If you enjoy foods from a wide variety of cultures and sources and want to be sure you’re choosing items that benefit your health, check out the healthy-food pyramids at www.oldwayspt.org. The not-for-profit Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, an educational organization that promotes scientific alternatives to unhealthy foods, is sponsor of the site. Here you can find healthy dietary pyramids based on Mediterranean, Asian, Latin American and vegetarian foods.
The pyramids were designed in association with the Harvard School of Public Health and other institutions. On the Asian pyramid, for example, the greatest portion of your diet should include rice, noodles, millets, corn and other whole grains, followed by fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts. On the Mediterranean diet, it’s best to lean toward pasta, couscous, polenta and other whole grains. As with the American diet pyramid, you should eat meats, sweets and eggs sparingly.
The Oldways Briefings part of the Web site offers news updates on various diets, such as one story describing the Mediterranean diet as the “gold standard” of victuals.
The site also provides book recommendations, notice of food conferences around the world and information on lesson plans for children to learn more about food, due to the demise of home-economics courses over the last couple decades.
Quick health tips
Self Magazine’s health professionals offer numerous quick health tips in its February issue. For example, you can avoid extra calories by asking for a dry bun at a restaurant because many chefs brush the buns with butter before grilling.
Eating fish can be healthy but only if you stick to a portion size of about 4 ounces, says Marc O’Meara, dietitian at the Mind/Body Institute in Boston. Eating larger portions means you’re adding lots of extra calories.
Do you feel cold all day? Have a cup of spicy ginger tea early in the day. The ginger will boost circulation by dilating your blood vessels thereby making you feel warmer throughout the day.
Are you having trouble getting pregnant? Stop working out for a few months. Animal studies have shown that vigorous exercise can impair fertility, says Alice Domar, a psychologist and director of the center for women’s health at the Mind/Body Institute.
Battling sleep apnea
About 10 million men battle sleep apnea, although just 18 percent have been diagnosed with the disorder, notes a comprehensive feature in the March issue of Men’s Health. The condition, which blocks respiration for as long as 10 seconds as many as 90 times an hour, literally starves the body of oxygen. Left untreated, “sleep apnea manifests itself in lowered energy, compromised memory, depression, and sometimes headaches (which arise from the high levels of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.)” Sleep apnea also can greatly increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure and stroke.
One effective treatment for the problem is continuous positive airway pressure. This involves wearing a small mask at night through which a blower sends a continual stream of slightly pressurized air. Simpler treatment options include losing weight, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes and sleeping on your side or stomach.
