How Important is Chewing?

Everyone seems to be in a hurry these days. Meal times, especially breakfast and lunch, are rushed. "Wolf it down" seems more common than taking our time with eating. We often swallow food with minimal if any chewing. Is this ok? No!

Chewing our food is an important first step in digestion. Skip it and you may miss getting some of the nutrients in some of the best foods, like our vegetables. Chewing has an important role in eating and should not be skipped. What does chewing our food do?

• Chewing transforms transforms food into a form that is safer for swallowing.
• Saliva contains the digestive enzyme amylase that begins the process of breaking down food for digestion into our bodies.
• Grinding food with our teeth is important in preparing the food for later digestion in the intestine.
• Taking our time with eating through chewing our food helps us eat less and not gain as much weight.

Chewing is not optional! It is part of good nutrition practice. Think about how much time you spend with chewing. Being conscious of our chewing is a first step in keeping this essential part of digestion in proper perspective.

On Line Interactions Can be Better than those in the Doctor's Office

It is sometimes said that contacting a physician online, especially one that doesn't provide your ongoing primary care, is an "iffy" proposition at best. And, truthfully, if you require lab tests, x rays, an exam or a procedure, that is certainly true.

However, for many problems, the most important need a patient has is to exchange meaningful information about the condition at hand and have a clear plan about how to address it. For example, whether a specialty referral or a particular procedure or medication is needed, just to name a few of the many examples.

But, consider the possibility that, for certain situations, on line interaction may actually be superior to in 0ffice care! I have been amazed at the number of times that clients using eDoc have said that our physicians have been even more helpful for their situation than their own doctor has been after several office visits. How could this be?

On line dialogue, both for the physician and the patient, provides a much more relaxed environment to think about a response to a question or problem. There is no embarassment and, consequently, often more comfort in sharing unpleasant or personal details about symptoms. If a physician is "pretty sure" how to answer a question, but is unclear on some of the details, he has plenty of time to consult a text or a web site and review a situation briefly before he responds. Patients then have an unlimited opportunity to clarify issues or respond back to physicians' questions.

Finally, physicians have an incredible treasure chest of web sites and resources called the internet that they can use to enhance their responses with patient education materials. So, in the end, many online episodes result in a patient who is more fully informed and more satisfied with their plan than they might be following one or more brief in office visits with their physician.

So, if you have not been sure that online health is for you, try logging on and asking one of the eDocs a question.

You'll be glad you did.

Next time, I'll discuss the debate about independent research v. consulting with a physician online to answer your questions...

Let me know if you have comments or questions.

Nutritional Quality Index - How Well Do You Know Your Foods?

In the supermarket, we have the greatest choices of foods in the history of mankind. Eating well can be an overwelming challenge. Most of us like variety in our foods, and we have that luxury. But making good food choices regularly is quite a challenge with so many factors to think about.

At Yale University's Griffin Prevention Research Center, an Overall Nutritional Quality Index has been developed with scores of 1 to 100 based on the nutrients, vitamins, sugar and salt, and the overall impact of foods on blood pressure and other health concerns like clogging blood vessels. The quality index will begin appearing on many food labels and at many stores. Look for it. The scores are available at: www.onqi.org. Here are some highlights.

Foods that rated a perfect 100 are: broccoli, blueberries, orange and green beans. Pinapple and radish get a 99. Summer squash (98), apple (96), green cabbage (96), and tomato (96) are among the others at the top of this food chain.

Near the bottom are: popsicle and soda both rating a 1, saltine crackers, bacon, and apple pie rating a 2, milk chocolate a 3 (very sorry), cheese puffs a 4, hot dog a 5, salami a 7 and white bread a 9. These are commonly eaten foods that can easily be eliminated from a diet. You will lose weight too.

Some interesting foods in the middle are: unbuttered, unsalted popcorn (69), 2% milk (55), pasta (50), New York strip steak (44), bagel (23) and salted dry roasted peanuts at 21.

Eating healthy is a big challenge but we know more about our foods than ever before. Nutritional knowledge is out there for us to make healthy choices. I hope this information helps you and your family live a healthier life.

I Have Diverticuli in my Colon, What Can I Eat?

Now that more adults are getting colonoscopies, more of us are finding out that we have diverticuli in our colon. A diverticulum is a pouch, like a small cave, coming out of the lining of our colon. It is common for adults over 40 to have them. If they become inflammed or infected, this is call diverticulitis. Stool may become trapped in the diverticulum and over time cause an infection, sometimes very serious if there is a ruture of the diverticulum causing the infection to spread in the abdomen (peritonitis).

It is generally felt that a lack of regular fiber in the diet causes these diverticuli to form. This has has never been clearly proven. It is clear that daily use of fiber, especially grain fiber like that in high fiber cereals, keeps the stool moving and helps avoid stool getting trapped in the diverticuli causing an infection.

There has been a belief, even a medical recommendation, that people with diverticuli should avoid certain foods such as nuts, corn, popcorn and berries, thinking that these foods might get trapped in the diverticuli and cause an infection. This is rational thinking but has never been proven. To the relief of us that have diverticuli, and I found out I do at my colonoscopy, a study has now shown that these foods to not present any risk to people with diverticuli. In a study of over 47,000 men, intake of these foods had no association with developing diverticulitis.

So, I will continue to eat my high fiber cereal, fruits and vegetables every day. I will continue to enjoy nuts, corn and berries since I love them, and will feel free to order popcorn at the movies. Isn't it nice when medical science helps us enjoy life a little more!

How to Get Your Anti-Oxidants - Food or Supplements?

There is a common debate among those wanting optimal nutrition. How best to get your anti-oxidants - food or supplements? Those against the food often cite things like with today's pesticides and fertilizers, you cannot trust or get enough nutrients from food. You need to take supplements to reliably get enough anti-oxidants. Unfortunately this argument is perpetuated by advertisements from the supplement industry, maybe mixed with some fear among the public.

Food sources are not only the best way to get our anti-oxidants, they are the only reliable way to get them in a way that actually helps prevent the ills of oxidation, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Why, because there are so many anti-oxidants and natural food is the only way to get them all, and in a blend designed so well by nature.

What anti-oxidants am I talking about? The main ones fall into the category of beta carotene and the carotenoids. These are the beneficial components of plants, our vegetables and fruits. There are at least 50-60 of them in healthy foods that benefit our bodies. One or several in a single expensive supplement does not come close to matching this. The other anti-oxidants, folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin E have all been shown to benefit us best when obtained naturally from foods rather than supplements. Pick your food from reliable sources and you do not need to worry about the pestacides and fertilizers.

You might say that some supplements are actually ground up food sources. Ok, but do you think you are really getting enough in that pill? I look at little capsules of grape seed extract and laugh, how much can be in there?

Save your money and develop healthy food habits and practice them every day. Get berries and other fruits every day. I eat a banana and have blueberries in my cereal every morning. Have good vegetables every day at lunch and dinner. This practice keeps me healthy and at the right weight, and I know that I do not need expensive supplements to complete my nutrition. We have access to the greatest variety of healthy food in the history of mankind. If we are smart about that, we can be the healthiest people ever.

A Special July 4th Celebration

Recently, our family has been spending July Fourth with my disabled son, who in a nursing home in Charleston, AR, about 30 minutes or so from the Oklahoma border. Charleston is one of those towns that are disappearing slowly from the American landscape--too bad! Most everyone knows each other and neighbors meet daily to talk.

Every July 4th, the City of Charleston (population 3500) and Greenhurst Nursing Home, where my son is cared for, collaborate on a 4th of July picnic. Everyone in surrounding towns come! The kids have a good time playing in the yard, fishing in the pond and relaxing on the porch til the party starts. The Nursing Home family council, to which my wife belongs, serves the hot dogs, popcorn, ice cold watermelon and drinks. The front lawn is filled with families on blankets and children playing frisbee and running around. A local rock band plays and, when darkness sets in a first class fireworks exhibit (accompanied by classical music emanating from the speakers) entertains the crowd.

My son is so disabled he can't do much, but he certainly can enjoy and wonder at the music and smile contentedly while he watches the fireworks display erupting around him. I daresay there aren't many American towns left that conduct a fourth of July celebration like this one--and that's too bad as it was one to remember. Jordan and the other folks in the nursing home, as well as the families and town people appreciate the effortand will look forward to next July!

Calorie Restriction and Fasting, Keys to Health and Longevity

A 2 day conference was held at UCLA recently on the lastest research on increasing health and longevity. Lots of things are being looked at, including understanding the very biology of how and why we age. Right now, the only proven way to increase health and longevity is through calorie restriction. Eat less, be lean and live longer, assuming you eat the right things, like vegetables and grains with the right protein, complex carboydrates and unsaturated fats.

Mini-fasts, or not eating for 12-24 hours, is also gaining attention. Many Mormans fast one day each month, only taking in water. In a study presented at the American Heart Association annual conference, those that do this have a 40 per cent reduction in cardiovascular disease (clogged arteries). Similar benefits have been found in those who practice the Islamic fasting of the Ramadan season (12 hour daylight fasting for about one month).

The bottom line here is that in our modern society, we eat too much. Food is abundant, even if it is getting more expensive. We eat out more than ever before and many studies show that when we eat out more, we consume more fat and total calories.

The evidence for calorie restriction and brief fasting is mounting and I think you will hear and read much more about this. Anyone can cut down on calories and eat the right things, we all know about that. It just takes discipline. If you want to fast more than skipping a few meals, talk with your physician if you have diabetes. Your medication may need to be adjusted.

I'm going to be 58 next month, and while I exercise a lot, I know that my 190 lbs are too much (I'm 5 ft, 11 in). My goal is to get to between 165 and 175 this year. How about you? This is not just about losing weight and looking better. This is about living longer and healthier.