HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-01-18, Page 14THE CITIZEN. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007. PAGE 15.(MS) - According to Mary EllenRenna, M.D., pediatrician andauthor of Next Generation Fitness,
it's never too late to start developing
healthy childhood habits that will
last a lifetime. She provides these
helpful tips:
· Plan your family's meals. By
planning meals, you can keep track
of what your family is eating and
reduce the craving for eating in
between meals.
· Never skip a meal. Skipping
meals will cause the body's
metabolic rate to slow down, miss
important nutrients in the day, and
most likely cause your child to
overcompensate by eating empty
calories.
· Fulfill the fruit, vegetable,
protein, grain, dairy and nut
requirement each day. This will keep
your child's hunger satisfied, and she
will be less likely to look for empty
calorie junk foods.
· Avoid deep-fried foods. Serve
foods that have been sautéed, baked,
broiled, roasted, boiled, or grilled.
· No preserved meats. Most
preserved meats contain nitrites
which are converted into a
carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) in
the body.
This includes foods that are
typically pink in color like bologna,
salami, pepperoni, hot dogs, corned
beef, and pastrami.
· No sodas, juice drinks or
sweetened drinks. Have your
children drink mostly water, but
include skim or low-fat milk, fresh
fruit juice and fresh vegetable juices.
· Exercise daily. Studies have
shown that children as young as two
years old should incorporate 60minutes of exercise into their dailyregimen. The 60 minutes does not
have to be done all at once. Breaking
it up into 10- to 15-minute clips
makes this goal easily attainable.· Involve the entire family. Parentsshould be mentors to their children
and set a healthy lifestyle for all to
adhere to.
Heads Up Canada! It is never too
soon, or too late, to make changes to
maintain or improve brain health –
changes that may also help reduce
the risk of developing Alzheimer’s
disease.
Heads Up for Healthier Brains,
the Alzheimer Society’s nationwide
2007 awareness campaign, is a call
to action for all Canadians, focusing
on what people can do to help keep
their brains healthy. Results from a
nationwide public opinion poll,
conducted by Leger Marketing for
the Alzheimer Society, showed that
while Canadians believe in the
importance of a healthy brain, they
don’t completely understand what it
takes to keep this vital organ at its
best.
“Our poll tells us that Canadians
aren’t making the connection
between healthy living and a healthy
brain,” says Scott Dudgeon, chief
executive officer of the Alzheimer
Society of Canada. “While almost
80 per cent of people surveyed said
that brain health was as important as
physical health, when asked to
describe a healthy person, the
overwhelming majority referred to
things like physical fitness and good
eating habits. Only five per cent
associated things like being socially
or intellectually active as attributes
of a healthy person.”
As part of the Heads Up for
Healthier Brains campaign, the
Alzheimer Society is sending the
message that healthy living and a
healthy brain are very much
connected, and that there are things
people can do that may help to
reduce the risk of developing the
disease.
“A growing amount of research
continues to uncover new and
compelling evidence that there are
many things we can do to help
reduce the risk of developing the
disease,” says Dr. Jack Diamond,
scientific director for the Alzheimer
Society of Canada. “For people
already living with Alzheimer’s
disease, recent studies are also
suggesting that taking care of their
brain health may improve their
quality of life, and even help slow
the progression of the disease.”
According to the public opinion
poll, which surveyed more than
1,800 Canadians, there are a lot of
things people are already doing
right. The majority of Canadians,
more than two thirds, appear to eat
brain healthy foods and engage in
cardiovascular exercise a few days a
week. They are also socially active
and often challenge their brain, with
most people enjoying time with
family and friends, taking part in a
club or class, or participating in
hobbies such as reading, painting or
sewing.
However, when asked why they
participate in social or brain
challenging activities, almost two
thirds of people didn’t make the
connection to improving brain
health. There are also things the
majority of Canadians aren’t doing
enough of to help reduce their risk,
such as wearing a helmet when
riding a bike or rollerblading, or
reducing stress through meditation
or relaxation exercises.
“Interesting, the poll also found
that Alzheimer’s disease is tied with
the heart disease as the second most
feared illness as people age,” says
Dudgeon. “The good news here?
There are things people can do, and
choices they can make, that might
help to reduce their risk of
developing the disease.”
For more information on the
Alzheimer Society’s public opinion
poll, things people can do help
reduce their risk, or on the ‘Heads
Up for Healthier Brains’ Awareness
Campaign, please visit
www.alzheimer.ca
Alzheimer’s disease is a
progressive, degenerative brain
disorder that destroys vital brain
cells. Currently, there are 155,000
Ontarians aged 65 years or older
with the disease or related dementia,
and this number is expected to more
than double to 340,000 by the year
2031. By the same year, the total
number of Canadians affected will
jump from 450,000 to 750,000.
The Alzheimer Society is
nationwide, not-for-profit health
organization dedicated to helping
people affected by Alzheimer’s
disease. The Society develops and
provides support and educational
programs for people with the
disease, their families and their
caregivers. The Society is also a
leading funder of Alzheimer
research and training in Canada.
An optimistic lunch
The Belgrave Optimists hosted a soup and sandwich lunch
last Saturday and made sure to employ members of the
younger generation to run the food distribution and draw
stations. The event was well-attended as the wet weather
had subsided and it had become a nice, sunny afternoon to
get a soup and sandwich. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Campaign a call to action
to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s
With this the first real taste of
winter Huron OPP wish to remind
all motorists that as the weather
changes, so must their driving
habits.
The OPP are usually inundated
responding to crash after crash
following the first snowfall of the
year. In 99.9 per cent of every
collision investigated speed was the
contributing factor.
“There is no magic solution to
making winter driving safer,” said
Const. Jeff Walraven. “The solution
is simple ... if you see snow, go
slow”. Motorists shouldn’t be misled
by commercials that show vehicles
driving at high speed on snow and
ice. The truth is that snow and ice are
slippery and though winter tires are
better than regular tires at clearing
snow from the tread, you may still
lose control on icy or slippery
sections of road.
See snow, go slowly
Unattended cooking is the number
one cause of home fires.
Pay close attention
when you’re cooking
and stay in the kitchen.
Unattended cooking is the number
one cause of home fires.
Pay close attention
when you’re cooking
and stay in the kitchen.
Fighting childhood obesity