Sun, Mar 14, 2010 by Saluterra.

According to a popular myth, working on your computer a lot is bad for your eyes. The truth is: it’s how you work that matters.

Staring at your computer screen all day may make your eyes dry and tired. To help reduce eyestrain:

• Adjust the position of your computer screen so your eyes look down at it.
• Blink and roll your eyes frequently to help moisten them
• Rest your eyes by looking at something far for a moment every half hour or so

In addition to eyestrain, computer fatigue syndrome may cause dizziness, headaches, low energy, and neck, back, and shoulder pain. To help prevent these conditions:

• Take breaks from your work - walk away from the computer for a couple of minutes every hour or so
• Take brief exercise breaks while staying in your seat - stretch your arms, roll your shoulders forward and backward, stretch your fingers

Working on a computer 12 hours a day, pushing fifty, and still enjoying 20/20 vision, this writer is a great example of how computer work does not harm your eyes as long as you take all the necessary precautions.

To your health!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Vision | No Comments »

Sat, Mar 13, 2010 by Saluterra.

Can’t get rid of that stubborn tummy? Add more vinegar to your salad dressings…

Study participants were divided into two groups. While both groups were on the same exercise plan and overall diet, one consumed 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar daily, and the other didn’t. At the end of the twelve week study, vinegar drinkers lost significantly more body fat and belly fat than the members of the control group did.

Just about any vinegar with 5% acidity can have this effect - it can both inhibit your body’s ability to store fat and boost its ability to burn it.

Vinegar at 5% acidity level can also help lower your blood sugar by lowering the glycemic index of the foods you consume. In addition, it can contribute to lowering your triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure.

Drinking vinegar straight is not the most pleasant thing to do - plus, some people are very sensitive to acidity and it may hurt their throats. Luckily, using vinegar as a salad dressing ingredient does the trick - you can mix it with a little extra virgin olive oil, add some herbs, pour on your salad, and… bon appétit!

Warning: Some vinegars may interact with certain medications. If you’re being treated for any medical condition, ask your doctor if vinegar is right for you.

To your health!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Heart Health, Diabetes, Weight Management, Nutrition | No Comments »

Fri, Mar 12, 2010 by Saluterra.

Do you enjoy helping others? This could be great for your brain, as well as your soul!

Research shows that volunteering in a social setting - such as tutoring school children, or taking care of physically, mentally or financially challenged individuals - can help reverse or delay the decline in brain function that takes place as you age.

The idea is to keep your brain working and constantly learning new things - which happens inevitably as you teach others or deal with their challenges that are new to you. The social aspect of volunteering with other people also plays an important role in keeping your brain agile.

In addition, the sense of doing good things for others can improve your overall well-being - especially when you do them just for the sake of doing good, without expecting anything in return, other than perhaps a few smiling faces.

To your health!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Brain Health, Mind & Spirit | No Comments »

Thu, Mar 11, 2010 by Saluterra.

Three basic types of fats exist in modern diets: unsaturated, saturated, and trans. Some of them can be very beneficial to your health, some are useful in small quantities, others can kill you over time.

• Unsaturated fats are generally the healthiest, but some caution is needed. There are two subcategories: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Monounsaturated fats may boost your immune system and lower your risk for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers. Food sources include olives, olive and canola oils, avocados, and nuts along with their butters and oils. These are generally good for you (except, of course, if you’re allergic to nuts).

Polyunsaturated fats are trickier. The two most common types are omega 3 and omega 6. When included in your diet in the right proportions, both omegas can benefit your health by combating numerous diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, allergies, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, skin and behavioral disorders. In addition, women who consume the right amounts of both fats can benefit from reduced menopausal or PMS symptoms.

However, it’s important to remember that omega 3s are anti-inflammatory, while omega 6s are pro-inflammatory. While your body needs a healthy amount of inflammation to fight intruders such as viruses, too much inflammation can lead to… said allergies to nuts, for example, as well as depression, seizures, digestive disorders, and tumor growth. The ideal dietary ratio of omega 3s to omega 6s is 1:1, and a permissible ratio is 1:4. Unfortunately, in most Americans’ diets the actual ratio ranges from 1:10 to 1:30. This means that we are consuming excessive amounts of omega 6s and often not enough omega 3s.

Food sources of omega 6 fats include safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed and soy oils. These oils are frequently used in processed foods, so cutting down on or eliminating processed foods from your menu will help you reduce the amount of these fats in your diet.

Food sources of omega 3 include cold-water fish, fish oil, flax seeds and oil, seaweeds, algae, and walnuts.

• Saturated fats help control cholesterol levels and maintain overall good health, so they are necessary in your diet in small amounts. Excessive intake is associated with increased “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels, which may lead to atherosclerosis and, consequently, heart attack or stroke. Saturated fats occur in all animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, fish), and in some tropical oils (coconut and palm).

• The ugliest fats to be avoided at all cost are trans fats - a byproduct of oil hydrogenation. Their consumption is associated with an increased risk for numerous diseases, including cardiovascular, Alzheimer’s, prostate and breast cancers, diabetes, obesity, liver dysfunction, and infertility. Trans fats do not occur in nature, their only sources are processed foods that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Processed foods are best avoided, but if you must have any, read the labels carefully - if the trans fat content per serving is less than half a gram, it could be rounded down to zero on the nutrition panel, however, the list of ingredients will still show the hydrogenated oil.

To your health!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Nutrition | No Comments »

Wed, Mar 10, 2010 by Saluterra.

A promise of losing twenty pounds in a week may seem exciting. However, you didn’t gain all that excess weight overnight, and losing it so quickly won’t do either your health or your long-term weight loss goals any service.

Appetite suppressants, fat blockers, and other diet pills may accelerate your weight loss - very unsafely. Same with crash diets (those that make you starve yourself) or diets that promote removing a whole major food group (carbohydrates, fats, or proteins) from your daily menu. Taking diet pills or practicing deprivation-based diets may result in malnutrition either from not taking in enough nutrients, or from being unable to absorb some of them properly. For instance, fat blockers may impede your absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. This can lead to malabsorption of other nutrients, as well - for instance, vitamin D is necessary for calcium to be utilized by your body. If you don’t absorb a nutrient, you might as well not have consumed it at all.

In addition to the risk of malnutrition, rapid weight loss resulting from any practice can lead to heart strain, dehydration, kidney trouble, and impairment of the immune system. Not to mention dark circles around your eyes and skin bags hanging down your arms and under your chin - not exactly the effect most dieters are aiming for.

Also - how long can you possibly last on a 600 calorie diet or one that won’t let you have a cookie? Chances are you’d quit after a couple of weeks - even if you do lose twenty pounds during that time - and try another diet a month later (after you’ve gained your twenty pounds back, and then some). Losing and gaining weight repeatedly due to such yo-yo dieting presents its own set of health issues and can make your future weight loss endeavors even more difficult due to inefficient metabolism.

So how fast is fast enough? - The general rule of thumb is: you should strive to lose NO more than two pounds per week (less than that is fine), and ensure that you’re losing them in the form of fat (rather than muscle or water).You can achieve that through a balanced diet that includes all nutrients, adequate physical activity, and effective stress management.

The TLS website can easily guide you through proper food choices (including weekly menus with recipes), exercise recommendations, stress reduction tips, and plenty of other information that will make your weight loss journey smooth and safe.

To your health!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Weight Management, Nutrition | No Comments »

Tue, Mar 9, 2010 by Saluterra.

Caffeine might make your blood pressure worse if you have genetic tendencies towards hypertension or already have elevated blood pressure. However, there’s a whole group of beverages that are a lot worse for your blood pressure than coffee - those are sodas, both “diet” and regular.

In a recent study, drinking just one soda drink a day was associated with about 15% higher risk of hypertension, while a daily cup of coffee appeared to have little impact. Both regular and “diet” sodas were shown to increase the risk of hypertension, and having more than one soda drink per day increased the risk to a larger extent.

In another study, drinking two or more soda drinks per day was associated with a 44% to 50% increase in the risk of metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

Since coffee did not have the same effect on participants’ health, the researchers concluded that it was not the caffeine that made sodas bad for you, but rather some of the other ingredients - possibly the high amounts of sodium used in the carbonation process. Sweeteners and colorants were also suggested as possible culprits.

If you are sensitive to caffeine, it can temporarily increase your blood pressure, so it’s best to limit your caffeine intake if you have hypertension, are at risk for it, or are sensitive to caffeine in any other way. For healthy individuals, drinking one or two cups of coffee per day appears to be safe.

To your health!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Heart Health, Nutrition | No Comments »

Mon, Mar 8, 2010 by Saluterra.

What’s on TV or at the movies tonight? A comedy? A thriller? - Your choice of entertainment may affect the length and quality of your life.

In a study, healthy men and women with normal blood pressure watched either a comedy or a violent action movie while researchers measured their blood flow. The comedy watchers’ blood vessels relaxed and increased their blood flow by 22%. The action movie watchers, on the other hand, experienced mental stress as a result of which their blood vessels constricted and decreased their blood flow by 35%.

While watching an occasional action movie, thriller or boxing game won’t kill you immediately, a steady diet of violent entertainment may contribute to chronic stress and chronically constricted blood vessels, putting extra strain on your heart and increasing your risk of heart disease.

Frequent laughter - for any reason or even for no reason whatsoever - can help you maintain good heart health by relaxing your blood vessels and thus increasing your blood flow. This helps decrease strain on your heart as it doesn’t need to work as hard to pump your blood for you. Laughter is also a great stress reliever that anyone can use and that doesn’t cost a penny!

To your health - have you had a good laugh today yet?

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Heart Health, Mind & Spirit | No Comments »

Sun, Mar 7, 2010 by Saluterra.

Your body consists of (1) lean body mass (muscles, organs, bones,  fluids, etc.) and (2) body fat. When you want to “lose weight” - whether for better health or merely to fit into cuter clothes - you need to decrease the ratio of your body fat to your lean body mass. To reach that goal, you need adequate physical activity and proper nutrition.

Increase physical activity to build muscle and burn fat:

• Strength (resistance) exercise - builds muscle and, consequently, helps burn fat even long after you’ve stopped exercising
• Endurance (aerobic/cardio) exercise - burns fat while you exercise at the right heart rate
• Flexibility (stretching/balance) exercise - helps cool down and reduce muscle soreness after the other exercise types

Modify your eating habits and food choices to prevent excess body fat forming:

• Maintain stable metabolism and avoid both starving yourself and binging - have several small meals or snacks each day, instead of just 2 or 3 large meals
• Consume a balanced diet of complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, whole grains), lean proteins, and “good” fats
• Hydrate - have 1 ounce of water for every 2 pounds of your body weight each day; more if you’re an athlete

How will you know if you’ve improved your ratio of body fat to lean body mass? - You can measure your body fat percentage using a special scale. You can also use a tape to measure the circumferences of your chest, waist and hips. Or just watch your clothes become looser and looser, and yourself fitting into smaller and smaller dresses and pants.

Browse the Health & Fitness and Nutrition sections of this blog for more information.

To your health!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Weight Management | No Comments »

Sat, Mar 6, 2010 by Saluterra.

Metabolic syndrome consists of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, imbalanced cholesterol (low “good” HDL and high “bad” LDL), and usually a large pad of extra body fat around the middle. If not controlled in time, it may become a precursor to diabetes and/or heart disease. Increasing magnesium in your diet may help you prevent or revert metabolic syndrome.

Magnesium may help improve your body’s use of insulin and thus regulate blood sugar, and research shows that consuming a diet high in magnesium could lower your risk of metabolic syndrome by as much as 30%. Sadly, only about a third of Americans consume their daily recommended amount of this mineral.

Foods that are high in magnesium include vegetables - especially the green leafy variety - as well as spices, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.

Magnesium overdose can give you the runs, so if you supplement, do so cautiously. An overdose is highly unlikely if you obtain this mineral exclusively from food - if your kidneys work properly, they can easily handle any extra amount that might result from splurging on a spinach salad with chopped walnuts.

To your health, and bon appétit!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Heart Health, Diabetes, Nutrition | No Comments »

Fri, Mar 5, 2010 by Saluterra.

Cold feet feel uncomfortable and may make falling asleep difficult. For some people, they can make bathroom visits more frequent, as well. But that’s not the only reason why socks can help!

As your body prepares itself for sleep, the blood vessels in your feet and hands dilate and release heat. If your feet or hands feel cold at bedtime, you can help this process along by warming them with socks and gloves. Once your feet and hands become warm, take off the socks and gloves to help your extremities release the heat, and thus make falling asleep easier for you.

To your health, sleep well!

© 2004–2010. Saluterra. All rights reserved.

Posted in Sleep | No Comments »