Monday, July 16, 2007

Health Tips for July 16

Food Fact:
Balanced diet?


Eat more blueberries, and you may be less prone to falls. Researchers at Tufts University fed antioxidant-rich extracts of blueberries, strawberries or spinach to rats for eight months -- and those that received blueberry extracts displayed better balance when walking over small rods. Similarly, the deep blue color of this all-American berry comes from anthocyanin, a powerful plant pigment believed to reduce some of the cognitive problems associated with aging.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Huffing, not puffing.


Exercise increases your chances of quitting smoking or cutting back on cigarettes. It also helps you maintain a healthy weight after you've completed a weight loss program, increases muscle strength and endurance, and pumps up the size of your working muscles, which reduces the number of calories converted into body fat.

FAQ of the day:
Is a "plant-based" diet the same as "vegetarian"?


Nutritionists use the term "plant-based" for a diet that gets most of its calories from plant foods, but may include some animal foods. In some parts of the world, what nutritionists have called plant-based diets will include red meat like beef or pork, but eaten rarely, or in very small amounts. Vegan diets, which include no foods of animal origin, are plant-based by definition. So are lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets, which include dairy foods and eggs, as well as diets that include fish, shellfish and poultry. Population studies have demonstrated a significant link between plant-based foods (whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, soy) and a reduced risk of developing cancer and coronary heart disease.

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