Monday Fresh Start: Where Can You Find Useful Nutrition Information? By Jennifer Jackson, MPH
By spatel | June 30, 2009
Monday Fresh Start
Where Can You Find Useful Nutrition Information?
By Jennifer Jackson, MPH
I always think that Mondays are the perfect day to start or learn something new. We’ve hit the reset button while out of the office over the weekend and Monday presents a chance to start fresh. Not only that, but researchers suggest that changes you make on a Monday are more likely to be repeated throughout the week. This blog post begins the first in a series of monthly Monday Fresh Start where I will explore positive and meaningful ways in which you can learn more about your nutrition and health and take small, active steps towards the best possible you!
One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in your road to a more nutritious diet and healthier you is knowing which sources to believe and where to look for them. In this Monday Fresh Start, I will be highlighting some important information to know and sources to help you make your fresh start.
Which Food Pyramid should you use?
The Food Guide Pyramid most of us have heard about was created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and modified in 2005 to be more flexible for each individual. Additionally, there are multiple versions of this food pyramid that incorporate the needs of different cultures or food preferences. If you would like to learn about and use one of these pyramids, make sure to check out Healthy Living Nutrition Information for Men which gives handy tips on understanding portion sizes. It has very useful analogies!
As a Registered Dietician student, we are taught about this food pyramid and how to help individuals meet its daily requirements. My public health, cancer research, and nutrition experience leaves some doubts in my mind when I think about what seems “healthy” based on common sense, research, and what this pyramid recommends. I personally recommend taking a look at the Healthy Eating Pyramid which combines research from multiple disciplines and recommends a drastically modified food pyramid. I try to use this guide in my own life and have found that my mental attitude has become more positive and I feel healthier. It is wonderful to be encouraged to eat healthy, exercise, and feel healthy without having to worry about specific calories or amounts of food.
What is a Portion Size? A Serving Size?
I have always been confused by portion sizes and serving sizes. Recently, I have discovered why they are so different. The portion size (found on the Food Guide Pyramids) are created by the USDA and serving sizes (found on nutrition labels on food products) are created and monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). No wonder they’re so different! So if you were wondering, like I was, why the portion sizes of the food pyramid don’t match the serving sizes on your food labels – it’s because they are regulated differently and by different government agencies.
Where can I find accurate and easy to understand nutrition information?
There are countless websites touting nutrition information relating to the products they sell. It’s important to seek nutrition information from independent sources that are not biased by the possibility of selling you a product. There are two main independent resources that I consult regularly:
Center for Science in the Public Interest has the largest circulation health newsletter, Nutrition Action Healthletter, that focuses on nutrition, health, food safety, and a variety of related topics. Each month’s newsletter focuses on a specific health topic and thoroughly uncovers the truth about nutrition and health research, what we have already learned, and which areas are still left to be further researched. The back page also includes Food Stars and Food Porn, which highlight the best and worst processed foods. Although it costs a small yearly fee to subscribe to the monthly newsletter, their website is a wonderful source for independent nutrition information and includes many helpful guides, PDFs, and the latest nutrition and health news. They even have an e-Book on Six Arguments for a Greener Diet for those of us who are environmentally conscious and want to incorporate that into our eating habits.
Nutrition Data is my ultimate source for nutrition information. They have many easy to use resources and extensive nutrition information. As I learn more about individual nutrients in different fresh foods, I check what I’m eating in this database. Check it out!
Future blogs will be more focused on specific nutrition and health topics, but as part of National Fruit & Vegetable Month I wanted to make sure all the men who read this blog post have a place to start.
I hope all your Mondays this month are full of fresh starts!
- The Nutrition Nerd
Feedback, Suggestions, Questions
Each month I will be exploring nutrition resources, specific foods, recipes, and how nutrition can easily and simply be incorporated into your way of thinking to improve you and your family’s health. If there is a specific nutrition topic that is important to you, please send suggestions for future Monday Fresh Start to nutritionnerdalerts@gmail.com
For more information between blog posts on this site, please direct your web browser to:
Nutrition Nerd Blog: http://nutritionnerdalerts.blogspot.com
Nutrition Nerd on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Nutrition-Nerd/100885132783?ref=ts
Nutrition Nerd on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/NutriNerd
Today’s Legendary Sources:
Food Guide Pyramid - http://www.mypyramid.gov/
Healthy Living Nutrition Information for Men - http://www.hap.org/healthy_living/mens/nutrition.php
Healthy Eating Pyramid - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid/
Center for Science in the Public Interest - http://www.cspinet.org/
Nutrition Data - http://www.nutritiondata.com/
National Fruit and Vegetable Month - http://www.ageducate.org/news/fruit-veg_month.html
Topics: Education, Fitness, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Forget GM, Where’s the Bailout for Our Moral Bankruptcy? By Luke Manley
By spatel | June 23, 2009
Title: Forget GM, Where’s the Bailout for Our Moral Bankruptcy?
By Luke Manley
Exclusively for www.talkingaboutmenshealth.com/
It’s a unique phenomenon of perception that causes us to be de-sensitized to small changes that occur over long periods of time. We’ve all fallen victim to this at some point in our lives. The extra slice of pizza each night during college that gave you the “Freshman 15”, that extra coffee at Starbucks every morning that drained $600 from your savings by the end of the year (and that’s just the small, excuse me, Tall), or perhaps even the Ambien prescription for your occasional insomnia that has now become a weekly habit. However, it has recently dawned on me that this culture of chronic neglect of proper health has reached truly frightening proportions. What makes this even worse is the fact that the vast majority of those in society whose job it is to help us safeguard our health have seemed frustratingly indifferent and, in the case I’m about to make, have actively chosen to make the situation worse.
With Independence Day nearly upon us I felt it would be appropriate to honor our soldiers by focusing on a problem of particular importance to them. I speak of course of the massive increase in the medication provided to our fighting men and women abroad. A recent article in Men’s Health magazine provides a chilling tale of the enormous increase in prescriptions to active duty soldiers and the potentially disastrous consequences of heavily medicating a fighting force in the unpredictable and volatile areas of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Valium and Klonopin for anxiety; Zoloft, for depression; Ambien, for insomnia; Thorazine and Seroquel, anti-psychotics, used off-label to treat nightmares, and a host of other narcotics. In fact, the article goes on to include data from the Department of Defense that as of last year around this time, these prescriptions had reached nearly 50,000 a month, a 52% increase since October 2003. Many of these soldiers are acutely aware of the side effects of these drugs on their ability to function at their posts, but are still ordered to continue their duties regardless. Corporal Michael Cataldi, who had been prescribed a regiment of Klonopin, Zoloft, Ambien, and narcotic painkillers, recalled having a fellow soldier kick the back of his seat every five minutes to keep him awake after being directed to drive a 14-ton armored personnel carrier, complete with canon, machine guns, and ammunition. Each of these medications came with written directions warning against operating heavy machinery. To place this in perspective (as if it needs any), a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon interviewed for the article went on to point out that “even in peacetime, people in the many combat-support positions…would not be allowed to take such medications and continue to work in their sensitive, demanding jobs.” Indeed, even a civilian construction company would not allow an employee to operate heavy machinery who was taking even one of the four prescriptions used by Corporal Cataldi.
Perhaps even worse than deploying over-medicated troops, is re-deploying them. Officially, Pentagon policy states that soldiers receiving treatment for psychiatric conditions must have proven stable for a minimum of 3 months before being allowed to return to combat. However, in practice this is not often the case. One staff member of a team sent by the Army Surgeon General to investigate medicated soldiers who have returned to battle, admitted “many of these soldiers are sent to Afghanistan…despite a doctor saying they shouldn’t go or leaders knowing they shouldn’t deploy.” One particularly heartbreaking example is that of Michael R. De Vlieger, a gunner with the 101st Airborne. After surviving a grenade attack that drove his knee through a Humvee door, De Vlieger’s mental health slowly deteriorated to the point of complete psychotic breakdown. After spending two weeks at a psychiatric hospital and prescribed four different prescriptions to treat his symptoms, De Vlieger found himself headed back to the combat zone a mere 18 hours after his release. He admits, “I was in no condition to leave, I’m an infantryman. If I’m screwed up in my head, it could cost my life or the lives of the men with me.” In other words, De Vlieger was forced to choose between his own mental well-being and the safety of his fellow soldiers. He threw his pills away.
It is true that soldiers have been medicated in various ways since the dawn of civilization, most often with alcohol and decidedly self-administered. However, in recent decades the steady rise in prescription medications in our armed forces has reached a critical point where it presents a serious threat, not only to individual soldiers, but to national security as well. In these days of an all-volunteer Army, fighting in a distant land, it has become shamefully apparent how easily the American public has forgotten about their men and women in uniform. It was outrageous enough that we allowed our troops to go for so long without adequate protection for their bodies, so why should we be any less furious about not securing their minds? Regardless of how you feel about the war itself, the sacrifice that these men and women make on our behalf speaks volumes about them. If we send them to perform their duty being anything less than all they can be, what does that say about us?
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Return the Flavor to our Fathers
By spatel | June 15, 2009
In light to President Obama’s speech today at AMA in Chicago, prevention seems to be the main thing I took away from listening to his speech. Of course, there were words directed to those doctors who haven’t been helping out to our frail health care by “tycoon-ing” the industry for profits, but preventive health are the key words to keep in mind. This Sunday when you are celebrating Father’s Day, you should give your Father a similar Presidential speech on his personal health and well being reform.
On crafting your speech to your Father, your main goal is to urge your father by helping them take care of their health. (If like to joke around, you could say you are “returning the flavor”). I did some research and found “Dads difference in child development:” in the MHN’s library. (http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/ddcd.pdf). I thought it would be great to use the first two bullet points and adjust them a little bit to help you in your speech and things to keep in mind for Father’s Day.
In order to tailor your health concerns to your fathers on Father’s Day, you must be ADAPTIVE and have problem solving abilities. Just as when you were an infant and “having a father around during the first eighteen to twenty-four months of life a more secure in exploring the world around them,” you must be around to support them through lifestyle changes or I like to call them, lifestyle adjustments. FOR EXAMPLE, on this Father’s day, let’s try eating sugar free items if your Father has diabetes. If he sees you doing it, maybe he will like it more. That leads me to EMPATHY. “The strongest predictor of a child’s empathic concern for others in adult life is a high level of paternal child care.” Social support has been known to help elderly men when dealing with health issues. By giving good care to your father, you will be able to lower his risk for depression and isolated feelings along with know that you love him.
Of course, he may not listen or comprehend your whole speech, but let’s just hope he can take away the same message I did with President Obama’s speech: prevention. If he can focus on including preventive measures to his everyday activities, he won’t have to worry about curative measures later on, especially in the hospitals. Let Father’s Day be reminder of how he helped you develop throughout the years. Empower yourself to return the favor to Father by helping him to survive longer than the U.S. average male mortality age of 75.2 (National Vital Statistics System 2005 Data, all races combined). With your support and guidance, your Father can change; just give them time to grow and foster their strives like they did for you-your entire life.
Topics: Education, Family Issues, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Personal Responsibility
By rllamas | June 8, 2009
I just started reading a book titled “The Accidental Asian,” by Eric Liu, a former speechwriter for President Clinton. The first few chapters, dedicated to his late father, described poignant memories he carries with him. One memory was particularly captivating. Liu described his late father’s bout with kidney failure and their family’s struggle to keep the illness private, as requested by his father to “save face” and to ensure that he wasn’t treated differently for being sick. I immediately started to reflect on my own life and imagined myself in that situation. Would I be honest to friends and family about my illness? Would I be open to receiving help and increased attention from friends and family? Would I downplay my illness and act as if nothing was wrong?
I feel that Liu’s father had a natural response to his illness. Regardless of being raised in a culture that values pride and privacy, it seems natural to respond in such a manner. From a biological perspective, it’s survival of the fittest and the weak are distinguished from the strong. However, we live in the 21st century. As a society, we have evolved to think in a rational manner. We have access to education and can make informed, rational decisions. We have the ability to communicate our needs as well as the ability to find the necessary resources to restore our health and well-being. It is our personal responsibility to take our health into our own hands. A couple of ideas to get you started:
- Assess your health status by obtaining a thorough physical examination or participating in health screenings available in your community.
- Educate yourself on the risk factors for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and others to become aware of potential problems.
- Set achievable health goals in areas you want to change (i.e. lifestyle changes including diet and exercise, stress management, etc.).
- Ask for help!
Imagine yourself in 5 to 10 years…wouldn’t you want to be healthy?
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Happy Men’s Health Month!
By spatel | June 1, 2009
Wow time just flies and we are somehow in June again. Days keep getting faster and I am sure your daily things to do are jam packed like mine, so I provided a list of a few things for this June that we should have remembered from last June.
1. June is Men’s Health Month - spread the word and make sure every loved male in your life is living well
2. Early screenings! They will not only save money in the long run but also save your life and/or make life easier to manage if diseases are caught early on
3. Exercise, its summertime! Why do you think most TV shows and football are off? So men can finally go out and move around. (Note: there is no true correlation between summer broadcast schedule and reason to exercise) You shouldn’t need a reason to get at least 30 minutes of exercising in, just help your heart and just do it like Nike says.
4. Father’s Day is coming up! Why not give your father figure in your life the gift of knowledge along with your gift. There are many resources at www.menshealthnetwork.net that help educate you and your father about risks of prostate cancer and other diseases that may be prevalent to you.
5. Keep reading this blog and others like it for the latest on how to improve and support men’s health. (Hopefully starting with this June, we will have regular pieces weekly for you)
6. Remember that anyone can assist in the men’s health movement, and help is not limited by gender basis. Anyone can be supportive and help men make that first step towards a better life. Everyone should be an ally!
Topics: Well-being | No Comments »
More progress towards reducing tobacco use
By Gretchen Cullenberg | May 14, 2008
An article by USA today (click here for article) reported that retail chains are making progress towards reducing tobacco use in the US. More specifically, New Hampshire, Illinois, and Tennessee all have Bills pending to bar pharmacies with walk in clinics from selling tobacco products. New York has a Bill that would ban all pharmacies, including Wal-Mart from selling tobacco products. This is a large step towards eliminating many risks that are associated with the use of tobacco products. As it is right now, many grocery stores no longer carry tobacco products. They don’t want to be associated with the sale of carcinogens.
Many argue that the government should not step in and tell people what they can and cannot sell, but they have already done this fairly successfully with the sale of alcohol products. It is more than likely to be successful with the sale of tobacco products. There was an interesting quote in the article from Bill Phelps, spokesman for Philip Morris the number one cigarette maker in the world. He doesn’t think that the government should impose bans on tobacco products, ‘we think retailers should be able to decide’. I am sure the beer companies felt the same way when the drinking age was raised from 18 years to 21 years. But this policy has helped save many lives in the United States.
Since there isn’t a magic pill that is going to reverse the damage that cigarette smoking does to the body, society is going to have to change its views towards tobacco use. It is a choice and an unhealthy one at that. If people start to perceive tobacco use as being a stigma, then they will be less apt to use it. For those who have already started using tobacco, there is an option to stop. Quitting will only put wealthy companies like Philip Morris out of business and help greatly reduce your risk of preventable death.
Topics: Education, Family Issues, Lifestyle Issues, Public Policy, Substance Abuse, Well-being | No Comments »
Restaruants banning smoking helps reduce youth smoking
By Gretchen Cullenberg | May 14, 2008
The Los Angeles Times reports that restaurants that ban smoking also help reduce the number of youths who light up. (click here for article). When young adults are not given an environment where they can openly partake in an unhealthy habit, they are less likely to continue the behavior. This article is a good example of how a simple policy change can have an impact on the overall health of the people in the community. By eliminating an opportunity to light up, the risk of developing lung cancer can be reduced. More policies need to be implemented in order to cut down on the number of smokers in the United States.
Topics: Lifestyle Issues, Parenting, Public Policy, Substance Abuse, Well-being | No Comments »
Men’s Health in College
By Brandon Leonard | May 7, 2008
In conducting some related research on men’s health, I’ve recently come across a few websites for university student health centers that have pages set aside for men’s health. (Here are a few examples: UNH, UD and UGA) These sites provide a variety of information on issues specific to men while encouraging them to come to the center if they have any health concerns. Because men and women often deal with the stress that can be associated with college life in different ways, it makes sense to target services to each gender. However, I get the impression (from my own experience as well a quick look around the web) that most schools are much better at reaching out to young women than young men when it comes to their health.
Topics: Education | No Comments »
How damaging can sun exposure be to the scalp and neck?
By Gretchen Cullenberg | April 24, 2008
A recent posting on Boston.com has stated that melanoma on the scalp and neck are the most deadly types of skin cancer (click here). This is a big concern for many men who have higher rates of melanoma than women do. Men can be very reluctant to use sunscreen or wide brimmed hats when they are in the sun. Sunscreen is often an after thought and applied too late to provide proper protection. To help limit the number of people who develop skin cancer, preventative care like healthy sun exposure behaviors should be used. These behaviors should start very early in life and continue throughout adulthood. People need to take more responsibility for their own health. Knowing the A,B,C’s of skin cancer can also be beneficial to you and your healthcare provider. More often than not, even a small spot on your skin can be just as deadly as a large noticeable one. Any changes in moles should be reported to a healthcare provider or physician.
Topics: Education, Lifestyle Issues, Medical Issues, Well-being | No Comments »
Life-expectancy and chronic disease
By Gretchen Cullenberg | April 23, 2008
Life expectancy rates have been declining in many areas of the United States. A recent posting in The Wall Street Journal (click here) looked at a report stating that even if the United States provided universal health care it still would not solve the declining rates of life expectancy. The biggest problem that needs more attention is preventing chronic disease. Preventative measures such as eating healthy and exercising can reduce the risk of developing dozens of chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, anxiety, high cholesterol, metabolic disease, certain cancers, and the list could go on. Generally people understand that a healthy lifestyle is important to maintain but the maintenance part is the trick. How do you convince someone who is extremely overweight or at risk of developing diabetes that changing their comfortable lifestyle is going to help save their life in the long run? It is a struggle to get people to see that the lifestyle choices they make today may not have an effect on them for another 2 to 10 years. The reality is that long term poor lifestyle habits are causing a decline in life expectancy. More effort should be put into slowing their progression down.
Topics: Fitness, Lifestyle Issues, Well-being | No Comments »
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