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Fight arthritis with these foods

Joy Bauer — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:00:00 GMT

According to the National Institutes of Health, arthritis affects about one in every five people in the United States. Arthritis is not a single disease, but a category that includes about a hundred disorders that involve joints (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common). Most people probably don’t realize how much nutrition can improve the way they feel.

Because arthritis is a disease of inflammation, the most effective — and logical — treatment is anything that fights inflammation. Medical management of arthritis usually starts with ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory medications, and nutritional care starts with anti-inflammatory foods.

Before we get into my food specifics, I urge you to lose weight if you’re overweight. Being overweight puts extra stress on the joints, which increases the risk of wear and tear. In fact, every one pound of weight you lose equates to four pounds less stress and pressure on your knees. But there is another reason why being overweight is a problem. Body fat is not just an inert substance, it is metabolically active, capable of producing hormones and chemicals that actually increase levels of inflammation. By losing weight — and avoiding excess calories that can cause weight gain — you’ll automatically reduce the level of inflammation in your body.

When it comes to specific foods you should eat, an anti-inflammatory diet involves avoiding foods that make inflammation worse (saturated fat, trans fat and simple refined carbohydrate)… and eating plenty of foods that reduce inflammation.

These foods all help to reduce some aspect of inflammation:

Omega-3 fatty acids
The healthiest of fats for people with arthritis or other inflammatory disorders are omega-3 fatty acids, one of the polyunsaturated fats. While other foods increase levels of inflammation in the body, omega-3s actually work to decrease inflammation by suppressing the production of cytokines and enzymes that erode cartilage. More than a dozen studies have demonstrated that omega-3 fish oils can reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Study participants reported greater strength, less fatigue, reduced joint swelling and tenderness, less joint stiffness and less pain.

Although the evidence is less clear about how fish oil affects osteoarthritis, the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3s are so potent that I recommend an omega-3-rich diet (and, in some instances, fish-oil supplements) to all my clients with arthritis. I’ve seen some amazing success stories. The best foods for omega-3 fatty acids: salmon (wild, fresh or canned), herring, mackerel (not king), sardines, anchovies, rainbow trout, Pacific oysters, omega-3-fortified eggs, flaxseed (ground and oil), and walnuts.

Extra-virgin olive oil
Olive oil contains the “good” monounsaturated fat, which protects the body against inflammation because it contains antioxidants called polyphenols. In animal studies, rats with arthritis were fed diets high in various kinds of oils. The researchers found that both fish oil and olive oil prevented (or helped reduce) arthritis-related inflammation. I recommend using olive oil when cooking, instead of vegetable oil or butter. Don’t load it on — just substitute one for the other in equal or lesser amounts.

Antioxidants—vitamin C, selenium, carotenes, bioflavonoids
Inflammation produces free radicals, those cell-damaging molecules that are formed in response to toxins or natural body processes. The synovium is just as prone to this kind of damage as the skin, eyes, or any other body tissue. Antioxidants protect the body from the effects of free radicals, and are a critical part of an anti-inflammation diet. Research has demonstrated that certain antioxidants may help prevent arthritis, slow its progression and relieve pain.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C is one of the nutrients most responsible for the health of collagen, a major component of cartilage. In addition, research suggests that people who eat a diet low in vitamin C may have a greater risk of developing some kinds of arthritis. For those reasons, it is important to make vitamin C-rich foods an important part of your daily diet. However, researchers at Duke University found that long-term, high-dose vitamin C supplements may make osteoarthritis worse. I wouldn’t want you to risk your health with supplements, so if you have osteoarthritis, you should only get vitamin C from food sources — not from an individual supplement (100% of the Daily Value found in a standard multivitamin is fine, but avoid brands with larger amounts). Some of the best foods for vitamin C: guava, sweet peppers (yellow/red/green), oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, pineapple, kohlrabi, papayas, lemons, broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, kidney beans, kiwi, cantaloupe, cauliflower, red cabbage, mangos, white potato (with skin) and mustard greens.
Selenium: Low levels of the mineral selenium are related to osteoarthritis severity, and possibly to rheumatoid arthritis. In a study of more than 900 people, those who had low levels of selenium were more likely to have osteoarthritis of the knee. People who ate very few selenium-rich foods were nearly twice as likely to have severe arthritis compared with those who ate a selenium-rich diet. Some of the best foods for selenium: Brazil nuts, tuna (to avoid mercury, buy canned light tuna), crab, oysters, tilapia, pasta (whole-wheat), lean beef, cod, shrimp, whole grains, turkey and wheat germ.
Carotenes: The carotenoids are a group of powerful antioxidant nutrients found in many fruits and vegetables. The best known is beta carotene, but there are many others. When it comes to arthritis, the carotenoid called beta-cryptoxanthin may reduce the risk of developing inflammation-related disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers from the United Kingdom found that people who ate diets high in beta-cryptoxanthin were half as likely to develop a form of inflammatory arthritis as those who ate very few beta-cryptoxanthin foods. They found that adding just one additional serving each day of a food high in beta-cryptoxanthin helped reduce arthritis risk.

Some of the best foods for beta carotene include: sweet potato, carrots, kale, butternut squash, turnip greens, pumpkin, mustard greens, cantaloupe, sweet red pepper, apricots and spinach.

Some of the best foods for beta cryptoxanthin include: winter squash, pumpkin, persimmons, papaya, tangerines, red peppers, corn, oranges and apricots.
Bioflavonoids — quercetin and anthocyanidins: The bioflavonoids quercetin and anthocyanidins are both forms of antioxidants. The anti-inflammatory effects of quercetin may seem to be similar to those of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (such as aspirin and ibuprofen). For example, the synovial fluid in joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis contain highly inflammatory chemicals called tumor necrosis factor (TNF). In research, quercetin was able to limit the inflammatory effects of TNF. Some of the best foods for quercetin: onions (red, yellow, white), kale, leeks, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, blueberries, black currants, elderberries, lingonberries, cocoa powder, apricots and apples with skin (*Red Delicious).

Anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins are powerful antioxidants known to reduce inflammation. They seem to inhibit production of certain inflammatory chemicals, including cytokines and prostaglandins. They contribute to the health of connective tissue, and are more powerful than vitamin C for defusing dangerous free radicals that can irritate body tissues and cause inflammation. Some of the best foods for anthocyanidins: blackberries, black currants, blueberries, eggplant, elderberries, raspberries, cherries, boysenberries, red/black grapes, strawberries and plums

Spices—ginger and turmeric
Most people don’t realize that spices are a part of nutrition. Like fruits and vegetables, spices come from plant sources, and they can have powerful effects on health. Certain spices seem to have anti-inflammatory effects, and therefore should be considered for arthritis treatment. Among the most promising are ginger and turmeric. Ginger contains chemicals that work similarly to some anti-inflammatory medications, so its effects on arthritis pain are not surprising. However, ginger can also act as a blood thinner, so anyone taking a blood-thinning medication should collaborate with their personal physician when adding foods and beverages seasoned with ginger. To incorporate more ginger into your diet, grate fresh ginger into stir-fries, enjoy ginger tea and bake low-fat ginger muffins.

Turmeric, sometimes called curcumin, is a mustard-yellow spice from Asia. It is the main ingredient in yellow curry. Scientific studies have shown that turmeric may help arthritis by suppressing inflammatory body chemicals. Enjoy chicken curry and healthy recipes that call for this anti-inflammatory seasoning.

Original article from TODAYShow.com

Americans Begin To Rein In National Appetite

Liz Peek — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Good grief. Is it possible that Americans are eating less? (Please forget the marathon hot dog fests you witnessed over the weekend.) Tiny signs of this sea change are popping up, a reversal that could have a serious impact on the food service industry and especially restaurants.

A hint of this notion comes from Levi, a young Hungarian who has been waiting on tables at one of Nantucket's top restaurants for the past seven summers. Each year he has returned to school with less cash in his pocket. His employer is busy Â-- it's as hard as ever to get reservations to the island's favorite watering holes Â-- but revenues are in a slump.

Levi and others report that diners are simply spending less and, believe it or not, eating less. They are ordering appetizers only and sharéng entrees, or doing without dessert and coffee.

Laurel Strauch from Nantucket's Chamber of Commerce confirms that the number of visitors is up this year, with more than a 6% jump in the number of people streaming into the island by ferry and through the airport over last year. Why, then, are the restaurants hurting?

Like so many other economic patterns just now emerging, it appears that the aging of the population is having an impact. The reality is that older people simply don't eat as much. Certainly, in high priced tourist venues like Nantucket, economics also play a role. Restaurants in this New England community have to earn an entire year's income in just four months, so prices are high. And when revenues fall short, the bill of fare tends to get even pricier, creating a nasty cycle.

However, it also appears that the incessant alarms about obesity and overeating have resonated and that people of all ages and economic backgrounds are trying to cut back. Older people are leading the charge. "There is definitely a tendency for older people to eat less and order less," Bob Goldin of the food consulting firm Technomic says. "It's a function of health and budgetary concerns." Given the trend in recent years toward ever larger portion sizes, eating less while eating out is a challenge to the consumer. For restaurants, a hankering for more modest portions throws many long-cherished practices out the window.

Restaurants have been reluctant to react to this new reality, Mr. Goldin says: "Unfortunately, portion size is how a great many people judge the quality of a restaurant." Not only are restaurants afraid that cutting their serving size will hurt their image, but "they will have to charge less, and they're not sure the numbers will work out," he says.

Last spring TGI Friday's broke new ground by offering customers a series of smaller entrees. Mr. Goldin says the jury is still out on the success of the program.

Harry Balzer, a vice president at NPD Group, a consumer-marketing outfit, say she has been "watching people eat since 1980." He has reached the remarkable conclusion (you heard it here first) that concerns about eating more healthfully not only are cutting into restaurant revenues but also are beginning to pinch the national waistline. "We are finally getting a handle on the obesity issue," he says. One aspect of that seismic shift, according to Mr. Balzer, is that "there is a movement towards portion control."

Mr. Balzer notes that the percentage of Americans classified as overweight has increased for decades, but more recently has hovered around 62%, actually lower than the 64% reported in 2002. "For instance, the consumption of carbonated soft drinks has been declining," he says, which is one indication that Americans are making some healthy choices.

In a new study due out later this fall, which may uncover some of the causes for the change, Mr. Balzer will report: "Americans are back in their kitchens. They may not be making dinner from scratch, but they are serving their families ready to eat and frozen items."

This development may not seem startling to some, but it is a dramatic departure for the restaurant industry. For 50 years, restaurants have benefited from the growing number of women in the work force. As women left their homes, beginning in the 1950s, families began to eat out, taking advantage of higher two-salary incomes and giving the woman of the house a convenient way to feed her family.

"Since 2000, the percentage of women working has been flat," Mr. Balzer says. "It's going to be very difficult for restaurants to grow."

For the past several years, takeout and delivery food has been the driving force for the restaurant industry, but Mr. Balzer says that trend has peaked. He ascribes this shift as flowing from a generational change: "Today's young women have a different view. They don't have to be supermoms and do it all. The percentage of young women dropping out of the work force is greater than the number of older women retiring."

One big beneficiary of these trends could be supermarkets, which have lost shares of the dining budget for years. These stores are gearing up to provide families with simple-to-assemble dinners and more prepared foods, supplanting takeout and delivery options in some cases.

So what will restaurants do? "Where's the agent for change?" Mr. Balzer asks. "It's going to be convenience and how they deal with the need for fresh foods."

Mr. Goldin points out that despite these issues, restaurant revenues have been increasing, in part because rising food costs have prompted price increases. Higher prices usually mean less consumption, which could be another factor depressing the national appetite.

Over the next several years, it is conceivable that higher food prices Â-- combined with the aging of the population, more women feeding their families at home, and concern about the health effects of obesity Â-- could begin to rein in the American figure. Perhaps instead of apple pie being the iconic national food, one day we'll hear "as American as tofu." Heaven forbid.

Original article from LiveScience

Check, Please! What Diners Really Want

Jeanna Bryner — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Restaurant-goers are a picky crowd, requiring more than just tasty fare to satisfy them. A new study finds that dirty menus and waiting for the check could be just as critical to a diner's overall experience.

The research, published in a recent issue of the journal Hospitality Management, revealed five factors that influence the dining experience of consumers, based on several interviews with experienced restaurant customers in two cities in Norway. Tops on the list: taste, followed by decor, service, the company and the atmosphere.

Norwegians get annoyed waiting for the check, the study found.

But an informal poll of stereotypically go-go New Yorkers finds they want to linger before the server slaps down the check.

"Generally [the check] comes too fast," said Ariyele Ressler, while sitting in Union Square Park in New York City. "I feel like you're always getting rushed out."

Savory factors

Kai Victor Hansen at the University of Stavanger in Norway and a colleague conducted the customer interviews and used this data along with results from focus groups to develop a five-factor model of what influences a diner's restaurant-meal experience, which includes (in no order):

Core product—the taste of the food and drink
Restaurant interior—the look of the premises, such as the furniture, decorations, lamps and napkins
Service—how the wait staff interacts with one another and the customers; how efficiently the meal is served and the check is delivered
Company (guests)—whether the customers are having a good time; the reason for the dining (business deal or a birthday celebration); the type of guests (friends or business associates)
Restaurant atmosphere—the information customers get from their five senses, including sounds from the kitchen or background music, as well as visual cues like the cleanliness and appeal of the menus

Many servers don't realize the importance of the bill-paying situation to consumers, Hansen said, based on his research.

"People agree that if they have to wait too long for the check to arrive, or hassle with the check, they forget the good meal experience," Hansen told LiveScience. "They remember the bad things that happened around the check."

Hansen recommends that restaurant staff understand that a meal is a holistic experience for customers. Waiters and waitresses play a large role in whether diners leave a restaurant with the intention of returning or with an irritated haste.

New York scene

But the European results fail to resonate with an informal LiveScience survey of 48 pedestrians in Manhattan. The majority of the New Yorkers interviewed (28 people, or 58 percent) said they would rather wait around after a meal before receiving the check. Many said the server should wait until asked before approaching the table with the check.

"It's rude to put the check on the table if the customer hasn't asked for it," said Joseph Fea, who works in the restaurant business.

"Definitely, myself and my friends like to wait around," said Ife Vanable. She recalled a recent unpleasant experience at a restaurant in New York City in which the wait staff asked her table to leave or adjourn to the bar to buy drinks.

A total of seven New York City interviewees (about 15 percent) felt their wait-time tolerance depended on context.

"It depends on the situation," said Jessica Wenzell, 25, of New York City. "If I was with clients I'd want the check right away. But if I was with friends at dinner at night, not rushed, I'd rather wait for it."

And 13 people (27 percent) did indeed prefer a prompt meal check, like the Norwegians. "I would rather get it right away," said Jennifer Stanciu. "Sometimes I go to places and they take too long to bring the check."

Original article from LiveScience

Check, Please! What Diners Really Want

Jeanna Bryner — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Norwegians get annoyed waiting for the check, the study found.

But an informal poll of stereotypically go-go New Yorkers finds they want to linger before the server slaps down the check.

"Generally [the check] comes too fast," said Ariyele Ressler, while sitting in Union Square Park in New York City. "I feel like you're always getting rushed out."

Savory factors

Core product—the taste of the food and drink
Restaurant interior—the look of the premises, such as the furniture, decorations, lamps and napkins
Service—how the wait staff interacts with one another and the customers; how efficiently the meal is served and the check is delivered
Company (guests)—whether the customers are having a good time; the reason for the dining (business deal or a birthday celebration); the type of guests (friends or business associates)
Restaurant atmosphere—the information customers get from their five senses, including sounds from the kitchen or background music, as well as visual cues like the cleanliness and appeal of the menus

Many servers don't realize the importance of the bill-paying situation to consumers, Hansen said, based on his research.

New York scene

"It's rude to put the check on the table if the customer hasn't asked for it," said Joseph Fea, who works in the restaurant business.

A total of seven New York City interviewees (about 15 percent) felt their wait-time tolerance depended on context.

Original article from LiveScience