Healthy Take

A Healthy Take

A daily walk can change your life.

The risk factors associated with a greater likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke are large waist circumference, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, low amounts of HDL (�good� cholesterol), and high blood sugar. Having three out of five of these factors gets you a �MetS diagnosis� � metabolic syndrome. But you can change that just by walking.

 

In a recent Duke University Medical Center study, 41 percent of participants were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (MetS) before walking for 30 minutes six days a week. After eight months of walking on this schedule � without making any dietary changes � only 27 percent still met the criteria for MetS.

 

A Meaty Fact: Adults who eat two or more servings of meat per day increase their risk of developing metabolic syndrome by 25 percent, compared to adults who eat meat only twice a week.

� from Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association

 

Free-range eggs ... are they worth it?

 

If you�ve purchased a dozen eggs lately, you might have been a bit flummoxed when trying to decide whether to put out more of your hard-earned cash for the free-range variety. How do you know if paying the extra price for this �boutique� variety of eggs is worth it?

 

First, you have to understand just what the term free range means, and that its definition can be a matter of perspective. Warning: It�s not all that simple. According to Mother Earth News, true free-range chickens eat a natural chicken�s diet that includes �all kinds of seeds, green plants, insects and worms, usually along with grain or laying mash.� True free-range chickens also spend time out of doors walking around and foraging � something factory farm birds can�t do. And factory farm birds are usually fed cheap mixtures of corn, soy, and cottonseed meals with additives. Here�s the confusing part: The USDA defines free range as birds merely having access to the outdoors.

 

Some manufacturers are taking advantage of this definition by leaving tiny doors open on huge sheds, which in turn leaves the door open for the manufacturers to label their eggs as �free range.� So what�s a consumer to do?

 

Know what you�re getting for your money. According to Mother Earth News�sponsored tests, free-range chickens produce eggs of superior nutritional value as compared to eggs from factory hens. And when compared to the official USDA nutrient data for commercial eggs, the eggs from free-range chickens contained up to ...

 

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Two-thirds more vitamin A

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Double the omega-3 fatty acids

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Triple the vitamin E

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Seven times more beta carotene

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One-third less cholesterol

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One-quarter less saturated fat

 

Ancient prescription

 

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Live in rooms full of light.

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Avoid heavy food.

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Be moderate in the drinking of wine.

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Take massage, baths, exercise, and gymnastics.

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Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water.

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Change surroundings and take long journeys.

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Strictly avoid frightening ideas.

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Indulge in cheerful conversation and amusements.

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Listen to music.

 

�Aulus Cornelius Celsus,

ca. 25 B.C.� ca. 50 A.D.

 

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