Page 8 - Boca Exposure - January '24

Page 8, Boca Exposure
Healthy Answers – A Guide To Healthy Living:

‘The Battle Of The Bulge!’

By Dale Brown, B.S., M.A., BMI - Body mass index is a measure of body fat What steps can you take to help you adopt new habits?
C.E.C. Dale is a motivational based on a person’s height and weight. It helps identify • Gradual changes are more likely to stick. Try introducing
speaker who has spent many individuals who may be at risk for weight-related health healthier food choices a little at a time for lasting results.
years as a Certified Life Coach problems, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high • Learn why healthy eating is important and the reasons
and has written numerous blood pressure, and certain types of cancer. for making informed choices. Education is helpful in
articles and e-books relating To check your BMI, google BMI adult calculator. understanding the cause and effect behind the food you eat.
to self-improvement and ways Enter your height and weight and it will determine • Surround yourself with supportive friends and family
to build a high-performance whether you are at a healthy weight. Generally, a BMI who can encourage you and hold you accountable.
team. She is the author of of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy, while a BMI of 25 • Set realistic goals, develop action plans to help you
the book, Small Steps... to 29.9 is classified as overweight and a BMI of 30 or achieve the best results.
Big Changes: The Personal higher is considered obese. It’s normal to experiment with different dietary approaches
Stories of a Life Coach. Her Although BMI provides a quick and easy way to to find what works best for you. Learning from both successes
education and years of experience in physical fitness and screen for weight status, it’s not a perfect measure of body and setbacks is part of the process. Give yourself some slack
training of elite athletes has enabled her to sharpen her fatness, and has limitations. It may not accurately reflect when things get in your way. If you fall into your old style of
knowledge in many health-related areas. The following the body composition of individuals with a high amount eating, don’t give up, just get back to it as soon as possible.
introduces a new approach to Brown’s series of columns of muscle mass or take into account age, sex and ethnicity. Your health depends on it.
devoted to many topics that deal with the mind/body connection
and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Dale, a Bocaire
resident, can be reached at dalebrown@lovingmondays.com.
It’s a new year and the holidays are behind us. What a
perfect time to consider making a few positive changes to
your lifestyle habits. Unfortunately, many of these habits are
the ones we most enjoy. Who doesn’t like eating our favorite
foods or drinking one too many martinis? The thought of going
to the gym to shed extra holiday pounds is not something we
look forward to either. Yet, year after year these New Year
resolutions keep cropping up. COLORECTAL SURGERY
The toughest part of our life-improvement endeavor is that
as time goes by we lose motivation and fall prey to our old Living longer, living better after a colorectal cancer diagnosis
habits. When it comes to battling the bulge, changing your
eating habits might not be that easy. Even though you may An estimated 150,000 U.S. adults will be
know what’s good for you, it’s not usually your first choice. diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year.
If you compare a juicy hamburger with a side of fries to fish Excluding skin cancer, it is the third most
and whole wheat couscous, your taste buds usually give in to common cancer diagnosed in both men and
the first option. women each year in the United States.
Changing an eating habit is a long-term commitment, not
a temporary fix. Try not to think about giving up what you Now for the good news. The 5-year survival rate
love to eat as a life sentence (that sounds dismal), but rather for colorectal cancer has more than doubled
a slow transition to aligning your food choices with a healthy since 1970, climbing to 65%, due to medical
lifestyle. When I first met my husband, he loved everything advances and early screening. For people with
meat. Steak, hamburgers, smoked ribs, roast beef sandwiches, localized colorectal cancer (stage 1) the survival
it was all he would eat. Over the years he has slowly adapted rate is 91%.
to my way of eating and now enjoys ruby red trout as much “Colorectal cancer is both preventable and
as he used to love his filet mignon. Better for his health and highly treatable when we catch it early,” says
good for me too, because now we get to share! Steven Wexner, MD, PhD, Director of the Ellen
What are the healthiest diets? Leifer Shulman and Steven Shulman Digestive
Find a diet that works for you; one that seems to fit Disease Center at Cleveland Clinic Weston
your style of eating and foods you like. Any diet is based
on factors such as age, gender, activity and specific health Hospital. “Patients can live long, quality lives Preserving quality of life
conditions. Be sure to check with your doctor before after a colorectal cancer diagnosis thanks to Advancements in surgical care have made it
making any drastic changes. There are multiple diets to treatment advancements.” possible for many patients to achieve normal
choose from, the two most popular being the Mediterranean Advanced surgical care bowel habits and bowel continence after
and the Paleo. Both have potential health benefits, but the Treatment options for colon and rectal cancers colorectal surgery. Fewer patients today require
Mediterranean diet is considered to be a more balanced and vary depending upon a person’s health, a permanent colostomy, in which stool is
sustainable way of eating. age and cancer stage. While surgery is the diverted from the lower part of the digestive
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that emphasizes most common treatment, chemotherapy and tract by connecting the end of the colon to
the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, radiation therapy may be needed as well. The an opening in the belly. Thanks to newer
nuts, seeds and healthy fats such as olive oil and fatty fish. It type of surgery performed will depend on the surgical techniques developed and/or refined
also includes moderate consumption of red wine and low to extent of the cancer and where it’s located. at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, it is more
moderate dairy products, poultry and eggs. common for patients to need only a temporary
The premise behind the Paleo diet is based on eating Some patients will require the removal of part
only foods that were available to our ancestors during the or all of the colon (colectomy) or rectum (rectal ileostomy to let the body rest and heal, rather
Paleolithic era, such as meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. resection). Others may require the removal of than a permanent colostomy.
This diet emphasizes the avoidance of grains, legumes, dairy both. These procedures can be done during “Preserving and improving the quality of life are
products and processed foods. The Paleo diet may offer health open surgery, through one large incision, or always our top priorities, and the work being
benefits, such as weight loss and improved glucose control, using minimally invasive techniques, which done by my colleagues in Florida, Ohio, London
but it’s not without its drawbacks. The high intake of animal include laparoscopy, robotic, and transanal and Abu Dhabi attest to these priorities,”
protein and fat causes concern for cardio-vascular disease, endoscopic surgery through a few small says Dr. Wexner. “For patients with colorectal
and the exclusion of entire food groups, such as grains and incisions. cancer, that means eliminating their cancer
legumes, may lead to nutrient deficiencies. while helping them preserve bowel continence
What else might you consider when choosing a diet? “Patients benefit from minimally invasive whenever possible.”
Caloric Intake - The recommended caloric intake for surgery in many ways, including less pain and
women and men differs based on a variety of factors, such as scarring, a shorter hospital stay, and quicker The Maroone Cancer Center at Cleveland
age, height, weight, and activity level. On average, the daily recovery,” explains Dr. Wexner, who led the Clinic Weston Hospital is an ACS Commission
recommended caloric intake for adult women ranges from Cleveland Clinic team in Florida that pioneered on Cancer Accredited Program and was the
®
1,600 to 2,400 calories, and men from 2,000 to 3,000. this approach. “Most importantly, we can first in Florida and second in the nation to
perform these less invasive procedures while earn accreditation from the ACS National
still minimizing the risk for cancer recurrence.” Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer.
Third Quarter
January 3
New Moon TALK WITH AN EXPERT.
January 11 Howard Berg, MD, sees patients in Wellington, Coral Springs and
First Quarter West Palm Beach. To schedule a consultation or seek a second opinion
January 17 from Dr. Berg or another Cleveland Clinic colorectal specialist in Florida,
call 877.463.2010. Visit ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/Colorectal to learn
Full Moon
January 25 more about colorectal surgery.