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09/14/2006: "Did You Know..."

The Bad News:

Since the 60’s, cancer has moved from the tenth leading cause of death to number two, even after Richard Nixon’s “War on Cancer” spent thirty billion dollars attempting to find a cure.

Cancer was unknown among the Eskimos until sugar and refined carbohydrates were introduced to their diet.

Diabetes has increased 700 percent since 1959.

The Environmental Health Commission predicts that by the year 2020, twenty-nine million American adults will suffer from asthma.

Approximately fifty million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases, with 75 percent of these being female. Many of these conditions were practically non-existent thirty years ago.

Eight million American children are drugged daily for the treatment of ADD & ADHD.

Autism has gone from 1 in 10,000 children to 1 in 150 in just ten years.

Adult-onset diabetes is occurring at epidemic rates in children as young as eight.

The Good News:

Avocados are cholesterol-free and provide heart-healthy vitamin E, folic acid and potassium. They are high in fat for a fruit, but most of this is the healthy unsaturated type.

All types of fruit and vegetables count towards the recommended five servings a day, whether they're fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned.

Research from the University of Cardiff found that people who ate high-fiber breakfast cereal (bran flakes, All Bran) every day reported feeling less tired and stressed than those who ate low-fiber cereals such as cornflakes.

Food eaten late at night is not more fattening. Studies have found that it's your total calorie intake over the day that counts.

Oysters are the richest source of the mineral zinc, needed for immunity, wound healing, healthy skin and fertility. They were also reputed to be Cassanova's favourite food!

A pound of body fat contains 3,500 calories. So to lose a pound in a week you need to eat 500 calories less each day (7 x 500 = 3,500) and vice versa for weight gain.

Cyclists can expect to live for at least two years longer on average than non-cyclists.

Occasional and regular cyclists enjoy a level of fitness equivalent to being between five and ten years younger.