10 Ways to Eat Well When Life Is Stressful

If you eat in response to stress, you are not responding to real hunger but instead to a coping mechanism—comfort food.

A study reported in Physiology Behavior found that 73 percent of participants reported eating more sweets and fewer meal-type foods, such as meat, seafood, fruits, and vegetables, during periods of stress.

Whether you overeat or eat poorly during times of stress, it helps to do a little "self-monitoring," and pay attention to your eating habits and the types of foods you eat.

Stress management tactics such as exercise or meditation usually require a long-term plan. But you can start with these tips to help you take control of emotional eating:

• Maintain a normal eating schedule. Start with a healthy breakfast and eat a meal or a healthy snack every three to four hours. Eat enough to feel satisfied but not stuffed.
• Don't skip meals. When you skip or delay meals, you become overly hungry and are more likely to overeat and less likely to make healthy food choices.
• Keep healthy snacks on hand and ready to eat. If you start to randomly eat during stressful times, stock up on nutritious snacks such as cut-up raw vegetables, vegetable juice, fresh and dried fruit, whole-grain cereals, reduced-fat cheese sticks, and yogurt.
• Plan your snacks. Schedule "mini meals" once or twice during the day so that you won't get too hungry. Rather than grabbing a handful of chips or cookies from the store, sit down to a healthier combination of foods such as a dozen grapes and a small container of yogurt sprinkled with cereal.
• Pay attention to hunger. If it's not your normal meal or snack time but you are reaching for food, ask yourself if it's real hunger or emotional hunger. There are ways to tell: Real hunger comes on gradually, while emotional hunger is usually sudden and intense. Emotional eating involves cravings for specific types of foods as opposed to the combination of foods normally eaten at a meal.
• Eat slowly and mindfully. Use mealtimes and snack times as rest periods. That way, you'll slow down and focus on your food rather than on the events that are causing you stress.
• Pay attention to feelings of fullness. If you're eating while stressed, you are more likely to eat when you're not really hungry, and to keep eating even when you're full.
• Enjoy your favorite foods in moderation. There's no point in denying yourself simple pleasures when you're under stress. Enjoy your favorite comfort foods in reasonable portions and in the context of an otherwise healthy diet.
• Drink plenty of water. When you go to grab food, grab a cup or bottle of water instead. Use the time while you're drinking water to figure out if you're really hungry or just desire food for comfort.
• Avoid consuming excess caffeine or energy drinks when you are already feeling over-stimulated.

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Sources:

Oliver, G and Wardle, J; "Perceived Effects of Stress on Food Choice" Physiology & Behavior 1999 66(3)511-515 Web 25 Nov 2011
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938498003229

Purdue University Student Wellness Office: Cut it! Keep it Small; don't eat it all.
http://www.purdue.edu/swo/nutrition/KnowItAll/HealthyEatingWeightManagement/CutIt.pdf

Temple University: Emotional Eating: Hunger vs. Stress Web 25 Nov 2011
http://www.temple.edu/hr/EmotionalEatingHungervs.Stress.htm

Apple Cider Vinegar: Is It a Super Tonic?

Used as a salad dressing, apple cider vinegar could also be used as a natural remedy to help ease a sore throat, relieve sinus congestion, calm intestinal troubles, and rid your scalp of dandruff. Also, if you have diabetes, apple cider vinegar could even help keep your blood sugar balanced.

Although cider vinegar has not been subjected to a great deal of scientific investigation, many documented personal anecdotes and clinical reports seem to confirm what advocates of natural folk medicine have been saying for centuries about its curative powers.

If you want to test the effectiveness of apple cider vinegar for any of the following conditions, use these formulas as guides:

• Sore throat. Gargle with a small amount of slightly diluted apple cider vinegar sprinkled with a pinch of hot (cayenne) pepper.

• Cold and cough. According to Penny C. Royal, author of Herbally Yours, homemade cough syrup made with apple cider vinegar, honey, and spices can help soothe a persistent cough. Combine 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger and cayenne pepper, two tablespoons of water, one tablespoon of honey, and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until ready to use, then take one teaspoon at a time.

• Dandruff. After shampooing, rinse your hair with a combination of one part cider vinegar to three parts water, or two tablespoons of vinegar diluted in six tablespoons (or 1/3 cup plus one teaspoon) of water.

• Diarrhea. Dilute apple cider vinegar with water and stir in a tablespoon of honey.

• Food Poisoning. Apple cider vinegar's antimicrobial properties may help offset gastrointestinal symptoms associated with food poisoning, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. They recommend adding two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to one cup of water, and drinking this combination several times a day.

Other Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

Besides treating minor medical disorders, diluted apple cider vinegar will clean hard surfaces around your house such as kitchen counters and appliances.

Try dabbing a little under your arms for natural odor protection. Vinegar alters the pH of your skin, which discourages the growth of odor-causing bacteria.

As a home remedy, apple cider vinegar may help soothe the symptoms of many common ailments, but it is never a substitute for professional medical care. If your symptoms persist, or if you have a fever or a serious medical condition, speak to your doctor.

Also, too much apple cider vinegar over time can lower your blood potassium levels and increase your risk of developing osteoporosis. If you regularly swallow straight cider vinegar for any reason, Harvard University's Dr. Richard Lee recommends that you rinse your mouth with plain water to preserve the enamel on your teeth.

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Sources:

The Campus Barber/Duke University: Dandruff
http://www.duke.edu/~papabell/cbarber/faqs_dandruff.htm

Hlebowicz, J, et al.; "Efect of Apple Cider Vnegar on Delayed Gastric Emptying in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Pilot Study."  Gastroenterology 2007; 7:46. Web.  7 Nov 11.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2245945/?tool=pubmed

Lee, R. "Is Vinegar Good for the Arteries?" Harvard Health Publications.  Web. 7 Nov 11.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/lower-back-pain-yoga-therapy-can-help

McMillen, B. "Home Remedy for a Cough." University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bradfor, PA  (Royal, Penny C. "Herbally Yours" 1982; Sound Nutrition) Web. 7 Nov 11.
http://www.pitt.edu/~cjm6/sp99cough.html

University of Maryland Medical Center
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/food-poisoning-000064.htm

Considering a Cardiac Implant? What You Should Know

For some patients with serious heart conditions, a defibrillator (a device that helps the heart do its job) can be lifesaving. As with all medical interventions, however, there are benefits and risks. You may have heard about recent studies that report increased rates of infections in patients who've had one of these devices surgically implanted.

There are two main types of implanted defibrillators:  ICDs (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) and CRT-Ds (cardiac resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator). A defibrillator monitors the electrical activity of the heart. If it detects a potentially dangerous change in the heart's rhythm, it will send small pulses of electricity to shock the heart back into its normal rhythm. Defibrillators are nicknamed "emergency rooms in the chest" because they can intervene when a patient's heart fails, potentially saving the patient's life.

The use of defibrillators doubled between 1993 and 2008. During the same time, the number of implanted device-related infections tripled. While most surgical wounds are likely to become contaminated from bacteria on the skin or in organs, some may progress and become clinical infections. Cardiologists estimate the risk of surgical site infections at five to 20 percent. Infections can prolong patients' hospital stays and may even lead to death. Patients who undergo surgery are also at risk for respiratory, urinary tract, and other bacterial infections.

Defibrillators can fail, especially CRT-Ds. In one study of 3,253 patients who received a CRT-D, 416 had a device-related event by 18 months, and of those, 390 needed surgical intervention. By four years, 50 percent needed surgery to replace the batteries. During the same time, only 10 percent of patients with an ICD needed an intervention (13 percent for dual-chambered ICDs). Furthermore, the rate of infection in patients with a CRT-D was higher. The researchers emphasized, however, that these events were not associated with worse clinical outcomes and did not change the risk of death.

Some heart specialists are also concerned that many patients who receive defibrillators don't actually need them. In one study, researchers found that nine out of 10 patients received no medical benefits from the device.

The FDA collects information about defibrillators, but it's not easy to analyze the data and not all device problems are reported. Furthermore, it's hard to calculate the costs and benefits of cardiac implants and to determine who is actually going to benefit most. If your cardiologist recommends an implanted cardiac device, have a frank discussion with him about all the potential benefits and risks.

Sources:

Bakalar, Nicholas. "Risks: Infections Follow Rise in Cardiac Implants." New York Times. Web. 29 August 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/health/30risks.html?_r=2

HealthGrades. "Defibrillator Implant." Web.
http://www.healthgrades.com/procedures/profile/Defibrillator_Implant

Feder, Barnaby J. "Defibrillators Are Lifesaver, but Risks Give Pause."New York Times. Web. 12 September 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/business/13defib.html

Douglas, David. "Complex Cardioverter Defibrillators More Problem Prone." Medscape Medical News. Web. 7 June 2011. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/744136

Grens, Kerry. "Reports of Defibrillator Failures Incomplete." Medscape Medical News.Web.13 September 2011. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749585

Gifford, C.,BA (Oxon) BMBCh, Christelis, N., MBBCH FRCA FFPMRCA FANZCA, and Cheng, A., MBBS FRACP MPH PhD. "Preventing Postoperative Infection." Continuing Education Anaesthia, Critical Care & Pain 11(5) (2011): 151-156. Medscape Medical News. Web. 27 September 2011. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/750224

Eat to Beat Bowel Cancer

Fruits and vegetables provide some of the most important nutrients you can consume, namely, disease-fighting antioxidants in the form of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (substances found only in plants that are known to protect your cells from destruction).

One of the many diseases that antioxidants can help prevent is bowel, or colorectal, cancer. But it gets even more specific than that. An Australian survey study, published in the October 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that different fruits and vegetables may affect certain parts of the bowel.

Previous studies that link bowel cancer risk and fruit and vegetable consumption have had conflicting results. The Australian researchers point out that this could be because until now, no study has looked specifically at the relationship between diet and the different parts of the bowel where tumors could form.

Your gastrointestinal tract is a long tube that stretches from your mouth to your rectum, with lots of twists, turns, bulges, and folds in between. The food you eat travels this entire course to be broken down, digested, and stripped of its nutrients along the way. Those nutrients are absorbed through your intestinal wall and travel through your bloodstream to wherever they are needed. What's left of your meal is eliminated, along with any indigestible fiber contained in the food.

Your bowel has three main parts and each part is divided into distinct areas. Your distal colon includes the large intestine, sigmoid colon, and descending colon in your distal colon. Your proximal colon includes the cecum, appendix, ascending colon, and transverse colon. Your rectum leads to your anus, which is the end of your large intestine and the end of your gastrointestinal tract.

More clinical studies need to be performed to confirm these results, but upon analyzing the diets of almost 2,000 adults who participated in this study, the Australian researchers found the following associations:

• Eating more cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts may be linked to a lower rate of cancer in both the distal and proximal colons.
• Eating more apples and dark yellow or orange vegetables, such as winter squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots may be linked to a lower risk of developing distal colon cancer.
• Higher total fruit and vegetable intake may be linked to a lower risk of distal colon cancer, but not proximal colon cancer or rectal cancer.
• Increased consumption of fruit juice may be linked to an increased risk of developing rectal or anal cancer.

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Sources:

Annema, N. et al; "Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and the Risk of Proximal colon, Distal Colon, and Rectal Cancers in a Case-control Study in Western Australia." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 111(10):1479-1490 October 2011 Web 20 Oct 2011
http://www.adajournal.org/article/S0002-8223(11)01215-6/abstract

Science Daily: Fruits and Vegetables Reduce Risks of Specific Types of Colorectal Cancers, Study Finds 26 Sep 2011 Web 20 Oct 2011
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926083346.htm

How Safe Are Food Preservatives?

Preservatives keep food products fresh long enough for them to get from the factory to the supermarket and eventually find a place on your dining table. They do this by slowing down the natural breakdown of fats, delaying the ripening process of fresh foods, and destroying or slowing down the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms that would otherwise grow on food.

Sometimes, preservatives are used strictly to keep foods safe, but they are also used to maintain the quality of a food. For instance, bacon and other processed meat products that contain preservatives stay fresh and safe to eat for longer periods of time than similar products that are preservative-free. Canned foods, however, stay safe to eat for years because of the temperatures and technology involved in the canning process. Any preservatives used in canned foods are most likely there to preserve the color, texture, or overall integrity of the product but have little or nothing to do with safety.

Salt and sugar are natural preservatives that help prevent spoilage if used in high enough amounts in certain foods, such as salt in dried meats and sugar in fruit jams. While you may want to limit the amounts of salt and sugar you consume in your overall diet, government leaders and consumer advocacy groups have few grounds for limiting their use by manufacturers in individual food products. When it comes to the level of chemical preservatives in some products, however, the food police step in.

Chemical food preservatives are included on the ingredient list required on all packaged foods. Some common preservatives you will see listed that are limited by government regulation include benzoates, sorbates, propionates, sulfites, sulfur dioxide, nitrites, nitrates, propyl gallate, BHA, BHT, erythorbic acid, and citric acid.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer watchdog organization, categorizes these preservatives as follows:

• Safe: citric acid, erythorbic acid, sorbic acid

• Cut back: salt, sugar

• Use with caution: BHT

• Certain people should avoid: sodium benzoate, sulfites, sulfur dioxide

• Avoid: BHA, propyl gallate, sodium nitrate, and sodium nitrite

In reviews of animal and human studies, CSPI found some associations between BHA, propyl gallate, sodium nitrate, and sodium nitrite and an increased risk of developing cancerous tumors.  But because there is not enough evidence showing a direct cause and effect between these preservatives and the onset of disease, they remain in use.

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Sources:

Center for Science in the Public Interest: Chemical Cuisine
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

Oberg, C. "Food Preservation," Weber State University. Web. 11 Nov 2011
http://faculty.weber.edu/coberg/3853%20Food%20Preservation.htm

How to Decode Cancer Statistics

Trying to make sense of cancer statistics can be overwhelming. Adding to the confusion, many media reports lack context, and even reputable journals can promote misleading and overblown claims about cancer treatment. Understanding statistics, however, can help you evaluate treatment options and assess the reliability of the information you obtain.

Survival rates
When you learn you have cancer, you want to know what your chances are for a cure and how long you can expect to live. Survival rates give you a general idea about prognosis for people who have the same disease as you, but they don't tell you your chances for a cure or remission and they don't consider extenuating circumstances that may affect your outcomes.

Progression-free survival rate describes the length of time during and after treatment in which patients live with a disease that does not get worse. Disease-free survival rate is the percent of people who experience complete remission after finishing treatment.

The 5-year survival rate is probably the most common cancer statistic. It describes the percent of people in a study or treatment who are still alive five years after diagnosis or treatment for a disease, regardless if they still have the disease. For example, of 100 people who have bladder cancer, 80 were living five years after diagnosis. Scientists and oncologists often tout 5-year survival rates as evidence of success of treatment.

However, while 5-year survival rates are a valid measure for comparing cancer therapies in randomized trials, they can be misleading for describing how well cancer patients fare. Physicians are diagnosing cancers earlier and earlier, so they're finding more and more cases of cancer. They're also diagnosing benign cancers that never would have progressed (or progressed too slowly to cause problems). Both can make the 5-year survival rate look better than it actually is and does not consider patients' quality of life.

Mortality rates
The statistic cancer patients should be most interested in is mortality rate: the number of deaths with cancer as an underlying cause occurring in a specific population in a year.

We would expect mortality rates to decline with improvements in cancer control, but according to H. Gilbert Welch, MD, author of Should I Be Tested for Cancer?, screening has not reduced mortality and in fact, in some instances, mortality rates have increased.

"Mortality rates for thyroid, prostate, and breast cancers have hardly budged since 1973, yet 5-year statistics have skyrocketed," he said in an interview. "Since 1950, the 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer has risen from 40 to 98 percent, yet the death rate remained stable."

Sources:

Fischhoff, Baruch, Brewer, Noel T., and Downs, Julie S. "Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User's Guide." Food and Drug Administration. Web. August 2011.http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/ReportsManualsForms/Reports/UCM268069.pdf
http://www.healthnewsreview.org/toolkit/tips-for-understanding-studies/

Evans, Imogen, Thornton, Hazel, Chalmers, Iain, and Glasziou, Paul. "Testing Treatments." Web.
http://www.testingtreatments.org/

National Cancer Institute. "Glossary of Statistical Terms." Web. 8 December 2009.
http://cancer.gov/statistics/glossary

Mayo Clinic. "Cancer survival rate: What it means for your prognosis." Web. 6 April 2011.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer/CA00049

Welch, H. Gilbert, Schwartz, Lisa M., and Woloshin, Steven. "Are increasing 5-year survival rates evidence of success against cancer?" JAMA 283(22) 2000: 2975-2978. Web.
http://www.vaoutcomes.org/papers/JAMA2975.pdf

National Cancer Institute. "Cancer Mortality Rate." Web. 4 December 2009.
http://cancer.gov/statistics/glossary/mortality

Cancer.net. "Understanding Statistics Used to Guide Prognosis and Evaluate Treatment." Web. 27 July 2011.http://www.cancer.net/patient/All+About+Cancer/Newly+Diagnosed/Understanding+Survival+Statistics

Lowe, Rachel Myers. "Cancer Screening Questioned." Cancerpage.com. Web. 14 December 2005.
http://www.cancerpage.com/news/article.asp?id=9164

Is the Blood-Type Diet for You?

The basis of the blood-type diet, developed by the naturopathic physician Dr. Peter D'Adamo, is that blood delivers nutrients to every cell in the body. Because chemical reactions occur naturally between blood and food, blood types respond differently to certain types of diets. In other words, different blood types break down foods differently.

According to this theory, if you eat the wrong type of foods for your blood type, you suffer the equivalent of an allergic reaction. Your body essentially rejects the food and this process may cause any number of health problems, slow down your metabolic rate, and potentially cause weight gain.

The Diet Plan

The solution, according to Dr. D'Adamo, is to eat a specific diet according to your blood type to help restore and maintain the natural metabolic processes that keep you healthy. He recommends four different diets according to blood type.

The blood-type diet also includes exercise plans suitable for different blood types, with the goal of improving health and fitness levels and maintaining your best weight.

Although the blood-type diet advocates eating fresh, natural foods and eliminating processed foods for people with all blood types, it is a controversial plan because, for some blood types, it also recommends eliminating entire food groups.

For example, if you have blood type A or O, you are supposed to avoid dairy products, eliminating the best food sources of calcium and vitamin D. If you have blood type O, you are supposed to eliminate grains and beans, which are some of the best sources of B vitamin, iron, and plant protein.

In order to get the recommended daily amounts of these nutrients, you may have to take dietary supplements. Which is why, when Dr. D'Adamo first published his blood-type diet back in 1996, he also began promoting his own line of supplements to go with it.

What Health Experts Say

Dietitians and other nutrition experts believe that nutrients should come from food first and that vitamin and mineral supplements can provide a form of dietary insurance and fill in any nutritional gaps that result when you cannot eat a balanced diet.

Although elimination diets are often necessary for people with specific health problems, there is no scientific evidence available to prove the theory that diets should be prescribed by blood type. That doesn't mean it's not a valid theory, but it means there is no basis for recommending the diet.

When a diet plan recommends that whole populations of healthy people eliminate entire food groups, it raises a red flag for most health professionals because it creates a situation where supplements are not being used as extra insurance but, rather, as an essential component of the plan.

One question you can ask yourself if you are thinking about following the blood-type diet, or any restrictive diet, is this: Which seems the more natural, most effective way for you to get and stay healthy—eating a variety of whole foods or taking supplements to get the nutrients you need?

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Sources:

Eat Right for Your Type
http://www.dadamo.com/

New York University Langone Medical Center: The Blood type Diet. Web. 11 Nov 2011
http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=214387

University of Bridgeport: The Dr. Peter D'Adamo NaturopathicScholarship. Web 11 Nov 2011
http://www.bridgeport.edu/admissions/healthsciences/dadamo.aspx