Health & Wellness

First Food with Cholesterol-lowering claim now available in Canada Health Canada allows claim typically associated with pharmaceutical products to be added to certain foods TORONTO, June 10 /CNW/ - Canadian adults with elevated cholesterol can now go to their grocery store to purchase a food product shown to help lower cholesterol. For the first time, Health Canada has approved the sale of foods fortified with plant sterols and allowed claims to assist consumers to understand the role and function of sterols in their diet. With more than 40 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 79 having an unhealthy level of total cholesterol, this provides a new option to support overall cholesterol management. Every seven minutes in Canada, someone dies from heart disease or stroke. High cholesterol is a main risk factor for heart disease, and according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, a one point reduction in total cholesterol can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 25 per cent. The first of a number of expected plant sterol-fortified food products, Becel pro.activ calorie-reduced margarine with plant sterols recently became available in major retailers, enabling the millions of Canadian adults with elevated cholesterol to take immediate steps to help lower their cholesterol. Becel pro.activ contains plant sterols which help to lower cholesterol in adults up to 15 per cent starting within three weeks when combined with a move to a healthy diet. "Canadians are now more empowered than ever to help lower their cholesterol through an everyday food product, in the hopes of reducing their overall risk for heart disease," said Dr. Peter Jones, a nutrition researcher from the University of Manitoba who has studied plant sterols for 15 years. "Costs associated with managing chronic diseases like heart disease are among the biggest challenges facing this country. We need to be aggressive in bringing options to Canadians that will enable personal health decisions associated with significant public health implications." About Plant Sterols Plant sterols occur naturally in a variety of everyday foods like vegetable oils, nuts, grain products, fruits and vegetables, and have always been part of the human diet. Plant sterols exert their effect by partly blocking the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine, thereby lowering blood cholesterol levels. Experts agree that just two grams of plant sterols is the daily amount shown to help lower cholesterol in adults, and the cholesterol-lowering benefits are sustained with regular daily consumption. Foods fortified with plant sterols are available in countries around the world, including the United States, members of the European Union, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, Israel, Iceland and Japan. About Becel Becel margarine was created in the 1960's as a response to the call from Dutch physicians for a heart healthier alternative to butter and animal fats. Since then, Becel has remained dedicated to educating Canadians about the importance of heart healthy living, including launching the first food fortified with plant sterols in Canada. Unilever, one of the world's largest consumer products companies, adds vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Every day, 160 million people choose Unilever brands to feed their families and to clean themselves and their families.

Lose the Weight, Lower Your Health Risks http://www.healthnews.com/hnprint/4293 By Susan_Brady | Created Jun 10 2010 - 16:21 Exhaustion, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. These are the common problems we associate with excess weight and obesity. But did you know that the danger stretches far beyond these “usual suspects?” Many obese people also suffer from liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, breathing problems, some types of cancer - and many women even experience infertility. These are just the physical dangers. People who are overweight tend to suffer from significant and prolonged emotional distress, as well. Unfortunately, dieting is difficult, and entire industries have sprung up, promising easy shortcuts to help people lose the pounds from a pill. Such “shortcuts” have a fretful and fatal history, proving that the quick-fix diet pill is both a proven waste of money and a deadly deceit, pulled on innocent people who are desperately trying to make important life changes. New Hope for Downtrodden Dieters In order to lose weight, we must eat less. That’s really all there is to it. According to Dr. Alan Hirsch, (MD, FACP) a noted neurologist and psychiatrist, and developer of the Sensa Weight-Loss System [1], “What you eat is important, to be sure, but even more important is how much you eat. The problem is portion control. When you take in more calories than your body can use up, it turns to fat and excess weight.” The deadly diet industry promotes “lose weight quick” pills that contain everything from stimulants to fat blockers to laxatives. They offer no help to make healthy lifestyle changes, and all too often, when dieters do lose weight with these products, they gain it back quickly because they slip into old, harmful habits. A New, Safe Way to Lose Weight Recognizing that for most people losing weight is a battle against their very nature, the Sensa Weight-Loss System [1] is based on over 25 years of research, as a natural way to gradually, healthfully lose weight and stop over-eating. The program addresses the desire to overeat head on — literally — by using the sense of smell to activate an equally primal process in the brain that tells your body it’s time to stop eating. Sensa [2] is an all-natural, food-based product – not a pill - which is sprinkled on food. The Tastants, as Dr. Hirsch calls them, are undetectable by us, but are picked up by the brain. Without any harmful side-effects, the brain simply communicates to the body that the stomach is full. No Drugs, No Dieting, No Problem! Over time, Sensa users become accustom to feeling full faster, so they eat smaller portions. By the time they have met their weight-loss goals, they have already trained their body to stop overeating - all the while eating the foods they love. “Sensa works with your body’s natural urges, not against them,” Hirsch says, “so you can eat less without even thinking about it.” Sensa is not intended to be a life-long program and in a clinical study, 1,436 participants lost an average of 30.5 pounds in six months! Most users find that they have also tamed their cravings and overeating in that time. But weight loss is personal and individual, so results will vary. That’s why the makers of the Sensa Weight-Loss System [1] are offering a free trial of this amazing program, so users can get started right away and make a personal decision about how long they need the program. Losing weight is difficult, but making the effort will be one of the healthiest decisions – emotionally and physically – that anyone will make in their lifetime. Click here to try Sensa for FREE [1] and start losing those extra pounds.

Rice: The Healthy Basics http://www.healthnews.com/hnprint/4302 By Susan_Brady | Created Jun 15 2010 - 08:11 One cup of cooked medium-grain white rice has 169 calories, 3.5 grams protein, 1.7 grams fiber, while the same amount of cooked medium-grain brown rice has 218 calories. 4.5 grams protein, and 3.5 grams fiber Did you know that worldwide there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice? Rice comes in a rainbow of colors and flavors and almost every culture on Earth has incorporated rice into their diet. For more than half of the world's population rice is a staple and, according to the World Food Grid [1], 20% of the total food energy intake in the world comes from rice. In Asia alone, more than 2 billion people get up to 70 percent of their daily dietary energy from rice and its by-products. Rice hit American shores in the late seventeenth century and was an East Coast crop until the mid-1800s. There is currently about 3 million acres of rice cultivated in the U.S. by about 9,000 farms located primarily in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Florida, and Texas. While this is only 1% of the world's total production, the total annual sales hit $1.2 billion in the year 2000. One cup of cooked medium-grain white rice has 169 calories, 3.5 grams protein, 1.7 grams fiber, while the same amount of cooked medium-grain brown rice has 218 calories. 4.5 grams protein, and 3.5 grams fiber. But the brown rice contains much higher quantities of thiamin, niacin, B6, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. Healthier for you, brown rice does take more than twice as long to cook. (HINT: The easiest way to cook rice is to buy a rice cooker/steamer. You measure the water and rice, set it and forget it. White rice cooks in about 20-30 minutes, depending on amount, while brown rice takes about an hour and a half. But you can make a double batch and reheat in steamer or microwave when needed.) A recent study conducted over 22 years with 197,000 participants found that found that those who ate more refined white rice had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, while those eating more brown rice had a lower risk of the disease. Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital assessed three different studies and found across the board that having more white rice in the diet was associated with an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition to white and brown rice, there are a number of other rice alternatives that are healthy for you. Break out of your rut and try something new. Typical U.S. Rice Varieties Long grain white rice has a long, slender kernel, and when cooked the grains are separate, light and fluffy. Medium grain white rice has a shorter, wider kernel and is more moist and tender, clinging together more than its long counterpart. Short grain white rice has a short, plump, almost round kernel which becomes soft and clingy when cooked. Brown rice has only the hull removed. (Further milled, it becomes white rice.) slightly chewy texture with a nut-like flavor. Rich in minerals and vitamins. Aromatic red rice has a deep, honey-red bran and is minimally processed to retain the bran layers. This makes it slightly chewy and nutty in flavor. Basmati rice is an aromatic long grain rice with a flavor similar to that of popcorn or roasted nuts. Cooked grains swell lengthwise and separate and fluffy. Black japonica is also an aromatic rice but with a dark black bran. Also minimally processed, it is slightly chewy and sweet. Jasmine rice is another aromatic, with long grains that cook soft and moist, but cling together. Like Basmati, the taste is similar to popcorn or roasted nuts. Arborio rice is characterized by a white dot at the center of each medium-sized grain. This is the typical rice for risotto because of its ability to slow cook, absorb various flavors, and become creamy and slightly chewy. Wild rice is not really rice at all, but a grass seed. Taking longer to cook and with a distinct flavor, it is a bit more costly but is richer in protein and other nutrients.

June is Brain Injury Awareness Month in Canada OTTAWA, June 15/CNW Telbec/ - Brain injuries are the number one killer and disabler of people under the age of 44 in Canada. It is estimated that approximately 1.3 million Canadians are living with an acquired brain injury (ABI), according to the Brain Injury Association of Canada. Speech-language pathologists (S-LPs), audiologists and supportive personnel, who are represented by the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA), have an important role to play in this area. Research indicates that 80 to 100 percent of individuals with a brain injury will have some form of communication disorder. Treatment by these professionals is essential, as they "work to maximize communication and swallowing and, in turn, participation in daily life and activities," says CASLPA president and Manitoba speech-language pathologist Gillian Barnes. "Speech-language pathologists are an integral part of the interdisciplinary team who treat the individual with an ABI. The cognitive communication deficits subsequent to an ABI can have a devastating impact on an individual's ability to participate in daily activities and subsequently affect their quality of life. There may be implications on the individual's ability to participate in daily communication and performing vocational activities," adds Barnes. CASLPA represents the professional needs of more than 5,500 speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel. CASLPA has provided leadership in developing recommended wait times for various diagnostic areas through the Pan-Canadian Alliance Wait Times Project. The group recommends that after receiving a S-LP referral due to a traumatic brain injury, the patient should have their first appointment within 24-72 hours if in an acute care facility, 48-72 hours if in an inpatient rehabilitation facility and less than 1 month if an outpatient in the community. Approaches to treatment and rehabilitation of brain injuries are diverse, as each individual with a brain injury will experience different challenges in speaking, swallowing, reading, listening or hearing. "Considerations must be given to the severity and type of brain injury, the individual's pre-injury status and family and community supports that are available," adds Barnes. "Approaches to treatment focus on the communication impairment secondary to the cognitive deficits as well as evaluating and treating any swallowing difficulties post injury." Simple recommendations to prevent brain injuries include wearing a helmet during sporting activities, preventing falls, avoiding alcohol and substance abuse, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and wearing your seatbelt. For more information about the role speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel play in the treatment of communication disorders or to find a speech-language pathologist or audiologist in your area, visit CASLPA's website at www.speechandhearing.ca. Additional information about Brain Injury Awareness Month, the Brain Injury Association of Canada and a listing of related events can be found on their website at www.biac-aclc.ca. For further information: Angie D'Aoust, CASLPA Director of Communications, 1-800-259-8519, or by email pubs@caslpa.ca, www.speechandhearing.ca - www.caslpa.ca - www.tinyurl.com/caslpaonfacebook - www.twitter.com/CASLPA