Balance Your Health dot Com is my first blog and as of June 1 it is retired.
I loved writing for the blog about health issues that ran the gamut from specialized research to more non-traditional approaches to health. It was my first attempt at reaching a wide audience and I learned a great deal about what to do and what not to do.
Just over a year ago I created another website with a blog that focuses on many of the same topics as Balance but this site offers more flexibility and my ability to reach more people. I would love it if you would subscribe to this site and keep sending me your comments about the different health issues.
You can claim your free repor on how to challenge your brain when you give me your name and email address. Please visit my health site called
I look forward to our providing you with health information that gives your life the quality you want.
Regards,
Ruthan Brodsky
I take vitamins every day as a preventive measure and to enhance the way my body works. I am no longer sure whether taking these vitamins can reduce my risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack because the research results are confusing.
A few years ago several large studies found few, if any, benefits from taking antioxidants except among very high-risk women. I use to believe, and I wrote about that antioxidants might prevent damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals. I also believed that vitamin B might lower high levels of the protein homocysteine which can damage blood vessels. That's what the medical gurus reported for 20 years and then they changed their mind.
The studies showed there were no differences in cardiovascular events between women taking vitamins and those who received a placebo. Previous randomized trials of folic-acid and vitamin-B supplements indicated that same finding.
I am still taking the vitamins but reduced the dosage because the researchers are not really sure about the results. They do know that certain vitamins, such as C and E, may reduce heart disease risk by preventing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from producing plaques that narrow the heart's arteries. Yet here too, the evidence between those who take the vitamins and those who do not is not very much.
The major point is if you do not control your other risk factors such as diet, enough physical activity, smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes, it won't matter how many vitamins you take.
However, eating foods that are the sources of antioxidants can be beneficial to reducing the risk of heart disease. That means eating more fruits and green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains, oatmeal, sweet potatoes and wheat germ – all the foods your mother and grandmother kept telling you should eat because they are good for you.
Makes you think, doesn't it?
To your health success.
Ruthan Brodsky
Eating foods with fiber is healthy for us. We know that because our doctors and health writers have been telling us that for the last 25 years. Just about everyone knows fiber for its ability to prevent and relieve constipation. Some of us even have a vague notion that fiber may help prevent other diseases but those facts are fuzzy. We just take it for granted that fiber is good. I'm here to tell you that it is really good for you.
Dietary fiber, the kind you eat, is vital to your overall heath. Your fiber intake from foods such as nuts, fruits and vegetables and whole grain flour helps control your cholesterol and it lowers your body's need for insulin. Consuming fiber also helps you control your weight, even lose weight, and has been shown to lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and some cancers. Research also shows that it lowers the risk of cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids.
The term fiber itself refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. It is something that is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes.
However, not all fiber is the same. One way of categorizing fiber is by how easily it dissolves in water. Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. Soluble fiber forms a gel when mixed with liquid and makes it loner for food to pass through your stomach so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly. Oat and oat bran, dried beans and peas, nuts, barley, apples, carrots are foods that contain soluble fiber. Fruits and vegetables also slow down gastric emptying and help you control your weight which helps prevent type 2 diabetes.
Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes through the intestine almost whole and helps prevent constipation. Dark leafy green vegetables, fruit and root vegetable skins, whole wheat and corn bran products are sources of insoluble fiber which helps protect against colon cancer.
These differences are important when you examine fiber's effect on your risk of developing certain diseases. For example, insoluble fiber is better for preventing diverticulitis, an inflammation of the intestine. Soluble fiber or cereal fiber from grains is better for preventing heart disease. Both are great for controlling weight.
The next time you go to the market, select those foods which give you a major dose of healthy fiber.
To your success at balancing your health.
Ruthan Brodsky
http://www.secretstohealthandaging.com
No matter your age, no matter your life stage, no matter your health, you can take steps to prevent getting sick. Granted, you can't change your family history, or your age, or your race, but you can take honest and real disease prevention steps to maintain good health or improve your health.
For instance, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. That does not mean you and I have to die of heart disease. If you have a family history of heart disease there are things you can do today that will move you onto a healthy lifestyle which is your first defense against heart disease. In case you haven't heard, many chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes may be preventable even if you have a strong family history. There is even evidence that some cancers can be prevented with good health habits such as being physically active, limited how much alcohol you drink, and eating your vegetables and fruits.
You have read these prevention tips. They're in every magazine, announced on every health radio show, and proclaimed at least once a week on Oprah. I think they're worth repeating especially if you are not paying attention to them or know someone who could use this advice. Join me in my efforts. To stay healthy and lead a productive life you need to:
There are more steps you can take but just making these a part of your daily routine, a part of your life and what ever you do, you are off to a good start for a promising future.
To your success.
Ruthan Brodsky
Keeping up with a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing health issues isn't always easy especially when you're dealing with your own specific health issue. Let's say your back goes out and you are in severe pain. Eating vegetables won't be on the top of your must do list.
This is understandable and it makes sense. On the other hand, dealing with a health issue doesn't give you a license to go overboard with eating greasy fast food or becoming a couch potato. So what do you do?
Well or not well, you are still the captain of your ship – your body. I found that when I am dealing with a health issue, or a dilemma of one kind or other and growing more anxious because I can't figure it out, I need to take a time out. Taking a time out doesn't mean I'm going to get better or solve my problem but it does mean that I'm taking control of managing my health and managing my problem. Sometimes, just managing a health issue or a family crisis or business problem is all we can do simply because we do not have control of all the factors that went into making the problem in the first place nor those that can solve the problems.
When I take a time out to deal with a health issue it is my way of reminding myself to focus on wellness to prevent complications of the health issue I already have or open myself to new health issues. My reasoning is it is always better to prevent illness rather than try to cure or treat it.
Some risk factors I can't control such as my heredity, the fact that I'm female, and my age. On the other hand I can modify other risk factors by exercising, not smoking, maintaining a good weight for myself and eating those vegetables. What I always keep in mind is that some diseases are risk factors of other diseases and I don't want to get near that progression. For example, diabetes puts a person at a high risk for heart disease and stroke.
My time out helps me make keep to my goal for a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes it's the bathroom scale that reminds me of my goals. Whatever it takes to keep me in line is worth the effort.
By the way, please check out my relatively new blog, Secrets to Health and Aging. I will be integrating this Balance Your Health blog into that blog so please begin your subscription now. Go to Secrets To Health and Aging and on the top right either subscribe by email or by RSS feed using the orange icon.
The plan is for this to take place by June 1 of this year.
To your good health,
Ruthan Brodsky
Slow Food advocates believe that food was meant to enjoy and to taste. Those who manage weight loss programs also boost the notion of slow eating as an approach to satisfying the need to feel full and have that full feeling stay with you over a longer period of time.
Slow Food is not a new concept. It started in the 1980's and has become an international development with several organization most of which also promote local foods, focus on organic farming, saving varieties of fruits and vegetables that are in danger of going extinct and healthy eating styles.
Here are 6 guidelines from the Slow Food movement that will help you stay healthy and increase the probability of you losing weight.
1. Prepare most of your own meals. If you never cook, try making dinner at home once a week, then twice and maybe three times. Be sure you include a vegetable or two with each meal. Frozen vegetables will work fine and they are easy to prepare. You do have time to prepare your own meals. It doesn't take much more than it would for you to get to a restaurant or to sit longer at the table while you're served.
2. Only eat when you're sitting at a table meant for serving a meal. If you are eating ice cream out of a container standing at the frig you are asking for trouble. Take the time to scoop out the ice-cream, put it in a dish, and sit at the table with your serving. I am guessing that you will eat half as much ice cream.
3. Don't eat when you're not hungry. This doesn't always work especially if you have young children and you work hard to be their roll model. On the other hand, don't be taken in by the ads for snacks even though you've just had dinner.
4. Enjoy what you're eating. Savor it. When you eat quickly while reading the paper you lose a lot of the food's flavor. When you eat too fast, you lose the smell of the food which take on half the work of our taste buds. Fast food companies know this which is why their foods are soft and moist and hardly need chewing so they can be eaten fast. Remember how that greasy hamburger just about dissolved between your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
5. Don't eat what you don't like. Who do you know who eats the fruit-flavored chocolates only because they're the last ones in the box but she would rather have the chocolate covered nuts? Waste of calories.
6. Use the same slow food thinking in a restaurant that you do at home. If you feel rushed at a restaurant or you have to shout to the person across the table from you because it's so noisy in the bar area, you are probably in the wrong place and not going to enjoy your food.
It is worth it to take the time to plan, prepare and earnestly partake in good-tasting nutritious meals. You deserve it.
To your success at balancing your health.
Ruthan Brodsky
Slow food are words I thought that were strictly attributed to the notion that we should not eat quickly. I had no idea there is an international organization titled Slow Foods and that there are chapters in many states and in many cities across the states. The organization does promote Mindful eating and not eating quickly but it also promotes the concept of cooking for yourself so you know the ingredients of your food rather than have some robot adding extra salt or sugar or fat.
Most Americans want their food fast. Most of us eat fast and have our meals prepared by someone else so we do not have to take the time out for cooking. Someone of us even wolf down a meal or two while driving or while sitting at our desks. I am guilty of the last behavior particularly when there is a deadline for an article looming over me.
The problem is when we are eating standing up at the kitchen counter or grabbing a hunk of cheese for the car, we cannot hear our body telling us when we are full. You may not know this but it takes about 20 minutes on average for the brain to notify the stomach that you have had enough to eat.
Also, when you eat fast and do not think about what you are eating, you eat more quickly and don't pay attention to how much you are eating so we tend to eat more. Part of what makes eating so pleasurable and why we describe a meal as a great meal or someone as a great cook is because we want a meal that tastes good, gives us pleasure and helps us relax. If those elements are missing we tend to keep on eating even after we are no longer hungry. It is those extra pounds which put us at higher risk for diabetes, stroke, heart disease and some cancers.
That is good enough reason for me to not just look at the ingredients in my food but also the circumstances under which I am eating. Interesting concept isn't it. I will write a bit more about slow eating in my next post but you may want to check out this web site: http://www.slowfood.com
Let me know what you think about the website and if you found a chapter near you.
To your success at balancing your life.
Ruthan Brodsky
The amount of sleep you need depends on many variables and much of it depends on your age. Infants, for example, sleep 16 hours a day. Most preschoolers need 10 or 11 hours of sleep a night as do most school-age children. Teen agers need something less, about nine hours of sleep a night. And most adults require seven to eight hours a night although some people feel rested on as few as five hours of sleep. Research is calling this low number into question.
Studies show that people who sleep as little as six or five or less hours a night do not perform as well on complex mental tasks as do those who do sleep the seven or eight hour time frame. Researchers also found that those who get less sleep have a higher mortality rate than those adults who get more sleep.
Sleep problems become nastier as you age because sleeping patterns may change. Older adults tend to sleep more lightly and awaken more frequently during the night than younger adults. So far there is no evidence that older adults need less sleep than do younger adults. Apparently, at any age, getting enough sleep is helpful to everyone's immune system and helps your nervous system work properly. The quality of sleep is also important. If your sleep is frequently interrupted you are not getting the full benefit of the hours you have tried sleeping.
Here are a few tips to help you sleep better.
Go to bed and wake up on the same schedule, even on weekends to help you reinforce your sleep-wake cycle.
Do not eat or drink large amounts before bed. Too much liquid and you will be waking up in the middle of the night to urinate. Too much heavy food and your digestive system will be working too hard to let you sleep well.
Exercise regularly because aerobic exercise can help fatigue you and prepare you for needed sleep. Some people find that exercising before bed makes it harder to fall asleep so give yourself more time between exercise and going to bed.
Keep in mind that if you have trouble sleeping on a regular basis see your doctor. You could have a sleep disorder. Identifying and treating the cause of your sleep problems can get you the rest you need.
To your success at balanced health.
Ruthan Brodsky
Investigating possible links between sleep and memory began 35 years ago with Carlyle Smith from Trent University, Canada. No one else was paying any attention to the topic back then but events have certainly changed. I would guess that there is at least one magazine a month which has published an article about the importance of sleep and the impact it has on your brain and your memory. Sleep and memory is now a hot research field.
One school of thought on the topic argues
that sleep is necessary for memory because it provides the time for the brain to replay memories recorded temporarily so they can become permanently embedded. In one study, for example, participants were taught to navigate a virtual maze on a computer screen. Half of them napped for 90 minutes while the other half were required to stay awake. In the afternoon all participants were re-tested on the maze task. Those who reported dreaming about the maze had a significant improved performance over the others. They did better than people who had slept, but did not dream and better than those who stayed awake rehearsing the task in their minds.What is interesting is that scientists do not know why dreams boost learning. Dreaming is a very complex process and most does not occur until after 90 minutes of sleep. The general consensus among scientists, however, is that sleep itself locks in short term memories. On the other hand, many people could show memory improvement in much less time than it takes to dream. For instance, studies have shown that as little as 12 minutes can help remember things better. Study a list of words, then nap for 12 minutes. Chances are you will do much better remembering those words than if you did not have the 12-minute nap.
The problem is that today many scientists believe that most Americans are chronically tired and sleep-deprived. For example, people who find they sleep more on a weekend to catch up are not helping themselves. The researchers suggest getting a regular amount of sleep, seven to eight hours each night for your physical health and your mental and intellectual health as well.
Have you ever found a correlation between how much you sleep and how well you think the next day? Let us know. Type your story in the comment box and we will take a survey about this from our readers.
To your success at a well balanced life.
Ruthan Brodsky
In my last post I explained that every food producer has jumped on the whole grain food wagon and advertised the ingredients of their packaged food as whole grain. Sometimes it is not quite as it seems. For instance, "made with whole grain" may describe a food product with only a tiny bit of whole grain in the box. Other labels such as wheat, or multi grain or stone ground all sound very healthy but none of them guarantee whole grain content.
In early civilizations everyone ate whole wheat. Today, refined wheat is considered a sign of the advancement of our civilization and whole wheat is considered crude or primitive. Some brands are made of white, bleached wheat with molasses and other browning agents added. In other words, it is important to read labels to find out if the flour used in these products is processed or not. No matter what is added, processed wheat and vitamins or processed wheat and minerals, does not equal the nutritional values found in the germ and bran of wheat. It is an excellent source of vitamin b and for dietary fiber. While products like pasta and rice mixes have added whole grain products, it is important to keep an eye on sodium and fat levels.
Many other grains are used for bread and pasta but wheat is popular because it contains glutens which cause bread to rise. Some people have Celiac disease and are allergic to glutens. Quinoa and Amaranth are two grains that were part of ancient civilizations and have been given a rebirth in our grocery stores. Quinoa is among the healthiest of the whole grains but you can also try others including amaranth, barley, buckwheat, millet, oats, brown rise and even corn.
Just make sure that you and your family avoid the junk foods that are labeled because a cookie made with whole wheat still has too much fat and sugar. The whole wheat does not make them any healthier.
The evidence is ample: Whole grains are important because the quality of the carbohydrates you eat is as important as the quantity. Besides, eating shoe instead of refined grains tends to substantially lower total cholesterol. What is also good news is that those who averaged 2 to 3 servings of whole grains a day were 30 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains.
I'd love to hear about your ideas for including whole grains in your nutrition. Type your ideas in the comment section and submit. I'll share them with the other readers.
To your success at balancing your health.
Ruthan Brodsky