Move Those Feet!

Food labels offer consumers vital information to consider when making a purchase. Especially for those of us who are careful about what we eat, the labels serve as a sort of “study guide,” allowing us to be more mindful shoppers as well as eaters. But what do these labels mean? Words like “enriched” or “fortified,” “low,” “reduced,” “light,”  “free,” and even “healthy” are defined by strict federal guidelines. Unfortunately, these guidelines aren’t explained on the label. Let’s do a quick run-through.

If a food label says “enriched,” it means that some nutrients lost during the packaging or refining process have been replaced. For example, the process of refining flour to bake bread removes nutrients that are later replaced, creating “enriched” bread. A “fortified” food is on the other end of the spectrum. Fortification is the adding of additional dietary muscle to a food’s existing nutrient content. Vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids can be added to foods that did not contain these nutrients originally. A common example is calcium-fortified orange juice.

The guidelines for using the word “low” on a food label are as follows:

• A low-fat food has 3 grams or less of fat.
• A food low in saturated fat contains 1 gram or less of saturated fat.
• A low-sodium food has 140 milligrams or less of sodium.
• A food labeled “very low sodium” must contain 35 milligrams or less of sodium per serving.
• Low-cholesterol foods have 20 milligrams or less of cholesterol and 2 grams or less of saturated fat.
• Low-calorie foods have 40 calories or less per serving.

To be described as “lean,” meat or poultry must contain less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. An extra-lean serving has less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol.

The word “reduced” on a package is very different from “low.” For example, a nutritionally altered food with reduced fat contains at least 25 percent less fat than the regular food. The word “less” has the same meaning, but might not be altered in the same way. For example, a steak with all of the fat trimmed off might be advertised as having “less fat.”

“Light” or “lite” means that the nutritionally altered product contains a third fewer calories or half the fat of the original food. When applied to sodium, it means a 50 percent reduction in sodium content. “Free” on the other hand means virtually no fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, or calories. This is defined as a trace amount. For example, “fat-free” means less than 0.5 grams per serving, and “calorie-free” means fewer than 5 calories per serving.

To be labeled as “healthy,” federal guidelines require that the food must be low in total fat and saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Additionally, in most cases the food must also provide at least 10 percent of the recommended amounts of vitamins A or C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiber.

So now that you know what some of these key words mean, maybe the labels will be simpler to decipher. Just be sure to read the Nutrition Label on every  product as well, to give yourself an overview of what your favorite foods contain. Consider your normal serving size compared with that on the package, and calculate accordingly. Try to keep your calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium low, and your protein and vitamin contents high. Most importantly, be aware of what you are eating…that’s the first step to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

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In the ongoing struggle to reach and/or maintain a healthy weight, there is a phrase that we’ve all heard and know by heart: “Diets don’t work; if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to make a lifestyle change.”  The main truth to gain from this lifestyle change idea is that weight loss or maintenance has to be something that happens while you’re still getting on with your life. It’s not about deprivation; it’s about choices. Here are 5 principles established by weight control specialist Dr. Howard Shapiro as essential components of successful weight loss:

• Any reason for eating is okay.  Research has shown that there’s no clear line between physiological and emotional reasons for eating. The idea of only eating when you are actually physically hungry may very well be impossible, because that is not something easily determined. So if you feel the need to eat, go ahead and do so…but choose the healthiest and lowest-calorie foods that you find satisfying.
• There are no bad foods. Any kind of food is okay; nothing should be completely off-limits. When you eat a high-fat or high-calorie food you’re not cheating, but you are making choices.
• There are no “correct” portions. Hunger varies from person to person, and from one situation to the next. If you eat more than you feel you should in one sitting, you haven’t blown the diet…you were simply hungrier than normal.
• An eating plan needs to suit your tastes and lifestyle. You can’t change your whole life to lose weight. If you’re at home all day near the kitchen, you can’t necessarily change those circumstances. You can, however, change the choices that you make, either by entering that kitchen less often or choosing better foods while you’re there.
• You’re never on a diet. You are participating in an ongoing process of learning to make satisfying food choices. There will be no need for ravenous binge eating when the “diet” ends. This is no diet…this is your new life.

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According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, April is IBS Awareness Month.  From their Web site, www.aboutibs.org,  ”In an effort to bring attention to the symptoms and difficulties associated with irritable bowel syndrome, IFFGD has designated April as IBS Awareness Month. Beginning with the first IBS Awareness Month in April 1997, and every subsequent year, we work to focus attention on important health messages about IBS diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life issues. IBS Awareness Month is listed on the U.S. National Health Observances calendar.” If you suffer with IBS, it’s important to know that you are not alone.  IBS affects between 25 and 45 million people in the United States alone. Approximately 60% of IBS sufferers are female; 40% are male. IBS affects people of all ages, even children. 

So if you suffer from IBS, or suspect that you do, what can you do about it? The first and most important thing is to see your doctor.  IBS can only be diagnosed by a medical professional. Beyond that, the methods to treat IBS vary with the severity and recurrence of symptoms.  It is important to note that IBS is a chronic condition with intermittent and variable symptoms.  In less severe cases, these symptoms are usually manageable with changes to a healthier lifestyle, or dietary changes such as eliminating symptom-influencing foods. Keeping a food diary can help identify these factors. Stress and pain management techniques may help you cope as well. For more severe cases, consider consulting with your doctor about the use of drug therapy.

When considering dietary changes, you may want to make note of a few foods that are naturally soothing to the digestive system:

• Lemons aid digestion by breaking down some of the tough components of meat, and can also help to relieve bloating and heartburn. They also provide a slightly antibacterial effect, reducing the risk of discomfort in the intestines.

• Prunes are not only a natural remedy for constipation, but can also slow the movement of food from the stomach if it is emptying too quickly. They also feed the good bacteria in the intestine, helping to prevent harmful bacteria breeding.

• Apples are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, both of which help food progress through the digestive system at a healthy pace. The pectin contained in apples also regulates the speed of digestion, slowing it down or speeding it up as necessary.

• Artichokes are specifically known to help relieve the symptoms of IBS. They stimulate the flow of bile, a substance that helps to digest fat and encourages healthy movement of the intestine.

• Peppermint, whether fresh or in candy, can relieve digestive upsets fast. It soothes indigestion, kills bacteria, and regulates intestinal movement. Its ability to stop muscle spasm makes it a useful remedy for IBS.

• Yogurt promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Probiotic yogurts, currently all the rage, help even more by having the starter culture still alive.

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A Reminder! Today is February 1, National Wear Red Day. This is part of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women, a movement begun in 2004 to raise awareness of the issue of heart disease in women. By wearing red today, we show our support of Go Red’s goal of a 25% reduction in coronary heart disease and stroke risk by the year 2010. By teaching women how to talk to their doctors about heart disease, the movement is changing the perception that this is a “man’s disease.” Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. But it is often preventable, and taking a walk is a great place to start.
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A successful journalist chronicles her journey with depression, and writes about two other journalists who have also written about their depressions. This is a serious topic for women (and men) who approach and enter middle age, as we all encounter problems that we might not be able to resolve. But, we can - with help. The following figures are gathered from this UK Guardian article about women and depression:

• 11.2 Percentage of women suffer from depression
• 300,000 Number of under-35s claiming incapacity benefit because of ‘mental and behavioral disorders’
• 20 Percentage of people with depression during their life
• £100bn Cost of mental health problems each year
• 31m Prescriptions for antidepressants in the UK in 2006
• 1 in 6 People with ’significant’ mental distress at any one time
• 3 Number of times more likely it is for a man to commit suicide than a woman
• 40 Percentage of those suffering with depression who never consult their GP
• 121m People affected by depression worldwide
• 2 in 5 Elderly people in care homes suffer depression
• 400 per 100,000 population - rate of self-harm in the UK
• 2 Percentage of under-12s affected by depression
• 5 Percentage of teenagers affected by depression
• 5,206,044 Calls to the Samaritans in 2006
• 70 Percentage of the prison population that has two or more mental health disorders

If this is the account of the problems with depression in the UK, what are the number for women in the US? You could look at the number of Prozac prescriptions for a start…Prozac generated $2.6 billion in annual sales before a U.S. appeals court stripped the drug of patent protection in 2001. Now that drug is everywhere, in addition to other drugs such as Cymbalta.

And that’s a shame, because exercise can help lift some of that depression, according to the Mayo Clinic. While exercise isn’t meant to replace medical therapy, it can improve confidence, help to improve interactions with others and can distract the individual from depressing thoughts. It also can empower the individual, as exercise can help a person feel as though she has some control in her life.

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