Is cheese healthy?

Who doesn�t like cheese?  Cheese pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese and crackers.  Many studies have been done on cheese and its health benefits.  So what is the latest � is cheese healthy or bad for our hearts and bodies?

The recent issue of the Wellness Letter from the University of California reported on the latest cheese research (Say Cheese?, September 2015). 

They noted the French consume a lot of cheese as I can verify having visited France last year.  Cheese and bread at breakfast, cheese and bread at lunch.  The French love their cheese.  Yet, the French have relatively low heart disease rates.  Why?

•  Heart Health � many people say cheese is not good for your heart because cheese has some bad fat in it, saturated fat.  A study in 2013 found no link between eating a lot of cheese and heart disease.  Another 2012 study found followed Swedish women for 12 years.  Surprisingly, the women who ate the most cheese had the lowest rate of heart attacks.  Other studies found that butter does raise your bad cholesterol, LDL but cheese does not.
• Diabetes � rather than raise your blood glucose, cheese seems to help stabilize it.  A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that cheese and yogurt improved insulin sensitivity and control of blood glucose levels.  A Swedish study found that woman consuming cheese had a lower risk of diabetes.  They aren�t sure why but cheese does have fat and this slows stomach emptying which means less of a rise in blood sugar levels.
• Anticancer � The more dairy the less your risk of colon cancer probably because of the calcium in dairy and thus in cheese.  But other studies have been mixed as to whether cheese consumption reduces cancer risk.
• Weight � many studies have been done on dairy and weight.  A recent study suggests that cheese consumption is associated with less weight gain and may help a person control their weight.  A study in the Journal of Nutrition involving obese and overweight women found that those who consumer a high protein and a high dairy diet, exercised, restricted calories not only lost weight but loss more fat and gained muscle.
• Cavities � what does cheese have to do with cavities?  First, cheese doesn�t promote cavities and some research shows it may help prevent cavities.  Cheese helps build up the minerals in your teeth, the calcium, phosphorus and even protein promote mineralization.
• Nutrients � cheese is loaded with good nutrients: calcium, protein, vitamin A, B12, B2, zinc and other nutrients.  But most cheese has no or little vitamin D so milk or yogurt are needed to meet vitamin D needs. 

So enjoy some cheese this week.  If you want to cut back on the calories from cheese, choose part-skim mozzarella, mozzarella sticks, feta cheese, part-skim ricotta cheese, 2% cheddar, 2% Swiss which are made with 2% milk.  

Sources:  The Best Low-Fat Cheeses, Say Cheese?  Image source:  Cheese sticks

Can diet help you live longer?

How would you like to have dinner with a longevity expert?  What questions would you ask about how to live a longer life?   Well, a New York Times reporter did have dinner with the longevity expert, Dan Buettner.  So what advice does a longevity expert offer?   

      1.  Coffee � according to Buettner, coffee is �one of the biggest sources of antioxidants in the American diet�,  He notes Greeks living on the Greek island, Icaria, drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day.  These are people who often live to 100.    

      2.  Focus on veggies and herbs � to prepare an evening meal, Buettner purchase fennel, broccoli, celery, carrots, chickpeas   

      3.  Add Honey � local honey, and Tofu, coconut milk, frozen berries 

      4.  Walk � exercise is important to a long life and walking is one of Buettner�s approved ways to exercise as those living in the �Blue Zones� walk a lot.  

       5.  Is butter back?  Although some are saying butter is fine, Buettner notes a dollop or two a week may be fine but he is not yet on the butter is good for you bandwagon.   

       6.  Meat and fish � not a true vegetarian but those in the Blue Zones eat meat and fish sparingly.  This would be hard for me as I love cheese and like most Americans, I enjoy some meat in my diet.  

      7.�Icarian stew� made by Buettner consisted of black-eyed peas, fennel, onions, garlic, carrots, canned tomatoes, other veggies and some olive oil.  Sounds healthy but I would need to add some ham or other meat for a real stew.   

      8.  Bread � he doesn�t shun carbs, gluten or bread.  Good news for me as I love bread and it isn�t a meal if it doesn�t have bread. 

So how does Buettnner fair health wise?  To get an accurate assessment he went to the renowned Mayo Clinic to get an executive physical.  His arteries were clear.  What does Buettner have to say about the popular Paleo Diet?  �He joked the paleo diet is fine if all you want is the life expectancy of a cave man.�  And cave men didn�t lead long lives.  

Buettner authored a book about longevity, The Blue Zones.  It focuses on 5 communities with lessons from those who have lived the longest.  You can go to his website, https://www.bluezones.com/live-longer/and take your Vitality Compass, to calculate how long you might live and also get information from the Vitality Coach.  

Sources:  My Dinner With Longevity Expert Dan Buettner, Live Longer,  Image source:  coffee

Enjoy Watermelon for a nutrition boost

What is summer or a backyard cookout without some watermelon?   How healthy is watermelon, what nutrition benefits does it offer?  As noted below, watermelon packs a lot of nutrition for few calories.

    National Geographic�s  Reasons to Eat Watermelon  and Medical News Today:  Watermelon:  Healthy Benefits and Nutritional Information:    

      1.   Soothes sore muscles � what does eating watermelon have to do with your muscles?  A research study found that �drinking watermelon juice before a hard work out� helped reduce muscle soreness the next day.  Watermelon also shortens recovery time.  Watermelon has the amino acid, L-citrulline which our bodies change to L-arginine, an amino acid that improves blood circulation and relaxes your blood vessels.    

     2.  Heart Health � These same amino acids improve your heart health by helping to lower blood pressure.    

     3.  Watermelon is rich in vitamins and minerals � Although watermelon is 90% water, it also has many vitamins and minerals.  Some people don�t realize watermelon is a good source of vitamin C.   

       It also provide vitamin A and potassium.  Watermelon also provides the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, selenium.  Zinc and copper.  Besides A and C watermelon provides B-vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B-6 and folate.  

     4.  Cancer fighting � watermelon provides the healthy antioxidant, lycopene.   Most people know lycopene is found in tomatoes but watermelon is also a good source.  The National Watermelon Promotion Board states that watermelon provides more lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable. 

     5.  Low calorie � one cup of diced watermelon has only 43 calories and no fat and almost no sodium

     6. Asthma prevention � those consuming high amounts of nutrients like the vitamin C in watermelon lessen their risk of developing asthma.   

     7.  Digestion � because watermelon has fiber and contains a lot of water, it aides in digestion.

     8. Hydration � a good way to help kids stay hydrated in the summer is to serve some watermelon.  Watermelon not only has water in it, it also offers electrolytes to help prevent dehydration.

     9.  Reduce Inflammation:  watermelon can help reduce inflammation because it contains choline.  

     10  Healthy Skin � watermelon promotes skin health because of the vitamin A it contains.  Vitamin A also promotes healthier hair.  The vitamin C in watermelon helps our skin build and maintain collagen.  The water in watermelon promotes skin hydration.

So enjoy some watermelon this summer and pack in some nutrition benefits. 

 

Sources:    Reasons to Eat Watermelon, Watermelon:  Healthy Benefits and Nutritional Information, Image source:  Watermelon

The Importance of Abdominal Training

The Importance of Abdominal Training
Everyone has abdominal muscles, but most are not visible due to lack of exercise or poor diet. The core, more commonly referred to as your abs, is the key to success with every other exercise performed. By strengthening it, you will improve your balance, stability and power during other movements.
Regular exercise, especially abdominal exercise, is the key to increasing your cardiovascular health, promoting better posture, and reducing belly fat. Not to menti
on, consistent workouts that produce muscle fatigue are also a great testosterone booster.

Heart health
Increasing your heart rate beyond its resting state gets your blood pumping and your metabolism burning, essentially making the body a fat furnace. Remember: your heart is a muscle and needs ample exercise too.The first place in men that fat disappears is the midsection � the all important abs. Over time, the heart will adapt to its training and will no longer have to work as hard to pump the same amount of blood.

Stand up straight!
Let�s talk about posture. A strong core allows you to hold your spine in alignment with the rest of the body. The abdominals are what supports your entire upper half. If the torso is out of alignment, then the lower half will follow, causing knee, ankle and foot problems in the future. If nothing else, the attention you will get with toned abs from on-lookers at the beach will definitely make you hold your head up a bit higher.

Lose the spare tire
Conversely, the abdominal region is also the first place in men that fat rears its ugly head. A high percentage of belly fat can be deadly. Stress contributes to belly fat in the form of a stress hormone called cortisol. Reducing your stress will lower cortisol production, which will reduce belly fat.
What follows are five ways to reveal what you�ve got, accompanied by exercises to help you achieve this goal:

Work your abs first
If you save your ab routine for the last part of your workout, then the likelihood of getting tired and skipping these exercises altogether increases. Instead, use the gut-busting movements as a warm-up.

Exercise: Planks or trunk twisters are good starters to your workout. Trunk twisters can be performed on a machine or with light dumbbells, palms down, arms held out to your side and perpendicular to your body.

When performing a sit-up, don�t pull on your neck
This is an age-old adage, but true. The added stress on your vertebral column is doing nada for the stomach.

Exercise: The classic crunch is performed on the gym floor, palms face down, keeping your back pressed against the floor, lifting the shoulders up and sliding your hands across the mat towards your heels for one rep. A variation of this is to lie on your back, extend your feet straight up, keep your back on the floor, and reach up for your toes and then back down.

Exercise all of the abdominals, at once if possible
The core is made up of upper, middle, lower and side, or oblique, abdominals. A Swiss ball is the best apparatus to use here.

Exercise: The jack knife takes some upper body strength to pull off, but the unlimited range of motion attacks the abs from all angles. Hanging the leg raises also utilize this same range of motion and is a good alternative.

Don�t use the back support on exercise machines
By leaning forward an inch or two, you are forced to engage your core to support yourself during the movement. You will work out your abs while working out other muscle groups, making the most of your time. You will notice the difference.

Add resistance to your ab workout
Take a five or ten pound weight plate and put it on your chest when doing crunches. For added difficulty, hold the weight behind your head with your arms fully extended and parallel to the floor. Ankle weights can be added for hanging leg raises. Resistance training can be great for your abs.
Here�s an extra tip: Eat right to keep a flat midsection. Stick to foods that are low in fat and high in protein. Balance these foods with any rewards (ice cream, cookies) to keep that spare tire off. The importance of abdominal exercises cannot be overstated. At their core � no pun intended � they increase your cardiovascular health, promote better posture and reduce belly fat. Use these tips and tricks for a littletestosterone booster, and to show off what you�ve already got.