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Tending Your Inner Ecosystem
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2012 CommentMost people give little thought to the teeming, diverse, and industrious community of bacteria that reside in their intestines. But each of us hosts an entire ecosystem of microscopic organisms—often referred to as "microflora," or "gut flora"—whose existence has evolved with humankind for millennia. To give you a sense of just how large and diverse this population is, consider these fun flora facts: our colons are home to bacteria from at least 400 different species (and possibly many more), with each gram of content hosting up to one trillion individual bacteria. Not surprisingly, two-thirds of our stool is actually comprised of dead bacteria! And how's this for mind-blowing: You carry around more bacterial DNA than your own human DNA.
The more squeamish among us may prefer to ignore their unwitting role as landlord to this invisible community. But do so at your own risk! These friendly bacteria have important roles in metabolizing our food, producing vitamins, and protecting us from infectious overgrowth of harmful yeast and disease-causing bacteria. Beyond these established roles, there is a growing body of research investigating associations between the health of one's gut flora and the health of one's body.
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Turn to the Pros to Help Your Garden Grow
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2012 CommentGrowing up, many of us "did for ourselves"—we walked the dog, mowed the lawn, fixed our bikes, and helped cook and clean. In fact, that work ethic of ours is probably part of what's helping us be successful today. However, as work keeps us busier and busier, we may not think twice about hiring others to help us with some of the chores we used to do for ourselves. Let's face it, it's nice to come home to a clean house, trimmed lawn, and dry-cleaned clothes without having to push the vacuum cleaner or lawn mower, or iron the shirts ourselves. It's no different with our home garden.
Sure, there are lots of ways to relax and enjoy yourself gardening, but if time is truly at a premium, then there's no reason why you can't turn to the experts for your home garden as well. In fact, there are a whole slew of gardening-related services you probably didn't realize you could contract out. You are only a phone call away from getting in on one of the biggest movements in the nation right now—gardening. You could be hosting a dinner party in your new garden this very weekend, without even having to clean dirt out from under your fingernails. (And yes, you can cater it.)
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Is America Really a Nation of Lazy Gluttons?
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2012 CommentThere's no denying it: The last 40 years have seen a tremendous change for the worse in our weights and our health. In response, governments—municipal, state, and federal—have begun taking their first tentative steps toward addressing this public health concern.
A lot of people are opposed to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's rather drastic approach to the obesity problem, calling his proposal to ban super-sized portions of sugary sodas "paternalistic"—yet another example of the nanny state. Those people tend to think a better avenue is to educate people to make better lifestyle choices—they tend to favor an approach that's softer and less dictatorial, one that's perhaps better exemplified by Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign.
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Avoiding the Freshman 15
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2012 CommentMelissa is 19 years old and spent her first year at college gaining about 15 pounds. She was pretty miserable when I first met her in June. But, thankfully, we spent the summer working together to lose the weight and she's exactly where she wants to be before returning. At 5 foot 1, she now weighs in at a very reasonable 115 pounds. Melissa is thrilled with her new body. She feels more confident, more energetic, and happier than she did before—and she can finally wear skinny jeans!
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Is Organic Food Better?
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2012 CommentA study just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicates that, by and large, organic food is neither more nutritious nor any less prone to bacterial contamination than corresponding, conventionally grown foods. Perhaps more importantly, the new study—a systematic review of prior research that pooled the findings from over 200 papers—found no evidence of a health benefit attached to organic foods.
But that doesn't mean organic food isn't better. You only get answers to questions you ask, and even then, only if the information is available. Absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence! We'll return to that notion before we're done.
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Pregnant? Get Your Choline!
Tweet Share on Facebook August 31, 2012 CommentThere are rock-star nutrients in the pregnancy world that tend to receive all the attention. Folic acid, iron, and calcium are covered extensively in pregnancy magazines, and they're easily part of the mom-to-be vernacular. Choline—a water-soluble nutrient in the B vitamin family—on the other hand, remains largely unknown for many pregnant moms. But based on recent research, it deserves to be elevated to rock-star nutrient status.
One reason choline is difficult to study is that it's related to brain development, and linking low choline in pregnancy to a lower IQ or a higher rate of depression later in life is tough to measure. How do you measure IQ potential? How do you know if depression could have been avoided, had the child received more of a particular nutrient during early brain development?
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The OMG Diet: Are You Kidding Me?
Tweet Share on Facebook August 30, 2012 CommentJust last week I wrote about the hCG Diet, one of many fad diets that I wish would disappear. Now, to add to the ever-growing list of controversial diets, is Six Weeks To OMG: Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends. When the book, by the same name, came out right before summer, my immediate response was: "Oh my god—are you kidding me?" We can assume, of course, that the British author Venice Fulton (a pseudonym for Paul Kannah) meant to imply: "Oh my god—how well this works!"
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Exercise: The Case for Counting What Really Counts
Tweet Share on Facebook August 30, 2012 CommentExercise is not onerous. Now I know, not every variety of exercise is for every body. And there is, of course, pain with extreme exertion—although generally a compensatory sense of accomplishment as well.
But I'm referring to garden-variety motion. And the basic notion of motion, of moving our bodies as they are designed to be used, is not sacrifice or penance. Exercise is not onerous. And it is very, very important.
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Back to School—and Back to the Table
Tweet Share on Facebook August 30, 2012 CommentI've read and written many back-to-school stories: on the importance of not skipping breakfast, the skill of packing a lunch that won't get thrown away, and the need for incorporating high-energy snacks between meals.
But this story is about eating together as a family, at the table. It doesn't matter if the "table" is at home or at a restaurant; nor does it matter if the meal is breakfast, lunch, or dinner. What matters is having that family meal. When you share a meal, you're more likely to share a conversation, share a feeling, or share a memory. Studies have shown that families who eat together generally have healthier diets—richer in fruits and veggies but lighter on fried foods and fat—than families who don't. Regular family meals have also been associated with higher grades and lower rates of substance abuse and depression in children.
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Beware the Scale: Learn the Right Way to Weigh
Tweet Share on Facebook August 29, 2012 CommentWhen trying to follow a weight-loss plan, the scale can be your worst enemy. It's a tricky device in tracking weight loss. Some dieters go so far as to step on the scale after every meal. This poses a problem, because weight tends to fluctuate, on average, between 2 to 4 pounds throughout the day. The number that you see first thing in the morning may be far from the number you see midday or before your head hits the pillow. However, this doesn't mean that you've actually gained body fat. These numbers don't reflect your accurate weight or your last meal.
Throughout my years of counseling clients, I've seen people who struggle to lose weight all of a sudden lose five pounds in a matter of days. On the other hand, some experience the opposite; starting off strong and then weight loss tapers off. Constantly stepping on the scale and seeing varied outcomes can result in feelings of discouragement, disappointment, and resentment. This trio of negative emotions can lead to binge eating. After all, you've been working hard all day to eat well, and all of a sudden your number skyrockets by 2 pounds in less than three hours with no explanation. It's understandable that the average person would feel frustrated and turn to a bag of chips or box of cookies for solace. Therefore, it's important to understand the many factors that play into weight fluctuation.
