Weight Debate

Some people with knee problems have a form of arthritis called osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is common in the knee joint. The cartilage in the joint gradually wears away and changes occur in the adjacent bone.

Osteoarthritis may be caused by joint injury or being overweight. It is associated with aging and most typically begins in people age 50 or older. A young person who develops osteoarthritis typically has had an injury to the knee or may have an inherited form of the disease.

Cartilage is a rubbery tissue at the end of bones that allows the joint to move easily. With osteoarthritis, cartilage breaks down over time. The knee can become painful, stiff, and swollen. read more »

Drinking lots of sugary soda pop can hurt bone building and bone maintenance, especially when you don’t eat enough good foods.

For proper bone building, we need to eat and drink the right things. This means we need a diet that supplies our bodies with needed amounts of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, which are the most important nutrients for strong bones.

Drinking a lot of soda that contains a lot of sugar can lower calcium and phosphorus levels in your body, especially if you are also low in magnesium.

The bad news is less than half of teenagers get enough magnesium in their diets and most teenagers drink sugary soft drinks.

The average teenage boy drinks about 20 ounces of pop a day. That’s almost 2 cans a day. And some teenage boys drink as much as 5 cans (57 ounces, or close to a half gallon) of soda pop a day. Teenage girls don’t drink quite as much.

The Bottom Line…

• Don’t over drink sugary soda pop.
• Eat vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale, as well as nuts and whole grains, which are rich in magnesium.
• Drink milk and eat dairy products, which are high in phosphorus and calcium that help build strong bones.

Sugar
Sugar has no nutritional value. Sugar is in just about everything (just about). Examples: crackers, hot dogs, soup, spaghetti sauce, salad dressing and bread.

Hamburgers
Hambergers are high in saturated fat!!

French fries
Fried potatoes have a lot of fat. It is better to eat a baked potato or a sweet potato instead!!

Soda pop
Soda pop adds more sugar to your diet which can cause weight gain. Soad pop no nutritional value… soda pop provides no vitamins or minerals.

High fat cheese
Chese is a good source of calcium, but it is high in saturated fat, choleserol and sodium. Choose low fat or nonfat cheeses.

A Healthy & Delicious Recipe!!

Serves - 4

Ingredients
10 ounces beef sirloin, trimmed well
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces spaghetti
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
1 Granny Smith apple, diced into 1/3 inch pieces

Directions
1. Preheat broiler.
2. Sprinkle beef with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
3. Broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until medium rare.
4. Place beef on a plate and let it stand for 10 minutes.
5. Thinly slice the beef on the diagonal and cut slices into bite size pieces.
6. Reserve juices on the plate.
7. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the spaghetti accoring to package directions and drain well.
8. In a large bowl, combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, ketchup, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes.
9. Add drained pasta and toss.
10. Add beef pieces, jucies from the plate, scallions, carrots and apples and toss well.
11. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (mg = milligrams)
Calories – 413
Total Fat – 9.5 grams
Saturated Fat – 3.4 grams
Cholesterol – 47 mg
Sodium – 787 mg
Fiber – 3 grams
Carbohydrates – 58 grams
Protein – 24 grams

Knee problems are very common and can occur in people of all ages. There are many diseases and types of injuries that can affect your knees. Some of the most common causes of knee pain include:

• Overuse of the knees – bursitis, tendonitis.
• Poor exercise habits such as not warming up or cooling down or inadequate stretching.
• A strain, sprain, torn ligament or cartilage.
• A fracture or a dislocated kneecap.
• Osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), rheumatoid arthritis, and other types of arthritis.
• An infection.
• A problem somewhere in the body, such as a pinched nerve, which can cause pain that is felt in the knee.

Simple exercises that strengthen your muscles, increase your mobility, and improve your balance can ease knee discomfort and reduce knee strain.

Strengthening muscles around the knees improves support to the joint which takes stress away during everyday activities like climbing stairs, and good balance provides stability in your knees to reduce stress to the joint.

Strengthening the muscles at the front and back of your thighs are known to help with knee pain. Research is also looking at strengthening the muscles on the sides of the hips, called abductors, to lighten the pressure on knee pain.

Help Ease Knee Discomfort

• Walk on flat ground.
• Cycling indoors or outside.
• Tai Chi – a series of flowing, low impact moves.
• Walking or jogging in water.
• Pool aerobics.
• Swimming.

Simple Exercises to Ease Knee Pain
Towel Stretch – stretching:

• Lie on the floor on your back.
  Bend both knees.
  Bring one knee toward your chest and place a towel behind the knee.
  Gently pull the towel toward you, until you feel a slight stretch in the back of your thigh.
  Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Release. Repeat on your other leg.

Wall Squat – stretching:

• Stand upright with your back to the wall, and your body touching the wall.
  Slowly slide your body down the wall as far as you can without pain, until you are in a sitting position.
  Look down to make sure you can see your toes. If you can’t see your toes, slide back up and place your feet farther out from the wall.
  Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat twice just once a day.

Tandem Stance – balance:

• Stand facing the kitchen sink with your hands on the edge of the sink and your knees together.
  Place one foot directly in front of the other as if walking on a tightrope.
  Lift your hands from the sink and try to balance in the tightrope position for one minute.
  Switch feet positions and repeat. Do this once a day.

Before you start any exercise program, get your doctor’s OK, and ask if you need to see a physical therapist.

People who have hands-on physical therapy, where the therapist moves your joints for you, may also cut discomfort when combined with exercise. Research has shown that people who have hands-on physical therapy along with strengthening, stretching and aerobic exercise were much less likely to need knee replacement that those who only exercised.

Some people need to take pain medicine to stay active and control knee pain.
If arthritis causes serious damage to a knee or there is incapacitating pain or loss of use of the knee from arthritis, joint surgery may be considered.

Anyone can have high cholesterol, it’s not just from the meat you eat. Even a vegetarian can have high cholesterol, especially if it runs in their family.

Eating a healthy diet and exercising is important to help lower cholesterol, but cholesterol doesn’t just come from food. Cholesterol is produced in your body, and also cholesterol is based on your family history.

Many people need medications to help lower their cholesterol levels, along with eating right and exercising. read more »

Studies have shown that fat cells in heavier people undergo metabolic changes that make it more difficult to burn fat.

As little as 11 pounds can slow your metabolism down, and as you gain more fat, it becomes even harder for you to lose the fat.

Physical activity is what you need to get your metabolism back on track. Exercising regularly can get you back to a healthy weight.

Don’t forget to eat healthier foods to speed up your weight loss goals.

Are you having problems losing weight, despite proper eating and exercise?

There are metabolism problems that cause weight gain, and when these problems are treated, the weight will often begin to disappear.

Some Common Metabolism Problems That Cause Weight Gain:

Hypothyroidism
As long as your thyroid function is inadequate, it will be nearly impossible for you to keep your weight down. The symptoms of hypothyroidism are:

• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Cold intolerance with low body temperature – under 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit
• Achiness
• Poor mental function

Nutritional Deficiencies
When you are deficient in vitamins or minerals your body will crave more food than you need and your metabolism will be sluggish.

Poor Sleep
The expression “getting your beauty sleep” actually has a basis in fact. Deep sleep is a major trigger for growth hormone production and sleep also regulates the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin.

• Growth hormone stimulates production of muscle, which burns fat, and improves insulin sensitivity, which decreases the tendency to make fat.
• Because sleep raises growth hormone, getting 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night that your body is meant to have, can powerfully contribute to your staying young and trim. (100 years ago, the average American got 9 hours of sleep each night).

Yeast Overgrowth
Fungal (also known as Candida or yeast) overgrowth contributes powerfully to both sugar cravings and weight gain. Once this overgrowth is treated and eliminated, excess weight drops off.

Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance causes your body to make very high levels of insulin, which causes your body to make fat.

Myth: Natural or herbal weight loss products are safe and effective.

The fact is… A weight loss product that claims to be natural or herbal is not necessarily safe.

Be Aware
Natural or herbal weight loss products are not usually scientifically tested to prove that they are safe or that they work.

Herbal products containing ephedra (now banned by the U.S. Government) have caused serious health problems and even death in some people. Newer products that claim to be ephedra-free are not necessarily danger-free, because these products may contain ingredients similar to ephedra.

Always talk with your doctor before using any weight loss product. Some natural or herbal weight loss products can be harmful to your health.

Obesity is a serious health concern for kids and teens.

Kids and teens who are obese (as kids) are more likely to become obese as adults.

A study found that if kids are overweight before the age of 8, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe.

Children and adolescents who are obese are at risk for many health problems during their youth and in adulthood. Excess body fat (obesity) leads to a higher risk for:

• Premature death
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Stroke
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Problems with cholesterol and triglycerides
• Lung problems
• Gout
• Gallbladder disease
• Arthritis
• Certain kinds of cancers
• Depression
• Social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem
• Bone and joint problems
• Sleep apnea

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese.

Thirty Years Ago:

• Kids walked to school everyday, and walked home from school every day.
• Kids ran around at recess.
• Kids participated in gym class.
• Kids played for hours after school, before dinner, after dinner, and all weekend long.
• Meals were home-cooked and there was a vegetable on the plate.
• Kids had reasonable portion sizes on their plate.
• Eating fast food was rare.
• Snacking between meals was once in awhile.

Today:
Kids today live very different lives then kids did 30 years ago…

• Kids take the bus to school, or their parents drive them to school.
• Gym classes and some school sports have been cut.
• Kids spend afternoons watching the TV, watching movies, playing video games, using their cell phones, and doing whatever on the internet.
• Parents work and are busier than ever.
• Families eat fewer home-cooked meals.
• Snacking between meals is the norm, not the exception.
• Food portions are two to five times bigger than they used to be.
• Some kids drink 20 ounces of soda at a time.
• Most kids and teens aren’t getting the recommended levels of physical activity they need everyday.
• Most kids aren’t eating a healthy diet everyday.

The benefits of physical activity helps control weight, reduces fat and decreases the risk of obesity, builds lean muscle, and promotes strong bones, muscles and joint development. Children need 60 minutes of active and vigorous play every day to grow up to a healthy weight.

By making a few simple changes, we can help our kids live healthier lives by teaching them to eat healthy foods everday and making sure they get the recommented amount of physical activity everyday, so that when they reach adulthood, they will be at a healthy weight, which will also make them a happier person.