SEASONAL AFFECT DISORDER (SAD)

It's staying light later! Yay! This excites me! At 4:45 p.m. today it was still light out and it was like someone gave me a gift. I hate the winter. It makes me want to curl up and hibernate and make (and eat) cookies. Not good! I have gone as far as setting my bedroom lamp on a timer so it goes off when I wake up so it seems like the sun just came up. Even though it won't be up for another hour and a half!
So, I have self-diagnosed myself with SAD. I've decided that the next investment I make won't be in the stock market, it will be in buying a light box. They sell ones that sit on your end table or desk and they simulate daylight. Well worth the $80-90. It beats the price of flying to sunny Florida.

The actual symptoms of SAD are:

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods in carbohydrates, i.e. cookies
• Weight gain (from the cookies)
• Difficulty concentrating and processing information

Causes can be:

• An increase in melatonin, a sleep related hormone that has been related to depression.
• A decrease in serotonin, a natural brain chemical, which is caused by a decrease in sunlight.
• A disruption in your circadian rhythm which is a physiological process that helps regulate the body's internal clock.

Risk factors:

• Northern locations
• Family history (potential genetic component)

If you have severe symptoms please see a physician. Light therapy, medications, and psychotherapy are possible treatments. But remember that spring is JUST AROUND THE CORNER. I know because it's lighter later and they're starting to sell the gardening products in the stores!!!!! :) When you think that March is only a month and a half away it doesn't sound so bad. I'm starting to plan my garden and this is better therapy than any drug can offer!! Get out in the sun for 15 minutes and get your vitamin D. Have a great day!

Adapted from mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder, retrieved January 12, 2009

Eating Together As A Family Creates Better Eating Habits Later In Life
ScienceDaily (Sep. 4, 2007) — Eating together as a family during adolescence is associated with lasting positive effects on dietary quality in young adulthood, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070901073612.htm

NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP COULD BE ONE REASON WHY YOU CAN'T SHED THOSE EXTRA POUNDS

Sleeping less than 7-8 hours a night caused subjects to be more likelier to gain 11 pounds over six years. What causes this? Less sleep decreases the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin and increases the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin. Also, being tired makes you move around less, therefore, burning less calories.


Source: University of Phoenix Library, Greenfield, P. (Sept 2008). Getting too much or too little sleep may widen your waist.(Brief article). . Womens Health, 5, 7. p.026. Retrieved January 05, 2009

Asthma and Diet

If you or you know someone who has asthma you know how scary it can be to have an asthma attack. I would like to believe that we can at least make the attacks less severe or less often by what we eat, drink, breathe and put in our environments. The following is a synopsis of an article I read regarding asthma and diet.

Asthma is the result of triggers causing swelling of tissues in the air passages of the lung making it difficult to breath. Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing.

There are some foods that trigger asthma:

Foods containing the additives:

Benzoates (E210-19) which can be in soft drinks and chewing gum.

Sulphites (E220-8) or gallates (E310-12) which can be found in deli foods.

Cider, wine and beer

Foods containing yeast or mold such as bread and blue cheeses.

Foods, drinks and snacks containing coloring E102, E104 and E110 which are yellow colorings.

Cow milk, wheat, eggs, fish, soy and nuts, especially peanuts.

BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (Butylated hydroxytoluene) which can be found in some breakfast cereals.

There are foods that help with asthma:

Coffee can help control the severity of attacks.

Foods that dilate air passages by thinning the mucus and opening them up for freer breathing:

Spicy foods such as chili, hot mustard, garlic and onions.

These work because they stimulate nerves resulting in the release of watery fluid in the mouth, throat and lungs.

Foods that control inflammation of airways:

Onions, fatty fish (fish oil in high in omega -3 fatty acids) and vitamin C packed foods. Eat plenty of foods in “B” vitamins such as green leafy vegetables and magnesium rich foods such as sunflower seeds, green vegetables and dried figs. These help relax airways.

Some asthmatics are found to be deficient in niacin, vitamin B6 and C.

Other helpful foods:

Antioxidants such as Vitamin A found in liver

Beta-carotene found in brightly-colored fruits and vegetables such as apricots, carrots, red and yellow peppers, dark leafy vegetables, spinach

Vitamin C rich foods such as citrus fruits

Vitamin E found in foods such as olive oil

These foods, vitamins and minerals may strengthen the lungs defenses by getting rid of free radicals. These potentially harmful substances (free radicals) are generated as part of the inflammatory response to air pollution or allergens that affect asthmatics.

Research indicates that people with low magnesium levels are more susceptible to attacks. Research also indicates that fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines and cod help protect against asthma. Omega-3 fatty acids have an anti inflammatory effect.

If you take anything away from this article take away the fact that what you eat and breath have an affect on your body. Also it is very important to read labels of what you consume or expose yourself and others to either by eating, drinking, breathing or by what you are applying to skin. Also, consult a physician for optimal health and care plans regarding any asthma condition.

Internet source: www.womensfitness.net/asthmaanddiet.htm