Include whole grains in your diet daily

Whole grains are credited with protecting against stroke, heart disease and colon cancer, assisting in obesity control and lowering blood pressure, among other things.
Wholegrain cereals, comprising all the three parts of a grain kernel – the outer bran layer, the inner germ and the endosperm – can have up three times more naturally occurring nutrients, such as antioxidants, fiber and vitamins, than a highly processed breakfast cereal.
Examples of wholegrain products include oats, brown rice and whole rye.
When grains are refined during food production, however, the removal of the bran and germ results in a loss of more than 50 percent of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
“Choosing a refined cereal for breakfast does not provide a good resource of quality carbohydrates,” said Cathy McDonald, director of Health & Wellbeing Services at Sanitarium, Australia and New Zealand’s largest health company.
“While quality carbohydrates give you long-lasting energy, poor quality ones might give you a short burst but you quickly fall back down,” the dietitian said.
While both whole and processed grains contain low levels of fat and no cholesterol, the latter are likely to contain additives, have been bleached with chemicals and have less natural fiber.
Breakfast foods that are rich in wholegrain – dubbed one of nature’s “super foods” with intrinsic health benefits and backed by scientific evidence – are also said to contribute beyond just physical wellness.
The emotional and mental wellbeing of children on a regular diet of such cereals may be enhanced through improved concentration, attention span and memory, McDonald said. Adults too may enjoy improved cognitive function mood and feelings of contentment, she added.
McDonald noted that while many cereal products are advertised as wholegrain-based, an “ideal” breakfast cereal must be more than 50 percent wholegrain. It can then be paired with yogurt, milk or fruit to allow for synergy among the different nutrients to take place.
She said this synergistic activity between the hundreds of nutrients provides the overall benefit of wholegrain. It is this “whole” that is greater than the sum of the parts.
Also, one should avoid drinking coffee and the while eating cereals because certain substances found in these beverages can bind to the nutrients and prevent the body from absorbing them.
Research has also shown that wholegrain foods can help reduce obesity because the fiber, folate an B vitamins help make a person feel full, thus reducing his desire to snack.
Whole grains” benefits were endorsed by the World Health Organization’s global report on diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic disease in 2003 as a away of reducing total energy intake to control obesity.
Whole grains are credited with protecting against stroke, heart disease and colon cancer, assisting in obesity control and lowering blood pressure, among other things. Whole grains include the intact and unrefined grains of barley, buckwheat, corn , millet, brown rice, rye, oats, sorghum, wheat, wild rice and even popcorn.
The Mayo Clinic promotes it as a healthy food choice and suggests the following ways to make it part of your diet:

• Look for the word “whole” on the packaging and ingredient list on off-the shelf food products, making sure that whole grains are the first few items listed.
• Start the day off with breakfast that includes wholegrain – bran, shredded wheat or oatmeal cereals.
• Substitute whole grain flour for all-purpose flour when baking.
• Make sandwiches using wholegrain breads and use brown rice and whole wheat pasta for cooking.
• Add wild rice or barley to soups, stews or salads.
• Include whole grains, such as cooked brown rice or wholegrain bread crumbs, to complement minced meat and give it extra body.
• Substitute dry bread crumbs with rolled oats or bran flakes in recipes.
  
  Esther Teo/ANN/Strait Times
  The Jakarta Post/Saturday, October 4, 2008

Heart of the matter

Consider your heart your body’s central. So keep the traffic in and out of the arteries of this fist-sized organ free-flowing. Discipline and hard work are needed to keep your heart lean and fit, especially when the many tasty temptations and lazy conveniences of modern living can tempt one away from a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Ong Hean Yee, consultant cardiologist at Alexandra Hospital, said: “We should not eat so much meat. Only 10 percent of our diet is supposed to be made up meat products.”
A heart-healthy lifestyle should actually start from young. East Shore Hospital consultant cardiologist Baldev Singh said that the accumulation of fatty deposits in the heart’s arteries can start in childhood.
Echoing him, Dr. Seow Swee Chong, consultant cardiologist at the National University Hospital’s cardiac department, said: “Autopsy studies have shown that fatty streaks can be found in the arteries of children as young as two years old.”
These “fatty streaks” are early signs of atherosclerosis, or progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries due to the build-up of cholesterol, fatty deposits and other cells in the inner artery walls, or intimate.
Such a build-up eventually leads to coronary artery disease.
The number of streaks increases with the number of risk factors such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and obesity.
Cardiologists spoke to advised those aged 35 and above to go for a general health screening to check their cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels.
The trick to keeping your coronary arteries clear and plaque free, they said, is to keep your weight down and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
Dr. Ng Wai Lin, consultant cardiologist at Raffles Hospital and deputy director of Raffles Heart Centre, said: “A good, well-balanced diet, regular exercise and maintaining an ideal body weight are still the best preventive measures.”
Koay Saw Lan, head of the department of dietetics and nutrition services at Singapore General Hospital, said: “Healthy food habits can help reduce three of the major risk factors for a heart attack – high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and excess body weight.”
A diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol will help to lower LDL cholesterol, known as the bad cholesterol, and using unsaturated fats in place of saturated fats will help to further lower blood cholesterol levels.
Sources of unsaturated fats include soybeans, most nuts and seeds and fatty fish like salmon and tuna. When cooking, use methods that require little or no fat such as broiling, poaching or steaming.
Singh explained: “Fat is fat. You eat it, you’ll grow fat.”
Fiber too helps lower blood cholesterol when eaten regularly as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Foods high in soluble fiber include oats, beans, peas and citrus fruits.
Regular exercise keeps your cardiovascular engine humming too. Aerobic exercises like brisk walking, swimming, cycling and jogging are recommended by Dr. Tan Swee Yanw, consultant at the department of cardiology at the National Heart Centre Singapore.
Vigorous intensity exercises like jogging should be done at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes each time while exercises of moderate intensity like brisk walking should be done at least five times a week for at least 30 minutes each time.
Given the worldwide epidemic of childhood obesity, doctors spoken to recommended that overweight children be put on diet and exercise plans.
A childhood obesity study in The New England Journal Of Medicine last December found that a higher body mass index in childhood is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood.
Cardiologists here say that truncal obesity, or belly fat, is deadly for the heart. Men’s waists should not measure more than 90 cm while women’s waist sizes should not exceed 80cm.
Dr. Lim Soo Teik, head and senior consultant at the department of cardiology at the National Heart Centre Singapore, said: “Having belly fat means your body is more resistant to insulin action and this results in higher proportions of bad cholesterol and lower levels of good cholesterol.”
Ong said: “The sooner you get rid of belly fat, the better. If you’ve been obese for 40 years, your body and heart will have been damaged by obesity for 40 years.”

June Cheong/ANN/Straits Times
The Jakarta Post/Friday, October 3, 2008

Contact Lenses: Look before you buy

Here are some pointers on safe disinfection, storage and handling of contact lenses, followed by a rundown of contact lens types.
Avoiding eye infections: Wearing contact lenses increases your risk of corneal infection. Some of the added risk is unavoidable as all types of contact lenses reduce the amount of oxygen that reaches your cornea – the clear tissues that lies over the pupil and iris – and less oxygen can promote infection.
This reduction in corneal oxygen makes proper cleaning and disinfection all the more important. Here are some tips:
Use multipurpose contact lens solutions with caution.
Choose daily-wear contacts, and take them out before you go to sleep. Infections are common with extended-wear contacts, worn continuously, than with daily-wear contacts.
Wash, rinse and dry your hands thoroughly before handling your contacts.
Follow your eye-care professionals' instructions for taking care of your lenses. Make sure you use lens-care products formulated for the type of lenses you wear.
Replace your contact lenses as recommended. If one or both lenses bother you before you are due to replace them, get them checked or try a new set if you have a supply.

Types of contact lenses and their comparison: Contact lenses are made of many different types of plastic, but in general, they fall into two main groups – soft contact lenses.
Soft contact lenses are thin, gel-like lenses that conform to the shape of your eye. They are more flexible than gas-permeable contact lenses, so they are more comfortable and easier to get used to.
Soft contact lenses are flexible lenses, more comfortable, with extended-wear and disposable options available. They have shorter adjustment period and stay in place better, even with vigorous physical activity. Disadvantages include less durability, requirement of more frequent replacement. They are not as effective in correcting some vision problems, such as high degrees of astigmatism.
Gas-permeable lenses are more durable, can correct optimal vision problems for many conditions, need less frequent replacement and have greater oxygen permeability. They are better for eye health. On the other hand, these lenses are less comfortable initially and require an adjustment period. Readjustment may be necessary any time you stop wearing them for an extended period. They may slip off the center of your eye more easily and may lead to discomfort and blurred vision.
Getting the right fit: If you decide you want contact lenses, have a thorough eye examination and fitting by an experienced professional. Follow-up exams are important to monitor any changes to your vision and to update your prescription. If you are a regular contact lens wearer, see your doctor annually for an eye exam and a contact lens evaluation more often if you have any problems.

Tareq Salahuddin/ANN/Daily Star
The Jakarta Post/ Tuesday, September 30, 2008