February 1, 2001

Prairie Fare: Tipping the Scales

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

There are certain gifts that aren’t necessarily appreciated by your significant other, particularly if she’s female. Shortly after I placed him on a cholesterol-lowering diet, my husband bought us a present: a bathroom scale. "It’s a good one. It’s digital and it glows in the dark," he said. Now when I have the burning need to know what I weigh in the middle of the night, within a half pound, I won’t need to turn on the bathroom light.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important, but excessive thinness isn’t necessarily healthy. Being overweight and obese have been linked to increasing the risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, cancer, arthritis and breathing problems. On the other hand, excessive dieting can lead to other problems, including eating disorders.

Determining a healthy weight "number" remains controversial, but there’s no denying that Americans, in general, are growing larger. Using "Body Mass Index" or "BMI" as a gauge, recent estimates categorize 55 percent of American adults as overweight. BMI can be calculated by following these steps:

1. Determine your height in inches.
2. Multiply your height (in inches) by your height (in inches).
3. Weigh yourself.
4. Divide your weight (in pounds) by your answer to number 2.
5. Multiply your answer to number 4 by 705.

Your answer to number 5 is your BMI. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered "normal." BMI values of 18 or lower are considered "underweight." BMI values between 25 and 29.9 are considered "overweight" and values above 30 are considered "obese." For example, a 5-foot-10-inch man who weighs 175 pounds would have a BMI of about 25, or 705 x (175 pounds ÷ (70 inches x 70 inches)).

BMI doesn’t work for everyone, though. Since BMI uses weight, it doesn’t necessarily provide information on relative proportions of muscle, bone, and fat. Athletes, for example, may have little body fat yet be "obese" according to BMI standards, because muscle weighs more than fat. BMI should not be used for children, adolescents, pregnant or lactating women, those with large or highly muscular body frames or very petite individuals.

Talk to your healthcare provider or a dietitian about a healthy weight for you. Set a reasonable goal. If you need to lose a few pounds, do it slowly. The "miracle diets" and supplements that seem to surface almost daily can cause you to lose muscle and even bone, along with fat. The healthiest approach is to aim for a weight loss of 1 or 2 pounds a week. Even losing a little weight can reduce blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels.

A healthy diet and physical activity go hand in hand in maintaining or improving our overall health. Do you meet the Surgeon General’s recommendation for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week? About one-third of Americans are "couch potatoes" who get no physical activity outside of work time.

What if everyone in your family is heavy? Are your genes your destiny? British researchers studied nearly 500 sets of healthy, middle-aged female twins. About one-third were overweight. Overall the active twin had less total fat and less abdominal fat, which is linked to diabetes and heart disease, than the inactive twin.

Being physically active doesn’t necessarily mean participating in sports or working out at a health club. Even short increments of moderate physical activity can make a difference in overall energy and health. Here are some ways to get moving toward better health:

• Take a walk around the block, around a mall or across the parking lot.
• Wash your windows or car.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Join a dance class, or just use your radio and dance around the house.
• Go biking in warm weather or cross-country skiing during snowy winter months.
• Play with your children, grandchildren or the neighbor’s kids. Shoot some hoops, throw a frisbee, or play ball.
• Take exercise breaks during TV commercials.
• At work, take a walk instead of a snack break.

Here’s a tasty "smoothie" to enjoy after your exercise break. Smoothies are very popular with several national franchises offering them. The beverages vary greatly in nutrients, calories and fat. Smoothies usually contain milk, juice, and/or fruit, but some establishments offer extra vitamins, minerals and other additives. Making them yourself with your choice of fruit is not only less expensive, but it can also help you control the calorie and fat content.

Frozen Banana Shake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 frozen banana, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure:
Mix all ingredients in blender. Blend. Serve in a tall glass. Makes 2 servings, with about 175 calories, 2 grams of fat and 28 percent of the daily recommendation for calcium per serving.

###

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu