend a rotation diet to prevent these reactions.

DIET AND LIFESTYLE RECOMMENDATIONS

An "elimination/challenge diet" can help determine food allergies, but such an avoidance diet is difficult for most people to do AND many offending foods can be "missed" through this method.

Food allergy testing using blood (a finger-stick which you can collect yourself) is accurate and can quickly pinpoint difficult-to-detect food allergies.

PRIMARY SUPPORT

* Maxi Multi: 3 caps, 3 times per day with meals. This daily "multiple" contains high potency antioxidants. If you use another formula, be sure to use only those that are hypoallergenic, since additives in vitamin supplements can cause reactions.
* Omega 3 fatty acids:
Flax seed meal, 2 teaspoons per day with food
OR
Flax seed capsules: 2-4 caps, 3 times per day (target dose range: 6-12 caps per day)
OR
Flax seed oil: 1 tablespoon per day
OR
Max EPA (Omega-3 rich fish oil): 1-2 caps, 3 times per day with meals (target dose: 3-6 caps per day).

An imbalance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acid ratios, common in the American diet, leads to hypersensitivity and excess inflammation. Increasing Omega-3 fatty acid intake decreases the tendency to inflammation and "hyper" immune reactions.

* Similase: 1-2 caps, 3 times per day with meals. This digestive enzyme formula improves digestion and absorption of foods. It is known that incomplete protein digestion can trigger allergies, especially those that appear food-related.
* Since a decrease of gastric acid production is a leading cause of food allergy in adults, a Gastric Acid Function Self-Test should be performed.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

* Vitamin C: 3,000 - 9,000 mg per day in divided doses (buffered vitamins C is best when taking higher doses). High dose vitamin C decreases histamine levels when taken over time.
* Grape Seed Extract: 1 cap, 3 times per day with meals. (Target dose: 150-300mg daily). Grape seed extract acts as a natural anti-histamine with a more immediate effect than vitamin C. It is also a potent antioxidant.

Article Source: http://drmyattswellnessclub.com/foodallergy.htm

Consumers are shifting priorities when making grocery purchase decisions in the current economy, according to a new survey released by the Midwest Dairy Council. According to the April telephone survey of 1,002 people, more than half of consumers say price, not nutrition, is the most important factor when grocery shopping in this economic climate.

"This points to a need for more information about nutrient-rich foods, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, that deliver more bang for your buck than other options at the grocery store," says Stephanie Cundith, a registered dietitian with the St. Paul, Minn.-based Midwest Dairy Council. "Dollar for dollar, dairy is actually one of the most economical sources of nutrition."

New motivators in grocery shopping uncovered in this survey may point to
A nutrition recession. Consumers say, by a margin of two to one, that shopping
for discounted foods has increased in importance since the recession began.

Some consumers are even choosing to reduce their purchases of basic, nutrient-rich foods, like dairy. More than one-third of respondents say they are buying less dairy products in general.

"Dairy makes sense when times are tough," says Cundith. "Milk, for example, packs nine essential nutrients at only 25 cents per glass. Consumers should purchase more nutrient-rich foods such as dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, and avoid empty-calorie foods that provide little or no nutrition at a high cost."

Eating nutrient-rich foods means getting the most vitamins, minerals and other nutrients per serving without empty calories. Cundith points out that as consumers cut costs, they should look for foods that provide value from both economic and nutritional perspectives, instead of just shopping for lower-priced or discounted foods. For example, yogurt and flavored milk are excellent nutrient-rich choices. One eight ounce serving of yogurt
Provides nearly a third of your daily calcium needs, while sodas offer plenty of calories through added sugars with little nutrient value except through fortification.

"Almost 40 percent of the survey respondents who reported purchasing fewer dairy products since the economic downturn said they believe they can get the necessary nutrition from other foods," says Cundith. "Yet, dairy provides four of the seven nutrients Americans are missing the most, including calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin A."

Article source: www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/content_display/supermarket-industry-news/e3id56fc6d97f8a77c15930690f3e728545

What do you say? Just comment below?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study suggests that older adults who eat diets rich in citrus fruits, leafy greens and fish oil, but low in "glycemic index," may have a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration -- the leading cause of vision loss among older U.S. adults.

AMD, also known as "age-related macular degeneration" refers to gradual damage to the macula, a structure in the retina that allows for seeing fine detail. The condition affects more than 1 million Americans, usually after the age of 65.

A number of studies have suggested that individual nutrients, including the antioxidants lutein, vitamin C and vitamin E, can help protect against AMD. This latest study, published in the journal Ophthalmology, looked at the overall diet patterns of 4,000 older adults and the links to AMD risk.

Researchers found that participants who tended to eat fish rich in

omega-3 fatty acids, or foods high in vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, lutein and zeaxanthin, had a relatively lower risk of AMD. Lutein and zeaxanthin are plant pigments that act as antioxidants; the nutrients are found in broccoli, spinach and other leafy green vegetables, as well as egg yolks.

The study also found that diets containing foods with a low glycemic index, also appeared protective against AMD.

Not surprisingly, older adults who combined all three dietary patterns showed a decreased AMD risk as well.

Glycemic index (GI) refers to how rapidly a food causes blood sugar to rise. High-GI foods, like white bread and potatoes, tend to spur a quick elevation in blood sugar, while low-GI foods, such as lentils, soybeans, yogurt and many high-fiber grains, create a more gradual increase in blood sugar.

The blood-sugar surges associated with high-GI diets may eventually damage the macula, explained lead researcher Dr. Chung-Jung Chiu, an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

That's because excess blood sugar interacts with other molecules, like fats and proteins, to form what are called glycated molecules, he told Reuters Health. This process, in turn, can put the body under more oxidative stress, which over time damages cells and may lead to various diseases, including

AMD.

Foods rich in nutrients that may ward off AMD -- including citrus fruits, leafy greens, oily fish like salmon and mackerel, and vegetable oils -- are also seen as beneficial for overall health. So it's a good idea to try to eat more of them, Chiu said.

This is especially true for older adults, the researcher noted, since the body's "self-defense systems" generally decline with age.

SOURCE: Ophthalmology, May 2009.

Article Source: www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE54C5JI20090513

Yay for Omega 3's and Low Glycemic Index, two benefits of Kathy's Krackers!

A gluten free diet is not only beneficial to people suffering from celiac disease it can also benefit many people who are suffering from brain fag, joint pains, auto-immune
and neurological disorders. However, people suffering from celiac disease benefit the most because the disease is caused by a severe sensitivity to gluten. As per the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program one person out of every 133 adults in the US suffers from celiac disease.

A gluten free diet involves avoiding all foods that have wheat, rye, oats, barley and spelt. Those individuals who are very sensitive to gluten and also those who will benefit from a gluten free diet must avoid pasta, most grains, bread, beer, cereals as well as processed foods that contain gluten. Fortunately however gluten free pasta, bread, beer and other products are easily available these days. Gluten sensitivity can be genetic as well as due to infections and a malfunctioning liver. Another heartening fact is that vegetables and fresh fruits are gluten free.

According to recently published medical literature, research has shown that people who can benefit from a gluten free diet are those suffering from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, autism, locomotor ataxia (the loss of balance), Down's syndrome, osteoporosis, seizures, anemia, peripheral neuropathies, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, etc. Some other conditions that are associated with consumption of gluten are diarrhea, failure to put on weight, distention of abdomen, etc. Therefore these people are sure to benefit from a gluten free diet.

Many other conditions that may be less commonly caused by gluten sensitivity are delayed puberty, short stature, frequent abdominal pains, infertility, depression, anxiety, multiple abortions, thyroid disease, dermatitis,Sjogren's syndrome, etc. If the root cause is gluten sensitivity in these cases they will greatly benefit from a gluten free diet. Others who suffer from manganese, chlorophyll and zinc deficiencies caused by gluten sensitivity can also benefit from a gluten free diet.

Article Source:www.associatedcontent.com/article/1300296/health_benefits_of_gluten_free_diets.html