Messages 25-34 ~ Active 4 Life
A4L Message # 25 Flex Your Feet! Weight-bearing exercises like walking strengthen the muscles and bones in the feet and keep blood circulating. You can also maintain circulation when you’re stuck sitting for long periods by flexing your feet, wiggling your toes, and keeping your legs uncrossed. Try these exercises from the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society to further strengthen and stretch your foot muscles wile relieving and preventing soreness and tension. Do them from either a seated or standing position, first with one foot and then the other. 1. Heel raise, toe point, toe curl: Hold each of these positions for five seconds: a) Lift your heel as high as possible, keeping your toes and the ball of you foot on the floor. b) Point your foot down as far as possible, and leave only your big toe touching the floor. c) Lift your whole foot off the ground, curl your toes, point your foot straight down, and place the toe ―knuckles‖ on the floor, exerting enough pressure to stretch the toes and top of the foot. Repeat that sequence ten times. 2. Toe Pulls: Place a thick rubber band around your big toes, and put your feet on the floor. Then rotate your ankles outward, pulling those toes away from each other. Hold this position for five seconds and repeat ten times. As a variation, place a band around all the toes of one foot, then spread them apart, moving your big and little toes in opposite directions. 3. Towel lifts: Raise a small towel off the floor, using only your toes. Repeat five times. 4. Pick-ups: Put an empty bowl and 20 marbles, dice, or wrapped hard candies on the floor. Using your toes, pick up all 20 items one at a time and drop them in the bowl.
A4L Message # 26 Whole Grain Products Research in recent years has uncovered some significant health implications related to consumption of whole grain foods. The health benefits of whole grains come from the ―whole grain package‖ and not just individual components. The fiber, vitamins, minerals and hundreds of phytochemicals found in whole grains appear to work together in powerful ways to help protect against chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and diabetes. Although the exact mechanisms are unknown, scientific evidence
suggests that regular consumption of whole grains is liked to a reduced risk of certain diseases. When it comes to whole grains, the ―whole‖ is truly greater than the sum of its parts. What is a whole grain food? Whole grain foods are those made from the entire grain kernel—bran, germ and endosperm. For instance, whole what flour, some breakfast cereals, brown rice and oatmeal are considered whole grain foods. How can you tell if a food is made from whole grains? Look for the words ―whole‖ or ―whole grain‖ before the grain’s name in the ingredient list. This tells you that the food is made from the entire grain. The whole grain should be the first ingredient listed.
What is the difference between whole grain and fiber? Whole grains and fiber go hand-in-hand. A whole grain is literally the whole kernel of grain, which includes the bran, germ and endosperm. Fiber—which helps to promote regularity—is found in the bran and germ portions of the grain kernel. These parts of the grain are usually removed when grains are milled to produce regular white flour. Can you identify whole grain foods in your cupboard? Read the labels, and if your breads, cereals, and rice products do not have whole grains in them, take the time to find whole grain products on your next trip to the grocery store. Buy and use them! Your health will benefit in many ways!
A4L Message # 27 Whole Grains and Diabetes Why ask for that sandwich on whole-wheat bread? People who eat whole grains have a lower risk of diabetes, say researchers at the University of Minnesota and elsewhere. Lawrence Kushi and colleagues gave diet questionnaires to nearly 36,000 healthy Iowa women aged 55 too 69 when the study began in 1986. After six years, 1,141 of the women had been diagnosed with diabetes. Those who consumed the most whole grains (average: 3 servings a day) had a 21 percent lower risk of diabetes than those who consumed the least (average: once a week). Those who consumed the most fiber (average: 10 grams a day) from breads, cereals, and other grains had a 29 percent lower risk than those who consume the least (average: 3 grams a day). (Fruit and vegetable fiber wasn’t linked to diabetes.) And those who consumed the most magnesium, a mineral found in whole grains, had a 24 percent lower risk than those who consumed the least.
―Being overweight is clearly an overwhelming risk factor for the development of diabetes, and physical activity is important, too.‖ Says Kushi, who is now at Columbia University. ―But there is growing evidence that whole grains also play a role. It’s just hard to know whether it’s their fiber, magnesium, or something else that matters.‖ A4L Message # 28 Whole grain crackers? It’s pretty easy to find crackers that aren’t too high in saturated fat or trans fat or sodium. But making sure they’ve got whole grains not just on the box, but in it is another challenge. Be aware of the following marketing ―strategies.‖ If the label says ―hearty wheat,‖ ―made with whole wheat,‖ ―multigrain,‖ and ―stoned wheat,‖ most likely the main ingredient is ―enriched wheat‖ (translation: ―refined white‖) flour. Check out the labels! Nabisco offers seven varieties of terrific-tasting whole-wheat Triscuits that have only one gram of saturated fat and no more than 240 mg of sodium in each one-ounce serving (about 7 or 8 crackers). Also try some of the many Scandinavian-style whole-rye crispbreads – they have the wonderfully subtle sour taste of rye bread.
A4L Message # 29 Bottled Water Is bottled water safer than tap water? There is no easy answer. It depends on where the bottled or tap water comes from, how (or if) it’s been treated, and who’s drinking it. Even so, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ―hasn’t documented a microbial outbreak of water-borne disease associated with bottle water in the United States,‖ according to CDC epidemiologist Dennis Juranek. Bottle water comes with many names. Here’s what some of them mean: Spring Water flows naturally to the earth’s surface from underground formations. It makes up about 75 percent of the bottled water sold in the U.S. (the other 25 percent comes from municipal water supplies). Springs are supposed to be protected from pollution, according to industry guidelines and some state regulations. Mineral water is spring water that naturally contains at least 250 milligrams of dissolved minerals (like magnesium and calcium) per liter. Sparkling water is spring water that contains carbon dioxide gas.
Drinking water is water that has probably been drawn from a municipal system. If the water comes right out of the tap and into the bottle or jug, the label has to disclose which municipality it came from. But if the water receives additional treatment – if it is filtered or disinfected before being bottled – no disclosure is necessary. That’s why you won’t find any mention on bottles of Pepsico’s Aquafina or Coca-Cola’s Dasani that both originate from city water supplies. Purified water has been treated with distillation, ion-exchange, reverse osmosis, or another similar process. Distilled water comes from the stream of municipal water that has been boiled. The process gets rid of most contaminants, but not benzene, chlorine, and some other volatile organic chemicals (some companies filer them out separately). A4L Message # 30 Water Drinking Tips Remember to drink your 8 glasses of water a day! To minimize your exposure to lead and other metals: Use only water from the cold-water tap for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain more lead and other metals. If the tap hasn’t been turned on for six hours or more, run the water until it gets as cold as it’s going to get. That helps flush out any metals that may have accumulated. If you have a severely weakened immune system: There’s not enough evidence to say that you should avoid tap water, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But if you want to take ―extra precautions,‖ the CEDC says to boil your tap water for at least a minute in an open pot or filter it with a system that is certified to reduce cysts (Cryptosporidium and Giardia) under ANSI/NSF Standard 53. (ANSI is the American National Standards Institute and NSF is the National Sanitation Foundation International.) You can also drink bottled water that has been distilled or run through a reverse-osmosis filter. If you drink only bottle water: Your teeth may not be getting enough fluoride, even if you use a fluoridated toothpaste. Tell your dentist, who may prescribe fluoride supplements, especially for children. For more information, check out the following websites: www.nsf.org, www.bottledwater.org, and www.cspinet.org/nah/water A4L Message # 31 Eating Out
How many meals a week do you and your family eat out? Some tidbits of interest… A turkey club sandwich has about 60 percent more calories than a roast beef sandwich with mustard, plus three times as much fat A sirloin steak has one-fourth as much fat as a porterhouse steak or 16-ounce prime rib A typical serving of pancakes, French toast, or waffles has about 900 calories A fried seafood platter has about 2,200 calories and two days’ worth of arteryclogging fat An order of cheese fries with ranch dressing hits 3,000 calories – and four days’ worth of artery-clogging fat Some of the best dishes include Szechuan shrimp; chicken fajitas; linguine with red clam sauce; shrimp with garlic sauce; and chicken, lamb, or pork souvlaki (kebob).
A4L Message # 32 Food Safety for Meats At the checkout counter, have the cashier put the meat, seafood, or poultry in a separate bag so leaking juices don’t contaminate other foods. At home, refrigerate them as soon as possible. After touching raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs, wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces thoroughly with hot, soapy water. Don’t use the same utensils and platters for raw and cooked meat, poultry, or seafood. Completely thaw frozen meat, poultry, and seafood in the refrigerator before cooking. Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Don’t use the marinade from raw meat, poultry, or seafood on cooked food unless it has been brought to a boil first to kill any bacteria. Check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and seafood with an oven-safe, dial instant-read or digital meat thermometer. To make sure your thermometer is accurate, put the tip at least two inches into a cup of crushed ice topped off with tap water. It should read 32 degrees F after 30 seconds (be careful not to let it touch the side of bottom of the cup).
A4L Message # 33 Food Safety Tips for Fruits
Before you cut cantaloupes or other melons, scrub the skins with water and a brush. (if you don’t, cutting them could transfer pathogens from the rind to the flesh.) Wash berries, lettuce (pre-washed or not), and other non-scrubbable fruits and vegetables with fast-running water. The friction of the running water helps remove bacteria. That’s better than soaking. Wash fruit even if you plan to peel it. If there are microbes on the peel, they can contaminate the rest of the fruit when you peel it. Eat only cooked sprouts (including home-grown). Ask restaurants not to add raw sprouts to your sandwich or salad.
A4L Message # 34 High Noon Are you getting your 30-40 minutes of physical activity done by noon? With spring in the air, it is a perfect time to get up a half hour earlier than wintertime and get out and walk before coming to work! If that doesn’t work for you, take your walk before lunch! Remember to keep a spare pair of walking shoes and thick socks in your car, along with a hat. When you have 10 or 15 minutes before or after an appointment, get moving and burn some energy!