Protein? Yes, Protein

You absolutely need to pay attention to your daily protein intake. Why? Because you are losing muscle mass at an alarming rate, even while you are reading this article, unless you are doing something about it. You should aim for about 50 grams of protein per day, as a rough guideline. In addition to the protein, make sure you are doing some resistance training (that ugly word, EXERCISE) several times each week. If not, one day you may pick up your prescription bottle and not have the strength to open it. Read your food product labels and become familiar with the protein per serving, as well as the sugars and cholesterols. Did you know that two of the least expensive protein sources are peanut butter (1.8 cents per gram) and chicken (also 1.8 cents per gram)? I often start my day with peanut butter on whole wheat bread with some Smart Balance. That is a good breakfast and quick to prepare. Not much protein though, so I try to be aware of other protein meals and snacks during the day as well. As an alternative, if we have some leftover cooked chicken (43 grams of protein per cup), I might just eat a piece of that along with some fruit juice. On those days, I don't need to worry much about additional protein. Men generally require more protein than women, but lifestyle does need to be considered. For the average adult male, about 56 grams per day. Women, about 46 grams per day.

In recent years it has become common for those striving to lose weight to substitute protein drinks for meals, and if you are sensible about it, that's just fine. But don't substitute all your meals for the day, or several days of actual, chewable food for a tasty chocolate or strawberry protein shake. You may lose weight, but you may not like the other possible consequences. You can overload your system with protein and suffer the consequences of insufficient fiber and nutrients required to keep your digestive system functioning smoothly. If weight loss is your goal, be prepared to lose weight slowly and safely. That way, the weight you take off is more likely to STAY off. and please don't be fooled by all the infomercials telling you that you can just take some very expensive pill and lose all the weight you want without exercise. There is no substitute for proper diet and adequate exercise...period.

From The Top Down

It has been said that great companies are built from the bottom up, and destroyed from the top down. Can you see how that applies to so many of the large companies currently, or recently, in the news. Thousands of employees and investors left holding the bag while a very few at the top, (CEO's, COO's, CFO's, etc,) have pocketed huge performance bonuses and salaries and stock incentives. Short term successes line their pockets even as they lead the company down the garden path. Well, I'm not planning to write about that today. I just wanted you to see the parallel between this and your personal wellness after 50. You could say you've built your body from the bottom up, from a single cell to a complex 50-something organism with years and miles of experience, also sometimes referred to as wear and tear. If you were to give your overall wellness a number from 1 to 10, with ten being nearly perfect, what would your number be? What would you like it to be ten or twenty years from now, realistically? I believe that a few points are contributed by your attitude. Your positive approach to life, to dealing with the daily events, breaking big problems down into a bunch of little solutions, has a lot to do with what number you answered with above, in addition to your actual physical health. From the bottom up, you need to keep giving your body the basic materials it needs to maintain itself, heal itself, and continue to thrive. Unfortunately what too often happens from the top down is we tell ourselves little lies. Lies like, "I'll start eating better right after the holidays", or "I'm going to start eating better" or "I'm going to start exercising more next month". From the top down, we sabotage our own future by making excuses for not doing what we should be doing right now.
I hope this doesn't really apply to you, but I will admit that it sometimes applies to me.

Just go nuts!

And Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease

You’ve been told that nuts are high in calories and contain a lot of fat? Well, it’s a fact.
But does that mean you shouldn’t eat them? Of course not. Over the last decade a number of studies have confirmed that eating certain types of unsalted nuts on a regular basis can reduce your risk of heart disease and sudden cardiac deaths. While they are calorically very dense, they are also an excellent source of protein, fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants as well as omega-3 fats. But as with all things, moderation is important.
Eating too many nuts can be a problem because you will be increasing your daily caloric intake. As you know, if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
So what’s the solution?

First, eat nuts that can actually do you some good and avoid the rest. In 2003 the FDA approved health claims for 7 different nuts, including peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, some pine nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds. These nuts provide less than 4g of saturated fats per 50g. You don’t have to limit yourself only to these nuts, but be aware that others may be much higher in fat content. Also, nut allergies are a concern for some, especially children and young adults. But if you decide to make nuts a regular part of your diet, you might also consider pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, because they may provide the same heart healthy benefits.
Second, limit your daily intake of nuts to 1 or 2 ounces. One guideline is to eat only the amount of nuts it takes to fill the palm of your hand. This does not mean a handful of nuts. If you like almonds, for example, just put 8 or 10 almonds in your hand. That’s about the right amount of nuts to consume daily. If you are substituting nuts for some other source of calories you need not worry about gaining weight. In fact, starting your day with a little protein can actually help you lose weight.

I won’t bore you with all the details here, but below I’ve pasted just the conclusions of a number of reports on the subject of nuts in the diet. This is not a magic bullet that will eliminate all heart disease risk, but it is certainly an easy thing to include in your arsenal of weapons against CHD (Coronary Heart Disease).

CONCLUSIONS: Frequent nut consumption may offer postmenopausal women modest protection against the risk of death from all causes and CHD. (University of Minnesota)

CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates a significant inverse relationship between legume intake and risk of CHD and suggests that increasing legume intake may be an important part of a dietary approach to the primary prevention of CHD in the general population. (Tulane University)

CONCLUSIONS: Frequent nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of both fatal coronary heart disease and non-fatal myocardial infarction. These data, and those from other epidemiological and clinical studies, support a role for nuts in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. (Harvard School of Public Health)

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest potential benefits of higher nut and peanut butter consumption in lowering risk of type 2 diabetes in women. To avoid increasing caloric intake, regular nut consumption can be recommended as a replacement for consumption of refined grain products or red or processed meats. (Harvard School of Public Health)

SENIOR MOMENTS? - Eat more fish!

Recent studies in Norway indicate that those who eat more fish, up to 80 grams per day, have significantly improved cognitive function than those who do not. Can't find your keys...again? Have some fish. Doesn't seem to matter if you eat lean or fatty fish, fresh, smoked, canned. All seem to have the same beneficial effect on brain function. However, merely taking fish oil in supplement gel caps does NOT seem to have any positive effect. The positives associated with fish oil are not to be ignored however, because they do have a very important role to play in cardiac health. As always though, it is better to get as much of the necessary nutrients as possible in your diet rather than as supplements. Supplements most often should be used to fill any gaps in your dietary supply of nutrients.Having read many of the reports over the last few years concerning such problems as mercury poisoning and the accumulation of pesticides and fertilizers in fish, caution is still advised. Where possible, eat only wild caught fish. Even then, you may want to limit your fish intake to two or three meals a week. When in doubt, moderation in all things is still a reasonable guideline.