Get in the habit of having a glass of low-sodium V-8 juice at breakfast. A recent study showed that drinking at least one glass of low-sodium vegetable juice daily can help overweight people with metabolic syndrome lose their excess weight. This is an easy and delicious habit to help keep you lean and healthy.
Get in the habit of having a glass of low-sodium V-8 juice at breakfast. This is a staple around the O’Keefe household. Just eight ounces of low-sodium V-8 is a quick and easy way to get credit for two servings of vegetables before you leave the house to start your day. A recent study showed that drinking at least one glass of low-sodium vegetable juice daily can help overweight people with metabolic syndrome lose their excess weight. This study was done at the Baylor College of Medicine and reported that study volunteers who drank at least eight ounces of low-sodium vegetable juice as part of a calorie-controlled DASH diet, lost four pounds over three months. Those who followed the same diet but drank no low-sodium V-8 juice lost just one pound.
Participants in the study were primarily African-American and Hispanic adults, populations that typically have a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome (pre-diabetes). Each group followed a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet that emphasized eating lean meat, low fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruit and keeping saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol and sodium in check. One group was given low-sodium V-8 vegetable juice and instructed to consume one or two cups daily for 12 weeks. The other group was told to not drink any vegetable juice.
This study also found that vegetable juice drinkers are more likely to meet the government recommendations of three to five servings of vegetables (one and one-half to two and one-half cups) per day. Seven out of 10 American adults fall short of recommendations, and over 90 percent of us do not achieve the nine or more servings of vegetables and fruits that we advise.
This study also showed that by drinking a glass of low-sodium V-8 juice, you will significantly increase your intake of vitamin C (125 percent of daily value in just eight ounces) and potassium (a whopping 820 mg. of this blood pressure-lowering nutrient), while decreasing your overall daily carbohydrate intake. And those red pigments in the juice are potent anti-aging, disease-preventing antioxidants.
People today lead more active lifestyles, and sometimes it’s hard to get the vegetables we need each day. Low-sodium vegetable juice provides an easy way to get two servings of vegetables (one cup) in just one eight-ounce glass. Make sure to use only the low- sodium vegetable juices. The standard V-8 juice for example has about 1,000 mg. of sodium (about half of your allowance for sodium for an entire day) in a single cup! Dress it up with a celery stick and or a squeeze of fresh lime juice, or even a dash of pepper. This is an easy and delicious habit to help keep you lean and healthy.
Heart Institute Research Reveals Risks for Athletes
You might think that highly trained athletes would be the least likely to be at risk for sudden cardiac death, but research conducted at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute shows that may not be the case. And to some degree, race can influence the likelihood of cardiac abnormalities.
Physicians Strive to Prevent Sudden Death in Athletes
As the father of four active, healthy children, I can only imagine how devastating it would be for one of them to die suddenly from a heart ailment. And yet, a little more than a year ago, my good friend and mentor Bob Conn, went through just such a tragedy when his 22-year-old grandson, Jordan Mann, died suddenly.
10 Tips for Staying Lean Through the Holiday Season
The holiday season may be hazardous to your health.Studies show that Americans typically gain about seven pounds over the holiday season each year, and some of it stays on permanently despite the New Year's resolutions to get it off. Even more worrisome are reports showing increased risks of heart attack, dangerous cardiac rhythms, and even death during the holidays. Emotional stress, depression, over-eating, not enough exercise, and too much salt and alcohol are all likely to be playing a role. Make sure you and your family stay healthy and happy this year by following these 10 rules for safely navigating the holiday hazards.
