The “Skinny” on Fats

As awareness of the obesity epidemic began to rise during the 1990’s - the nation’s focus turned towards dietary fat.  The advice of the time was to eat a low-fat diet in order to prevent obesity and other diseases.  It sounded good – it made sense - so most people jumped on board.   An avalanche of low-fat and fat-free processed foods hit the grocery store shelves and the low-fat craze was on. 

Some 15 years later, a growing body of evidence is now pointing to the ineffectiveness of the low-fat diet for weight loss or prevention of heart disease and several cancers.  The most recent revelation came when the results of the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial were published in the February 8, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

After following 49,000 women for eight years, the researchers reported that eating a low-fat diet did not prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer, and that it didn't do much for weight loss, either.  What is becoming clearer by the day is that too much saturated and trans fats increase the risk for certain diseases while more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk.  The key is to eat more of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. 

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the largest sources of saturated fats are dairy products and red meats.  The largest sources of trans fats are processed foods such as margarine, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, deep-fried chips, fast foods and most baked goods.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish.  While these foods do have small amounts of saturated fats, they have much larger amounts of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats by comparison – and that’s the key.

Wholefood Farmacy foods make it easy for you, your family and your children to enjoy delicious, convenient whole foods that have more of the healthier fats that nature has to offer.  

Pedometers

Pedometers, also called step counters, clip to a belt or waistband and count the steps the wearer takes during the day. They are available in the $5 to $60 range with simple, reliable models available for about $20. So what can a pedometer do for you?

Researchers, with a grant from the National Institute on Aging, put the pedometer to the test.  Dr. Dena Bravata of Stanford University was the co-author of the study and the findings were published in the November 21^st, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Bravata and her colleagues analyzed 20 studies from the United States and Canada and half a dozen from Japan, Europe and Australia. The average age of participants was 49, and 85 percent were female because some studies targeted women. The total number of volunteers overall was more than 2,700.

Overall, the pedometer stood up to multiple research studies, helping people walk an additional mile each day if they logged their steps and kept track from day to day.  On average, the volunteers lost a few pounds and their blood pressure dropped enough to lower their risk for stroke and heart disease.

“Every night, you write down how many steps you walked that day,” said Bravata. “By flipping back through your diary, you’re able to see patterns: “On the two days a week I took the stairs, I increased my steps.”

The key seems to be keeping a diary of your pedometer readings and setting a daily goal to stay in step with.  It’s inexpensive enough – it’s easy enough – why not give it a try?  And while you’re doing more walking, don’t forget your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods which are the perfect snack while you’re on the go!  

A Triple Play for Healthy Bones

Helping children build healthy bones is an important job that all parents should know how to do.   Children build half of their bone mass during adolescence and reach their peak bone mass by age twenty.  The three most important factors for building healthy, strong bones in your children are calcium, vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and exercise.

Poor nutrition, lack of outdoor activities and lack of exercise have health experts very concerned as cases of Rickets in are rising fast in American children.  Rickets is a childhood bone disease that is typically seen only in third world developing countries.  It causes the bones to ache and to become deformed starting at a young age. 

According to Dr. James Beaty, President of the American Academy of Orthopedic  Surgeons,  "There's some early data showing that even a 10 percent deficit in your bone mass when you finish your adolescent years can increase your potential risk of having osteoporosis and fractures as much as 50 percent”.

When it comes to American children, the experts believe that poor nutrition combined with too much TV, internet and computer game time is an issue that parents need to address immediately.  "This potentially is a time-bomb," says Dr. Laura Tosi, bone health chief at Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C.

What’s the solution?  Good nutrition, sunshine and exercise!

Calcium is the building block of healthy bones.  Foods which are good sources of calcium include fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, canned fish with bones, nuts, fruits, vegetables, dried beans, rice beverages, molasses and some leafy greens.

The best source of vitamin D is natural sunlight, that’s why getting outdoors is so important for your children.  When the kids are playing outdoors they are getting both exercise and vitamin D.  If you would like to read more research regarding the health benefits of sunlight, please click these two links:

http://www.smj.wholefoodfarmacy.com/2005/wwa040506.asp

http://www.smj.wholefoodfarmacy.com/2005/wwa051607.asp

The Wholefood Farmacy can offer you some wonderfully healthy foods and snacks for you and your kids.  These are the perfect snacks for outdoor activities at any time of the year.

Visit The Wholefood Farmacy Here:  http://www.smj.wholefoodfarmacy.com

Company Information | Our Philosophy | Privacy Policy | Legal Notice
LOGIN | HOME | ABOUT US | OUR PRODUCTS | HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS|  NEWS & EVENTS | JOIN NOW | CUSTOMER SERVICE | NEW TESTIMONIALS | FAQ'S | Discuss on Ring Source |