www.lynngrieger.com

New research is just that - something new. One of the latest reports describes evidence that a common human virus may lead to obesity. It appears that 11% of lean people have antibodies to Ad-36, but nearly 30% of obese people possess these antibodies. Apparently the Ad-36 virus causes some of our body’s cells to contain more fat, leading to obesity (Medical Hypotheses, January 10, 2009).

Does that mean we should throw healthy eating and regular exercise out the window? Not yet.

This is new reserach, remember? That means it needs to be repeated, investigated, and dug into to figure out exactly what’s going on.

Plus we also know that the vast majority of us simply don’t get enough activity and eat more than we need. Wouldn’t it be great to get an annual obesity vaccine, similar to a flu vaccine? High-fat food, here we come!

But we forget that healthy eating and regular physical activity have benefits beyond just our body weight. Eating well improves our immune system, decreases our risk of heart disease, and increases our energy levels. Getting regular physical activity strengthens our muscles, including our heart, and provides a welcome stress relief.

Frequent handwashing helps prevent catching a cold or the flu. I wonder if it works for obesity? Or should we just stick with eating more fruit and vegetables and heading outside for a 30 minute walk? Stay tuned.

It seems like whenever January rolls around we’re bombarded with a slew of products promising effortless weight loss. We may suspect that the worst thing that could happen is we don’t gain weight - but think again.

The FDA recently released a report on several weight loss products that are tainted with various chemicals that have the potential to cause harm such as seizures, depression, insomnia, increased blood pressure, and increased heart rate.

We all know that losing weight involves changing our eating habits and getting more activity, yet wouldn’t we dearly love to lose weight simply by taking a pill? That’s not only a fantasy, it’s also a potential health disaster.

Check out the FDA’s information and recommendations here:  http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/weight_loss_products.htm

Yes, it’s true. Planning a healthy meal doesn’t have to take a lot of work, exotic ingredients, and consist of foods your family won’t eat.

I was recently reminded of two great websites that include tons of tips and resources to make healthy meal planning a snap. Plus they have cool tools and quizzes you can use while you’re waiting for the pot to boil.

Check out www.mealsmatter.org and www.eatbetteramerica.com and get started plannng - and enjoying - healthy meals for you and your entire family.

The sugar-substitute market keeps getting more crowded. Sweet n’ Low, NutraSweet, Splenda, and the latest addition:  stevia.

Stevia, which comes from a plant found in South America, has been available for the past few years as a dietary supplement in health food stores. Because it wasn’t approved by the FDA as a sweetener, it couldn’t be marketed as a sugar substitute or sweetener, and couldn’t be used in foods in this manner.

All that changed recently when the FDA approved the use of stevia as a sweetener. Look for Coke to introduce Sprite Green and some Odwalla juice drinks made with stevia in the next month or so. Pepsi won’t be left behind; they’re bringing out three zero-calorie flavors of SoBe Lifewater plus a lower calorie orange-juice drink called Trop50.

I’m not a huge fan of sugar substitutes, because no matter the hype, they’re all processed from something.  I much prefer we learn to enjoy the natural taste of foods and use sweeteners in moderation. That means drinking water instead of sweetened beverages, stirring one-half teaspoon of sugar in your tea (only 8 calories!), and sweetening cereal or yogurt with fruit. Don’t get me wrong:  I’m not totally against sweeteners. I simply encourage everyone to think about what we put into our mouths, and choose whole foods as often as possible.

You can already find stevia in the grocery store sweetener aisle under the trade names Truvia and PureVia.  www.truvia.com has recipes to try using this sweetener. Let me know your thoughts if you’ve used it by sending me an email at Lynn@LynnGrieger.com or posting a comment on this website.

I’m a sucker for online quizzes and fun tools. Here’s one of my latest favorites from the Oregon Dairy Council:  Rate Your Plate. It’s a tool to help you follow the principles of the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).

Most people know that eating less sodium, found in table salt and many processed foods, helps lower blood pressure. But did you know that eating more fruit, vegetables, and fat-free dairy products can lower your blood pressure just as much? That’s where the DASH Diet comes in.

Check out the fun Rate Your Plate online quiz here: http://www.dashdietoregon.org/Rate-Your-Plate

Fill out the “One Step at a Time” goal form at the end of the quiz, print it out, and schedule an appointment with me to make these goals become a reality. Bring in the completed goal form to your appointment, and I’ll give you a free phone follow-up session!

A new report from the American Public Health Association just revealed something we all know, yet hate to admit:  Americans’ health isn’t getting any better. Blame it on unprecendented levels of obesity, larger numbers of people without health insurance, and rising tobacco use.

How bad is it?
-  1 out of every 5 deaths in the US is due to smoking
-  1 in 4 Americans are obese, with increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer
-  46 million of us don’t have health insurance, and that number is rising

Those of us who live in Vermont, ranked the healthiest state in the nation for the past 2 years, may feel a bit smug. However, we still have people in poverty, the number of children living in poverty is actually increasing, it can be difficult to find a local physician, and with the sinking economy more people are relying on food shelves. We may be healthier than the rest of the country, but we certainly have our work cut out for us.

What’s one step you can take to improve your health in the coming year? If each of us make just one change, the entire nation will be healthier.

You can find a comlete listing of the state health rankings at www.americashealthrankings.org

A recent discussion among my colleagues reminded me of what we fondly call “the apple test”.

Here’s how it works:  you decide you want a snack. But what type of snack do you really want to eat? If you think you want a cookie, or a donut, or a candy bar, or even a handful of peanuts - ask yourself this question:  would an apple do the trick?

If you’re really and truly hungry, then eating an apple would of course satisfy your hunger. The problem is, we don’t usually turn to fruit for a snack, and instead grab something else.

Try this the next time you’re searching through the cupboards, staring at the refrigerator, or lingering in front of the vending machine down the hall:  would an apple satisfy me right now?

Let me know how this simple test works for you!

Every grocery store carries healthy foods, but some stock a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables which we all know are crucial to good health. If you have a choice, where do you shop for groceries? Does health play into your choices, or is price or location the most important reason?

According to a recent story in Health magazine at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27573342/ 10 grocery store chains stand above the rest in terms of delivering a variety of healthy foods.

I live in the northeast, and one of the top 10 is present in my area:  Hannaford. I appreciate that they strive to stock a variety of local produce. They also hire registered dietitians to be present in many of their stores, providing nutrition education and recommendations at the point of purchase. Great idea!

The entire top 10 list follows:

1.  Whole Foods (I seek these out when I travel; they’re my #1 tourist destination!)
2.  Safeway
3.  Harris Teeter
4.  Trader Joe’s
5.  Hannaford
6.  Albertsons
7.  Food Lion
8.  Publix Super Markets
9.  Pathmark
10.  SuperTarget

How many times have you heard you should take vitamin E, vitamin D, or folic acid to prevent heart disease?

Guess what - new research shows taking these supplements doesn’t decrease your risk of heart disease.

We know that eating a healthy diet that’s primarily fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats (or even better - vegetable protein such as legumes) and healthy types of fat definitely decreases risk of heart disease. But when we try to isolate individual nutrients, such as vitamins or minerals that are the cause of this protective effect we come up short.

The answer lies in eating food, not popping supplements. Do your heart a favor by incorporating these simple changes into your daily lifestyle:
-  eat a piece of fruit with every meal
-  serve a double portion of vegetables at lunch and dinner
-  enjoy legumes as a protein source (vegetarian chili is a great example) instead of meat one or two times per week
-  make sure most of the bread, cereal, and grain products (rice, barley, pasta) you choose are whole grains

Check out this delicious two-bean chili recipe from the Michigan Bean Commission:  http://www.michiganbean.org/recipes/071.html

They also have a wide variety of other recipes that incorporate legumes. Enjoy!

Kids don’t like to eat healthy foods.

Do you believe that statement? It seems that many adults actually do believe that kids won’t eat anything unless it’s bright blue, filled with additives, and covered in sugar.

I disagree. Kids actually like a wide variety of foods, but the key is exposure. If kids aren’t exposed to new foods, they don’t eat them. When kids aren’t given the opportunity to try healthy foods in small amounts, a variety of times, and in the company of family members who enjoy these foods themselves - they may never learn to enjoy healthy eating.

Don’t despair, because there’s a fantastic website that’s packed with tips, suggestions, and recipes to encourage our kids to eat and enjoy healthy foods. Check out http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=102  and put some of their strategies into practice in your home this weekend. Drop us a line and let us know your favorites!