Energy drinks are the fastest-growing beverage product in the United States. In fact, spending on energy drinks is up 700 percent from 2000, when these drinks were just hitting the market. Aggressive marketing has helped to create this $3.5 billion industry where teens and young adults are estimated to account for $2.3 billion of drink sales. According to self-reported surveys, 30-50 percent of adolescents and young adults consume energy drinks.

Unlike fad diets that come and go, vegetarianism has always been visible in our society. Though vegetarianism has not been traditionally popular in our standard American diet, the plant-based diet that was once a foreign concept to many carnivorous Americans has grown in popularity in recent years. Even in a foodie paradise such as New Orleans, vegetarian and vegan options have increased, with entire restaurants dedicated to veggie fare and many popular restaurants offering vegetarian options. The modern movement of “going green” and living a healthier lifestyle is now mainstream, and it’s no wonder vegetarianism has been gaining momentum and grabbing even more of a foothold in our popular society.

Having a plant-based diet has many health benefits. Because of their healthy diet, vegetarians are at a lesser risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, some forms of cancer, diabetes, arthritis and various bowel disorders. Vegetarians consume less saturated fats, found in foods such as red meat, and more high fiber veggies, thus reducing their risk of developing many of these diseases.

Interview with Dr. Indranill Basu Ray, expert in the field of meditation and medicine. Check out his website at www.indranillbasuray.com. As discussed in the show, Dr. Basu Ray offers meditation guidance free of charge!

Dr. Basu Ray has trained in medicine and cardiology in India; in interventional electrophysiology and device therapy from the University of Toronto; and in electrophysiology research from Massachussets General Hospital at Harvard Medical School. He has been in charge of Experimental EP Lab at Beth Israel Deconess Medical Center and a faculty in Medicine (Cardiology) at Harvard Medical School. He is presently with Ochsner Medical Foundation and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans and at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Basu Ray is a Professor and Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine, HUA, in Orlando, Florida since 2008.

By Jacques Courseault, M.D.
Founder of Exercisemenu.com

Although there is still a disconnect between healthy behaviors and longevity, if there were ever a generation that would change America’s health and fitness paradigm, Generation Y would be the one to bet on. We are smart, confident, casual, chill, and value life and family over work and money. Combine this personality with an evolving scientific conscience that promotes healthy living and you get a group of people that enjoy running with the latest GPS-tracking smartphone, who rarely eat fast food and pride themselves in knowing the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats.

Generation Y.

We grew up playing team sports. We rode bikes and rollerbladed until the street lights came on. We watched as people lost weight on reality TV shows. We learned that being excessively overweight is strongly linked to the development of serious health complications, and we witnessed the First Lady launch the “Let’s Move” campaign.

Now, we come home after work to play video games that only operate with physical movement. We continue to promote change in the food industry- ridding trans fats to provide healthy options when eating on the go.  We know at least one person you know has tried P90X or participated in a “Boot Camp.” And “we are sexy and we know it (we workout)!”

Ah, Generation Y.

As we begin to take over the world, serious change is underway. A shift in focus, or a recycling back towards what sustains us is happening. We can’t blame past generations, as they have all had difficult challenges to face, from economic crashes to racism. Not that those issues are obsolete, but learning to take care of ourselves, our family and our environment are becoming more of a forethought, and a priority. A time is coming where “primary prevention” isn’t just your doctor telling you to quit smoking, eat more vegetables and exercise as she walks out the exam room. Soon, healthcare will be more synonymous with fitness instead of sickness.

Generation Y.

We have built the strongest networks in the history of the world with the use of Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets. Between texting and blogging we can continue to encourage each other to make healthy choices. We can post our runs, seek motivation to complete marathons, show off our workouts on YouTube and share interesting health and fitness articles with a click of the Like button. Let’s take advantage of technology and combine it with our motivation to do what is good and right. Do your part and keep yourself and your family as healthy as possible. Workout for at least 20-minutes per day and strive to eat at least half a plate of fruits and vegetables with each meal.

In the end, we will all benefit…

Generation Y… Let’s get it done…

Bio: Jacques Courseault, M.D. is a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist, and founder of ExerciseMenu.com. His site promotes practical fitness measures through informative articles and home workout programs.

People often turn to several holiday vices to deal with pressure, whether that be stuffing their faces with those delicious holiday cookies or having a few extra glasses of eggnog. Recognizing my own sources of holiday stress, I’ve recently been reflecting on my personal game plan for dealing with the holiday blues. Exercise — yoga in particular — has always given me a sense of calm in times of stress, so I’ve decided to amp up my routine this season. Though exercise and yoga have always been my coping habits, I’ve often wondered why they seem to work so well. I’d like to share a little research so that maybe you too will consider rolling out your yoga mats this holiday season.

A recent study out this month in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity has shown that improved body image may lead to improved weight loss. In this randomized controlled trial, the treatment group that participated in group sessions covering topics such as emotional and external eating and improving body image and acceptance lost an average of 7% of their body weight after one year compared to the control group which averaged less than a 2% loss of their body weight. The body image intervention aimed to increase participants’ body acceptance and satisfaction, and decrease their preoccupation and investment in their appearance. The study concluded that body image is important to address in weight control programs.

This really makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Several factors are included in the big equation to living a healthy lifestyle, including the regulation of eating behaviors. By regulation, I mean not overindulging in food and also not severely restricting caloric intake. I’m talking about that happy medium in between that can often be so difficult to reach! But our own negative body image may actually be making that goal even more difficult to obtain.

Research has repeatedly shown that body image plays a huge role in eating behaviors and can also predict disordered eating patterns. Body image problems are highly prevalent in overweight and obese people, and a negative self-image is actually a positive predictor of poorer weight outcomes and increasing chances of relapse.

Poor body image is also associated with the adoption of unhealthy weight control strategies (i.e., severe calorie restriction) as well as binge eating. Furthermore, many models of bulimia nervosa cite body image concerns as having the most causal role in disease development.

Something I found particularly interesting in this recent study is the discussion of two different dimensions of body image that combine to form one’s total body image, and the importance this may play in weight loss. First, there is evaluative body image which refers to one’s personal appraisals and associated emotions about their own appearance. Second, there is body image investment referring to the importance that one places on their own appearance. Both of these components of body image are found to predict eating disturbances, however, it is body image investment that presents the greatest predictive power for the development of disordered eating that goes above and beyond that of only body dissatisfaction.

Of course, these “ideal” and often unobtainable body images, as well as the great importance we tend to place on them, don’t come out of nowhere. They come from the sociocultural pressures we are surrounded by in the media. Check out the video below for a great perspective on it regarding women. I’m sure the media has an “ideal” unobtainable body image for men also.

So what do we do about it? Simply ignoring sociocultural pressures is a difficult task. But I think self-awareness of the issue is a great start. As this study concludes, efforts to improve body image appear to be crucial in designing and implementing weight loss plans. So if you are trying to eat healthier and lose weight, don’t let a poor body image sabotage your goals. A little less loathing and a lot more love can go a long way!

The survey found that nine out of ten young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 believe that they are living healthy lifestyles. Yet in reality they are not. Adults in this age group tend to eat too many unhealthy foods, drink too much alcohol, and do not exercise enough. Although this age group stated that they wanted to live long healthy lives, living to an average age of 98, their health behaviors now do not reflect that wish. In fact, one third of those surveyed did not believe that engaging in healthy behaviors now as a young adult could actually affect their risk of stroke as they age.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, a neurologist and President of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association was quoted in the above article saying, “Young adults need to make a connection between healthy behaviors and a healthy brain and healthy heart…if we are not able to help young adults understand the relevance of their actions now and their risk of stroke tomorrow, then we could be looking at an increase in stroke diagnoses and deaths within the next 10 to 20 years.”

The survey brought attention to the serious disconnect that many young adults have between how their health behaviors now can affect their risks for serious and preventable diseases in the future.

I talked to a group of Tulane medical students about their thoughts on the study and asked them this question: Are young adults really as naive about their health and health choices as the results of this survey made them out to be?

The consensus of our conversation was interesting. Yes, they believe young adults generally try to be healthy to the best of their ability. But no, young adults are not always healthy and do not necessarily think of chronic and preventable diseases such as stroke and cardiovascular disease. When they are healthy it isn’t necessarily for the sake of their “health,” but rather to fit in their favorite pair of skinny jeans, to look good in a swimsuit on Spring Break, or to impress their friends at the gym (but hey, although these reasons aren’t necessarily the “best” reasons to live a healthy lifestyle, I personally think that any reason you may have to keep yourself healthy is a good one!).

So what makes it so difficult for us to realize that our health choices now can increase our risk for stroke in the future?

The “young and invincible” mentality seems to be key.

“I think very few people our age think about that stuff, we do feel like we’re invincible. I think we make a lot of decisions, not just health related decisions about food and exercise, but just decisions in general where we think we are invincible and can live forever” John Wang, a Tulane medical student, said.

Denise Ammon, another Tulane medical student, suffers from high cholesterol. She shared her difficulty with maintaining the preventive measures that have been recommended for her.

“I think about it, I know how bad it is. But at the end of the day, if I want pizza I’m going to eat pizza,” Denise said. “My cholesterol isn’t bad enough where I have to take medication yet, but they did recommend me to take fish oil supplements and I started doing it but now I don’t. I don’t know what it would take for me to take it, it’s hard, you know?”

Of course, this was a Tulane University medical student population that I spoke with. This group is educated in healthy choices, knows the clear difference between an unhealthy and healthy lifestyle, and is even studying to be physicians in order to educate others about their health. Not quite your “average” young adult in America. But as was seen in our conversation, even they admitted to falling victim to the “young and invincible” mentality.

So how late is too late to concern ourselves with maintaning healthy lifestyles as a preventive measure for disease? Dr. Linda Kirby, medical director of Tulane’s Student Health Primary Care Clinic, shares her thoughts.

“I think some people are genetically prone to get early onset heart attacks, like in their early 40s…I would say that if you are at risk of that, you’ve got to start exercising and stop eating bad foods,” Dr. Kirby said. “The question becomes how much damage can you do at a young age and how much damage can you reverse?  If you start exercising when you’re 50, what have you already done to your body and is it reversible? I don’t know if anybody has ever studied that.”

Dr. Kirby offers a few suggestions to help improve the young adult’s lifestyle.

“Young adults need to be getting at least 20 minutes of cardiac exercise three times per week. This doesn’t have to be strenuous exercise. They can do it by walking. They also need to increase their fruits and vegetables and decrease fatty and deep fried foods. But what is often forgotten about is sleep. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you release stress hormones, and you crave carbohydrates and fatty foods,” Kirby said.

For more information about stroke and cardiovascular disease prevention, visit the American Heart Association recommendations here.

Photo by Ken Levy, LA Times