Diets

This year manage your weight in steps, lots of them.

Another new year and another set of commitments to make lifestyle changes. One of the most popular of those desired changes is to lose weight or get in shape. Obesity is poised to be our country's next major health crisis. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are currently overweight or obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The lifestyle changes usually associated with loosing weight or weight loss aren’t easy, as anyone who has tried it knows. This year try focusing on getting more steps in each day.  It's easier that swearing you are going to stop eating this or joining a gym and it works!

When you put the body in motion you burn calories, strengthen bones and muscles, increase your oxygen intake, feel better and loose weight.

You can start with simple changes like parking the car a farther from the entrance to a store and getting a few extra steps or start using the stairs instead of the elevator. Simple steps such as these can actually cause a person to lose weight over the course of a year, providing there is no increase in your caloric intake.

An inexpensive tool called a pedometer makes tracking these steps fun and lets you know exactly how you are progressing.

In recent years, pedometers have emerged as popular tools that are easy to use (clipped to a pocket or waistline) to count steps walked per day. The devices are affordable, selling for as little as $7 to $25. This could be key to your commitments to make lifestyle changes and increase physical activity.

Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine found that the use of a pedometer resulted in significant increases in physical activity and weight loss as well as improvements in blood pressure.  

"Much to my surprise, these little devices were shown to increase physical activity by just over 2,000 steps, or about 1 mile of walking per day," said, Dena Bravata, MD, MS, a senior research scientist in medicine. "This goes a long way toward helping people meet the national guidelines for daily physical activity."

Dr. Bravata's study, which is the first published review of literature on the effectiveness of pedometers, appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Just over 2,100 steps might not sound that much, but it equates to a 27 percent increase in physical activity—which is really astounding," said Bravata.

So this year make a difference, buy a pedometer, set goals to increase you total steps each week and enjoy the changes it will make in your lifestyle ans waistline this year.

Walk 2000 More Steps a Day and Never Gain Another Pound - About.com
Walking for fitness: How to trim your waistline, improve your health - Mayo Clinic
Pedometers help people count steps to get healthy - Stanford School of Medicine 

Functional Foods - What are they?

More and more today we are seeing and hearing the term "Functional Foods" in the media. But what does it all mean and which foods fall under this heading?

"Functional Foods" are foods or dietary components that may provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. You can take greater control of your health through the food choices you make, knowing that some foods can provide specific health benefits. Examples can include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fortified or enhanced foods and beverages, and some dietary supplements. Biologically active components in functional foods may impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects. Functional attributes of many traditional foods are being discovered, while new food products are being developed with beneficial components.

Demand
Consumer interest in the relationship between diet and health has increased the demand for information about functional foods. Rapid advances in science and technology, increasing healthcare costs, changes in food laws affecting label and product claims, an aging population, and rising interest in attaining wellness through diet are among the factors fueling U.S. interest in functional foods. Credible scientific research indicates there are many clinically demonstrated and potential health benefits from food components. These benefits continue to expand the health claims now permitted to be identified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Scientific Criteria
Many academic, scientific, and regulatory organizations are considering ways to establish the scientific basis to support and further validate claims for functional components or the foods containing them. FDA regulates food products according to their intended use and the nature of claims made on the package. Five types of health-related statements or claims are allowed on food and dietary supplement labels:

1. Nutrient content claims indicate the presence of a specific nutrient at a certain level.

2. Structure and function claims describe the effect of dietary components on the normal structure or function of the body.

3. Dietary guidance claims describe the health benefits of broad categories of foods.

4. Qualified health claims convey a developing relationship between components in the diet and risk of disease, as reviewed by the FDA and supported by the weight of credible scientific evidence available.

5. Health claims confirm a relationship between components in the diet and risk of disease or health condition, as approved by FDA and supported by significant scientific agreement.

A large body of credible scientific research is needed to confirm the benefits of any particular food or component. For functional foods to deliver their potential public health benefits, consumers must have a clear understanding of and a strong confidence in the scientific criteria that are used to document health statements and claims. The scientific community continues to increase its understanding of the potential for functional foods and their role in health.

Nutrigenomics "Personalized Nutrition"
As scientific and technological advances develop in the field of health and nutrition, more and more focus has been directed toward the emerging field of nutrigenomics or "personalized nutrition." The science of nutrigenomics involves the application of the human genome to nutrition and personal health to provide individual dietary recommendations. By using an individual’s unique genetic makeup and nutritional requirements to tailor recommendations, consumers may one day have a greater ability to reduce their risk of disease.

Personalizing nutrition to an individual’s unique genetic makeup has the potential for positive health outcomes overall. Choosing an individualized approach, over a more traditional or general approach, to health and nutrition recommendations can provide consumers with the most appropriate and beneficial information for their specific nutritional needs. While personalized nutrition seems promising, research is still in the preliminary stages, and years may pass before accurate and effective recommendations can be made for individuals.

Functional foods are an important part of an overall healthful lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and physical activity. People should strive to consume a wide variety of foods, including the examples listed here. These examples are not "magic bullets." The best advice is to include a variety of foods, as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.gov, which would provide many potentially beneficial components.

Reprinted with permission from the International Food Information Council Foundation, Functional Foods Backgrounder (November 2006).

More and more today we are seeing and hearing the term "Functional Foods" in the media. But what does it all mean and which foods fall under this heading?

"Functional Foods" are foods or dietary components that may provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. You can take greater control of your health through the food choices you make, knowing that some foods can provide specific health benefits. Examples can include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fortified or enhanced foods and beverages, and some dietary supplements. Biologically active components in functional foods may impart health benefits or desirable physiological effects. Functional attributes of many traditional foods are being discovered, while new food products are being developed with beneficial components.

Demand
Consumer interest in the relationship between diet and health has increased the demand for information about functional foods. Rapid advances in science and technology, increasing healthcare costs, changes in food laws affecting label and product claims, an aging population, and rising interest in attaining wellness through diet are among the factors fueling U.S. interest in functional foods. Credible scientific research indicates there are many clinically demonstrated and potential health benefits from food components. These benefits continue to expand the health claims now permitted to be identified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Scientific Criteria
Many academic, scientific, and regulatory organizations are considering ways to establish the scientific basis to support and further validate claims for functional components or the foods containing them. FDA regulates food products according to their intended use and the nature of claims made on the package. Five types of health-related statements or claims are allowed on food and dietary supplement labels:

1. Nutrient content claims indicate the presence of a specific nutrient at a certain level.

2. Structure and function claims describe the effect of dietary components on the normal structure or function of the body.

3. Dietary guidance claims describe the health benefits of broad categories of foods.

4. Qualified health claims convey a developing relationship between components in the diet and risk of disease, as reviewed by the FDA and supported by the weight of credible scientific evidence available.

5. Health claims confirm a relationship between components in the diet and risk of disease or health condition, as approved by FDA and supported by significant scientific agreement.

A large body of credible scientific research is needed to confirm the benefits of any particular food or component. For functional foods to deliver their potential public health benefits, consumers must have a clear understanding of and a strong confidence in the scientific criteria that are used to document health statements and claims. The scientific community continues to increase its understanding of the potential for functional foods and their role in health.

Nutrigenomics "Personalized Nutrition"
As scientific and technological advances develop in the field of health and nutrition, more and more focus has been directed toward the emerging field of nutrigenomics or "personalized nutrition." The science of nutrigenomics involves the application of the human genome to nutrition and personal health to provide individual dietary recommendations. By using an individual’s unique genetic makeup and nutritional requirements to tailor recommendations, consumers may one day have a greater ability to reduce their risk of disease.

Personalizing nutrition to an individual’s unique genetic makeup has the potential for positive health outcomes overall. Choosing an individualized approach, over a more traditional or general approach, to health and nutrition recommendations can provide consumers with the most appropriate and beneficial information for their specific nutritional needs. While personalized nutrition seems promising, research is still in the preliminary stages, and years may pass before accurate and effective recommendations can be made for individuals.

Functional foods are an important part of an overall healthful lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and physical activity. People should strive to consume a wide variety of foods, including the examples listed here. These examples are not "magic bullets." The best advice is to include a variety of foods, as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.gov, which would provide many potentially beneficial components.

Reprinted with permission from the International Food Information Council Foundation, Functional Foods Backgrounder (November 2006).