Cravings

A Carrot a Day Keeps the Wrinkles Away

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:42:53 +0000

When it comes to promoting healthy eating as a means to good looks and longevity, a lot of attention goes to antioxidants—vitamins and other substances that occur naturally in plant foods—because they seek out and destroy free radicals, which are naturally-occurring byproducts of sun exposure, exercise, and normal metabolism that destroy body cells, including skin cells.

Here's what we know for sure: Free radicals contribute to premature aging, and antioxidants fight free radicals. If you don't get enough antioxidants, and other essential vitamins and minerals, you are likely to age faster and die sooner than was your destiny.

But even after years and years of research, no one knows if these same antioxidants, taken in excess of normal requirements, can help us slow down aging and live longer. For sure, we'd all like to pop a harmless pill or two to stay healthy and look great. But at best, it's a "can't hurt but might help" situation and, in some cases, it might actually hurt in the long run to take high doses of some nutrient supplements.

One downside of vitamin megadosing is that when there's an excess of any single nutrient floating around in your body, it's bound to have a negative affect on another nutrient. That's why dietitians and most other nutrition experts continue to talk about balance and moderation, and always recommend getting your anti-aging nutrients from food.

The B vitamins—which aid in energy production and help maintain the integrity of the nervous system, stomach muscles, and mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, eyes—are not considered antioxidants, but are as essential for healthy skin as any other nutrient. Vitamin B-6 in particular has been shown to correct adult acne and is responsible for keeping skin from getting dry and brittle. B vitamins in the diet come from meat, fish, whole-grains, dairy products, legumes, and some fruits and veggies. Some of the best vegetarian sources of B-6 are bananas, Brussels sprouts, avocados, potatoes, and cantaloupe.

Vitamin A (aka beta carotene) found in carrots, sweet potatoes, mangoes, and other yellow, orange and deep-green fruits and vegetables, helps maintain healthy skin, promote skin healing, fights acne, build new skin tissue, and prevent wrinkling.

Antioxidant vitamins C (found in abundance in most vegetables and virtually all fruits) and E (which we get in our diets from nuts, seeds (and nut butters), vegetable oils including nut and seed oils, avocado, whole-grain foods and wheat germ, and fortified cereals) destroy harmful free radicals (substances that damage body cells) that are formed from unprotected exposure to the sun. They also help in the production of collagen, a protein that strengthens skin cells and helps prevent premature aging of the skin.

In the spirit of doing everything you can to stay vibrant and healthy until our knowledge is certain and better solutions come along, the best advice anyone can give you is to make sure you eat lots of fresh, whole foods, especially vitamin-rich fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods (like nuts, seeds, and grains) along with any pills you're popping to supplement your diet. It's the only way to cover your bases.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Low-Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

Live Longer, Live Better

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:04:20 +0000

I introduced my friend Arthur in a previous blog about living long and aging well. Here he is again, almost 96 years old, shopping for fresh fruit at his local Publix supermarket. That big, fresh papaya he's holding in his hands isn't exactly representative of the diet he has followed for the past 90-something years, though. No, Arthur has always been more of a fan of good old-fashioned American home cooking. Meat, potatoes, and gravy, with some canned fruit and frozen veggies on the side, is a fair description of his usual eating style.

When Arthur's beloved wife Gert passed from this life several years ago, his son David moved in with him. David is the author of Eat to Beat Prostate Cancer, a cookbook that features fresh fruits and vegetables, no red meat, and lots of soy foods. David researched and wrote the book during the first couple of years following a late diagnosis of prostate cancer. That was eight years ago. When he moved in with Art three years ago, he brought his own diet and new eating habits with him, and the two have been balancing their individual tastes every since.

I thought about Arthur recently, when Ray Kurzweil's and Dr. Terry Grossman's new book, Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever, landed on my desk. Arthur is living well and he appears to be living forever. I wondered how many of Kurzweil's and Grossman's theories have played out in Arthur's past and present life.

The word Transcend, in this case, is an acronym for the nine components of Kurzeil's and Grossman's program for living long and staying healthy while waiting for some major medical breakthroughs they anticipate are forthcoming in the next several decades. Meanwhile, here are the key components of the Transcend Plan and how one ninety-something man has lived them out (or not):

Talk to your doctor. Throughout his entire adult life, Arthur has had regular check ups and screening tests and taken advice from physicians. As a result, he has benefited from early detection and immediate treatment of the medical problems he has encountered. And over the course of 95 years, he has encountered many!

Relaxation: According to the Holmes-Rane Social Readjustment Rating Scale reprinted in Kurzweil's book, Arthur has experienced four of the top 10 life stressors with a score indicating a relatively high health risk. Included in this list are the untimely death of his first-born son some twenty years ago and, more recently, the loss of his wife. According to Kurzweil and Grossman, Art's ability to maintain close, interpersonal relationships, and share his feelings with family and friends may have helped shield him from the devastating effect these events might have had on his health. It also helps that he has never depended on massive amounts of food, alcohol, or tobacco to reduce stress.

Assessment: In the Transcend program, assessment includes prevention in the form of physical fitness and early detection of disease. Arthur has maintained a healthy weight all these years by eating in moderation and always getting some form of regular exercise. And again, while regular visits to his physicians have not prevented him from developing medical conditions, his problems have been detected and treated at very early stages so he is living well into his nineties with both heart disease and cancer.

Nutrition: When Arthur eats out, he enjoys his cold cut sandwiches and meat-with-gravy platters. At home, however, where his son David does the cooking, Art is more likely to be nibbling on a chickpea burger, savoring broiled salmon, or enjoying a tropical fruit salad combination of fresh pineapple, watermelon, and strawberries. He seems to have struck his own healthy balance, and these days his diet more closely resembles the fresh seafood-poultry-produce plan outlined in the Transcend program than it might have in the past.

Supplementation: While the authors of Transcend believe that some supplements are universally beneficial, and they may well be, Arthur takes no supplements at all.

Calorie reduction and weight loss. Just about all experts would agree that anyone who is overweight will benefit one way or another from losing their excess and maintaining a healthy weight. Luckily for Arthur, it has always been a non-issue. He never gained excess weight so he never had to struggle with losing it.

Exercise: The authors of the Transcend program say "Live 10 Years Longer with Exercise" and they explain why. Arthur personifies why!

New technologies: The authors make no claim to being able to forestall death forever, but they heartily believe in taking advantage of every current technology available to help maintain health until new technologies, particularly in the field of genetics, are perfected that will help us live longer than anticipated. Arthur's pacemaker, along with his regular trips to the doctor for any and all required testing, represent some of the current technology he has employed to keep himself going.

Detoxification: The authors believe in earth-friendly living as a means to good health. They define that as clean air, clean water, and limited exposure to electronics and heavy metal. Arthur now lives in Florida, where the air is clear and the water clean. He has spent only limited time on computers, and he has never owned a cell phone.

So it looks like, with the exception of supplements, Arthur's habits model the Transcend plan pretty closely. He is most certainly living proof that we can outlive our life expectancies.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Breaking the Bonds of Food Addiction and Low-Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

Too Sexy for My Plate

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:04:04 +0000

While some foods are clearly very sexy looking (tomato cleavage, the butt of a pear, a single cherry, anything that oozes) and folklore has long entertained us with tales about the aphrodisiac qualities of foods like oysters, chocolate, and snails, it’s only rarely that, as a dietitian, I can come up with anything professional to say about the relationship between food and sex.

One thing I know to be true: Healthy is sexy. But I didn’t learn this in any of my nutrition classes. I learned it years later, when a boyfriend twelve years my junior said, “Healthy is sexy, and you’re very healthy.” At the time, I didn’t really hear what he was saying; I was too busy fretting over my impending old age and comparing my height, weight, and hair color to every other woman I saw who appeared to be in her early forties. But after years of counseling both men and women to eat well and get fit for the right reason—to be healthy— I realize he had a point.

Food plays a very important role in how healthy you are and how healthy you will be ten, twenty, and thirty years from now. And your sexual health is determined, in great part, by your overall health. Some might even say that sexual health is one of the most important aspects of good health. Sex is probably one good reason why, given the choice, most people would rather have good health than more money. A healthy sex life represents vitality and continuity, whereas, money is just money. If you lose it all, you can probably get some or all of it back. Not so true of your health.

There’s no reason to believe that any one individual food or supplement will prevent or cure chronic disease, lengthen your life, or boost your sex drive. And it’s not possible to measure the direct effect of any food or food group on sexual prowess or satisfaction. But it’s becoming clearer and clearer that the type of diet you choose to eat on a regular basis can strongly influence your reproductive success as well as how long and how well you live. A healthy diet may not help you work up a sexual appetite, but it does support the biological system that drives and enables your sex life.

For example, two recently published studies conducted at infertility centers in Alicante and Murcia, Spain, showed that men who eat more fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products have higher quality sperm than those who eat large amounts of meat and full-fat dairy and less produce. The researchers think that might be because a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is high in antioxidants. Those same substances that fight heart disease and cancer might also improve sperm count and mobility.

Which I take to mean that a healthy diet actually does directly contribute to a productive sex life because, though it may not be the only reason, our most primal reason to have sex is to reproduce. No matter how you look at it, healthy is sexy.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Breaking the Bonds of Food Addiction and Low-Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

Change Your Food Attitude

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:08:07 +0000

If you're trying to change your eating habits for the better, and improve your diet to get healthy, lose weight, or just maintain the weight you're at now, one thing is for sure: You need a can-do attitude. Visualize a picture of yourself as healthy as you want to be, and at a weight you are comfortable with, and then believe in that picture, hold on to it, and use it for motivation.

Diet is simply a word that means how and what you eat, as in eating a healthful diet, or following a vegetarian diet. But some people spell the word diet d-e-p-r-i-v-a-t-i-o-n and that's one of the many reasons why "going on a diet" doesn't work for most people. The truth is, while food addicts and compulsive overeaters probably have to make big, permanent changes in their eating habits, most healthy people don't have to deprive themselves completely of any of the foods they like to eat. What many people have to do, however, is change their food attitude from one of self-deprivation to one of self-control. Here are a couple of examples from my book that illustrate the difference:

I can never eat chocolate vs. I can eat a little chocolate once in a while.

I can never eat at my favorite restaurant again vs. I will eat smaller portions when I eat out.

I have to stop snacking vs. I have to plan my snacks more carefully.

I have to eat boring meals vs. I have to eat more balanced meals.

I can't eat dessert vs. A small dessert is part of a balanced meal.

Self-control is a little bit like willpower, only it's more about establishing a set of personal rules to live by, so it can actually be a long-term solution. It is the power you have over your own behavior, such as your own eating habits. Willpower is more of a tool we tend to call on in the moment. Neither is about punishing yourself or preventing yourself from living well; rather, both serve to help you keep the bigger picture, and your long-term plan for healthy weight control, in mind. The more you practice acts of self-control, the sooner they become a permanent part of your lifestyle.

If you are someone who can't be satisfied with a single scoop of frozen dessert or a small piece of cake, then you might have to expand your definition of dessert and your food repertoire to include a variety of fruit dishes. Then, exercise your new-found self-control by choosing healthier desserts. This way you never have to deprive yourself of dessert. Same goes for snacks. If you can't stop yourself from eating an entire large bag of potato chips or the whole box of crackers, expand your definition of snack foods to include healthier foods like fresh fruit with yogurt and cut-up veggies with salsa or hummus dip. Then use your self-control to make smarter choices when you eat on the run or between meals.

The more you practice thinking positively about following a healthful diet, the sooner you'll adopt a more positive attitude toward food. And as a result, your relationship with food will improve immensely.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Low-Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

Your Brain on Food

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:27:51 +0000

You probably know that your brain and body are in cahoots when it comes to what and how you eat. One is constantly signaling the other to communicate information about how hungry or full you are, how much you're eating, and whether you want a salty snack or a sweet treat. Different foods, in turn, cause new and different signals to be sent back and forth between your brain and your body.

Your brain is your body's food control center. Hunger and fullness are registered here, appetite is controlled, and metabolism is guided by billions of brain cells, or neurons. Your neurons communicate with each other by sending messages about your moods, emotions, and feelings, as well as physical hunger. Chemicals called neurotransmitters carry these messages from one brain cell to another and throughout your body.

Have you ever noticed that certain foods seem to throw you into different kinds of moods? That's because what you eat affects the balance of some of the neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, which play a role in mood and appetite control. In turn, the balance of these neurotransmitters can affect the way you feel. Low levels of serotonin in the brain are associated with both depression and anger. When the brain needs serotonin, some people self-medicate with starchy carbohydrates such as crackers, bread, and cake, because these carbs provide the brain with the raw materials it needs to synthesize and release serotonin.

It happens the other way around, too. Certain moods might affect the type of food you choose to eat. Many people say they crave starchy carbohydrates when they feel anxious, and that eating these foods makes them feel calmer.

Other chemicals in your brain and throughout your body influence when you eat, the types of foods you eat, how much you eat, and whether you're even hungry, and they all ultimately affect your mood. Endorphins, for instance, are those feel-good chemicals that are naturally produced by your body to help you cope with stress and pain. Chocolate, ice cream, and other sweet and creamy foods appear to trigger the release of endorphins, and that's why some people think of these as comfort foods, or mood elevators. In turn, endorphins are thought to trigger cravings for these very same foods. That's one reason why it might not be such a good idea for some people to give in to cravings for these foods or use them as mood soothers. You might not be able to stop eating!

While carbs are calming, high protein foods like meat, poultry, and lean fish help boost production of neurotransmitters that increase alertness alertness. So if you're looking for more mental energy, eat a high protein, low-carb meal. If you're looking to calm your mind, enjoy those carbs and choose proteins like salmon and other fatty fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are also known to ease symptoms of depression

Skipping meals and overeating are both habits that send your brain chemicals and body hormones into a tailspin and can ultimately cause you to binge. Add that to your list of reasons for eating regularly scheduled, calorie-controlled, and nutritionally-balanced meals as a means to weight control.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Low-Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

Whose Fault Is It When You Can't Lose Weight?

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:51:35 +0000

It's easy to play the "if only" game with yourself. "If only I had a lot of money, I could go to a spa and lose weight." "If only I could meet the love of my life, I would stop eating so much." "If only I had time to get to the gym..." Excuses, excuses! Losing weight isn't about having enough money. (Just ask Oprah.) It's not about having everything in place in your life. (Just ask Oprah about that, too.) It's all about determination and motivation. People who eat right and work out regularly find a way and make the time, no matter what else is going on in their lives. People who make big, successful changes in their lives don't make excuses.

Another good one is the blame game. "I ate that whole bag of Twizzlers because a customer called me stupid." "My boyfriend said I was fat so I ate the entire bag of cookies." Blaming is just a way of giving up responsibility for yourself. It says you don't have control over what happens to you. It says other people determine your fate and therefore your fatness. Blamers find it hard to admit that they're wrong about something or that anything that goes wrong is their own fault. Or maybe you blame yourself for everything. Sound familiar? If so, then step aside! You're standing in your own way of losing weight and getting healthy.

No one likes to be blamed for anything or held responsible for a less-than perfect outcome. Are you a blamer? Take this quiz and find out:

Whose fault is it that you're fat?
a) Your boss, for always making you feel incompetent
b) Your grandmother, for passing along the fat gene
c) Yours, for not controlling yourself
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

While it may be true that your boss is a maniac, your grandmother had fat thighs too, and you have a tendency to eat vending machine food when no one is looking. But the correct answer is still (e). It's no one's fault if you're overweight. It's due to a combination of factors, some of which you can control and some of which you probably can't. You can deal with all them, but not when you're wasting time and energy pointing your finger.

There's good reason not to blame yourself or anyone else for your weight issues. Blame isn't motivating; it's just something you use as an excuse to avoid the responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with getting healthy.

Instead of blaming, try conquering. Instead of telling yourself, "I ate those peanut M&Ms because I hate my supervisor," say "I'm not going to let her get to me this way." Instead of looking at your thighs and hating your family for them, use the information you have about your genes and do what you can to prevent your body from getting more and more out of shape as you get older.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's somehow easier for other people to lose weight and keep the weight off. You might gain weight just looking at a cup of low-fat ice cream, while your best friend devours a double scoop every day without putting on an ounce. Your coworker who goes to the gym almost every day might hate exercising as much as you do, but she has somehow learned to do things she doesn't like to do because they're good for her, and it's paying off. If you want to lose weight, or improve any aspect of your lifestyle, don't let yourself off the hook too easily.

Most of us could easily follow a few basic rules for eating better and losing or maintaining weight if we would just take the time to remember them and incorporate a few new behaviors into our daily routines. If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, focus on changing just that one self-defeating habit and see what happens.

Do you look for quick fixes? Think "bigger picture." It's a cliché, but everything worth having takes time.

Do you eat when you're not hungry? When you start to eat between meals, think about whether or not you're really hungry. If you're really eating because of boredom, stress, sadness, or frustration, come up with something else to do instead.

Do you eat on the run? You may not be able to sit down to three square meals a day, but you might improve your eating habits if you follow some sort of set schedule.

Do you go more than five hours without eating? If so, you're likely to overeat when you finally sit down to a meal.

Do you insist on going it alone? People who seek and find support in family and friends are more likely to be successful at losing weight. Find a food buddy and an exercise partner.

Do you give up just because you gave in? When you fall off the wagon and eat too much or indulge in high-calorie, high-fat foods, just forget about it and jump right back on the wagon. A slip-up is not a failure. You're human and it's okay to act like one sometimes.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Breaking the Bonds of Food Addiction and Low Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

Stand Up and Lose Weight

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:03:13 +0000

I've heard a lot of talk lately about desk jobs making people fat. Just yesterday, I read an article that said nearly 45% of all Alabama state employees are obese. Whoa!

In fact, a study released last year by biomedical researchers at the University of Missouri showed that you burn up to 60 calories more per hour when standing than when sitting. That means, without even exercising, you could burn an extra 600 calories a day.

Maybe more importantly, the scientists learned that while we sit, our bodies don't make efficient use of lipase, a fat- and cholesterol-zapping enzyme known to be associated with weight control. Sitting significantly reduces your good cholesterol levels (you know, those HDLs that move cholesterol away from your heart and out of your bloodstream). Standing up, on the other hand, engages your muscles, uses up blood sugar, and ensures distribution of lipase.

There are many ways to stand up and be more physically active during work hours; here are a few ideas:

Stand while you talk on the phone; if you have an office, walk while you talk.
Use a stand-up desk or sit/stand work station.
Take computer breaks; periodically stand up and stretch every part of yourself.
Rather than e-mail your co-workers, get up and get some face time.
Propose stand-up meetings (which could help shorten them!)
Eat lunch at a stand-up counter (and have your after-work drink at the bar, rather than taking a table).

The main message, according to Dr. Marc Hamilton, one of the U of Missouri researchers, is simply, "Lose the chair (the couch, the car seat) whenever you can."

Those of us with a lot of "nervous energy," who can't sit still for long periods, who talk fast, walk fast, and often have disturbing habits like using dramatic hand gestures, tapping our toes, pacing as we talk, and stepping right up on the heels of anyone in our path, can relate. We're actually lucky when it comes to weight control because we have the fidget factor. Irritating as our behavior can be to others, we benefit because we naturally burn up 350 more calories a day than most people, certainly at least that much more than those inclined to spend a lot of time relaxing.

Anything that increases movement will help you burn calories and it all adds up by the end of the day. As long as you don't fuel all that extra standing and moving about with extra food, or cancel out the calorie-burning benefits by going home after work and flopping down on the couch for the rest of the evening.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Low-Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

Why We Do Bad Things

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:23:24 +0000

No matter how early you started smoking, drinking, gambling, overspending, lying, procrastinating, binge eating, or tossing recyclables into the regular garbage bin, you weren't born doing any of them. You learned how to do them.

Learned behavior is a wonderful thing because it makes life so much easier. It helps you move through the day in a more efficient way without having to waste mental energy on mundane daily tasks like boiling water and brushing your teeth. You do them without even thinking.

But learned behavior that allows you to act without thinking is not such a good thing when it results in bad habits that become difficult and often impossible to break. Take food, for instance. A yet-to-be-published study out of Duke University has shown that people who are in the habit of eating popcorn at the movies will eat it whether it's fresh or stale. While all students preferred fresh popcorn, those who consumed with a goal of eating something good while watching a movie ate less when it was stale. Those who consumed with the specific goal of eating popcorn at the movies, ate just as much whether it was fresh or stale.

Back in the lab, studies upon studies have shown that old habits really do die hard, especially if you're a rat. Humans may have a slightly easier time replacing old habits with new, but there are tough obstacles to overcome.

For one thing, once a habit is established, you will never completely "unlearn" it. You can stop overindulging, you can pointedly replace bad habits with better ones, but every habit you've ever picked up is there, somewhere in your neural network, just waiting to be rediscovered. That's why, while it's not a realistic immediate solution for most people, "just saying no" is your best first defense when you finally start to get a bad habit under control.

To successfully develop new habits, you have to set new, very specific, and very realistic goals for yourself. You must be committed to change. Uh, oh! Those are scary words to many, for sure, but no matter who you ask, that's the answer you'll get. The more flexible you are, and the more easily you accept change in other areas of your life, it will be to make lifestyle changes. Fear of change is often what prevents us from letting go of self-destructive habits and truly enjoying the rest of our lives. You don't have to let that happen.

Not everyone is wired for addiction, but those who are need help if they're going to change their lives. Years ago, Dr. James Prochaska, professor of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Rhode Island, and coauthor of Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward, developed a model for the six stages of change we all go through before we completely work through any problem. His model for change always bears repeating when we talk about addiction because whatever type of habit you're dealing with, you're always in one of these six stages and, as far as I know, no one has ever improved on this model. So here are the stages; see if you can find yourself:

Pre-contemplation: You know there's a problem but you're not even thinking about change at this point. You think it's impossible, you don't really think you have a problem, or you're just in denial, assuming the problem will go away on its own someday.

Contemplation: You're beginning to acknowledge you have an unhealthy relationship with food (drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, gambling). You're weighing the benefits of change against the effort. You could stay in this stage for a long time, maybe years, thinking that changing your ways isn't worth the effort, especially if you're already feeling discouraged or demoralized or think you won't be successful.

Preparation: You've made a decision to act and you're gathering information. You're making phone calls, or you're searching the web to find out what you can do next. You're emotionally prepared to make lifestyle changes. You're setting goals and you might even be discussing your plans with others in a positive way. You're laying the groundwork for change.

Action: You are actively doing something about your problem. You're trying out lifestyle changes. Maybe you've stopped buying potato chips, joined a gym, or made an appointment to speak with a counselor. You are seeking support from family and friends.

Maintenance: You have made some real lifestyle changes and you're sticking with them. You're learning to work through the obstacles. This could be your final stage of change and you'll spend the rest of your life here.

Recycling/Relapse: Some people get to the maintenance stage and stay there, but most people aren't that successful the first time around. Most have to go back to the preparation or even the contemplation stage and start again. All you can do is go back to where you feel comfortable, and start moving through the stages again.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Breaking the Bonds of Food Addiction and Low-Calorie Dieting for Dummies.

How to Live to 95

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:31:21 +0000

Pictured here is my friend, Arthur, out for lunch recently, just minutes after being advised by his physician to cut back on the sodium in his diet. This photo was taken a few months before the release of a study by the National Cancer Institute announcing that eating less red meat and processed meats increases longevity; it was also taken some thirty-odd years after cholesterol was strongly linked to heart disease, salt to hypertension, and red meat and nitrates to certain cancers.

From the look of Art's pastrami sandwich, he's not following anyone's advice, not the researchers, not even his own doctor's, when it comes to diet. But then, why should he? Art is 95 1/2 years old and he has been eating this way his entire life. Oh, he's not without medical problems; in fact, if you can name it, he probably has it.

But no one can say for sure that any of Art's health issues have anything to do with his diet, especially because he has never been overweight or overindulgent in any of his eating habits. He has always played tennis or followed some sort of exercise regime; he was swimming regularly until he had a pace maker installed in his mid-eighties. Art has lived a routine life of moderation (in fact, he only ate half of his pastrami on rye that day), not deprivation, and he has defeated the odds with respect to both longevity and mental prowess.

In spite of his years, Art still has a razor sharp memory and the communication skills of a broadcast journalist, and he uses them both at every opportunity. With the help of his son, David, he lives at home in the house he shared with Gertrude, his wife of 70 years, until she left this life three years ago at age 91. Art has his moments of deep sorrow, and life hasn't been the same for him since he lost his wife. But still, he generally eats one meal out every day, and rarely misses a party or holiday celebration with family, friends and neighbors. He watches the news, keeps up with politics, and corresponds with relatives via e-mail. He's strong-willed, and an independent thinker, but he's also a man who reaches out and accepts help when he needs it.

To find out more about people like Art, the Boston University School of Medicine has been running an ongoing study for more than a decade of people who live to be at least 100 years old. Known as the New England Centenarian Study, this research has become the springboard for the New England Supercentenarian Study, recently established to study people age 110 and older (of which there are approximately 60 in the U.S. and up to 300 worldwide). By studying supercentanarians, the researchers hope to learn even more about the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to notable longevity.

What the researchers know at this point is that people who live to be at least 100 show significant delays both in functional decline and in decline due to major diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and Parkinson's disease. Their bodies simply don't age as quickly as others. Many of the study participants had developed at least one of these medical conditions, but the conditions were monitored and treated and the participants were living very long lives in spite of their health problems. The majority of participants have developed cataracts at some point, and almost half suffer from osteoporosis.

What experts from various fields of medicine know about aging is that staying connected to family and friends, as well as some physical activity, maintaining a positive mental outlook, taking steps to reduce stress, and regularly visiting your health care providers, will all but guarantee a longer, healthier life. Everything else still seems to be in question.

When it comes to food, some people believe calorie restriction will increase longevity, others say raw foods and fresh juices hold the secret, and many experts swear by a Mediterranean-style diet. "I let everyone else follow the trends," Art says. "I just eat what I like."

Art doesn't eat mile-high pastrami sandwiches every day, but he's not drinking green tea or eating fresh organic vegetables on a regular basis, either. While no health care professional would ever promote a steady diet of processed foods, most will tell you that a life lived in moderation but also allowing a bit of fun, be it from food or frolic, is still the best prescription for a long and healthy life. Knowing when and how to indulge yourself may well be life's best medicine.

Family and friends look forward to Art becoming eligible for the centenarian study and perhaps even the supercentenerian study. He may be slowing down a bit these days, but there's currently no news from his physicians that would lead us to expect otherwise. I'll include updates on Art in future Cravings blogs that explore lifestyle and the aging process. Meanwhile, it would be great to hear from others who are in the process of living a very long life or know someone who is. Tell the rest of us how to do it!

It's OK to Cheat on Your Diet

Susan McQuillan, M.S. — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:03:08 +0000

When it comes to calorie crunching to lose weight, health experts know that a 1,500-calorie diet is healthier than a 1,000-calorie diet. That's because, in the space of1,000 calories, it's practically impossible to get all the nutrients you need to stay healthy unless you take supplements.

And at 1,000 calories a day, you're getting too close to depriving your body of the energy it needs for basic functioning, like getting out of bed in the morning and maintaining a heartbeat throughout the day.

But let's face it, if you really have a problem cutting back on the amount of food you eat, a 1,500-calorie diet plan can feel almost as restrictive as a 1,000-calorie diet, so it doesn't really matter which one you try to follow. The truth is, you're likely to cheat, and statistics say you're very likely to fall off the wagon altogether. In that case, I actually like 1,000-calorie diet plans better. There's a lot more wiggle room.

I have found that sometimes the best way to help someone follow a restrictive weight loss diet is to lower their calorie intake but also provide a cheat sheet. We work out a balanced 1,000- or 1,200-calorie diet based on foods the client likes to eat, and at the same time, I tell her it's okay to eat a few hundred extra calories throughout the day, whenever hunger strikes. Sneak-a-snack! Once you get up to 1,500 calories or more in your basic plan, however, you can't really do that anymore or your "cheat eating" will bring you up too close to 2,000 calories. At that level, you'll stop losing and start maintaining or continue gaining weight.

Obviously, this advice may not be appropriate for anyone who is eating for emotional reasons, binges, or suffers from a food addiction, but for the average dieter who is trying to lose those "last ten pounds" or something close to it, this could be a helpful strategy.

For most people, weight loss is 90% attitude. If you're angry about having to lose weight, feeling guilty every time you put food in your mouth, feeling deprived because you can't eat as much as you'd like, feeling hopeless and frustrated because the weight doesn't come off quickly enough, and you allow these feelings to take over, there's no way you're going to be successful.

It's very hard to stick to a calorie-controlled diet, especially initially, while you adjust to new eating habits. You can turn your feelings of deprivation and frustration into something a little closer to pleasure, however, by making the experience as easy and as much fun as possible. Easy is all about following balanced, calorie-controlled menus that include foods you like to eat, and having those foods available so that it's easier to stick to your plan. Cheating, or allowing yourself some small indulgences and planning them into your diet, can be the fun part.

You can't kid yourself. If you want to lose or maintain weight, there are limits to how much you can eat, but it makes more sense to find a way to incorporate reasonable amounts of snacks and treats into your diet plan than to avoid them altogether, especially if living without certain types of foods is going to drive you crazy. The secret is simply to plan your cheating, rather than letting it happen randomly or at times when you're feeling out of control. When you have a plan, you have something to look forward to and you're less likely to overdo it. There's no rebellion involved.

You have to stop saying, "Oh, I shouldn't eat this!" when you know you're going to eat it. Instead, whether it's chocolate, potato chips, or pepperoni pizza, figure out how to include small amounts of "cheat foods" in your diet plan and give yourself permission to eat and enjoy them as part of a meal or well planned snack. Even better, choose healthy versions of your favorite treats, and try to combine your cheat foods with healthier foods, as in dark chocolate-dipped strawberries or bananas, baked potato chips with yogurt-based dip, and pepperoni pie with a large salad on the side.

Susan McQuillan is the author of Low Calorie Dieting for Dummies.