Dr. Heuser Health Tips

*Drinking lots of water (3 liters a day preferably) as we know is very benefial to our health.  But by adding in lemon juice, not only is it tastier but it also activates the burning of stored fat in your body.  Why? Water with lemon juice is a bile thinner which helps the bile do a better job of processing fat!

*It's important to head into each potential food fest with a plan for how you're going to handle the temptation.
If you think you can just go into the party and wing it, or worse still, believe you can simply avoid the buffet table, it's almost a sure thing you're going to lose control and eat everything in sight.
   You have to have a coping plan.
In research published recently in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy, doctors found that dieters who tried to control their appetites using avoidance strategies were at greater risk for overeating than those who developed coping skills to control their overeating.
   "Among the strategies that work best is positive self-talk, with the help of appetite "flash cards," says Judith Beck, PhD, clinical associate professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia.
"Make a list of every good reason why you want to lose weight, and read it to yourself every morning -- and when you are tempted to eat something you hadn't planned, just read it again, so you're constantly reminding yourself why it's worth it to turn down food," she says.
Rehearse your reasons for wanting to be thin, the same way you rehearse the speech you give your boss when asking for a raise or the pep talk you give yourself before any challenging situation.
You have to condition yourself and change your mind-set about what food means to you.
 
*New research indicates that eating more fruits and vegetables may reduce your risk of dying from heart disease. According to a new study from the University of Oxford and published in the European Heart Journal, people who consumed eight or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day were 22 percent less likely to die from ischemic heart disease than those who consumed three or fewer servings a day.

Even among those who didn't eat a full eight servings each day, the more fruits and vegetables consumed consistently indicated a lower heart disease risk. For every additional serving above two per day, researchers found a four percent decrease in the rate of heart disease deaths. So throw blueberries on your cereal, eat a salad (spinach) for lunch, enjoy fruit for snacks, have veggies with dinner, and include fruit in your dessert and you are up to eight easy!

*John Yarmuth coined the term "enlightened corporations” while on the Art of Healthy Living Show to describe companies that invested in wellness programs. We now know for each dollar spent on wellness a corporation can expect a $9 return on investment. Texas Roadhouse is an "enlightened corporation".

*So you have gotten into better shape and reduced your health risks. Is getting into even better shape make you any healthier? Well, actually it does. Men who make it into the average categories in our risk assessment testing reduce there chances of having a heart attack by 5 fold. If they improve into the excellent categories they reduce their chances of heart attack another 5 fold. If they do have a heart attack they are 20 times more likely to survive than the poor performers.
 
*Some granola bar are made with high fructose corn syrup. Quaker Oats granola brag that they do not use HFCS. Brown Berry Whole Grain Bread has no HFCS. Let's boycott HFCS.
 
*Thomas' Bagel Thins have only 110 calories for the whole bagel.
 
*Every minute of every day a woman dies of heart disease. Check your cholesterol. Women have different symptoms from men when it comes to coronary heart disease. It is not always chest pain. The symptoms can be very vague and seem unrelated to the heart. Back pain, nausea, anxiety, headache and other vague symptoms can mask a heart attack, think about your heart when you know you are feeling sick.
 
*Know your basal metabolic rate. The instructors can calculate your BMR from your weight and body fat percentage. Then you can calculate how many calories you need to burn each day exercising and which foods to cut out to make your numbers.
 
 
*Insulin resistance is enhanced in menopause. Go easy on the carbs in the morning and eat more plant based proteins like nuts and defatted soy products. Use berries for carbs instead of breads and cereals. You can improve on the insulin resistance even in menopause.
 
*Make a pledge to eat a cup of berries for breakfast every morning for a week.
Put them on cereal or oatmeal.
This will be the best vitamin you have ever taken.
Keep track of how you feel in your diet diary.

*Eat the orange instead of drinking the juice. The whole orange has fiber that slows the absorption of the sugar molecules. This helps to regulate your blood sugar levels, preventing a big sugar surge. One whole orange has far less sugar than a glass of regular OJ. Remember, most fruit juices have added sugar (high fructose corn syrup).

*Do skinny people live longer? New studies in animals (this time monkeys) show that calorie restricted animals live longer than non-restricted  controls. These studies back up findings in rats and mice that showed increases longevity in the under-fed group. The evidence is pretty compelling that under eating protects our DNA from damage as we age. Does this mean that cutting back calories will make humans live longer? It could but it could also lead to eating disorders and diet deficiencies that could set us up for other diseases. I suggest you continue to watch your body fat percentage and by all means hold on to your muscle mass. Cut empty calories like sugar and fat out by all means. Take the health risk assessment seriously and remove all red flags from your chart.
Live long and prosper.

*Early detection does not always work.
Some cancers have the ability to spread to other organs before we can see  them on x-ray or feel them. Breast cancers in young women often present this way. This is one reason why screening women under 40 years of age does not improve mortality rates. By the time a cancer is one centimeter in diameter there are millions of cancer cells. Some of these cells have the ability to spread away from the primary site by the lymphatic or venous systems. Once the cells spread surgery alone is not going to cure the cancer. 

*Keep in mind that the Desserts served in restaurants are actually the serving size for 4 people.  So grab three extra forks and share. 

*Also, the Kashi brand products (available in most grocery stores) are a great choice.  They offer cereals, breakfast bars, crackers, frozen entrees, even pizzas

*A new study touts the heart benefits of chocolate. Germans that ate a small piece of chocolate reduced the risk of heart attack.