To assure good health, you should committ yourself to reducing your exposure to toxins. Some of these are strategies that you’re familiar with, but they’re definitely worth a reminder, while others will almost certainly surprise you:

Reduce Your Chemical Exposures

• Don’t wear your outside shoes indoors. Along with the dirt and dust from outdoors comes residue from diesel auto exhaust, lead, pesticides and other toxins.
• For floors, choose wood, tile and stone, which are less likely to harbor and generate toxins than carpets.
• Keep your house clean, minimizing dust-collecting knickknacks so environmental toxins don’t have the chance to accumulate.
• Filter, filter, filter. Filters should be changed every six weeks in homes with a central forced-air heating/cooling system. If you have a different type, consider installing a portable air-filter system. Filter your tap water, too.
• Minimize use of products that contain harmful chemicals. Buy unscented, eco-friendly cleaners and laundry detergents. Drink and serve food from glass containers, many plastic ones are made with toxic chemicals that can leach into your food.

Don’t Eat Toxins

• Organic fruits, vegetables and meats contain the fewest toxins. It’s especially important to buy organic apples, bell peppers, blueberries, celery, cherries, imported grapes, kale, collard greens, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, spinach and strawberries; these fruits and vegetables, in nonorganic form, are most likely to be drenched in pesticides.
• Generally less toxic produce (meaning it’s not as important to buy organic) includes asparagus, avocado, cabbage, cantaloupe, eggplant, grapefruit, honeydew melon, kiwi, mango, onions, pineapple, sweet corn, peas, sweet potato and watermelon.
• Be picky about fish. Farmed fish can contain significant levels of toxic PCBs, chemicals that can wreak havoc with your health, so eat only wild salmon and other varieties. (This rules out most of what’s sold in restaurants and supermarkets.) Avoid fish with a high mercury content, including swordfish, shark, tuna and orange roughy — check this list to see what’s safe to eat and what’s not.
• Buy organic butter. Nonorganic butter can be high in PCBs!

By minimizing exposure to toxins and supporting your body’s innate healing processes, you can gradually take control of toxins and restore your health. In just weeks, expect increased energy, less brain fog and fewer allergy symptoms such as congestion. Over time, if you keep up the good work, it will only get better.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

With all the recent talk about a “sin tax” on sugary sodas, I’m surprised no one is talking about slapping a tariff on deep-fried foods. Yes, they are tasty as anything, but they’re also really terrible for your health. Jane Kirby, RD, author of several cookbooks as well as books on nutrition and weight loss, discussed delicious foods that you can’t, in good conscience, enjoy very often. She offered some great advice on how to prepare foods so that they can achieve that seductive deep-fried crunch while still retaining some measure of being “good for you,” too. You will want to try her cooking methods, but first let’s discuss the varying levels of evil in fried food:

Why Not Fried Foods?

Nutritionists caution against eating fried foods for two reasons, says Kirby. First, frying adds lots of calories to food (fat has nine calories per gram compared with just four per gram for protein or carbs).  But the second reason is more disturbing:  It is impossible to fry foods without having at least some oxidation in the oil, which creates those nasty free radicals that contribute to cardiac disease and other health problems.

It’s actually quite fascinating what happens to food when you fry it. When you cook food in hot oil, the heat transforms the food’s internal moisture into steam, which cooks the food inside and pushes steam against the surface. This is supposed to block the oil from seeping in, but it is a difficult feat to pull off, because it requires a very particular oil temperature, just below the oil’s smoking point. Cooler will slow down moisture conversion giving the oil plenty of time to soak in, if hotter, you risk taking the oil to its smoking point, the temperature at which it oxidizes. The first result is bad for you, while the second result is bad for you too.

Better Ways to Get That Crunch

Happily, there are ways to lessen the problems inherent in frying. Let’s start with sautéing, thought by many to be a healthier way to cook. It is, but only when done the right way. Unfortunately, the usual way people “sauté” is to pour oil in a pan, heat it up and plop in the food, giving it an occasional stir. This is in fact frying and not sautéing, Kirby says. She explains that sauté literally means “jump,” a skill television chefs demonstrate when they continuously shake a pan to tumble the food within. Mastering this skill lets you achieve that crispy crust; but with less oil agitating, the food only brings its entire surface into contact with the hot oil for brief periods so it doesn’t soak in. If you haven’t honed this skill, try just stirring the food quickly and continuously over fairly high heat (don’t let it reach the smoking point) until it is done.

For dishes that use onions and garlic, Kirby suggests “sweating” them first in a mere shimmer of oil.

Here’s how: Place chopped onions and garlic into a pan with a half-teaspoon of oil, cover and cook slowly on a low heat to release the moisture. Once you’ve done that you can add vegetables and protein and, if you want, a bit more oil. Turn up the heat to cook rapidly as you stir. You can add flavor by pouring a small amount of olive oil over the food just before serving.

Least Harmful Ways to Fry

Should you opt to pan- or deep-fry food, here are the ways to protect it from becoming loaded with unhealthy fat and calories:

• Use an oil with a high smoking point. This is one type of cooking for which virgin (not extra virgin) olive oil is preferable, since extra virgin olive oil is more fragile and has a much lower smoking point (320 degrees, compared with 420 degrees).
• Other good choices: Palm oil has a high smoking point (about 425 degrees), as does corn oil (about 450 degrees), walnut and canola oils (about 400 degrees). All these are healthy choices in small amounts.
• Food must be at room temperature before cooking, chilled food lowers the temperature of the oil too much.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. This, too, lowers the temperature of the oil.
• Don’t use fat in your batter. Batter with fat in it attracts more fat to it, says Kirby. Instead, dip food in egg whites, then flour, then water, fat-free milk or flattened beer rather than whole eggs and whole milk. Seasoned bread crumbs, following a quick egg dip, also make a nice, fat-free batter, good for coating chicken breasts and fish fillets.
• Never reuse oil. Once it has been heated it has oxidized and should be tossed.

Crispy-Like-Fried

For almost fat-free foods that are crispy-like-fried, turn to your oven. First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees (on bake) for vegetables. Cut food into small pieces and coat lightly with oil or batter, then spread on a cooking sheet and pop into your oven.

For chicken breasts and fish fillets, preheat to 375 degrees, then dip into seasoned, fine bread crumbs, then milk, and back into the crumbs for another coating. Bake fish about 10 minutes and chicken about 15. The coating combines with the oven’s heat to turn out food that is crispy, browned and delicious.

And here’s a tasty, and healthier, way to enjoy potato chips: Slice potatoes thinly and evenly, then spritz lightly with olive oil (you can buy olive oil spray cans from Amazon.com for about $20)… and place on a flat pan in one layer. Bake the potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. (If they’re thickly sliced, they’ll need to be turned midway.) Kirby’s insider tip: refrigerate potatoes overnight before you cook them (usually a huge no-no for potatoes) to convert their starch to sugar. This will make them even crispier when oven-fried. Sweet potatoes are also excellent prepared this way (no need to refrigerate the raw sweet potatoes).

Who needs to fry?

Source(s):

Jane Kirby, RD, CD, CCP, author of several cookbooks and books on nutrition and weight loss… former program director of Vtrim, an on-line weight-loss program at the University of Vermont… and founder of Vermont Grain Mills (organic whole grains), Charlotte, Vermont,www.vermontgrainmills.com.

Potato chips can be healthy and something you can continue to enjoy. Want to find out more things you can enjoy while dieting? Come back tomorrow for the next fast weight loss tips that we are bringing you.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com

In-flight medical emergencies are now more common than ever, with nearly two billion people flying each year, including many older people with chronic illnesses such as heart and lung disease. More sophisticated aircraft make extended flights of 18 hours or longer more available, which can intensify conditions that could cause problems while also increasing the amount of time people are out of reach of medical care. Since one out of every seven in-flight medical emergencies requires diversion, it’s important to realize that flying when it might not be safe for you not only endangers your health — but also can affect everyone else on your flight.

Can you fly?

Mark A. Gendreau, MD, senior staff physician and vice chair of Emergency Medicine at Lahey Clinic Medical Center and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Massachusetts, has studied this problem, publishing his findings in the February 19, 2009, online edition of The Lancet. He explained some of the risks and offered advice on air travel for people with medical conditions.

People who already have health problems are more vulnerable to the environmental and physiological changes associated with air travel. The most common in-flight emergencies are neurological (ranging from fainting to seizure to stroke), respiratory and cardiac emergencies. If you have any known medical problems, Dr. Gendreau advises consulting your doctor about whether it is safe for you to fly — most especially if it is a long flight.

If You’ve Had Recent Surgery

People who have undergone surgery within three weeks of air travel can face a variety of increased risks. Circulation is affected by long periods of sitting. Blood begins to pool in the calves, raising the risk of potentially fatal blood clots (deep-vein thrombosis or DVT). Risk is higher on flights longer than eight hours.

Reduced cabin air pressure causes gases in the body to expand by as much as 30%, which can lead to abdominal cramping, particularly if you already have a digestive disorder or have undergone abdominal surgery. In rare cases, it has even caused stitches in surgical incisions to open.

Following surgery, to be on the safe side…

• Wait at least two to three weeks to fly. If you must fly sooner, discuss possible precautions with your surgeon.
• Be sure you’re fit enough to fly. According to Dr. Gendreau, you should be able to walk about 160 feet or climb a flight of stairs without experiencing chest pain or getting out of breath.
• Wear graduated compression stockings. Available at pharmacies, these stockings keep blood moving in your lower legs. They’re also a good idea if you are pregnant or obese, have varicose veins, smoke or take birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.
• Sit on the aisle. An aisle seat allows you to stretch your legs and get up and walk around the plane more easily.
• Do seat exercises. When seated, perform simple exercises such as rotating your ankles or alternately pointing your heel and toe. Take advantage of foot rests and change position frequently.
• Stay hydrated. To reduce dehydration, which increases risk of developing blood clots, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• Wear loose and comfortable clothing. Avoid tight pants and other snugly fitted garments, especially around the waist and lower extremities (excluding graduated stockings).

If You Have Heart or Lung Disease

Reduced oxygen levels are also problematic for people with cardiac or pulmonary problems, such as an uncontrolled heart rate, heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dr. Gendreau told me that nearly one in five passengers with COPD experiences at least mild respiratory distress during flights, due to reduced oxygen coupled with low humidity. The post-surgery tips above also hold true for those with chronic medical conditions like these, says Dr. Gendreau. Additional precautions include:

• If you have COPD or an acute episode of asthma, don’t fly until it is under control. If you have fluid in your lungs, an uncontrolled heart rate, heart failure or pulmonary infection, ask your physician whether it is safe for you to fly.
• Discuss possible supplemental oxygen requirements with your physician. Before traveling, if necessary, get a statement of need and a prescription for compressed supplemental oxygen from your physician. Be sure to give the airline this information when you book your ticket — and be aware that the law requires they make necessary accommodations.

Although the aircraft ventilation system is designed to minimize the spread of infection, the truth is that germs can still spread in an aircraft cabin. Their low humidity dries out the mucous membranes in the mouth and nose that normally act as a natural barrier to disease-causing microbes. Even healthy people can leave the plane with an impending case of the sniffles courtesy of an ill seatmate — it’s of even greater concern if you are undergoing cancer treatment, taking immunosuppressant medications or have HIV.

Also practice good hand hygiene. Contagious microorganisms get into our bodies when we touch our eyes, nose or lips with our hands, notes Dr. Gendreau. He recommends bringing aboard an alcohol-based hand wash gel — use it before eating (whether at the airport or on the plane), after boarding, whenever returning to your seat from the lavatory (even if you’ve washed your hands), and after leaving the airport.

American air travelers can feel confident that US consumer safety mandates are the best in the world, says Dr. Gendreau. Federal regulations require commercial aircraft in the US to carry emergency medical kits and an automated external defibrillator (AED). For international travel, carefully check the policies of individual airlines before booking your ticket.

Source(s):

Mark A. Gendreau, MD, senior staff physician and vice chair, Emergency Medicine, Lahey Clinic Medical Center, assistant professor of emergency medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Burlington, Massachusetts.

Reprinted with the permission of:
Bottom Line Publications/Daily Health News
Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Blvd., 8th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.BottomLineSecrets.com