Happy New Year! Welcome to the January edition of Your Healthy Life—the Natural Health Solutions monthly resource for important health information and updates for the whole family. As always, January offers a fresh opportunity for healthy changes. Are you willing to commit to any new health and wellness goals for the year ahead?

One challenge you may be facing—especially if you overindulged during the holidays—is how to reach and maintain a healthy weight once and for all. As we mentioned last January, the National Institutes of Health cites overwhelming evidence that obesity is more than just dangerous in the short term. It is also clearly associated with heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer, among other health issues. And for many, carrying around extra pounds can be draining both mentally and emotionally.

By now, most of us know that diets almost invariably fail, in that even if we lose weight, sooner or later we return to the old eating patterns and regain the lost pounds. The key is changing your eating patterns—what you eat and how much of it—and ensuring that you do all that you can to keep your metabolism functioning at its most optimal level. For more information on this topic, please review our article Boosting Metabolism Naturally for Healthy Weight Loss

Speaking of healthy body weight, January 19–25 is Healthy Weight Week, brought is to us by the Healthy Weight Network. This organization—concerned with the growing crisis of childhood obesity—notes that according to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of overweight children in the U.S. has risen to 15% for ages 6 to 19, up from just 5 percent in the 1960s.

For African American, Hispanic, and American Indian youth, the figures are even higher. However, the organization also points to a Youth Risk Behavior Survey revealing alarming rates of hazardous weight loss practices. Eating disorders affect at least 10% of high school students, and nutrition monitoring indicates that a majority of teen girls consume less than 2/3 of their nutrient needs with 1/4 seriously undernourished or malnourished. Weight issues are an obsessive concern for American children of all ages, of every racial and ethnic heritage.

Clearly, it is a national health crisis when harmful attempts at weight loss are common in the third grade. Learn some easy ways that you as a parent can encourage healthy, normal eating under our Health Tips and Updates section. For more about programs to address this issue, call the Healthy Weight Network at 701.567.2646.

January offers another important health observance—National Birth Defects Prevention Month. You may have heard that folic acid—a B vitamin essential for proper growth and development—is particularly important for expectant mothers. If you missed our brief but informative article on the benefits of folic acid to prevent birth defects and the critical importance of the right prenatal multi-vitamin/mineral formula, review it today.

For more information on pregnancy and newborn health education, visit www.marchofdimes.com.

January is also National Glaucoma Awareness Month, addressing a serious eye disease that leads to blindness. The good news, according to Prevent Blindness America, is that glaucoma-related blindness can be prevented if caught in time. Those highest at risk include African-Americans, the elderly, and diabetics. Although loss of vision can't be restored, medical treatment can help prevent the disease from progressing. Comprehensive eye exams on a regular basis are your best wellness defense. For more information, visit www.preventblindness.org.

Peace and love in the coming year!

January Power Foods

Since it has been a full year since we have presented to benefits of the delicious—and super healthy—avocado, and many of you are new to our publication, we thought it worth reprinting. Try avocado in some fresh new ways this month: over a baked potato with salsa, as a snack on toast with mustard, a handful of sprouts and tomato, as a garnish for black bean soup or any Mexican dish, to adorn any salad, and so forth.

Although the avocado has a reputation as a high-fat luxury, this power food is one we should enjoy guilt-free more often. Avocados are not only rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, this unique fruit also boasts a plethora of nutrients—all for only 153 calories in a generous half-avocado serving. And the benefits don't stop there. Research suggests that partial replacement of complex carbohydrates with avocado in the diet of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes favorably improved cholesterol profiles while maintaining good glycemic control.1

Another study showed that that avocado-enriched diets promoted a 16% decrease of total serum cholesterol, a 22% decrease in LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and an 11% increase in HDL ("good") cholesterol.2

Research confirms that diets rich in avocado and other sources of monounsaturated fatty acids have beneficial effects on the blood pressure, glucose metabolism, and lipid levels in Type II diabetes patients.3

According to the National High Blood Pressure Education Program, one of the best ways to reduce high blood pressure is to make sure to consume enough potassium. Avocado happens to be one of the best dietary sources, with 548 mg. in just half an avocado, compared with 451 mg. in one large banana.4

So, along with the ideas above, take advantage of avocado as a luscious condiment, substituting it for saturated fats like butter, sour cream and mayonnaise on sandwiches, salads, and baked potatoes for a rich and healthy taste treat.

1 Lerman-Garber I, et al. Effect of a high-monounsaturated fat diet enriched with avocado in NIDDM patients. Diabetes Care 1994 Apr;17(4):311-5
2 Lopez Ledesma R, et al. Monounsaturated fatty acid (avocado) rich diet for mild hypercholesterolemia. Arch Med Res 1996 Winter;27(4):519-23
3 Thomsen C, et al. Comparison of the effects on the diurnal blood pressure, glucose, and lipid levels of a diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids with a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids in type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabet Med 1995 Jul;12(7):600-6
4 Whelton PK, et al. Primary prevention of hypertension: clinical and public health advisory from The National High Blood Pressure Education Program. JAMA 2002 Oct 16;288(15):1882-8

Would you like to be sure you are doing all you can to promote optimal bone, skin and lung health?
Do you have ten minutes to find out?

For January event information, call Kiki Powers at 408.364.9742 or e-mail me: kiki@aboutnhs.com.

~ Doc Childre and Howard Martin ~

“There are two ways to live your life —
one is as though nothing is a miracle,
the other is as though everything is a miracle.”

~ Albert Einstein ~