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MORE FIBER NEWS -- Researchers have known for years that fiber lowers cholesterol and help prevent colon cancer. They have recently discovered that adding fiber to the diet helps reduce the chance of having a heart attack. Eating 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day (about two large bowls of wheat bran cereal) cuts the risk of having a heart attack by 20%. Eating 10 more grams of fiber reduces the risk by even more. An easy, and tasty way to add fiber is to eat 3-1/2 ounces of air-popped popcorn, which contains 15 grams. Of course one of the best ways to add extra fiber to your diet is a teaspoon or two of a psyllium fiber supplement in juice everyday.

FYI -- You will burn around 123 calories every time you drink a glass of ice water. That is what it takes for your body to warm the water to 98.6 degrees F.

INGREDIENT THAT MAKES US FAT -- Go get your favorite packaged food and look at its label. Does it have an ingredient called "high fructose corn syrup?" If so, beware. It could be making you fat and you do not even know it. Food manufacturers love to use high fructose corn syrup because it is cheap and sweet. NBC's "Today" show contributor Phil Lempert reports that researchers at the University of Michigan have concluded that fructose in high levels elevates dangerous triglycerides by as much as 32 percent and makes the body's fat burning and storage system sluggish, which causes weight gain. High fructose corn syrup is not a natural product. Called HFCS for short, it is processed from hydrolyzed corn starch and contains 14 percent fructose, 43 percent dextrose, 31 percent disaccharides, and 12 percent other products. HCFS first became all the rage in the early 1970s when soft drink manufacturers discovered it. "Today" reports that at the time it was thought to be a revolutionary advance in food science. Over the past 15 years, our consumption of HFCS has increased a belt-busting 250 percent. By some estimates, we get as much as 9 percent of our daily calories from fructose! What foods are likely to contain high fructose corn syrup? Soft drinks, juice, candy, baked goods, cookies, syrup, yogurt, soup, ketchup, breakfast cereal, and pasta sauces. What can you do? You should read product labels to find out how much high fructose corn syrup is in the foods you eat. There is less concern if it contains less than 3 grams. Also, write to the food companies and ask them to stop using it as an ingredient.

ASPIRIN FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW -- Aspirin is the most common over-the-counter pain relief medication sold and taken in the United States. Here are some things to be aware of when taking aspirin: 1. It lowers a fever and is an inflammatory. 2. Aspirin should be taken with food to ease upset stomach or future stomach problems. Buffered aspirin contains antacid to provide the same effect without food. 3. Coated aspirin dissolves in the small intestine instead of the stomach - it should be used if you have stomach problems. 4. Caffeine increases aspirin’s effect - have coffee, soda, or other caffeinated drink with aspirin. 5. Never give aspirin to someone under age 18 who has a cold, flu, chicken pox, or viral infection - it may cause a fatal brain and liver disorder. 6. It is possible to be allergic to aspirin - if you have a runny nose, sneezing, or inflammation after taking aspirin, switch to a non-aspirin pain killer.

TIPS FOR BETTER HAIR -- Healthy hair requires a healthy diet. Hair typically grows a half-inch each month. Restrict your calories too much, and your hair growth will slow. It could even fall out. Hair needs a nutrient-rich supply of blood to the follicles to grow and be its healthy best. Here is a quick test from "InStyle" magazine to tell if your hair is healthy: Stretch a strand of hair by the root when it is wet. Tug gently. If it stretches about 30 percent of its length before it breaks, it is healthy. If it snaps instantly, it is damaged. "Cooking Light" magazine and iVillage.com emphasize that eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with the following nutrients is one of the best things you can do for your hair: 1. Omega-3 fatty acids: salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, herring, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, walnuts, and walnut oil. 2. Zinc: oysters, cereal, Alaskan king crab, the dark meat of turkey, cashews, sunflower seeds, spinach, kidney beans, and tofu. 3. Vitamin B-6: bananas, salmon, light meat of chicken, sweet potato with the skin, cod, watermelon, and spinach. 4. Vitamin B-12: cereal, top round steak, canned tuna packed in water, flounder, turkey breast, fruit-flavored yogurt, skim milk, and mozzarella cheese. 5. Selenium: baked potatoes with the skin, roasted pork loin, eggs, top sirloin, turkey breast, wheat germ, whole wheat bread, and cashews.

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WELLNESS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

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** Q & A #1:

Does microwave cooking preserve nutrients?

Yes, but your technique is important. Microwave cooking has been shown to destroy fewer vitamins than conventional cooking. Add as little amount of water as possible and always cover the foods while cooking. This reduces cooking time and also reduces nutrient loss.

** Q & A #2:

Will adding cherries to hamburger meat really make it healthier to eat?

Yes. The "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" reported an interesting, novel use for tart cherries. These researchers added the cherries to ground beef, to try to reduce levels of harmful compounds known as HCAs (heterocyclic aromatic amines). HCAs are known to be carcinogenic, and grilled meats are especially vulnerable to developing them. The less the meat is cooked, the less HCAs it contains. As a matter of fact, researchers found that compared with regular ground beef, cherry hamburgers had about 70% lower levels of HCAs. On the other hand, you cannot just eat the meat raw, mainly because of the risk of bacterial infection. While cherries will not do much to neutralize the danger from accumulated pesticides or hormones in the meat, they go a long way in reducing the amount of HCAs. Tart cherries retard spoilage of ground beef and reduce the formation of potentially carcinogenic compounds in hamburgers during cooking. The study showed hamburgers containing cherries were slower to spoil during refrigerated storage. This is thought to be due to the cherry's antioxidant effects. In addition, the cooked cherry burgers were juicier and lower in fat than the regular burgers. And after four days in the refrigerator, they contained less than half as much oxidized cholesterol as their beefy counterparts.

** Q & A #3:

Is there really such a thing as "good fat?"

Yes. Fats are important constituents of your trillions of cellular membranes. Your brain and nerve cells contain a large percentage of lipid (fat). Fats are essential to make lipo-protein components of many body secretions and membranes. In general, dietary fats (usually in the form of oils from fish and plants) are good and the heavy, solid fats from animal sources are not so good. You should avoid trans-fats, those synthetics that have been totally saturated like margarine and vegetable shortening.

** Q & A #4:

How many daily servings of fruits and vegetables should I consume?

Experts agree you should eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. According to a study in the "American Journal of Public Health," a telephone survey of adults aged 18 and older revealed that only 23% consumed this amount. Men were less likely to eat fruits and vegetables, especially obese men 45 to 65 years old. The best compliance was among nonsmokers, 65 years and older, college graduates, and those that are physically active. Start adding some fruits and vegetables to your diet today!

** Q & A #5:

Can you provide me with some tips on living with food allergies?

Avoiding certain foods because of a diagnosed food allergy requires some lifestyle changes. In the store: Scrutinize food labels to detect potential sources of food allergens. Your allergist should be able to provide you with a list of common foods and ingredients to avoid because of your allergy. For example, those with a milk allergy will need to look for words that indicate the presence of milk protein, such as casein, sodium caseinate, or milk solids. Those with a wheat allergy must also look for the word gluten, and those with an egg allergy will need to also look for the word albumin. Keep in mind that food manufacturers are constantly reformulating their products. So, to be safe, check the ingredient list on the food label EVERY time you buy a prepared food product. And, if you are unsure about whether or not a product is safe for you, take a minute to call the manufacturer - the number should be on the packaging. When eating out: Ask about ingredients if you are unsure about a particular food or ask to talk to the manager or chef about ingredients in specific dishes. Since restaurants are the busiest on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but least busy on Monday, special requests and questions will be most welcome early in the week. At all times: If prescribed by your allergist or physician, keep epinephrine with you, check the expiration date often, and most important, know how to administer it. If you do experience a reaction, seek medical attention immediately, even if the symptoms are mild or seem to subside. Severe problems can develop following mild symptoms up to an hour later.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

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Do you have trouble getting a good night's sleep? What you are about to read may make a huge difference to your future health! Being well rested is essential to our well-being and is a major key in living an energetic lifestyle.

Here are some of the benefits of a good night's sleep:

• You will look and feel your best.
• Relating to others will come easier with enough rest.
• You will be a safer driver and be less likely to fall asleep at the wheel.
• More alertness and creativity on the job will be a major benefit.
• You will feel less stressed.
• There will be an increased ability to fight off illness.
• You will enjoy life more.

1. Set your body clock.

Choose a bedtime schedule by deciding how many hours of shut-eye you need and try to stick with it. That is because we are all creatures of habit.

Try not to oversleep too often because this tends to throw your body clock off. If you are tired, try taking a short nap. However, it should not be longer than about one half an hour because more time than that and you will wind up not being able to fall asleep that night.

2. Be wise about eating and drinking.

Drinking too much fluid in the late afternoon and evening can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night to trot off to the bathroom. Also consuming food and beverages that contain caffeine before bedtime can cause you to toss and turn for hours. So it would be wise to avoid coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate before going to bed. However, a hot non-caffeinated drink can relax you.

3. Prepare your sleeping environment.

You have control over a number of factors in your sleeping environment that will make or break a good night's sleep. One of them is the temperature of your bedroom. Adjust the temperature of your bedroom so it is conducive to sleeping. It is usually best to have your room a little on the cool side, but be sure you have enough blankets on your bed.

Another environmental issue is the darkness of our bedrooms. Many people prefer sleeping when it is totally dark, so turn off the lights except for night lights.

A key bedroom environment factor is your bed. Purchase the best mattress you can afford since you will spend a large proportion of your life on it.

Quietness is very important to our rest. Try to keep the noise down. If that is impossible, consider using ear plugs.

Play calming music and avoid watching television just before bedtime. Violent scenes can lead to sleeplessness and violent dreams!

Design your bedroom to be a peaceful sanctuary in your home.

Separate your work from the bedroom area so your body knows the bedroom is a place to rest - not work.

4. Prepare yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually for bedtime.

There are a number of steps you can take before going to bed to prepare yourself physically. Slowly stretching before hitting the sack can help you relax. Regular exercise during the day will enhance your ability to fall asleep. Taking a warm bath - not a shower - can be helpful too. If you are still tense, a back massage can help you relax. Wear comfortable nonbinding clothing.

Here is the most important thing you can do once you have hit the sack - let go of the day's worries. Bedtime is a bad time to dwell on problems since worry can keep you tossing and turning for hours! I have found that reading the Bible and praying before going to bed is a wonderful way to end the day. Then I can truly relax and lay down my problems. My sleep is much sweeter and so are my dreams!

5. Seek specialized help if needed.

A medical condition could be preventing you from getting your full rest at night. See your doctor if you have continuing difficulty with falling asleep. Usually it is not wise to take sleeping pills since they can become addictive. They also interfere with the body's own inner sleeping rhythm.

Here are three organizations that offer specialized help:

National Sleep Foundation
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/about.cfm

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine
http://www.aasmnet.org/

National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm

The suggestions in this article have been listed to help you get a better night's sleep. Now try putting them into practice and enjoy a more rested and energetic lifestyle. Pleasant dreams!

Copyright © 2004 by Patricia Wagner

Patricia Wagner offers informative tips on living a more energetic lifestyle at http://www.a-to-z-wellness.com and through her free "A to Z Health Tips" newsletter. Contact Patricia at wagner.art@verizon.net

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