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 "ATKINS ATTITUDE"
Low-Carb Cantankerousness
The definition doesn't appear in Webster's yet, but the
irritability, mood swings and restlessness often associated with
extreme low-carb dieting have become so famous that they've earned
their own sobriquet.
Self magazine defines "Atkins
Attitude" as "a biological (and attitudinal) response to a
chronically low-carb diet, which is characterized by grouchiness,
distractibility, even depression." So common is ketosis neurosis
that it's even spawned a synonym that is an alliterative variation
of South Beach (but rhymes with South Witch).
A new study
from the MIT Clinical Research Center suggests the phenomenon may be
more than anecdotal. According to study author and Director of
Women's Health Judith Wurtman, low-carb dieting can cause serotonin
levels to plummet, which in turn make your moods go south (as in
bad, not beach). Other research has linked depression with low
levels of the important B vitamin, folate, found in abundance in
most fruits and vegetables, as well as fortified grain products,
also scanted on low-carb diets.
These hormonal and emotional
effects may help explain why such extreme low-carb regimes are so
difficult to maintain in the long run. Serotonin deprivation can
lead to carb cravings, setting unsuspecting dieters up for binges
and rebounds.
Stay on an even keel with B-vitamin-rich foods
such as asparagus, spinach, broccoli, bananas, cantaloupe and beans.
Cut out processed carbs such as white rice, breads, pastries and
sodas, while relying on filling, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables to
tame that tummy -- and your temper, too.
THE SCENT OF A (SKINNY) WOMAN
Could How You Smell
Affect How You Look?
And you always thought that the
way to a man's heart was through his stomach. New findings suggest
it might be through his nose. Researchers at the Smell and Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago waved different scents
under the noses of 199 male testers, then had them estimate how much
a female subject weighed.
The scents ranged from
citrus-floral, to lily of the valley, to floral-spice. Weight
estimates made under the influence of such scents were compared with
those made without olfactory stimulation. What they found was that
after sniffing spicy, floral fragrances, the men tended to
underestimate how much women weighed by an average of 12
pounds.
One theory is that such exotic scents might increase
male sexual arousal, making the women appear more desirable and
perhaps thinner than they would otherwise. Who knows? Maybe beauty
is not in the eye of the beholder after all, but in the
nose.
Our advice? Your best bet for slimming down is eau
d'exercise -- and the fresh scent of fruits and vegetables on
your plate. Next to vibrant good health, nothing's more attractive
than confidence, so wear the scent that makes you feel your
best.
That said, there's certainly no harm in doing a little
scent-perception experiment of your own and trying something new,
variety being the (floral) spice of life. Just don't let us hear you
ask, "Does this perfume make me look fat?"
FAMILY MEALS PUT HEALTH ON MENU
Children of
families who dine together not only have diets higher in a host of
important nutrients -- including fiber, calcium, iron and folate --
they also are less likely to suffer depression, a new study by
the University of Minnesota recently confirmed.
Focusing on
adolescents, researchers found that those who ate five or more
dinners with their families were less likely to experience thoughts
of suicide or experiment with cigarettes, drugs or alcohol than
those who had four or fewer meals with their families.
Interestingly, the positive influence of family mealtime was even
more pronounced with girls than boys.
Unfortunately, less
than half of children regularly have dinner with their families --
with the percentage declining as they get older (while more than
half of 9-year-olds in one Harvard survey ate family dinners daily,
less than a third of fourteen-year-olds did). Depending on age, the
average number of family chow-downs range from three to five a
week.
Nationally these numbers have been on the decline,
including a 33% decrease over the past three decades in families who
report regularly having dinner together.
Could such plunging
trend lines have contributed to rising rates of childhood obesity?
Quite possibly, especially when you consider the differences in
dietary patterns between those kids who eat en famille and
those who eat alone, most likely devant le TV.
A
recent Children's Nutrition Research Center survey found that
overweight children reported eating 50% more of their meals while
watching television than did their normal-weight peers. Other
surveys found that those who eat with family have lower intakes of
fried food and soda -- both calorically dense and nutritionally
negligible.
Family meals have 50% more fruits and vegetables
than those consumed alone and are three times more likely to include
low-fat options. These advantages don't appear to hold for families
who eat together in front of the tube.
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 TOP TEN ANTI-CANCER FOODS
More than a third of
all cancers could be prevented by changes in diet and exercise. One
of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk is lose
excess weight -- and one of the best ways to lose weight is through
a filling, fiber-rich diet, including plenty of fruits and
vegetables.
But that's not the reason why the National Cancer
Institute recently approved the dietary guidance: "Diets rich in
fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer
and other chronic diseases." These foods are packed with
antioxidants and other compounds that protect your DNA and fight
free-radical damage.
Since these substances work
synergistically, it's best to eat a variety of fruits and
vegetables rather than relying on one particular produce item to
serve as a magic bullet against disease. Or as health writer Liz
Szabo put it recently in USA TODAY: "A growing body of research
shows that, once inside the body, fruits and vegetables spring into
the role of superheroes, fighting cancer and other diseases in at
least eight simultaneous ways. And, like the Superfriends, they
seem to work better as a team."
That said, here's our top
10 list of anti-cancer fruits and vegetables that you'd do well to
put on your dietary dream team, drawn from an analysis of
existing research by the DNI's Nutrition Research Scientist, Tom
Mahier:
1) TOMATOES: Lycopene, also found in watermelon and
pink grapefruit, has been linked to lower risk of prostate, ovarian
and cervical cancer. It also targets the free radical that is
implicated in lung and digestive cancers.
2) BROCCOLI
SPROUTS: The ultimate baby vegetable. One forkful triggers a cascade
of antioxidant activity that lasts for days. You'll get similar
benefits from other cruciferous veggies, including broccoli,
brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. Sulforaphane and
indole-3-carbinol protect against prostate, bladder, colon,
pancreatic, gastric, breast and other hormone-related
cancers.
3) BERRIES: Blueberries, cranberries, cherries,
raspberries, strawberries and grapes are all rich in anthocyanins
that repair and protect DNA.
4) SOYBEANS: Isoflavones such as
genistein may help prevent and treat prostate cancer and may reduce
breast cancer risk.
5) TEA: Both black and green contain
powerful compounds shown in countless studies to lower the risk of
several types of cancer.
6) PUMPKIN: This unsung superfood is
a super-rich source of both beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, two
hard-working carotenoids that combat lung and ovarian cancer. Other
good bets: carrots, yams, squash, melons and sweet red
peppers.
7) SPINACH: Popeye's favorite may help KO cancers of
the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate. The active antioxidant
lutein is also found in kale and other leafy greens.
8)
GARLIC: Allium veggies (which also include onions and scallions)
work to get your body's own antioxidant defense systems in gear.
This process provides protective benefits against stomach,
esophageal and breast cancers.
9) PINEAPPLE: The enzyme
bromelain may inhibit the growth of malignant cells in both lung and
breast cancer, while the phenolic compounds also provide a
protective benefit.
10) APPLE: Can one a day help keep cancer
at bay? Studies show quercetin may reduce the risk of lung cancer
and impede growth of prostate cancer cells. Other antioxidants,
together with pectin, help halt colon and liver cancer cell
replication.
To learn more about produce with anti-cancer
prowess, go to http://rdr.sbml.cc/Click?q=e6-qG-rQwyCVG8UMr4XGFvxi3_btdRR.
BEETS TO BEAT HEART DISEASE
Red Root Veggie's
"Betanin" for Better Health
Whether you prefer a
summer salad of beets over a bed of greens -- or wait for winter to
whip up a warm bowl of borscht -- new findings on the cardiovascular
and anti-cancer health benefits of beets should inspire you to enjoy
year-round.
Beets contain the antioxidant betanin, which can
help keep LDL (or "bad") cholesterol from clogging the insides of
your arteries, according to a study published in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Moreover, this root vegetable
is a good source of folic acid, which helps to break down
homocysteine, high levels of which have been linked to increased
risk of cardiovascular disease.
Beet bonus: A serving of
cooked beets packs potassium (to help regulate blood pressure) as
well as beta-carotene (for better eyesight) -- a great deal when you
consider that half-cup will cost you just 37 calories. Steam beets
in their jackets to help preserve nutrients (they should slip off
easily once cooled), or see our Featured Recipe to try a delicious,
unconventional Beet Dip that comes from our friends at Vegetarian
Times.
NEW GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES: 13 SERVINGS OF FRUITS &
VEGGIES A DAY
Revised, Plant-Based Pyramid Represents Real
Reform
The curtain is rising on the new U.S. dietary
guidelines (to be announced in January), and it looks like fresh
produce, fish and whole grains are going to be center
stage.
The federal advisory committee is expected to increase their recommendation from five to nine daily
servings of fruits and vegetables to five to 13 servings.
This may seem daunting to Americans used to gargantuan servings of
unhealthy fast food, until one realizes just how relatively modest
an actual serving size of fruits and vegetables turns out to be: a
half cup of spinach, two apricots, a sliver of avocado, a carrot,
3/4 cup of pineapple.
Barring any last minute reversals, the
panel is also expected to recommend two servings of fish a week --
one of the few guidelines that singles out a particular food for
emphasis, in this case based on overwhelming evidence of the health
benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. New, too, is the elevation of whole
grains as being better for you than refined.
Manufacturers of
refined carbohydrate products -- white breads, cookies, sugary
cereals -- won't be happy with this shift. But low-carb product
makers are set to take it on the chin as well: the panel pooh-poohs
the glycemic index, Atkins acolytes' holy grail, as an effective
weight loss tool.
Importantly, while the new guidelines tell
us to increase consumption of certain foods -- fish, produce and
whole grains among them -- they are also expected to advise cutting
back on others. In particular, Americans will be urged to minimize
consumption of saturated and trans fats, added sugars and
salt.
Finally, a behavioral recommendation -- 30 minutes of
daily exercise -- is expected for the first time to incorporated
into the official guidelines. The change reflects the acknowledgment
of declining physical activity, along with excess calories, as a
co-contributor to the nation's obesity crisis.
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 WHAT CAUSES AGING?
And How Diet Can Help Keep
Negative Effects at Bay
"Old age isn't so bad when
you consider the alternative," Maurice Chevalier, the actor and
singer, was wont to say. We all age, yet as modern science is
discovering, the process isn't quite as simple and inevitable as:
you get old and then you die. Many factors -- including
environmental, behavioral and dietary -- affect how quickly, how
slowly and how visibly we age.
For Dr. Andrew Conrad,
founder and Chief Science Officer of the National Genetics Institute
(NGI), aging is all about the rate of our DNA breakdown. He's been
leading a team of the top genetic scientists on a quest to discover
the chief saboteurs -- and defenders -- of our DNA. From such
findings he's able to give people prescriptive recommendations about
how to keep many of the negative effects of aging at
bay.
I caught up with Dr. Conrad recently and asked him
to share his insights on the mechanisms -- the gas pedal and the
breaks, if you will -- of the aging process. Join me in my interview
of Dr. Conrad below, or listen to him discussing his views in the
first of the DNI "Healthwise" video segments by clicking here.
JAG: What causes
aging?
AC: There's a whole bunch of harsh environmental
factors -- things like sunlight, toxins (like cigarette smoke and
pollution), and then there's oxygen-free radicals (caused by
metabolic processes such as breathing). All of those things in
combination over time cause the symptoms of what we see as aging --
the wrinkles, the brittle bones, the graying hair, etc. But while
aging is inevitable, the rate at which we age can be dramatically
different from one person to the next depending on lifestyle and
diet.
JAG: How does improper diet accelerate the aging
process?
AC: Because poor diets, whether it's low-carb diets
or fast food diets, tend to skimp on those foods that will give you
the nutrients and antioxidants you need to both protect and repair
DNA damage. That's why fruits and vegetables are so important --
they're rich sources of those compounds that serve as "armor" for
your DNA. You're going to get hit by environmental toxins and by
sunlight and by metabolic-free radicals, but you're going to get hit
a lot harder if you don't have the armor provided by such
nutrient-rich foods.
JAG: Why is it that fruits and
vegetables have these compounds, the armor, and not more processed
foods?
AC: I've talked to you about the environment in which
human beings live -- well, think of the environment in which plants
live. They are constantly bombarded by the sun and viruses and
predators -- over millennia they've evolved ways of protecting their
own DNA from such threats. When we eat them, the protective benefits
they evolved to guard their own DNA get passed along to
us.
JAG: Okay, we've talked about some of the ways that the
DNA damage is preventable -- through the antioxidant armor found in
fruits and vegetables -- but is it reversible?
AC: Sorry to
disappoint, but no, aging is not technically reversible. You can,
however, repair a lot of the damage. There are three kinds of
molecules involved in the process: DNA, RNA and protein. The protein
is the building block, the RNA is the construction drawing, and the
DNA is the master architect blueprint. As you know, when you get a
cut in your skin, it heals and you have a repair. This is the DNA
making new RNA which, in turn, dictates what new proteins ("bricks")
we need to fill the hole. So in this case, there is repair. Aging
occurs because the blueprints are damaged (the DNA) so the new
"bricks" won't always get placed the correct way.
JAG:
Leaving external factors aside, is there a preprogrammed limit to
the human lifespan?
AC: There is research showing that cells
can only copy themselves a certain number of times before they die.
However, this research was conducted in an artificial system where
we grow cells in a tissue culture so it may not be perfectly
applicable. There have been models that show the outer limits of the
length of human life are potentially multiples of what we now regard
as a standard lifespan. Some have even said that human beings could
live as long as 600 years -- with a few minor genetic
adjustments.
We may not live long enough to find out what
surprises science has in store for us over the next 600 years, but
for now, experts like Dr. Conrad agree that the best way to stay
healthy and vital into your golden years is to avoid DNA-damaging
villains, like too much sun and cigarette smoke, while protecting
your body's ability to regenerate itself with the powerful
antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.
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Beet Dip
Serves 6-8
This colorful dip
takes only minutes to prepare and is chock-full of vitamins from the
raw beets and spinach. Serve as a dip with crudites or as a spread
on toasted French bread.
1/2 lb. red beets (1 large), peeled
and coarsely chopped
1 large scallion, chopped
1/4 cup
(packed) chopped fresh spinach
8 oz. nonfat cream cheese
2
tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. snipped
chives
In bowl or food processor, pulse beets, scallion and
spinach until finely chopped.
Add nonfat cream cheese, lemon
juice and salt, and process until well-blended, leaving some texture
in dip. Transfer to bowl and stir in chives.
Nutritional
Analysis: per serving: 55 calories, 0.5 g fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 335
mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate (1 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugars), 6 g
protein, 11% vitamin A, 14% folate
Recipe by Darra Goldstein,
photo by Renee Comet, from Vegetarian Times (January 2003).
Copyright
Vegetarian Times, LLC.
Reprinted with permission.
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Strawberry Body Smoothie
This rejuvenating
recipe works as a quadruple alpha-beta-hydroxy acid body scrub.
Strawberries contain salicylic acid, a beta-hydroxy acid that helps
clean away surface dirt, so the stronger alpha-hydroxy acids of the
other fruits can access pores and get rid of dead skin cells. This
recipe contains three kinds of alpha hydroxy acid: malic acid in
apples, citric acid in orange juice and tartaric acid in grapes, all
of which have exfoliating properties.
Ingredients:
1 1/2
cups fresh strawberries, halved
1 cup grapes
1 apple,
unpeeled, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons orange juice
3
tablespoons honey
Directions:
Blend ingredients together,
adding more orange juice to liquefy or honey to thicken as needed.
Apply the mixture to your face and body, allowing it to set for 20
minutes. Rinse off thoroughly.
Unless you want to be a
real strawberry blonde, be careful to avoid getting the
mixture in your hair, particularly if chemically treated, as acidic
strawberries may affect color.
While the fruit acids
chemically remove dull, dead skin cells, the strawberry seeds
exfoliate the skin physically. Thus, this peel is a dual exfoliator
providing added skin benefits. The honey is a natural antimicrobial
agent that has been used for thousands of years to treat skin
disorders, cuts and burns. Enzymes contained in honey encourage the
growth of new skin cells, while moisturizing by drawing water to the
skin's surface.
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