Health Options Alan Titchenal  & Joannie Dobbs                   Wednesday, December 9, 1998

Holiday risk management for waistlines

Just last week when all the holiday parties started rolling, The Journal of the American Medical Association published research on the relationship between abdominal fat and coronary heart disease in women. It reported women with a waist size of 30 inches or more have double the risk of coronary heart disease than do women who are thinner in the waist.

This study adds to a body of re­search showing that larger waist sizes are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. These studies compare the circum­ference of the waist to that of the hips. In general, the waist-hip ratio (waist divided by the hips) should be less than 0.8 for women, and less than 0.95 for men. These numbers apply mostly to women and men in their 40's. For older people, the ratio can be a bit higher and for younger people, a bit lower.

There is good news, however. A girth-reduction study was pub­lished in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine early this year. It found women who had three 10-minute bouts of brisk walking each day had a more significant reduction in waist size than women exercising for 30 minutes non-stop each day.

Putting these two studies into perspective, here are some suggestions to help enjoy the holiday goodies with minimal damage to the waistline.

Think moderation, not deprivation. Eat smaller amounts of high-calorie foods such as nuts and chocolates and greater amounts of pretzels and veggies. These foods tend to fill you up without so many calories.

Plan ahead by always eating good, filling lower-calorie meals before going out to a party or cruising the shopping malls. To boost your will power, try a large bowl of saimin made with loads of fresh vegetables, a fruit smoothie, a large glass of vegetable juice cocktail or even an ice-cold apple. This way, with a belly full of good food, it will be easier to limit those special goodies to a reasonable amount.

If you are going to more than one party, nibble lightly at the first one so you can still enjoy refreshments at the second party.

Think about portion size and limit foods that are “calorie dense.” These calorie-dense foods don't easily fill you up, but they do provide lots of calories.

The “calorie dilute” foods gen­erally have more water content and possibly dietary fiber. They fill you up more, but don't provide too many calories.

To illustrate calorie density differences, one tablespoon of nuts, two chocolate kisses, 10 large black olives, and 15 grapes each contain about 50 calories.

Remember, liquid calories do count! Alcoholic beverages especially increase calorie intake. Alcohol contains almost as many calories as fat and it tends to stimulate the appetite.

Foods that are more likely to turn those excess calories into fat contain both alcohol and fat-like spiked eggnog and liqueur-filled chocolates.

Stay active. Besides getting some regular exercise, look for opportunities to move more. Rather than spend 10 to 15 minutes cruising the parking lot to find a space near the store, park in the first space you see in the general neighborhood and walk briskly to the store.

You will probably get into the store sooner and get one of you three 10-minute bouts of walking done in the process.

Remember, it's not a time of year to be too hyper about counting calories. The stress from that in many social situations could be worse on health than just having a good time.

Being happy is very good for one's health.