PETER'S PRINCIPLES - June 11 -
June 15, 2007
Donna from Grosse Pointe emails asking about
alcohol and calorie content.
Donna-- many mixed drinks are full of empty calories that
can add to unwanted weight gain. Here's are a few
guidelines to minimize the calorie count!
First- never drink on an empty stomach! Drinking lowers blood sugars -- which will make your body crave food.
Eating in advance will help keep you from craving food after a few drinks-- and then over indulging. Food will also help stop your body from absorbing the alcohol too quickly.
Be careful what you drink! Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, compared to carbs and protein which has. The only thing higher than that is fat, which has 9 calories per gram.
Avoiding creamy drinks will help keep the weight off. Remember, one pina colada can have as many as four hundred fifty calories! Low calorie mixers can save the day-and help you feel better about things in me morning!
Tracy from Ferndale says she just can't sleep at
night. What can she do?
Try a nap. A new study followed a group of people on two
different days. The first day the group was allowed to
nap-the second they weren't allowed to sleep during the
day.
Researchers found the nappers got more total sleep on their nap days and scored better on tests of reasoning, reaction time and perception. Studies also show a 20 minute "Power nap" in the afternoon actually provides more rest than sleeping an extra 20 minutes in the morning. Experts do advise you to limit your naps to between 15 and 30 minutes, sleeping any longer can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night. And if your life is too busy for a nap, experts say try closing you eyes for rust 5 minutes and take a brief rest during the day. It will help you relax and give you more energy.
I hope these tips will help you get better shut eye.
Paul from Canton emails for nutritional tips on
cutting the risk of stroke.
Paul- in this case, five is definitely your lucky
number!
Research now shows that eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can cut your stroke risk up to twenty six percent. Study participants getting three to five servings a day were eleven percent less likely to suffer from a stroke. The findings are important because most people in developed countries only eat three or fewer servings of vegetables a day. The key to the five a day rule might be potassium. Fruit is loaded with it-and potassium has been found to be great at helping to control high blood pressure which is a key predictor to stroke risk.
The game of life is a little like cards- five of a kind is a very good hand!
Brad from Canton has been warned about colon cancer
and emails for natural prevention tips.
Brad - here are some easy rules you can live by.
First, be sure to cut back on your red meat intake. Studies show that taking in less than six ounces a day can cut colon cancer risk by one third over time. One delicious alternative is fish- and plenty of it! The same study shows that three ounces of fish a day can also help cut your colon cancer risk.
Cruciferous vegetables are a must! Chow down on broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower. They're all packed with natural anti-carcinogens. Get plenty of vitamin D. Twelve hundred milligrams a day can cut the recurrence of polyps by up to nineteen percent-and polyps are a key sign of trouble when it comes to colon cancer.
And be sure to stay fit-in a four year study obese men were two and a half times more likely to come down with the disease.
Sam from Mt. Clemens has noticed medicine balls at
his health club and wants to know how to use
them.
Sam - medicine balls are a great way to really beef up your
workouts.
They come in various weights -- 3,6, Or 9 pounds --which adds resistance to your workouts. You can make almost any floor or plyometric routine more fun. Add them to your stretch workout. With two hands, hold a 3-6 lb. medicine ball against your chest while you do sit ups, or you can mimic just about any ball sport with it.
It can even strengthen your golf swing!
Do you have a question you've been working on? Send me an email!
