Real men wear pink

If you watched any football games on Sunday, you would have seen the players sporting some pretty pink accessories. This was to kick off a month long campaign by the NFL to raise awareness for breast cancer. Apart from being entertaining to watch a very masculine sport being played by men in pink, it is a noble cause, as many people have been affected by breast cancer in some way. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in America. It is also the most feared disease by women. That being said, I want to point out another serious cause to consider: Heart disease. I don't want to detract from the seriousness of breast cancer, but instead raise some awareness of a more common cause for concern.

Here's the skinny:

-Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America

-1 in 2.7 women will die from heart disease or other cardiovascular diseases, while 1 in 30 will die from breast cancer (1).

Tip: You can fight cancer and heart disease at the same time. Lack of physical activity and being overweight are two of the risk factors for developing breast cancer (2). They are also two of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. So, to decrease your chances of getting both, try to get 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week and eat a diet low in saturated fat and high in fruits and vegetables.

1. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2859

2.http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_What_are_the_risk_factors_for_breast_cancer_5.asp

I love me some omegga-3's

Last night my wife and I made some amazing red velvet cupcakes with creamy white chocolate frosting. Needless to say, they were amazing, but not the healthiest snack ever. So why do I bother mentioning them on a blog about healthy choices? Because aside from their taste, the cupcakes had another redeeming quality - they were made from omega-3 eggs.

Here's the skinny: Omega-3's are a healthy type of fat called an essential fatty acid (EFA). EFA's come in several varieties. EPA and DHA are the two most beneficial of the omega-3's, as they have been linked to better brain development and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, among other things (the benefits of EFA's are too many to name in just one blog post, so there will be more to come). Eggs that claim to be high in omega-3's are made from hens that have been fed things like flax seed, which are a natural plant source of omega-3's. These eggs are a great option because they have all the same nutrients as normal eggs with the added benefit of an extra helping of omega-3's.

Tip: As always, don't just trust the label. Apparently there is a lot of false advertising in the omega-3 egg industry. Just like "antioxidant," it is a buzzword that has been abused by marketers. When buying these special eggs, be sure the label tells you how much DHA and/or EPA the eggs have. The ones I bought have 100mg of DHA - not bad for an egg. Also remember that there are much better sources of EPA and DHA than eggs, like fish and fish oil supplements. If you want a regular source that is high in EFA's, choose the fish or fish oil supplements, but next time you need some eggs check out the O-3's.

More about O-3 egg advertising and some brands to watch out for: http://www.cspinet.org/new/200706211.html

Are You a Bad Apple?

I was listening to the radio the other day and heard about a study that says 100% of adult Americans will be overweight in 40 years. Absurd? Probably, but that statistic was a good segue into the advice that followed: By taking some simple body measurements, you can know your risk of getting diabetes, high blood pressure, or cardiovascular disease. The radio host talked about body mass index (BMI), which is a calculation that estimates your total body fat, and that you can tell by your BMI how high your risk of disease is. The problem is that BMI is not a very accurate predictor. Since it was derived 30 years ago, more accurate indicators of risk have been discovered. Two of the more accurate ones are your waist size and the ratio of your waist to your height.

Here’s the skinny: The BMI is flawed because it estimates total body fat. Abdominal fat is actually more important to measure than total fat. This means that if you have an apple-shaped body, you are more at risk than a pear-shaped body. And people with chili-shaped bodies (long, slender chilis) have the lowest risk(1). Read on to find out if you are a bad apple.

Tips: You are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes if your waist size is over 40 inches for males and over 35 inches for females. The rule of thumb for the waist-to-height ratio is that your waist size (measured at the level of your belly button) should be less than half of your height. If you’d like to know your BMI, use the link to the BMI calculator below. Ideally it should be less than 25. Above 30 requires action (losing weight).

BMI Calculator:
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm
BMI/Waist Size Risk Chart:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/bmi_dis.htm

1. Ashwell, M. Obesity Risk: Importance of the waist-to-height ratio. Nursing Standard; 6/17/2009, Vol. 23, Issue 41, p49-54.

What's on your grill?

Yesterday was Independence Day, the All-American holiday, celebrated invariably with All-American food. Mmmm, yes, my heart burns just thinking about it. While that potato salad you ate yesterday continues to digest, let me tell you what was on my grill yesterday: turkey burgers. Yeah, I know, it may be sacrilegious to some, but sometimes breaking bad habits means breaking tradition. Next time you go shopping for a BBQ, try giving turkey a chance.

The skinny: Besides being naturally lean, turkey and other poultry offer a less-risky substitute for red meat. According to the American Cancer Society, red meat and processed meat (hot dogs, sausage, lunch meats, etc.), may increase the risk of several types of cancer. These include colorectal, endometrial, pancreatic, and prostatic cancer.

Tips: Here are a few suggestions from the American Cancer Society's website :
-Choose fish, poultry, or beans instead of beef, pork, and lamb.
-When you eat meat, choose lean cuts and eat smaller portions.
-Prepare meat by baking, broiling, or poaching, rather than by frying or charbroiling

Popular antioxidant drinks compared

After my last post, one of our readers brought up a good question: "...I have heard a lot about the Acai Berry, and, for the most part, I think it is just another fad. Where do you weigh in on it?"
After a quick literature search on Pubmed, I found an article that compares the antioxidant levels in popular brands of an assortment of antioxidant-rich drinks. It lists its findings in descending order of antioxidant capacity: "PJ [pomegranate juice] > red wine > Concord grape juice > blueberry juice > black cherry juice, açaí juice, cranberry juice > orange juice, iced tea beverages, apple juice (1)." The authors stated that pomegranate juice had at least 20% more antioxidant potency than any other beverage tested. There are two things worth mentioning here. First, juice is just one of many ways to get antioxidants, and the research I've read and blogged about did not talk about other forms of antioxidant-rich foods. Second, the article cited in this post was partially funded by a company that sells pomegranate juice, so be aware that there is some potential bias in these results.

1. Navindra P. Seeram, et al. Comparison of Antioxidant Potency of Commonly Consumed Polyphenol-Rich Beverages in the United States. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2008, 56, 1415–1422

Super juice

A few weeks ago, I wrote about sugar-sweetened drinks and made the recommendation to remove one sugary drink at a time from your grocery list in an effort to reduce unnecessary calories from your diet. If you’ve taken that step, post a comment and let us know how it’s working out. Since I feel some remorse for taking away your beloved Kool-Aid and soda, here’s a healthy alternative you can replace it with—Pomegranate juice.

Here’s the skinny: Pomegranate juice contains a high amount of antioxidants. I know, ‘antioxidants’ is a popular buzzword that people like to throw around these days, but the bottom line is that preliminary research is showing some very powerful benefits from pomegranate juice, such as decreased blood pressure, protection against atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and anti-inflammatory effects (1).

Tips: Fruit juices are high in sugar, and pomegranate juice is no exception. So don’t pound down a whole glass of it. The clinical trials show benefits from servings of only a few ounces per day. I use it to wash down my multivitamin. Pomegranate juice is also quite pricey. I found the best deal at Trader Joe’s--$4.29 for a 32oz. bottle. If you cut down on soda and other sugary drinks, it should more than make up for the relatively higher cost of pomegranate juice.

1. Basu, A. Pomegranate juice: A heart-healthy fruit juice. Nutr Rev. 2009 Jan;67(1):49-56.

Prevention is the Best Policy

I ran into an article on Time.com this week entitled “How Not to Get Sick: A User’s Guide to Good Health at Every Age.” It’s all about one of my favorite topics – preventive health. Although I disagreed with some of the advice (statin drugs for 8 year olds?!), I thought there were several gems worthy of sharing. Here are a few to whet your appetite. For the whole article, visit http://tinyurl.com/l6bz8z

-It’s never too early (or too late for that matter) to start eating healthy. A child’s diet should be high in whole grains, fruits and veggies, and be low in saturated and trans fats, added sugar, and salt.

-One third of American teens are overweight or obese. It takes a whole-family approach to combat obesity, since kids generally don’t do their own grocery shopping. If unhealthy foods are available, it isn’t reasonable to restrict only some family members from eating them, so just don’t buy them.

-Single-ingredient foods are a healthier option than processed foods. For a snack at work or school, try some dried fruit and almonds instead of vending machine food.

-Regular exercise at all ages is a key ingredient to health and longevity. Dr. David Katz from Yale’s Prevention Research Center, said “Exercise shouldn't be something that we're "making time" for. It should be a daily given, like sleep or eating.” Picking an activity that you enjoy and having a partner to do it with will help you to make exercise a part of your life. This tip is dedicated to my wife, who I’ve been married to for 3 years this week. I’ve been attending the gym regularly with her for 2.5 of those 3 years, and I’m healthier and happier because of it. Thank you, Melanye, and happy anniversary!

Note: In case you’re curious about the statins comment I made at the top of the page, here’s an eye-opening article on cholesterol-lowering drugs: http://tinyurl.com/2spawz