Stand Up for Strong Bones

You hear these medical words everywhere these days; the media, everyday conversation, even with our health care providers. It is important to know what these words mean and even go so far to know the word origins. In doing this, we gain insight what these words mean. You know the word Osteoporosis, but do you know the root word meanings?

Osteo has the Latin root meaning of BONE. Porosis has the Latin root meaning of POROUS. Startling osteoporosis facts include: Eight out of 10 people with osteoporosis are women, one of every two women over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime, white women over the age of 65 have twice as many fractures as African-American women, osteoporosis can strike at any age, not just in the elderly, and in the first 5 to 7 years following menopause, women can lose one-fifth of their total bone mass, increasing their risk for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis causes bones to become porous, weak and brittle characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. The bones become fragile and have an increased susceptibility to fractures. Osteoporosis takes years to develop before symptoms are seen. It is a silent but preventable chronic disease. It is a major public health threat for more than 28 million Americans. Ten million people already have osteoporosis and 18 million others have low bone mass, placing them at risk for osteoporosis.

Select groups of people are more likely to develop osteoporosis than others. Risk factors include being female, being Caucasian or Asian (however, African American and Hispanic Americans can be at risk as well), being thin and/or small framed, in advanced age, having a family member with osteoporosis, being post-menopause, including early or surgically-induced menopause, abnormally absence of menstrual periods, having anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, consuming a diet low in calcium, using corticosteroids and anticonvulsants, a man with low testosterone levels, having an inactive lifestyle, smoking cigarettes, and excess use of alcohol.
Osteoporosis develops without symptoms. People may not know they have this disease until their bones become so weak they break under minimal pressure. When vertebrae collapse, it is felt as severe back pain, loss of height or stooped posture. Fractures most often occur in the hip, spine, wrist and ribs, although all bones of the body can be affected.
By the age of 20, most of us have obtained 98 percent of our skeletal mass. Between ages 20 to 30, we generally are able to maintain our bone mass. After the age of 30, the body's ability to synthesize bone is less than the rate of bone breakdown, possibly resulting in a loss in bone mass.
It is imperative that proper bone growth, density, and strength occur during childhood and adolescence. Some strategies to help maximize bone mass and prevent osteoporosis include eating a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, regular weight bearing exercise to pump calcium into bones, stop smoking, limit your intake of alcohol, obtain a bone mineral density test, and take medication and/or hormone therapy (estrogen, alendronate, calcitonin, raloxifene) only when it is physician recommended.
Dairy products are the best source of calcium, but many women, especially younger women, avoid dairy products because they fear weight gain. Low-fat dairy products offer just as much calcium as their full-fat counterparts. Nevertheless, some women will need to take a calcium supplement.

Tips for Calcium supplements:
Read the label
Avoid calcium supplements with dolomite or bone meal, which may contain very small
amounts of lead and other metals.
Remember - a calcium supplement is just that – a supplement that should not be the only important source of calcium
Drink plenty of fluids with calcium supplements to avoid constipation.

Tips to get calcium in your diet:
Drink milk or fortified fruit juice during your coffee break
Try flavored milk
Enjoy calcium-rich snacks like yogurt, cheese and crackers, and pudding
Order a latte or cappuccino (skip the fat by requesting skim milk) in place of black coffee
While caffeine can interfere with calcium absorption, consuming the amount of
steamed milk typically added to latte or cappuccino readily offsets this effect.
Choose other foods with more calcium such as dark green leafy vegetables, fortified fruit juices
and fortified cereals.
Try some freshly baked cookies with a glass of cold milk.

Include a wide variety of calcium-rich foods and fluids everyday. Work those bones - weight bearing exercise such as walking and running, helps strengthen bones to help prevent osteoporosis.

To paraphrase Ben Franklin: “Remember, the calcium in your diet today could save a bone “tomorrow.

I Scream For Ice Cream

“I scream, you scream, we all scream — for ice cream!” That old song is right on. Almost everyone loves this smooth, creamy treat. Ice cream has become big business.

Here are 13 facts about ice cream that anyone would find interesting.

It is America’s favorite dessert, even without the homemade Apple Pie. Nothing is as refreshing or cooling as ice cream on a hot summer day. Ice cream is a year round true “comfort food.” The word “cream” in ice cream is the tip-off that this frozen classic is going to be higher in fat than some other frozen treats. Ice cream has become more accessible for even people on “special diets” or have lactose intolerance. Ice cream varieties are now available in reduced sugar content, low fat and low cholesterol content and reduced lactose content. Many people claim that these dietary modifications can change the texture of ice cream. For a true ice cream connoisseur, this may be true. However, for the true cream lover who can’t live without ice cream this is a wonderful compromise to be able to still include this “all-American” delicacy in a restricted diet.

Rightfully so, July is National Ice Cream month. It was designated so in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan. Typically the third Sunday of July is National Ice Cream Day.
Surprisingly (or not) vanilla continues to be the most popular choice in flavor in the supermarket and food novelities. It is felt that this is primarily due to this flavor is the most versatile, mixing well with toppings, drinks and bakery desserts. America's top five favorite individual flavors are vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry and chocolate chip mint.

Ice cream flavors are only limited by the imagination. Manufacturer's, vendors, and ice cream shops have learned they must be creative to keep their customers coming back to purchase again.

"While the majority of ice cream sales have long been regular-fat products, processors continue to diversify their lines of frozen desserts in order to fit into various lifestyles -- often called "better for you" products. Consumers can find an array of frozen desserts to fit specific dietary needs or wants, such as reduced-fat, fat-free, low-carb, "no sugar added," added calcium or other nutrients, or lactose-free ice cream. Novelty/single-serving products are also an important part of this trend, as some consumers prefer the pre-packaged portion when counting calories, carbs or fat grams." (source)

With all the innovations of the ice cream market, there is no reason anyone who loves ice cream can't enjoy it. The options are limitless.

Researchers are continuing to help improve that savvy treat many of us enjoy. Ice cream is not such a scream when little bits of ice give it an annoying crunch. Ice cream kept in the freezer for a long time may form these tiny, sharp, unpleasant ice crystals. Other foods stored in the freezer can develop these same crystals — including microwave dinners, fish sticks, and bread. Food makers have tried to prevent ice crystals from forming. However, nothing seems to work.

Now chemists in Wisconsin have discovered an ingredient that works like an antifreeze for ice crystals in ice cream and other foods. Chemists who discovered that a natural protein material called gelatin hydrolysate does the trick. It works like the antifreeze used in cars. Car antifreeze, however, is poisonous and can never be eaten. Ice cream made with the food antifreeze had fewer and smaller ice crystals than the batches without it. The food antifreeze is tasteless. It won’t change the taste of your favorite treat. And people will still scream for ice cream. (The study appeared in the Dec. 26 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a journal for scientists). This is a prime example of ongoing ice cream research. I want to apply for the job of "Ice Cream Research Scientist." I think that would be my dream job.
Now if you will excuse me, I am off to the grocery store to buy some ice cream (I just gotta find my keys).