Hit the sweet spot

500 mL of milk a day hits right balance for little kids

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           Can there be too much of a good thing when you are talking about little kids and cow’s milk? A new study suggests there can.
The work, by scientists in Toronto, says that children between the ages of two and five should be drinking half a litre (about  17oz)  or approximately two eight-ounce cups of milk a day.
Less than that and kids may not be getting enough vitamin D, the study suggests. But more than that, and the stores of iron in their blood — which are essential for a developing brain — may start to slip below acceptable levels.
The study was led by Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. It is published in this week’s issue of the journal Pediatrics.
“Cow’s milk is a very important staple in our western diet for children. I don’t want to underestimate the importance of cow’s milk,” Maguire said in an interview about the study.
“Our question was really: Well, how much?”
It’s a query pediatricians face all the time, Maguire said. And they haven’t had a good answer to give because experts are divided on the issue.
Some organizations have argued that young children should consume a litre of milk a day to get the vitamin D they need to build strong bones and avoid rickets, a formerly common bone-softening condition. (Milk is fortified with vitamin D.)
But other groups have warned that children’s consumption of cow’s milk should be curtailed because some studies have shown that kids who drink a lot of milk can have low levels of iron in their blood.
Low iron can lead to anemia, where the body produces too few of the red blood cells that transport oxygen throughout the body.
“It looks like in children who have iron deficiency severe enough to cause them ... to have anemia, those children have difficulties with their cognitive development. Over time they’re not quite as bright as other children,” Maguire said.
Iron deficiency in young children isn’t uncommon in Canada. While it’s just a guesstimate — Maguire said recent studies haven’t been done — it is believed between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of young children in Canada may have low iron stores.
Given the confusing advice and the fact that milk consumption by preschoolers seems to involve a trade-off between vitamin D and iron, Maguire and some colleagues decided to try to find the sweet spot.
They enrolled 1,311 healthy Toronto children ages two to five in a study, evaluating samples of their blood for vitamin D and iron stores and gathering information from parents about the amount of milk the kids drank.
The researchers found that about 500 millilitres of milk a day for most children was the right amount to have adequate levels of vitamin D and iron.
There was an exception: during winter, children with dark skin didn’t hit the vitamin D target with 500 mL daily. The study suggests in winter children with dark skin may need a vitamin D supplement as well as the milk.
The researchers also saw this previously reported inverse relationship, where more milk consumed meant higher vitamin D levels but lower iron stores.
What’s behind the puzzling interplay? The director of the nutrition and metabolism research program at B.C. Children’s and Women’s Hospitals said little kids who drink a lot of milk often aren’t eating enough solid foods to get the needed amount of iron. (There is little iron in milk.)
Read the whole story here: www.thespec.com

600,000 cases of cancer 'may have been avoided' | Irish Examiner

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More than four in 10 cancers could be avoided if people made changes to their lifestyle, according to Cancer Research UK. Life style changes such as smoking cessation , balanced diet and weight management would have prevented 600,000 cases of various cancers.
Smoking accounted for more than 314,000 cases in the past five years, the charity said.
A further 145,000 cancers might have been averted if more people ate a balanced diet low in red and processed meat and salt, and high in vegetables, fruit, and fibre.
Maintaining a healthy weight could have prevented around 88,000 cases, while tens of thousands of cancers were linked to excess alcohol, failing to protect the skin from sun, and lack of exercise. Read the whole article here:
600,000 cases of cancer 'may have been avoided' | Irish Examiner

Will Drinking Vinegar Actually Boost Your Health?

 

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard about the much-touted health benefits of vinegar—in particular, apple cider vinegar. The ancient condiment—the earliest known use of vinegar dates back more than 10,000 years and has been used as both food and medicine—is enjoying a real resurgence lately. “Cleansing diets and juicing have become so popular, and I think that’s created the recent buzz around vinegar,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, registered dietician and author of “Read It Before You Eat It.”
As with any trend, it’s easy to get lost in the hype and start believing that vinegar is a miracle medicine (it isn’t). In fact, one of the most popular claims—that drinking a small amount of apple cider vinegar before a meal helps curb appetite and burn fat—has little scientific support, according to the Mayo Clinic.
So we did some digging and found some valid, science-back benefits to vinegar that are worth sharing. In fact, research shows that vinegars contain antioxidants, which slow premature aging and reduce the risk of cancer, for example.
Here are a few more ways vinegar can give your health a boost:
Vinegar improves blood sugar levels. Drinking apple cider vinegar before a high-carbohydrate meal improves insulin sensitivity—slowing the rate of blood sugar levels rising—in people who are insulin resistant (a prediabetes condition) or have type 2 diabetes, according to a 2004 study. The researchers note that vinegar may possess physiological effects similar to the anti-diabetes medications Acarbose and Metformin.
It protects your heart health. Balsamic vinegar prevents the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is believed to contribute to atherosclerosis—a condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries, blocking blood flow and in some cases, eventually leading to a heart attack or stroke, according to a 2010 study.
Substituting in vinegar can help you lose weight. The condiment can easily replace unhealthy fats—namely, in commercial salad dressing. “What I love to do is take a favorite dressing, even blue cheese, which is rich and high in calories, and I dilute it down with vinegar,” suggests Taub-Dix, who splits commercial dressing into two bottles and fills up the remaining half with vinegar. “The vinegar adds a delicious flavor and cuts calories in half. Or I make my own dressing at home with balsamic or champagne vinegar.”
It kills bacteria. Vinegar is thought to have antibacterial properties that can help fight the infection behind a sore throat. The acidity decreases the pH of tissue, which helps prevent bacteria from growing on its surface. In addition, a 2014 study even found that vinegar’s ingredient, acetic acid, which gives vinegar its tart flavor and strong odor, acts as a non-toxic disinfectant against drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria.
Vinegar may help reduce the risk of cancer. Vinegars are a rich source of polyphenols, compounds synthesized by plants to fight oxidative stress. According to 2006 research, consuming polyphenols enhances antioxidant protection and reduces cancer risk.
Bottom line: Vinegar can be beneficial in several ways, but it isn’t a magical cure-all and doesn’t replace common sense behaviors like eating a healthy, balanced diet, notes Taub-Dix. Plus, vinegar is an acid, so going overboard with it or not rinsing out your mouth after consuming it can erode tooth enamel over time.

Boost of Protein for middle-eged men and other words of wisdom

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Hitting 40 marks a turning point for many men and their health.

Their metabolism slows, leading to the dreaded belly and the first signs of aging and long-term disease — raised blood cholesterol and high blood pressure — begin to appear.

Increased body mass index (BMI) and heightened sense of mortality is often enough to kick start a new regimen, which usually means choosing low-fat foods and taking up jogging as an obvious health choice.There are strong indications that such diets for man in their fifties and up could be making their long-term health worse.Why? Low fat diets are usualy high in sugar and carbs - upto 67%.

Men heading toward the big 6-0 want to keep or build muscle mass, they need to increase the amount of protein they eat - especially after each resistance workout. One study found that doubling intake from 21 grams to 42 grams of protein is optimal for building more muscle fibers and keeping a toned physique. But no one should get all that protein from fatty meat.

For every meal, energy should, instead, come from protein (in the form of meat, fish, eggs and cheese) and a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and salads.

When we consume proteins, the body breaks them down into amino acids, which are absorbed through the wall of the bowel and form skin, bones, muscles, tendons, and all the organs such as the brain and the heart.

Consider grains and vegetables: beans, lentils, brown rice and our favorites - almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews and pine nuts. spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, chia, tofu and tempeh are also rich source of proteins.

Here are some more key recommendations from Dr Clark author of the book "Health Revolution For Men".

Forget the jogging if you are overweight with poor muscle tone, jogging is a fast track to ruining your hip and knee joints and put unbearable strain on your heart and lungs.

Instead, start exercising slowly and build up your fitness gradually by walking for 20 minutes five times a week, and adding some gentle muscle-building exercises (such as lifting light weights) and stretching.

Exercise your smooth muscle
To ‘exercise’ the smooth muscles, you need roughage (such as green vegetables). This stretches the muscle fibres and helps to press food through the bowel. If you don’t have roughage in your diet, the bowel isn’t stimulated and it becomes dormant — a major cause of bowel cancer.

Water is also vital — drink regularly, not just when you feel thirsty. This keeps the bowel’s contractor muscle moving, prevents constipation and prevents many of the typical diseases that occur in middle age such as cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis and peptic ulcers.

De-stressing is vital: eat healthily and at regular intervals (hunger and poor diet put extra stress on the body), get plenty of sleep and exercise, and try relaxation techniques and deep breathing exercises.

Drink alcohol with moderation. Drink eight to ten cups of water a day. fruit juice is ‘far too high in sugar for general consumption’, coffee causes dehydration and should be restricted to two cups a day, tea to three cups (herbal tea is unlimited), but alcohol is allowed, in moderation.

‘Beers have high carbohydrate content and therefore a greater likelihood of promoting the development of diabetes than those drinks with a low carbohydrate content, such as red wine,’ says Dr Clark, recommending alcohol consumption is limited to two small glasses of red wine per day.

Save your sex life

Testosterone levels naturally fall with age (at a rate of 1-2 per cent per year after the age of 40), but a dwindling libido can also be a symptom of excessive stress and poor diet. Poor nutrition causes physical and mental fatigue, leaving little left over for social interest, let alone sexual activity. Obesity itself also limits libido. In one French study, obese men were 69 per cent less likely to have had more than one sexual partner in a year than men of normal weight.

Another problem at this age can be impotence, which can be an early sign of coronary heart disease and diabetes. It can also be due to atherosclerosis, a systemic condition where plaque builds up inside the arteries, leading to restricted blood flow in the penis.

So how to resolve a flagging libido? Once again the process is simple, says Dr Clark: Reduce refined carbohydrates, reduce stress levels and take more exercise. 
All will help ensure the body is working at optimum levels.


Adapted from
1.Health Revolution For Men by Dr Charles Clark and Maureen Clark © 2012 Dr Charles Clark and Maureen Clark
2.Sources on Internet

Vegetarians 'cut heart risk by 32%'

 
Ditching meat and fish in favor of a vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart, research suggests.
A study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland showed vegetarians were 32% less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of heart disease.Differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight are thought to be behind the health boost.
The findings were published in  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Heart disease is a major blight in Western countries. It kills 94,000 people in the UK each year, more than any other disease, and 2.6 million people live with the condition.
The heart's own blood supply becomes blocked up by fatty deposits in the arteries that nourish the heart muscle. It can cause angina or even lead to a heart attack if the blood vessels become completely blocked.Scientists at the University of Oxford analyzed data from 15,100 vegetarians and 29,400 people who ate meat and fish.Over the course of 11 years, 169 people in the study died from heart disease and 1,066 needed hospital treatment - and they were more likely to have been meat and fish eaters than vegetarians.
Dr Francesca Crowe says: "The main message is that diet is an important determinant of heart health. "I'm not advocating that everyone eats a vegetarian diet. The diets are quite different. Vegetarians probably have a lower intake of saturated fat so it makes senses there is a lower risk of heart disease."The results showed the vegetarians had lower blood pressure, lower levels of "bad" cholesterol and were more likely to have a healthy weight.
Tracy Parker, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "This research reminds us that we should try to eat a balanced and varied diet - whether this includes meat or not.
"But remember, choosing the veggie option on the menu is not a shortcut to a healthy heart. After all, there are still plenty of foods suitable for vegetarians that are high in saturated fat and salt."If you're thinking of switching to a vegetarian diet, make sure you plan your meals carefully so that you replace any lost vitamins and minerals, such as iron, that you would normally get from meat."

Secret power of vegetables

So whether you eat your seven to nine servings a day or, like 77 percent of Americans, you can't find a veggie anywhere on your dinner plate, here are five little-known powers of vegetables:
1. A vegetable-rich diet makes it easier to quit smoking: People who eat the most veggies are three times more likely to quit smoking and stay smoke-free than the veggie-deprived.
2. Asparagus prevents a hangover: Phytonutrients in asparagus help metabolize chemicals that produce the morning-after headache.
3. Kids who eat their veggies have higher IQs: Breast-fed babies who went on to eat legumes, cheese, fruit and vegetables at 15 and 24 months had IQs that were an average of two points higher by age 8.
4. Veggie-eating adults have bigger brains: Getting plenty of plant-based vitamins C, D, E and the Bs plus omega-3 fatty acids protects against Alzheimer's-associated brain shrinkage - and that strengthens memory and thinking skills.
5. Veggies make you happier: And happier means less stress, better sex, fewer wrinkles, fewer colds and a longer life.

Five Cancer-Fighting Recepies

We don't normally provide cooking recipes here but the simplicity and power of the 5 recipes below changed that.

Cabbage is packed with antioxidants, which have been found to prevent cancer. But really, who is going to sit down to a heaping bowl of cabbage? That's right, no one. But doesn't Cabbage and White Bean Stew sound appetizing? 

Cabbage and White Bean Stew
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 lg rib celery, halved and sliced
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 cups chopped green cabbage
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
16 oz canned tomatoes, with juice
15 oz canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Saute onion for 3 minutes in a large saucepan coated lightly with cooking spray. Add carrots and celery; saute 3 minutes. Add caraway seeds and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in cabbage, water, salt and sugar. Simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Add beans and vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes until heated through. Stir in parsley. Serve hot with plain non-fat yogurt, if desired.

Source: www.justbeanrecipes.com

Curried Lentils, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp Indian curry paste
10 cardamom pods
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup Green or brown lentils, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 small cauliflower without leaves and stem, cut into small florets
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
Salt and pepper
Natural yogurt (optional)

Heat large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and curry paste, stirring paste thoroughly into onion; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Smash cardamom pods with large knife or meat mallet. Remove small brown seeds (discard pods) and stir into onion mixture along with sweet potatoes; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lentils and broth; cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add cauliflower and return to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat; stir in coriander. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand a few minutes before serving with dollop of yogurt, if desired.

Source: www.eatrightontario.ca

Mustard, Beet and Apple Salad
3/4 lb beets
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch granulated sugar
Salt and pepper
2 McIntosh apples, peeled and diced
Belgian endive
Dill sprigs

In saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook beets for about 10 minutes or until tender; peel and dice. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, dill, mustard, garlic, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste; toss with beets and apples. On large serving plate or 4 individual salad plates; arrange Belgian endive leaves like spokes of a wheel. Mound salad mixture in middle; garnish with dill springs.

Source: www.eatrightontario.ca

Mushroom Artichoke Saute over Pasta
1 cup Portobello mushroom,
1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 plum tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 medium onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp rosemary, dried
1 1/3 cups whole wheat pasta
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Chop all veggies into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil in large pan while boiling water for pasta. Saute onions and garlic in pan until tender, then add other veggies and sprinkle balsamic vinegar and rosemary over top. Cook pasta while occasionally stirring veggies (lower heat if veggies finish cooking before pasta is done). Serve warm. Add Parmesan, to taste.

Source: www.livestrong.com

Broccoli, Water Chestnut, Carrot, and Red Cabbage Gingered Chicken Stirfry
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp extra light olive oil
6 oz baby carrots
1 1/2 cups red cabbage
2 cups broccoli
1/2 cup sweet peas
120 g water chestnuts, sliced
1 tbsp ginger
2 cloves garlic
113 ml Szechwan stir-fry sauce

Cook chicken in olive oil. Cook through and add vegetables, ginger and garlic. Heat until vegetables are cooked but still have some crunch. Stir in the sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Let sit for sauce to thicken. Serve with brown rice or eat alone.

Source: www.livestrong.com

Cut out alcohol if you aim to get slimmer

New Year dieters should cut alcohol out of their diets to lose weight as it contains hundreds of ‘hidden’ calories, cancer campaigners have said.

Alcohol such as beer has 'hidden' calories Photo: Alamy

By Stephen Adams

Drinkers obtain about 200 calories a day from booze on average, but few know that it is almost as energy-dense as fat, according to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

It has found that few count ‘liquid calories’ when assessing how much they consume while on a diet.

Meanwhile, Cancer Research has found that almost four out of 10 people break their New Year’s resolutions within a fortnight, while only one in 11 sticks it out to the six-month mark.

Both charities are trying to get people to reduce their alcohol consumption during the traditional January detox, because research indicates the drug causes 13,000 cancer cases every year in Britain.

Kate Mendoza, head of health information at WCRF, said: "The calories in alcoholic drinks account for a significant proportion of a drinker's calorie consumption while providing little, if any, nutritional benefit.

"Cutting down on drinking can have a big effect on weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight.
"Recent reports have shown that people are unaware of calories in drinks and don't include them when calculating their daily consumption."
She added: "This is important from a cancer perspective because, after smoking, being overweight or obese is the biggest risk factor.”
While fat contains nine calories per gram, few people know that pure alcohol comes a close second with seven calories per gram, she noted.
A pint of Stella Artois contains about 255 calories - the same as a Mars bar - while a large (250ml) glass of white wine has roughly 200 calories.
Ms Mendoza added: "There is also strong scientific evidence that alcohol itself is a cancer risk factor - possibly through damaging our DNA - in cancers of the breast, bowel, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus and liver."
Drinking alcohol has long been known to have a protective effect on the heart, but doctors say this is only really a benefit in men over 40 and post-menopausal women.
Cancer Research UK, which polled 4,000 adults, found 39 per cent gave up their resolutions within two weeks and only nine per cent lasted to six months.
Close to half of people (45 per cent) blame lack of willpower for their lack of ability to stay the course.
It is challenging people to keep off alcohol and raise money for the charity in January by taking part in its ‘Dryathon’.
The whole article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9774362/Dieters-should-cut-booze-to-ditch-pounds.html

Google Glass

 From:http://www.extremetech.com/

If, like me, you watched Google’s demonstration of Glass and Now, I have a humbling thought for you: You were watching the future of ubiquitous, omniscient, always-on, wearable computing; you were watching the future of Google; you were watching the future of mankind.

Read the whole story here:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/131914-google-glass-now-utopia-or-dystopia# 

and another exotic use as weight loss tool :

Google Glass could be the virtual dieting pill of the future