By Barbara Quinn “A vitamin is a substance that makes you ill if you don’t eat it,” said Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937.He understood what we now know: Deficiencies of vitamins and other vital nutrients can cause us to fall prey to illness.So do our food choices really influence how susceptible we are to sickness? You bet your sweet pepper they do. Specific nutrients in foods have been shown to enhance the body’s ability to keep us well. Here are some tips from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and other nutrition experts: Protein: It’s what immune cells are made of. Sources of immune-building protein include lean beef, mutton and poultry, fish, eggs, beans and soy-based foods. Vitamin A: Ever wonder why moms used to dose their darlings with cod liver oil to keep them healthy? Among other components, cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin A — a nutrient that helps maintain the cells that line our intestines and lungs. These “mucosal” cells are the sentries that guard our body from foreign invaders.Carrots, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes and red bell peppers are good sources of vitamin A (or beta-carotene which safely converts to vitamin A in the body.) Vitamin C: Although scientists still don’t understand the exact way that vitamin C works to boost immune function, we do know this essential vitamin plays an important role in healing wounds and strengthening our resistance to disease. Vitamin C also helps form antibodies that fight off infection.Since this essential nutrient is easily destroyed by air, heat and prolonged storage, we are smart to eat at least one high vitamin C food each day. Sources include oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Zinc: Like an army that relies on a continual renewal of supplies and soldiers, our immune system relies on zinc to consistently renew disease-fighting cells. And since zinc in food is bound to protein, it makes sense that good sources include oysters, beef, and liver as well as whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.Interestingly, zinc has been called “the essential toxin” because — although it is required for optimal health — excessive intake can actually impair immune function. Vitamin E: Given its antioxidant ability to neutralise free radicals, vitamin E keeps the machinery of the immune system functioning at capacity. Good sources include nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Wheat germ is an especially good source of vitamin E. What about supplements of vitamins and minerals? If we don’t happen to eat a varied diet for any reason, we could be missing out on essential vitamins and trace minerals that could compromise our ability to ward off sickness, say nutrition experts. Whether or not to take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement is a discussion worth having with your health provider. — The Monterey County Herald/MCT* Specific nutrients in foods have been shown to enhance the body’s ability to keep us well.Sneeze, cough and consult Dr GoogleBy Katie Humphrey One in three Americans goes online in search of a diagnosis when sick, usually starting at a search engine.Deb Huttner’s sore ankle, nagging her for a month, wasn’t healing.But before she called the clinic, she went online and tried to figure it out herself. On WebMD.com she found a possible diagnosis — tendinitis and bursitis — and decided she needed more help.“When I went to the doctor they said, ‘Yep, that’s what it is,’” said Huttner, 42, of Crystal, Minnesota.Now on the mend, she is among the millions of people diagnosing their own conditions online. One in three Americans look to the Internet when trying to fix what ails them or someone else, according to a study released last week by the Pew Internet Project.About half of those who do online triage follow up with a visit to the clinic. In 40% of those cases, a medical professional confirmed the diagnosis.“Online health information is available day or night, at no cost, and the Internet has become a de facto second opinion for many people,” said Susannah Fox, lead author of the Pew report.While Fox and local experts caution that the Internet isn’t the same as a visit to a medical professional — and can offer scary or misleading answers — it’s a key resource for patients that health care providers are starting to embrace.Sometimes it even makes more sense than trekking to the clinic.Allina, for example, recently encouraged non-emergency patients to use its MyChart system for e-visits rather than sit in clinic waiting rooms at the height of flu season.“It’s all about convenience,” said Dr Jane Herrmann, medical director of MyChart e-visits.Fox, who has studied online health habits since 2000, called the trend a “sea change.”“In the beginning, medical professionals were often very resistant,” Fox said.Health Partners developed its VirtuWell system for e-visits as a reaction to online demand.“If you kind of stick your head in the sand and don’t try to come up with ways of presenting an electronic approach, all you’re doing is leaving poor options out there,” said Dr Pat Courneya, medical director of Health Partners Health Plan.According to Pew, 80% of the people who seek health information online start at a general search engine, such as Google or Bing.The Mayo Clinic’s website for consumer health information, one of the most credible resources online, draws an average of 100mn page views a month.But even there, doctors say, people shouldn’t get too anxious about what they might find. They also should follow up with their doctor if they have questions.“When you search ‘headache’ and (the Internet) comes up with brain tumour, it’s not likely going to be the first thought on ‘headache’ that your doctor will have,” said Dr Roger Harms, editor-in-chief of Mayo’s consumer information site.Andy Whisney, 24, said he tries to remember that when prowling the Web - via Google, WebMD.com and Health Partners’ VirtuWell. The Edina, Minnesota, resident, who jokes about slight hypochondriac tendencies, said he has sought info on all sorts of ailments, from pneumonia to gluten intolerance.“You get to know your body, so you want to make sure everything is OK,” Whisney said. “It’s so much easier, too, than having to go to the doctor.” — Star Tribune/MCT
Doctors see the stress and toll of modern life on the bodyBy Alva Carpenter Doctors are seeing ever more diseases caused by overeating and the Western style diet. Just 20 years ago most people were slim but now when you look around being overweight is not unusual; it is almost the norm. Within a generation the simple, traditional, healthy diets of the past have changed in favour of Western-style, high fat, factory-made food.Rocketing levels of obesity are common in the Gulf as well as newly wealthy countries such as China, India and Brazil.People who are obese or morbidly obese need education.They need help and education from doctors. But very often it is the doctors and healthcare professionals that also need help. As their hours become ever longer and they spend less time visiting patients and more time sitting behind desks listening to a catalogue of preventable problems caused by modern lifestyle, the more stressful their work becomes. Stress at seeing so much preventable suffering and more hours sitting can lead to their own weight gain. Many doctors have told me how worrying they find it that so few patients are willing to commit to long term habit changes to improve their health. Many patients come to the doctor to have the disease brought under control with medicine but are not willing to make simple changes that will improve their health and ensure they lead more active fruitful lives.It is a fact that obesity is an outward sign of problems to come:l Diabetesl Heart diseasel Some cancersl Mobility problems Whilst there are clinical causes for weight gain, for the majority it is due to over-eating and a lack of exercise.These problems are avoidable if people return to wise traditional tried and tested eating practices of the past. In the past people were slim and healthy while today people are becoming heavier and heavier. With education we can compare today’s diet and eating habits with the eating habits of parents and grandparents. Levels of diabetes are soaring in wealthy countries and Type II diabetes, once unknown in the young, and which used to be called Adult Diabetes is now very common in children as they become more and more addicted to sweet foods.For generations the people of Arabia lived on a simple, healthy diet of real food: Meat, yoghurt, dates, home-made bread, and fish. Meals were prepared with love from fresh ingredients.Today most of the food we eat is prepared without love in a factory with a list of ingredients that would not be used in the home: such as artificial colourings, artificial flavourings artificial sweeteners and monosodium glutamate. What scientists are finally coming to realise is that if you eat real food you do not need to go on diets; your weight will take care of itself as your body has all the ingredients it needs for health and repair.Next time you go to the supermarket look for real food, simple fresh ingredients: not the stuff on the shelves in colourful boxes but the real fresh food. Fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and cereals.If we allow ourselves to become unhealthy who are we helping? Not ourselves and not our doctors who will have to take care of us.It is what you do today that affects your health tomorrow.Medical studies now show that there is a link between obesity and chronic illness. How you eat today affects your health tomorrow,Losing weight is not just about looking better. It is also about preventing chronic illness. Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the greatest steps we can take to ensure good health.Not many patients realise that obesity isn’t just the fat sitting just under the skin (the fat you can pinch) it is also the visceral fat inside the body, wrapped around the organs, causing stress and damage.When doctors suggest you lose weight and take exercise they are asking you to help them improve your health. Long term. Healthy Recipe of the Week Muesli The best time to get your cereals is at breakfast Ingredientsl 500g porridge oatsl 200g chopped nuts (eg walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds)l 200g cereal (eg wheat flakes, barley flakes, rye flakes)l 10 tbsp of seeds (eg sunflower seed, linseed, pumpkin seed)All these quantities are guidelines — add more or less of your favourite ingredients. Don’t be afraid to experiment! Method1. Pour all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.2. Keep the finished muesli in a large airtight plastic cereal container or Kilner jar. Serving suggestionTry serving muesli with fresh berries, chopped banana, natural yoghurt or a squeeze of honey. Muesli is usually served with milk — in cold weather try warming the milk.