Dieting on a Budget

Research has shown that diets that are higher in protein can help increase metabolism and lead to weight loss. These are safe for most people, but anyone with kidney disease should be careful with increased protein intake.

The following substitutions will add protein to your diet without adding extra fat and calories. Note: The number of grams of protein are indicated in brackets.

• Instead of 1 slice bacon (3 g), eat 1 egg (6 g).

• Instead of 1 glass of orange juice (1.5 g), drink 1 glass low-fat milk (8 g).

• Instead of 2 chicken wings (9 g), eat 3.5 ounces of chicken breast (21 g).

• Instead of 1 hamburger patty (22g), eat 4 ounces lean steak (35 g).

• Instead of 2 tbsp cream cheese(2 g), eat 2 tbsp peanut butter (8 g).
  

All About Yogurt

Low-fat or non-fat yogurt is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. And, yogurts that contain live or "active" bacteria cultures known as probiotics may help suppress the growth of harmful bacteria. Eating yogurt when taking antibiotics (which can upset the intestinal tract) may be helpful.

According to Dr. Oz, regular yogurt consumption will reduce the risk of gum disease, help protect from bladder and liver cancers, and sweeten breath. It also provides about 400 mg of calcium in a cup.

Consider the following tips:

• Select the non-fat, plain yogurt. Dress it up with nuts, wheat germ, or fresh fruit.
  

• Read labels carefully and steer away from high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and artificial ingredients.

• Look for labels that say the yogurt contains probiotics.
  

Better Sleep On A Budget

According to recent statistics, sleep deprivation affects more than 70 million North Americans. We are spending $2.4 billion a year just trying to fall asleep.

In her book, The Hormone Diet, Dr. Natasha Turner offers the following tips:

• Go to bed by 11 p.m. Our stress glands, the adrenals, recharge or recover most between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. And, if we could go to bed before 10 p.m. we would establish optimal conditions for building our adrenal reserves.

• Sleep 7 to 9 hours a night. The American Cancer Association has found higher incidences of cancer in individuals who consistently sleep fewer than 6 hours or more than 9 hours nightly. It is interesting to note that oversleeping is just as harmful a sleep deprivation.

• Keep household lighting dim from dinnertime until you go to sleep. This helps prepare your body and hormones for sleeps and aids digestion.
  

• Sleep in loose-fitting night clothes. Tight clothing will increase body temperature and interfere with melatonin release.

Healing

There is so much we fight.

The fight against cancer, heart disease, diabetes...

If we look closely we can see that all of our attention is upon the disease and not upon the cure.

All of our energy is spent in aggression and not in love.

For there is a softness to healing.

A sacredness to our pain.

A sweetness to our sorrow.

And it is in these moments that we dive low into the depths of our spirits,

And when we emerge from our journey to the scared centers of our source

We are grounded, stronger, and full of hope.

There is no fight there for, in truth, we would be fighting against ourselves.

There is acceptance.

An embrace of love.

And in that moment, we shall find healing.

By Ian Paul Marshall

Getting Online Advice

As health care consumers, we have access to an enormous amount of information on the Web. It is important that we learn to effectively navigate this communication jungle.

Before taking any online advice...

• Find out who runs the site. Sites run by the government or a university are the most reliable.

• Check the editorial policy to make sure it has an advisory board made up of experts in the field.

• All medical statistics and facts should be properly documented. Articles in established scientific journals should be credited.

• A site should indicate it has been updated recently. Inactive links indicate that a site is not properly maintained and is likely out of date.
  

Cut Clutter

In her book, The Hormone Diet, Dr. Natasha Turner suggests that we give our kitchens a mini-makeover and clear our cupboards of any products that impair healthy hormonal balance.

Consider removing...

• Products that contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and Splenda.
• Products containing high-fructose corn syrup.
• Vegetable oil, palm oil, shortening, margarine and anything else containing partially hydrogenated oils.
• Processed and packaged foods that contain preservatives and lack nutrients, e.g. prepared pasta side dishes.
• Packaged products such as sliced meats that contain sulfites and nitrites.

And...

• Replace all your plastic food storage containers with glass.
• Phase out condiments and foods in plastic bottles. In the future, purchase only products in glass.
• Use paper wraps instead of plastic.
• Purchase all types of drinks in glass bottles as often as possible.
  

All About Walnuts

The benefits of walnuts can be obtained by small additions to our regular diet. One study found that women who ate at least 1 ounce of walnuts each week, had a 25% lower risk of developing gallstones.

In a recent article, Dr. Oz offered a "trick" to get our appetites under control--eat walnuts before dinner. According to Dr. Oz, the healthy fat in six walnut halves triggers a chain reaction that slows the rate at which the stomach empties. This results in less overeating.

Consider the following suggestions...

• Sprinkle a handful of walnuts on your tossed salad or steamed vegetables.

• For dessert, top a baked apple or poached pear with walnuts.

• Mix crushed walnuts with plan yogurt and top with maple syrup.

• Add walnuts to poultry stuffing recipes.