The Good Health Magazine : PULSE
THE POWER OF PIZZA
This probably won’t come as a surprise to many parents but a food poll conducted by 3-2-1 Contact and Kid City magazines found that one in four children between the ages of 6 and 14 choose pizza as their favorite lunch. The poll also showed that most kids make their own snacks and many make their breakfasts and lunches as well. Dinner, however, is decided by their parents, according to 88% of the 12,000 respondents.
BUTTERING UP TO THE PEANUT
In the eyes of some, peanut butter is second only to chocolate in the “Nature’s most perfect food” category. And that’s not too far wrong, despite what critics say about the fat content. Consider:
Peanuts contain twice the protein of cooked dry beans.
Peanuts are a good source of dietary fiber. There are about 4 grams of fiber in 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, about the same as 2 slices of whole wheat bread.
The fat in peanut oil (about 80% of it) is unsaturated and doesn’t raise blood cholesterol levels.
The bad news is that peanut butter is fattening--a tablespoon has almost 100 calories. So you might want to think about using a little less on those sandwiches. There is now, however, such a thing as “defatted” roasted peanuts with a third fewer calories than regular oil-roasted ones. They’re made by squeezing oil out of the nuts and replacing it with water.
SNAPPY JUDGMENT
Cookie freaks who can’t pass up the Pepperidge Farm or refuse to say no to Mothers should pay attention to a recent study of their favorite dessert. The winners in the if-you-must -have-a-cookie-then-have -one-of-these category are: ginger snaps, graham crackers and fruit bars, because of their low(er) fat content.
STOCK’S UP ON CHOCOLATE
Chocolate seems to have suffered from a bad rap for years. While no one is claiming it’s a health food, it’s not as bad as was once thought. Why? Cocoa, its main ingredient, is a plant product so it’s cholesterol-free. New research shows that although most of the fat in chocolate is saturated, a large amount of that is stearic acid, which does not raise blood cholesterol. Even the sugar in chocolate may not be as harmful as our mothers told us it was: Studies indicate that cocoa contains substances that inhibit the bacteria that turn sugar into polysaccharides that promote plaque and decay.
PUT ON A HAPPY FACE
You might think about changing your outlook if you want to stay healthy, according to two studies about attitudes and health. In one, researchers found that a group of men inclined to be pessimistic in their 20s were more likely to be in poor physical health in their 40s and 50s. They first interviewed 99 Harvard undergraduates in 1946, asking about their wartime experiences and rating the responses for “explanatory style,” the way the participants explained misfortunes. The pessimists, according to the researchers, tended to blame things on themselves or attribute them to permanent causes, resulting in feelings of helplessness, depression and passivity.
The men were interviewed at five-year intervals up to age 60. At age 45, the pessimists were found more likely to have minor complaints or serious chronic illnesses than average. What explains this? Those conducting the study believe that feelings of helplessness may impair the immune system as well as presenting a passive attitude toward treatment or prevention. Another explanation is that this type of personality lacks the social contacts that help protect against illness.
Studies done in Finland and the United States suggest that men with a high level of hostility are more likely to die when they develop ischemic heart disease, usually caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the coronary arteries). (No correlation was found that men with hostile attitudes were more likely to develop this kind of heart disease in the first place, although hostility is one feature of the Type A personality that is said to make men susceptible to heart disease.) In the Finnish study, men with the highest levels of hostility had an overall death rate almost three times higher than that of men at the lowest hostility rates.
COAT THOSE SHADES
Cataracts have always been thought of as an “old peoples” problem, but just as there has been an increase in sun-related skin cancers, there has also been an increase in sun-related cataracts, especially in people in their 40s and 50s. Exposure to ultraviolet light, especially UV-B (sunburn rays), is the culprit, and two factors are largely responsible: social trends which have encouraged overexposure to sunlight, and the loss of the ozone layer which filters out UV-B.
People in areas such as Southern California who are exposed to high levels of sunlight on a daily basis and those who live in higher, mountainous altitudes where ozone protection is thinner are especially vulnerable. Reflected light from snow or water can result in as much as a six-fold increase in UV light. While wearing any sunglasses is better than wearing none, the best protection comes from those that block 100% of UV-B radiation. Any sunglasses can be converted to 100% protection by means of an inexpensive coating process available at -optometrists and opticians.
LET’S EGG HIM ON
We all may be eating omelets to our hearts content if all goes according to Gideon Zeidler’s plan. The UC Davis specialist in food science and technology is working on a way to extact up to 80% of cholesterol from eggs without altering their taste or nutritional value. The process he’s experimenting with is super-critical extraction, long used in Europe to decaffeinate coffee.
CHARTING YOUR WEIGHT
You’re not alone--the average American gains 7 pounds between ages 25 and 34, making it the greatest weight gain of any 10-year period between 25 and 74. Most people lose weight after age 55. And if you tend to judge your weight by one of those height/weight charts, don’t, says Kay Stanfill, associate professor of food science at the University of Oklahoma. Because those charts were originally made up by insurance companies to determine risk range, they don’t address the goals of health and reasonable weights. “The dietitians’ rule of thumb for ‘ideal’ weight for women is generally 100 pounds for the first 5 feet, and then an extra 5 pounds for every inch over 5 feet,” says Stanfill. “For men it is 106 pounds for the first 5 feet and 6 pounds for every inch over. Anything within a range of 10% of those figures is still considered normal.”
ANOTHER GLASS, PLEASE
What’s on the drawing board to help athletes in the not-too-distant future? Dr. Keith Wheeler, director of education and research for Ross Laboratories, lists the following:
Paper-like strips that can be used to check saliva to see if an athlete is dehydrated.
Skin tapes with microchips that can test blood glucose levels and monitor specific nutrition needs.
And a nutritional sports drink that tastes like beer.
NOW HEAR THIS
D. J. Gail Neely, head of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology, reports that hearing loss is occurring at younger and younger ages. The most common culprits are exposure to noise over a long period of time such as at a job working with loud machinery, and a sudden sharp noise that leaves damage. To help prevent hearing loss, Neely offers these tips:
Don’t give young children radios with headsets. They can turn the volume up too high.
Equipment that produc- es a high sound level should be used in open areas that allow for dissipation of sound.
Invest in a pair of “ear defenders,” inexpensive ear plugs that muffle sound.
If you have to raise your voice to be heard, the surrounding noise is too loud.
SHEDDING LIGHT ON LITE
Frozen diet dinners are popular among ever-so-busy calorie counters but consumers fail to look at the big picture, according to a study conducted by Dr. Audrey Cross, an associate professor of nutrition at the Columbia University School of Public Health. The culprit is not calories but fat. “One product may have fewer calories than another,” says Dr. Cross, “and yet contain twice the fat.” Her study also disclosed that the levels of sodium, cholesterol and fat differed not only from brand to brand but also among the varieties offered by the same manufacturer. To make a sensible decision about frozen diet entrees, Dr. Cross suggests looking for those with:
Less than 300 calories.
Less than 10 grams of fat, with a maximum of 30% of calories from fat.
Less than 100 milligrams of cholesterol.
Less than 1,100 milligrams of sodium.
LEARNING THE TOOTH
Now there’s help for all who break out into a sweat at the mere mention of the word dentist . A team of dentists and psychologists who work with dentists make up the UCLA Dental Fear and Anxiety Center (213-206-6406), which helps people overcome standard dentist-office fears--pain, needles, the sound of the drill.
SLIDING SCALES
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has produced three pocket guides to help consumers make wise food choices. These “Eating Smart Slide-Guides” feature an easy-to-use mechanism that pinpoints information about each food or food additive. The Fat Guide indicates the total fat, saturated fat and calorie content of more than 225 commonly eaten foods. The Fast Food Guide provides data on calories, fat, sugar, sodium and overall nutritional benefit of foods served at 13 fast-food chains. The Additive Guide offers information on over 50 common food additives. The 4 by 9-inch guides are available for $3.95 each from CSPI, Dept. PD, 1501 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
PUFF PROGRAMMING
In this age of computers-that-do-everything, what more logical than a computer that will help you stop smoking. The size of a credit card, the computer is part of a program called LifeSign, which works on a gradual-withdrawal system. You program your smoking pattern into the computer and it calculates an individually tailored quitting plan, gradually increasing the time between cigarettes. A digital display shows the number of days until your scheduled quit day, and the amount of time until you can smoke again. The computer signals you when it’s time for your next cigarette. LifeSign is available from Health Innovations, 12355 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, Va. 22091; telephone 1-800-543-3744.
A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE . . .
Health education does influence children’s behavior, according to a survey commissioned by the Metropolitan Life Foundation and conducted by Louis Harris and Associates. Students who have had a comprehensive health education were found to express a feeling of control over their own health and to follow more positive health practices, and were found to be better informed on newer health issues such as AIDS. Even so, the findings of the survey of 4,738 students in grades 3 through 12 (a group of 500 parents plus a teacher from each of the 199 participating schools also were questioned) show that there remains a long way to go. Some findings:
Only 34% of students say they always wear a seat belt in the front seat of a car.
Thirty-five percent don’t know what to do if they choke on food.
Among students of legal driving age, 67% have ridden with a driver who had been drinking. Almost half of 11th and 12th graders say they have driven after having one drink; girls are less likely to drive after drinking than boys.
Twenty-one percent of students with no health education think not being in a class with someone with AIDS reduces their risk of getting AIDS.
Thirty-six percent of parents report that their child has had at least one alcoholic drink but 66% of students say that they have used alcohol.
Fourteen percent of parents report that their child has smoked a cigarette but 41% of the children admit to doing so.
Five percent of parents say their child has used drugs and 17% of students report they have used drugs.
When unhappy, 61% of students are likely to talk to their friends. On average, more than one of four say they would talk to no one about a problem.
A LITTLE PINCH WILL HURT YOU
Thirty percent of all adolescent males dip snuff and the number of female snuff dippers is increasing, reports the American Cancer Society. The Surgeon General has found snuff to be as addictive as morphine and cocaine, and a study funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences states that an average pinch of smokeless tobacco provides twice as much nicotine as a cigarette, causing pronounced increases in heart rate and blood pressure.
I’LL START WITH THE PLASTIC, PLEASE
If you’ve been ignoring the hoopla about dietary fiber because it tastes like hay to you, don’t worry. Two researchers in England have found that a diet high in plastic can offer the same benefits as one high in fiber. They speculate that small plastic particles work like bran to stimulate the mucous membranes in the bowel, which trigger bowel reflexes. And it doesn’t get soggy in milk.
ONE MORE REASON TO WATCH THE MIDNIGHT MOVIE
A recent item in Family Practice News suggests that doctors can be too quick to prescribe sleeping pills as the answer to insomnia. Often patients suffering from insomnia are older, and older people don’t need as much sleep. The best medicine? Going to bed a couple of hours later.
Sources for Pulse include the University of California’s Berkeley Wellness Letter, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center’s Department of Clinical Dietetics, Psychology Today, Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
