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 HOLIDAY WORKOUT GUIDE
Peppy Peppermint, Stretching
Savvy & What to Do When Sick
Want to be slim as
a candy cane, rather than round as a peppermint patty? Then keep the
candy away from your mouth and wave the scent under your nose
instead. Exercisers in one Wheeling Jesuit University study were
able to breath easier getting a whiff of peppermint, allowing them
to pump more oxygen-rich blood to their muscles.
When male
and female Division II college basketball players were given
peppermint inhalers, the subjects reported increased energy,
alertness and strength. The magic mint did not improve their
basketball skills, however, suggesting the benefit might be as much
in the mind as in the muscles. Want to add a minty boost to your own
workout? Try a few drops of essential peppermint oil on your towel, or buy an
inexpensive Peak Performance Sports Inhaler, and you'll be
sure to win by a nose!
What about peppermint and weight loss?
Having observed how some people gain weight after losing their sense
of smell, Alan Hirsch of the Smell & Taste Treatment and
Research Foundation reversed the equation to investigate whether
certain scents might help you lose weight. Obviously the really
horrible smells, which we are too polite to reprint here, will make
you lose your appetite. But a more interesting and pleasant
discovery was that fragrant food/plant scents can curb hunger as
well.
Hirsch gave 3,000 overweight subjects inhalers
containing peppermint, banana and green apple aromas. After six
months, those who frequently used the inhalers lost an average of
five pounds. Bonus: Apples and bananas provide filling fiber,
anti-bloat potassium and complex carbs for workout energy.
So
we've taken care of your tummy and your nose -- now, what about
touching those toes? A review of studies published in the September
Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine found that pre-exercise
stretching might do more harm than good. Review author Ian Shrier,
M.D., Ph.D., says a better bet is to do some cardio warm-up before
pouring it on -- but don't abandon stretching altogether.
Flexibility is a key indicator of fitness -- and a key predictor of
longevity. So don't give up on your downward dog -- just do it post-workout, when
muscles are more limber, rather than before.
"But I'm too
sick to workout," you whine. No. 1, regular exercising enhances your
immune system, helping you avoid getting sick in the first place.
No. 2, unless you're seriously under the weather, or were planning
to run a marathon, a
mild case of the sniffles is no excuse to postpone your workout,
according to new research.
Dr. Thomas Weidner of Ball State
University monitored 55 subjects with "head colds" (versus more
severe chest colds) and found that being sick did not slow exercise
capability -- nor did it affect cold symptoms. Weidner's conclusion:
"It's OK for moderate exercisers and people who have just begun a
workout program to exercise with a head cold."
Bear in mind
that not all experts agree. Some warn that working out with a virus
could increase the risk of the virus infecting your heart tissue.
Use your best judgment before moving those bones. Let common sense
be your guide: Get active enough to increase blood flow and sweat
out some toxins, but don't stress your body so much that it hasn't
the energy to heal properly.
DON'T SNIFFLE, BE HAPPY!
Make Merry to Cut Cold
Risk
Feeling low can make it more likely you'll end
up under the weather. A study at Carnegie Mellon University in
Pittsburgh found that subjects who scored highest on the happiness
scale were far less likely to develop a cold. After evaluating the
temperaments of 300 healthy test subjects, researchers exposed the
participants to an infectious virus. Those with the lowest happiness
quotients were three times as likely to come down with a cold than
their more buoyant peers.
So exercise your inalienable right
to pursue happiness. If circumstances have got you down, embrace the
opportunity to build self-esteem by overcoming adversity, strive for
meaning by making a difference in the lives of others, engage in
endorphin-releasing exercise and take your mind off your worries by
catching a comedy with mood-boosting friends.
Oh, and don't
forget to make sure you're eating plenty of folate-rich foods such
as asparagus, spinach, broccoli, bananas, cantaloupe and beans.
Sounds superficial, but in fact, Tufts University researchers have
found that folate plays an important role in regulating
neurochemical reactions which affect your mood.
COLD WEATHER RAISES HYPERTENSIVE
HEART ATTACK
RISK
Eat Potassium-Rich Foods, Bundle Up
If
you're prone to high blood pressure, exposure to cold temperatures
could increase your vulnerability to heart attacks. While it's no
surprise that chilly weather constricts blood flow, the two-year
study by scientists at the University of Burgundy in France was the
first to document that dips in temperature actually correlate with
spikes in heart attack rates for those with high blood pressure. In
fact, hypertensives doubled their heart attack risk when the
thermometer sank below 32.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
What to do?
Help regulate your blood pressure by eating plenty of potassium rich
foods such as acorn squash, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe and
raisins -- and bundle up if you go outside. For more cold weather
workout strategies, take a look at these tips from the Cooper
Institute for Aerobics Research by clicking here.
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 ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO, THREE POTATO, FOUR ...
When
Yams, Sweets, Purples and Russets Go Potato-head-to-Head
You say potato and I say po-tah-to, but who's to say which
tuber takes the prize in terms of nutritional content? We asked that
question of two members of the DNI brain trust -- Alex Russell and
Kelli Wutkee -- who looked at the data and arrived at some
surprising conclusions.
While there are more than 5,000
varieties of potatoes, we focused our investigation on russet
potatoes, sweet potatoes*, purple potatoes and yams. They're all
good for you, but the sweet potato's off-the-charts beta-carotene
content -- providing 377% of your daily vitamin A needs per serving
-- made this dark-skinned, vivid orange veggie an undisputed
SuperFood. Indeed, there's no other fruit or vegetable with a higher
beta-carotene count!
Specific benefits of this mega-vitamin A
dose include healthy skin, hardy immune function and keen eyesight.
Some research suggests this uber-antioxidant may prevent cancer both
by neutralizing free radicals and by promoting communication between
cells.
While sweet potatoes appear to channel all their
nutritional energy into their vitamin A content, yams are the winner
in the well-rounded-nutrition category. They're highest in potassium
(again, important for regulating blood pressure), providing 35% of
your RDI in a one-cup serving, serve up a quarter of your daily
fiber needs (good for heart health, appetite control and cancer
prevention), and a full 43% of your vitamin C
requirement.
Yams aren't the only tuber to hit a high C note
-- one small russet potato provides 56% of your daily vitamin C
needs. But the real super "C" in russet potatoes stands for
chlorogenic acid -- a phytochemical which not only combats the
overall oxidation (the rust, if you will) of our cells, it may block
carcinogens particular to cigarettes and some cured
meats.
Before you go patting yourself on the back for that
side of fries you ordered with lunch, consider that most of the
chlorogenic acid in russet potatoes resides in the peel. So if
you're consuming your potatoes peeled, fried, mashed, whipped or
whatever, not only are you depriving yourself of most of this
vegetable's antioxidant benefits, you're probably negating any
nutritional benefit you might have derived by larding on the butter
or ladling on the gravy.
While russets rule in popular
tastes, what about other, more exotic varieties, such as ones we've
seen in a royal shade of purple? So far there's little research done
on the nutritional content -- and, in particular, the phytochemical
profile -- of purple potatoes, placing it on the DNI agenda for
laboratory analysis. But with their deep purple hue we suspect
they're likely loaded with anthocyanidins -- anti-inflammatory
flavonoids which may protect against cancer and cardiovascular
disease.
So next time you're planning your menu or tooling
down the produce aisle, consider incorporating a spud of a different
color (or flavor) to add a little variety -- and extra nutritional
benefit -- to your diet. Try our featured recipe -- "Yams, 'Bacon,'
Pears and Raisins." No, of course it's not real bacon, but it's
really, really delicious. Trust me on this one -- I consider it one
of Marie Oser's all-time greatest hits!
*Confused about the
difference between yams and sweet potatoes? You're not alone.
Complicating matters is the fact that there are two kinds of
commonly available sweet potatoes (pale yellow and dark orange).
While we've lofted SuperFood laurels onto the orange sweet potato,
you're more likely to find it sold in your grocery store as a yam.
True yams, on the other hand, are rarely sold in U.S. supermarkets,
since, among other reasons, they can grow up to 7 feet long and
weigh up to 150 pounds. Click here to compare and contrast the nutritional content of the potato varieties
above.
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 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DR. DEAN ORNISH
Learn How
to Eat More, Weigh Less with Founding Father of Low-Fat
Health
In health and nutrition circles, Dr. Dean
Ornish has all the celeb fire power of a rock star. It isn't just us
diet dweebs that find him so fascinating. He's been recognized as
"one of the most interesting people of 1996" by People
magazine, featured in the "Time 100" issue on alternative
medicine and chosen by LIFE magazine as "one of the 50 most
influential members of his generation."
Dr. Ornish is the
founder, president and director of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine
Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif., as well as Clinical
Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San
Francisco. He is the author of five best-selling books, including
New York Times' best-sellers "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart
Disease," "Eat More, Weigh Less" and "Love & Survival."
Dr. Ornish is a
member of the board of the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation and the
Wheelchair Foundation. He was appointed to The White House
Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and
elected to the California Academy of Medicine.
I'm also proud
to call Dr. Ornish a friend and mentor. He was kind enough to grant
us this interview at DNI headquarters last week.
DNN:
What's the difference between a good carb and a bad
carb?
DDO: People tend to lump all carbs together, but
there are actually carbs that are good for you, and carbs that
aren't. The bad carbs are things like sugar, white flour, white
rice. And the reason that they're bad for you is that when you go
from, say, whole wheat flour to white flour or from brown rice to
white rice, you're removing the fiber and the bran -- and it's the
fiber and the bran that fill you up.
You can only eat so many
pieces of whole wheat bread or so many apples. You're going to get
full before you consume too many calories. But you can consume
virtually unlimited amounts of sugar, for example, without getting
full.
DNN: Fiber has other benefits too, which you
won't find in simple, or bad, carbs.
DDO: Yes, because
you've removed the fiber and the bran, the sugar gets absorbed
quickly so your blood sugar zooms up. Your pancreas makes insulin to
bring it back down, which is good, but the insulin accelerates the
conversion of those calories into fat, which is not good so you get
a double whammy. You get all these calories that don't fill you up,
and you're more likely to convert them into fat.
DNN:
And the good carbs don't do that?
DDO: Fruits and
vegetables and whole-wheat flour and brown rice and legumes and soy
products really give you a double benefit. They fill you up before
you consume too many calories.
And the fiber slows the
absorption so you don't get those rapid swings in your blood sugar
that causes you to get too much insulin. You get a nice constant
level of energy that lasts you throughout the day. And it's not just
what you exclude from your diet that's bad, it's what you
include that's beneficial.
DNN: Benefits such
as?
DDO: In good carbs, such as fruits and vegetables
in particular, there are thousands of substances in there that help
you protect and prevent cancer and heart disease and even to slow
the aging process. Things like phytochemicals, bioflavonoids,
carotenoids, retinols, isoflavones. There's a whole alphabet soup of
these. Where do you find them? With few exceptions, they're found in
fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy
products.
DNN: You've studied the differences between
low carb and low fat diets. How do they compare?
DDO:
I debated Dr. Atkins many times before he died, and he was always
the "low-carb guy," and I was the "low-fat guy," and while that
makes for a good debate, the issues are actually a little more
complex than that. You see, just as there are good carbs and bad
carbs, there are also good fats and bad fats. And so an optimal diet
is low in the bad carbs and high in the good carbs --
just the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, soy products,
etc. -- it's also low in the bad fats, particularly the
trans-fatty acids and the hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated or
saturated fats, and high in the good fats -- the omega 3
fatty acids, for example.
DNN: Hmm. How do we know
which foods have what fats?
DDO: A lot of processed
foods are rich in the trans-fatty acids and the saturated and the
hydrogenated fats. These are the things that really tend to
contribute to heart disease and cancer and lots of bad things. Why
do manufacturers do that? Well, because trans fats extend the shelf
life of the products -- but they decrease the shelf life of the
people who eat them! So it's not a good thing.
The good fats
are things like the omega 3 fatty acids, which you find in fish oil
and flaxseed oil and canola oil. Just three grams a day, for
example, of fish oil can help reduce your risk of a heart attack and
sudden cardiac death by 50% to 80%, huge amounts. Small amounts of
fat, huge benefits. If that wasn't enough, it can help reduce your
risk of prostate cancer if you're a man or breast cancer if you're a
woman. It can lower your triglycerides. It can reduce inflammation
of arthritis just from a small amount.
Now, you can also get
this in fish, but all too often the fish that are highest in the
good fats, the omega 3s, tend to be high in mercury and dioxin and
PCBs and lots of bad stuff. And so you can buy fish oil, for
example, that's had the toxic stuff removed and just three grams a
day will give you all the benefits without the toxic parts and
without the excessive fat that you don't need.
DNN:
What do you say to the "live-for-today" types who think disease is
too far off in the future to worry about?
DDO: The
kind of diet I'm talking about is not just about preventing
something bad happening down the road, it's about feeling better
now. When you change your diet, especially if you quit smoking and
exercise and meditate and do things like that, your brain literally
gets more blood flow. You think more clearly. You have more energy.
You feel better. You need less sleep.
I mean, everybody has
had the experience of eating a big Thanksgiving, you know, pig out
feast. How do you feel an hour or two later? You feel like you want
to take a nap. You're sleepy. You're not thinking very clearly
because your brain is actually getting less blood and less oxygen
when you eat a rich, high fat diet.
When you eat a healthy
diet, your heart gets more blood flow in ways we've actually proven
that you can even reverse heart disease in most cases just by
changing diet and lifestyle. Even your sexual organs get more blood
flow in the same way Viagra works.
DNN: In other
words, real men eat fruit.
DDO: That's right.
Ironically, the things that we think of in our culture as being so
manly are the things that will leave so many guys feeling tired,
lethargic, depressed and impotent. How fun is that? So often people
say things like, you know, am I going to live longer, or is it just
going to seem longer if I eat a healthy diet and quit smoking and
manage stress more effectively? And I say, well, how fun is it if
you can't think clearly, if you don't have energy, if you can't
perform sexually?
You know, half of guys over the age of 40
have what's politely called an erectile dysfunction, which means
they're impotent. Now, it's not something that most guys talk about.
But look at the sales of Viagra. Somebody's buying all those
medicines because the problem is widespread. And one reason the
problem is so widespread is that those behaviors we think of as
being so manly and hip, you know, smoking cigarettes, using
stimulants, being a stress junkie and eating red meat are the very
things that leave so many guys tired, lethargic, depressed, and
impotent.
DNN: What should people eat as part of a
healthy diet?
DDO: You know, it's not all or nothing.
There's a spectrum of choices. And to the degree that you can move
in a healthful direction, you're going to lose weight, feel better
and be healthier. And the reason I like the concept of the spectrum
is part of what we've learned is that even more than being healthy,
people want to feel free and in control.
And that goes back
to the very first dietary intervention, you know, that failed when
God said, "Don't eat the apple," and that didn't work, and that was
God talking so we're not going to do better than that. So I've
learned that as soon as I tell somebody don't eat this and don't do
this and do this or do that, they just cringe, and they immediately
want to do the opposite. That's just human nature.
So by
categorizing foods into a spectrum, it gets rid of the eat this and
don't eat that -- and says, look, if you're going to indulge
yourself on one day, eat more healthy foods the next. Now, if you're
trying to reverse heart disease or other illnesses, you want to eat
pretty much on the most healthy end of the spectrum.
But if
you're just trying to stay healthy, lose a few pounds, feel better
to the degree you move in that direction. You're going to feel
better and that will make it easier to make and maintain these
changes.
DNN: The Atkins craze is dying down -- thank
God -- but why was it such a hit?
DDO: Dr. Atkins was
half right. Americans do eat too many simple carbs, sugar, white
flour, white rice. The question is, where do you go from there? The
diagnosis was correct, but the prescription was wrong. I mean, pork
rinds and bacon and sausage -- you know I would love to be able to
tell you that those are health foods, but they're not.
Part
of the appeal of the Atkins diet and ones like it, is that they
tell people what they want to hear and what they want to
believe. And because Americans eat so many simple carbs, when
people go on an Atkins type diet, initially many of them lose
weight, but they're doing it in a way that might be harming their
health.
DNN: Right. We've explored some of the
low-carb side effects in past newsletters.
DDO: When
you eat an Atkins diet, it's really a lot of toxic foods, and your
body excretes toxins through your breath, your bowels and your
perspiration. Even studies funded by the Atkins Center found that
most people on such diets have bad breath. They have body odor. They
have constipation. So you might start to lose weight and start to
attract people toward you initially, but when they get too close,
you know, it may be more of a problem. So it's not the optimal way
to do it.
If you eat the good carbs and the good fats and you
exercise and you quit smoking, you can lose weight. You can keep it
off as opposed to the studies of the Atkins diet where people tend
to lose weight initially, but then they gain it all back by the end
of the year.
Our studies and others have shown that people on
a healthy, low-fat diet can lose weight and keep it off. And rather
than doing it in a way that might mortgage their health, they're
enhancing their health. And so that's the goal. It's not just to
lose weight, but to do it in a way that can make you feel better and
make you live longer.
DNN: Thank you.
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Yams, "Bacon," Pears & Raisins
By Marie
Oser
Here is a delish dish that is a natural for the
Holidays. Serve with wedges of fresh Dole pineapple and fresh sprigs
of Italian parsley.
8 servings
1 1/2 teaspoons olive
oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper, crushed
3 cloves garlic,
minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper,
chopped
4 slices veggie Canadian bacon, diced
1 large yam,
peeled & cubed (4 cups)
2 medium Bosc pears, peeled &
diced (2 cups)
1 medium plum tomato, diced
1/4 cup dry
sherry
1 cup hot vegetarian "chicken" flavored broth
1/2 cup
golden raisins
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup
nutritional yeast
Place oil and crushed pepper in a 5-quart
saucepan or electric skillet and warm over medium-high heat for one
minute. Add garlic, onions, bell pepper and diced bacon. Cook for 3
minutes. Add cubed yams and cook mixture for 8 minutes, stirring
frequently. Add pears, tomatoes and sherry. Reduce heat to medium
low, add hot broth, raisins, parsley and yeast and continue to cook
for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Enlightened , Yams
"Bacon," Pears & Raisins
Nutrition Analysis: (per 1 1/2
cup serving)
Protein: 7 g, Carbohydrate: 43 g, Fiber: 5 g, Fat: 2
g, Sat Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Calcium: 43 mg, Sodium: 111 mg
Calories 205 -- from Protein: 12%, from Carbohydrate: 81%, from Fat:
7%
Traditional Yams, Bacon, Pears &
Raisins
Nutrition Analysis: (per 1 1/2 cup
serving)
Protein: 7 g, Carbohydrate: 42 g, Fiber: 4 g, Fat: 12 g,
Sat Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 26 mg, Calcium: 60 mg, Sodium: 243 mg.
Calories 298 -- from Protein: 9%, from Carbohydrate: 55%, from Fat:
36%
Yves Veggie Canadian Bacon -- Very close to
traditional Canadian Bacon or ham in appearance, aroma and flavor.
Made with soy protein and wheat gluten, veggie bacon is a delicious
ingredient in many dishes, adding protein and carbohydrates and very
little fat.
Yams -- Many cooks prefer yams because of
the dark orange flesh that is sweeter and more moist than sweet
potatoes. Unlike Tropical Yams, what are sold as yams in this
country are actually a variety of sweet
potatoes.
Vegetarian "chicken" flavored broth --
Available at health food stores and Bills Best Chickenish from
Nutri-Line Foods.
Recipe
by Marie Oser (The Enlightened Kitchen). John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.© 2002. Reprinted with Permission.
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POST-WORKOUT PEPPERMINT SOAK
After your
peppermint-enhanced exercise routine (see Dole Diet) try a
well-deserved soak in warm, minty waters to ease muscles and relax
the mind. It's easy, just add several herbal peppermint tea bags to
your next bath, as well as a cup of Epsom salt or sea salt. Your
cares and cramps will melt away in a menthol mist.
For
non-DIY divas, here's some ready-made soak solutions: elegant Peppermint Powder Sugar Bath Soak from Davies Gate
or these adorable Peppermint Bath Confetti Ornaments -- hang them on
the tree, then celebrate the New Year by throwing some candy-cane
scented confetti in the tub.
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Results of last Dole Poll: a
third of you say, "Santa, go on a diet, we want you
healthy!" Two thirds say fat Santa is fine -- not
surprising since 2/3 of Americans are themselves
overweight or obese. Here's a new one for
you:
What's your least favorite thing about the
holidays?
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Annoying
relatives |
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Weight gain |
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Getting gifts you don't
like |
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Giving gifts to people you
don't like |
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Garish color scheme, cloying
music |
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Most favorite thing?
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Family &
friends |
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Food everywhere! |
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Getting stuff |
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Giving stuff |
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Decorations |
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