For the next couple of blogs, I am going to focus on the elderly and how they can find resources to help them stay healthy.  This blog focuses on physical activity and the next one will focus on nutrition.

Maintaining proper nutrion, physical activity and overall health is important through all stages of our lives.  Although body systems become less efficient with aging, maintaining them through adequate nutrition and physical activity can aid in the quality of life and help to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases that come along with inactivity.  There are several resources available for seniors to help them stay active and healthy.  National organizations, local organizations and the internet provide much information to help keep the elderly population informed about different ways to maintain proper nutrition, stay physically active and have overall good health.

To maintain a physically active lifestyle and stay healthy, the CDC recommends a choice of the following:

• 2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, every week along with 2 or more days a week of muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups which would include the arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, legs and hips.
• 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity such as jogging or running every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week. These muscle -strengthening activities should work all major muscle groups listed above.
• An even mix of moderate and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening activities 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.

These exercise segments do not have to be done all at one time.  They can be broken up at different times during the week even increments as small as 10 minutes at a time of moderate to vigorous activity is acceptable.

There are several resources that seniors can use to get information to help them stay physically active.  Online resources include a program called Go4Life from the National Institute on Aging.  This website offers literature that can be printed out. Under the GET STARTED tab there are three sections that help you prepare for exercise.  The GET READY section provides information about the different types of exercise, how exercise can help you and how to do it safely.  The GET SET section helps you to plan your goals and the GO section gives you the exercises to do and tracks your progress.  The STAY ACTIVE tab provides information about endurance, strength and flexiblity and has videos of how to do the exercises.  Seniors can also order free literature and DVD’s.  The website allows viewers to have a user name and ID in order to track progress.  The National Institute on Aging also has a site called NIHSenior Health which focuses on overall health including physical activity. On this site, the font can be changed to help the elderly see it better if they are having problems seeing and it also has the capability for them to hear each webpage read aloud which is good for those who may not be able to read the page.  In addition to the other health information available on the site, it has a page dedicated to physical activity that also has videos and printouts.  There are also websites that cater to overall health such as USA.gov that has information about healthcare facilities for seniors, diseases and conditions, and prescription drugs.  Live Healthy Georgia is another website that provides overall health information for seniors such as food safety, emergency preparedness and injury prevention among other topics.  This site is a cooperative effort of the University of Georgia and Department of Human Resources Division of Aging Services.

I am currently taking a class called Nutrition Through The Life Cycle.  This is an interesting class because it is very specific about the importance of certain types of nutrients at different periods in the life cycle of an individual.

Right now we are talking about nutrition during pregnancy.  Many people are aware that what is eaten during pregnancy will have an affect on the fetus. However, what many may not know is how nutrition before pregnancy is just as important.

Many women may become pregnant and not know that they are pregnant until weeks later.  The first few days and weeks after pregnancy are very important.  Some women may have a deficiency in nutrients that are important before as well as after becoming pregnant. Folic acid for instance is very important and is a nutrient that plays a part in the formation of the spine.  The critical time period for this nutrient is 17 to 30 days gestation becuase that is when the neural tube is forming. Folic acid is taken to prevent the occurrence of malformations such as Spina Bifida and other congenital defects.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommends that women of child bearing
age (15-44) take 400 micrograms of Dietary Folate Equivalent (DFE) from supplements, fortified foods and food folate.  Pregnant women should take 600 micrograms per day with 400 micrograms from supplements and fortified foods and 200 micrograms from food folate.  Sources of food folate would include foods such as beans and peas, green leafy vegetables and orange juice.

Other vitamins and minerals are important before and during pregnancy in addition to folate such as vitamin D, iron and calcium.  For more information visit the Yale Medical Group website.

I just got back from Ghana Africa 3 weeks ago.  I had a wonderful time.  This is the first time that I have been out of the country so it was really exciting.  I enjoyed some things and some things I did not enjoy so much (although all of it contributed to the learning experience).

I was exposed to so many things that I would not have been otherwise such as witnessing three live births and one of which was twins.  I served in many community clinics and met the Dietitian of the Children’s Hospital where I also got to cook in the kitchen.  Not only did I help to cook the food for the hospital but while I was there I of course tried many different African dishes at the home where I was staying.

I must say the food was pretty good and I enjoyed eating foods that I had never tried before.  It was trial and error because some of the dishes I liked and some of them I did not.  Although the food was good, most of it was fried.  We ate fried foods everyday.  I have never eaten so much fried food.

In Ghana, they do not have the variety of foods that I am used to eating.  I found after the third week that I was just eating the same foods over and over.  Some of the common staple foods were plantain, fried rice, mango, pineapple, yams and eggs.  We ate most of these foods everyday.  I did not eat many vegetables (except for at our group home occasionally) because the possibility of getting sick was too great so I ate hot foods the majority of the time.

My first week back the first thing I ate was fresh vegetables, vegetables, vegetables.  I am so grateful for the variety of foods that we have access to.  We are able to add many different foods to our meals every day.  It was good for me to eat foods that I had never been exposed to but I must say that there is nothing like eating what I am used to eating. I truly enjoyed myself and would love to visit again and I am very thankful for the experience but I am glad to be home.

Well I have almost finished my packing and am ready to go.  I will be going to Ghana Africa for a service learning trip.  I have been looking forward to this trip all semester.  Although we have a lot of work scheduled, the first week will give us some time to tour the country.

I have never been abroad so this trip is going to be very life changing for me.  I know that I am going to encounter many things during my learning experience that will help me to perform a better service to my clients in my career.

Our learning experiences will be based on student interest.  Of course my interest is in foods and nutrition so I will be getting to work with the malnourished children at the nutrition rehabilitation clinic in Accura.  I will also be working with the residents providing education of the health insurance system and, with the direction of a Registered Dietetian, conduct counseling sessions for patients with various disease conditions.

So as you can see we have our work cut out for us.  I will have some time to enjoy the country but we will be working 8-5 Monday through Friday.  This is my last post for a while but I will be sure to give you an update on how my trip went. I am looking forward to an eventful summer!

 I guess you could say that I am a picky eater.  I try my best to eat foods that contribute to helping my body stay healthy as I am sure most of you do too.  Now of course for me that does not mean that I do not like to eat the chocolate cake and ice cream every now and then.  No food is bad if eaten in moderation along with a healthy diet and exercise.  TaMara’s philosophy is you have to treat yourself sometimes for all that hard work you do most of the time.

So because I am a picky eater, I really take my time when I am at the grocery store. I read every label and shop more frequently on the outside aisles of the grocery store (where all the vegetables and fruit are) than the center ones that have most of the processed foods.  The grocery store industry is obviously aware that many of us are taking control of our eating habits and are careful as to what we eat.  To cater to this, there are more foods that are “Fat Free”, “Low Fat”, “Reduced Fat”, “Saturated Fat Free”…..well you get the picture.

Now just because labels say these things does not mean that they are totally free of the nutrient.  The FDA does allow a very small amount of some of the nutrient in the food.  I am going to help you out a little and just give you a rundown on some of the nutrient claims that have been approved by the FDA and what they mean.

FDA Approved Nutrient Claims

Calories

“Light” or “Lite” –  If 50% or more of the calories are from fat, fat must be reduced by at least 50% as compared to a regular product.  If less than 50% of calories are from fat, fat must be reduced at least 50% or calories reduced at least 1/3 compared to a regular product.

“Reduced Calories” –  At least 25% fewer calories per serving compared to a regular product.

“Calorie Free” –  Less than 5 calories per serving.

Fat

“Fat Free”  -  Less than 0.5 g fat per labeled serving.

“Low Fat” – 3 g fat or less per serving.

“Saturated Fat Free” –  Less than 0.5 g saturated fat and less than 0.5 g trans fatty acids per serving.

“Low in Saturated Fat” –  1 g saturated fat per serving and containing 15% or less of calories from saturated fat.

Cholesterol

“Cholesterol Free” –  Less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving.  (cholesterol claims are only allowed when food contains 2 g or less saturated fat per serving).

“Low in Cholesterol” – 20 mg cholesterol or less per serving.

Sodium

“Sodium Free” –  Less than 5 mg sodium per serving.

“Low in Sodium” – 140 mg or less sodium per serving.

Sugar

“Sugar Free” –  Less than 0.5 g sugars per serving.

Some other important tips

When a food is labeled as “Fresh” this means that it has not been frozen, heat processed or otherwise preserved while “Fresh Frozen” means that the food is frozen while it is still fresh.

If you are in need of getting more protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, or potassium into your diet, foods that say ”High”, “Rich in”, “Excellent Source of” would be a good choice because it means that the food contains 20% or more of the Daily Value. A food that has a Daily Value of a nutrient at less than 5% is considered a low source.

Keep in mind that these are per serving so if you eat more than one serving of the food than you are getting more of the nutrient than stated on the label.

Nutrient information taken from FDA website.  For more information see the FDA website: Definitions of Nutrient Content Claims, Additional Requirements for Nutrient Content Claims

With the convenience of fast food restaurants and our busy schedules it is very easy to end the day not having a home made meal.  In order to keep me from being tempted, I like to pack my lunch everyday with plenty of snacks that will tide me over till the end of the day. I have come up with quite a few snack ideas to put in that lunch box and I want to share them with you to help you eat healthy on the go.

To increase your fruit and fiber intake try these ideas:

• 1 cup oatmeal with large banana
• 1 cup cheerios with 1 cup blueberries
• Turkey on whole wheat with 8 baby carrots
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta with 1 cup marinara
• 3 cups low-fat popcorn
• 8 whole wheat crackers with 2 Tbsp hummus

Instead of a plain peanut butter sandwich. Try whole wheat bread with peanut butter and walnuts and raisins and add a slice of apple.  This is a snack packed with protein, whole grain and fruit.

Try purchasing and preparing lunch items in the beginning of the week and making sure that the serving sizes are not too large and if using prepackaged juice use 100% juice to help you make lunch making a snap.

I have always been taught that it is good to help others.  I must say that it was one of the most valuable things that I have learned.  I decided on a career in nutrition because I love it.  I enjoy eating to live and teaching others how to do the same thing.  I enjoy watching people reach their nutrition goals that they have set for themselves.  I remember when I started in this field I wanted to have a career that would help others and I have found that what I also enjoy, perhaps the most, is that I am helping others while at the same time doing something that I love.

Sometimes I do not have good days at school and it gets really difficult with all of the studying.  I have to stop and think for a moment why I am doing what I am doing and that drives me to go on.  I have the opportunity to study abroad this summer to Ghana Africa.  It is one of the main reasons that I decided to go to the University of Georgia.  We will be working with the people of the community teaching them about proper nutrition.  I am fortunate to study in a place where I not only will I have an impact on and help the people of the community but that they will also have an impact on and help me.  I am sure this can be done anywhere someone goes.  I know that it will be different working with people in this culture. They do many things different from the way I do things here.  Learning to appreciate all cultures and how they live is something that I really admire.  I have never been abroad before so of course this is really exciting to me.  I am really looking forward to it and know that I will learn an abundance of things that I can bring back with me and use in my career and my life that will help to enhance my understanding of working with the many different people in this world and valuing every single one of them.  Perhaps this might be something that more of us should learn to do.  This is just why I do what I do. What about you?

I take a multivitamin daily and I am sure some of you do too. It is my hope that it will supplement my diet and provide me with the amount of vitamins and minerals I need. Well, you should know that not all multivitamins are equal.  It is important that you read the label to make sure you are getting the correct amount.

How much do I need? I am going to give you a few suggestions that will give you some help.  Assuming you are a healthy individual, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), Adequate Intake Level (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), which you can find on the USDA website gives you some guidelines.  The RDA will tell you how much of each vitamin and mineral that you should be getting each day.   The  Acceptable Intake (AI), is an amount that is set by researchers when there is no RDA because more research is needed. The UL is the highest level of a daily nutrient you should consume without any adverse health effects or risk.

It is important to remember that multivitamins are supplements.  They are not meant to replace whole foods to get your vitamin and mineral intake.  It is recommended that you get most of your nutrient requirements from whole foods but supplements are there to do just that, supplement your diet if you are not getting adequate amounts.  You need to take into account that more than likely you are getting some amount of vitamins and minerals in the foods that you eat daily so the supplement is not the only source you would be getting when you take it.

Keep in mind that the amount of a vitamin or mineral that you need varies with your age, sex, or if you are pregnant or lactating.

Here are some suggestions.  Make sure that when you read the label you are getting 1oo percent of the following vitamins:

• Thiamin (B1)
• Riboflavin (B2)
• Niacin (B3)
• B12
• Vitamin D and E
• Folic Acid

and that you are getting less than 100 percent of:

• Chromium
• Copper
• Selenium
• Zinc

Taking more than 300 mg of magnesium can cause side effects like diarrhea and the amount of Iron should be 9 mg or 18 mg.

Something to think about…..many people take calcium supplements but you should remember that your body can only absorb 300 to 500 mg at a time so if you are taking more than that it is not very beneficial to you.  So if you take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement at the same time and the intake of calcium from taking both is more than 500 mg you will not be absorbing it all.

For more information see the USDA website or the ADA website.

How can food be so good and sometimes make you feel so bad? Well if you have food allergies I am sure you can answer this question.  Although there are several types of foods that can cause an allergic reaction, according to the FDA over 160, eight foods are the most common: fish, shellfish, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soy.  If you do have food allergies, more than likely it is from one of these foods.  Food intolerances (such as lactose intolerance) should not be confused with food allergies which cause an immune system response.  It is the protein in foods that causes the allergic response and when reading the labels on packages it is easy to identify if the product contains one of these foods because it will be listed plainly on the label. Be sure to check this because foods that you think may not cause an allergic reaction may have been made at a plant that processes some of these foods. If you are dining out at a family or friends house or eating out, be sure to ask about ingredients in the food.  If the waiter or family or friend does not know, then ask them to please find someone who does because eating a food that you are allergic to can be life threatening.

Allergic reactions from foods can range anywhere from hives to loss of consciousness and death.  Symptoms usually appear from within a few minutes to two hours after a person has eaten a food to which they are allergic.  Here are some of the common allergic reactions:

• Hives
• Coughing or wheezing
• Dizziness and or lightheadedness
• Flushed skin or rash
• Face, tongue, or lip swelling- tingling or itchy sensation in the mouth
• Swelling of the the throat
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Abdominal Cramps
• Difficulty breathing

If some of these symptoms are not treated promptly, they can lead to anaphylaxis shock (severe lowering of the blood pressure and shock) which is life threatening.  Most people who are aware of the seriousness of their food allergy usually carry an epinephrine injection to be used during early signs of  symptoms.

If you would like more information on this topic please visit the USDA or FDA website or The food allergy and anaphylaxis network website.

Recently in google news people have been talking about food allergies.  Before I go into more detail about food allergies, the most common food allergies, what components in foods cause them and how to live with them,  I want to talk briefly about what is in the news and hopefully get some comments from you.

I do not have food allergies.  I have intolerances to some foods which make me really uncomfortable and unable to eat the types of foods I like.  I started taking probiotics (specifically Align) and they have been working great since day one.  I am sure it is much easier to deal with food intolerances as opposed to food allergies which initiate an immune system response.  Some people with food allergies do not have very serious reactions and others can have very serious reactions to them and in some instances, if they are not monitored correctly, they can be life-threatening.

Google news has reported on children with food allergies and how difficult it can be for parents as well as the cafeteria staff at schools to deal with the issue.  Although there are 8 types of common food allergies, according to the USDA, the most common food allergies in children are peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts, soy and wheat.  It is difficult enough for adults to deal with allergies but it can be even more difficult for children by limiting the intake of certain foods.  As I said earlier, I do not have food allergies but I would like a comment from some of you who do have them or have children with them.  

I would like to know how you are dealing with your food allergy.  

• What type of food allergy do you have? 
• Has your food allergy complicated things in your daily routine or are you managing it pretty well?
• Are you not able to eat some of the foods that you like and if so are you making substitutions for that food?  

Let me know what you think.

I will continue this topic next week but if you would like more general information please visit the USDA website or the American Dietetic Association at Eatright.org