"Bad Habits Can Age You By 12 Years"

In Tuesdays April 27th edition of the Press Enterprise I read an article about bad habits aging people by as much as 12 years. This article should not come as a surprise to anyone. But for the skeptics, there is research to back it. The header read “Study: Bad habits can age you by 12 years.” Most of us know that bad habits contribute to poor health. The study that was done focused on four common bad habits. These habits included: smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet.

This study tracked 5,000 British adults from the ages of 18-44 years for about 20 years. Out of the 5,000, 314 adults had all four unhealthy habits and among the 314, 91 of the studied individuals died (29%). On the other hand, 387 of the individuals that did not adopt the four bad habits, only 32 died (8%). The group of individuals who were involved in the unhealthy lifestyle habits that included: drinking more than 3 alcohol beverages per day (for men) and women, more than 2 alcohol beverages per day. People who exercised for less than 2 hours a week and did not eat the recommended daily allowance of fruits and veggies were at risk. In addition, those individuals aged themselves by 12 years and increased their mortality rate.

The healthy group included people who didn’t smoke, women who had less than 2 drinks a day, men who drank less than 3 drinks a day, exercised at least 2 hours a week and ate at least 3 servings of fruits and veggies a day. One of the doctors in the study said, “You don’t need to be extreme” to reap the benefits. As little as 1 carrot, 1 apple, and a glass of oj was all that was needed in the study (with the group of healthy people) that made a difference.

This study is clearly another reason to be healthy. Eating five or more servings a day of fruits and veggies and getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day can help you reap the benefits of good health.

Protein

Protein is found in various parts of our bodies and is vital for muscle repair and cellular function. The Institute of Medicine recommends that most adults need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So if you weight 135lbs. your weight in kilograms would be 61.4kg (2.2/ 135= 61.4) multiply that times .8 and that will give you 49 (grams of protein a day). This may vary depending on activity level (athletic) or health condition. Athletes can need anywhere from 1.2 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Having .8 grams of protein a day will keep your body from catabolizing tissue to meet its needs (tearing down muscle).

There are around 20 amino acids and 9 of the amino acids are essential meaning that they must be obtained through diet because the body does not produce them. The other 11 are produced in the body. Proteins that are obtained from diet and contain all the essential amino acids are considered a complete protein. Not consuming complete proteins can hinder synthesis, meaning the breaking down of protein to amino acids cannot be fully completed, resulting in the body not being able to maintain homeostasis.

All sources of protein are not equal. Usually animal protein sources are complete (dairy included). This is can pose a challenge for people who are vegetarian but it’s more difficult for people who are vegan. These difficulties can be over come by choosing the right food combinations. Plant sources do contain all amino acids and are considered incomplete. These foods include: grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and vegetables. However, mixing 2 or more of these sources will provide a complete protein source and ensure protein absorption.

Protein is the second most abundant source in our bodies (water is first). Its role varies from muscle, bone to skin and blood cell repair. Proteins are also “key elements” in antibodies that help protect us from disease. Protein also plays a role in hormone function and transporting nutrients. Protein is more complex and does require more energy from your body to break down.

Lastly, protein is one of those things that your body uses as needed. So consuming extra protein is not necessary (depending on your condition) and it should be consumed on a regular bases to insure it’s used to it’s fullest. Extra protein that is ingested and not used is broken down into energy or is considered extra calories that your body doesn’t need, resulting in it being stored as fat. Healthy diets consist of a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Eating Healthy While Dining Out

If you’re a working Mom like me and are the primary cook in your family, eating out can be a treat. However, it can turn out to be disastrous when you’re trying to eat healthy. There are a few ways you can tackle the “eating out dilemma” less the guilt.

If you’re a healthy eater 95% of the week, you can allow yourself a cheat meal or day (keep in mind that the cheat day must come to an end at the end of the day and cheat meals may not work for everyone). A cheat day does not mean you should over do it, however this can happen when you don’t have nutritional information to guide you. In these types of situations you should avoid dishes with heavy sauces or at least ask for the sauce on the side. This allows you to control your caloric intake by putting the amount of sauce on the food that you want. In addition, order dishes that are broiled, grilled, baked, poached or steamed. Also, keep it plain and simple. Instead of ordering the double decker burger, choose a grilled chicken sandwich with lots of veggies. If your craving a chocolate malt shake that you haven’t had in ages but don’t want the extra calories, ask the Server if you could have your shake made with skim milk. Pizza is one of my favorites and I’m not afraid to have a slice or two but I usually avoid the meat and order a pizza with lots of veggies.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. It’s a time when you are breaking a fast, hence the name Break-fast. Breakfast can be loaded with calories such as pastries or deluxe French toast. If your looking to reduce calories, go for cold cereal or whole grain pancakes, egg whites or whole wheat toast with preserves. If you take in too many calories, this is probably the best time of day for that to happen because you have the rest of the day to burn off the extra energy. Eating healthy is not a one time deal, it's a lifestyle and I encourage you to look at it from that perspective. Understand that when your making a lifestyle change it means just that. In other words, make changes to your eating habits for the better. This doesn’t mean that you can never have Death by Chocolate again, it just means in moderation, making a healthier version or adjust your caloric intake and increase your level of activity.

Lycopene & It’s Benefits

Are you familiar with Lycopene? If not, let me share some important information about this amazing antioxidant. Lycopene is a part of the carotene family and is found in watermelons, pink grapefruits, apricots and pink guavas. Concentrated amounts of lycopene are found in tomatoes and tomato products. Lycopene is what gives the fruit or vegetable it’s wonderful red color. A cup of tomato juice can provide you with 23mg of lycopene. Lycopene is hard for the body to break down but when tomato products are processed under high heat it makes it more bioavailable for human consumption. Processed tomato products include: tomato paste, juice, sauce and ketchup.

There has been valid research that shows lycopene does indeed help to prevent free radical damage by improving cell-to-cell junctions and cell metabolism. Lycopene has been shown to reduce the risk of many cancers such as breast, ovarian, lung, pancreas and bladder. Lycopene has even been used to treat human papilloma virus, which can cause uterine cancer. Lycopene has also been shown to reduce prostate cancer. What’s even more amazing is cancer patients who were in the advanced stages of prostate cancer received even greater benefits from lycopene (in therapeutic amounts). (http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=19428). Lycopene has also been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure in individuals who suffered from mild to moderate hypertension. Consuming 7 tablespoons of tomato paste has been shown to add an SPF of 3 and improve skin texture. This is not meant to take the place of sunscreen but it certainly can give you some additional protection. If you’re not a tomato fan, add a lycopene supplement to your daily health regimen. Being that lycopene is fat soluble, consuming fats with lycopene makes it more absorb-able. For example, mixing olive oil with tomato paste increases it’s absorption.

In closing, I love all veggies that are healthy for me and I personally enjoy tomatoes paste on a whole-wheat cracker, it’s kinda my quick fix when I’m craving pizza. I take that back, I don’t like leeks and too much cilantro makes me queasy. But there are plenty of other veggies that I do like and if my health depended on eating leeks everyday, I guess I could stomach them:{

My Experiece of Feeling High

Once upon a time, I could spend an hour moving iron and afterward I would experience psychological euphoria but even then, it was short lived. I heard from dedicated addicts that there is a “zone” where this feeling of calm and pain exists, intertwined with pleasure and exhaustion with the strange need of wanting more. I wanted desperately to experience calm and tranquility to carry me through my day that can be riddled with predictability and unpredictability. I told myself, it’s important that you do this at dawn when the streets are bare and only a few dedicated ones are relishing in the high. This high for me was not achieved at 3 nor the 5 mark. I went further by going 7 then 8 and 9. This need to know and feel “high” kept driving me. Then 10 and 11, at this point I felt something that lasted for a few hours but I wanted more. I wanted to achieve this high that I heard and read about that lasted all day.

Finally, I went 13 miles going up hills and down and at the very end that last hill required the most from me but ending at 1:18 minutes with my heart rate almost reaching its 90% zone putting me at the ultimate, known as “runners high.” Believe me when I say, there is a natural drug that can make you high and for me running gives me the feeling of achievement, calmness, pleasure, peace, good health, confidence, freedom and self esteem. You don’t have to be a runner to experience all the feelings I listed, however you do need to be driven to want something better for your health and realize that you are your best investment spiritually and physically.