San Clemente, CA

What is the definition of “home”? Well, in most dictionaries home is where you live at a particular time, a dwelling, an environment offering affection, safety and security, a haven. But it also goes beyond the confines of four walls and a roof over our heads. Home is also used in a broader sense relating to or being where one lives or where one’s roots are; as in “my home town,” a place where something began and flourished and even possibly the country or state or city where you live. So when we talk about Aging-in-Place, eventually we need to also address the importance and impacts of the built environments beyond our houses. We need to evaluate if our neighborhoods and communities will enable successful aging and livability; you see, “our homes” contribute to the basis of our individual and common identities. They hold our memories and they give us a sense of place.

The year 2011 is seen by many as the beginning of the “Changing Face of Aging” in America. It is when the first wave of baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will start to turn 65; that is less than 2 years from now! How well will our communities as they are currently configured deal with this paradigm shift based on age? Their ability to adapt to the changing needs of an aging nation should factor into every planning decision that the community is considering. How projects, developments and urban planning might impact older active adults can no longer be an afterthought if our communities are to retain their appeal and remain not only habitable but also profitable in every meaning of the word.

AARP has done extensive research on the baby boomers in recent years and has found that “Boomers” are:

· More ethnically diverse than prior generations.

· Tend to be more highly educated than prior generations.

· Do not plan to retire in the traditional sense.

· Plan to continue to work during their “retirement years.”

· Live in the same State…a state of denial!

· Wanting to remain in their own homes as they age or as long as possible.

In fact when asked where they want to live as they age, 90 percent of Boomers say, “in my home.” They do not want to live with relatives, in a nursing home, or at an assisted care facility. They want to live at home independently and without loss of comfort, security and the freedom to continue to engage in community life.

But given the nature and configuration of most communities across the United States, can Boomers realize those expectations?

Unfortunately most of the country, if not the world, is likely to find itself unprepared for the coming tidal wave of Boomers known as the Silver Tsunami. As we look ahead, we find that the 65+ population is projected to grow faster than the population at-large in all 50 states, with some states finding themselves in the challenging situation of having more Medicare-eligible seniors than school-age children. It is expected too that this population will double over the next 30 years, to over 70 million; a third of America’s current population!

As you can imagine, these age-based population changes will come with many challenges including how to make our communities more “livable.”

Often people, local governments and even States don’t think about this until they suddenly find themselves trapped in towns with poor public transportation and not enough medical services. Simple services like grocery or drug stores, may become too hard to reach without the help of a neighbor or friend – especially as seniors give up their driver’s licenses for safety reasons. Even walking, if there are no sidewalks, become a major challenge. Without addressing some of these basics we risk ending up with an aging population prone to isolation, social disconnect and despair.

What are Livable Communities?

In AARP’s study, A Report to the Nation on Livable Communities: Creating Environments for Successful Aging, livable communities are defined as those with “affordable and appropriate housing, supportive community features and services, and adequate mobility options, which together facilitate personal independence and the engagement of residents in civic and social life.”

Livability under those parameters means asking questions such as, does your home town have one-story dwellings? Or are most homes built to accommodate the raising of families? Is there a Visit-ability initiative in place that encourages or insists on no-step entries, sidewalks you can actually walk on, bus stops with benches and overhead shading or shelters, libraries and parks that are easily if not even universally accessible and much more. Most communities these days find themselves blindsided by the changing needs based on aging and playing catch up or even in some cases don’t even realize what’s hit or about to hit them until it’s too late!

We’re all responsible, as individuals, members of local government, city planners, or simply as voters to think about these issues in the days to come so that we can not only safeguard ourselves but also to increase our chances to age well in the future by making the right decisions now.

Livability is not just an aging and elderly issue. Striving and insisting on nothing short of livable communities is not an impossible goal and in fact in many ways is the right thing to do to continue to empower people as they age and to prolong their quality of life. Such communities make life more comfortable and convenient for active and able citizens regardless of age as well as those with disabilities.

Yet in order to meet these most obvious of things we will need a wholesale overhaul in the way we think about our homes and our built environments. After all, embracing the principles of livable communities honors those core foundations of American life: dignity, equality, independence, and the freedom and right to choose….and we will need to start doing so now!

Raad Ghantous is the principal of Raad Ghantous & Associates / RG&A (www.raadg.com) and is an expert in luxury hospitality, wellness centers, and medical & day spa developments.

Published in The Independent Monitor December 2009 issue.

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Staff Writer 

“Holidays are coming, holidays are coming, holidays are coming … watch out, look around, something’s coming, coming to town, coming to your town, holidays are coming, something magical, can you see it shining bright? Tis the season …”

These are the lyrics from Coca Cola’s famous “Holidays are Coming” advertising that has been around for decades and usually runs to announce the soon to arrive holiday season.

Well here we are again at the beginning of another such season with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas on the doorstep. A time for family and friends to visit and share the warmth of the season together — that is assuming our homes are “visit-able.”

“Visit-ability,” a trend that has been gaining more and more support starting in the mid-80s is a movement/philosophy that seeks to insure that all homes are at least partially accessible to people with mobility impairments, even though those in fact might not be the owners of the homes but rather occasional visitors.

The importance of this simple philosophy can be seen even more when one realizes that America’s 50-plus population is likely to exceed 100 million by 2010. Ten thousand people will reach the age of 50 every single day and this 50-plus consumer base will account for more than one-quarter of all new home sales in the future. One can argue that making a home at least “visit-able” may even have a direct positive impact on its resale ability.

In fact, back in 2006 the National Association of Home Builders stated that “Our visiting parents aren’t getting any younger (and neither are we). ‘Visit-ability’ in entry doors, barrier-free showers and non-stoop dishwashers show buyers you care” in about their list of emergingv needs.

Visit-ability modifications also make homes easier for people who might develop mobility limitations to still visit friends and family rather than have to turn down invitations or not be invited at all. Therefore, visit-ability can even act as a first step towards a fully “universally designed” home.

These features provide basic universal access and allow currently able-bodied people to remain in their homes if they do in fact develop a disability, and as such to start to “age-in-place,” rather than to be forced to do expensive renovations, relocate to a different house, live in an inaccessible home which endangers their health and safety, or move from the community they love and feel safe and oriented in into a care facility prematurely.

Many of us baby boomers are also taking care of parents, and parents are visiting their children’s homes or even living with them now, so maybe we should look at the upcoming holiday season as a magical opportunity to prepare our homes to match the warmth of our hospitality through their visit-ability.

So how do we go about making these necessary changes to be able to entertain our families regardless of their individual impairments you ask? Well, some of these modifications can be temporary and barely cost you any money at all.

The most important thing you can do to make your home visit-able is to ensure that you have at least one zero-step entry into your home. That is access to your home that doesn’t require anyone navigating a change of level or steps. In case you do not have this currently you can even rent-a-ramp for the holidays to allow this access into and out of the house if needed.

Make your hallways wider and more accessibility friendly by moving any obstructions such as furniture from them to facilitate ease of movement for anyone in a wheelchair, walker or mechanical mobility devices, like a scooter chair. Also remember to remove all area rugs and floor mats since those are notorious culprits in slip and falls and act as irritating obstacles to any wheelchairs attempting to achieve firm and safe traction with flooring.

Most elderly family members might also like to congregate in the kitchen and even offer to help or want to help in the preparation of the festivity meals. To make them feel at home and at ease in offering, try to provide some counter space that is lower for them to work at. This can be achieved by placing a lower table, even a folding card table, at the end of a central island so that they can pull their wheelchair or seat up to it, have enough knee clearance and lend a helping hand.

Another great quick fix is to use a pull-out bread board and have them work off that. Remember sometimes a sit down work surface is in fact appealing to anyone who might be performing repetitive actions like cutting or rolling — be they able-bodied or dealing with a mobility challenge.

Now that the meal is prepared, family and friends will gather around the dining table to share those special moments of communing and partaking in the fabulous feast. Ah but have we pre-planned where our guests who use wheelchairs are going to sit? Given the fact that most dining tables, especially those with an apron, do not usually have enough knee clearance, we should probably arrange to have the table raised to provide a minimum of 27 inches of clear knee space below. This can be tricky since whatever we do to raise the table must ensure that the table is stable and secured in place.

After the meal is done, we may find some will retire to the closest living room or lounge and for that area of the  house to be accommodating you might want to remove any coffee or side tables that make maneuverable pathways narrow or difficult to get around. I can’t tell you how many times I have knocked my chin against a heavy coffee table as I plumped down on a deep sofa after stuffing myself on turkey. Oh yeah and speaking of that, make sure that all your seating options are not overly soft and unsupported since some of your guests might be elderly and need the support of a firm seat and arms on a chair to safely sit down and stand up as they eventually make their way to the closest bathroom.

This brings us to the next area of the home that needs some preplanning and attention. Make sure that at the very least the toilet seat is user-friendly by installing a plastic riser seat which you can get from any local DIY, drug or hardware store. While at the store you can also get yourself some temporary grab bars that can be connected to the toilet or seat and provide the needed short term support. At your sink area, make sure that you have towels close to the front, perhaps on a floor-standing towel ring, and also tilt the mirror forward a little if you can to insure it is not too high for use by those who might be in a wheelchair or elderly who have limited movement in their neck, back and shoulders.

Some of your mobility-challenged guests might also be staying overnight and will need some prepared area to bathe and sleep. In the case of the bathing, assuming you don’t have a no-curb shower already in your home, simply add a removable transfer bench, preferably with some grab bar supports to a tub or shower and replace or add a hand held shower head to help control the flow and direction of the water while bathing. These are available at your local hardware store.

At last, everyone is turning in for the night after a day of freedom of mobility and fun festivities. Your special guests have their sleeping accommodations all ready for them with their beds raised on similar blocking as the dining table to facilitate transferring from their wheelchairs. The beds are also pushed apart to allow maximum maneuverability and visit-ability as the day draws to a close and everyone settles in for the night.

Oh yes and better put the holiday cookies on the lower counter space in the kitchen just in case Santa, having heard that your house is now visit-able, decides to leave his sleigh at home this year and make his deliveries from the back of a Rascal Turnabout Electric mobility chair! After all he is aging gracefully too, you know.

 Published in The Independent Monitor November 2009 issue.

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Artificial sweeteners: friend or foe?

By Sarah Alaoui
Staff Writer

I was born with my mother’s eyes and my father’s mouth, my mother’s sensitivity and my father’s stubborn nature. I was also blessed with my father’s sweet tooth, a genetic history of diabetes that has plagued many members of my family (including my grandfather whose prosthetic leg is the result of his lifelong battle with an unrelenting affinity towards sweets) and an Arab family who loves to cook and feed me (koul, koul!).

When I stay in my grandparents’ house in Morocco, I am spoiled with kisses from more aunts and great-aunts than I can count on both hands and a daily abundance of…sugar. Breakfast includes Moroccan pancakes soaked-er, drizzled-in honey, a plethora of cookies with almonds and jam prepared in every way possible and of course, Moroccan mint tea. The tea, which is served after almost every meal is the biggest perpetrator because it is served with generous amounts of sugar cubes- “Let her drink it, she doesn’t need to be worrying about sugar at this age!” I don’t refuse the aforementioned food-how could I, that would just be rude. Let’s be honest, though, I don’t fare any better in the United States. Brownies and cookies are my downfall, not to mention my newfound comfort food discovered during finals week in college- self-serve frozen yogurt with any and every topping imaginable (cheesecake bites, anyone?).

With my family’s medical history and a long list of future goals, including the chance to interview Fidel Castro before he dies (don’t ask), I couldn’t afford to keep up this sweet diet. Going completely cold turkey, however, could potentially be as shocking to my system as sugar is. I came to a compromise by occasionally incorporating Splenda and other artificial sweeteners into my diet. If I was craving soda, I’d pop open a Diet Coke. If I wanted cookies, I’d Google a recipe that contained sugar substitutes. However the term “artificial” also scared me. While an excess of sugar definitely has a detrimental impact on the body, are the alternatives any better? I decided to do my research and find out.

Searches on the safety of artificial sweeteners came up with a litany of results examining the sugar substitutes’ relation to cancer, weight gain and an increase of headaches. Before any conclusions can be drawn, one needs to distinguish between the different categories of sweeteners. Expert Cynthia Haines (Health Central) breaks them down:

“Acesulfame K (Sunett, Sweet One): Acesulfame K is found in many food products and can be used in baked goods. Its safety is backed by a multitude of studies, according to the FDA.

Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low, Sugar Twin): Saccharin was close to being banned in 1977 due to rat studies linking it to bladder cancer. The National Cancer Institute and the FDA have since concluded that its use is not a major risk for bladder cancer in humans (because the rats during the study were given a dangerously high amount of the product, indicating that such a large consumption may potentially be harmful).

Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet, Equal): The American Medical Association and the FDA have both concluded that aspartame is safe in moderation. One exception: People with a medical condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid it. These people cannot metabolize part of aspartame, allowing it to accumulate in the body to dangerous levels.

Sucralose (Splenda): Sucralose is sugar chemically altered into the non-caloric sucralose. Splenda can be substituted for sugar in baking and cooking.

Neotame: Neotame is a recently approved artificial sweetener made by the same company that produces NutraSweet (aspartame). Products containing neotame are not required to carry the PKU warning as it is chemically different from aspartame and therefore does not have the same issue described above.”

According to this data and other complementary information found on Associated Content, sucralose (Splenda) seems to be the safest sweetener based on the fact that test participants have not indicated any negative side effects from having consumed the product. It has been approved in an increasing number of countries for consumption, further emphasizing its apparent safety.
It is also important to note that while artificial sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels, products that contain them also include carbohydrates and proteins that could affect levels.

At this point, although some people think there might be a correlation between certain side effects and artificial sweetener, there is not enough proof to draw a concrete causation. Because the effects of these products have not been tested long enough, it is best to use these products in moderation.

Because of the availability of these alternative sweeteners, my family and I are able to modify our favorite recipes and still continue to live the sweet life.

Published in The Independent Monitor September 2009 issue.

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Dr. Hanna Shammas in front of his Shammas Eye Medical Center in Lynnwood. (Photo by Samir Twair)

By Pat McDonnell Twair
Contributing Editor

In the mid 1990s, I wrote an article about ophthalmologist Dr. Hanna Shammas’ latest scholarly tome dealing with cataract surgery.

At the time, I told him I was so glad I knew him because when the time came, I was assured I’d be putting my precious eyesight into the best of all possible hands.

I hoped that time would never come because after the Big C, cataracts were the health disaster I most feared. When I was in the eighth grade, I overheard relatives whispering about the cataract surgery my maternal grandmother was going to undergo. After the operation, she eventually went blind. Fifteen years later, my grandfather slowly lost his eyesight after cataract surgery.

Needless to say, I wasn’t a happy puppy when I started to see pinwheels and halos revolving around street lights at night. An eye checkup in December 2007 proved I had the onset of cataracts.

I denied the symptoms for one year. Whenever we went to the movies, I couldn’t see once we entered a darkened theater. Either we had to arrive before the intermission or call for an usher to help me into an empty seat while my husband tried to balance me from stumbling.

As for walking downstairs without holding onto a railing, you might as well have asked me to balance on a tight rope between two high rise towers. Driving a car was out of the question.

Dr. Hanna Shammas uses cutting edge equipment for examing the eyes of his patients. (Photo by Samir Twair)

At the January 2009 Doo Dah Parade, I knew it was time to consult Shammas when sunlight blinded me from observing the zany parade participants on their outrageous floats. It is a very scary sensation to be unable to distinguish people or objects in front of you. Actually, it was more frightening than the prospect of eye surgery.

I bit the bullet and we made an appointment with Dr. Shammas at his Lynnwood medical center. An eye examination revealed my eyesight had deteriorated drastically over the past year. Shammas informed me only one eye is operated on at a time. He asked which one I wanted him to do first. I shrugged my shoulders and he said, “Okay, let’s take care of the right eye on Feb. 2.”

For any of you anticipating cataract surgery, and perhaps dreading the unknown as much as I was, here’s what to expect.

Once the surgery date is set, the potential patient goes through an eye examination and an interview with a nurse to check on one’s health, allergies and blood pressure. A specialist takes measurements of both eyes and patients of Shammas receive a little black bag containing pre-op instructions and three different vials of eye drops.

The Shammas Eye Medical Center in Lynnwood is a mini-hospital with two surgical theaters and 10 exam rooms equipped with the latest high-tech equipment.

“It is critically necessary to have the perfect, most precise, instruments,” explained the world-renowned ophthalmologist. “That’s why I never would operate elsewhere. I performed surgery on my own mother in this facility. I rely on my machines and on my staff, most of my nurses have been with me for the past 20 years.”

Cataract surgery is performed under a microscope using a machine calibrated on 1/10th of a centimeter.

“When I make an incision, it must be 2.4 millimeters and not 2.5 millimeters,” he said.

It is this microscopic expertise that brings Dr. Shammas invitations to demonstrate his skills from medical institutions all over the world. He has perfected a technique in small incision surgery that makes for a super-fast recovery. He defines a cataract as the lens of the eye that has become cloudy and fails to focus light rays on the retina.

What are cataracts?

“People develop them at much younger ages than in the past,” Dr. Shammas explained. “Cataracts were associated with old age, but now I see people in their forties who must have them removed. I attribute this trend to staring at a computer screen all day and/or driving regularly for extended periods into the sun.”

He went on to explain that 35 years ago, the cataract was removed through a large incision. Recovery took as long as three months and required the patient to avoid strenuous activity.

“Usually the patient thereafter had to wear thick spectacles, often described as Coke bottle glasses,” he  said. “In the mid-1970s, British doctors perfected a lens implant and revolutionized cataract surgery.”

After the pre-op eye examination, Dr. Shammas broke the news I was one of his rare patients whose iris is off center and that it also has atrophied.

Translated, this meant I was not a candidate for the more expensive bi-focal lens (Medicare patients are obliged to pay the difference) and, he said, he would have to “dig deeper” to perform the surgery.

These were grim facts I didn’t want to hear or think about, but neither could I contemplate remaining semi-blind because of my fear of eye surgery. I’m revealing these complications because, in spite of them, the operations were painless… almost. I will admit to some discomfort after the first surgery.

Three days prior to surgery, the patient must put drops into the pre-op eye three times a day. No makeup is permissible and one enters the operating room in a surgical gown and cap covering the hair. More and more drops are put into the eye.

As I was wheeled into the operating room, I could hear the gurney I was laying on shake, rattle and roll with my uncontrollable tremors of fear. Dr. Shammas peered over me, told me to relax. The next thing I knew I was entering post-op.

What happened while I was in that dreamy state staring into a bright light was that the cloudy lens was emulsified by high frequency ultrasound and a plastic implant was inserted.

A complimentary pair of wrap-around goggles was put onto my face, the right eye covered by a patch. Wheelchair-bound, I was delivered to husband, Samir. The nurse instructed him I was not to bend over or lift heavy objects for one week and that included cooking or washing dishes.

A few hours after we arrived home, I experienced the specialized Shammas TLC. A clinic staffer phoned to ask how I was doing. Twenty-four hours later, the patch was removed and the regimen of eye drops three times a day began for one week.

My fears of cataract surgery were unwarranted. I have regained much of my balance, colors are brighter and I can watch TV without glasses, go to movie theaters and walk in bright sunlight or at night without cowering on my husband’s arm in a sightless state.

Inasmuch as my off-kilter pupil problem disqualified me for bifocal lenses, I must wear glasses to read or work at the computer. I refuse to be an old fogey and wear glasses hanging on a chain from my neck. The solution is a separate pair of spectacles at the computer, in the kitchen (to read recipes) and in my purse to read menus or stage programs.

It is miraculous to regain one’s sight.
Eye-opening facts on the Lebanese surgeon
Eye opening facts on the Lebanese surgeon

A native of Tripoli, Lebanon, Dr. Shammas completed a three-year residency on ophthalmology at the American University of Beirut Medical Center before launching his advanced fellowship at the University of Iowa in 1975.

Ironically, it wasn’t until he arrived on the Iowa campus that he met a fellow AUB Medical School graduate, Najwa Mirhij, who was completing her residency and fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases.

“It was love at first sight,” he says with a smile. “We were married in 1976.”

The midwestern winters were too severe for the Lebanese newlyweds. In 1977, they visited the bride’s relatives in southern California and, as luck would have it, a job offer came from Dr. Fredrick Milkie whose eye clinic was adjacent to St. Francis Hospital in Lynnwood.

In 1997, when Milkie retired, Shammas became the principal surgeon at the center. The following year, he opened a clinic in Downey and in 2001, he started another clinic in La Habra. Eye ailments other than cataracts are handled by two full-time ophthalmologists and three part-time associates who rotate to the three locations. At present, 50 staffers are employed by his corporation.

The Shammases are parents of three daughters, Maya, an ophthalmologist, Rania, a graduate of Columbia University Medical School, and Lina, who is in medical school at Midwestern University in Phoenix, AZ.

The proud father states that family has always come first to him and his wife who has a full-time practice in pediatrics in Burbank.

“No matter what professional obligation might come up, we made it a point as the girls grew up that we would have dinner at 5:30 p.m. with them. What’s more, Najwa always managed to set her patient schedule so she personally drove the girls to their music, sports and ballet lessons.

Ties with Lebanon remain strong and in 2004, Shammas received the Cedars Medal and Award from Lebanon’s President Emile Lahoud. He also serves on the board of trustees of the Lebanese American University.

Closer to home, Shammas is chairman of the board of the Lebanese American Foundation’s House of Lebanon project. He also is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California.

Published in The Independent Monitor September 2009 issue.

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Courtesy of LiveStrong.com

I’m not what one would call “a natural athlete.” Growing up, I always chose arts and crafts over physical activity. My aversion to exercise carried over into high school, during which my mother wrote many notes excusing me from field hockey. It wasn’t until my twenties that I had my fitness epiphany. What turned my attitude around? I started going to the gym and quickly noticed that I felt stronger, leaner, calmer and more balanced. If you’re reluctant to exercise like I once was, taking the following approaches may convince you to break out your sneakers.

Find an exercise that suits your style. At the start of my love affair with exercise, I gravitated toward aerobics. It sounds funny, but I was really inspired watching a perfectly aerobicized Jamie Lee Curtis in the film, “Perfect”. And I’ll admit it, Jennifer Beals’ off-the-shoulder sweatshirt in “Flashdance” made me want to sweat it out in a studio too. Think about the kind of exercise that excites you. If you love biking, try a spinning class. If you’ve always been curious about yoga, visit a studio. (Many offer beginners’ classes at great rates.) And if you’re completely new to exercise, try brisk walking-it’s easy on the body and a good for you. When you have a natural interest in a type of exercise, you’re more likely to stick to it.

Be flexible. The fact that you may lead a busy life or have an erratic schedule shouldn’t deter you from starting a fitness regimen. While I believe in committing to an exercise program, I’m also a realist. On days that I don’t feel great or truly feel stretched, I make a point to “sneak” in exercise where I can. For example, I park my car a little further away than usual, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. The important thing is to just keep moving.

Switch up your routine. If you eat the same thing every day, it can get very boring. The same goes for exercise. Keep yourself motivated to stay fit by varying your routine. If you’re maintaining a steady pace on the treadmill, try interval training. If you’re cycling a few days a week, supplement it with some weight lifting. Cross training like this not only keeps you from getting bored, but it also helps reduce the chances that you’ll overuse or injure one muscle or joint.

Entertain yourself. It’s amazing what a powerful motivator an upbeat song can be when you’re working out, which is why I stock my iPod with fast-paced music to keep me on the elliptical. (On my play list I currently have “Stronger” and “Gold Digger” by Kanye West). The time flies by, and I work out longer than I would if I were only listening to the sound of my own huffing and puffing. I also just figured out how to download my favorite television shows onto my iPod, so I’m counting on at least a solid half-hour of fat-burning, heart-healthy cardio, alongside a great storyline.

Published in The Independent Monitor July 2009 issue.

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Courtesy of LiveStrong.com

1. Reduce Your Portion Size

Most restaurants “beef up” the look of their meals by offering large portions of cheap foods, such as bread and potatoes. The standard steak house meal of a basket of bread, a baked potato, a 16-ounce steak and sauteed vegetables, is enough for two or even three standard meals. If you remind yourself that you don’t need to eat an entire meal at one sitting — just because it’s all on one plate — you can begin to eat more sensibly and cut calories.

When you are out to eat, ask for a to-go container and put half of your meal into it to be enjoyed the following day. You can also ask the waiter to avoid bringing the bread basket and the dessert menu to the table. It’s much easier to avoid temptation when it isn’t staring you in the face — or accompanied by colorful, laminated pictures.

2. Undress Your Food

Sauces, spreads and dips may seem like just a small portion of a meal as a whole, but they can pack a wallop in calorie. For instance, one serving of salad greens (about two cups) contains about 15 calories, while two tbsps. of supermarket-brand Italian dressing contain about 110 calories. In this case, almost all of the meal’s calories come from just a few spoonfuls of dressing.

The same is true for sandwiches, pasta and even your morning coffee. Cut calories by choosing ketchup and mustard over calorie-heavy mayonnaise and by choosing marinara pasta sauces over creamy Alfredo and vodka-based sauces. A dollop of half-and-half in your morning coffee adds 40 calories, and butter on your toast adds 70 or more. Making conscious decisions about how you flavor your food can make the difference between a sensible meal and a fattening one.

3. Replace High-Calorie Beverages With Leaner Choices

People who enjoy wine or cocktails with dinner never want to hear this fact, but alcohol has a lot of calories — up to 140 or more calories for a bottle of regular beer. The Mayo Clinic emphasizes that not only does alcohol contain a lot of calories, but the calories have “little or no” nutritional benefit. If you are shooting for a dietary limit of 1,400 calories a day, one beer will consume one-tenth of your allotted calories! When your body is not getting needed nutrients from food, you will continue to feel hungry until your body’s needs are satisfied.

Replace high-calorie beer, wine and mixed drinks with iced tea, diet sodas or sparkling water, none of which have any calories. Use Splenda or another calorie-free sweetener in your iced tea instead of sugar, which has 16 calories per teaspoon.

Published in The Independent Monitor July 2009 issue.

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Courtesy of Fitness.com

Skipping breakfast may seem to be a good idea, and indeed that seems to be the case for quite a lot of dieters. Some people just do not feel like eating from the first moment they wake up, while others see it as an easy way to avoid a few calories.

The problem with this though is that it is actually counterproductive to avoid breakfast. In fact, studies have revealed that far from causing you to lose calories skipping breakfast can greatly increase your chances of gaining weight.

There are several reasons for this. One of the main ones is that breakfast acts to fire up the body’s metabolism for the rest of the day. By delaying this process you will be less energetic and less able to cope with processing the foodstuffs and snacks that enter your body at a later time in the day.

Also those who skip this very important meal at the start of the day, tend to end up eating more towards the end of it. Try to make sure that your breakfast is a healthy one avoiding n fatty and processed foods, such as bacon or sausages. Stick to wholegrain cereals , whole meal bread, fruit and boiled eggs.

No Plan Of Action

A lot of people fall at the first hurdle because they do not develop a plan of attack. Making the commitment to lose weight is one thing but if you do not know how you are going to proceed with achieving your goals then how do you expect to reach them?

Many people often fail to succeed with their diet because they do not have a plan. This is a shame because there are so many people who start off motivated and end up losing it without knowing exactly why.

Things to consider are how much weight you want to lose? The different food strategies you are going to employ. Possible obstacles along the way, etc,

Without a plan there is a strong chance that your motivation gives way to procrastination and failure.

Dieting does not mean the same thing as starving yourself. It is very easy to fall in to the trap of thinking that a dieting is a form of deprivation. Worse than that is the idea that starving yourself is the only sure fire way to ensure weight loss success.

Not only can starving yourself lead to feelings of deprivation it also has a significant impact on the metabolism. The body’s metabolism begins to slow down – alerting the brain to the need for sustenance and energy. This will in turn lead to overwhelming compulsions to binge on quick fixes in order to get calories into the body.
The key to dieting is quite simple- eating a variety of different foodstuffs that are not processed or high in sugars and fat. Learn to fill up on what is good for you and construct a diet plan based on the huge variety of good foodstuffs out there.

Sadly, despite lots of advice out there about it, not enough people looking to lose weight are drinking enough water. Water is an excellent weight loss tool and here is why. A common misinterpretation of the body’s warning signals is the feeling of thirst. The feeling of dehydration is very easily confused as hunger pangs.

As an experiment next time you have hunger pangs – soon after you have already eaten – drink a glass of water. You should find that your cravings subside considerably.

In addition, getting enough water either directly or from fruit and veg assists your metabolism in burning up calories quicker. Remember that if you are really serious about losing weight then maintaining water levels is a really big help.

A lot of weight loss plans fail when the individual gets frustrated from a lack of immediate benefit. The issue here often seems to be that the initial expectations of the weight loss regime are set too high. Failure to reach these goals leads to dejection, anxiety and eventual reluctance to continue the plan.

One way around this of course is to set more realistic or smaller goals. Accept that nothing happens overnight and that any move in the right direction is better than the opposite scenario.

You should also think about the immediate benefits gained from exercise. Think about how more energetic and alert you feel during exercise and afterwards. Think of the other benefits you may notice such as better sleep. Remember – there is a lot more to exercise than just weight loss.

Published in The Independent Monitor July 2009 issue.

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To be successful at any big undertaking – starting a new career, salvaging a shaky marriage, mastering a foreign language – you have to “give it 110 percent,” as the saying goes. But when it comes to what may be the most important change of all – revitalizing your health – you may be better off giving only 10 percent and not worrying too much about the other proverbial 100. “You’re more likely to succeed by making small changes,” says Catherine Champagne, Ph.D., professor of research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System. “If you totally overhaul your diet or start an ambitious exercise program, you’re less likely to stick with it.”

Micro-improvements do more than chip away at a larger objective – they accomplish plenty on their own. Some of these are cumulative; do several and you’ll see an even bigger benefit. Here are (count ‘em) 10 small shifts that can reward you with a big health payoff.

1. Smile at the scale

The small change: Lose 10 percent of your body weight. If you’re 5′ 5″ and weigh 160 pounds, shaving off just 10 percent (16 pounds) will take you from the “overweight” category to a normal body mass index (a measure of your height and weight in relation to each other). If you weigh 180, losing 18 pounds moves you below the dangerous threshold of clinical obesity. What’s more, it’s a manageable goal. “We find that people who lose just 1 percent of their body weight per week can lose 10 percent in two to three months without feeling they’re making a sacrifice,” says Maciej Buchowski, Ph.D., director of the Energy Balance Core Laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The big gains: Dropping pounds – and 10 percent is the initial target touted by the National Institutes of Health – will do more than let you go down a size or more in your jeans. It can also lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, making you a less likely candidate for heart attack or stroke. You’ll also cut your chances of becoming diabetic. In fact, in a recent multicenter study, people who lost just a little over two pounds lowered their diabetes risk by 16 percent. And in new research at the University of California, San Francisco, heavy women with incontinence who lost somewhat less than 10 percent of their body weight reduced leakage 47 percent after six months (compared with a control group who received only educational support and saw a 28 percent drop in symptoms).

2. Take your dog for a walk

The small change: Up your exercise 10 percent. Even if you’re completely sedentary, your body still burns at least 1,000 calories a day (depending on your weight and age). So boosting that by 10 percent translates to a mere 100 calories – an amount you could expend by taking Fido out for a 28-minute walk. No dog? Mow the lawn with a hand-powered mower for 14 minutes, or walk up and down stairs for 15 minutes.

The big gains: A burn of 100 extra calories a day could help you drop up to 10 pounds in a year, provided you don’t eat more (though you don’t have to eat less, either). Even if you’re already active – that is, you meet current guidelines of at least two and a half hours of moderate activity a week – heart health improves progressively (more exercise is better), so you’ll still benefit.

Moving more can also cut breast cancer risk – walking 75 minutes (a little over 10 minutes a day) to two and a half hours a week drops your odds 18 percent, the Women’s Health Initiative found. And exercise calms nerves even better than various nondrug treatments for anxiety, such as therapy and meditation, a review of 49 studies found.

3. Rent Duck Soup from Netflix

The small change: Laugh for 10 minutes. Watch your favorite sitcom or invite friends over to view a funny video, as Buchowski had people do in a study that measured calories burned during hearty laughter. Compared with another session, in which the group was stupefied by viewing films of sheep grazing in the countryside, watching comedies used up 10 to 20 percent more calories.

The big gains: Think of it as jogging on the sofa: Laughing tenses your abdominal muscles, makes your heart beat faster, and speeds your breathing so you take in more oxygen. “All those things burn energy,” says Buchowski, who calculates that you could burn off between 10 and 40 calories for every 10 to 15 minutes of levity a day. That means in a year, you could become four pounds slimmer just by watching TV!

4. Snack on six strawberries

The small change: Eat 10 percent more fruits and veggies. Federal guidelines say we should be eating nine half-cup servings of produce a day. Snack on an additional six strawberries or half a large carrot, and you’ll boost your intake about 10 percent above the recommendation.

The big gains: Each added daily portion of fruit (and it needn’t be strawberries – you could munch on 15 grapes or half a peach) lowers stroke risk by 11 percent and heart disease odds by 7 percent, reviews of international studies have found. Pumping up produce (both fruit and veggies) also halves your chances of getting oral cancer, another review reported. Not already meeting your nine-a-day quota? The same small, easy-to-get portions take you there easily.

5. Make your own Marinara

The small change: Cut sodium 10 percent. Get the salt out: Stir up your own pasta sauce, choose low-sodium varieties of soup, or swap out canned vegetables for fresh or frozen (check labels). Any of these steps reduces your sodium intake by at least 400 milligrams a day – about 10 percent of the 3,600 to 4,800 mg Americans typically consume (which is already way above the recommended limit of 2,400 mg).

The big gains: Drop sodium 400 mg and you’ll whittle your odds of having heart disease – indeed, the American Heart Association just calculated that if we all cut back sodium that small amount, there would be 250,000 fewer heart disease cases and 200,000-plus fewer deaths over the next 10 years. Stepping on the scale will also be less scary: “Sodium makes you retain water; when there’s less in your body, you’ll lose fluid,” says Norman Kaplan, M.D., professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

6. Cut the salt and run

The small change: Lower blood pressure 10 points. Here’s where several small steps boost the total payoff. People who cut back on salt usually eat more fresh foods like fruits and vegetables, studies have reported. Toss in extra exercise, and you’ll find yourself naturally losing weight. Together, these moves can lower blood pressure 10 points – enough to knock you out of a danger-zone prehypertension reading of 129 (the systolic, or upper number) down to a healthy 119. “You can expect blood pressure to fall one point for every pound you lose,” says Dr. Kaplan. And sometimes more: “I lost 10 pounds and my pressure went down 15 points,” he adds.

The big gains: If your blood pressure is elevated now – even just slightly – each 10-point drop in systolic pressure makes you one-third less likely to have a stroke, a recent review of more than 40 studies worldwide found. And by keeping pressure healthy, you’ll be protecting yourself from heart and kidney disease.

7. Eat the right fats

The small change: Get 10 percent of your calories from omega-6s. You probably already take in some of these healthy fats from nuts, cooking oil, and salad dressing. But you may well need more – 5 to 10 percent of your daily calories should come from omega-6 fatty acids, advises the American Heart Association in a new recommendation. One easy way to ramp up: Replace saturated fats like butter with corn, sunflower, or safflower oil. But keep in mind that oil is high in calories; two tablespoons will do the trick.

The big gains: This daily quota of omega-6s lowers LDL cholesterol and cuts your chances of heart disease 24 percent, an AHA Science Advisory reported. These fats may also improve blood pressure and help the body process sugar, lowering diabetes risk. (Don’t forget other heart-healthy fats, like olive oil.)

8. Can the cola

The small change: Cut calories 10 percent by cutting back on soda. Down one less sugary soft drink a day, and you’ll knock off 240 calories (that’s for a 20-ounce bottle). Assuming a typical 2,000-calorie daily intake, there’s your 10 percent – plus a bit!

The big gains: Besides helping you lose weight, drinking fewer sodas may also make you less prone to diabetes. And if you have a heavy-duty soda habit, you may want to cut back more: Your vulnerability climbs as intake goes up, research has found.

9. Tivo Conan O’Brien

The small change: Sleep 10 percent more. If you normally log seven hours of shut-eye a night, turn in 40 minutes earlier to boost your sleep time by about 10 percent.

The big gains: Sleep isn’t like pulling the car into the garage and turning off the engine, says James Walsh, Ph.D., executive director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, MO. “It actively restores the brain and body, including the immune system.” People who snagged less than seven hours a night were nearly three times more likely to catch a cold after being exposed to viruses than well-rested souls who averaged eight hours or more, new multicenter research reported. Getting eight hours (seven if you have to) can also help protect you from high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes. Rest will also help you keep your weight down.

10. Say si to siesta

The small change: Take a 10-minute nap. Find a quiet place to lie down during the day, especially if you don’t get enough zzz’s at night.

The big gains: Daytime snoozing is good for your heart: When Greek researchers measured deaths from heart disease, they found there were 37 percent fewer among people who napped regularly, compared with non-nappers. But to feel sharp when you wake up, limit dozing to 10 minutes: In an Australian study, people who napped for 20 to 30 minutes were slower to get back in gear.

Published in The Independent Monitor August 2009 issue.

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