Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and it is not stored in large amounts in the body. Any extra is lost in through the urine. You need to include vitamin C rich foods in your diet everyday, it is important for growth and repair of bones, teeth, skin and other tissue.

- Absorb the iron from plant foods (such as grains and vegetables).

- Keep your gums healthy.

- Protect you from bruising and helps to heal cuts and wounds.

- Produce the tissue that holds muscles and bones together.

- Form and repair blood, bones and other tissues.

- Possibly reduce the risk of some cancers and may prevent the signs of aging because it is an antioxidant.

Everyday we need to eat foods that are rich in vitamin C to make sure we get what our bodies need to stay healthy.

How Much Vitamin C You Need
 

Age in years	Daily Vitamin C Needs mg/day
Men 19 and older	90
Women 19 and older	75
Pregnant Women 19 and older	85
Breastfeeding Women 19 and older	120

           

Too little vitamin C may result in skin bruising, bleeding gums, poor healing of wounds, loose teeth, tender joints and infections.     

You can get enough vitamin C by eating a healthy diet, for  most healthy people there is no need to take a vitamin C supplement, consuming very high amounts of vitamin C (such as in supplements) can cause diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps and other health problems.

     

The best sources of vitamin C are vegetables and fruit. Other food groups do not contain much vitamin C.

Food	Portion	Vitamin C (mg)
Red bell pepper, raw	1 whole	312
Green bell pepper, raw	1 whole	146
Strawberries, raw	1cup/250mL	95
Kiwi	1 medium	75
Grapefruit juice	1cup/250mL	70
Orange	1 medium	70
Broccoli, raw	½cup/125mL	61
Mango, sliced	1 cup/250mL	45
Tomato, raw	1 medium	16
Potatoes, cooked	1 medium	15
Lettuce, raw	1 cup/250mL	14

 

Cooking vitamin C-rich foods or storing them for a long period of time can reduce the vitamin C content. Microwaving and steaming vitamin C-rich foods may reduce cooking losses. The best food sources of vitamin C are uncooked or raw fruits and vegetables.

Meal Ideas

 - For breakfast, top your cereal or yogurt with sliced strawberries

 - Add dark green vegetables to soups, salads, omelets and pasta.

 - Spice up salads with apple slices or grapefruit segments.

Tip: Sprinkle lemon juice on cut up veggies and fruit, like potatoes, avocados and apples. The vitamin C will keep them from turning brown

RATING YOUR RISK

Here is a quick quiz to find out if you have an increased risk for a heart attack. If you don't know some of the answers, ask your health care provider.

1. Do you smoke?

2. Is your blood pressure 140/90mmhg or higher, OR have you been told by your doctor that your blood pressure is too high?

3. Has your doctor told you that your LDL "Bad' cholesterol is too high, that your total cholesterol level is 200mg/dl or higher OR, that your HDL "Good" cholesterol is less than 40mg/dl?

4. Has your father or brother had a heart attack before age 55; OR has your mother or sister had one before age 65?

5. Do you have diabetes OR a fasting blood sugar of 126mg/dl or higher ; OR do you need medicine to control your sugar?

6. For women; Are you over 55years old?

7. For men; Are you over 45years old?

8. Do you have a body mass index score of 25 or more?

9. Do you get less than a total of 30minutes of physical activity on most days?

10. Has a doctor told you that you have angina (chest pains); OR have you had a heart attack?

If you answered "YES" to any of these questions, you have a higher risk of having a heart attack.

Improve Your Heart Health

Coronary heart disease often simply called Heart Disease occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become hardened and narrowed due to a build up of plaque on the arteries inner walls. Plaque is the accumulation of fat, cholesterol and other substances, as plaque continues to build up in the arteries, blood flow to the heart is reduced. Heart Disease can lead to a heart attack.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of both women and men, it affects many people at midlife, it can also happen to do those who feel fine. As early as age 45, a man's risk of heart disease begins to rise significantly, for a woman, risk starts to increase at the age of 55. Fifty percent of men, and sixty four percent of women who die suddenly of heart disease have no previous symptoms of the disease. Many young people are also vulnerable, studies show that about two thirds of teenagers already have at least one risk factor for heart disease.

RISK FACTORS

Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. They can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse. Important risk factors for heart disease that you can do something about are:

-High blood pressure

-High blood cholesterol

-Diabetes

-Smoking

-Being overweight

-Being physically inactive                                                         -Having a family history of early heart disease                                                                                                                                          

THE BIG FOUR LIFESTYLE HABITS

Four habits that help prevent heart disease

• Eat a healthy diet ; -choose a variety of grains daily, half of daily grains should come from whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat, popcorn, oat meal, sorghum, wheat bread etc -Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.  -Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Examples of Foods high in bad fats  (red meat, butter, cheese, and ice cream, as well as processed foods made with trans fat from partially hydrogenated oil).  -Choose and prepare foods with little salt

• Get regular physically activity ; GET UP AND MOVE! Current recommendations are to get 150 minutes per week of exercise. That’s 30 minutes, 5 times a week on average. While a great goal, most people don’t get anywhere near that amount. Good news is that research shows 10 minutes a day can make a difference in reducing elevated cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides

• Maintain a healthy weight;  Get your BMI (body mass index) to 25 or below 

• Avoid smoking

You can lower your risk of heart disease enormously by as much as 82% by adopting sensible healthy habits, its never too late to start protecting your heart health. It is vital to adopt and practice the big four lifestyle habits.

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World Cancer Day

 

 
World Cancer Day takes place every year on February 4 and is the singular initiative under which the entire world can unite together in the fight against the global cancer epidemic. 

Did you know that each year, over 12.7 million people receive a cancer diagnosis and 7.6 million people die from the disease? If no action is taken, the worldwide cancer burden is expected to reach 26 million new diagnoses and 17 million deaths by the year 2030, with the most rapid increases occurring in low- and middle-income countries. 

It’s not all bad news as 30-40% of cancers can be prevented, and one-third of cancers can be cured through early diagnosis and treatment.

A Healthy Diet and Physical Activity

A healthy diet and regular adequate physical activity are of major importance to preventing cancer and maintaining good health throughout life.

• Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.

     Maintain body weight within the normal range from age 21
     Avoid weight gain and increase in waist circumference       through out Adult Hood.

• Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day, limit sedentary habits such as watching television.            

• Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods. (particularly processed foods high in added sugar, or low in fiber, or high in fat). Consume fast foods sparingly, if at all 

• Eat mostly foods of plant origin, Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans.Eat at least five portions.  

• Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.                                          
  
• If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to 2 for men and 1 for women a day. 

• Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt (sodium). Avoid mouldy cereal (Grains) or Pulses (Legumes)

• Dietary supplements are not recommended for cancer Prevention, aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone

Quit Tobacco 
Tobacco kills more than 5 million people a year, an average of one person every six seconds. You can prevent cancer when you stop smoking, chewing and sniffing tobacco. Try to avoid exposure to passive smoke to further reduce your risk. 

Sun Exposure 
Excessive exposure to UV radiation (either from the sun or from artificial sources such as sun beds) is associated with accelerated skin aging and different types of skin cancer. Stop using sun beds and avoid excessive sun exposure. Remember to use sunscreens and protective clothing as an effective cancer prevention method.

A Healthier You This Year 2014!

The start of a new year is a natural time to start afresh and evaluate your goals for the coming months. However the fact that many people break their resolutions within days of making them suggests few people put a plan in place to stick to their resolves.

Too many people approach their health with an all or nothing attitude. Good health should stem from the aim for continuous healthy lifestyle choices. By making small positive decisions every day, you will be on your way to a healthier you. Small things like drinking a glass of water instead of soft drink or choosing salad instead of chips at dinner will move you closer to your goal.

It’s important to set yourself realistic goals with an idea of what you would like to achieve in mind. If you overburden yourself with an exhaustive or unattainable list of goals, you’re likely to set yourself up for frustration and disappointment. Keep your resolution specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. 

Eliminate bad habits with good ones. Rather than restricting yourself by saying you won’t have something, make a healthy choice part of the resolution. For example, if your resolution is to eat less junk food, make packing yourself a healthy lunch each day part of your resolution. You could also incorporate a promise to always have healthy snack with you to avoid drive-throughs and vending machines!

Healthy eating does not mean boring, tasteless foods. Try these simple steps that will help you adopt a healthier you.

Eat more vegetables

There are many more vegetables to try than just lettuce and tomatoes! Bright-colored and dark green leafy vegetables are especially loaded with vitamins and antioxidant. They are also high in fiber, which makes them very filling. In addition, they are low in calories – good to help trim waistline. When you fill up your stomach with veggies, they will be less likely to feel the urge to binge on other high-fat or processed foods. Snack on fruits.

Choose Whole Grains

Not only are they high in fiber, whole grains also contain an array of antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables. The easiest way to increase whole grain intake is to replace some of your refined-grain products. For instance, use whole-grain bread instead of white bread when making lunch sandwiches. Substitute half the white flour with whole wheat flour in your regular recipes. Snack on popcorn instead of chips on movie nights. You don’t need to completely wipe out all refined grains. You can always try serving half whole wheat/half refined as a starting point.  

Limit consumption of processed meat

Instead of always packing sodium-loaded processed ham, sausages sandwiches, try using high-quality protein from Fish, Eggs, Lean Meat. These protein alternatives are usually nitrate-free and more heart health friendly.

Integrate physical activity

If you know you’re going to find it difficult to fit exercise into your schedule, utilise as many opportunities as you can to naturally incorporate it into your day. Some suggestions are;
Make a promise to yourself to always take the stairs rather than the lift, Implement an email-free day at work where you walk to your colleagues’ offices to talk,Walk to the shops on a Sunday morning for the milk rather than driving.
This incidental exercise really adds up over a day to increase your daily physical activity.

On a concluding note, realistically you’re going to slip up at some point. However the people who are most successful at achieving goals are the ones who get straight back on track. Don’t beat yourself up over a slip, it isn’t failure give yourself another chance. Keeping goals is all about your long term commitment. Look at the rest of the day, week or month and decide what adjustments are necessary to make continued healthier choices. 

Diet365global wishes you a Healthy 2014!!!