Daily Healthy Living Tip

Come back daily for a new healthy living tip!

September 8, 2008
True or false: If you're trying to slim down, you should switch from sugar to an artificial sweetener. The answer may be false. According to early studies, the fake stuff could actually lead to overeating.
Your Body Knows the Difference
In a study, lab animals fed saccharin-sweetened yogurt consumed more calories -- and packed on more pounds -- than the animals that ate the treat with sugar added. Like humans, animals are conditioned to expect lots of calories from sweet-tasting foods. But it seems that no-calorie substitutes may put the brain and the body at odds. The brain says, "Mmm, sweet and satisfying," but the body says, "I need more." Time will tell if the results hold true in people, but there are already human studies linking diet soda to excess weight.

September 5, 2008
Put down that irksome, unsolvable crossword puzzle, and cut yourself some slack for blanking on the final round of Jeopardy. There may be a simpler way to hone your mind. Try calling a friend. Staying in touch with friends and loved ones could slow the pace at which your memory dwindles with age.
Strong Connections
In a study of 16,638 older adults, people who were married, active in volunteer groups, and in regular contact with friends, family, and neighbors had slower declines in memory than their less social counterparts. In fact, declines in the most socially active types were about half of those in the least social group.
How do social ties bolster a waning memory? Researchers aren’t exactly sure, but it’s possible the greater sense of meaning and emotional acceptance that social connections foster may support healthy brain chemistry.

September 4, 2008
Here’s some news to make your heart sing: When you pick the right bread, your blood pressure wins! Three grains recently tested had blood pressure benefits: whole wheat, barley, and brown rice. Look for them in whole-grain breads, cereals, and other grain-based goodies.
The Whole Story
In a study, all three grains were good for lowering blood pressure in middle-aged people with mildly high cholesterol and prehypertension. How? Chalk up another one for fiber. Both the soluble and insoluble fiber in grains reduce blood pressure -- and soluble fiber takes a bite out of cholesterol, too. High cholesterol and high blood pressure often occur together, and the combo is doubly dangerous for your heart and blood vessels.

September 3, 2008
Not all potatoes are created equal -- especially when it comes to controlling blood sugar. So what’s the superior choice for people hoping to sweep aside diabetes? It’s the nutritious sweet potato, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine. This spud may actually help stabilize blood sugar and lower insulin resistance.
Sweet and Steady
Unsteady blood sugar is a big-time risk factor for diabetes. And, because of their high glycemic index, white potatoes -- be they russet or Idaho -- can send blood sugar levels soaring and then crashing. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand? They have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes. And the carotenoids in sweet potatoes may help your body use insulin better -- although further study is needed to confirm this.

September 2, 2008
Nope, it's not a time machine you need if you want to be a decade younger. It's a treadmill. Or a bike. Or just a good pair of sneakers. That's right. The most physically active folks in a recent study showed signs of being as much as 10 years younger on a cellular level.
Go Long on Protection
How does exercise do that? By keeping your telomeres long and healthy. What on earth are those, you ask? Simple. They're like the plastic tips on shoelaces. But in your body, they cap the ends of the DNA strands (chromosomes) in all your cells. Over time, your telomeres can shorten to the point where cells stop regenerating, and even die (think accelerated aging). Shortened telomeres also leave your chromosomes vulnerable to the kind of damage that may trigger diseases such as cancer.

September 1, 2008
Happy Labor Day!

August 29, 2008
Bet you never knew that a pen could be your best weight loss tool. It's true. In one of the largest and longest weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted, the more food records that dieters kept, the more weight they lost.
Scribble for Success
Simply jotting down what you eat seems like an easy price to pay for fewer pounds. The people in the study also followed the DASH diet, attended weekly group sessions, and exercised for at least 30 minutes a day. After 6 months, the people who had also kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who did not keep track -- probably because the food journals encouraged people to reflect on what -- and how much -- they'd eaten.

August 28, 2008
If you had to choose one fruit to keep your colon happy, which would it be? If you said apples, that's not a bad choice. The kind of fiber in apples -- called pectin -- appears to both bump up colon-protective compounds and clamp down on cancer-causing ones.
The Power of Pectin
In a lab study, apple pectin increased levels of butyrate, a fatty acid that not only keeps colon tissue healthy but also slows the production of a cancer-causing substance. Apple juice extracts amped up butyrate as well.

August 27, 2008
Know those little aches and pains you feel in the morning? You could do something right now to keep them from getting worse when you're older. Just jump to it. Okay, you don’t have to literally jump. But do be active. People who pick up their feet and commit to regular aerobic exercise have much less muscle and joint pain as they age.
How Much Less?
A 14-year study that followed a healthy over-60 crowd found that consistent exercise -- be it running, biking, swimming, dancing, or brisk walking -- led to as much as 25 percent less musculoskeletal pain down the road. Yes, even with the high-impact runners. Researchers aren't sure why, but they suspect that exercise’s endorphin release may play a role.

August 26, 2008
There's a peppery green related to mustard and garden cress that your lungs truly love. It's watercress. In fact, a daily bowl may protect against lung cancer, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine.
A Lung-Loving Substance
In a study of both smokers and nonsmokers, those who ate about a cereal-bowl's worth of fresh watercress daily for 8 weeks had less DNA damage to white blood cells -- with smokers seeing the most significant benefit. Makes sense, since it's also thought that the isothiocyanates in watercress may thwart a potent carcinogen in tobacco, according to La Puma. And watercress is darn nutritious to boot. It's chock-full of vitamins, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and lutein, as well as mustard oil.

August 25, 2008
Lose a pound recently? Great! Then keep it off with this mighty nutrient: vitamin C. Research shows that your body needs sufficient vitamin C to burn fat -- and burning fat is key to keeping excess pounds away. So pop your C supplement, or snack on some C-rich orange sections before your next power walk.
A Critical Compound
People in a study who had low blood concentrations of vitamin C and walked on a treadmill for an hour burned 25 percent less fat than people with adequate C. But a dose of C brought fat-burning levels back up to par. Why? Seems C is essential for creating carnitine, a substance that turns fat into fuel.

August 22, 2008
It burns fat, fends off disease, strengthens our bones, and improves our mood -- and now studies suggest it may even suppress our appetites. What's this miracle of modern medicine? Actually, it's pretty old-school. It's exercise. Although the jury's still out, new research suggests it may inhibit people’s munching.
Exercise More to Eat Less?
You've heard the expression "work up an appetite." The reverse might actually be true. Overweight people in a study actually ate less -- and dropped some body fat to boot -- after 3 months of regular aerobic workouts on either a treadmill or a bicycle.
A Chemical Reaction
Researchers suspect there may be something chemical about exercise that helps increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) -- a blood protein known to curb appetite. The higher the BDNF, the fewer calories the study participants consumed, and the more weight they lost.

August 21, 2008
Salad is pretty healthful to start with, to be sure. But not all salads are created equal. (Case in point: iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing. Wimpy!) So follow these five simple steps for making sure you up the antioxidant ante for all your garden greens:
1. Dress for Success
Dress your salad with an olive oil-based dressing. This good fat helps you absorb the nutrients in the salad. Mix the oil with apple or wine vinegars for extra antioxidants.
2. Herb It Up
Lemon balm and marjoram can increase a salad’s antioxidant capacity by 150–200 percent! Use EatingWell’s quick and easy instructions for herbing up your olive oil. You can sprinkle cumin, fresh ginger, and thyme on your salad, too.
3. Vary Your Veggies
Artichokes, beetroot, broccoli, garlic, leeks, radishes, spinach, and onions were the chart-topping antioxidant-rich veggies in a recent study -- though they’re not everyone’s favorites. Check out our list of the 10 most popular veggies to find out which of those is the healthiest.
4. Branch Out . . .
. . . with new leaves. Some colorful red chicory or purple cabbage, for example, will add crunch to your salad -- as well as extra antioxidants.

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