By: Mary Jane Dittmar
Fire Engineering/FireEngineering.com
The U.S. Fire Administration has reported that 52 (47.2%) of the 110 firefighter deaths in the line of duty in 2003 were attributed to stress/overexertion. This category represents deaths related to cardiovascular events and includes almost half of those lost.
The Diet Maze
We have been hearing much from the government, the medical community, and health organizations recently about the health risks of being overweight and out of good physical condition. Indeed, these are among the risks most often cited relative to cardiovascular health and other diseases as well.
The emphasis being put on the overweight factor has been fueling the diet, exercise, and supplement industries. All types of products and weight-loss programs/theories have been competing for our attention and dollars.
Diet is a personal, individual component of our lives. No two bodies react exactly the same to all foods/supplements. The psychological-related associations that exist between specific foods and us are unique. And, there are many theories about which types of foods will help us in our quest to lose weight. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that while dieting can enhance our health, it can also destroy or diminish it.
Dieting is one area in which we really have to be aware and knowledgeable. (In fact, we must be informed consumers in all health-related areas.) We are all capable to being seduced by the assertions that we can lose weight by eating all we want of all the foods we like, and lose the weight fast, to boot. But alas, most times, what seems too good to be true is too good to be true.
“Effective and long-term weight management grows out of a healthy change in lifestyle, not a brief commitment to eating only certain foods because of where they rank on a theoretical chart,” explains the American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org). “We already know how to lose weight and keep it off. “It’s not a secret: eat less, exercise more …,” says Melanie Polk, RD, AICR’s director of nutrition education …”
My message is that you should approach the health-diet matter as you would any other issue that could affect your health/safety-size up the situation; learn as much as possible about it; compare the information you acquire; consult an expert, if necessary; pay attention to your gut reaction; establish an action plan; proceed with caution; and conduct an ongoing assessment and adapt the plan if necessary.
From time to time, I will present here information (and resources) on the diet issue (under the title, “Diet Maze: Update”) for your information and files. The information is reported only so you can be proactive and informed about your health. Nothing should be construed as an endorsement of a specific approach. As always, consult with your health provider before making a major change in your lifestyle.
Yes, being overweight may pose health problems, but so does choosing the wrong path to remedy the weight factor.
Diet Enhancers
On the other hand, history and long-standing research have consistently revealed that eating sensibly and “smart” not only maintains our good health but can also reverse some of our health problems. In many cases, all we have to do is make some smart choices in our daily diets.
Apples. We have heard since our childhood days that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Nutritional research has done nothing to disprove this statement. In fact, it not only confirms it. The antioxidant procyanidin in apples (the skin) protects against free radicals. A British study showed that people who ate five or more apples a week have nearly four times better breathing capacity.
A University of Hawaii study showed that high apple consumption reduced the risk of lung cancer by 40 percent. The University at Helsinki, Finland, showed apple-eaters were 20 percent less likely to develop any cancer. The Finnish National Public Health Institute also showed that eating half an apple a day cuts risk of stroke by 40 percent and that women who ate apples were 43 percent less likely to die of heart disease. –Archangel Health and Nutrition Store newsletter, Oct. 19, 2003 (www.aomega.com/ahs/index.htm)
This is food for thought. Research is an ongoing function, providing the current step on which to build new research that will prove or disprove previous findings. Given the bodies of existing research on apples (and fruits and vegetables, for that matter) reaching for an apple as a snack or dessert is much wiser than going for high-fat, high-sugar, low-fiber goodies.
Tips. Adding a large, low-calorie green salad at the start of your meal lowers the number of total calories eaten during the meal, and you feel just as full. (Watch the high-fat, high-calorie dressing, though.)–University of Pennsylvania; AICR.
目的吃饭,由三分之二以上vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans and one-third or less animal protein (meat, eggs, cheese) for “filling fiber and long-lasting energy at a substantially reduced calorie cost.”–AICR
Do you have a health or safety tip or story to share? Is there an issue you’d like to see covered? Contactmaryjd@pennwell.comor call (973) 251-5052.
Mary Jane Dittmar is senior associate editor of Fire Engineering magazine andFireEngineering.com. Before joining the magazine in 1991, she served as editor of a trade magazine in the health/nutrition market and held various positions in the educational and medical advertising fields. She has a bachelor’s degree in English/journalism and a master’s degree in communication arts.
