One Big Health Nut

Eating disorders affect millions of people in this country.  The onset of an eating disorder usually occurs in adolescence or in the early years of adulthood.  Eating disorders most frequently affect females, but males can also be afflicted.  An eating disorder is an illness that is characterized by a compulsion to eat in a manner that is detrimental to a person’s physical and mental health.  Eating disorders can be exhibited through excessive eating, binge eating, or restrictive eating.  Persons afflicted with an eating disorder are generally suffering from a psychological condition that contributes, or facilitates, the illness.  Depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, and addiction are the most common mental conditions that contribute to the development of an eating disorder.

            There are several types of eating disorders.  The three most common are Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge eating disorder (also known as compulsive overeating). 

1. Anorexia is a condition that causes the individual to severely restrict his/her eating.  Individuals suffering from anorexia are usually striving to attain perfection.  By regulating eating in this restrictive manner, the individual feels more in control of their life.  The person will suffer from low self-esteem and base their feelings of self worth on how successfully their eating was regulated throughout the day.  Individuals believe themselves to be overweight regardless of their actual weight.  Signs/Symptoms of a person suffering from this condition include unusual eating habits, discomfort associated with food, restriction of food choices, guilt/shame about eating, fatigue/muscle weakness, excessive exercise, always feeling cold, and noticeable weight loss.

2. Bulimia sufferers fear weight gain, have a strong desire to lose weight, and are extremely dissatisfied with their bodies.  The bulimic individual will suffer from episodes of binge eating, consuming an excess of 1000 to 10000 calories at a time and experience a lack of control over their eating during this period.  In an effort to prevent weight gain, bulimic sufferers will compensate by purging their bodies of the unwanted calories.  Purging behaviors will include vomiting, use of laxatives, diuretics, and enemas, fasting, and excessive periods of exercise.  Purging rituals are usually performed in secrecy.

3. Binge eating disorders are characterized by episodes of uncontrolled eating.  Individuals suffering from this type of eating disorder will eat more quickly than what is considered normal, will eat until uncomfortably full, and will eat large amounts of food even when not feeling hungry.  Persons with this disorder will experience feelings of self-disgust, depression, and guilt.  Many individuals suffering from this illness do not purge the excess calories and will be overweight. 

Eating disorders are a serious medical problem that requires medical help in order to recover.  Many sufferers will not seek out help because of a fear of weight gain and being force fed.  Others are ashamed of their condition.  Evidence has been found that suggests that physiological conditions may also contribute to eating disorders.  It is important that individuals suffering from eating disorders obtain help as early as possible to avoid long term health deterioration and damage.  Without help, a person with an eating disorder can suffer health problems that will lead to death. 

Red wine contains a substantial amount of the antioxidant flavonoid phenolics.  This antioxidant is found in grape skins and seeds.  Flavonoids are known to prevent blood clots and the formation of plaque in the arteries.  Because red wine contains this beneficial antioxidant, studies have found that red wine may reduce damage to blood vessels due to fat deposits.  Red wine may also raise your HDL cholesterol which helps lower the LDL cholesterol.  HDL cholesterol is good for your body, while the LDL cholesterol is harmful.

           Studies recommend that women consume only one drink of red wine per day and men limit their consumption to two drinks each day.  The drawbacks of consuming any alcoholic beverage include weight gain due to additional calories and an increase in triglycerides which is known to be harmful.  Alcohol may also be associated with an increased risk of cancer.  If you want to attain the health benefits studies suggest are associated with red wine without being subjected to the negative consequences, you can eat grapes.  You will reap the same benefits and avoid possible weight gain.

Stress is a part of our ever day lives. Stress is both a physical and psychological response to events in life that disturbs your equilibrium. Anytime you are presented with a situation that compels you to make adjustments, you are responding to stress. Causes of stress are numerous and subject to individual affect. Something that may be considered stressful for one individual may not be construed as stressful for another. Common stressors are attributed to frustrations, conflicts, or pressures.

Stress can affect your mind, body, and your behavior. The effects of stress on your health can be potentially harmful to both your physical and mental health. The effects of stress can substantially disrupt your life. Symptoms of stress can include:

•Moodiness/hypersensitivity and irritability
•Restlessness, anxiety, resentment
•Anger and depression
•Memory problems and difficulty concentrating
•Difficulty making decisions
•Poor judgement, repetitive/racing thoughts, loss of objectivity
•Feelings of being overwhelmed and negativity, apaty
•Headaches, muscle tension/pain, chest pains
•Digestive problems
•Sleep disturbances, fatigue
•Skin problems
•High blood pressure, weight gain/loss

How you respond to stress will determine the extent of the effects you will suffer. Prolonged or chronic stress will have a detrimental effect on your health. Stress is considered a contributing factor in physical aging. Studies have found stress can accelerate aging, causing your body to become physically up to ten years older than your chronological age. It is also associated with cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes. And stress can lead to depression.

It is extremely important to learn to deal constructively with stress. Experts suggest you begin by identifying the cause of your stress. Once you define the cause of your stress, you can develop a plan of action to deal with the cause. Putting the stressor in perspective and developing a plan to manage the stressor should relieve some of your anxiety. Monitoring your mood can also be helpful. If you take time to assess your frame of mind and the cause of any negative feelings you are experiencing, you can analyze the situation and determine the actual seriousness of what you are facing. By evaluating your situation and placing your mood in perspective, you may find that the situation is not as serious or as difficult as you first thought. Remember that every situation has a solution. You just have to find it.

Make time for yourself by doing something you find relaxing or comforting. You should set aside time, no matter how busy your life, at least two to three days a week. It will help refresh you and allow you to deal constructively with situations that may be stressful. Spend time with a friend, exercise (a great stress reliever), escape in a book, or just sit still. Life, and the stressor, will still be there afterwards. But you will have given yourself space and time away from the problem and should be able to view the problem with new perspective.

Question:  I’m in high-school now, but during the summer I lost a lot of weight. Given what high schools usually serve at lunch (chicken ranchero wraps, pasta salads, Lasagna, enchiladas, etc…), what are some good choices? 

Answer: School lunches are federally funded and regulated.  The lunches are required to meet nutritional standards set by federal law in order to be eligible for reimbursement.  The guidelines regulating school lunches require a maximum of 30% of calories can be derived from fat and only 10% can be from saturated fats.  The lunches must provide 1/3 of the RDAs for protein, vitamin a, vitamin c, iron, calcium, and calories.  The selection of ‘fried foods’ offered for school lunches are normally baked and comprised of low-fat ingredients so that the foods will meet the federal requirements.   

The optional items available in school cafeterias that are not considered as nutritious and healthy are usually the ‘ala carte’ options.  These are the items sold separate from the lunches and are not part of the actual meal.  If you want to eat a healthy and nutritious meal, avoid these items.  Do not purchase a soda with your meal.  Make sure that you select options included with the offered lunch.  Select at least one vegetable or fruit from the menu.  And eat the portion provided with the school lunch.  Try not to supplement with additional sides or ‘extras’ from other students.  

So as long as you choose options that are part of the actual lunch being offered, your choice should be healthy.  Schools often provide menus that supply nutritional data from the daily lunch, i.e. calories, fat, and saturated fats.  If your school doesn’t offer this information, perhaps talk to an administrator and request that the information be furnished and available to students.

Exercise is always performed with a specific goal in mind.  Each individual hopes to achieve an explicit result.  In order to attain that goal, the individual must continuously increase the intensity of the work-outs and adjust the exercises based on the observable outcome.  You may need to adjust your exercise program to include additional exercises if results in certain muscle groups are lagging.  And if you are trying to lose weight but are not losing as quickly as you would like, you will need to add more weight training sessions or increase your cardio.  Keeping an exercise log or journal has become a popular practice that is extremely useful in furthering your goals and determining what changes may need to be implemented in your exercise program.   

          An exercise log or journal provides a record of each work out session.  It records your accomplishments and allows you to view your progress.  It can be difficult to remember exactly how many repetitions you completed of an exercise and how heavy the weight load was that you lifted.  A log allows you the luxury of certainty.  You have the information in writing.  You can easily determine when you last increased your weight load, the number of repetitions you were able to perform at a certain weight, and when you should be ready to increase your intensity level again. 

          What you record in your exercise log is up to you.  You can just list the exercises, weight load, and the sets and repetitions performed.  Or you can include a weekly or monthly record of your measurements, your weight, and even what supplements you may have tried.  If you keep a record of all exercises you perform, including cardio, you will also be able to determine if you are incorporating sufficient cardio into your workout to facilitate adequate fat burning.  The more information you record in your exercise log, the more information you will have to determine what works for you and what doesn’t.