By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) — Both a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet such as the popular Atkins program and a low-fat, high-carb diet appear to help people lose pounds over the course of a year.

But as for mood? Only the low-fat diets will result in long-term improvement in mood, according to a study in the Nov. 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

People on both diets consumed roughly the same number of calories.

"Both an energy-reduced, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet are equally effective for achieving weight loss in overweight and obese individuals," explained study author Grant D. Brinkworth, a research scientist with the food and nutritional sciences division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Adelaide, Australia.

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The Almost Gourmet Quickie Veggie Wrap

This is my quickie go-to lunch many days. It comes together in just a few short minutes if you have all of your veggies washed and prepped ahead of time. I like to slice my veggies while I am assembling the wrap, but you could certainly slice them in advance if you are crunched for time, or even make the wrap ahead of time, and store it in plastic wrap. It is extremely filling and nutritious. I also adjust the amount of veggies by my hunger level – adding more if I am starving or less if I am not incredibly hungry.

If you want to add more protein, you can absolutely add some chicken/turkey breast, salmon, tuna, etc.

Ingredients

• Half of a gigantic whole wheat tortilla
• 1 tbsp of garlic and chive chevre (goat cheese)
• Cucumbers, sliced in long thin strips
• Red, green, orange, and yellow peppers sliced in long thin strips
• Carrots, sliced in long thin strips
• Beets, sliced in long thin strips
• Green onion, chopped
• Handful of sprouts
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Lay tortilla out on a flat surface.
2. Spread goat cheese evenly across tortilla.
3. Pile on the veggies. I typically organize them from heaviest items on the bottom to lightest on the top, to make it easier to handle.
4. Finish with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
5. Close wrap and secure with a toothpick if needed.
6. Serve.

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(HealthDay News) — If you want to lose weight, exercise and diet are crucial. But a new study says other factors appear to play a role, too — including the number of TVs in your house and the presence of exercise equipment.

“The home environment really came out as a stronger factor than we would have anticipated,” Suzanne Phelan, assistant professor of kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University and lead author of the new study, said in a news release.

Phelan and colleagues looked at the results of surveys of 167 people who lost a big chunk of their body weight — at least 10 percent — and managed to keep the pounds at bay for five or more years. The researchers compared this group to two other groups of people who were overweight or obese.

The researchers investigated what set the weight-losers apart from the others, and published their findings in the October issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Read more…

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By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) — Though someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 seconds, many Americans lack basic knowledge about the potentially life-threatening disease, according to a new survey from the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes is responsible for more deaths each year in the United States than breast cancer and AIDS combined, but just 42 percent of those surveyed knew that diabetes could be so deadly.

"There's a real lack of awareness of the seriousness of the disease," said Sue McLaughlin, president of Health Care and Education for the diabetes association. To combat that, the organization has launched a new campaign called Stop Diabetes to encourage people with diabetes to share their stories. The effort aims to increase awareness of the disease, fight the social stigma sometimes associated with it and get more people involved in the fight against diabetes.

Those who have the disease often say the lack of awareness can feel like a lack of support.

"Living with diabetes every day is a struggle, and people don't always understand what you go through every day," said Malika Bey of Pittsburgh. Bey was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during two pregnancies, and then with type 2 diabetes after her last pregnancy.

"It would help if family members were more supportive," she said. "You know, I can't eat everything I want to eat, and at a party, nobody thinks about something simple, like getting diet drinks."

McLaughlin said a common myth is that sugar and overeating cause diabetes. But, that's not true for either type of diabetes. Diet isn't a factor at all in type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly attacks the islet cells in the pancreas, destroying the body's ability to produce insulin. And, though type 2 diabetes is more common in people who are overweight, genetics and other unknown factors — not just diet — can be contributors. Even some thin people have type 2 diabetes. Read more…

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Trick-or-Treat-Give Me Something Good to Eat

It’s that time of year again, the beginning of the season for consumption of all things sweet.  Halloween marks the start of the holiday season that extends until the beginning of January.  The tendency to overindulge in sweet treats rises, the sugar rush ensues, and waistlines expand.    Considering the rise in childhood obesity, here are some ideas to curb the sugar rush, and still keep the kids happy and healthy.

For the ghosts and goblins that come knocking: Select dark chocolate options for trick-or-treaters.  Dark chocolate has health benefits such as antioxidants. Give out granola bars, 100% fruit chews, and yogurt or carob covered raisins.  Look for the fun or mini size candy options for the ghouls and goblins; the smaller the better.  Or, avoid candy altogether and hand out coloring books and crayons, glow sticks, or stickers. 

And for your little pumpkins, avoid all unnecessary sugar on the day of Halloween. Omit soda, fruit drinks, certain cereals and other sugary stuff since you know they’ll be eating candy.  Feed them a healthy meal before they go out roaming the neighborhood.  The hungrier they are, the more candy they will eat along the way.  Get them exercising!  Throw in a Thriller mix and have a little zombie dance party.  Also, have them walk from door to door. 

Do you have any tips for healthy treaters? 

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What’s for dinner at your house tonight? How about a meat–free dish? Just by reducing animal protein in your diet, you could lessen your risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Many people have found that reducing animal protein consumption can help with low energy and sugar cravings. You can also improve the health of our environment by preserving natural resources like water and fossil fuels.

Join a growing number of people all over the country in the Meatless Monday movement and pledge to eat meat-free once a week.  What will you eat in place of your meat entrée? Try incorporating more vegetables into your meal, which are high in fiber and will make you feel full and satisfied. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds are also a great meat alternative. They are high in protein, iron and magnesium and contain little to no saturated fat.

You’ll also reduce your carbon footprint by cutting back on meat just once a week. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, the meat industry generates nearly 1/5 of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change worldwide. Our precious water resources are exhausted daily and the demand continues to grow. Approximately 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. This total far surpasses the amount of water needed for vegetables and grains.

People are confused about how to start making improvements to their health, let alone make sizable changes to the environment. Start with what you put on your dinner plate. Start today. You don’t have to become a vegetarian to make a difference. Michael Pollan recently stated on the Oprah show: “Even one meatless day a week — a meatless Monday, which is what we do in my household — if everybody in America did that, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million mid-size sedans off the road.”

Need recipe ideas? Check out Meatless Monday’s recipe page. Just think about the health message you’re starting today and how you can extend it for the rest of the week. Go meatless and the possibilities are endless!

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Hibiscus tea is made from the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower, which has been used in folk medicine as a diuretic and for the treatment of several other complaints, including high blood pressure, liver diseases and fever. The pharmacological actions of the Hibiscus sabdariffa extracts include strong in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity. Studies have shown that consuming hibiscus tea infusion has positive effects on blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is defined as having a systolic and diastolic blood pressure greater than 140 and 90 mmHg. Systolic pressure is the pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood and diastolic pressure is the pressure in large arteries when the heart is at rest between beats. A double-blind randomized controlled trial involving 60 type II diabetes patients with mild hypertension… Read More…

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Staycations are here to stay

Need some time to relax and rejuvenate? But watching your pennies with today’s economy? How about a ‘staycation’? All across the country, families have decided to forgo expensive vacations this year and spend more quality time closer to home.

Traveling tends to include more work and stress than originally planned for, not to mention the added expenses, traffic and delays.

Staycations are not about the exotic locale, but how you spend your time. And more often than not, a break from your daily routine is all you really need.  Disconnect from technology and recharge your internal battery.

With vacation planning, ask yourself why you’re yearning to “get away” in the first place? Perhaps your job is overly demanding, your relationships have become strained, or you just feel a strong desire to escape the daily grind.

Think about what you hope to achieve during your staycation. Whether it’s rest and relaxation, much needed time with friends and family or maybe some fun activities to add excitement back into your life, prioritize this time for yourself.

During your free time, make a point to try something new. Try an exercise or yoga class that you normally couldn’t go to, take a day trip to a local town, or try a new restaurant or a recipe. Remember to practice extreme self-care and enjoy your staycation! 

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Even though hip pain and related problems are ordinarily signs of age-related degenerative conditions, especially osteoarthritis of the hip joint, osteoarthritis isn’t always the perpetrator. In fact, rather than being the original cause of the problem, osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be the eventual result of damage to your hips at a previous time.

Gait changes caused by biomechanical injury such as an ankle sprain or knee strain, can produce hip pain. Moreover, your gait may reposition to compensate for new body demands such as a job change, an alteration in the way you sit, a new sport or activity, or if you start driving for long periods of time on a regular basis..

In addition, gait asymmetries can occur from leg length variances, foot pronation conditions, even carrying a baby or small child on your hip. Strictly speaking, anything that generates an asymmetry or imbalance when you are moving can cause painful hip problems.

As part of the chiropractic management of your hip problem, along with adjustments, your chiropractor may suggest that you wear orthotics. Your chiropractor will also offer applicable progressive rehabilitative exercises that include muscle stretching and strengthening.

Hip pain won’t vanish on its own. Hip pain is a signal that something needs correcting. Get out of pain, get back in balance, and get your life back now!

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Younger generations growing up in the digital age are also joining the ranks of the “typing wounded.” Surveys at two universities found that 40 to 50 percent of undergraduates experienced upper-extremity pain from using their computers. Colleges do not build dormitory furniture to be ergonomically adjustable, said Dr. Benjamin Amick, scientific director of the Institute for Work and Health in Toronto, who was a co-author of those studies. “They build it to be indestructible.”

In addition to repetitive stress problems, sitting at your computer too long places your upper back in a sustained, stressful posture, especially if you tend to lean forward when you’re working. This also puts your neck at an unnatural and strained angle. Lower back pain, in addition to being generated by simply sitting for long periods of time without getting up and moving around, is aggravated by bad posture.

Problems caused by extended computer use can not only lead to an inability to perform your work duties, but can keep you from enjoying the rest of your life, too. Your Tampa chiropractor can assist in eliminating the lower back pain, upper back pain, and/or neck pain that you are currently experiencing. After that, it is important for you to become mindful of your body as you sit at your computer, and to give your body what it naturally needs. You can cultivate the habit of both sitting straight in your chair (as opposed to slouching) and relaxing your shoulders. This will help to relieve tension in your lower and upper back and neck. Take time to stretch periodically to ease muscle tension and encourage healthy blood flow. If your work station permits, sitting on an exercise ball can not only aide in keeping you in a beneficial posture, but can help to strengthen your core muscles as well. (Make sure that the ball is the right size so that when you are seated on it your arms are at a ninety-degree angle to your keyboard.)

Good posture for ease of movement, variety in the motions that you do, and short breaks to relax and stretch will go a long way in keeping your computer work (or play) pain-free.

Partial source: The New York Times, Health Review, June 22, 2009

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