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contents.
NOVEMBER 2012 VOLUME IV, № 11
FITNESS
18
WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MY BODY?! Like it or not, our bodies do go through some real changes as we get older.
IT'S ALL IN THE HIPS Make that waist-to-hip ratio normal and the risk of dying drops greatly—by more than two times, research showed. Otherwise, pay the price.
WELLNESS
10 12 26
28 30 14
GRATITUDE AS A LIFESTYLE There is a definite connection between gratitude & wellbeing. A habit of gratitude can contribute to a healthier, happier lifestyle all year long.
DIABETES AWARENESS & PREVENTION Diabetes is increasing at a startling rate. In the last decade, there has been a 33 percent jump in people with type 2 diabetes. Drastic improvements in your risk for diabetes can be made with only modest changes in behavior.
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FATAL FOOD ATTRACTION Don’t fall into that unhealthy longing for what you see in foodography. This hankering can take the beauty out of food, food which could otherwise be a form of expression and creativity.
THANKSGIVING!
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HOLIDAY HEALTH BATTLE PLAN The holidays are about family, fun and food, and we shun anything that tries to take away from those joys. But we also worry about our weight during the festive time of the year, which can take the pleasure out of family meals. These meals should warm the heart, not make you feel guilty.
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Letter from the Editor
S
omewhere along the way we got the notion that more is better. Unfortunately we spend most of our time pursuing more, which means we aren’t content with less. (Or simply just content, period.) Whatever happened to ‘less is more’? And, to simplify, more of what? Or less of what? That’s the key question.
written by John A. Anderson
Feast on Life. materialism, but don’t seem to be gaining much ground in areas of real importance. As the holidays, and all their materialism tidal-wave around us, we need to consider some fundamental questions about where we’re going, and why.
Healthy IDAHO
®
WITH
NOVEMBER 2012 VOLUME IV, № 11 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
John A. Anderson | editor@healthy-idaho.com PUBLISHER
Kenneth J. Shepherd| ken@healthy-idaho.com MARKETING DIRECTORS
Julie Guyer | 208-371-4533 Steve Wallace | 208.850.4983 sales@healthy-idaho.com DESIGN EDITORS
Phillip Chadwick | Kelsey Jones design@healthy-idaho.com MANAGING EDITORS
Michael Richardson | Emma Penrod editor@healthy-idaho.com
– The All Consuming Epidemic, by John de Graff. He
For Example: If money were no object, what would you do in life? If you have only 5 years left to live, how would you change your life? If you had only a day to live, what did you NOT get to do, or become?
points out that Americans boast a higher GDP than
It’s not about just sustaining or materializing
Europeans because Europeans use a larger portion
life. It’s about truly living life. Life isn’t a race or a
of their productivity for leisure, and leisure isn’t a
competition to win; it’s a canvas to paint or a blank
GDP ‘product.’ “Americans,” he notes, “work nearly
page on which to write. How poetically do you live
nine weeks longer each year than the Western
your life? How often do you seize the day? Can you
CIRCULATION
Europeans.” And yet Europeans seem to be faring
define what’s deeply meaningful in your life? Do you
much better than we are in terms of general health
live your life pursuing or strengthening that meaning?
rates. Coincidental? He continues:
Which would rank higher – your job or family, your
Healthy Idaho Magazine is printed monthly and delivered to higher income homes throughout Boise and is made available for pick up at hundreds of locations. Healthy Idaho Magazine is also mailed to all doctors, dentists, chiropractors, medical practitioners, health clinics, banks, and other businesses. If you would like to have Healthy Idaho Magazine delivered for distribution in your place of business, please contact us.
I read some striking statistics in the book, Affluenza
stuff or your friendships? Do you take time for “We (Americans) have the most product, the
creativity and spirituality in your life?
widest choices, but is that what life is about? I think our priorities are out of whack. We have
Typically, when people honestly answer these types of
the greatest gap among industrialized nations
questions, having more or enough isn’t as important
between rich and poor, and that seems to press
to them as having intimacy and connection with
everybody to compete to live like the people at the
the ones they love, and personal inner growth. Not
top. We focus on producing and consuming stuff,
surprisingly, much of what we really want doesn’t cost
and we’ve forgotten that all of these other values
a lot of money. But pursuing our dreams does require
are losing out: friendships and family, health and
management of money, and sometimes choosing to
civic participation, a future for our children.”
downsize and apply a budget.
I consider this to be a profound spiritual crisis.
For me it all comes down to time. How we spend it –
Think about it – we now earn three times as much
how we consume it. Time is what you really need to
as our grandparents did, so why aren’t we three
give to others, and really, what you want from them.
times as happy? Income and earning money gets
Time is money, and your attention and focus is a gift.
emphasized more than happiness, family, or even
Think about that as you decide what to ‘get’ your
freedom. We daily jog on a sturdy treadmill of
mom for Christmas this year.
8
HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
ONLINE EDITOR
Ashley Romney | ashley@healthy-idaho.com DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Sandy Wise | 866.884.3258 sandy@healthy-idaho.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jessica Hagy, Heather Hooke, David Joachim, Dr. Andrew Weil, Brooke Kittel, Ryan Larrondo, Michael Richardson, Mark Saunders, Patty Trela, Steven E. Warren
Healthy Idaho Magazine info@healthy-idaho.com 866.884.3258 PLEASE NOTE that the articles contained in this publication are meant to increase reader awareness of development. Its contents should not be construed as medical advice or instruction on individual health matters, which should be obtained directly from a health professional. The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Call for reprint permission. All photography courtesy of Shutterstock.com unless otherwise noted.
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HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
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lifestyle gratitude as a
©Katielittle | Dreamstime.com
“Rest and be thankful.”
- William Wordsworth
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HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
Healthy-Idaho.com
What is your lifestyle?
For many of us, Thanksgiving is simply an excuse to stay home from work, watch football and stuff ourselves with delicious food. Reflecting with gratitude on the year's “harvest” of blessings is sometimes lost amidst the trips to the grocery store, college football games and coupon-clipping in anticipation of day-after-Thanksgiving holiday sales. What we may not realize is that consistent gratitude can benefit those who are grateful. A study published in the February 2003 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology helps to support the popular notion that gratitude does have a positive effect on our emotional and physical health. Researchers Robert A. Emmons, of University of California-Davis, and Michael E. McCullough, of University of Miami, led a series of studies to investigate whether gratitude is just something “happy” people experience or if gratitude can actually affect well-being. Researchers used techniques to encourage participants to focus either on gratitude, hassles or a neutral focus. Over a period of weeks, the participants indicated their mood, predictions for future well-being, health habits, physical health symptoms, instances of helping others, etc. The results demonstrated that gratitude did have a positive effect on mood and the likelihood of participants helping others. Also, in a more extensive study with a group of participants with neuromuscular diseases, participants reported sleeping better. Although the exact connections of gratitude to well-being may need to be further studied for scientists to understand the exact links between them, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be grateful, and if anything, a habit of gratitude can contribute to a healthier, happier lifestyle all year long.
How to incorporate thankfulness into your holiday and your daily life: GIVE EACH OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS A “GRATITUDE JOURNAL.” Encourage them to write about something new each day that they are grateful for.
THINK OF SOMEONE that has inspired feelings of gratitude in you and write that person a letter expressing your thanks. SAY THANK YOU. If you have children, have a family activity where they create “thank you” cards for family members, teachers or friends, and help them to deliver or mail them. VOLUNTEER. By doing good things for other people, you will recognize the good things people do for you. Facebook.com/HealthyIdaho
MEDITATE. Say a prayer of simple thanks.
REFLECT. Take time out of your day to reflect on the good things in your life, whether it be through relaxation, yoga, a bubble bath or a nature walk. Clearing away the hassles and appreciating the world around you will lead to greater appreciation of life. DO A GOOD DEED. Do something good and do it anonymously. This takes away that feeling of “owing people” and feeling “owed” for our good acts. Plus, it’s fun! SERVICE. Offer to help someone without being asked. HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
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THE BODY HEALTHY FACTS AND FIGURES
Diabetes Awareness Mo. A
R U D E
A W A K E N I N G
The demand the growing number of seniors has put on the medical community has sent many into overdrive to develop new strategies to deal with the rapidly increasing geriatric population. Experts warn that medical, social and financial problems will be fast upon us and that the world is just beginning to realize the magnitude of these problems.
1
50
yrs
2 3 4
one in every three Americans will have diabetes, according to The CDC. That’s 165 percent more people with the disease by the year 2050. The statistic comes from researchers who identified trends in the health data of 360,000 Americans. TIMES MORE LIKELY A MAN WILL DEVELOP DIABETES IF HE HAS LOW TESTOSTERONE, REGARDLESS OF BODY MASS, ACCORDING TO THE THIRD NATIONAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY.
B HEALTHY Health experts blame the increase in diabetes largely on the parallel rise in obesity and unhealthy lifestyles. We may be eating too much fatty food and sitting too long in front of computer and TV screens instead of getting sufficient exercise. The rise in North America’s aging population is also considered a contributing factor. Doctors say the news is alarming because diabetes is largely preventable. They emphasize regular exercise and a healthy diet go a long way toward prevention. “Especially worrisome,” says Dr. Mladen Vranic, a diabetes researcher and past chair of physiology at the University of Toronto, “is the fact that type 2 diabetes is now rising steeply, not only in those formerly most affected [people over 45], but also among young people in their 30s and even teenagers.” This means that the effects may now be disabling people in their prime and shortening their life expectancy.
risky business
1 out of 3 diabetes cases is undetected IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. DOCTORS COULD DETECT EVERY SINGLE CASE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES IF EVERYONE MADE REGULAR VISITS TO A DOCTOR. DIABETES TESTING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED EVERY THREE YEARS, BEGINNING AT AGE 45, ACCORDING TO CURRENT GUIDELINES.
RECENT STUDIES SHOW THAT A BRISK 30-MINUTE WALK, FIVE TIMES A WEEK AND SHEDDING 10 POUNDS CAN NOT ONLY KEEP YOUR HEALTH IN CHECK, BUT IT CAN CUT YOUR RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES IN HALF.
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HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
KNOW THE SIGNS Possible symptoms of type 2 diabetes include excessive thirst, frequent urination, sudden weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision or tingling and numbness in the hands or feet. Check with your doctor if you have any of these symptoms, particularly if you’re overweight. And also check with your local American Diabetes Association branch. Some may be offering free screenings.
olive
15 LOWER YOUR RISK, SAVE A LIMB
Diabetics are at 15 times the risk of experiencing limb amputations following initial injury as compared with the non-diabetic population. Five to 15% of diabetic patients require an amputation at some time in their lives. Diabetes is the leading cause of lower extremity amputations, which are also on the rise. Consider 65,000 amputations in 2010, up from 54,000. In 1990.
x
Often called The Silent Killer, diabetes is a growing epidemic, which can cause blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes. Almost 19 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes, yet more than seven million Americans have it, but aren’t aware of their condition. Millions of Americans don’t realize they have the potentially deadly disease, and that ignorance could cost them dearly. Diabetes is increasing at a startling rate. In the last decade, there has been a 33 percent jump in people with type 2 diabetes. Drastic improvements forever in your risk for diabetes can be made with only modest changes in behavior.
Healthy-Idaho.com
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HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
13
COVER
the numbers don’t lie:
STORY
Diabetes Prevention Now that’s something worth celebrating
A SOCIAL EPIDEMIC:
For a country so obsessed with health and being thin, we sure take the cake (and eat it too) for our unhealthy status.
S
ince the ‘90s, the American
population has heard warnings of a diabetes epidemic. Then, early in 2001, the experts saw their devastating predictions come to fruition in what the government called “dramatic evidence of an unfolding epidemic.” Since then, we have lived among the epidemic which continues to plague our nation. Stats like, “8.3 percent of Americans have diabetes”; “One in three children born since 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime”; or “Diabetes sucks $132 billion from the US economy annually” are nothing new in the daily news. We know the facts. In fact, they have become as commonplace as to desensitize our proactivity against diabetes. We need to start acting responsibly for the knowledge and warnings we receive. Individually, we need to ask, “What am I doing to prevent diabetes?” As a nation we need to ask, “Why do doctors diagnose about 1.9 million new cases of diabetes each year?” More importantly, “Why do federal experts predict that the diabetes epidemic will continue unabated?” We interviewed local medical specialists to hear their take on why the diabetes epidemic still reigns strong and what we need to do about it.
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HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
Written by AUBREY MERRELL
ASK A HEALTH EXPERT Insider Advice From Diabetes Specialists
Who is most at risk and is there a cure? We cannot change our genetic inheritance or ethnic makeup but we can implement strategies to live a healthier lifestyle. This may be the most important factor in diabetes treatment; as in many cases, type 2 diabetes can be prevented or at least delayed, and for those who already have the disease, the complications can be greatly reduced … Exercise as well as diet are central to the control of diabetes complications, says Judy Rogers, BSN, RN, CCRC, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the University of Idaho School of Medicine.
Does exercise lower the risk of diabetes? While many people with diabetes need to take medication to assist with control, diet and exercise remain the cornerstones of treatment. In the September 2007 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, Ronald J. Sigal, MD, MPH, from the University of Calgary reported that the combination of aerobic
2
Nearly two out of three Americans are overweight. Half of these overweight Americans are frankly obese. This is twice as much obesity as in 1980, according to Daniel J. DeNoon with WebMD.com.
Diabetes in the United States is a big problem, with 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes, the government calls dramatic evidence of an unfolding epidemic.
6
and resistance training provide the greatest improvement in glycemic control, and that progression to diabetes among obese persons and those with pre-diabetes is not inevitable. Many studies have shown that weight loss and increased physical activity can delay or completely prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and its many debilitating and life threatening co-morbidities and can decrease the complications for those who already have diabetes.
With every emotion and every situation, we are surrounded by food. With a type 2 diabetic, it’s about controlling that. As a person’s BMI increases, their risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes increases, as well as their risk for other chronic diseases, says Erin Miller, RDCD, Dietician and Weight Management and Bariatrics specialist. Erin writes, "Keeping a person’s BMI within healthy limits is key. To do this, an important first step is watching and controlling portion sizes. Sadly, typical restaurant portion sizes are unbelievable huge. So, along with diabetes awareness and education, we need to emphasize and practice portion restraint. It's a tricky diet world out there, and confusion abounds. Consider carbohydrates. So much is published it's hard to decipher good from bad and proper portions. Likewise, understanding how fat and sodium affect us for better or worse is essential. This awareness starts with reading food labels and then avoiding foods with high levels of sodium, fat, sugar, and processed carbohydrates (carbohydrates with little to no fiber content). By far the best step in awareness is self-awareness. Keep a log/record of your food and activity. This really opens our patients’ eyes to see where they are starting from. We see great results from food journals because it provides a way for our patients to educate themselves and tell themselves where they need to change." When choosing a diet, do not eliminate any food group. Each food group contains certain vitamins and minerals — don’t cheat your body. Healthy-Idaho.com
Diabetes Awareness Mo. Learn what an appropriate portion size is. Be physically active. Lose weight and keep the weight off. Research definitely shows that physical activity keeps weight off and keeps diabetes at bay. Obesity is a multifaceted disease affected by our lifestyle, food choices, and genetics. Our genetics may load the gun, but our habits pull the trigger.
There are several things we can do to combat diabetes. First, we need to look at the onset of weight gain caused by the simple pleasures that we’ve taken too liberally. We now live a sedentary lifestyle with a poor diet full of appetite stimulants and poor dietary education. Diabetes is nondiscriminatory! Children eat these appetite stimulants on a regular basis. Take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: the bread, the peanut butter, and the jelly may all contain high fructose corn syrup, an appetite stimulant present in most foods we eat as Americans. A lot of it comes back to lack of education. Most parents and adults do not understand what we need to put into our bodies and they are not aware of the appetite stimulants in the food they eat and feed to their children. Parents have a huge responsibility, and a lot to learn. Children, who learn by example, will tend to mimic our habits. If we exhibit a lifestyle of moderate eating, fun, frequent exercise, and healthy, educational activities, chances are high our children will follow suit. The best thing we can do is educate ourselves on proper health and live in balance. Balance comes down to a common sense approach of being healthy through proper diet and exercise. These days, people tend to be too impulsive and gimmick, or fad-oriented in terms of healthy habits. It's quite unnecessary when you consider that weight management is actually very simple: what you put in is what you get out. You have to give the body what it needs to perform. Fortunately we live in a community with multiple fully comprehensive educational weight management programs, with dietitians, counselors, physical trainers, and bariatric surgical treatment as needed. These offer a multidisciplinary approach with a team of specialists. With education, the best results come from learning from the very beginning how to feed yourself and Facebook.com/HealthyIdaho
YOUR
HEALTH
16 ways to escape
how to feed your family. Health is truly a family affair, coming together as a family to learn a healthy lifestyle and balance. “If we can help people as children or even newly married adults, then we can start fighting this epidemic. It starts with education, we have to educate everyone,” says Miller.
An article entitled “Lung Cancer Prevention” might plainly say, “Um…quit smoking.” Just like lung cancer, we can control the growth of type 2 diabetes by actually making the healthy lifestyle choices we have heard for years. Remember, “our genetics may load the gun, but our habits pull the trigger.” Here are 17 things you can do RIGHT NOW to prevent type II diabetes.
the diabetes sugar myth
1| EXERCISE. National studies prove that exercise alone is the single
Myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes. FACT: The answer is not so simple. Type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and unknown factors that trigger the onset of the disease; type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight does increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and a diet high in calories from any source contributes to weight gain. Research has shown that drinking sugary drinks is linked to type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people should limit their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages to help prevent diabetes. Sugar-sweetened beverages include beverages like:
• • • • • • •
regular soda fruit punch fruit drinks energy drinks sports drinks sweet tea other sugary drinks.
These will raise blood glucose and can provide several hundred calories in just one serving.
See for yourself: Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda has about 150 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrate. This is the same amount of carbohydrate in 10 teaspoons of sugar! One cup of fruit punch and other sugary fruit drinks have about 100 calories (or more) and 30 grams of carbohydrate.
the growing epidemic
most important factor in diabetes prevention and control.
2|AVOID APPETITE STIMULANTS.
Food and beverage companies sneak appetite stimulants into the majority of our food to make us eat – and thus buy – more food. Search out and avoid the following: high fructose corn syrup (in almost everything we eat!), food colorings, MSG or Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, nitrites and nitrates, and others.
3|EAT MORE FRUITS & VEGETABLES. Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan says, “Stock your kitchen with plenty of fruits and vegetables and at every meal and snack include a few servings. Your diet will be enriched with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and if you fill up on super-nutritious produce, you won’t be reaching for the cookie jar.”
4|GO FOR WHOLE GRAINS. Whole wheat breads and baking
flour, brown rice, cereals and crackers with at least five grams of fiber per serving, and popcorn. These keep you full longer than refined white grains and also promote heart health.
5|EAT SMALLER PORTIONS to prevent the glucose/insulin roller-
coaster from overeating. Use smaller plates, bowls and cups to make your meals look bigger and not feel portion deprived.
6|EAT IN. Restaurant food contains more fat, calories than homemade meals.
7|EAT 4-5 SMALL, SENSIBLE MEALS throughout the day. This keeps your glucose from spiking, balances insulin production, and supports a healthy, high metabolism.
8|LEAN PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL.
Protein helps you feel full longer and ebbs those late afternoon munchies. Tasty options include lowfat yogurt, soy, eggs, beans, fish, and small portions of nuts.
9|DRINK 6 TO 8 GLASSES OF WATER PER DAY. Water consumption is one of the best ways to curb your appetite.
10|EAT BREAKFAST EVERY DAY to kick-start your metabolism and prevent insulin levels from plummeting around 10:30 AM.
11|USE NON-STICK COOKWARE & COOKING SPRAY instead of oil to decrease the fat and calories in your meals.
12|USE SPICES INSTEAD OF SALT to decrease your dietary sodium. Spicy foods also boost your metabolism.
13|KEEP A FOOD LOG FOR A WEEK.
By tracking what you eat, you can detect your personal trouble spots in your diet and take control.
14|READ FOOD LABELS and choose foods with low fat, calories, sugar, and sodium. Reach for low-fat versions of salad dressings, dairy, and condiments. Also, replace your normal condiments and dips with hummus, salsa, and vinaigrettes.
15|RELAX – try deep breathing, yoga, walking, and soothing music. 16|SIT DOWN TO EAT.
Your body does not register the act of eating if you are busy doing other things. So sit down and enjoy your meal!
HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
15
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///////////////////// What is Happening to FITNESS
MY BODY? It’s the age old question: “Why is my body not responding to the same exercise and diet tricks that worked when I was 25?” Like it or not, our bodies do go through some real changes as we get older.
Some of these changes can be attributed to genetics. Other changes are simply part and parcel of the aging process. Starting at age 30, we begin to lose 5-10% of our muscle mass every decade (unfortunately, women lose muscle mass much quicker than men.) If you’re not working diligently to replace this muscle loss, weight gain is inevitable. Many people don’t recognize the metabolic power of muscle. One pound of muscle burns 35-50 extra calories per day. One pound of fat burns 5-10 extra calories per day. There are obvious ways to counteract the undesirable effects of ‘Father Time’. We’ve heard them before: increase cardiovascular exercise duration and intensity, incorporate strength training and reduce food portion sizes. When all of these lifestyle changes are incorporated and there are little or no significant reductions in weight observed, people often turn to other solutions. Are they legitimate and/or safe? Let’s take a look:
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) supplementation has become fashionable amongst dieters and those looking to add muscle. HGH, the hormone responsible for growth from infancy to adulthood and muscle building and maintenance, begins to diminish as we age. A few small studies have linked HGH injections with fat loss and muscle gain. But the changes seen were minimal -- just a few pounds -- while the risks and potential side effects are not. Experts warn that HGH is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss. There are reports of increased risk of diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint problems, and possibly heart disease.
Verdict More research is needed to determine safety. Negative Calorie Foods Consuming more “negative” calorie foods may be helpful in waging war on middle age spread. It is purported that certain foods take more energy (calories) to digest than they provide in calories. This is due to the food’s high water and fiber content. The theory is that 5-10% of calorie expenditure goes towards the storage and digestion of nutrients. If you eat a very low-calorie, high-water content, fibrous food, it is purported that you will have a negative “net” gain in calories. These foods include celery, grapefruit, grapes, watermelon, lettuce, onions and pickles.
Verdict Give it a try. All of these “negative” calorie foods are nutritious, even if they don’t whittle your waist line.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brooke Kittel
Brooke is a renowned Personal Trainer and Fitness Expert with the Treehouse Athletic Club
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HRT More and more females and males are turning to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) when traditional modalities don’t seem to be working. As we age, our hormones can literally go haywire. For example, ladies, if you are estrogen-dominant, it will be very difficult to reach your fitness and weight loss goals. You may need to supplement with progesterone. Discuss your concerns with your OB/ GYN. Men, too, have their own set of hormonal issues that are often overlooked. Male menopause or “andropause” is the gradual reduction in male hormones that occur as men age. Decreased muscle mass, increase in body fat, reduction in energy levels, lowered sex drive, hair loss, sleep disturbance, and mood changes associated with these hormone changes are usually accepted as simply part of aging. Your physician can order tests that accurately measure the male hormones affected by andropause and allow your doctor to balance these hormones and minimize the unpleasant effects of andropause. Verdict Talk to your physician about HRT.
You can then make an informed decision whether HRT is right for you.
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IT’S
ALL IN THE HIPS WHY LOVE HANDLES AND A PAUNCH ARE WORSE THAN PLAIN OLD OBESITY
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You weigh yourself, calculate BMI, and discover you’re “normal.”
Fist pump!
This may be because belly fat, called visceral fat, is metabolically different than other types of fat which can enter the liver and streak through muscles. This kind of fat is linked to metabolic disturbances, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes according to Harvard’s Family Health Guide. Lopez-Jimenez said that people with abdominal fat also probably have less muscle mass from exercising less. Muscle mass can help counter obesity.
You turn to the mirror. Oh, wait. Your belly is more plump and wiggly than washboardish. The scale may say you’re healthy, but it’s lying.
While this study may be a slap in the face to paunch people, the danger of waist weight isn’t a brand new discovery. German epidemiologist Dr. Tobias Pischon analyzed data from 359,000 subjects and found that those with the largest waist measurements were twice as likely to die prematurely compared to those with smaller waists. The findings applied to subjects who were not overweight.
After analyzing weight and mortality information from a 14-year Center for Disease Control (CDC) study, researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that waist weight is more dangerous than previously thought.
For years, weight and health have been tied together in an iron knot. Now we are starting to see that a simple step on the scale doesn’t tell us all we need to know about our health.
Nearly 13,000 individuals with an average age of 44 were put into six categories based on BMI and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), such as “obese BMI/normal central fat” or “normal BMI/normal central fat,” for example.
“Waist circumference is the most important parameter,” says Florida doctor Machiel Kennedy, who is board certified in obesity medicine.
More than 2,500 people from the sample had died by the end of the 14 years. Out of all six groups, those with normal BMI but excessive belly fat had the highest risk of mortality, even more than the people who were labeled as obese. “This pattern of obesity is associated with levels of risk higher than nearly any previously reported anthropometric (human) measure,” authors wrote, as seen in the European Heart Journal, where the study was published.
Make that waist-to-hip ratio normal and the risk of dying drops greatly—by more than two times, research showed. Otherwise, pay the price. “The level of risk attributed to normal weight [but] central obesity appears to be similar to that of smoking a pack a day,” lead author Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez told healthland.time.com.
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The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says the risks for disease greatly increase when waist circumference is more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women. The measurement should be taken just above the hip bones just after you breathe out.
It’s What’s On the Inside that Counts Where fat is located and what type of fat we have best indicate our real health status, rather than a simple measure of weight versus height. Fat just under the skin, or subcutaneous fat, should be kept under control, but fat deep in the tissue and around organs can be deadly. Slim people must be aware that just because they don’t look fat, they may have unhealthy fat deposits internally that are only revealed with an MRI. You could be what some in the medical field call a “Tofi”—Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside. No matter where your fat is, exercise receives the crown as king of fat loss for all types of fat. No surprise there. “The starting point for bringing weight under control, in general, and combating abdominal fat, in particular, is regular moderate-intensity physical activity — at least 30 minutes per day (and perhaps up to 60 minutes per day) to control weight.,” Harvard’s Family Health Guide reads.
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Factors Besides Lifestyle Some things, however, are out of our control. Take gender, for instance. Women, by nature, have more body fat than men, storing it under the skin and around the pelvis, buttocks and thighs. This fat placement, while at times cosmetically unattractive, actually helps women during pregnancy, explained Patrick Bird, former Dean of the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida, to Scientific American. Males, however, typically develop the potbelly form of obesity, Bird wrote, which has only disadvantages. Potbellies, while putting people at risk for a number of diseases, can also lead to excess curvature of the spine, according to Bird. Excess weight in the front shifts the body’s center of gravity away from its natural positioning.
Health wrote in an article called Genes Are Not Destiny. So no, you were not fated to have a paunch—which is great news, considering the multitude of negative health effects from waist weight. Genetics contribute some, but poor eating and exercise habits are what really bring love handles and pot bellies, two things that research says may be the most damaging part of an already destructive obesity trend.
Genetics play another role in the scheme of things. Certain genes determine where fat build-up and other aspects of weight gain occur. “Our work so far has shown that you can take two men of the same age, with the same BMI, and find one with five litres of fat within him and another with two litres,” said Professor Jimmy Bell, head of the molecular imaging group at Imperial College in London, to the Guardian. While disparities in internal fat levels can also be attributed to lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet, Professor Sadaf Farooqi, who studies the relationship between genes and obesity at the University of Cambridge, told BBC news that the role of genes is often underestimated.
Anti-Flab Diet When it comes to losing waist weight, diet also matters, of course. Weight loss expert Dr. Steven Warren of Align Wellness said that getting rid of central fat doesn’t necessarily mean eating fewer calories. Warren puts many of his patients on a ketogenic diet of fewer carbs, normal amounts of proteins and high amounts of healthy fats. Ketosis is when glycogen storage, the body’s carb-powered main energy provider, runs out, and the body starts using fat cells for energy instead. The idea here is that the body will have fewer carbs to burn for energy and will therefore turn to fat stores. Many studies show that diets low in carbs result in more weight loss than diets low in fat, which is why Warren promotes healthy fats in the diet.
“Between 40 and 70% of the difference in weight between two individuals is due to genetics," she said. Research has revealed what is called a “fat mass and obesity associated” or FTO gene that is a an indicator of whether a person with the gene will be obese or not, according to discovery.com. But a more recent study from Cambridge, Harvard and other schools found that this gene only accounts for about two pounds of extra fat and that the effects of the gene can be greatly reduced with exercise. Furthermore, many people with these genes don’t become fat at all. “The contribution of genes to obesity risk is small, while the contribution of our toxic food and activity environment is huge,” the Harvard School of Public
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WHAT ELON MUSK, OSCAR PISTORIOUS, AND M.I.A. TEACH US ABOUT LIFE People tell us, ‘Life is what you make it.’ But sometimes we’re at a loss for good recipes. Our lives, which can be splendid feasts, often become tasteless and forgettable because we don’t live the right formula.
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Here are three people who have made life a banquet, whose examples teach us how to make existence more savory.
DREAM & BELIEVE First, consider South African Elon Musk. When he sold his company PayPal, he made more than $180 million. He was set for life—that is, until he spent it all to start companies that build rockets, electric cars and solar equipment.
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Don’t treat life like a bowl of mush. It’s supposed to be a feast. So dig in!
CREATE & SERVE
FUN FACT
Musk’s bold quest to fulfill his aspirations, along with his intellect, made him the inspiration behind Iron Man director Jon Favreau’s superhero character Tony Stark. Musk even makes a cameo appearance in Iron Man II.
As we all try to make life, filling and full of flavor, we must realize that everyone enjoys a different feast.
ELON MUSK Why, you ask? “I am trying to allocate my efforts to that which would most affect the future of humanity in a positive way,” he says. Musk has made a tradition of defying odds and proving naysayers wrong in order to follow his convictions, but he doesn’t seem to be caught up in himself. He’s just doing what he thinks he should, which is to change the nature of space flight (SpaceX), automobile transportation (Tesla) and solar technology (SolarCity). He dreams, yes, but a life without dreamchasing is certainly a bland meal to swallow. And great things start with dreams. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, initially just a fanciful idea, recently won an enormous contract from NASA to replace the old space shuttle system. This summer a SpaceX rocket called Dragon, which was built, designed and controlled by civilians (including Musk who helped design the rocket), flawlessly delivered cargo to the International Space Station. Musk is clearly the master of his own future. He strongly believes that humans will one day live on more than one planet, and for this conviction people call him a starry-eyed dreamer. But in twenty years we may all be grateful he ignores pessimists, just as we are grateful that the Wright brothers did. Musk represents what humanity is all about. A feast-like life is one of beating challenges, forging ahead and not being scared of the unknown. It’s about finding what you believe deep down, and following your convictions to the end.
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How different than Elon Musk’s is the path of musician and artist Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A. Born in England but raised in Sri Lanka, M.I.A is the only artist in history to be nominated for an Academy Award, Grammy Award, Brit Award, Mercury Prize and Alternative Turner Prize. TIME magazine named her as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, as she has topped music charts all around the globe and at the same time championed the cause of multiple oppressed groups. M.I.A’s father was a political activist in Sri Lanka and rarely saw his family once they were forced into hiding from the Sri Lankan army. After a childhood of great poverty and violence, M.I.A. eventually found her way to college, getting a degree in fine art, film and video. She entered the music industry designing covers for CDs, and eventually started making music. The rest is history, as millions of fans know. M.IA. uses the life she has been given to create and spread messages she feels are important, and to help and entertain others. She has done it in her own way. Her music is controversial, full of irregular beats, strange instruments and political messages, but incredibly popular at the same time.
M.I.A.
OSCAR PISTORIOUS Part of life’s feast is bringing something to the table that others can enjoy. Just remember to use your own recipe, and not someone else’s.
FIGHT Oscar Pistorious knows about doing things his own way. When a childhood condition required that both his legs be amputated, Pistorious could have easily begun a bitter life. But in his disability he found ability, and something to fight for. He fought to run. After years of struggling with rule-makers and his own training, in 2012 Pistorious became the first man without legs to compete in official Olympic races, not just the Paralympics. Running for his home country, South Africa, Pistorious made it to the semifinals of his 400 meter race, running on curved “blades” of metal. Though he ended up far from the medal podium, the moment was a victory, not only for Pistorious, but for disabled people everywhere. Just like food that we originally think gross can eventually become a favorite (think mushrooms, okra, salmon), Pistorious taught us that unpleasant challenges, at first glance, can be magnificent in the end. From birth to death, our existence offers us a buffet of experiences; some parts we would rather avoid, and some parts we could eat forever. But in life, the whole spectrum of sweet moments and sour times makes for a feast we can look back on with gratitude and joy. Musk, M.I.A. and Pistorious may have different stories, but all three have taken up their knife and fork to feast on life with a gusto rarely seen. They have courage to be original, follow their convictions to the end, and fight for success with fierce passion.
Don’t treat life like a bowl of mush. It’s supposed to be a feast, so dig in!
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FATAL FOO
HOW FOODO
The double chocolate cheesecake is letting it all hang out, and you can’t help but take a second glance.
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FOOD PORN
OD ATTRACTION
OGRAPHY CAN TURN YOU ON IN A BAD WAY
Y
ou’ve seen what is becoming harder and harder to avoid these days: pictures of delicious food. With food blogs exploding all over the internet and advertisers finding more ways to make food look seductive, foodography is mainstream and it may be influencing us in more ways than you think. Obesity experts, neurologists and psychologists are trying to understand how humans respond to pictures of food, since these confrontations are a daily occurrence. What they’ve found so far is that the pictures influence how and what we eat. “Studies of the brain have shown that when people are shown a picture of food, they secrete dopamine…which results in cravings and motivations to eat,” writes Deborah Cohen, MD, senior natural scientist at the RAND Corporation, a professional research group. “Although weaker in magnitude, the neurophysiological events triggered at the sight of food affect the same part of the brain and appear identical to what drug addicts experience when shown images of their drugs of choice.” That’s right. Drugs in an addict’s eyes and pictures of food in yours can do some of same things to the brain. Furthermore, the dopamine from the sight of food, which makes us want to consume food, may not be easily distinguishable from true hunger sensations, according to Cohen, meaning food pictures can trick us into wanting to eat when we really don’t need to. “I do think that looking at food pictures will lead people to eat larger quantities of food,” she writes. Understanding how to counter the potential negative effects of food pictures is important, considering the massive quantity of food photos online. Consider Pinterest, where food pins are the fastest growing category, generating 50 percent more re-pins than fashion and style photos, according to Women’s Health magazine. Then there are the dozens of food photo blogs, like FoodPornDaily.com, where you just click and see a new mouth-watering dish. A group on Flickr called “Food Porn” has 37,000 members and almost 570,000 photos. Market research company 360i found that people are sharing these photos to show off their culinary masterpieces or to just let other people be involved in what they eat. Women are twice as likely as men to upload, tag and view photos, making them more susceptible to food-viewing health consequences. Another susceptible group is dieters. A study in the journal Appetite found that dieters ate more than non-dieters when watching television programming featuring food. Unfortunately, research shows that obese people are often the most susceptible to images of food. Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center showed images of food to groups of
healthy weight children (ages 11-16) and obese children, and used fMRIs to study responses. “Obese children were hyper-responsive to food stimuli as compared with healthy-weight children,” the authors conclude. “In addition, unlike healthy-weight children, brain activations in response to food stimuli in obese children failed to diminish significantly after eating. This study provides initial evidence that obesity, even among children, is associated with abnormalities in neural networks involved in food motivation.” Obesity may mess with our mental ability for a healthy response to seductive food photos, even at an early age. But there are ways to make sure foodography’s negative effects are sidelined. First of all, make sure you are well rested before scanning your favorite food blogs. Neuroscientists and obesity experts in Sweden, London and Switzerland examined groups of subjects after a night of sleep deprivation and a night of sleep, showing them pictures of different foods after each night. The results showed that sleep loss enhances processes in the brain underlying the “drive to consume food.”
Hunger is another factor in the picture problem, which isn’t a big surprise. “For most people, the appetite stimulating effects of seeing these food associated cues is modulated by hunger so we respond less to them when we are not hungry,” writes eating behavior researcher Suzanne Higgs, Ph.D., of the University of Birmingham’s School of Psychology in England. For those people who feel the impact of food cues to a greater degree, causing them to want to eat even when they aren’t hungry, Higgs has some suggestions. “For these people, it might be helpful to practice thinking about their weight or health goals when they are confronted by tempting food cues,” she writes. “There is evidence that it is easier to resist eating when seeing a cake, for example, if the sight of the cake serves as a reminder of a dieting or health goal.” Whatever the cause for foodography problems, much of the blame probably lies in why we are searching for food pictures in the first place. If we use food blogs to try and get some imaginary sustenance we know we shouldn’t have in real life, it will probably just weaken our resolve to keep up a healthy diet. Food is a central part of life. Food blogs can inspire us to greater culinary heights, giving ideas on how to spice up the food part of existence. Don’t fall into that unhealthy longing for what you see in foodography. This hankering can take the beauty out of food, food which could otherwise be a form of expression and creativity.
- Your next diet may be avoiding photographs -
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confidential
HOLIDAY H BAT
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HEALTH TTLE PLAN
/////////////////////// MOTIVATION
HOW TO GET ON THE offensive WHEN IT COMES TO overeating Holiday memories are great—except for the ones that remain in your love handles.
The holidays are about family, fun and food, and we shun anything that tries to take away from those joys. But we also worry about our weight during the festive time of the year, which can take the pleasure out of family meals. These meals should warm the heart, not make you feel guilty. The solution? Have a battle plan.
SCOUT IT OUT
Yes, soldier, the first step in winning any battle is to survey the field to know what you’re up against. Upon arriving at a dinner party, potluck or buffet, don’t immediately attack the deliciousness in front of you. Get a drink, chat it up and inspect the table. Reconnaissance will help you avoid eating foods you don’t like, which is a big-time holiday health nemesis. Besides, it’s a big downer to fill your stomach with things you don’t really want when so many other good foods are available. In addition, examining the table will help you avoid overloading your plate. The more we put on our plates, the more we eat. Pick and choose the foods you want in reasonable portions, remembering to be somewhat balanced nutritionally.
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WHERE ARE THE SNIPERS?
Festive foods aren’t necessarily unhealthy. Oftentimes it’s what’s on top that hurts. Gravy, cream sauce, whipped cream and things of this nature are especially unhealthy. But a family dinner without these things is certainly a drab idea, so we aren’t saying avoid them altogether. Just be aware of them and try to be reasonable. Remember that simply limiting calories may not be sufficient planning. The source of calories you get may be just as important.
SURPRISE ATTACK!
You just ate an hour ago, but that toffee on the table is looking irresistible. It’s a snack attack, and you aren’t ready. We love snacking, especially during the holidays when snacks are better than any other time of year. But snacking can lead to overeating. Sometimes if we snack too much then we skip meals, going all T-Rex when we finally eat again. Here are some solutions: • • •
Give away leftovers to friends and family. Chew gum in between meals Put it away. Easy access to food leads to snacking.
COUNTERATTACK: DESSERT
You’ve handled yourself well for the main course, but here comes dessert, and it has a power that may be invincible. Some suggest eating dessert first, because it can lower the total calories taken in for the meal. It’s probably true, if you think about it. Usually we stuff our faces with the main meal, and then tack on dessert
even though we’re already full. Eating dessert first can curb overeating. Lora Erickson, a professional fitness coach in northern Idaho, recommends a 90/10 rule, where 90 percent of eating is smart, and 10 percent of eating is free. Why so strict? “It simply doesn't feel good to overindulge and the body usually rebels,” she said. “As always, it's about balance." As a side note, remember that “lite” holiday desserts aren’t much healthier than the real thing and often taste much worse.
ON YOUR FEET, SOLDIER
Holiday pounds often come not just from food, but from being sedentary. Whether it’s the football game or a long fireside chat, we spend extensive amounts of time on our bottoms. It’s a smart idea to get the family out the door after or before meals. Take a stroll to find the prettiest fall-colored trees, build a snowman, or do one of a hundred other things to counterbalance the diet that comes with festivities. At night, have a family dance or play an active game.
Maybe we will never call the holiday diet “healthy,” but with a little organization and planning, the long-term effects of holiday eating become insignificant, especially if the focus on good diet is year-round.
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HOLIDAY HEALTH BATTLE PLAN
A Healthy
THANKSGIVING Makeover Most don’t use “Thanksgiving” and “healthy” in the same sentence. A harvest feast seems a perfect recipe for indulgence. Holidays are meant to be enjoyed, but most of us have had the experience of going overboard, which may result in extra pounds or making ourselves sick. Perhaps you’ve fit the definition of propriety in past Thanksgivings, but health concerns may limit your intake of certain foods this year. Don’t fret! With a little planning, you can create a great meal that your body will thank you for.
MIX IN SOME NEW, HEALTHIER RECIPES WITH TRADITIONAL FAVS
If you want to cut the fat and calories, but you’re concerned about losing flavor, try mixing in some healthier recipes with a few favorites. If you can’t bear to think of altering Grandma’s traditional pecan pie, then compensate by eliminating the marshmallows on your sweet potato casserole or by serving fresh, steamed green beans instead of creamy bean casserole. If you face health concerns such as diabetes or heart problems, consult your doctor’s office for healthy recipes. Combining healthy living with delicious eating is worth the effort. As the Medical College of Wisconsin points out in “Hint for a Health Thanksgiving”, “The meal is a transitory experience that will be gone from your system within 24-36 hours, while the memories could last a lifetime....”
SPICE IT UP
Spices bring plenty of flavor, and a unique combination of spices can help put a healthier twist on traditional dishes. Try reducing the amounts of cream, butter, and sugar in your food and instead, load up on fresh basil, pepper, cinnamon, or garlic.
DRESS YOUR BIRD—DON’T STUFF IT
According to an Allrecipes.com article, stuffing that is cooked inside the bird will soak up fat. Bake your dressing or stuffing dish separately instead. Also, replacing wild rice or grains for bread will increase the nutritional value.
LOAD UP ON HEALTHIER FOODS
Thankfully, turkey itself is quite healthy. According to a Harvard Medical School press release, “A 3-ounce serving of skinless white meat contains 25 grams of protein, barely 3 grams of fat, and less than 1 gram of saturated fat.” Not too bad! Harvard also points out that turkey contains arginine, an amino acid that helps in protein growth. If you’re concerned about saturated fat, avoid serving dark meat or skin. For those who don’t particularly enjoy turkey, consider using another lean meat or fish dish or even going vegetarian. Harvard also reminds us that cranberries, another Thanksgiving favorite, are also rich in antioxidants. If you can, use fresh cranberries for a garnish — they are lower in sugar. Sweet potatoes contain many more vitamins than regular potatoes. If you can’t part with your Idaho spuds, consider using sweet potatoes in a dessert.
DON’T OVERLOAD
Written By LAUREN MAJOR
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Savoring the holiday does not mean that you have to stuff yourself until you’re sick. In fact, you’ll probably enjoy the holiday better if you pace yourself. Cooking is a huge part of the day, but by including other activities in with the meal (a family walk or a football game in the yard), the holiday itself, rather than food alone, can be the focus.
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Written By LAUREN MAJOR
HEALTHY THANKSGIVING RECIPES FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT AND GOOD HEALTH Delicious food — and plenty of it — is a major part of Thanksgiving, but too much indulgence can weigh heavy on the mind (and the hips). With Thanksgiving tables expected to be laden with an abundance of food, overeating and weight gain are tough to avoid during the holiday. Try these delicious recipes for an unbelievably healthy menu makeover and learn how to lighten the fat and calorie content of some traditional foods while enjoying the feast without too much regret.
SWEET POTATO PUDDING 1. Combine sweet potato and the next 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with a mixer until smooth.
2. Add milk; mix well. Pour mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray.
3.
Bake at 375° F for 1 hour or until a
knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (For individual servings, pour 2/3 cup potato mixture into each of 4 custard cups. Bake at 375° F for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.)
4. Let pudding cool. Cover and chill for 2 hours. (For this and other recipes from Harvard Medical School, visit www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/healthy_ thanksgiving_recipes.htm)
SIMPLY ROASTED TURKEY 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. 2. Remove the giblets from the turkey and save them for another use or discard. Rinse the turkey, inside and out, with cold water and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper inside and out.
3. If you are using fresh herbs, chop them. Combine the herbs, bay leaves, onions, carrots, celery and shallots together and stuff the mixture into the cavity of the bird.
4. Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Rub the olive oil under the skin of the turkey. Tuck the wings back, under the bird and truss it. Watch Food Network's video on trussing - http://bit.ly/kzvU5.
5. Place the turkey in the oven and
What you will need...
Serves
4
roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a sharp knife, and a meat thermometer reads 170°F, about 3 hours. While it cooks, occasionally
DESSERT
MAIN COURSE
1 1/3 cups mashed, cooked sweet potato 1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp grated orange rind 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/3 cup egg substitute 16 ounces evaporated skim milk Cooking spray
1 whole fresh turkey, 10 to 14 lbs salt & pepper to taste 3 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried 2 bay leaves, crushed 2 medium onions, chopped i1inch pieces 3 carrots, chopped 1-inch pieces 3 stalks celery, chopped 1-inch pieces 2 shallots, peeled and halved *Serves 8 plus leftovers
Sweet Potato Pudding
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Simply Roasted Turkey
“
baste the turkey with the juices that collect in the roasting pan.
Feeling
Note: Allow the turkey to rest for 20 minutes
gratitude and not
to 180°F. (The bird will continue to cook after
expressing it is
and check that the temperature has come up removing it from the oven).
like wrapping a
6. Transfer the turkey to a serving
present and not
cavity and discard. Let the turkey rest
”
platter. Remove the vegetables from the
giving it.
for about 20 minutes before carving, and
William Arthur Ward
then serve. (For this and other recipes from FoodFit, please visit www.foodfit.com)
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Nationally recognized
MEDICAL WEIGHT CONTROL PROGRAM
Boise’s Best Kept Secret
Thousands of books, articles, newspaper and TV commercials have been written and produced on weight loss. Much of what is said and written about weight control is based on a fad, e.g. raspberry ketones or HCG. Another sales gimmick is to display before and after pictures enticing you to believe your results will be the same. Yet after all the books, TV shows and commercials, weight control seems more confusing, more difficult, and constantly getting harder to achieve. Every program works for somebody. For example, hurray for Jared and Subway. No program works for everybody (even ours). Yet 97.4% of our program’s 15,000 patients lost weight at their first month checkup. Our programs’ patients have now lost over 500,000 pounds. No program in America presents better statistical results at national weight loss conferences. Boise, Idaho is the only city in America with a medical weight loss clinic with three Certified physicians of the American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM). Our program’s primary focus is to medically assist patients needing to lose 20 or more pounds. Our patients have ranged from 135 to over 600 pounds at their starting weight (average 214). We monitor and manage all conditions affected by weight gain or loss. Dr. Rader, the program founder, has presented to doctors locally, nationally and internationally in medical weight management.
IDAHO WEIGHT LOSS (IWL)
Nutrition
Our program is complete, and up to Metabolism/ Biochemistry date scientifically based. Evidence based medicine is obtained from our thousands Psychology or Beliefs of patients, each of which are monitored in our computerized electronic health record Behaviors designed by Dr. Rader specifically for weight loss medicine. We approach obesity as a complex progressive lifelong medical disease. We evaluate the nutrition, metabolism, behaviors and psychology in our 4 pronged approach to life long weight control
METABOLISM
Despite 500,000 pounds lost, we are most proud of the metabolic and health benefits achieved with Metabolism/ our patients. Diabetics no longer require insulin. Biochemistry High Blood pressure and high cholesterol meds are no longer needed. As medical weight loss specialists we can: 1. Evaluate all of your medical conditions to see if they are contributing to your weight gain; 2. Manage medications as your weight is dropping; 3. Monitor that weight loss is fat loss not muscle mass loss (muscle loss often happens with fad programs like HCG); 4. Prescribe, when needed, only FDA approved effective and safe medication. We are the physicians doctors and nurses see for medical weight control.
Many of our teenage patients are now within normal weight ranges in their class not the heaviest. This allows them to shed the social stigma of excess weight.
NUTRITION
Nothing works long term if you can’t understand it AND stick with it. At IWL Nutrition although our program is scientifically based, we teach nutrition in easy to understand real people terms. Do you know what a protein is? Do you know what your daily protein needs are and how to meet them? How can you possibly have a good nutrition day the same day your kids or grand kids have birthday cake and ice cream? We share real life answers for real life needs.
BEHAVIORS
The things we DO and DON’T DO. Heading into the toughest nutritional time of year, let us share our program’s approach to a holiday. We do not teach any complex Behaviors formula for nutritional holiday planning except: keep it a holi-'day' not a holiweekend or a holi-season. Pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Thursday is a holiday food. The rest of the weekend it is junk food. Peppermint canes on December 15th are junk candy not a holiday treat. With rare exceptions, this simple approach will help you maintain your weight Halloween to January 2. This is an example of the manageable real life approach we teach that helps our patients maintain their weight control for a lifetime.
PSYCHOLOGY
We investigate and monitor the psychological contributing factors and the benefits of weight control. Doctor, I now feel good about myself. Doctor, my teenagers saw their mother in a bathing suit for the first time. Doctor, I am no longer ashamed to undress in front of my spouse. Doctor, I can tie my shoes and not lose my breath.
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Psychology or Beliefs
Don’t “WEIGHT” any longer. www.idahoweightloss.com 208.343.3652 Healthy-Idaho.com
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ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY
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ALLERGIST PROVIDED ASTHMA CARE LEADS TO: 76% Fewer E.R. Visits 77% Less Missed Work/school 77% Fewer Hospitalizations 45% Fewer Sick Visits The Allergy Group delivers friendly, competent, and experienced medical care for allergy, sinus, asthma, and related medical problems. Dr. Callanan is a board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Allergy/Immunology, practicing Allergy in Boise since 1971.
Feel the difference ALLERGY
ASTHMA
ST LUKES MERIDIAN 520 S. EAGLE RD. #1245
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IMMUNOLOGY
1000 N CURTIS RD SUITE 303 BOISE, IDAHO
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WWW.THEALLERGYGROUP.COM
(208) 377-4000 Healthy-Idaho.com
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Buying
HEALTHSMART
WRITTEN BY JAMIE GREY
ORGANIC
Organic food consumption in the United States is increasing. So is the number of organic farms across the country -- including here in Idaho.
A
s of 2008, USDA numbers show Idaho ranks in the top ten states for organic food sales with more than $71 million in goods sold each year. Ariel Agenbroad, a horticulture educator at the University of Idaho Extension Center in Canyon County, says people are choosing to buy organic for a variety of reasons, including personal health beliefs, concerns about sustainability, and worries about food treated with chemicals. "People are concerned about where their food's coming from, and how it's been grown and what's gone into it," said Agenbroad.
ORGANIC CERTIFICATION Organic farms earning more than $5,000 a year have to get certified through the USDA standards, proving they're using required sustainable farming practices. Idaho has been certifying organic produce since 1990 and livestock since 2000. In Idaho, there are more than 200 certified organic operations, and most are growing crops. "You can trust the label -- that if it says 'certified organic by' -- that they are being inspected," said Brandon Lamb, organic program manager for the Idaho State Dept. of Agriculture. The several-hours-long inspections verify the sustainable farming practices at every level of production. Inspectors, like Lamb, look through records, receipts and plans, check crops row-byrow and inspect sheds, equipment and sprays. Certified organic farms can use natural pesticides, fertilizers, equipment, and other implements allowed by the USDA. Synthetic products are not allowed unless specifically listed. Growers and producers can be denied certification, have their license suspended, or issued a notice of non-compliance with the USDA if inspectors find violations with their methods. Additionally, the USDA issues fines to growers or vendors found to be using the "Certified Organic" label fraudulently.
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ORGANIC FARMING COSTS The USDA recently surveyed farmers nationwide, and found organic farm expenditures were around 60% higher than conventional farm expenditures. "If I could use an herbicide, it would be a lot easier," said Michael Medes, an organic grape grower. "If I have to treat my vines when I have problems, the treatments usually cost about three times more than conventional and are about a third as effective." Medes says a gallon of USDA organic approved treatment costs him between $200 and $300. The higher cost of organic produce is passed on to consumers, but growers say it’s worth the price – with the USDA certification as proof consumers are getting their money's worth. "I'm glad they're real strict, because if the consumer's going to spend for organic produce, they should be protected," Medes said.
ORGANIC HEALTH STUDY BY STANFORD A recent research study by Stanford University shows practically no nutritional difference between organically and non-organically grown produce -- but does show a big difference in the use of pesticides. Organic fruits and veggies have a 30% lower risk of pesticide contamination than non-organic. However, no studies found specifically that pesticides at non-organic levels cause harm. Scientists also looked at pork and chicken. They discovered there's a 33% greater risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in non-organic pork and chicken. They also found higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in organic milk and chicken.
NON-CERTIFIED TERMINOLOGY Other terms like ‘natural’, ‘sustainably raised’, or ‘sprayfree’ are not checked or certified by the state. Those labels could mean the farmer is using organic practices, but they may not be certified or regulated. “Only growers that have gone through the process of becoming certified and gone through the paperwork and had inspections have permission to use [the USDA issued] logo and call their produce certified organic," said Agenbroad. Experts suggest you check labels and ask questions to make sure a farm's growing practices match up with your personal beliefs about food.
Healthy-Idaho.com
KTVB invites you to join us for
Saturday Dec. 8th
Live broadcast from 8am – Noon Accepting donations in food and cash for these charities:
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1558 N. CRESTMONT DR., STE A, MERIDIAN, ID 83642 HEALTHY IDAHO NOVEMBER 2012
208-957-5488 Healthy-Idaho.com
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