Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, March 5, 2009
Common nutrition myths debunked here Eat soup, help hungry in Col. Co.
Folklore and food lore often
get mixed into a goulash of ad-
vice on nutrition. Well-meant
advice covers when and what
to eat, but it can be difficult to
sort out the facts.
Just in time for March, which
is National Nutrition Month,
here are some food myths to
chew on from TOPS Club, Inc.
(Take Off Pounds Sensibly),
provided by Joan Pleuss, R.D.,
C.D.E., M.S., C.D., Senior Re-
search Dietitian in the General
Clinical Research Center at the
Medical College of Wisconsin.
• Don’t eat between meals.
False – Eating four to five
meals and snacks helps
healthy eaters control their ap-
petites, according to numerous
studies. The total calories must
be stay within the range for the
eating plan, however.
• Don’t eat before bedtime.
False – Again, it’s the total
number of calories that matter,
not when those calories are
consumed.
• Breakfast should never be
skipped.
True – Studies have shown
that eating breakfast decreases
the likelihood that you will
overeat later in the day. Break-
fast also increases overall en-
ergy and helps your brain con-
centrate, solve problems, and
remember facts better.
• Protein should be a part of
meals and snacks.
True – Lean meat, yogurt,
cheese, nuts, and beans are all
great proteins that will help
keep healthy eaters feeling full
longer.
• It’s better to graze than eat
three square meals a day.
True – Six mini-meals eaten
throughout the day can effec-
tively keep you satisfied. The
foods selected should be
healthy and the total amount of
calories should not exceed the
amount needed to maintain or
lose weight.
• There are some foods that
should be eaten every day.
True – You should include
food from all the TOPS Ex-
change groups every day. In
the Milk Exchange group, yo-
gurt plays a role in bone health
and strengthens the immune
system. In the Vegetables Ex-
change group, spinach, kale,
bok choy, and romaine are
great sources of nutrients help-
ful for bones, heart, and eyes.
Tomatoes decrease the risk of
certain cancers and heart dis-
ease. Carrots, sweet potatoes,
winter squash, and yellow bell
peppers are wonderful sources
of carotenoids, which fight can-
cer. Fruits such as blueberries,
strawberries, purple grapes,
and raisins contain many an-
tioxidants to help prevent mem-
ory changes as we age and
also to help prevent cancer, di-
abetes, and heart disease.
Meat Exchanges such as dried
peas and beans contain antiox-
idants that may improve brain
and heart function. Grains, in-
cluding oats, quinoa, and wild
rice, lower the risk of heart dis-
ease. Heart-healthy fats can
come from walnuts, almonds,
peanuts,
pistachios,
and
flaxseed.
• Skipping meals will help
you lose weight.
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False – Skipping meals ac-
tually may have the opposite
effect. Studies have found that
people who skip meals during
the day tend to be heavier than
people who eat the right foods
four or five times a day. When
you skip a meal, you may be
slowing down your body’s me-
tabolism – thus, making your
body require fewer calories and
converting extra calories to fat.
TOPS Club, Inc. (Take Off
Pounds Sensibly), the original,
nonprofit weight-loss education
and support organization, was
founded more than 60 years
ago to champion weight-loss
support and success. Visitors
are welcome to attend their first
TOPS meeting free of charge.
To find a local chapter, view
www.tops.org or call 800-932-
8677 for more information.
For the third consecutive
year the Columbia County
Commission on Children and
Families (CCCCF) is organiz-
ing a fund-raising event to ben-
efit the Columbia Pacific Food
Bank, which provides food for
low-income people.
Fight hunger, promote the
arts and get involved in your
community. Join members of
the CCCCF on Friday, March
13, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. for a
simple meal of soup and bread
and keep the handcrafted bowl
as a reminder of hunger in the
world.
The third annual Empty
Bowls event will be held at the
St. Helens Senior Center, 375
S. 15th Street. Tickets are
available for $10 at Houlton
Bakery, the St. Helens Book
Shop and at the office of the
Commission on Children and
Families in the county court-
house. All proceeds will go to
the Columbia Pacific Food
Bank and all donations are wel-
come.
This is truly a community ef-
fort. Soup and bread are being
donated by a number of local
restaurants: the Klondike, the
Dockside, Mark’s on the Chan-
nel, Wild Currant Catering and
Houlton Bakery. Coffee will be
provided by our local Star-
bucks, and a group of 4-H
youth will be baking and selling
cookies as a community proj-
ect, providing a sweet finish to
the evening and a boost to
fundraising.
Pottery students at both St.
Helens High School and Scap-
poose High School have con-
Please see page 14
Make your doctor visits less stressful
by the American Counseling
Association
Today’s ever-busier health
care systems can often seem
rushed and impersonal. Doc-
tors may care as much about
their patients as ever, but they
may not have much time to
spend counseling and reassur-
ing each patient.
The result is that a visit to
the doctor can be a stressful
and frustrating experience.
We’re worried about our illness
or symptoms, intimidated by
that white coat, confused by the
medical jargon and perhaps
feeling slightly rushed.
The answer is to take steps
that can help minimize the
stress of a doctor visit while
also helping insure that you’re
getting the most from that visit.
A starting point is to be what
counseling professionals call
“appropriately assertive.” That
simply means speaking clearly
and directly while also being
aware of both your and the oth-
er person’s needs. You want to
establish a climate of mutual
respect that acknowledges the
doctor’s busy schedule as well
as your needs to have your
questions answered.
Start by writing a list of your
health questions, leaving space
for the answers. Tell your doc-
tor you have questions and ask
if he’d like to answer them be-
fore or after the exam.
If you find your doctor is us-
ing medical jargon or technical
terms, politely ask him or her to
restate what’s being said in
simpler terms. Doctors don’t
mean to confuse, but some-
times what are common terms
to them are confusing to their
patients. Don’t just passively
listen, pretending to under-
stand.
If a doctor visit makes you
too nervous to really hear
what’s being said, consider
bringing a friend or family mem-
ber along as a second set of
ears. Or, with the doctor’s per-
mission, recording answers
with a small tape recorder or
MP3 player will allow you to be
sure not to miss anything.
Your goal is to get the infor-
mation you need. Assertive
communication means being
politely proactive. Ask follow-up
questions if something is un-
clear. If the doctor advises wait-
ing to see what develops, ask
for specifics on time and what
type of developments to look
for. At the end, summarize what
you’ve heard about your diag-
nosis and possible treatments.
Give the doctor a chance to
correct anything you may have
misinterpreted.
Open communications be-
tween doctor and patient make
it easier for patients to voice
their fears, anxieties and
needs. When doctors and pa-
tients work as partners, com-
municating effectively with
each other, the result is the
best care for the patient.
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