Nutrition: May 2008

Do you ever wonder what is causing you to feel lightheaded when you wake up in the morning? How about the source of those achy joints and muscles? Take a good, hard look at your diet? Is it serving you? Often, poor nutrition is the root of our ailments and can often halter the progression, while alleviating symptoms of chronic disease.

As a registered dietitian/nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and registered yoga teacher, I have been serving the metropolitan Detroit area, since the mid 1980’s. With the recent release of my DVD, Reconnect with Food…Unplugged! and the revival of my co-authored book, Nutrition Secrets for Optimal Health, my nutrition clients now span the United States and abroad of serious individuals who take pride in their nutritional health. In my columns ahead, I hope to bring you relevant nutrition information that can help you feel your best, while slowing down the aging process.

In the coming issues of Health & Leisure Magazine, we will explore the many nutritional implications and recommendations for wellness along with disease prevention and treatment. Since this issue is devoted to Women’s Health, let’s take a look at a few relevant women’s health issues and how they can be improved through a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Menopause, PMS and Heart Disease

Since the late 1960’s, menopause has been treated as a disease that must be treated by hormone replacements (synthetic estrogen alone or in combination with synthetic progesterone which is called “progestin”). Hormone replacements have also been used as a heart disease preventive measure in women. As time evolved, natural alternatives to synthetic hormone replacement therapy have come to the forefront which have offered women much relief from the symptoms of menopause without the unwanted side effects of hormone therapy, including the increased risk of breast cancer.

As an adjunct to these natural alternatives, foods themselves are a great place to start if you are trying to keep your heart healthy and achieve menopause symptom relief or even Premenstrual symptom (PMS) reprieve. Although many women are still looking for a pill—even a “natural” pill to find benefits or relief, those who are truly committed to a lifestyle change can try incorporating new and healthy foods into their diet. For instance, soy products (tofu, soymilk, soy meat substitutes) contain substances called phytoestrogens, which can work like estrogens in the body. However, phytoestrogens are not nearly as strong as the estrogens found in synthetic replacements, so they do not cause side effects.

It is thought that soy can regulate estrogen levels in both pre- and post-menopausal women, while helping the body eliminate toxic substances that can be implicated in cancer growth. Women who consume a good quantity and variety of natural soybean products report fewer hot flashes and other menopausal discomforts than women whose diet consists of large amounts of meat and dairy. Soy products can also help to lower your cholesterol, which in turn can keep your heart and circulatory system healthy.

Bone Health

Flaxseeds can protect against bone loss as they contain a significant amount of “lignans.” Several studies show that lignans protect against osteoporosis by preventing bone loss and increasing bone density. Flaxseeds are small, flat and brown in color with a nutty flavor. They can be ground into “meal” in a coffee grinder, or purchased ground, and sprinkled on your cereal in the morning or mixed into yogurt. You can also use flax oil, found in the refrigerated section of health conscious grocery store, and mix with balsamic vinegar for your salads.

Magnesium along with boron helps to transport calcium to the bones in order to aid in the prevention of osteoporosis. If you take a calcium supplement, calcium citrate is the most absorbable form of calcium as this form of calcium creates an acid environment in the digestive tract to more efficiently absorb calcium. Magnesium is found in bananas, bran cereal, brown rice, lentils, peanut butter, spinach and walnuts, while boron is found in purple grapes, pears, apples and leafy, green vegetables.

Fibromyalgia and Other Rheumatoid Conditions

A poor ration of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids can increase your risk of immune and inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis. Studies show that individuals with autoimmune conditions in the rheumatoid family such as lupus, fibromyalgia, scleroderma, arthritis and multiple sclerosis fare better eating less meat, dairy, and processed foods, with more emphasis on whole grains, fruits and vegetables as eating lower on the food chain provides a higher ratio of omega-3 fatty acids which aid in improving joint pain. In addition, a poor ration of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids can increase your risk of heart disease, cancer.

A fairly new finding is that flair-ups of rheumatoid conditions, especially fibromyalgia, can be linked to food sensitivities discovered through Mediator Release Testing (MRT). MRT measures the release of chemical mediators from white blood cells and platelets in response to specific foods, additives or chemicals that are not due to an allergy. A simple blood test can determine your food sensitivities, while nutrition counseling by a registered dietitian trained to interpret this test can help you feel better and also lose those pounds that you cannot seem to shed no matter how hard you try. It could be that your hidden food sensitivities are getting in your way of progress!

Depression

The consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can also affect your mood. Researchers who have analyzed epidemiological studies of several countries suspect that when smaller amounts of omega-3 fatty acids are consumed, the rates of depression increase. This is one more reason to include rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet—your happiness may be at stake! Specific sources of omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish, soy, flax, walnuts and green, leafy vegetables.

In addition, yoga, meditation and other stress management techniques are also very important in the daily self-care of women today. Health professionals need to take a look at so many of the natural remedies available to women as they reach different milestones in their lives.

If you have topics you would like Beverly to cover in this column, please send your inquiry to editor@healthandleisureonline.com

Fitness: It’s the (Not So) Little Things That Count

So here we are, a couple months into 2008. You made that New Years Resolution to get in shape. You’re hitting the gym like a madman and following all the workout advise that you read about in some magazine by some insane personal trainer/physical therapist who thinks he knows what he is talking about; you even bought this crazy kettlebell thing he kept saying is so great. So why isn’t the weight pouring off? Why don’t you still have enough strength to lift yourself off the couch or the energy to even care. What is going on here?

Now, let me preface what I am about to say by stating clearly that I am not a nutritionist or registered dietician; nor do I have any special training in analyzing sleep patterns. But, I am aware of many of the problems out there that people have and I am going to attempt to make you more aware, too.

Fitness is like a love triangle with constant battles between the exercise component, the rest/sleep element, and the nutrition/diet factor. If one is out of balance, none of it will fit together right. I always talk about exercise, so now we are going to focus on the other two.

Sleep/Rest

The National Sleep Foundation reports that while exact sleep requirements differ among people, the general rule of thumb is:

Adults = 8 hours

Teens = 9 hours

Younger = more

You need to realize that working out hard is great, but muscles don’t grow or get stronger when you work out, it is the recovery process where muscles repair themselves from the workout and can become bigger and/or stronger. The National Sleep Foundation further notes other areas that are affected by improper sleep:

• Memory and learning – Sleep seems to organize memories, as well as help you to recover memories. After you learn something new, sleep may solidify the learning in your brain.

• Mood enhancement and social behaviors – The parts of the brain that control emotions, decision-making, and social interactions slow down dramatically during sleep, allowing optimal performance when awake. REM sleep seems especially important for a good mood during the day. Tired people are often cranky and easily frustrated.

• Nervous system – Some sleep experts suggest that neurons used during the day repair themselves during sleep. When we experience sleep deprivation, neurons are unable to perform effectively and the nervous system is impaired.

• Immune system – Without adequate sleep the immune system becomes weak and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease.

• Growth and development – Growth hormones are released during sleep and sleep is vital to proper physical and mental development.

There is more to sleeping properly than just getting in the required number of hours. Proper sleep actually involves 4 stages ranging from light sleep to deep and dreaming stages. A person cycles through these stages throughout their sleep time. To insure that all stages are achieved, and achieved enough, consistency is needed. It is important to generally go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day (straying every now and then won’t kill you). If there are any factors that are limiting your ability to fall asleep at a consistent time, you need to address them. Things like eating too soon before bed, watching TV while falling asleep, and participating in physically or mentally stressful activities too close to bedtime are common disrupters of sleep (although not for everyone). My advice is to keep a sleep log for one month. A sleep log is fairly simple and should include information such as: bedtime, time you actually fell asleep, time you woke up, number of times you awoke during the night, how well you slept, how you felt when you woke up, and how you felt the rest of that day. Try it and see how you feel.

Nutrition/Diet

So, is anyone confused about what the heck they are supposed to eat? With all the diets out there it’s enough to drive a person absolutely crazy. It would be nice to think that all of the diets were created in an attempt to truly improve a person’s life in terms of weight loss, energy, control of diseases like diabetes, etc; but while some of that may be true, a lot of the diets are only improving the bank accounts of the diet “creators.” For most people, it is not hard to know how to eat right; it is doing it that’s the problem. Let’s face facts, many people cannot lose weight via diet because either they just eat too much or what they eat is garbage. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that eating pizza, cheeseburgers and drinking beer daily is not a staple for proper nutrition. Many of the diet programs out there do work and the reason people do not have success is because they do not do them correctly.

All that being said, there are many others who do not overeat, and eat what they think is healthy and still have problems. Before I let you know some details, let me first say again, that if you are using weight loss as the benchmark of proper diet, you must consider whether the other areas are balanced (exercise and rest). Assuming they are, here are some things to consider:

1) Calories: 3500 calories = 1 lb. (an excess 3500 calories = gaining 1 lb., a deficit of 3500 calories = losing 1 lb); 1 gram of protein and/or carbohydrates = 4 calories, 1 gram of fat = 9 calories, 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

Sounds simple right? Wrong. It is not just about total calories you eat or do not eat, but how you utilize those calories.

2) Metabolism: The number of calories used by your body during various activities, including rest.

Example: 2000 calorie per day diet – 500 calories burned during exercise = 1500 calories left to use for the rest of daily activities. If 2000 calories are required for daily activities, then there is a deficit of 500 calories. Therefore, in 7 days one pound of body weight will be lost (500 x 7 = 3500); however, if only 1000 calories are required for daily activities, then there is an excess 500 calories. Therefore you would gain 1 lb. in 7 days. This is metabolism – the higher the metabolism, the more calories burned. Factors that affect metabolism include: body size/weight (heavier = more calories used, although this mostly refers to calories used during activity vs. rest), body composition (greater lean body mass/muscle = higher metabolism), age (metabolism decreases with age), sex (sorry ladies, men burn more calories), drugs (don’t do drugs!), heredity, hormones, stress/anxiety, and temperature (good news for Michiganders – more calories are used in colder temperatures). To calculate your metabolic rate, use these formulas:

Women = 655 + (4.36 x W) + (4.32 x H) – (4.7 x A)

Men = 66 + (6.22 x W) + (12.7 x H) – (6.8 x A)

* W = weight (lbs.) H = height (inches) A = age (years)

3) Food quality: These days everything is about being quick and convenient – welcome to fast food. Not only do we have to deal with fast food, but in an attempt for certain industries to make money, things like preservatives, chemicals, and basic “fake food” are rampant. It is very difficult to look at an ingredient label and see less than a dozen ingredients, half of which you need a degree in biochemistry or nutrition to even know what it is. Last, just because the calorie count may be low (such as with carbohydrates), your body only uses so much before it gets stored as excess, generally as fat.

So with all this information, now which diet should you choose? Realize that weight loss will not happen overnight, and even with proper diet, the loss may not always be consistent.You may even experience some weight gain at certain points, especially if you are exercising.

The best thing I can tell people is to start keeping a food log. Record everything you put in your mouth, how much of it, and what time you did it. Be as specific as possible. For example: turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (2 slices), 5 slices of lean turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard at 11:15 a.m.; 16 ounces of water at 1:33 p.m.; 3 jellybeans at 10:42 p.m.

Doing this may make some things more obvious. I had a client who thought she was eating healthy, and then via her food log, discovered she was eating Oreos every hour! It was only one or two at a time, but it adds up. Eventually what you want to see is about six small meals per day, spaced fairly equally. No eating right before bed. Try to balance carbs and protein – most people are excessive with their carbs (most of your snacks/munchies – the things you throw a handful of in your mouth without thinking are either carbs or fat) and the body only uses so much at a time. Eat a lot of vegetables and a decent amount of fruit. Try to have real food.

These are very basic rules for a difficult task. Unlike exercise, which only takes about an hour, you have to think about what you eat the whole time you are awake (which should only be 16 hours – see above). Two excellent resources for nutritional information are: The Metabolism Advantage by John Berardi, and The Anti-Estrogenic Diet by Ori Hofmekler (for both men and women).

Rest and nutrition are two areas that are all too often neglected, and just as important (if not more so) than anything else. Put some time into focusing on these areas if you truly are looking for improved fitness and life quality.

For more information regarding rest/sleep, and nutrition/diet; as well as to download sleep and food logs – contact Bob at bob@functional-strength-training.com, or visit his website at www.functional-strength-training.com.

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