Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

This blog was written by Lisa Larkin. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

What is gluten? It’s a protein found in wheat that causes severe indigestion problems. Gluten is in so many of our favorite foods and is hard to avoid. Although the thought of a gluten-free diet doesn’t sound fun to most, it's becoming more popular in younger generations.

A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Even people without the disease can find benefit in eliminating gluten from their diets. Most people who take on a gluten-free diet are getting more fruits and vegetables and eating less processed foods, which is a good thing.

The signs and symptoms of gluten intolerance do not sound fun. These signs and symptoms include bloating, diarrhea, cramping, and constipation. Always having an upset stomach will definitely make it easier to go gluten free.

There are more gluten-free products to choose from now that it’s becoming more popular. Stores like Whole Foods provide gluten-free shopping. You would be surprised at all they have on the market: pastas, breads, beer, and more. Carefully read the food labels because some gluten-free foods can be higher in calories.

Going gluten-free can’t be all that bad for you; Oprah gave up gluten on a cleansing diet. Gluten is fairly indigestible, so eliminating it might help with stomach issues in all of us. Some doctors still recommend that you go gluten free to solve signs and symptoms, even if you test negative for celiac disease.

Corporate Health and Wellness: How is your onsite cafeteria incorporating healthier food choices, including gluten-free, into its corporate wellness program? 

This blog was written by Mechelle Meadows. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

With a culture that is on the go constantly, and whose entertainment consists of watching hot dog speed-eating contests, how do we reinforce the truth that eating more slowly can fend off obesity?

The Benefits of Eating Slowly

The benefits of slower eating are twofold:

• Firstly, it takes around 20 minutes for the brain to signal to the stomach that it’s full. If we’re eating our entire meal in five minutes, the stomach doesn’t get that signal until it’s too late to stop eating.
• Secondly, the more time we take eating our meal, the more conscious we are of what and how much food is going into our bodies.

Slowing down the pace of eating ties into the concept of mindful eating. By this, we mean that we are eating with the intention of fueling the body as well as finding some enjoyment in the foods. Gulping down meals doesn’t leave a lot of room for the satisfaction of actually tasting the food and enjoying the flavors. It’s not healthy to leave a meal so full that you feel sick and are uncomfortable in your clothes. When you slow down, you can better gauge the point of “satisfied” and avoid crossing the line to “stuffed.”

How Corporate Wellness Programs Can Help

One thing corporate health and wellness programs can do to assist in the matter is to make sure employees don’t always have rushed lunches. Sure, there may be days where a meeting-booked employee has to eat on the run, but companies should take a look to see whether rushed eating is the norm in their workplace.

Stress to your corporate wellness clients to use the full hour lunch break and avoid working and eating simultaneously if avoidable. Even taking a few minutes to breathe and de-clutter the mind before eating can remind someone to slow down and savor meals—thus putting thought into eating, saving money in healthcare, and sparing extra pounds on the body.

This blog was written by Lisa Larkin. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

We have been told for years to stay out of the sun because of its aging effect on our skin and bodies. Finally, there's a benefit to being out in the sun and eating lots of sushi! Sunshine and salmon are the two best sources of vitamin D. You may want to reconsider a little bit of sunshine to prevent some common diseases as people age.

The Carotenoids in Age-Related Eye Disease Study, CAREDS, was performed to research the 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in the blood. These levels were associated with early development of age-related macular degeneration, which is a common cause of eyesight loss in the elderly.

Studies have also found that vitamin D is linked to reducing the risks of Alzheimer’s, depression, bone fractures, multiple sclerosis, lupus, fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, and several major cancers. Aging can be scary, but I think we need to be more aware of our vitamin D intake.

You heard it right: It’s okay to sit in the sun (with sunscreen, of course) for a little bit. And it’s okay to treat yourself to a nice seafood dinner.

Check with your corporate health and wellness team for more information about how to incorporate vitamin D into your diet.

This blog was written by Penny Pohlmann, MS. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

For as long as I can remember, the national nutrition recommendations have been visible on a pyramid-shaped icon. However, the era of the pyramid has come to an end.

On June 2, with the help of First Lady Michelle Obama, the USDA introduced a new nutritional icon, MyPlate, which will replace MyPyramid. Part of the change to a new icon was inspired by a need for a more simple and easy-to-interpret guide for Americans.

How Is MyPlate Different Than MyPyramid?

Besides the shape of the icon, what else has changed? Check out these changes represented in the updated nutritional icon and recommendations:

• The former Meat and Bean group is now referred to as Protein.
• The group once called Milk is now represented on the icon by a blue circle called Dairy.
• The former group Sugars, Fats or Oils, which once represented a small sliver on the pyramid, is not even represented on the MyPlate icon. However, once you visit the new site, ChooseMyPlate.gov, you’ll see a link for Oils and Empty Calories.
• The MyPlate icon does not reference physical activity formerly seen on the pyramid. However, once you visit the website you will see physical activity is still recommended as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Want to help bring attention to the new icon? The USDA is encouraging consumers who are putting MyPlate recommendations into practice by asking them to share photos of their plates on Twitter with the hashtag #myplate or on the USDA Flickr photo group.

Corporate Wellness with MyPlate at Work

How can employers use the new icon in corporate health and wellness programs to spur healthy changes? Here are some ideas:

• Initiate corporate health and wellness by assisting your employees in becoming familiar with the new icon by posting it in your cafeteria, wellness center, break rooms, or newsletters.
• Choose one of the selected messages the USDA has identified as a starting point to guide your employees toward making healthier nutritional choices.
• Host Lunch and Learns led by health educators or nutritional experts who can educate your employees on the makeup of a healthy, balanced diet.

This blog was written by Veronica Hofmann. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Many of you have probably heard or read the buzz about the FDA considering a ban on artificial food coloring. There have been warnings of these dyes possibly contributing to ADHD in children. Many parents claim that after their children ingest the dye their behavior changes. The FDA recently voted not to ban these dyes, stating they need to research further as to the possible connection between the dye and hyperactivity.

Many parents are surprised by this decision—mostly the health conscious who realize that any ingredient that is not natural is just not good for our children. The problem is that most parents who feed their children a diet of whole foods stay away from products that include these dyes already. But there are many people who don’t realize the importance of a proper diet. This makes me think that the bigger problem is education on proper diet, not singling out one specific item.

This leads me to the question of whether or not we want the government making decisions on our food. In my opinion it would be a good thing because as a mother who tries her best to keep artificial colors out of my child’s diet there is absolutely no way to control this when they are at school, with friends or grandparents—often the worst offenders! No, I am not in favor of governmental control; but if the ingredient is not doing anything good and is found in kid friendly, cheap, and easily accessible foods, it may not be a bad thing to have it banned from the market.

Will this ever happen? Who knows? So in the meantime it is important to spread the word about healthy diets for everyone! We should start focusing on what to eat rather than what not to eat, and try to make the best nutrition decisions we can. I cringe when my little one bites into a ridiculously colored cake, cupcake, or candy but it is not a normal occurrence so until it is banned we will have to be flexible and pray it does not cause a complete meltdown.

This topic would be a great conversation starter for your worksite wellness program. Get the chatter started and it will travel.

This blog was written by Dan Walker. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Fasting is an ancient practice that is observed in nearly every religion and culture around the world. While many view it primarily as a spiritual discipline, numerous health benefits have been proposed as well. These range from helping to lower blood pressure and cholesterol to the detoxification of the body. While many medical professionals and average people advocate fasting in some form, many others disagree.

Like many “alternative therapies” practiced throughout the world today, the jury still seems to be out on fasting and its health benefits. Many claim that it can help reverse diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol; improve the immune system; and help the body heal itself in numerous ways. Others claim that none of these things is proven and that fasting can actually be detrimental to one’s health.

Proposed Benefits of Fasting

Today I take a look at the benefits that those who are in favor of fasting have either witnessed or experienced themselves. In a future post, I'll address the opposite viewpoint.

• Detoxification: Detoxification is one of the most notable benefits of fasting that proponents mention. Those who support it say that since many of the toxins we store in our bodies are stored in fat, and more fat is burned during a multiday fast, it can serve as a way to help detoxify the body. It is believed to give the body rest and allow it to use for detoxification the energy normally used digesting food.
• Longevity: Another interesting idea is that fasting can actually help promote a longer life. Numerous studies in animals have found that subjects that periodically fasted and followed lower-calorie diets in the trials lived longer than their counterparts.
• Lower risk of diseases: A relationship between fasting and a lower risk for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s has also been found. Fasting proponents point to this as evidence that fasting directly leads to these health benefits, while opponents hold that though they are correlated, it doesn’t necessarily mean one causes the other.

Next time we’ll look at fasting and weight loss, a method many have tried over the years.

What's Your View on the Health Benefits of Fasting?

In the meantime, though, what’s your story? Have you ever fasted for physical or spiritual reasons, and if so, what was the outcome? There seem to be many on both sides of the fence when it comes to fasting.

This blog was written by Penny Pohlmann, MS. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

We pretty much know that fruit is healthy for us, right? It’s a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and disease-fighting antioxidants that are essential for health. Did you also know that the number of servings that ChooseMyPlate (the USDA replacement for the food guide pyramid) recommends we consume is up to 2 cups? You, like me, probably don’t meet those recommendations every day, do you?

Whether it’s the cost, storage, or preparation, eating fruit is not always simple. That’s why many of us turn to fruit juice as a way to cover all our nutritional bases.

One Study Finds Health Benefits of Fruit Juice

So does fruit juice provide the same nutritional benefits as whole fruit? Yes and no (don’t you love that answer?). A study conducted at UC Davis found that consuming 100 percent fruit juice “could have protective healthy benefits similar to those of whole fruits.”

It is important to note that the study tested 100 percent fruit juice. Many of the fruit juices available at the grocery store contain only a small percentage of fruit and plenty of added sugar and other chemicals. This means you’re also getting a lot more calories from a serving of juice than you would if you had just eaten a piece of fresh fruit.

Whole Fruit Makes You Feel More Full

If you have ever tried to lose weight before, you’ve probably heard that an easy way to reduce your calorie intake is to reduce the number of calories you get from drinks. Additionally, eating a whole apple is going to provide much more satiety on a reduced-calorie diet than an eight-ounce glass of apple juice.

Why is the apple so much more satisfying? Part of the feeling of fullness it creates is the fiber content that comes from the skin of the apple. The skin on fruits like grapes, apples, cranberries, and pears get left out of the mix when these fruits are used to make juice.

If you are looking to ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins, minerals, and health benefits supplied by fruits, 100 percent fruit juice can be a healthy option. But I wouldn’t rely on fruit juice to replace whole fruit all the time.

Ask a Registered Dietician

Does your corporate wellness program provide your employees access to a registered dietician? There is a lot of confusing and conflicting information out there regarding health and nutrition. Ensure you’re getting the best advice about your diet by seeking the help of a degreed and licensed dietician.

This blog was written by Dan Walker. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

The many health benefits of eating organic foods are well documented by now. They are said to be cleaner and more pure, taste better, and be higher in many vitamins and minerals than their non-organic counterparts. The environment is also better cared for, as there aren’t any chemicals or pesticides used to grow organic products that can in turn pollute our planet.

Despite these benefits, though, could we be going overboard when it comes to organic foods? Are all organic foods really that much better for us, or is it possible that we just think they are?

Do Organic Foods Benefit from the Halo Effect?

The placebo effect has been noted in many drug trials. A medication is given to one group of participants while a placebo is given to another. They both are told that they are being given the drug, though, so oftentimes many in the placebo group report experiencing the drug’s supposed effects simply because they thought they were getting the drug. It turns out that a similar effect, known as the halo effect, may accompany organic foods.

Researchers have found in studies that oftentimes people will perceive a non-organic food labeled “organic” as tasting better, being lower in calories and fat, and deserving of a higher price tag simply because they thought it was organic. Much like a well-dressed person may be perceived as being wealthy, intelligent, and happy simply because of his or her appearance, positive attributes were attached to the foods labeled organic merely because people thought they were organic.

Just Because It's Organic Doesn't Mean It's Healthy

What does this mean for the average person, though, since the store (hopefully) won’t trick you into buying a falsely labeled organic product? I believe the key is to remember that just because something is organic, it doesn’t mean that you can eat unlimited quantities of it. Excess calories are still excess calories, even if they come from healthier foods.

There are also many products that shouldn’t be viewed as health foods simply because they are organic or natural, such as chips, cookies, and other sweets. Just like not every item you can purchase at Subway is healthy despite its marketing efforts (sorry Jared), not every organic product is healthy enough to be consumed frequently throughout your week. Stick with fruits, vegetables, and whole foods whenever possible.

And remember, any health and wellness program will tell you: Just because your cookies are labeled organic, it doesn’t mean they are now a health food!

This blog was written by Sean Holbrook. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

A slow twitch.

An uncontrollably shaky hand.

Both are easily passed off as nothing, but this is just how Parkinson's starts. This degenerative central nervous system disease eventually leads to difficulty walking and talking, and even cognitive function.

Currently there is no known cure for Parkinson's, but there is a recent increase in funding toward research for Parkinson's disease because of President Obama's reversal of restrictions on use of stem cells in research. The increased funding has led to research in additional areas regarding Parkinson's disease, including lifestyle habits.

New Study Offers Parkinson's Prevention Hope

A new study by the Harvard School of Public Health shows that men who ate a diet rich in foods containing flavonoids were 35 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. Researcher Xiang Gao stated that the study suggests that a group of flavonoids known as anthocyanins may have a neuroprotective effect.

The study looked at the responses of 49,281 men and 80,336 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study. Participants were followed for 20 to 22 years and filled out food questionnaires. The researcher calculated flavonoid intake based on the responses of five flavonoid-rich foods, including tea, berries, apples, red wine, and oranges/orange juice. No real link was identified for women, but both men and women who ate the most foods rich in anthocyanins, berries, and apples had a 22 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease.

Antioxidants and Balanced Diet Limit Risk for Many Diseases

The benefits from a healthy antioxidant-rich diet full of berries, citrus fruits, teas, and even chocolate are well known because of their ability to prevent cardiovascular disease, several types of cancers, premature aging, and the list goes on and on. This study does not prove that berries or a diet rich in antioxidants will prevent Parkinson's disease. This was an observational study that lends more support to the fact that eating a well-balanced diet and making healthy lifestyle choices can be a limiting risk factor later in life.

This blog was written by Veronica HofMann. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Before you reach for that next drink, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into! Many of us know that some beverages pack in tons of calories, sugar, and fat. But there may be some on Eat This, Not That's Worst Drinks in America list that may surprise you! The sugar content in many of the drinks would rival a late-night snack binge on all of your favorite sugary foods. Here are some examples:

• Worst Water: Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz). This has the sugar equivalent of two Good Humor chocolate éclair bars.
• Worst Bottled Tea: SoBe Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 fl oz). This has the same amount of sugar as four slices of Sara Lee cherry pie!
• Worst Energy Drink: Rockstar Energy Drink (1 can, 16 fl oz). You could just eat six Krispy Kreme doughnuts…that will boost your energy, right?
• Worst Beer: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1 bottle, 12 fl oz). If you want to splurge on beer in terms of carbs, you could have an entire 12-pack of Michelob Ultra for one of these!
• Worst Lemonade: Auntie Anne’s Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer (32 fl oz). Dangerous levels of sugar in this one―same as 11 (yes 11!) bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal.
• Worst Frozen Coffee: Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24 fl oz). Moo in the name should be your first clue, but here is the shocker: 12 Dunkin’ Donuts Bavarian Kreme donuts have the same amount of sugar. WOW!
• Worst Drive-Through Shake: McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz). You could swap the shake for 13 baked apple pies and get the same sugar!
• Worst Smoothie: Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz). So smoothies are healthy, right? Not this one; 20 Reese's cups has the same amount of sugar! Not to mention, who really needs 40 ounces of anything?

And the award for worst drink in America goes to:

Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It size, 24 fl oz). At over 2,000 calories in just 24 oz, this is the one to avoid at all costs. That’s more than a day's worth of calories in one drink! You could have 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies for the same sugar!

Usually we are guilty of grabbing drinks like these on the go or while at work. If you or your coworkers have packed on pounds due to sugary drinks, this could be a reason to speak to your employer about a worksite fitness program (if you don't already have one).

At the very least, this would be a great lunchtime conversation with coworkers. This information is shocking to most. If more people knew just how bad these drinks were, it might help them make better decisions.