Your health blog !

Researchers have long pondered a so-called Far East medical paradox. If cigarette smoking is so widespread in China and Japan, why is heart disease so rare? One likely explanation involves diet, particularly Asians’ penchant for green tea. Both green and black tea contain flavonoids, potent antioxidants that help protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries caused by cholesterol deposits and triglycerides).

In a study, researchers from the National Defense Medical College in Shizuoka, Japan, first isolated and purified tea flavonoids–catechins from green tea and theaflavins from black tea. They then incubated LDL cholesterol with oxidative agents. Adding catechins and theaflavins to the mix significantly delayed cholesterol oxidation, although the effect of black tea theaflavins was more marked than the effects of catechins or vitamin E.

In a second part of this study, researchers randomly assigned 22 healthy men with an average age of 22 into two groups. Group one drank five cups of water each day and group two drank five cups of tea (750 ml of brewed tea extracted from 11 g of Twinings Darjeeling tea, amounting to 354 mg of catechins and 22 mg of theaflavins). After four weeks, researchers took blood samples from the men, isolated the LDL cholesterol and subjected it to oxidative stress. Compared to the placebo group, LDL from the tea-drinking men was significantly more resistant to oxidation. More specifically, the lag time before LDL oxidized was prolonged by 10 percent to 15 percent.

The secret to reducing fat in your diet is getting the fat out of your kitchen. Get started by taking fatty foods out of your grocery cart, your kitchen cabinets and the way you prepare food with these tips and techniques:

1. Stop adding fat to other foods. Oily dressings on salad, butter or margarine on bread and greasy gravy on mashed potatoes are common examples of how we load healthy foods with too much fat.

2. Develop fear of frying. Frying makes any food a fatty food, and heating oils to the smoking point is believed to cause rampant free radical production. In addition, there’s evidence that cancer-causing chemicals form when food is charred. So donate your deep-fryer to the neighborhood rummage sale and don’t look back. Instead, look to the many fat-moderating cooking techniques you have to choose from (numbers 3 through 8).

3. Steaming. This is especially good for guaranteeing bright, slightly crunchy vegetables, and it leaves the bulk of their vitamins intact. Fish may be steamed as well.

4. Oven-”frying” for breaded foods. Place your breaded food on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake (at about 400°F for most things), turning if necessary for even browning.

5. Stir-frying. Use a small amount of oil the way skilled Asian chefs do and stir nonstop so the food is quickly seared.

6. Pseudo-sautéing. This is similar to stir-frying but takes a bit longer, as you’re depending on the foods’ natural moisture to assist in the cooking process. Begin with the tiniest quantity of oil and add water as needed — about 2 tablespoons at a time — to provide additional moisture.

7. Oven-sautéing. Set your oven at 400° to 425°F and place vegetables in a pan covered with nonstick cooking spray (use the spray even if you’re using a nonstick pan; it will give the veggies more of a sautéed quality). Remove from the oven when they’re softened.

8. Water-sautéing. The technical term for this is steeping. Heat water first unless you’re doing onions, which get tender faster when started in cold water. The more thinly you chop your veggies, the more quickly and evenly they’ll cook. Make a water sauté zingier by adding the juice of a lime and some high-quality tamari soy sauce. Experiment with the following oil-free sauté liquids (numbers 9 through 15) and discover your favorites. The stronger-flavored items need to be added to water; the others can stand on their own.

9. Vegetable broth. Save broth from cooking vegetables, mix from instant broth powder or make your own homemade stock.

10. Tomato or blended vegetable juice is a flavorful, no-fat sauté item.

11. Lemon juice. Add tangy taste to sautéed food with this flavorizer.

12. Vinegar. Try using balsamic, rice wine and apple cider vinegar when you sauté.

13. Sherry or another red or white wine is an excellent sauté base.

14. Barbecue sauce gives food a smoky flavor without the fat.

15. Fruit juice. Apple, orange and grape juice are especially appropriate for sautéing onions and garlic for use in lentil or rice dishes.

16. Use a lower heat setting when sautéing with less oil.

17. Stir. Let elbow grease replace cooking with grease.

18. Watch the pot. Since water, broth and juice evaporate quickly during cooking, use enough liquid and keep a close watch as you cook.

19. Pureed starches thicken just about anything from pâtés to soups to sauces. You can puree cooked dried beans or pasta, or use mashed potatoes for this purpose.

20. Experiment with chopping and slicing techniques. Cooking with less fat provides the opportunity to learn how the thickness or thinness of various foods affect a dish.

Imagine an exercise that keeps working for you after you’re showered and rested. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins and Arizona State universities, resistance training does just that.

Cardiovascular workouts burn more calories during exercise, but only increase metabolism for an hour afterward. Resistance training raises the body’s energy expenditure double-time—up to two hours post-workout. For maximum fitness benefit, women need a combination of both types of workouts, according to the researchers.

So add some resistance to your workout regimen, and your body will benefit—now and later.

Exercises used in the study were: abdominal crunches, biceps curl, chest press, latissimus dorsi pull-down, leg extension, leg press, seated row, shoulder press, triceps extension.

Talk to a personal trainer at your fitness club if these exercises are new to you. It is important to know the proper technique for each exercise and how to use the weight machines.

Here are some tips for getting your family moving – and keeping everyone going.

# As the primary teachers and role models, parents need to set an example by devoting at least 30 minutes a day to a physical activity. Getting exercise doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. It doesn’t have to mean playing an organized sport, either. Simple activities like walking the dog, washing the car, mowing the lawn, gardening or walking the kids to school are all healthful.

# Schedule regular times throughout the week for physical activity and stick with them. In the summer, take a brisk evening walk, squeeze in an informal game of softball or visit a pick-your-own organic fruit farm. In the winter, when getting motivated is invariably more difficult, schedule a night or a weekend afternoon at the local YMCA or community center, where families can swim, play racket sports or take advantage of classes or activities planned by the center. Many Ys and fitness clubs provide special family fitness programs, such as parent-child exercise programs or supervised events for kids while parents are working out.

# Take turns selecting activities. This way, each family member takes responsibility for creating a fun time together. Be sure to encourage and support your children’s choices. One way to do this is to give a reward each week for the most creative activity choice.

# Start a log of daily fitness activities to keep your family on track and as a positive reminder of how active you’ve been.

# Remember that children typically don’t have the stamina — or the attention span — of adults. To keep your kids committed, plan activities that are fun and not too intense or mentally demanding. Don’t forget that you must adapt to the kids, not vice versa. If you’re a real fitness buff, you’ll probably need to do your own workouts before or after family activities. Walking to the park and throwing a ball or a Frisbee are easy ways to play together. Activities that require a bit more time but can be enjoyed by almost every family member include fund-raising or nature walks, fun runs, hiking, biking and swimming.

# Invest in supportive, comfortable sneakers. Nothing discourages activity like sore and uncomfortable feet.

# Regardless of how, when and where you choose to incorporate exercise into your family life, it’s important to get your family started. And remember, if you make excuses like “too busy,” “too tired” or “just don’t feel like it,” you can be sure your children will pass those same words along to their kids someday.