Eggs Are Good for You in Moderation

From YOU Docs Daily:

There's a reason we YOU Docs think the only thing that shouldn't be done in moderation is walking: Extremes virtually always backfire — crash diets, quickie marriages, vitamin megadoses, Paris Hilton's up-to-there hemlines. But Americans have trouble doing things in moderation.

Take eggs. For decades they were the all-American breakfast staple — who knew about cholesterol? Then the US went cholesterol-crazy, eggs were seen as heart-attacks-in-a-shell, and consumption tanked. Then eggs wound up back on the menu when it turned out that even one a day didn't increase strokes or heart disease. Consumption picked up.

Then eating an egg a day was linked with a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Men and women who had 7 eggs a week appeared to be 60% to 70% more likely to get the disease.

And now? A follow-up study to test the diabetes link — led by the same researcher — found no links between eggs and type 2 diabetes. None.

We're driving home two points here. The first is one you've heard us hammer on before: One study is never enough, no matter how sensational the headlines. Second: Having a few eggs a week (not none, not tons) is a great way to get a high-quality protein fix. If you need to watch your cholesterol, use three egg whites for every yolk in omelets or egg salad. The yolk is where all the cholesterol is, and half the protein's in the white.

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Is Coffee Healthy? Check These 3 Big Benefits of Coffee

From YOU Docs Daily:

As far as we YOU Docs can tell, all of America (not just Dr. Mike!) would grind to a halt without coffee. In fact, the entire world might. Finns are the top coffee drinkers at 4 cups a day -- not per coffee drinker, per person! Norwegians are close behind. Then Swiss, Italians, Brazilians, and Americans in sixth place, averaging about 1.5 cups per person (though about 3.4 cups per coffee drinker).

If you like coffee and, like Dr. Mike, it likes you (it doesn't give you migraines, jitters, an upset stomach or off-beat heart rhythms), enjoy. Here's why:

Coffee wards off Alzheimer's. Something in coffee releases a substance called GCSF that helps sweep beta-amyloid deposits out of your brain -- the plaque build-ups seen in Alzheimer's.
Coffee fends off Parkinson's. Why isn't clear but the finding is consistent, and more coffee equals more protection.

Coffee fights diabetes. As coffee consumption goes up, diabetes risk goes down. More is better here, too: Risk drops about 7 percent with each daily cup.

No time to brew a fresh pot? No worries. Healthwise, instant holds its own because it starts out as brewed coffee and retains some of the healthy substances. Also, there's a bonus: Instant has two-thirds more fiber. Yep, believe it or not, a 12-ounce cup of instant contains about 3 grams of fiber, versus about 1.8 grams in brewed. And that extra fiber helps your body absorb the other healthy goodies in coffee. So laugh off the coffee snobs. YOU know what they're missing.

ROAST BEEF – ONLY 310 CALORIES AND 4.5 GRAMS OF FAT!
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You Docs: Exercise and less salt can team up to improve your memory

From YOU Docs Daily:

If you're a fan of dynamic duos — Batman and Robin, peanut butter and bananas, Roizen and Oz — here's a new pair your brain will love: exercise and less salt. This team can slash the fuzzy thinking and memory lapses that come with extra birthdays by (get this) two-thirds or more.

A big reason is how good this pair is for your arteries. It keeps them flexible and clog-free, and protects against high blood pressure. That's great. But did you know that healthy arteries are at least as important for your brain? They're its fuel lines, constantly delivering the oxygen and blood sugar your gray matter gobbles up -- fully 20 percent to 25 percent of what's in your bloodstream. That fuel supply is what keeps your brain humming and you able to balance your checkbook, follow crazy plot twists in the latest thriller, and remember your grandkids' parakeet's name.

Take that as extra motivation to do your daily 30-minute walk instead of surfing the Web for another half-hour, and to grab a handful of cherry tomatoes instead of salty tortilla chips when you get back.

Don't stop there. Turning this dynamic duo into a terrific trio is even better. Give your brain a regular dose of omega-3s from salmon, trout, walnuts, canola oil and algae-based omega-3 capsules. Omega-3s not only guard against memory decline, they even protect against brain damage after a stroke. Aim for 900 mg every day of DHA, the omega-3 your body likes best. That's what this dynamic duo takes!

Weight Loss Standings - February

Below are the results from the February weigh in, listed in order from highest percentage lost to least (see below the first table to locate where your team falls on our alphabetical list):

Here We Go Again	8.12
The Hunt Club	5.67
Sister Squad	5.37
Winning Rockstars From Mars	5.29
What, You Ain't Got No Bacon?	5.22
Fitness Protection Program	5.18
Team Umi Zoomi	4.87
3 Ladies & A Gent	4.84
Shape Shifters	4.61
Carpe Diem	4.23
No Excuses	4.20
Phabulous Phattys	4.05
Cruisin' For Losin'	3.98
3 gents & a lady	3.89
3rd Times The Charm	3.71
3 Crackers & Bean Dip	3.70
Team Campbell/Gerber	3.67
The Arubians	3.66
Neighbors On The Go	3.65
Believer & Receiver	3.62
Gym Class Heroes	3.61
Everything Jiggles	3.54
Fluff to Buff	3.50
Mass Effects	3.39
Moderation in Motion	3.35
Team BAJA	3.33
Losin' to Win	3.33
Chunky but funky	3.31
Slim Jims	3.17
In It To Win It	3.12
Heavenly Fluff	3.08
Pork Choppers	3.05
Waist Management	3.02
The Flabuless Four	3.00
Withering A-Weigh	2.97
The Smallest Winners	2.97
Doodle Bugs	2.90
Just Us Four	2.87
Punchy's Group	2.79
Once Again	2.60
1 lb at a time	2.59
Chubby Buddies	2.56
Four Play	2.51
4 for Fun	2.49
Transformers	2.38
Drop It All	2.26
Dream Team	2.26
Weapons of Mass Reduction	2.25
Mission Possible	2.24
Ehrman Team	2.19
Bootylicious Babes	2.17
Fat Busters	2.14
The Losing Winners	2.04
Weigh Down	1.95
Phabulous Phattys Jr.	1.86
Loser Moms	1.81
Waist Watchers	1.76
A Family Affair + the Girl Next Door	1.71
Salon 29:11	1.71
W8 - B - Gone!	1.71
Weighing Our Options	1.69
Markle Crew	1.67
Still Think and Tired	1.61
ACDC Chicks	1.61
3 Pharmgirls & A Trucker	1.60
Balancing Well for Life	1.44
Determined Divas	1.42
Team Stroud	1.38
Brat Pack	1.34
Booty Bustin Divas	1.22
Surbaugh	1.17
Mission "Slim"possible	1.15
Chub Club	1.13
Pink Ladies	1.07
3 downsizing divas plus one weight losing warrior	1.07
Iron Schoeffs	1.00
The Teddys	0.98
God's Warriors	0.97
Berne's Born Losers	0.97
Fat Fighting Four	0.93
Health-n-Mind	0.92
The Gentis Jiggle Joggers	0.85
Chunky Dunkin' to Skinny Dippin'	0.78
Uncle Bernie & The Blubbers	0.71
Weight Lifted	0.69
AdvoCARE Champs	0.60
Amazing Losers	0.54
Disappearing Divas	0.46
Kickin' it with God	0.42
Chubby Cheeks	0.34
Graceful Losers	0.15
Night Walkerz	0.04
Big Bones	0.00
Bold Brits	0.00
Four Fat Friends	0.00
Jake Inskeep	0.00
Mama's Family Again	0.00
Pound Droppers	0.00
Double Trouble Times Two	-0.17
Just Aiming to Jump	-0.72
A Family Affair	-0.85

Results by team name:

1 lb at a time	2.59
3 Crackers & Bean Dip	3.70
3 downsizing divas plus one weight losing warrior	1.07
3 gents & a lady	3.89
3 Ladies & A Gent	4.84
3 Pharmgirls & A Trucker	1.60
3rd Times The Charm	3.71
4 for Fun	2.49
A Family Affair	-0.85
A Family Affair + the Girl Next Door	1.71
ACDC Chicks	1.61
AdvoCARE Champs	0.60
Amazing Losers	0.54
Balancing Well for Life	1.44
Believer & Receiver	3.62
Berne's Born Losers	0.97
Big Bones	0.00
Bold Brits	0.00
Booty Bustin Divas	1.22
Bootylicious Babes	2.17
Brat Pack	1.34
Carpe Diem	4.23
Chub Club	1.13
Chubby Buddies	2.56
Chubby Cheeks	0.34
Chunky but funky	3.31
Chunky Dunkin' to Skinny Dippin'	0.78
Cruisin' For Losin'	3.98
Determined Divas	1.42
Disappearing Divas	0.46
Doodle Bugs	2.90
Double Trouble Times Two	-0.17
Dream Team	2.26
Drop It All	2.26
Ehrman Team	2.19
Everything Jiggles	3.54
Fat Busters	2.14
Fat Fighting Four	0.93
Fitness Protection Program	5.18
Fluff to Buff	3.50
Four Fat Friends	0.00
Four Play	2.51
God's Warriors	0.97
Graceful Losers	0.15
Gym Class Heroes	3.61
Health-n-Mind	0.92
Heavenly Fluff	3.08
Here We Go Again	8.12
In It To Win It	3.12
Iron Schoeffs	1.00
Jake Inskeep	0.00
Just Aiming to Jump	-0.72
Just Us Four	2.87
Kickin' it with God	0.42
Loser Moms	1.81
Losin' to Win	3.33
Mama's Family Again	0.00
Markle Crew	1.67
Mass Effects	3.39
Mission "Slim"possible	1.15
Mission Possible	2.24
Moderation in Motion	3.35
Neighbors On The Go	3.65
Night Walkerz	0.04
No Excuses	4.20
Once Again	2.60
Phabulous Phattys	4.05
Phabulous Phattys Jr.	1.86
Pink Ladies	1.07
Pork Choppers	3.05
Pound Droppers	0.00
Punchy's Group	2.79
Salon 29:11	1.71
Shape Shifters	4.61
Sister Squad	5.37
Slim Jims	3.17
Still Think and Tired	1.61
Surbaugh	1.17
Team BAJA	3.33
Team Campbell/Gerber	3.67
Team Stroud	1.38
Team Umi Zoomi	4.87
The Arubians	3.66
The Flabuless Four	3.00
The Gentis Jiggle Joggers	0.85
The Hunt Club	5.67
The Losing Winners	2.04
The Smallest Winners	2.97
The Teddys	0.98
Transformers	2.38
Uncle Bernie & The Blubbers	0.71
W8 - B - Gone!	1.71
Waist Management	3.02
Waist Watchers	1.76
Weapons of Mass Reduction	2.25
Weigh Down	1.95
Weighing Our Options	1.69
Weight Lifted	0.69
What, You Ain't Got No Bacon?	5.22
Winning Rockstars From Mars	5.29
Withering A-Weigh	2.97

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Beans: The High-Protein Food That's Healthy and Cheap

If we had to choose a theme song, it might be, "We Are the Champions," the anthem that rocks every Super Bowl game. But we YOU Docs are the champions of things: Whole grains? Check. DHA omega-3s? Check. Vitamin D3? Check. High-protein beans? Still working on those.

Amid feasts of humongous turkeys, rib roasts, and country hams peaks, we're cheering on our favorite high-protein food -- the one that's loaded with phytonutrients, lowers your LDL (bad) cholesterol, and even fights belly fat. Yep, beans do all that and more. Here's why we're gonna beat this drum until we've got a parade going:

• belly fat. This is recent news, people. Beans' soluble fiber chases away dangerous, deep-down, visceral belly fat -- the glacky stuff that threatens your vital organs.
• Blood sugar. Beans have a low glycemic index, which means they're digested slowly and stabilize your blood sugar. Translation: They're great for anyone who has or is worried about type 2 diabetes. These three questions will tell you if you're speeding down the type 2 diabetes highway.
• Blood pressure. Beans are rich in artery-friendly minerals and healthful plant protein. People who get their protein from plants tend to have better blood pressure than those who get it from four- or two-legged animals.
• Heart health. The soluble fiber in beans helps reduce blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a worrying factor for heart attacks.
• Cancer. Another new finding in 2011: Simply eating beans three times a week helps prevent colon cancer (you're 33% less likely to develop polyps). Beans also fight this kind of cancer.
• Cool beans!

What's not to like? Oh, those gas attacks? Ease into eating beans, and take Beano until your body is used to them. Beano's natural enzymes deflate gas attacks. (Get it at grocery stores). The elevator crowd will thank you.

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Eat watermelon year-round

From YOU Docs Daily

Unless you live in San Diego or Key Largo, scribbling watermelon on your grocery list in November is about as likely as the Cardinals winning the World Series. Be like the Cards: Do it anyway! Watermelon's racking up health points. The latest:

• Watermelon degunks arteries. Swapping water for watermelon juice reduces body fat, lowers LDL cholesterol, and -- the biggest effect -- cleans heart-threatening plaque from arteries. Early days on this research, but it fits.
• It drops your blood pressure and boosts circulation. Watermelon is one of the few food sources of citrulline, a protein that's a real powerhouse. Got borderline hypertension? Other studies have found that citrulline lowers systolic blood pressure by as much as 9 points, enough to prevent full-blown hypertension. That's because it helps produce nitric oxide, powerful stuff that opens and relaxes your arteries. Citrulline also helps with wound healing and cell division, and turbocharges blood flow, enhancing circulation to all your vital parts much the way Viagra does.
• It's loaded with lycopene. This potent plant polyphenol is thought to fend off heart disease and some cancers (though prostate cancer looks like a bust). Tomatoes are considered lycopene all-stars, but cup for cup, watermelon has 40% more. Watermelon may help you think faster, too.
• It's naturally low-cal. There are only 96 calories in 2 fill-you-full cups of sweet watermelon.
• Whether you slice it, dice it, or juice it, eat watermelon year-round, not just on the 4th of July. It's increasingly a salad-bar staple, and yes, you can buy 100% watermelon juice. If your local health-food store doesn't have it, Amazon does. 


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Second Weigh-In Coming Soon!

Thursday, February 16th is our second weigh-in for our community Wells Weighs In challenge!  You can choose the location and time of day that works best for your schedule.  We offer early mornings here at your Wells County YMCA from 6:00-8:30, afternoon time slots at the Bluffton Regional Medical Center (4th floor) from noon-1:30 and evening times from 4:00-7:00 back at your Wells County YMCA.  

We are excited to see the progress made in the first month of competition...keep it up!!

Don't just sit there working or watching TV. Get up and move it

From YOU Docs Daily:

The instant you finish reading our blog, do this: Get up and get a move on.

Sitting around -- driving, eating, working, knitting, emailing, watching TV -- is lethal. (Move it!) This isn't news. Everyone's known for a while that Coach Potato-Itis is a serious heart threat. And recent studies have shown that lots of sitting, even if you get serious amounts of exercise, messes up your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

But here's the new shocker: Sitting causes cancer. Scientists have just tied 49,000 US cases of breast and 43,000 of colon cancer each year to prolonged sitting. (Move it!) That puts tush time right up there with smoking, obesity and a passion for pork rinds.

This is tough, since lots of what you have to do or want to do involves sitting, right? (Move it!) But wait. Breaking up endless time on your bum, even for a few minutes, breaks up the bad body effects. Key enzymes move, blood flows, mind and muscles flex. All it takes:

Get up and move at least every 30 minutes. Get more water or coffee or a banana or the mail. Cruise the hallways. Pace when you're on the phone. Stand and stretch. Yep, even just standing helps. (Fidgeting does, too.)

Go ahead, watch your favorite shows. Just don't sit there. Cook, fold laundry, empty the dishwasher, get up and dance to the theme music, ride a stationary bike (replace the couch with one; both of us YOU Docs have).

Is the TV thing that important? You bet. This research also just came in: Staring at the tube for an average of 6 hours a day (versus none) shortens your life by 5 to 10 years. (Move it!)

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OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN – ONLY 320 CALORIES AND 4.5 GRAMS OF FAT!
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Need extra willpower to lose weight or get fit? And which is more important for you to do?

From YOU Docs Daily:

Did you ring in 2012 with new resolutions to get healthy? Bravo! Writing down new resolutions has the same effect on your willpower as dropping a NASCAR engine into the family sedan: You'll whiz over the finish line. An impressive 60% of resolution makers hit their goals within months. (Folks who claim New Year's resolutions don't work are all wet.) Making more than one resolution helps.

Of course, what's on your get-healthy list counts, too. We YOU Docs want to change what we bet is in the number one spot. Instead of the almost inevitable "Lose weight," make it, "Move." Not to a new town. Move your butt!

That's right. If you need to lose just 10 or 20 pounds, bump "Lose weight" and everything else down a notch, including "Eat spinach" and "Learn to IM the kids." Kick "Get fit" to the top of the list. Getting your body in gear got even more important in 2011. Here's why.

Fitness edged out the scale. The fit/thin debate raged for years, until new research on 14,000 guys hit the news late in 2011. Compared to men who slack off, guys who stay active and get fitter are almost 40% less likely to die over 11 years -- even if they gain weight. Every increase in fitness lowers your risk for fatal heart attacks and strokes by 19%. Cutting back on exercise boosts your risk four times more than gaining a few pounds does. The take-home lesson? Unless you're obese (that's a whole other issue), worry less about your weight and more about getting and staying active. 
It's not that we YOU Docs don't think excess weight — especially belly fat — isn't important, but doing something active every day discourages a build-up of that health-threatening belly fat. Plus, it reduces stress, improves sleep, sharpens your memory, makes you happier, keeps your body's systems humming, AND makes you more likely to do other healthy things -- such as losing weight.

Sitting around proved lethal. Strong evidence in 2011 showed that sitting around messes up your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and -- yes -- causes cancer. Scientists tied more than 90,000 cases of breast and colon cancer a year to prolonged sitting. But breaking up endless time on your tush, even for a few minutes, breaks up the bad body effects. Find out more.

Here's how to make resolution number one stick like glue for a healthier YOU:

• Do mini-workouts. Often, the toughest thing about exercise isn't doing it. It's fitting it in. If you can't swing a 30-minute walk every day, plus about 30 minutes a week of strength training (our easy Rx for fitness), don't worry about it! Slicing and dicing your activity into 10-minute chunks spread throughout the day works just as well for your weight, waist-management, and health. Just be sure to do 30 minutes total. Here's a simple way to get started if you've spent the last few months (or years) on the couch.
• Use the buddy system. Why go it alone when being in cahoots with a healthy-change partner doubles your odds for success? You keep each other honest and cheer each other on. Plus, walking and talking with a pal naturally blows off stress -- another big health booster. Check this slideshow for more ways to keep stress from aging your body.)
• Find an enforcer. Don't trust yourself? Add another layer of support: your doc . . . or soon, one of us, Dr. Mike. "Reporting in" regularly is a proven way to get to your goals. Dr. Mike (aka, "The Enforcer" to YOU Doc patients) has done this behind the scenes for years. We're taking it public soon. Keep checking this column.
• Give it 2 weeks. That's how long it takes your brain to start cementing a new habit, such as walking every day. Here's a way to do the minimum and still lose 4 pounds of pure fat.
• Just move it. Pace, don't sit, when you're talking on the phone. Do an extra lap around the office when you go to get coffee. Put your new exercise bike smack in front of the TV (that's where ours are). Clean the kitchen like you're doing an aerobics class. Take a 10-minute break every chance you get and walk -- or just do two flights of stairs. Your break now counts toward your daily exercise goal! Sweet.

Will healthful snacks help you lose weight?

From YOU Docs Daily:

We YOU Docs are all for snacks, especially healthful snacks that keep you from sitting down to a meal hungry enough to gnaw the napkins. Munching a handful of walnuts half an hour before eating is one of the best ways we know to tame a Rottweiler appetite, especially when you're trying to lose weight. Find out why.

But wait. If you want to lose more weight in less time, intriguing new research says to skip mid-morning snacks. Dieters who do lose more than 11 percent of their weight in the same time that morning noshers lose only 7 percent. Why? The gap between breakfast and lunch often isn't that long, you're probably not really hungry but someone brought in doughnuts, and . . . well, you know how this story ends.

In the afternoon, the reverse is true. If there's more than a 5-hour gap between lunch and dinner (routine in our lives), a snack may be essential to dropping a belt size. You're for-real hungry, not just eating because someone had a Krispy Kreme craving. Bonus: Afternoon snackers eat more fruits and veggies!

So be as smart about snacking as you are about talking your boss into an afternoon off. The same study that found mid-morning snacks backfire also found that snacking when you're legitimately hungry helps weight loss IF you eat healthful foods that fill you up with nutrients, not calories. On our top afternoon snacks list: a handful of nuts, no/low-fat yogurt, whole-grain crackers, fresh veggies, fruits, and berries. In fact, a 20-year diet study proved them perfect pounds-fighting snacks.

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Ingredients

• • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil 
  • 12 ounces chicken breast tenders 
  • 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1) 
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
  • 1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup green salsa
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
  • 4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas 
  • Cooking spray 
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Preparation
  
  
• Preheat broiler.
• 
  
• Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
• 
  
• Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Recipe found here