Eating For Health

We all know that exercise is good for us. But how much exercise do we need? If you are a Minimalist : if you hate exercising and want to do the least possible to get by, how much exercise do you need for at least some health benefit? Well, you are in luck Some research just out of Taiwan indicates as little as 15 minutes of exercise a day can provide some health benefits. We are not talking about being fit and trim at 15 minutes a day but some exercise is clearly better than no exercise. In the Taiwan study, they wanted to know if exercising less than the recommended 30 minutes a day, had some health benefit. They studied 416,000 Taiwanese adults, asked them how much they exercised the previous month and followed them for 8 years. Those who did little exercise, only 15 minutes a day, did cut their risk of death by 14%. They also extended their life by 3 years over those who did no exercise. What does this research say for all of us: Some exercise is better than no exercise. Get ...

     I actually like a commercial on TV. It is the General Mills commercial advertising that all General Mills cereals are whole grain. In my nutrition class, I teach that an easy way to get some whole grains into their diet and the diet of children is to eat a cereal for breakfast that is whole grain. If they have children, an easy way to choose a breakfast cereal is to look for the "G" because ALL General Mills cereals are whole grain.      Many people in American aren't eating any whole grains and many others eat far less than the 3 recommended servings of whole grains. Kristin Harris, Ph.D., the senior nutritionist at General Mills, noted "60% of Americans feel like they are getting enough whole grains, but 95% are not." (Environmental Nutrition Newsletter, May 2011). A General Mills study found that only 5% of Americans are getting the recommended 3 daily servings of whole grains. Maybe because only 55% of Americans know how to identify who...