Welcome to the September edition of Your Healthy Life. I hope this finds you thoroughly enjoying the remainder of the summer! This is a great month for:

• Healthy BBQs—think portobello-mushroom burgers, grilled eggplant, corn, peppers and squash, veggie burgers (try on whole-grain buns with sun-dried tomato mayo, gourmet mustard, arugula or other spicy greens), and tofu franks with all the trimmings, etc. Don't forget the homemade lemonade, try it with less sweetener for a refreshingly tart quencher. Add a spring of mint!
• Enjoying the beach and poolside safely—think SPF 30 sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats for all. Be sure to invest in an inexpensive beach umbrella, as well, so there is a shady refuge for the gang.
• Numerous chances for fun outdoor fitness and recreation activities, like swimming, hiking, strolling, checking out new running trails, exploring a new areas on foot, and more!

These warm, delightful months of summer and early fall should be a time of light heartedness, positive self-esteem and confidence, which comes from putting our best selves forward everyday. This includes our kindness to others (especially children!), nurturing our relationships, being productive with work that feels rewarding to us, and taking great care of ourselves every day.

For those who continue to struggle with weight loss, remember, experts agree that your level of fitness is far more significant than your body size. If you could use some some fresh inspiration to get back on track with a regular exercise program, please check out Health Tips and Updates. This section offers more than 30 suggestions—which we initially featured one year ago this month, but definitely bear repeating—to fit more daily physical activity into your life whether at home, work, or play.

I would like to wish you all a healthy and peaceful September. Don't forget to hug those you love today, more than once!

Peace and health to you and yours,

September includes the following national health observances:

September is National Cholesterol Education Month brought to us by the National Heart, Lung National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, presenting a good reminder to take a second look at your cholesterol, a critical biomarker of health, wellness, and longevity. It is best to have a cholesterol level in the range of 140 to 200 milligrams of cholesterol, per deciliter of blood. High cholesterol levels can lead to heart attack or stroke. However, it's important to understand the two types of cholesterol and how they differ. LDL is often referred to as "bad cholesterol", and HDL "good cholesterol." To lower the risk of heart disease, your HDL should be more than 25% of the total cholesterol in the blood.

High cholesterol can be caused by many factors. It will naturally increase with age, and is usually higher in men than in women before menopause. Family history, diet, sedentary lifestyle, alcoholism, cigarette smoking, under active thyroid gland and poorly managed diabetes can all lead to high levels of "bad" cholesterol. The good news is that high cholesterol can often be treated with simple lifestyle changes. If it's higher than it should be, remember, there are many things you can do to lower it naturally, and diet is a prime place to start.

One of the best things you can do is increase the fresh fruit and vegetable content in your diet. Current research suggests that cholesterol lowering foods such as avocados, almonds, olive oil, soy beans, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, chili peppers, oat bran, beans (kidney, pintos, black, navy, etc.), onions, fatty fish like salmon, and flax seed play a crucial role in lowering LDL and sometimes raising HDL levels. If these foods don't play a prominent role in your diet, have fun incorporating them, as they are delicious as well as beneficial.

Needless to say, if you are still smoking, you would be well advised to kick this habit once and for all, especially if you have high or even borderline cholesterol levels. You may not know that ingredients in cigarette smoke are extremely oxidizing, and high cholesterol is particularly dangerous when oxidized. To this end, smokers have much higher need for antioxidant nutrients such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, and lycopene), mineral cofactors (selenium, zinc, copper, manganese) and alpha-lipoic acid. Whether or not you quit smoking immediately, we cannot overemphasize the importance of supplementing a full potency, well-absorbed multivitamin/mineral formula rich in antioxidant nutrients on a daily basis.

Other important health observances this month include:

Important health observance weeks during August include:

And last, but not least:

• Family Health and Fitness Day USA - September 27

On the topic of exercise and healthy weight loss, there is an inexpensive device you can purchase that may provide just the motivation you need to start moving today. A pedometer—the small apparatus that tracks the number of steps you take daily—is an outstanding way to raise your awareness about how active you really are on a regular basis.

The pedometer gives you the ability to set measurable daily goals—steps, miles, kilometers, calories, etc. We know that to be successful with our goals, they must be measurable, rather than merely vague intentions. Once you start wearing your pedometer, you can say, for example, that you will walk 10,000 steps every day. Setting a specific fitness objective and being able to track your progress is, in fact, the difference between the success and failure of most long-term fitness programs.

Why is this approach such a good one? Because even if we don't choose to invest in a health club or expensive equipment, virtually everyone can walk. It's not only one of the safest exercises, it's also extremely effective. Studies indicate that you can lose weight by simply walking and also enjoy many other health and wellness benefits. Unfortunately, most of us simply don't walk enough, taking only about 3,000 steps per day when we should be taking 10,000.

You'll find—as millions of others have—that including a pedometer in your weight loss or fitness program improves your chances for success. It will give you that daily goal to shoot for—and the ability to monitor your progress against that goal. This simple concept can be the difference between success and failure where your healthy weight loss—or weight maintenance—is concerned. And the really good news? Checking the pedometer each day and finding that you hit your goal provides a very rewarding experience. This feeling of accomplishment will motivate you to wear it every day.

Learn more about pedometers and purchase these inexpensive, yet valuable tools at great prices for yourself, your family, club, or employees to promote workplace wellness.

Are you getting enough calcium, and other key nutrients for healthy bones? Along with a high-quality, well-absorbed daily multivitamin/mineral formula, calcium through our diets is important. The problem is, we are almost universally counseled to consume dairy products for dietary calcium, which may not be in everyone's best health interests since so many people from cultures across the globe are lactose-intolerant, or choose to avoid dairy foods for other health or ethical reasons.

The good news is that there are numerous calcium-rich, nondairy foods from which to choose. For example, one 8-oz serving of fortified soymilk, 16 oz. of fortified orange juice, and one Luna Bar provide nearly 1000 mg. of calcium and other nutrients. The other benefit of nondairy calcium sources is that many contain calcium that is better absorbed than that obtained from dairy products. In fact, many green vegetables have absorption rates of more than 50 percent, compared with about 32 percent for cow's milk.

In 1994, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported calcium absorption to be 52.6 percent for broccoli, 63.8 percent for Brussels sprouts, 57.8 percent for mustard greens, and 51.6 percent for turnip greens. The calcium absorption rate from kale is approximately 40 to 59 percent. Moreover, most varieties of beans and bean products, such as tofu, are rich in calcium.

Green leafy vegetables, beans, calcium-fortified soymilk, and calcium-fortified 100-percent juices are good calcium sources with advantages that dairy products lack. They are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants, while containing little fat, no cholesterol, and no animal proteins.

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A Word on the Atkins Diet

By Michael Greger, M.D.
(Reprinted from the McDougall Newsletter 2004)

When Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution was first published, the President of the American College of Nutrition said, "Of all the bizarre diets that have been proposed in the last 50 years, this is the most dangerous to the public if followed for any length of time."

When the chief health officer for the State of Maryland, was asked "What's wrong with the Atkins Diet?" He replied "What's wrong with…taking an overdose of sleeping pills? You are placing your body in jeopardy." He continued "Although you can lose weight on these nutritionally unsound diets, you do so at the risk of your health and even your life."

The Chair of the American Medical Association's Council on Food and Nutrition testified before the Senate Subcommittee why the AMA felt they had to publish an official condemnation of the Atkins Diet. His response: "A careful scientific appraisal was carried out by several council and staff members, aided by outside consultants. It became apparent that the Atkins diet as recommended poses a serious threat to health."

A Nutritionist Addresses Atkins Diet Claims
(Excerpted from Shape Magazine, July 2004)

Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D. author of Diet Simple (LifeLine Press, 2004) and an American Dietetic Spokesperson responds to Atkins diet claims, as follows:

Claim: The Atkins diet lowers cholesterol and potentially harmful blood fats known as triglycerides.

Reality: While dieters' cholesterol and triglyceride levels do go down, this is not a significant finding in that these levels drop whenever we lose weight, regardless of diet.

Claim: the Atkins diet is good for your heart.

Reality: Decades of independently conducted scientific studies have found that diets high in meat and animal fats are linked to increases in heart disease, certain cancers, obesity and diabetes.

Claim: As long as you progress through the diet's phases and add healthy carbs, such as low-glycemic fruits and vegetables and eventually whole grains, you can follow this program for life.

Reality: Researchers reported the following findings from a six-month long Atkins-funded study:

Excretion of calcium in the urine increased significantly. Many researchers believe this could lead to a loss of calcium from the bones, especially if this diet is followed over time.

An estimated 66% of the weight loss was from fat, which means that one third came from muscle and water. Losing muscle mass should be minimized as much as possibe in healhty weight loss.

68% of people experienced constipation, 63% bad breath, 51% headaches, and 10% hair loss.

In short, for health reasons, the Atkins diet is unsound to follow for more than a few months, since it is too high in saturated fats and there is little evidence that improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels stay that way.

Healthy Fats for a Healthy You

Are you getting enough good fat? You may know by now that all fats are not created equal. Some—like essential fatty acids—sustain and build health, while others—like saturated fat—promote health problems. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are referred to as "essential" since they must be provided by the diet, and can not be manufactured by our bodies. EFAs consist of omega-6 linoleic acid and omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid. The omega-6 fatty acids, found in large amounts in vegetable oils, are all too plentiful in the diets of most Americans. The omega-3 fatty acids—less frequently consumed by Americans—are supplied by flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, walnuts, walnuts, dark leafy greens, and cold water fish, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel.

Optimal health depends on eating the right balance of the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Dr. Michael Murray, N.D., author of The Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements (Prima Publishing, 1996), discusses the optimal ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 EFAs. He notes that although the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 4:1, most Americans consume far more omega-6 than omega-3 EFAs—typically at a ratio of 20:1. Dr. Murray points out that this imbalance is largely due to the fact that omega-6 EFAs are the primary fatty acids found in refined oil products and most processed foods.

The health benefits of proper EFA consumption are beyond dispute. Considerable scientific data, including a study from the Canadian Journal of Physiological Pharmacology (1997 March;75(3):234-9) shows that omega-3 fatty acids have proven beneficial in helping to prevent heart attacks, as well as cardiac arrhythmias. In fact, the same study cites that fish oil, a rich source of the omega-3 EFAs, helps to reduce ventricular arrhythmia more effectively than medication.

Dr. Murray offers a further wealth of information on the benefits of omega-3 EFA supplementation, noting that more than 60 health conditions can benefit from these essential fats. These include acne, allergies, atherosclerosis, AIDS, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune issues, menopause, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory conditions.

So, how do you bring your EFA ratio back in balance? Apart from your best efforts with a healthy diet, supplementation with highly bioactive Omega-3 fatty acids is vital.

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