Today's "Good Health Minute"

NOTE: Please scroll down for the day's "Good Health Minute."

Thursday, July 29th

One of the main ways blood cholesterol can reach undesirable levels is through a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Fatty cholesterol deposits can collect in blood vessels, raising the risk of heart disease.

Drugs, exercise, and other therapies may be prescribed. But in many cases, cholesterol levels can be lowered by revising dietary habits and limiting the kinds of foods known to boost cholesterol, such as those high in saturated fat. This doesn't mean totally eliminating all your favorite foods--such as desserts--it means taking a more prudent approach to the kinds and amounts of foods you eat.

·         Eat them in smaller portions (example, one cookie instead of three).

·         Find a version of the food that is lower in fat (example, ice milk instead of ice cream).

·         Find a substitute for the food that you like almost as well (example, popcorn instead of peanuts).

All of the above changes are healthy for the entire family. Not only will these changes help you lower your cholesterol level, but they will also help reduce the entire family's risk of developing chronic health disorders such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Friday, July 30th

Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in this country. More than 90 million American adults, or about 50 percent, have elevated blood cholesterol levels, one of the key risk factors for heart disease. To prevent heart attack and stroke, you should lower your cholesterol.

The main lifestyle changes to help you lower your cholesterol levels are:

• Reduce saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet.

• Eat more foods rich in carbohydrates and fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

• Increase your level of physical activity.

• Maintain a healthy body weight.

When making changes, you need to pace yourself. Make adjustments to your way of living in whatever order is easiest and don't rush. Gradual change is more likely to be permanent than many rapid and drastic changes.

When you change your diet or exercise routine, don't think of it as going on a temporary diet or exercise program. Instead, think of it as adopting a healthier way of living to continue for life.

Monday, August 2nd

Each year, countries all over the world celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, which is celebrated the first week of August.

• Breastfeeding in the first hour or so after birth has been linked to positive health outcomes, including immediate protection from bacteria and viruses the baby is exposed to, less risk of jaundice, and improved milk production and less blood loss in the mother.
   

• Breast milk provides perfect nutrition. Breast milk is a perfect food, which cannot be duplicated. It is more easily digested than any substitute, and it actually alters in composition to meet the changing nutritional needs of the growing infant.

  For all your breastfeeding questions, contact our breastfeeding educator at 401-8452.

Tuesday, August 3rd

As we recognize the first week of August as World Breastfeeding Week, let’s discuss some advantages of breastfeeding:

• Breastfeeding saves money. It’s among the most cost-effective of child survival interventions. Households save money; institutions economize by reducing the need for bottles and formulas and by shortening mothers' hospital stay; nations save foreign exchange.
   

• It also benefits maternal health. Breastfeeding reduces the mother's risk of fatal postpartum hemorrhage, the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and of anemia. By spacing births, breastfeeding allows the mother to recuperate before she conceives again.
   

• And of course, breastfeeding is environment-friendly. Breastfeeding does not waste scarce resources or create pollution. Breast milk is a naturally-renewable resource that requires no packaging, shipping, or disposal.

Wednesday, August 4th

This week, we’re talking about breastfeeding, as we highlight its benefits during World Breastfeeding week, August 1^st through 7^th.

• For mothers, breastfeeding provides many health benefits such as reduction in the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, diminished post-partum bleeding and iron deficiency anemia and a natural means of child spacing.

·         Millions of babies fall ill every year because they are not breastfed. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1.5 million infant deaths could be avoided every year if all babies were breastfed.

• Breast milk is the most complete food for human life. It is a living substance that contains almost as many living cells as blood itself. World Breastfeeding Week is an effort to support, protect, and promote breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a culture that respects the earth, appreciates humanity’s gift of life and follows nature's way of nourishing its young.

To find out more about breastfeeding, contact our breastfeeding educator at 401-8452.

Thursday, August 5th

The first week in August is observed as World Breastfeeding Week, when countries all over the world highlight the many benefits of breastfeeding.

• Breastfeeding has been shown to be protective against many illnesses, including: painful ear infections, upper and lower respiratory ailment, allergies, viruses, and pneumonia, as well as lifetime protection from Crohn's Disease, certain lymphomas, and insulin-dependent diabetes.
   

• One of the least known advantages of breastfeeding is the ecological benefits. Breastfeeding requires nothing from the environment except what the mother eats and provides no source of waste or pollution. Artificial baby milks and processed baby foods are non-renewable products, which create ecological damage at every stage of their production, distribution, and use.

·         The primary benefit of breastfeeding is that it’s a free source of the best nutrition available for newborns. It contains just the right amount of the natural substances baby needs for the development of good digestion, for brain development and for growth.

Friday, August 6th

…so let’s conclude our talks on breastfeeding.

·         Breastfeeding offers many benefits to both mothers and babies. For the baby, these benefits include a greater resistance to infectious diseases, an enhanced immune system, and a reduced risk for chronic diseases. Infants who are breastfed grow differently than infants who are formula fed, and there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that breastfeeding offers protection against childhood obesity.

·         For mothers, it promotes a strong bond between her and her child. Breastfeeding provides physiological and psychological benefits for the two, as well, and has been known to reduce rates of infant abandonment.

·         Increasing the rates of breastfeeding is an important public health goal that can only be achieved by supporting breastfeeding in the family, workplace, health care sector, and society.

If you or someone you know is pregnant, we encourage you to talk with your health care provider about choosing to breastfeed.

The "Good Health Minute" is a public service designed to offer health information. It is not intended to replace the advice/care of a physician. As with any health information you may receive, always consult
your physician to determine the best plan of care for you.