Reduce cancer risk and control cholesterol with one protein choice? Maybe so, if that protein is salmon. Salmon — and other fatty fish like trout and herring — may help boost blood levels of good cholesterol. But here’s the kicker. That same heart-healthy act could slash the risk of several different types of cancer as well. So warm up the broiler and slice some lemon.
HDL and Cancer A recent review of several studies revealed that the risk of certain cancers — including lung, colon, prostate, and breast — may be affected by HDL levels. In the studies, the risk of these cancers took a nosedive in people with bountiful levels of the good-for-you kind of cholesterol. Seems the inflammation dampening that results from high HDL may also help discourage the survival, growth, and spread of various tumor cells.
HDL Boost from the Sea Having high HDL won’t guarantee that you’ll never get cancer — and more research is needed to confirm the link. But the latest research is just one more really fine reason — in addition to the already-known heart health benefits — to focus on bolstering your HDL levels.
So throw some omega-3-rich salmon on the grill and enjoy!
Want a guilt-free way to feast on holiday fare without loading up on all the button-popping, belly-bulging calories? No problem. Just use this 5-tip holiday action plan.
Replace Temptations. Piling up holiday “goodies” (think pumpkin pie, cookies, and fudge) in plain sight can prompt you to eat twice as much, twice as fast. Instead, keep alternate goodies, such as walnuts, pistachios, cinnamon-spice tea, juicy oranges, and ruby-red pomegranates, within easy reach.
Don’t Skip Exercise. Just make it short and sweet. Sticking with your routine during the busy holidays can be tougher than finding a radio station not playing Jingle Bells. Go for three 10-minute walks each day for a total of 30 minutes, and you’re good.
Choose Libations Wisely. Beer and red wine both raise your appetite-triggering hormones — a sure-fire prompt for a return trip to the holiday buffet table. Choose a chardonnay or Riesling instead. These white wines don’t seem to have the same hunger-boosting effect that some other wines do.
Use Buffet-Table Strategies. You’re less likely to inhale hearty helpings from every dish if you check out the entire spread first. We call it “eye your pie before you try.” Stake out a seat where you can’t see the feast, and choose only one or two specialties instead of three or four. You eat more calories when you have more choices.
Practice Moderation, not Deprivation. Splurge a little at parties, but eat sensibly the rest of the week. Get the skim-milk latte at your coffee shop, not the fancy holiday-spice coffee drink. Tote fruit and nuts or veggies to work for snacks, so it’s easy to bypass the latest cookie mountain in the break room.
With moves like these, you’ll wake up on New Year’s Day wearing the same size, or even one size smaller.
Obesity has the potential to cause a host of different health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. One obesity-related issue that doesn’t always get the same level of attention is sleep apnea. Anyone suffering from sleep apnea knows just how unsettling and disruptive it can be, but it also has the potential to be dangerous. Contact our weight loss clinic in Watchung to learn more.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a health condition that causes you to stop breathing temporarily during the night. The pauses can last up to 20 seconds, and often cause you to wake suddenly, gasping for breath. In more severe cases, this can happen hundreds of times per night, disrupting your natural sleep rhythm. When you’re unable to reach the deeper levels of sleep that are necessary to restore and revitalize your body, you’ll have less energy and mental alertness throughout the day.
Obesity is one of the most common causes of sleep apnea, and losing the excess weight is one of the surest ways to alleviate the symptoms. If you are overweight or obese with sleep apnea, and use a CPAP machine or medications, losing weight will often do a better job at helping you find the restful sleep you want.
Why Losing Weight Helps
When you are overweight, you typically have extra tissue in the back of your throat. During sleep, this extra tissue can fall down and block your airway. If the airway is blocked, you won’t be getting the oxygen you need into your lungs, and you will be jolted awake.
When you lose weight, the excess tissue is reduced or eliminated and the airway is no longer blocked, allowing you to get all the oxygen you need and sleep peacefully. If the tissue is gone and the air is flowing freely, you’ll have no reason for machines or medications to prevent sleep apnea symptoms.
Tips for Getting Started
How to get the weight loss process started depends on how much weight you need to lose to get into a healthy range. If you are in the dangerously obese zone, you should consult a medical professional to see if bariatric surgery may be the right option. If there aren’t any medical issues, you can start modifying your diet to include more whole foods and start moving your body on a daily basis.
Initially, walking is more than enough and will improve your circulation and work the larger muscles of your lower body. Some other tips include replacing high sugar drinks with water and eating smaller portions. Your doctor will likely provide resources for you if your end goal is to reduce or eliminate your sleep apnea in Watchung.
Browsing the pantry aisle, you’ve probably scratched your head over the long, strange ingredients listed on package labels. Even the most health-conscious shoppers can have a tough time knowing which boxed foods to avoid.
That’s why it’s so important to build your diet around whole, fresh foods like fruits and vegetables. Your diet should also include plenty of:
Nuts and legumes
Whole grains
Skinless poultry and fish
Low fat dairy products
It shouldn’t include any of the following healthy eating pitfalls.
Don’t Mistake Margarine for a Healthy Fat
It’s a myth that margarine is a smart replacement for butter. Even though it has less saturated fat, many varieties-especially hard margarines-contain trans-fat. Trans fat increases LDL, or “bad” cholesterol and decreases HDL, or “good” cholesterol. Most brands are high in salt and calories too.
Drop That Bacon
Diets high in red and processed meats are linked to higher rates of obesity, heart disease and colon cancer. In fact, eating just two ounces of processed meats like bacon per day may raise your colon cancer risk by up to 17 percent.
Say No to Both Regular and Diet Soda
Regular soda contains various types of sugar-some cans may actually be up to 60 percent fructose. All that sugar can:
Add to your waistline
Put you at risk for diabetes
Promote tooth decay
It also raises your daily calorie intake without providing any real nutrients. Those excess calories can contribute to obesity, which makes you more prone to cancer and heart disease.
But diet soda is not a smart swap. Some evidence suggests the artificial sweeteners in diet soda may trigger cravings and make you store calories as fat, rather than burning them. For a fizzy, thirst-quenching alternative, choose iced sparkling water with muddled fruit.
Pick a New Movie Night Snack
“Microwave popcorn contains high levels of salt and the chemical diacetyl. Diacetyl gives popcorn its butter flavor and it’s just one of almost 50 chemicals that get released into the air when popcorn heats up. While small doses of diacetyl may be harmless, exposure to large amounts has been linked to a serious breathing condition called popcorn lung, so don’t hover over the bag to breathe in the buttery aroma.
When you also consider the excess calories and salt, you’re better off just popping plain kernels. Throw kernels in a brown paper bag, microwave, and then add your own flavors like:
Olive oil and cracked black pepper
Chili pepper and lime
Dark chocolate drizzle
Avoid Unregulated Energy Drinks
From 2007 to 2011 alone, over 20,000 Americans were sent to the emergency room thanks to energy drinks.
Energy drinks may be marketed as “supplements” to avoid FDA regulation. Supplements don’t have to list their ingredients or nutrition facts and get to sidestep FDA safety testing.
Even when brands market themselves as “sodas” because they want FDA approval, the amount of caffeine, sugar, vitamins and chemicals in energy drinks can be extreme. Most brands contain 80 to 350 milligrams of caffeine-the recommended daily limit is 400 milligrams for adults. Drinking more than one a day could easily lead to heart problems, dizziness, nausea, panic attacks and more.
Pass on Canned and Instant Soups
The daily recommended limit for salt, or sodium, is 2,300 mg for healthy adults. Some people-like those with heart disease-should stick to less than 1,500 mg a day. But with instant soup, it’s possible to slurp up most or all of that in one sitting.
Canned soups may have 400 milligrams of sodium or more per cup. High sodium intake can raise your blood pressure, cause you to retain fluid and worsen heart failure symptoms like shortness of breath.
