Good vs. Bad Fats: Great Article from Bastyr University

Get the Skinny on Fats With These Healthy Eating Tips

oilUnsaturated fats such as safflower, sunflower, olive, flax, canola, walnut and fish oils are the healthiest options.

Fats are essential to our diets (so you can’t cut them out entirely). But you can make sure you’re putting the right kind into your body.

Not all fats are created equal. New science provides a variety of recommendations about which fats are good for you and which are the most harmful to your health. To cut through the confusion, here is the latest:

Avoid All Trans Fats

This fat is derived from oil that has been mechanically altered or hydrogenated so that it is solid at room temperature. Trans fats are found in many margarines, shortenings and processed foods such as pastries, chips, crackers and cookies.

Claims of “zero trans fats” can be misleading. Look for “hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable or soy oil” in the ingredients list as a clear indicator that the food product does contain trans fats.

Trans fats increase total cholesterol level and LDL (“bad cholesterol”) while lowering HDL (“good cholesterol”). And maybe even more important, trans fats contribute to a state of inflammation in the body that can negatively impact heart health and increase risk of chronic disease.

Keep Saturated Fats at a Minimum

Consumption of saturated fats (including trans fats) is recommended at levels that contribute no more than 10 percent of total daily fat intake (which itself should be no more than 30 percent of daily calories). Predominantly found in meat and dairy products, saturated fat is associated with increased LDL levels, so managing portion size is important with these foods.

When cooking with butter or ghee (clarified butter), use in small amounts. Coconut oil provides another option, as it remains stable at high temperatures and is less detrimental to LDL levels.

The Healthier Option: Unsaturated Fats

Choose sources of unsaturated fats most often (whether polyunsaturated or monounsaturated) such as safflower, sunflower, olive, flax, canola, walnut and fish oils. These healthier fats help lower LDL and increase HDL.

Olive oil is best for low- to medium-heat cooking and ideal for salad dressing. Canola, grapeseed and sesame are the best unsaturated oils for high-heat cooking. Fish oils found in salmon and cod liver oil are high in omega-3 fatty acids, and also have been found to reduce both LDL and inflammation.

Despite the hazards of overconsumption or overcooking, fats are not all bad for us. They are essential to our diet and required for the body to absorb vital nutrients. Choose wisely for a balanced approach.

— Lisa Westphal, dietetic intern, and Debra A. Boutin, MS, RD, chair and dietetic internship director,Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science at Bastyr University.

Article source: http://www.bastyr.edu/

Quote(s) of the Day

087587af-8829-431b-b490-25a8c3ce0084In relationships, the mind becomes purified by cultivating feelings of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous, and indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or evil.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, I.33

Patanjali here makes it very clear how we are to set our minds vis-à-vis our relationships that we may find the highest outcome for ourselves and our feelings in the world. When we find a happy situation, we are to cultivate feelings of friendliness. When we find someone who is unhappy, we are to meet them with karuna, compassion. When we come upon a virtuous person, we are to bring to that interaction a sense of delight, of supreme goodwill. And when we encounter the vicious or wicked–apunya, literally ‘without virtue or merit–we are to practice indifference or neutrality.

In this way we learn to have a peaceful mind. We learn where our point of control is. We learn that the mind will go where we ask it to go, if we have a better option than the one that habitually we maybe have taken.

When someone offends, we find the one thing about him or her that is not offensive. In my letter to the man who wanted a punch, I praised his commitment to his children and the way in which I have seen him show up for them. I did not make this up. It is true. And by shining a light on that truth, I am able to be indifferent toward the other truths that would have him be my enemy.

Today I will find one good thing about someone who seems to want to make my life miserable, who seems to want to make me unhappy, or who seems not to care one way or the other about my well-being, even though they should. I will find that one thing, and when my mind tells me how ‘bad’ they are being toward me, I will remind myself of that one good thing and I will seek a sense of neutrality toward them.

-Jeff Kober

How do we help?

Pema
by Pema Chodron on Monday, January 30, 2012 at 8:12am ·

How do we create a saner world or a saner domestic situation or job situation, wherever we may be? How do we work with our actions and our speech and our minds in a way that opens up the space rather than closes it down? In other words, how do we create space for other people and ourselves to connect with our own wisdom?…

It all starts with loving-kindness toward oneself, which in turn becomes loving-kindness for others. As the barriers come down around our own hearts, we are less afraid of other people. We are more able to hear what is being said, see what is in front of our eyes, and work in accord with what happens rather than struggle against it. The lojong teachings say that the way to help, the way to act compassionatley, is to exchange oneself for other. When you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes, then you know what is needed, and what would speak to the heart.

(From Start Where You Are, chapter 17- Compassionate Action)

Massage Therapy and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

choad“It’s all in the wrists!”


Research has shown us, once again, the therapeutic benefits of massage. The following talks about massage therapy’s effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome:

Field, T., Diego, Miguel, Cullen, Christy, Hartshorn, Kristin, Gruskin, Alan, Hernandez-Reif, Maria, Sunshine, William. (2004). Carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms are lessened following massage. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 8:9-14. http://www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/pdf/Massage%20and%20carpal%20tunnel%20syndrome.pdf

source: amtamassage.org

Coenzyme Q10

An in-depth article on CoQ10 from the University of Maryland Medical Center is here:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/coenzyme-q10-000295.htm

Also, the following comes from abmp.com:

Coenzyme Q10

The Wrinkle Cure

Air pollutants, toxins, cigarette smoke, cell metabolism, exposure to the sun, and other environmental factors initiate free radicals, which can cause dangerous reactions that destroy cells and damage DNA, proteins, and fats. Free radicals also interfere with collagen production and integrity, resulting in loss of elasticity and, ultimately, aging skin. Although this is a natural and unavoidable by-product of metabolism, an overabundance of free radical damage can cause premature aging and wrinkles. Fortunately, there’s a nutritional way to fight the elements.

Coenzyme Q10, also called CoQ10 and ubiquinone, is a fat soluble, vitamin-like nutrient present in virtually all cells and considered the spark plug of the body, helping to produce and regulate energy as well as fighting free radicals as an antioxidant.

CoQ10 levels are highest during the first 20 years of life and decline with time, so much so that at age 80, CoQ10 levels may be lower than at birth. Yet the body’s demand for CoQ10 increases with age. Furthermore, statin (cholesterol-lowering) medications can further deplete the body of CoQ10.

The recommended daily CoQ10 dose is 30 mg, in combination with alpha lipoic acid and vitamins A, C, E, and selenium. Foods highest in CoQ10 include sardines, beef, peanuts, spinach, and albacore tuna. However, it would take a pound of sardines, two pounds of beef, or two-and-a-half pounds of peanuts to provide 30 mg, and cooking foods at high temperatures degrades the enzyme. Consequently, CoQ10 supplementation is likely necessary to achieve therapeutic effects.

CoQ10 can also benefit topically, as it’s a small molecule that can easily penetrate the skin. When CoQ10 is combined with vitamins C and E in creams or lotions, the synergistic effect can neutralize free radicals, thus reducing wrinkles.

Supplementing with CoQ10 is not only a good antiaging strategy for the skin, it can also enhance energy, cognition, heart health, stroke prevention, and immune support.

Image: columbiamitodiagnostics.org

Magnesium? I Don’t Even Know ’em!

But I’d like to!

I especially enjoy how Jim McDonald talks about it:   http://www.herbcraft.org/backpain.html

There is also the NIH:   http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium

Don’t forget our talk about epsom salt!   https://cronanmassage.com/2011/09/15/good-ol-epsom-salt/

Further expanded upon here: http://www.saltworks.us/salt_info/epsom-uses-benefits.asp

Ginger, Garlic and Lemon Tea

It’s warming, soothing, and great for fighting winter colds. The health benefits of ginger, garlic and lemon are tremendous.
For a small pot of tea, try adding to the hot water a half of a lemon, sliced, a clove of garlic cut in half, and a piece of fresh ginger root of about the same size as the garlic clove, cut in half. Be sure to cut/peel the skin off, first. You can experiment with proportions, to taste. If you find it a little sharp, you can always add honey or agave syrup.
*Always use caution when trying anything new, even foods.

Shoulder Help: Codman’s Pendulum

The shoulder was designed for mobility, and it buys it with a relative lack of stability. Indeed, it dangles quite precariously off of the body. Thomas Myers writes beautifully about it in his article, “Pivotal Places: Help For Problem Shoulders.”

The shoulder is particularly vulnerable to injury. After an injury, the surrounding soft tissues will “splint,” or stiffen, in an effort to protect and stabilize the region. This can work quite brilliantly in the acute stages, but in the long run it can lead to a loss of range of motion.

A simple and effective excercise for relaxing the muscles around the shouldder joint and for regaining range of motion in the shoulder is the “Codman’s Pendulum.” I find it also provides a gentle traction and realignment of “jammed up” feeling shoulders. Here are a few helpful links to get you started:

http://healthpages.org/health-a-z/rehabilitation-after-shoulder-surgery-injury/

http://www.cyberpt.com/cptvid50go3.asp

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00067

http://www.livestrong.com/article/104250-codman-shoulder-exercises/

There are a wide variety of shoulder injuries and dysfunctions, of course. If you have any, it’s always best to get an examination and diagnosis from a medical professional.

3 May 2011

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