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Show Your Health PAGE B4 MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2005 Getting the most out of America's favorite pastime you try to complete your workouts at least 3 hours before bedtime? Doing an intense workout right before bed can make falling asleep difficult. 4. Do you avoid caffeine close to bedtime? If not, do. Many sleep problems 5. If you can't get to sleep have to do with behav- do you get up and try to ioral issues that can af- do something else for a fect sleep patterns. Take while? Lying in bed can a look at the following create more sleep fightquestions and see how ing anxiety. you might improve. 6. Do you try to create an environment con1. Do you have a bed- ducive to sleep? Use a time routine that includes fan to block roommate relaxing activities like noise, make sure it's dark turning down the lights, enough, etc.... reading, taking a bath, 1. Do you usually fall etc.? Doing stressful asleep in your bed? A homework right before couch or floor remains a bed could be part of your poor substitute. problem. 8. Do you watch the 2. Do you usually finish clock when you are goeating and drinking 2-3 ing to sleep? Don't; turn hours before bed? Often, the face away from your undigested or antagonis- bed. tic foods can interrupt 9. Do you try to maintain a regular bed and wake Not getting enough sleep is the number one cause of yawning babies. Don't your sleep. time schedule? Yes, this 3. When you exercise do be a yawning baby; it's a terrible way to live. Question: I have a hard time getting enough sleep on a regular basis. I know it can help me do better in school and in other areas of my life but I am unsure how to go about getting more sleep. 3. Do you have difficulty sleeping 3 nights a week Most Americans have or more? Examples introuble falling specific sleep disorders clude that go undiagnosed. asleep, waking frequently Making changes in the during the night, waking behavioral patterns men- early and being unable to tioned above can help, get back to sleep, or wakbut many sleep problems ing unrefreshed. need more specific treat- 4. Do you feel unpleasment. Answer the follow- ant tingling, creeping ing questions below to feelings in your legs or see if you have a sleep nervousness when trying disorder. to sleep? This is a condition called restless leg syndrome and can disSleep Disorder Test: 1. Do you, or have you rupt sleep. been told that you, snore loudly? If one or more of the 2. Have you or others statements above aphave observed that you ply to you, make an stop breathing or gasp appointment to discuss for breath during sleep? your sleep problems with Often, this disorder goes your doctor or contact undetected because the the Utah Sleep Center individual is in such deep at 1055 North 300 West sleep that they are un- Suite 402 in Provo. Their aware they are doing this. phone number is 357If you are always feeling 7878. Please feel free to tired and know that you also contact the Wellness snore, you could likely Education office in SC have a disorder called 221 or at 863-8127 to set sleep apnea. up an appointment. includes weekends. The facts behind the facts Serving Size: ® Much of the time, the serving size listed by the manufacturer is greater than that recom- . mended by the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Be careful when consuming so-called "singleservings.1' % Daily Value: ^k This tells you how much of daily nutrient requirements the food meets based on a 2,000calorie diet. It could provide a greater or lesser percentage for you depending on your daily caloric needs. Total (g The accepted wisdom on fat is that your intake should be about 30% or less of your total caloric intake. So if you eat 1,600 calories a day, your fat intake should be no more than 53 grams. Specific Fats: ^P Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered "good fats" because they are heart healthy and can actually lower your total cholesterol. Saturated fats, on the other hand, have an overall negative effect on cholesterol so it's best to limit it to 10% of your total calories. Trans fats, like those found in many margarines and fast food items, should be avoided as much as possible. Sodium: ( ^ Though around 3,000 milligrams a day is considered a safe upper limit, you should limit your consumption of salt to about 1,500 milligrams a day. According to the American Heart Association, your body actually only needs 200 milligrams daily. Read that label carefully, most foods contain a lot more sodium than you think. For example, a 1/2 cup serving of condensed Campbell's Minestrone soup contains 960 milligrams of sodium; there's more than two servings in one can! It adds up quick. So why exactly shouldn't you eat too much salt? Too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, which often leads to strokes and other disorders. For ideas on how to lower your sodium intake, visit americanheart.org. Potassium: sjgp This nutrient can help lower your risk of hypertension. While there is no Recommended Daily Allowance, most experts agree you need 2,000-3,500 mg daily. Fiber: P Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1/3 cup (54g) Q Servings Per Container about 25 Amount Per Serving Calories 220 Calories from Fat 70 % Daily Value* Total Fat 8g 12% Saturated Fat 1.! Cholesterol Omg 8% 0% Sodium 10mg Potassium 21 Omg 0% 6% Total Carbohydrate 33g Dietary Fiber 5g Soluble Fiber 1g 11% 19% High fiber Foods: whole-grains, brown rice, apples and most other fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and vegetables. For example, one medium baked potato with the skin has a respectable 4.8 grams of fiber and 1/2 cup All-Bran cereal has 8.5 grams. Sugars: <fp) The USDA recommendation for the upper end of daily sugar intake is 40 mg. Most of the sugar you consume should be unrefined and naturally occurring, such as the sugar in fruit. Nutritional labels won't usually differentiate between sugar types so take a close look at the ingredients list. Added sugars will go under such names as: high-fructose corn syrup, cane syrup, brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice. Be careful of the many aliases refined sugars use. Protein: © Sugars 6g Protein 7g Vitamin A 0%' Women: 25-35 grams fiber daily. Men under 50 require 38 grams. Fiber makes you feel fuller quicker by slowing down the passage of food through your body. It's important to get both soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber aids your digestive system and soluble fiber protects arteries from cholesterol buildup and helps moderate blood sugar levels. It's a good idea to make sure most things you eat have some fiber in them. You should get 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. If you don't know your weight in kilos, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. Multiply that number by 0.8 to get your needed daily grams of protein. Vitamin C0%- Vitamin A: © *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs: Calories: 2,000 2,500 Total Fat Less than 65g 80g Saturated Fat Less than 20g 25g Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg Potassium 3,500mg 3,500mg Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g 25g 30g Dietary Fiber This is an important vitamin: it prevents night blindness and other eye disorders, protects against infection and is necessary for new cell growth. That said, if you're taking a multivitamin and eating fortified cereals and other foods, it's easy to overdose on this vitamin. High levels of vitamin A are linked to liver toxicity, dry mouth and skin, nerve damage, headaches, and even birth defects. The RDA for vitamin A is 900 meg and the safe upper limit is 3000 meg. One thing to keep in mind: if you get vitamin A from foods where it is naturally occurring, it's impossible to overdose. Calories per gram: Fat 9 • Carbohydrate 4 • Protein 4 Vitamin C: <@ Another virtuous vitamin of which it's easy to get too much from artificially boosted edibles. Overdoing it on vitamin C-fortified foods and supplements can lead to serious gastrointestinal problems. The RDA is 75 mg and don't get more than 2,000 mg per day. Like vitamin A, it's pretty safe to get as much vitamin C as you want from naturally occurring food sources. Ingredients: (usually under Nutrition Label) Here is where you can spot hidden sources of added sugar (see "sugars" section for partial list). Also be on the lookout for sources of trans fat: partially hydrogenated oils. Vote Monday-Wedne sday |