Eating For Health

Can one be overweight and yet be fit?   Are there any health benefits to becoming more fit even if you are overweight?   The usual answer is NO, but more recent studies are indicating the answer could be YES.   A recent article in Circulation looked at 14,345 men, 47 percent of whom were overweight.   The overweight men who maintained their cardiorespiratory fitness level over six years were 30% less likely to die of heart disease or stroke than those who weren’t fit.   Another study of 855 coronary artery disease patients at Mayo Clinic found that even if overweight, those with high fitness levels were much less likely to die.   Who was the comparison group?   People who were a normal weight but didn’t exercise.   So who is better off, the lean guy who isn’t fit or the overweight guy who is fit?   Well, according to this study, the overweight guy who works out can improve his health and lower his risk of diseases like heart attack and strok...

March is National Nutrition Month  Click on the widget to learn more about healthy eating and National Nutrition Month.

March is National Nutrition Month, a month focused on nutrition education and information created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This year the theme is "Get Your Plate in Shape", focusing not only on making good food choices but also on getting physical exercise as depicted in this year's logo: In their press release, the Academy encouraged all Americans to focus on healthy eating habits by eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low fat dairy foods every day. Their logo emphasizes the new Choose MyPlate theme developed by USDA that encourages each of us to fill half our plate with fruits and veggies, a fourth with whole grains, a fourth with lean protein and to have some low fat dairy with each meal. How can you add whole grains to your diet? Cereal – eating cereal is an easy way to add whole grains. As stated in a previous blog entry, all General Mills cereals are whole grain. Choose any General Mills cereal and you have easily ad...