It is recommended and it is possible to get all your nutritional needs from the foods you eat daily, but it does take some intricate planning and a perfect day to get them all in every day. So, if you’re like me, taking supplements is just a little insurance that my body doesn’t suffer from my poor planning. Your doctor may also advise you to take a particular supplement such as folic acid if you are of child bearing age. On the other hand, too much of a supplement can be toxic. An example would be vitamin A which can cause liver damage or nervous system disorders. So, always talk with your doctor about the supplements you need and in the correct amounts for your situation. Remember, also, to include your list of supplements with your prescription list when seeing your doctor since they can interact with one another and cause adverse effects. You might also try over the counter supplements for other conditions like high cholesterol or allergies which may be more cost effective for you.
Some diet gurus believe that stress will slow down your metabolism when dieting and suggest that a dieter take an anti-stress formula vitamin and mineral compound. Chromium also is believed to help prevent sweet cravings and fatigue. A capsule dosage of 100 micrograms, three times a day before meals should help alleviate those nasty hunger pangs.  I have taken this when limiting my sugar intake and it really does help my cravings.

Do some research of your own and talk with your doctor. If you plan ahead and eat healthy you may feel you don’t really need supplements at all. But it’s nice to know there’s help in the wings for us Type A personalities who never have time to do it all!

Food Labels-What Do They Really Mean?

If you’re counting calories, carbs, sugars, or just restricting daily intake of some other ingredient, it’s important to understand how to read food labels. Pretty simple, really. Just take a quick look at the information you’ll find on the label that the government requires.

1. The Serving Size on the food label is listed in both the metric and common measurements.
2. Servings Per Container will be a shock because most of us have become used to the “more is better” mentality here in America.
3. Listed next will be Calories and Calories from Fat (Try to keep total saturated fat intake no more than 10% of total calories per day).
4. Cholesterol will be listed in mg. Guidelines suggest not more than 300 mg daily.
5. Sodium, also measured in mg with guidelines for adults 1,500 mg daily or less.
6. Total Carbohydrates in grams. There are15 grams in 1 exchange, 1 starch, 1 fruit, or 1 milk serving.
7. Notice fiber and sugar are a subgroup of total carbohydrates.
8. Daily caloric levels are listed based on the needs for an average woman at 2,000 and for an average man at 2,500.

The current Dietary Guidelines have existed since 1980 with minor revisions every five years. A major revision will be due in 2010 and the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services are now assembling a committee of experts to establish the new guidelines. They will focus on the following:

• Prevention of Chronic Diseases
• Epidemiology
• Nutrition Biochemistry & Physiology
• Obesity
• Food Safety and Technology
• Update 2005 Dietary Guidelines

The goal of the committee will be to give the public expert sound advice on what make up a healthy, balanced diet. At the same time, they’ll give manufacturers guidance so their products are healthier and we are more educated as consumers .

It’s not often that you get a meal for free, but on Thursday, May 15, 2008, at participating McDonald’s restaurants, between 7 AM and 10:30 AM you can receive a free Southern Style Chicken Biscuit with the purchase of a medium or large drink. Before you get all excited, though, let’s take a look at what this bit of charity from McDonald’s might do to your daily dietary budget. For starters, the words “southern” and “biscuit” might be our first warning!

From their website, the nutritional values for the 5.5 oz breakfast biscuit are: 480 calories, 220 calories from fat, 24 g. fat, 37 % fat, 9G sat fat, 35mg cholesterol, 1,310mg sodium, 47 g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g sugar, 8g protein.

The smaller biscuit, the 5 oz size, is only 60 calories less and there’s very little difference in the other numbers.

The USDA Dieatary Guidelines recommend that we consume less than 2,300 mg (approximately 1 tsp of salt) of sodium per day, so that’s over half in just one meal. And if you’re on a calorie restricted diet, you won’t have much left for the rest of the day, so plan to eat a lot of fiber and drink a lot of water.

I have nothing against McDonald’s and I applaud their marketing strategy in giving away a meal to get us hooked. I think we all have to think about even this seemingly harmless fork in the road and be responsible in making a healthy decision for ourselves. This could be the one thing that makes or breaks our healthy eating habits. So, if you plan to stop by and pick up a free biscuit, drop it off to a friend who can afford the extra calories and feel good about your random act of kindness! Your friend will appreciate it and your waistline will, too!

When a truck in Illinois, hauling about 20,000 pounds of Oreos, crashed Monday (May 19, 2008) on I-80 just east of Morris, the trailer was ripped opened and the Oreos were thrown across the eastbound lanes of the highway. What I wouldn’t give to have been there! I’d help clean up that mess!

As I read the short piece in the paper, my mouth began to water and the familiar memory of milk and cookies passed through my brain signaling a need to race out the door in search of double-filled Oreos and a gallon of whole milk.

Then I remembered…the diet, the calories, the fat, etc. So, I resisted the urge, closed my eyes, drifted back into childhood memories of cooking healthy dishes in the kitchen with my mother; then baking those seven layer chocolate cakes with creamy chocolate icing between each layer………and we’d have Oreos with milk…….uh oh!

If you happen to live in Florida or on vacation there and happen to be near the Ocala National Forest, keep your eyes open for “Yellow Cake.” The US Air Force launched the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, known as the Raven and “Yellow Cake”, on Tuesday from an open field in Ocala, Florida and it has failed to respond to commands from controllers on the ground.

The real challenge in finding it is that it’s small; the wingspan is only 6 feet and it weighs about 4 pounds. The words “Yellow Cake” are written across its nose. This is not just an ordinary yellow cake…it’s worth about $35,000 with the total system costing $250,000. If you find the Raven or have any information about its whereabouts, please contact Capt. F.D. Friedman at (910) 382-6492.

Mike Huckabee graciously lost his bid for the 2008 presidential nomination, but he’s a winner in his battle for a healthy lifestyle.  Weighing over 300 pounds in 2000, he reveals in his new book, “Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork,” how to turn your life around by breaking all those bad eating habits and replace them with a new attitude and lifestyle.  The former governor was diagnosed in 2002 with Type 2 diabetes, a condition which affects over 14 million Americans.  Huckabee was told he must change his overeating, no-exercise, high stress life or he could be looking at death within 10 years.  That was enough to turn him around and think seriously about what he wanted to accomplish in his lifetime and 10 years seemed too little time.

Huckabee says he doesn’t even pretend to have all the answers, but hopes he may help others avoid diabetes or overcome the disease.  He admits his path takes real commitment and hard work.  And like most overweight people, he was offended by those “gym rats” preaching their message about getting fit. 

He tells us to first, see the big picture.  Never will you be able to look back and say that you’re finished with this thing.  It is a lifelong change.  This is critical.  There is no quick fix.

Next, set small goals.  His original goal was to lose only 30 or 40 pounds.  For him that was something he thought he could do.  Setting a higher goal would have set himself up for failure.  He kept telling himself he just wanted to be healthier.  He wanted to live longer.

Three:  Don’t Diet.  He says, “You can’t sit in the passenger seat on this one; you have to be willing to drive.”  You have to always be in control of your lifestyle.  If you’re on a diet, you have the feeling that it is temporary and this is not.

Four:  Go Slow.  At first, Governor Huckabee had to lose a few pounds before his doctor would allow him to exercise so he wouldn’t injure his knees.  His first routine consisted of walking about 6 minutes.  Then, the walking became a reward in itself and he kept adding a few minutes at a time.  Eventually he was walking a mile and a half a day.  Then he was running marathons.

Five:  Find a daily routine.  Your own routine may be much different, but include exercise just as you would brush your teeth and get dressed for work.  Huckabee gets up at 4:30 am so he has the time to walk a mile, run three, then walk a half mile to cool down.  Then he reads the newspaper while on the recumbent stationary bike for 30 minutes.  Be creative and make the time for your good health habits.

Last:  Make Food Changes.  He almost totally gave up processed sugar and white flour.  He’s found that his body doesn’t need it and he really doesn’t want it any longer.  He includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and watches the portions he consumes.  Usually a salad is eaten without dressing, but if anything is used, salsa is all that is needed.

Other tips:  Packing a small cooler when he travels gives Huckabee the energy he needs without “having” to make a bad choice.  He packs smoked turkey, strawberries, apples, bottled water and diet soda. It’s easier to say “no” than “not that much,” he said.  Also, be ready for your weakest moment, which for him is late at night after everyone else has gone to bed.  He now will choose an apple over chips, because that’s what he really wants, but that wasn’t the case at the start.  He had to really think about that choice in the beginning.  Now it’s almost a reflex.  (Information from the Washington Post)

Today, publicising his new book, Mike Huckabee reports he has had no diabetes symptoms in two years.  He takes no medication for his condition and he feels healthy.  Sounds like he’s found the secret we’ve all been looking for!