Talking Turkey About Excess Pounds and Health

Pictured: Myron Bednar, M.D., Medical Oncologist, Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center. 

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday designed to give thanks for our abundance.  Food has become the primary focus.  And just as the day after Thanksgiving has become the traditional start of the holiday shopping frenzy, Thanksgiving often begins an eating pattern of overindulging in high-calorie foods and then resolving to lose weight or start exercising after the New Year.

But you can make that New Year’s resolution much less daunting by taking a few simple steps now:  Things as simple as smaller portion sizes can help you avoid holiday weight gain.  Stuff the turkey but not yourself or your guests.

Why is this important?  Many studies have shown that extra pounds place a heavy burden on individual health—and on the health-care system as a whole.  In a recent survey (the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that almost two-thirds of all U.S. adults are overweight, including about one-third who are obese.

What Obesity Means to Your Health
Medically speaking, being obese means having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more—generally about 30 to 35 pounds over one’s recommended weight.  A person who is 5 feet 4 inches (the average height for an American woman) should weigh between 110 and 140 pounds (a BMI in the healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9).  The same person weighing more than 140 is overweight (a BMI of 25 to 29.9); weighing 174 or more, obese.
According to the CDC, diseases linked to obesity include: 
• Coronary heart disease
• Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes
• Common adult cancers
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Stroke
• Liver and gallbladder disease
• Sleep apnea and breathing problems
• Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back
• Gynecological problems such as abnormal periods and infertility
Cancer and Obesity

“Many people recognize that obesity increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease,” said Myron Bednar, M.D., Medical Oncologist at Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center. “However, most people don’t realize that being overweight is also a risk factor for many common forms of cancer, including breast cancer among post-menopausal women, colorectal cancer, and cancer of the lining of the uterus—endometrial cancer.  Obesity also increases the risk of cancers of the kidney and esophagus.  In addition, aggressive cancer of the prostate seems to be linked to obesity.”

The American Cancer Society (ACS) says that research suggests obesity also contributes to cancers of the pancreas, gallbladder, thyroid, ovary, and cervix as well as to cancers of the blood and bone marrow such as myeloma and Hodgkin lymphoma.  According to the ACS 2008 Cancer Facts & Figures, “scientific evidence suggests that about one-third of the cancer deaths that occur in the U.S. each year are due to nutrition and physical activity factors, including excess weight.” 

Right-Now Tips to Help Reach or Keep a Healthy Weight
“Beginning a brand-new diet over the holidays may be self-defeating—especially if you’re someone who tends to eat more in response to stress,” said Dr. Bednar.  “But you don’t have to start a formal diet to improve your eating habits.”

Here are some tips for getting a head start on a new year of healthful eating and fitness:
• Portion size is key to managing weight:  Protein servings, such as turkey, beef, ham or fish, should be no larger than a deck of cards.  Servings of stuffing, potatoes, and other calorie-laden side dishes should be one-half cup—about the size of a golf ball.
• Simplify your festive menus where possible.  Do you really need or want stuffing plus two kinds of potatoes?  If your family and guests tend to prefer either sweet potato casserole or regular mashed potatoes, offer just the favorite.  (Sweet potatoes are richer in nutrition and fiber but also higher in calories—especially if you add marshmallows.)
• Eating a variety of foods is important for nutrition and taste.  So enjoy everything, but cut each portion by a third.  (Try using smaller serving plates—those downsized portions will look downright generous.)
• Savor your food by eating slowly:  you’ll feel full after eating less.
• Don’t skip dessert, but delay it for a while.  Then take a small portion.  Consider that a slice of pie—one-eighth of an eight-inch pie—can vary a lot in calories.  Pumpkin pie has 230 calories while pecan pie has a whopping 450.
• When faced with a holiday buffet, take enough for just two or three bites of each dish you want to sample.  Then walk away.  By limiting the amount of food on your plate at one time, you’ll tend to eat fewer calories.
• For buffets, hors d’oeuvres or snacks, don’t forget fresh vegetables and low-cal dips.  Consider that 10 regular potato chips have 132 calories and a half-cup of cereal-based party mix has 120 calories, while most vegetables and fruits have far fewer.
• For desserts and sweet snacks, don’t forget fruit.  In fact, you can use whole fruits and nuts (and veggies too) as festive, edible decorations in glass bowls or arranged as a wreath on a platter.
• Don’t drink too much alcohol, and especially don’t substitute drinks for food.  Cocktails, beer, and wine have lots of calories; spark your appetite; and weaken your willpower to avoid overeating.
• Feeling stressed?  Don’t pack in more calories—burn some off by getting active.  A brisk walk or even raking leaves or shoveling snow can help reduce stress far better than food and also helps reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.
• Make daily physical activity a family affair when possible, especially if you have children or teens.  Overweight among children age 6 to 19 tripled between 1980 and 2000, according to the CDC.

“Starting healthy eating and exercise habits early in life is especially important,” said Dr. Bednar  “Overweight in childhood and adolescence tends to carry over to adulthood and increases the risk of adult cancers.”

Hunterdon Medical Center offers Why Can’t I Lose Weight, a weight management program for adults.  For more information call 908-237-6920.  In addition, the Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center is a full service fitness facility which can also help get you started on a healthier path.  The Hunterdon Health and Wellness Center in Clinton Township can be reached by calling 908-735-6884 or in Whitehouse Station call 908-534-7600.

As a Fox Chase Cancer Center Partner, Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center has early access to new research discoveries on cancer prevention and treatment.  Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners is a select group of community hospitals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey affiliated with Fox Chase Cancer Center to provide the latest in cancer research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in their own communities.  Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners offer patients, families, and their physicians enhanced resources to deal with the burden of cancer, including the newest clinical trials.  For more information about cancer services at Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center call 1-888-788-1260.