Health Tips for the month of September

Weekly Health Tips for the month of September
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September 3, 2006- A Beef with Iron
Could a gas grill give you diabetes? Depends on what you're cooking.

If it's a bunch of steaks, maybe. Too much red meat can overload you with heme iron, a kind of iron that may boost type 2 diabetes risk if you get too much. So shove aside a few of those T-bones and make room for some veggie kabobs and chicken, which have less heme iron than red meat does. Then round out your plate with a scoop of baked beans -- they're rich in nonheme iron.

Although there are two main kinds of iron in food -- heme and nonheme -- plant-based foods contain only nonheme, which isn't associated with diabetes. But both kinds of iron are found in meat, chicken, and fish, and red meat is particularly rich in heme iron. Men need about 8 milligrams (mg) of iron a day and women need about 18 mg; most get a small fraction of that in the form of heme iron. Good thing, since it turns out that too much could spell trouble. A new study has found that adult women who get more than 2.25 mg per day of heme iron have the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Results may be similar in men, but research is ongoing.

Spinach, beans, oatmeal, bagels, dried apricots, almonds, broccoli, peas, and enriched pasta are some of the healthiest sources of iron around -- and they contain only nonheme.

One catch: Iron from plant foods tends to be less bioavailable than iron from meat sources. Here are a few tricks for helping boost your absorption of nonheme iron (something vegetarians need to be particularly conscious of):

    * Eat iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods (oatmeal and OJ, chicken and broccoli; see, it's easy). Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron.
    * Use an iron skillet to cook nonheme foods. Your food will absorb additional nonheme iron from the cookware.
    * If you take a calcium supplement, wait a few hours before eating iron-rich foods; in the same way that vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, calcium blocks it.
    * Don't gulp down tea or coffee with iron-rich meals. These can interfere with iron absorption.

And when you need a protein fix, tilt your diet toward fish and poultry, which have far less heme iron than beef.

Source: Diabetes Care, ©2006

September 10, 2006- The Hefty Price of a Bargain Meal
For an extra 67 cents, you can get lots of fries, a bucketful of soda, a super-duper burger, and more at a fast food window.

But it's no bargain. The effect on your weight and lifestyle of supersizing a meal -- that is, buying more calories than your body can use -- may run you more than $7 in the end. According to researchers, that's what each supersize meal costs, assuming the extra calories turn to fat, which in turn increases the amount of money you must spend on food, gas, and medical care to sustain an ever-heavier frame.

When researchers determined the real price of supersizing a meal -- assuming the added calories turn to fat -- they included the cost of more food needed to sustain a heavier person, more gas to transport a heavier body, and the extra medical expenses associated with weight gain. For people already overweight, 67 cents worth of supersizing resulted in $7.72 total cost; even for normal-weight people, the cost was more than $4.

Still worse, carrying around extra pounds leaves you at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, some forms of cancer, and high blood pressure.

Whether you're ordering fast food at the drive-through, dining in a restaurant, or eating in your own kitchen, pay attention to portion size so you don't take in more calories than you can use. Try to start your meal with healthy, low-fat foods -- fruit or veggies (even fast-food joints now offer salads) -- then move on to small portions of protein and carbs. You'll feel full with far fewer calories.

Many restaurants serve plates piled high with enough food to serve a small family. Be proactive to prevent overeating. Before it's served, have half your meal boxed and take it home. Or split an entrée. Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets. In other words, do yourself a favor and downsize your meals.

Source: ournal of American College of Nutrition, ©2006

September 17, 2006- Silencing Pain with Music
Bad hip? Bad back? Instead of popping a pain pill, try spinning your favorite CD.

Nagging, gnawing pain can grind anyone down. But now there's scientific evidence that the right kind of music can pick you up, easing discomfort and lifting your spirits. What's the "right" kind? Anything you like -- relaxing sounds, classic rock, edgier beats, whatever sounds good to your inner spirit is good for your body, too.

It's been known for a while that music is a great way to decrease pain and calm fears after surgery and during cancer treatments. The question was, could it also help people suffering from the ongoing pain of arthritis, migraines, back problems, and other health issues? The answer is yes. A daily dose of music can definitely increase comfort and lift depression, boosting listeners' outlook.

Even better, music is a low-cost "medicine" with no side effects, unlike many pain relievers. So whatever it is you like to listen to -- Satchmo or Sade -- try turning it on if you're coping with pain problems. Treating yourself with more than one kind of medicine is good for the body as well as the soul.

Source: Journal of Advanced Nursing, ©2006

September 24, 2006- Are You a Pill Popper?

If a balanced diet just isn't in the cards on a particular day, a multivitamin is a great way to fill in nutrition gaps. Likewise, a single supplement -- say, a vitamin C pill -- may be better absorbed than the same nutrient in foods. But that doesn't mean it's better to down pills than to eat vegetables. Why? Because it's quite possible that it's not just one nutrient that helps fight cancer or heart disease; rather, it's a combination of several ingredients. In other words, orange juice contains much more than vitamin C.

If you're weighing whether to swallow a supplement or start adding a salad to your dinner every night, the pill sounds infinitely easier. But foods don't just have nutritional importance; they create a kind of energy force in your body. In fact, food is the next frontier in medicine -- researchers are actively studying how different foods can be used for healing. And that's the kind of biochemical power you find only in nature.

So reach for fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains whenever you can, but have a multivitamin on hand when your reach falls short.

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