healthline march 2009

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Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado M a rc h 19, 2009 3

Health shorts ...................................................................................... pg. 4CSU Nutrition Center .......................................................................... pg. 5The Healthy Plate ................................................................................ pg. 8Uncommon Sense with Dr. Beth Firestein ....................................... pg. 11Destination: Healthy ......................................................................... pg. 13Ask a Health Pro ............................................................................... pg. 19Health briefs............................................................................. pgs. 20, 21Loveland Community Health Fair...................................................... pg. 20Loveland health calendar ................................................................. pg. 22Are multi-vitamins worth it? .............................................................. pg. 24

Health in a HandbasketJade forces downbreakfast for a week

Page 26

Also inside:

Health Line of Northern Colorado is a monthly publication produced by theLoveland Daily Reporter-Herald. The information provided in this publicationis intended for personal, non-commercial, informational and entertainmentpurposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement

with respect to any company, product, procedure or activity. You should seekthe advice of a professional regarding your particular situation.

For advertisinginfor mation,

contact:Linda Story — 635-3614

Crandoodlesby Steve CrandallSteve shares nutrition tips

Page 12

For editorialinformation, contact:

Jade Cody: 635-3656jcody@repor ter-herald.com

Rhema Muncy: 635-3684r muncy@repor ter-herald.com

InsideHealthLine -- The Nutrition Issue

Page 17

Biggest LoserRhema and her crewend their weight-lossmission

Page 14

Battle of the DietsThere are hundreds of dietsout there, and they all cutcalories. But how can theywork for you?

4 Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado M a rc h 19, 2009

Rachel SaslowThe Washington Post

Vitals (www.vitals.com), whichlaunched in January 2008, is a free,searchable database of reviews, con-

tact information and biographies for 720,000doctors. It’s similar to Yelp, the popular re-view site where users can rant and raveabout local businesses. Vitals even links tosome of those mini-essays. Although Vitalsevaluates a doctor’s bedside manner, accessi-bility and promptness, very few providerprofiles include the most critical piece of in-formation — which health insurance plansthe doctor accepts — and none of them ad-vises whether he or she is accepting new pa-tients. All run the risk of being dominated bya discontented few. The site just posted adownloadable, 29-page e-intro to “FindingDr. Right” by site founder Mitch Rothschild.

Lindsay MinnemaThe Washington Post

It’s too cold for sun bathing, so if you’relooking for that summertime glow, a tan-ning bed provides an easy treatment. Easy,

that is, if you’re looking to get as much as 12times more ultraviolet radiation than youwould annually get from normal sun expo-sure. That is how much radiation exposure theSkin Cancer Foundation warns that frequenttanners can get when using new high-pres-sure sunlamps.

Every year nearly 30 million people — 2.3million of them teenagers — use tanning sa-lons, the foundation said. But it is a bad habitto get into. One in five Americans developskin cancer, with melanoma — accounting for75 percent of skin cancer deaths — being themost deadly. First exposure to tanning beds inyouth increases melanoma risk by 75 percent.So embrace healthy skin, wear sunscreenand walk on by that tanning salon.

Check up onyour doctor

Do you often take home leftovers? TheFood and Drug Administration recom-mends refrigerating groceries and pre-

pared foods, leftovers or take-out as soonas you get home. Never allow any perish-able items, such as poultry, seafood or eggs,to sit out for more than two hours. Also,don’t pack too many items in the fridge be-cause the air won’t circulate properly. Finally,eat lunch meats and other ready-to-eatfoods quickly because the bacteria Listeria,which can cause a food-borne illness, willbegin to form if these items are kept in yourfridge too long. Regularly cleaning your fridge will also preventListeria growth.

— Lindsay Minnema, The Washington Post

• Eat out less often. Ask questions about food preparation.• Read labels carefully, particularly on frozen dinners, piz-

za and packaged rice and pasta mixes.• Add more foods containing potassium to daily eating.

Potassium-rich foods also help to blunt the effects of salt onblood pressure.

• Look for canned vegetables packed without salt, or rinseand drain canned vegetables and beans to reduce sodiumcontent before cooking. Or switch to fresh or frozen (withoutadded sauce) vegetables.

• Cut back on foods that require larger amounts of salt inprocessing: cured foods such as deli meats, bacon and hotdogs, pickles and condiments such as soy sauce and Worces-tershire sauce.

— The Hartford Courant

Pass on that tan

Don’t letleftovers linger

Cut back on sodium

NUTRITION ON THE GOTake the guesswork out of ordering fast food with thisclever service from Diet.com. Use your cell phone totext-message DIET1 (34381) with a menu item andrestaurant name, and receive instant nutritional facts.The technology is a bit finicky: “Subway turkey six inchsandwich” came up with an error message but “sub -way turkey 6-inch sandwich” did the trick. About1,700 restaurants and 36,000 menu items are regis-tered. Diet.com offers the service free; your cost de-pends on your text-messaging plan.

— The Associated Press


plete protein,” MacDonaldsaid. “It is a little more expen-sive and it has a strong flavor,but it will turn out pretty nice-ly. We are also using wholewheat pastry flour, a really niceway to get a whole grain butnot the density of a wholewheat flour. The rolled oats area whole grain in the UnitedStates. That also applies to in-stant oatmeal. You can use ei-ther one.”

Turning any flour-based dishinto a whole grain one takes asimple substitution.

“Take the entire flour re-quirement and make one halfall purpose and one halfwhole grain flour of any vari-ety,” MacDonald said.

The next dish was a simpleand quick Brown Rice andBlack Bean casserole packedwith fiber and a variety of veg-etables to create a whole-pro-tein dinner meal.

The basic stir fry followedwith common vegetables thatcould be saved to last throughthe week for a quick warm-upand nutritiously sound dinnerfor one or the entire family.

They also offered a recipefor a delicious whole-wheatcouscous, grilled eggplant andgreen pepper salad with toma-to, cucumber and feta cheese.The mint included in the saladoffered a strong flavor, replac-ing the need for a lot of oil.

The finale of the class camein a pan of brownies. As theaudience bit into the dish, thegrad students asked them toguess the secret ingredient.The brownies tasted like thenormal fudgy dessert — butthe moisture came from a canof pureed black beans, substi-tuted for the egg, oil and water

Healthy cooking class for the carb-confused

Brown Rice and Black Bean CasseroleIngredients:1 bag quick-cooking brown rice1 cup vegetable broth1 tablespoon olive oil1/3 cup diced onion1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced2 cooked skinless boneless chicken halves, chopped1 cup sliced mushrooms1/2 teaspoon cuminsalt to tasteground chili pepper to taste1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained1 (4-oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained1 sliced carrot1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Dir ections: Heat vegetable broth to a boil, submerge bagof rice into vegetable broth. Cook as directed. Preheat theover to 350 degrees and spray a large casserole dish withcooking spray.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat,add the chicken and saute with the salt, cumin and chili pep-per until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in the skillet. Add thecarrot, onion, zucchini and mushrooms and stir until tender.Add the cooked chicken to the mix and heat through, stirringfr equently.

Stir in the cooked rice, beans and chilies. Transfer to theprepared casserole dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

— Recipe courtesy of the CSU Nutrition Center, modified byMichelle Manson from a recipe found at www.allrecipes.com.

Rhema MuncySpecial Sections Reporter

With a lightly oiledwok, Colorado StateUniversity food sci-

ence graduate student Joel Lin-dau quickly fried fresh vegeta-bles for his portion of the Car-bohydrate Confused cookingclass for the Nutrition Center atCSU. He worked with fellowgraduate students MichelleMacDonald and Michelle Man-son, RD, to create a menufilled with balanced carbohy-drates for every meal.

The team slipped in nutri-tion advice as they workedover the stove top, offeringpractical and money savingtips for healthy eating.

MacDonald opened by ex-plaining the whole grain vers-es refined grain debate.

“A whole grain is the wholeseed of the plant,” she said.“Ther e’s an outer part, thebran, that protects the seedand is high in fiber, and theseed is made of the germ andendosperm. The germ is highin oil and vitamins. The en-dosperm is high in starch.When you eat a whole grainflour, the whole seed has beenmilled. Refined flour will takethe seed and remove the branand the germ so you don’t getthe benefit of the fiber, vita-mins and healthy oils.”

The class started out withamaranth and raspberrymuffins with oat streusel, littlebreads that offer a nutritionalpunch without a pile of calo-ries.

“Amaranth is high in protein,the amino acid lysine and iron,and when combined withwhole wheat it makes a com-

required for a brownie mix.The CSU Nutrition Center

decided to teach the classbased on all of the mixed me-dia messages concerning car-

bohydrates and fad diets, Man-son said. The class focused onteaching people to cook withbalance from the food pyramidand all whole grains as possi-

RH Photo/ Chad Wierema

CSU grad students teach thecommunity how to eat healthy


RH photos/ Chad WieremaLeft, Michelle Manson, RD and Joel Lindau demonstrate how tocook black bean casserole and stir fry. Right, Michelle MacDonalddemonstrates how to bake whole grain amaranth muffins.

ble. They introduced grains thatare not commonly used inAmerican cuisine to inspire thegroup to think outside thewhole-grain box.

For more information and acooking class schdule for the rest

of the semester, call programdirector Melissa Wdowik, Ph.D.,RD or assistant directorMichelle Manson, RD, GTA at970-491-8615 or log ontowww.fshn.cahs.colostate.edu/n u t r i t i o n c e n t e r. a s p .

Black Bean BrowniesIngredients:1 box any commercial prepared brownie mix1 15.5 ounce can black beansDir ections: Place the can of bean’s contents, including

the liquid, into a blender and blend. Mix thoroughly withthe brownie mix (no eggs, oil or other ingredients need-ed).

Spray a 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan with non-stickspray. Bake according to package directions. Cool, cut in-to nine squares and serve. Each square has approximately100 calories per brownie, is low in fat and high in fiberand protein.

Prune Puree BrowniesIngredients:1/2 cup all-purpose flour6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder1 cup white sugar1/8 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons vegetable oil1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 4 oz. jar pureed prunes baby food2 eggsDir ections: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, co-

coa, sugar and salt. Pour in oil, vanilla, prunes and eggs.Mix well and spread evenly in an 8 inch by 8 inch pan.Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until the top in shinyor until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

—Recipes courtsey CSU Nutrition Center

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HL The Healthy Plate

Pop goes the recipeAP photo

Jim RomanoffThe Associated Press

Popcorn chicken is aperfect snack —crunchy, bite-sized and

seriously addictive. Too badit’s deep fried, or you couldeat it all the time.

Actually, you can. You justneed to lose all the greaseand saturated fat.

The key to this crunchy

munchy miracle is an oven-frying technique that uses on-ly a misting of oil to get a per-fect golden crunch. You startwith bite-sized chunks ofboneless, skinless chickenbreast, the same as most take-out restaurants.

The chicken pieces getcoated in a zesty blend of Di-jon mustard and fat-free eggwhites. If you like, you couldtoss in some cayenne pepperor even your favorite blend offried chicken seasonings.

The chicken chunks thenget dredged in panko, aJapanese-style breadcrumbthat can be found in the Asiansection of most grocers.Panko is made from breadwith no crusts, so it has lighter

Healthy friedchicken fromthe oven, notthe drivethru

John James, M.D.

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and crispier texture than traditional breadcrumbs.The final step before baking is to spritz the chicken with olive

oil cooking spray, which will help brown and crisp the chicken.This super-low-fat oven-frying method always yields golden,

crunchy, guilt-free results. You also can use it to make healthychicken nuggets and fingers, as well as crunchy chicken, pork orfish fillets.

BAKED POPCORN CHICKENStart to finish: 30 minutes (10 minutes active)Servings: 8 (48 pieces total)Ingr edients:Olive oil cooking spray2 large egg whites2 tablespoons Dijon mustard1/2 teaspoon salt2 cups Panko (Japanese-style) breadcrumbs11/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-

inch cubes

Dir ections:Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with

cooking spray.In a medium bowl, whisk together the

egg whites, mustard and salt. In a shallowbowl or pie plate, spread the panko.

Add the chicken pieces to the egg whitemixture and toss to coat. A few pieces at atime, transfer the chicken to the bread-crumbs and toss to thoroughly coat.

Transfer the breaded chicken pieces tothe prepared baking sheet, arrangingthem close together but not touching.When all of the chicken is on the bakingsheet, spritz them lightly with cooking

spray.Bake for 15 minutes, then use a spatula or tongs to flip the

chicken pieces. Continue baking until golden brown and nolonger pink at the center, another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PERSERVING (VALUES ARE ROUND-ED TO THE NEAREST WHOLENUMBER):143 calories; 11 caloriesfrom fat; 1 g fat (0 g saturat-ed; 0 g trans fats); 49 mgcholesterol; 10 g carbohy-drate; 22 g protein; 0 gfiber; 339 mg sodium.

Baked PopcornChicken

AP photo

Try your hand at whipping up Irish Lamb StewJim RomanoffThe Associated Press

For lamb stew, leg meat is consider-ably lower in fat than other cutsand offers great flavor. The leg

meat contains enough connective tissueso that it becomes relatively tender whencooked at a low temperature for a longtime.

To keep things significantly healthier,always be sure to trim all meats of anyvisible fat before you cook them.

This stew is made with lean, bonelessleg of lamb plus plenty of potatoes,leeks, carrots and celery. Chopped freshthyme and parsley add an aromatic layer,plus a welcome touch of bright green.

IRISH LAMB STEWStart to finish: 8 hours (15 minutes

active)Servings: 8

Ingr edients:2 pounds boneless leg of lamb,

trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces13/4 pounds white potatoes, peeled

and cut into 1-inch pieces3 large leeks, whites only, halved,

washed and thinly sliced3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-

inch chunks3 stalks celery, thinly sliced14-ounce can reduced-sodium chick-

en broth2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground black pepper1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves,

chopped

Dir ections: In a 6-quart slow cooker,combine the lamb, potatoes, leeks, car-rots, celery, broth, thyme, salt and pep-per. Stir well. Cover the slow cooker,then cook on low until the lamb is fork-tender, about 7 to 8 hours. Stir in theparsley just before serving.

Nutrition information per serving(values are rounded to the nearestwhole number): 266 calories; 7 g fat (2g saturated); 65 mg cholesterol; 27 g car-bohydrate; 23 g protein; 4 g fiber; 427mg sodium.


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12-293289


HL Uncommon Sense

Respect is key when moving home after collegeBeth Firestein, Ph.D.Uncommon Sense

Question: I’m a recent collegegraduate who just movedhome for the sake of savingmoney and paying off student

loans. However, when I moved back tomy same room, I found the family dy-namics of the house greatly changed.How do I learn to live healthily with myparents again after we have all grownapart and I have become more of an in-dependent adult over the past fouryears? What cues will tell me that it istime to move out no matter what the fi-nancial benefit is?

Answer: Docking in the safe harborof home for a while after college is avery appealing option for many collegegraduates, while other graduates wouldjust as soon have their wisdom teethpulled than move back home with theirfamily. Clearly, this is a very individualchoice and one it seems that you havemade for good reasons. It sounds likeyou like your family and have a healthymotive for doing moving back in withthem—paying off debt and saving mon-ey.

You have probably heard the saying,“You can’t step in the same river twice.”This applies to many situations in life,including moving back in with yourfamily after four years of college and in-dependent living. What this saying reallypoints out is that everything in life isconstantly evolving and changing —this includes you and your family too.There is no simple way to tell whetherthis is a good move for you until a littletime has passed. Given that you havejust moved home, it will probably take acouple of months for everyone to getused to living together again and estab-lishing new rhythms and patterns. In themeantime, keep advancing your finan-cial goals.

A healthy situation can have both re-wards and challenges. Reworkingyour relationships with your par-ents and younger siblings to in-corporate your new young adultidentity while living at home canbe very healthy (and helpful) forall involved. A healthy situation isnot a road without bumps, but se-rious, ongoing conflict would sug-gest the situation may not be agood one for you or your family.

The best barometers of whether the situ-ation is right for you are how you arefeeling about the situation and whetherit is also working for the rest of yourfamily. This involves checking in withyourself and talking to your family everymonth or two about how each of youfeels about how things are going.

Ultimately you are moving toward au-tonomy and the financial self-sufficiencyof adulthood. Whether due to family dy-namics or simply because you have asense that it is time to move on, movingout when you feel the situation is nolonger working for all of you ensuresthe likelihood of less hard feelings be-tween family members in the long runand a smoother passage into full adult-hood.

Dr. Beth Firestein is alicensed psychologist in

private practice inLoveland. She has been

doing therapy for 23 yearsand practicing in Loveland

for 12 years.She may be reached at

fir [email protected].

Explore how the stomach works to understand food needsBrenna MaloneyWashington Post

Think of the stomach as aJ-shaped elastic bag thatfits under your di-

aphragm on the left side ofyour abdomen, protected byyour five lowest ribs. The topend connects to the esopha-gus; the bottom end attaches tothe small intestine. Deep folds(rugae) in the stomach’s liningcontain millions of glands thatproduce hydrochloric acid andan enzyme called pepsin.When you’re expecting food,the brain sends signals to yourstill-empty stomach to start se-creting these gastric juices.

Your stomach is usuallyabout the size of your fist, butin the course of a big meal itcan expand four to five times,to about the size of a couple ofsoftballs, or a cantaloupe. Ifyou are accustomed toovereating, frequent expansionand contraction will have exer-cised this muscle, and it willexpand with ease.

As the food, already moist-ened with saliva, enters thestomach, it soaks in the highlyacidic gastric juices. The stom-ach wall has three layers ofmuscle that run lengthwise,horizontally and diagonally.Working in different directions,they pulverize the food into a

soupy liquid called chyme,then slowly funnel it into thesmall intestine.

In severe cases of stomachcancer or bleeding gastric ul-cers, surgeons may perform agastrectomy, the surgical re-moval of all or part of thestomach. When part is re-moved, the remaining portioncontinues its digestive function.If the entire stomach goes, theesophagus is attached to thesmall intestine, the digestiveprocess begins in the small in-testine, and, in successful cas-es, the body eventually adapts.Because of the lack of stomachacids, certain things, such ashigh-protein foods, become

difficult to digest, so some ad-justments to diet are necessary.

A healthy stomach is anacidic stomach, since that’swhat breaks down food. Thegastric juices have a pH ofaround 2, which basicallymeans they’re corrosiveenough to strip paint or burnright through the stomach. Toprotect itself, the stomach lin-ing continuously secretes mu-cus. If the levels of acid andmucus fall out of balance, thestomach can start to hurt andwe take antacids such as Ro-laids. These usually containaluminum and magnesiumwhich react with acids to formmore-neutral compounds.


12-2

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HL Uncommon Sense

Respect is key when moving home after collegeBeth Firestein, Ph.D.Uncommon Sense

Question: I’m a recent collegegraduate who just movedhome for the sake of savingmoney and paying off student

loans. However, when I moved back tomy same room, I found the family dy-namics of the house greatly changed.How do I learn to live healthily with myparents again after we have all grownapart and I have become more of an in-dependent adult over the past fouryears? What cues will tell me that it istime to move out no matter what the fi-nancial benefit is?

Answer: Docking in the safe harborof home for a while after college is avery appealing option for many collegegraduates, while other graduates wouldjust as soon have their wisdom teethpulled than move back home with theirfamily. Clearly, this is a very individualchoice and one it seems that you havemade for good reasons. It sounds likeyou like your family and have a healthymotive for doing moving back in withthem—paying off debt and saving mon-ey.

You have probably heard the saying,“You can’t step in the same river twice.”This applies to many situations in life,including moving back in with yourfamily after four years of college and in-dependent living. What this saying reallypoints out is that everything in life isconstantly evolving and changing —this includes you and your family too.There is no simple way to tell whetherthis is a good move for you until a littletime has passed. Given that you havejust moved home, it will probably take acouple of months for everyone to getused to living together again and estab-lishing new rhythms and patterns. In themeantime, keep advancing your finan-cial goals.

A healthy situation can have both re-wards and challenges. Reworkingyour relationships with your par-ents and younger siblings to in-corporate your new young adultidentity while living at home canbe very healthy (and helpful) forall involved. A healthy situation isnot a road without bumps, but se-rious, ongoing conflict would sug-gest the situation may not be agood one for you or your family.

The best barometers of whether the situ-ation is right for you are how you arefeeling about the situation and whetherit is also working for the rest of yourfamily. This involves checking in withyourself and talking to your family everymonth or two about how each of youfeels about how things are going.

Ultimately you are moving toward au-tonomy and the financial self-sufficiencyof adulthood. Whether due to family dy-namics or simply because you have asense that it is time to move on, movingout when you feel the situation is nolonger working for all of you ensuresthe likelihood of less hard feelings be-tween family members in the long runand a smoother passage into full adult-hood.

Dr. Beth Firestein is alicensed psychologist in

private practice inLoveland. She has been

doing therapy for 23 yearsand practicing in Loveland

for 12 years.She may be reached at

fir [email protected].

Explore how the stomach works to understand food needsBrenna MaloneyWashington Post

Think of the stomach as aJ-shaped elastic bag thatfits under your di-

aphragm on the left side ofyour abdomen, protected byyour five lowest ribs. The topend connects to the esopha-gus; the bottom end attaches tothe small intestine. Deep folds(rugae) in the stomach’s liningcontain millions of glands thatproduce hydrochloric acid andan enzyme called pepsin.When you’re expecting food,the brain sends signals to yourstill-empty stomach to start se-creting these gastric juices.

Your stomach is usuallyabout the size of your fist, butin the course of a big meal itcan expand four to five times,to about the size of a couple ofsoftballs, or a cantaloupe. Ifyou are accustomed toovereating, frequent expansionand contraction will have exer-cised this muscle, and it willexpand with ease.

As the food, already moist-ened with saliva, enters thestomach, it soaks in the highlyacidic gastric juices. The stom-ach wall has three layers ofmuscle that run lengthwise,horizontally and diagonally.Working in different directions,they pulverize the food into a

soupy liquid called chyme,then slowly funnel it into thesmall intestine.

In severe cases of stomachcancer or bleeding gastric ul-cers, surgeons may perform agastrectomy, the surgical re-moval of all or part of thestomach. When part is re-moved, the remaining portioncontinues its digestive function.If the entire stomach goes, theesophagus is attached to thesmall intestine, the digestiveprocess begins in the small in-testine, and, in successful cas-es, the body eventually adapts.Because of the lack of stomachacids, certain things, such ashigh-protein foods, become

difficult to digest, so some ad-justments to diet are necessary.

A healthy stomach is anacidic stomach, since that’swhat breaks down food. Thegastric juices have a pH ofaround 2, which basicallymeans they’re corrosiveenough to strip paint or burnright through the stomach. Toprotect itself, the stomach lin-ing continuously secretes mu-cus. If the levels of acid andmucus fall out of balance, thestomach can start to hurt andwe take antacids such as Ro-laids. These usually containaluminum and magnesiumwhich react with acids to formmore-neutral compounds.

Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado M a rc h 19, 2009 1514 Thursday LOVELAND REPORTER-HERALD/Health Line of Northern Colorado M a rc h 19, 2009

RH photos/Chad WieremaTop, the Buttwhackers Biggest Loser Team stretches out after aworkout. Left, Sunny lifts weights, Carrie does jumping jacksand JoAnn does ball lunges. Above, Janelle does ball lunges.Far right, Rhema attempts push ups with team trainer Pam.

Biggest LoserFinale

Rhema MuncySpecial Sections Reporter

The team moved around the room, ro-tating through several two minute ex-ercises incorporating weight training

and cardio work. We lifted weights, did push-ups, jumping jacks and running. This was thehome stretch of the Biggest Loser program atChilson Recreation Center in Loveland.

The eight week journey culminated with afinal weigh-in and a celebration with bothteams present. After Chilson Dietician DeniseMoor e’s tape measure made its last waist cir-cumference and the numbers were in, theButtwhacker’s came in with a slim victory.We won with a .46 percent more weight lossthan the other team, or a total of 116.20pounds lost between the nine finishing But-twhackers. The biggest loser of the programcame in with a loss of 34.4 lbs for a total losspercentage of 11.9 percent.

Even more important than a winningstamp of approval was the satisfaction thatmany on the Buttwhackers team felt.

“I got more motivated having people towork out with, and my diet changed quite abit,” Buttwhacker’s team member Germainesaid. “I haven’t lost as much weight as Iwould like, but I lost inches and I am almostready to go down a size.”

For team member Sunny, camaraderie wasone of the best parts of the class.

“I liked being with all the people,” Sunnysaid. “I think it is important to have a trainer,and I never realized that before. I always re-sisted that. They really push you and they getto doing things that you haven’t done before.I didn’t realize so many different parts of mybody needed work.”

The greatest challenge the teams faced waschanging eating habits, according to Moore.

“A lot of people come to terms with theamount they are eating and cut way back,”she said.

Losing inches in the waist is one of thegreatest indicators of better health, she said.Moore also watched blood pressure andcholesterol go down in a few of the teammembers.

“The energy they get makes them feel suc-cessful,” she said. “When people learn some-thing and get excited, that is very rewarding.”

Throughout the program, she banishedwhite flours, sugar substitutes and unbal-anced eating from our diets. She replaced thefoods we used to default to with wholegrains, metabolically-stimulating eatingschedules and a healthy fear of boxed, frozenor restaurant prepared foods.

“It all boils down to, you have to do thehard work,” Moore said. “You may find all ofthis information out, but you still have to gohome and cook, you still have to buy thegroceries, you still have to make the selec-

tions at the restaurant. It really comes downto you.”

Learning that achieving a healthy lifestyle iscompletely up to each individual was theheart of the Biggest Loser program. Nolonger can we depend on anyone else to de-fine how we improve our lives.

While going through the class, I personallyfell off the wagon for the last couple ofweeks. I was in a local community theaterproduction and started slipping by going outto eat frequently and not keeping a dailyjournal. I kept my exercise up, so that en-abled me to not gain weight. But I shouldhave implemented the eating out tools Mooregave us in nutrition class.

“The best way to eat out is to look upthings all of the time,” she said.

She also recommended looking for lowerfat or low calorie menu items, choosingchicken over red meat, picking low fat saladdressings steering away from anything friedand avoiding high fat condiments.

Then think small. Eat small portions, planto split or get a take out box right away. In

The Buttwhackerslearn to persevere


buffets, avoid creamy any-thing, bacon bits, heavysyrups or fried foods.

She also recommendedwe give up diet products inorder to feel more satisfied.Moore said sugar substitutestrick the brain into thinkingthat it will be fed calories.When those calories aren’tfed into the body, the brainkicks in with a carbohydratecraving.

The best way I am learn-ing to slowly change mylifestyle is to constantly re-search and keep healthyhabits at the front of mymind. I have put the pursuitof my best self on theback burner for so longthat I now need to re-train my thoughts andmy body chemicals tofollow some healthyrules. This takes a lot ofgrunt work but feels veryr ewarding.

“The approach of theclass is no-nonsense,”

Moore said. “It is up to theindividual. You can havesetbacks and still be suc-cessful.”

One learning curve shewatched many people over-come was the desire to shedunrealistic amounts ofweight.

“Even if they want to lose20 pounds in eight weeks, ahalf a pound a week is suc-cessful,” she said. “Peoplecome to terms that it is ok toslow it down and learn bet-ter habits then to take it offquickly. They have to makesome lifetime changes and itis tough.”

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Duel of the DietsThe verdict:Burn more,

eat less

RH Graphic/Jason Kamigaki

Alicia ChangAssociated Press

Low-fat, low-carb or high-protein? The kind of dietdoesn’t matter, scientists

say. All that really counts iscutting calories and stickingwith it, according to a federalstudy that followed people fortwo years.

However, partici-pants had troublestaying with a singleapproach that longand the weight losswas modest for most.

As the world grap-ples with rising obesi-ty, millions haveturned to popular di-ets like Atkins, Zoneand Ornish that tout thebenefits of one nutrient overa n o t h e r.

Some previous studies havefound that low carbohydratediets like Atkins work betterthan a traditional low-fat diet.But the new research foundthat the key to losing weightboiled down to a basic rule —calories in, calories out.

“The hidden secret is itdoesn’t matter if you focus onlow-fat or low-carb,” said Dr.Elizabeth Nabel, director of theNational Heart, Lung andBlood Institute, which fundedthe research.

Limiting the calories youconsume and burning off morecalories with exercise is key,she said.

The study was led by Har-

vard School of Public Healthand Pennington BiomedicalResearch Center in Louisiana.

Researchers randomly as-signed 811 overweight adultsto one of four diets, each ofwhich contained different lev-els of fat, protein and carbohy-drates.

Though the diets were twistson commercial plans, the studydid not directly compare popu-lar diets. The four diets con-tained healthy fats, were highin whole grains, fruits and veg-etables and were low incholester ol.

Nearly two-thirds of the par-ticipants were women. Eachdieter was encouraged to slash750 calories a day from theirdiet, exercise 90 minutes a

week, keep an online food di-ary and meet regularly with di-et counselors to chart theirprogr ess.

There was no winner amongthe different diets; reduction inweight and waist size weresimilar in all groups.

People lost 13 pounds onaverage at six months, but allgroups saw their weight creepback up after a year. At twoyears, the average weight losswas about 9 pounds whilewaistlines shrank an average of2 inches. Only 15 percent ofdieters achieved a weight-lossreduction of 10 percent ormore of their starting weight.

Dieters who got regularcounseling saw better results.Those who attended most

meetings shed more poundsthan those who did not — 22pounds compared with the av-erage 9 pound loss.

Lead researcher Dr. FrankSacks of Harvard said a restrict-ed calorie diet gives peoplegreater food choices, makingthe diet less monotonous.

“They just need to focus onhow much they’re eating,” hesaid.

Sacks said the trick is findinga healthy diet that is tasty andthat people will stick with over

� See DUEL/Page 18


Consume fish oil to combat eye bacteriaPeter BurghartSpecial to the RH

Acommon eye condition calledBlepharitismay be

helped by addingcertain oils to the di-et.

Blepharitis iscommonly causedby an excess growthof bacteria ordinarilyfound on the skin,and occasionally it iscaused by allergies.According to Web-MD, the symptomsof the condition in-clude eye inflamma-tion, feeling likesomething is inyour eye, burningof the eye, sensitiv-ity to light, red andswollen eyes oreyelids, blurry vision, dry eyes and crust-ing of the eyelashes.

According to Dr. Mark Jackson of Jack-son Eye Care in Loveland, the conditionis usually associated with people whohave certain skin conditions.

“This condition tends to be more com-mon in people who have very oily skinor who suffer from bad acne,” he said.

Diagnosis and treatment of the condi-tion is usually a simple procedure. Ac-cording to Jackson, some medical treat-ments are used in severe cases, but theinitial remedies are usually very simple.

“We first try Johnson’s Baby Shampooand a warm compress to open up theglands clogged by the bacteria, we alsosuggest an increase in the intake of fishoil and flaxseed oil,” he said.

To ward off Blepharitis, add flaxseedand fish oils to the weekly diet, Jacksonsaid. Fish oil is pretty easy to find. By in-creasing the amount of fish in a diet,you will increase the amount of fish oilthat your body is getting. Flaxseed isavailable both as a dietary supplementor it can be found in whole bran breadsor cereals. These oils help do internallywhat the Johnson’s Baby Shampoo andthe warm compresses do externally —

they open up the glands around the eyesthat have been clogged by the bacterialthat causes Blepharitis.

According to the University of Mary-land Medical Center, fish oil and flaxseedoil contain alpha linolenic-acid, whichbelongs to a group of substances knownas omega-3 fatty acids. If you have anappropriate amount of these omega-3fatty acids in your diet, it helps to reduceinflammation.

Both flaxseed and fish oil are availablein tablet or supplement form as straightomega-3 supplements at most grocerystores. Buying the supplements of any ofthese things can range in price from$6.89 to $15.89. If you tend to shop at amore organic-based grocery store, sup-plements of fish and flaxseed oil range inprice from $1.19 to $69.99.

If you enjoy cooking, fish would be abetter option, and prices range from$4.99 to $16.99 depending on the type offish.

Peter Burghart is a Denver freelancewriter and can be reached at pe-ter.bur [email protected].

Metro photoFish and flaxseedoils help the bodyfight inflammation.

time.Before Debbie Mayer, 52,

enrolled in the study, shewas a “stress eater” whowould snack all day and hadno sense of portion control.Mayer used to run marathonsin her 30s, but health prob-lems prevented her from do-ing much exercise in recentyears.

Mayer tinkered with differ-ent diets — Weight Watchers,Atkins, South Beach — withlittle success.

“I’ve been battling myweight all my life. I justneeded more structure,” saidM a y e r.

Mayer was assigned to alow-fat, high-protein dietwith 1,400 calories a day. Shestarted measuring her foodand went back to the gym.The 5-foot Mayer started at179 pounds and dropped 50pounds to129 poundsby the endof thestudy. Shenow weighs132 andwants toshed a fewmore pounds.

Another study volunteer,Rudy Termini, a 69-year-oldretiree, credited keeping afood diary for his 22-poundsuccess. Termini said beforeparticipating in the study hewould wolf down 2,500 calo-

ries a day. But sticking toan 1,800-calorie high-fat,average protein diet meantno longer eating an entireT-bone steak for dinner. In-stead, he now eats only a 4-ounce steak.

“I was justoblivious tohow manycalories I washaving,” saidthe 5-foot-11-inch Termini,whodr opped

from 195 to 173 pounds. “Ireally used to just eat every-thing and anything in sight.”

Dr. David Katz of the YalePrevention Research Centerand author of several weightcontrol books, said the re-sults should not be viewed

as an endorsement of fad di-ets that promote one nutrientover another.

The study compared highquality and heart healthy di-ets. Some popular low-carbdiets tend to be low in fiberand have a relatively high in-take of saturated fat, he said.

Other experts were both-ered that the dieters couldn’tkeep the weight off evenwith close monitoring and asupport system.

“Even these highly moti-vated, intelligent participantswho were coached by expertprofessionals could notachieve the weight lossesneeded to reverse the obesi-ty epidemic,” Martijn Katanof Amsterdam’s Free Univer-sity wrote in an accompany-ing editorial.

DUELFrom Page 17

Limiting the caloriesyou consume andburning off more

calories withexercise is key.


HL Ask a Health Pro

Questions& Answers

If you are interested inproviding health related

advice and information to HealthLine readers, call 635-6314 to

reserve your spot today.Bike Riding Preparations...RH paid advertorial

I love to ride my bike, butlast year I had to stop becauseI was having pain in my kneeand hands. Is there anything Ican do?

That is a question that I of-ten get from my patients. I liketo use this example; youwould not buy a new pair of

prescription glasses without consulting anoptometrist first, right? Well, riding a bicy-cle is the same. Before you go out to ridethe beautiful Colorado countryside, it isimportant to consult an expert in biome-chanics and biking. Just jumping on a bikethat you have not ridden for months isopening yourself for injuries, especially ifyou were having pain before. Consulting atrained physical therapist could be the so-

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Anterior (front) knee pain:Saddle too low.

Hip pain: Saddle too high

Neck pain: Handlebars too far forward,wrong saddle position.

Lower back pain: Too low or farforward on the handlebars, hamstringtoo tight.

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Foot numbness/pain: Poor positionof the shoe/pedal, poor shoes (too old).

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RH paid advertorial

Organizers of the 2009 LovelandCommunity Health Fair say theevent is an excellent resource for

area residents to keep up with medicalcare in a challenging economy.

However, a recent study by the KaiserFamily Foundation shows that many peo-ple are postponing or skipping treatmentsdue to costs in the past year.

Specifically, the study found that 53 per-cent of Americans said their householdcutback on healthcare due to cost con-cerns in the past 12 months. The mostcommon action reported was relying on ahome remedy or over-the-counter drugrather than visiting a doctor (35 percent).Thirty-four percent said they skipped den-tal care. About one in four respondentssaid they put off the health care theyneeded, and one in five said they chose tonot fill a prescription. One in six said theycut pills in half or skipped doses to maketheir prescription last longer.

The survey took place Feb. 3-12 and in-cluded a nationwide random sample of1,204 adults.

According to Sheryl Fahrenbruch, McK-ee Medical Center’s Worksite Wellnessmanager, people face the risk of not catch-ing a fixable health problem in its earlystages when they delay preventative care.

“If people wait, they usually end upspending more in health care costs be-cause of the extent of the treatment that isinvolved. It’s better to pay for preventionon the front end and maintain yourhealth,” she said. “If you wait, you not on-ly pay the monetary expense, but you alsoput your otherwise good health at risk.”

One small step a person can take to-ward good health is to participate in the2009 Loveland Community Health Fair.The health fair will be 8 a.m.-1 p.m. onApril 25 in the McKee Conference andWellness Center at 2000 Boise Ave.

Participants can receive a blood chem-istry screening for $30, complete bloodcount (CBC) blood screening for $15,prostate specific antigen (PSA) bloodscreening for $25 and a take-home col-orectal kit for $5. New this year is the HighSensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP)blood screening for $15. This is a newscreening that can be helpful in assessingthe risk of heart attack and stroke.

In addition to low-cost blood draws, theevent will offer free screenings for breasthealth, bone density, asthma, hearing andvision, foot and ankle, glaucoma, postureand oral and skin cancer as well as educa-tional booths. Organizers have added pe-diatric screenings and a screening formemory disorders

“The blood screenings that we offer atthe LCHF are priceless,” Fahrenbruch said.“By having your blood drawn at the LCHF,you save approximately $120 just for theblood chemistry screening alone. The oth-er blood draws we offer are also done at agreat cost savings to our participants.”

All other health screenings at the fair areprovided free of charge.

“We are able to provide these kinds ofservices due to the help of our communityhealth care professionals who volunteertheir time and services,” she said.

“If you’ve been putting your health careon the back burner, now is the time to getyourself checked out. If there is a healthissue that you’re concerned about, we

have the physicians, nurses and healthcare staff available to answer the questionsyou may have at no charge. We still en-courage participants to visit with their pri-mary care physician, but this is a greatway to open the lines of communicationwhen they see their family doctor.”

Blood draws take place prior to theevent so participants can pick up their re-sults the day of the fair and visit with aphysician if they have questions. Partici-pants may call 635-4181 to schedule ablood draw appointment.

This year’s blood draw dates areMarch 30 through April 4 and April 6-11from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Please schedule ablood draw appointment during thesetimes. Blood draw appointments willnot be available on the day of the healthf a i r.

The health fair is not a substitute for athorough physical examination and as-sessment by your physician. Individualsplanning to participate are reminded thatthey should work with their personalphysician to reduce modifiable risk factorsdetermined through the event. Also, medi-cations should not be altered before or af-ter the health fair unless you’ve been ad-vised to do so by your physician.

Sponsors of the annual event includeCity of Loveland, Larimer County MedicalSociety, Loveland Chamber of Commerce,Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald, MountainStates Tent and Awning and McKee Medi-cal Center.

For more information, visit the onlineresource for the Loveland CommunityHealth Fair at www.bannerhealth.comkeyword: Loveland Health Fair.

PVH RECEIVES AMERICAN STROKEASSOCIATION AWARD

Poudre Valley Hospital received anAmerican Stroke Association awardFeb. 19 for ensuring that stroke patientsreceive a high standard of care that saveslives and improves outcomes by followingstandards set by the association’s Get WithThe Guidelines program.

PVH received the award based on arapid-response program called StrokeAlert launched in January 2008 to increase

the speed that diagnosis and treatment oc-c u r.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost,”said Dr. Tamara Miller, medical director ofPVH’s stroke program and a neurologistwith Advanced Neurology of Colorado,Fort Collins. “Our Stroke Alert program al-lows us to address the important elementof time.”

The American Stroke Association pre-sented PVH with the Get With The Guide-lines-Stroke Bronze Performance Achieve-

ment Award during the association’s inter-national stroke conference in San Diego.

“The American Stroke Association com-mends Poudre Valley Hospital for its suc-cess in implementing standards of careand protocols,” said Dr. Lee H. Schwamm,national Get With The Guidelines steeringcommittee member and director of acutestroke services at Massachusetts GeneralHospital, Boston. “This is a critical step insaving lives and improving outcomes ofstroke patients.”

HL Health Line Briefs

Loveland Community Health Fair set for April 25


BANNER HEALTH GARNERS AWARDWhat does Banner Health have in common with

outstanding consumer brand names like Qwest, Camp-bell Soup, Starbucks and Marriott? All of these namesare among a select group of major organizations thatare recognized with the prestigious Gallup GreatWorkplace Award.

Banner Health owns McKee Medical Center in Love-land and Sterling Regional Medical Center in Sterlingand operates East Morgan County Hospital in Brushand North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley. Thehospital system is a 2009 recipient of the Gallup GreatWorkplace Award, which was established in 2007 byGallup Consulting, part of Gallup, Inc. Gallup has de-veloped an international reputation for delivering rele-vant, timely and visionary research on what peoplearound the world think and feel. Gallup Consultingspecializes in delivering research that helps guide em-ployee and customer management.

To learn more about Banner Health, go towww.BannerHealth.com.

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HL Ca l e n d a r

SOULPLAY ART THERAPYPeople whose lives are

touched by cancer experi-ence the benefits of ex-pressing themselvesthrough art. No art experi-ence needed.

When: We d n e s d a y s ,9:45-11:45 a.m.

Wher e: McKee CancerCenter Conference Room

Contact: 970-635-4129

TOTAL JOINT EDUCATIONPhysical therapists and

occupational therapists pre-pare patients for surgery.This program is coordinat-ed through your physician'soffice as part of the surgeryscheduling process.

When: Classes meetThursdays at 3 p.m.

Wher e: McKee Confer-ence & Wellness Center

Contact: 970-635-4130

DIET INFORMATIONSESSION

Tired of Diets that don'twork? Attend a free infor-mation session and learnhow to lose 2 to 5 pounds

per week and keep it offfor good. This program isclinically proven and testedat Johns Hopkins Universityand has been recommend-ed by over 15,000 doctors.It's a medical weight man-agement system.

The program will be pre-sented by a family practicedoctor and a pharmacistwho use the program tohelp patients get healthyand also reduce the needfor diabetic medication,high blood pressure medi-cation and high cholesterolmedication in theirpatients.

When: 6:15 p.m. onMarch 24

Wher e: The Gertrude B.Scott Room at the LovelandPublic Library at 300 N.Adams

Contact: Space is limitedto the first 40 callers, 970-302-4919

MAN TO MAN PROSTATECANCER SUPPORT GROUP

When: 5:30 to 7 p.m. the

fourth Tuesday of themonth

Wher e: McKee Confer-ence and Wellness Center

Contact: 970-622-1961

HEART FAILUREE D U C AT I O N

This six-session multidis-ciplinary educational seriesfacilitates management ofheart failure. The team dis-cusses the cardiovascularsystem and how it works,medications, diet changesand personal power in liv-ing with the disease. Any-one who has heart failure isencouraged to attend alongwith family and/or signifi-cant others.

When: The next six-week session begins March30. Class meets from 10a.m. to noon.


Cost: Fr eeContact: 970-635-4138

ASTHMA EDUCATIONThis four-session multi-

disciplinary educational se-

ries help people manageasthma. The team reviewsthe respiratory system andhow it works, medicationsused to treat asthma andtools that can help youbreathe better and monitoryour asthma.

Triggers, early warningsigns and coping tech-niques are discussed. Any-one who has asthma is en-couraged to attend alongwith family and/or signifi-cant others.

When: The next four-week session begins April6. Class meets on Mondaysfrom 6 to 7:30 p.m.


Cost: No chargeContact: 970-635-4138

BREAST CANCERSUPPORT GROUP

When: Second Thursdayof each month from 5:30 to7 p.m.

Wher e: McKee CancerCenter lobby.

Contact: 970-622-1961

Total JointEducation — 3 p.m.

Soulplay ArtTherapy —9:45-11:45 a.m.


Diet InformationSession —6:15 p.m.

Man to Man —5:30-7 p.m.

Heart FailureEducation —10 a.m.-noon


HL Ca l e n d a r

COPD (CHRONIC OB-STRUCTIVE PULMONARYDISEASE)

This seven-session multi-disciplinary education serieshelps with the managementof COPD. The team reviewsthe respiratory system, howit works, what has gonewrong and how you canconserve energy and de-crease shortness of breath.Anyone who has COPD,emphysema or bronchitis isencouraged to attend alongwith family and/or signifi-

cant others.When: The next seven-

week session begins April14. Class meets Tuesdayfrom 1 to 3 p.m.


Cost: No chargeContact: 970-635-4138

CAREGIVER’S SUPPORTGROUP

For caregivers of cancerpatients.

When: Call for times andlocations

Contact: 970-635-4129.

DIABETES INFORMATIONGROUP

An informational/educa-tional meeting for anyonetouched by diabetes whowants to learn and share.There will be a differentsubject matter for eachmeeting.

When: TBAWher e: McKee Confer-

ence and Wellness CenterCost: No charge. No reg-

istration needed.Contact: 970-667-5610 for

more information and

topics.

BLOOD PRESSURESCREENING

Have your blood pressurechecked by a Wellness Spe-cialist

When: Monday throughThursday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.and Friday 8 a.m.-noon.

Wher e: McKee WellnessServices, 1805 E. 18th St. Ste.6

Cost: No charge

Contact: 970-635-4056






AsthmaEducation —6-7:30 p.m.

Breast CancerSupport Group —5:30-7 p.m.

COPD —1-3 p.m. p.m.





Do

Karen KaplanLos Angeles Times

Aspate of high-profile studies published in the last fewyears shows that a variety of popular supplements —including calcium, selenium and vitamins A, C and E

— don’t do anything to reduce the risk of developing heartdisease, stroke or a variety of cancers.

But what about multivitamins? These combination pills,which contain 10 to 30 vitamins and minerals, are the mostpopular dietary supplements sold in America. A report pub-lished Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggeststhey shouldn’t be.

The study tracked 161,808 participants in the Women’sHealth Initiative, a long-term effort to identify risk factors forcancer, heart disease and bone health in postmenopausalwomen. Subjects in the nationwide study included white,black, Hispanic, Asian and American Indian women. Theywere followed for an average of nearly eight years.

Overall, 41.5 percent of study participants took some ver-sion of a multivitamin. Those women were more likely to bewhite and college-educated, live in the West, exercise and

have a lower body mass index.Women who took multivitamins, however, weren’t any

more likely to ward off a diagnosis of breast, ovarian, lung,stomach, bladder, kidney, colorectal or endometrial cancerthan were women who didn’t take multivitamins. Nor weremultivitamins in general helpful in preventing heart attacks,strokes, blood clots or reducing the risk of death from anycause during the study period.

The research team, led by scientists at the Fred HutchinsonCancer Research Center in Seattle, did find one modest bene-fit: The 3,741 women who took stress multivitamins — formu -lations with higher doses of several B vitamins along with anextra jolt of vitamin C — were 25 percent less likely to have aheart attack. No other correlations between vitamins andhealth outcomes were statistically significant.

The study provides convincing evidence that multivitaminuse has little or no influence on the risk of common cancers,cardiovascular disease or total mortality in postmenopausalwomen, the authors wrote.

So, they wondered, “Why do millions of Americans use adaily multivitamin for chronic disease prevention when thesupporting scientific data are weak?”

Some physicians continue to recommend them as a back-stop for patients whose diets may contain nutritional gaps.And because they don’t require a prescription, many peoplesimply assume they are safe.

But those assumptions may not be warranted, especially ifpeople wind up overdosing on vitamins and minerals, the re-searchers wrote.

MultivitaminsReallyWo r k ?

Multi-vitamins showlittle benefit in

reducing disease risk


BODY COMPOSITIONANALYSIS – A more

accurate measure of fitness

Does the number on the scale tell

how healthy you are?

Can fat be fit? Can thin be unfit?

Medical experts agree that being “healthy” is determined by more factors than just

height and weight, including the relationship between diet, exercise, weight and

overall fitness.

The Imaging Center recommends a Body Composition Analysis as the reference

standard for measuring body composition. It is a highly accurate imaging

system for measuring body fat as well as muscle and bone mass. In a

matter of minutes, this system produces an image of your body tissues,

which may be viewed as regional or overall estimates of body fat,

muscle and bone mineral.

Call The Imaging Center’s scheduling staff at

(970) 282-2912 to schedule a Body Composition

Analysis exam (cost $99.00), or to request a free

information fact sheet.

12-2

9371

3


HL Health in a Handbasket

Oh the horror:Breakfast Food

Jade CodySpecial Sections Editor

For the past 15 years, mymorning routine hasbeen the same.

Wake up, think angrythoughts about being awake,stumble into the shower andthen try not to break any fash-ion rules while getting dressed.Occasionally I mix things upby matting my hair down. I’mall about the glamour.

After shoving in my contactsand brusha-brusha-brusha-ingmy teeth, I’m set for the day. Igrab a Dr. Pepper and I’m outthe door — a routine that nor-mally takes me 15 minutes.That’s the way I like it, quickand simple. Problem is, it turnsout Dr. Pepper is lacking inseveral nutrients and vitaminsthat many so-called expertscontend are important ele-ments of a healthy breakfast.Who knew?

I have never been a break-fast person. The mere thoughtof food in the morning makesme want to do an impressionof a cud-chewing cow that’shad a tad too much yucca inhis yogurt. Not to be overlydramatic (trust me, it can’t be

helped), but breakfast is gross.Especially the mushy and egg-smelling ones.

So my challenge this month,being that this is our nutritionissue, is to eat breakfast for afull week. No Dr. Pepper, no46 cups of coffee. It’s time toget flaky — Frosted Flakes-style.

DAY 1Actually my cereal of choice

is Chex. It’s crunchy and I likehow the milk-to-crunch ratioholds up throughout the meal.Still, though, it was challengingto stomach it at 7:15 a.m.

DAY 2I decided to try one of my

wife’s yogurts. It was raspberryflavor ed.

Seriously, I can’t believepeople eat that vial mushygarbage. I am not even a littleremorseful in admitting that Iwashed that one nasty mouth-ful down with a delicious Dr.P e p p e r.

DAY 3I decided to go the extra

mile and actually cook some-thing. Since bacon is and al-ways will be the perfect food, Iwent with a pound of it. Ofcourse this required earlierwaking up and actual energy,but I trudged through andchomped away. Just like it al-ways has, bacon came throughfor me.

DAY 4Leftover bacon. The gift that

keeps on giving.

DAY 5Since it was Friday and all, I

went with a banana on the go.Have to hand it to fruit for be-ing so portable. I think if I wasever to become a regularbreakfast eater, this would bemy niche. No fuss, no hassle.Just delicious.

DAYS 6 AND 7On Saturday I decided to

throw traditional cuisine outthe window and go with apiece of beef jerkyfor breakfast. AsI’m sure youguessed, it was de-lightful. On Sun-day I gave up andhad a Dr. Pepper.

Mission: failed.

IN CONCLUSIONI still have a

problem stomach-

ing breakfast. I’ll admit that Ifelt better during the day aftereating something (except forthe bacon and beef jerky days,when I just really wanted to goback to bed), but the rewardsreally don’t outweigh thequeasiness factor.

I think I’ll find a happy medi-um by popping back a bananaor granola bar in the morning,but I’m not ready to give upthe Dr. Pepper routine just yet.

Health in a Handbas-ket is a monthly featurein which I try a health-related adventure andwrite about it. If youhave an idea for a newadventure, write to meat [email protected] Cody

I’m on aquest for anutritiousbr eakfast

RH graphic/Jade Cody

Dr. Howell made Sabrina’s birthing experience as painless as possible. And the hospital’s free massages and cookies didn’t hurt either.

www.BannerHealth.com, keyword: McKee Maternity • 2000 N. Boise Ave. • Loveland(970) 669-4640 • Job opportunities: 866-377-5627 (EOE/AA) or www.BannerHealth.com

Banner Health is the leading nonprofit health care provider in northern Colorado.

Sabrina was treated to all-around great care when having her baby at McKee Medical Center.

She received personal phone calls from her physician, Dr. Howell, to inform her of test results in the

days leading up to her delivery. And she was able to relax before and after the birth of her baby in a

private jetted tub. The caring staff even provided free massages and delicious cookies to help make her

comfortable. But it wasn’t just about Sabrina. Her whole family enjoyed the experience of the new baby

together in a spacious and relaxing labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum room. McKee Medical

Center provides a private, feel-good atmosphere where you can welcome your baby into the world.

McKee Medical Center. Remarkable health care inspired by you.

healthline march 2009

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