What Does Health Mean to You? - Weight Loss? Prevention? Wellness? We want to provide the information that’s most useful to you. Read the three health segments here. Then rate their usefulness and look for more health content in future issues of Thrivent magazine.

by Chrystle Fiedler

Snack Smarter
Got a snack attack? Even if you’re dieting, you don’t need to feel guilty. "Snacking can be a tremendous ally for people who are diet conscious," says Charles Stuart Platkin, author of The Diet Detective’s Calorie Bargain Bible (Fireside Books, 2007). "Good snacks help fend off hunger, help us not overeat at main meals and help us to perform better" by keeping our energy up.

To snack wisely, read the label first, says Alisa C. Krizan, a registered dietitian and the food service manager for patients at St. Mary’s Hospital/Mayo Clinic Dietetics in Rochester, Minnesota. "The first three ingredients are the most important," since the list runs from most plentiful to least. Watch out for ingredients you don’t recognize and no-nos like sugars and hydrogenated oils. Better yet, choose minimally processed and raw foods, Krizan says, since they have more nutrient value. Here are a few more specifics:

• Protein: Good. Choose foods that include protein, which research shows helps satisfy hunger, as do complex carbohydrates and fiber. Half a turkey-and-cheese sandwich on whole-grain bread or whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese fit the bill.
• Fresh, Not Dried. Dried fruit has more calories than fresh fruit because of sugar added and water lost during the drying process. For example, one cup of dried blueberries (sweetened) has 600 calories, while 1 cup of fresh blueberries has only 84.
• Pop It. Make popcorn in a microwavable popcorn popper and you have a whole-grain, high-fiber snack without added oil.
• Go Nutty. Snack on nuts high in omega-3 fatty acids like walnuts (7 nuts per serving) or almonds (12 nuts per serving). Bonus: They’re good for your heart, too.
• Think Serving Size. Pay attention to serving sizes listed on your snack’s nutrition label. Serving size influences the number of calories listed and the nutrient amounts that follow.

Cholesterol Control
Clueless about your LDL level? Get proactive! One of the best ways to keep a heart healthy is to get that LDL ("bad") cholesterol under control.

"The most recent cholesterol guidelines are to aim for less than 100 in LDL cholesterol for people who aren’t at high risk," says Dr. Donald Hensrud, a physician nutrition specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "Patients who have coronary heart disease and have had either a heart attack, coronary artery bypass, stroke or diabetes [want] to have LDL cholesterol at less than 70, ideally between 50 and 70."

Statin drugs often are prescribed to control cholesterol, but diet and exercise should be attempted first, Hensrud says, since their one-two punch has proven effective. To control your cholesterol naturally:

• Eat Fresh. Shoot for five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. (Remember, one serving is about the size of a fist.)
• Get Fishy. Eat fish at least twice a week. There are a variety of ways to prepare it, and fish has been shown to help reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death.
• Pick Whole Grains. Items like whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals help fight heart disease. Look for "whole wheat" or "whole grain" on the label.
• Drink Wisely. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation (two drinks or fewer a day for men, one or fewer for women). Some studies suggest that wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase HDL ("good") cholesterol and reduce blood clotting.
• Go Mono. Stay away from foods that contain excess saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol, like some types of meat, high-fat dairy and baked goods. Instead, choose monounsaturated fats like canola and olive oils.
• Exercise! Aim for 30 minutes of moderately vigorous exercise most days of the week. Schedule treadmill time, jump rope, lift hand weights, or work push-ups, sit-ups and lunges into your morning routine.

Stop Stressing
Feeling frazzled? You’re not alone. Whether it’s an illness in the family, problems at work or preparations for retirement, any change that requires adjustment can be stressful, says Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

If untreated, stress can lead to insomnia, stomachaches, headaches, anxiety and depression. It even can cause or worsen chronic illness, high blood pressure and heart attacks. Why? Stress triggers our "fight or flight" response. "This increases metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, blood flow to your muscles and brain waves," Benson says. "The body goes into a hyper state, preparing for running or fighting."

But Benson has created a solution: the "relaxation response," a medically proven method of stress reduction that "breaks the train of everyday thoughts," he says. "The body reverts into the inborn, innate state of being that is known as the relaxation response. People have been doing this for millennia."

The method works by, among other things, blocking the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline. It also has long-term effects. "It lowers blood pressure and makes you less anxious, depressed and angry," Benson says. Here’s how to trigger the response:

• Settle In. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
• Focus. Close your eyes. Then repeat a word, sound, hymn or prayer.
• Let Go. When other thoughts come to mind, simply let them go and come back to your chosen repetition.
• Repeat. Practice this for 10 to 20 minutes once or twice each day.

Freelance writer Chrystle Fiedler covers health and wellness topics. She is a regular contributor to Thrivent magazine.

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