By Charlyn Fargo
Sometimes we make things harder than they need to be. If one of your goals is to be healthier, try walking — no gym membership or fancy clothes required. The health benefits are amazing.
For years, we’ve thought to get any benefit, you had to walk 10,000 steps. It ends up that walking less than that has health benefits as well.
Here are a few of the studies:
A study in JAMA Neurology found that walking about 10,000 steps a day was linked to less cardiovascular disease (heart disease, stroke and heart failure).
Still, the new research says you don’t have to take that many to get health benefits. For example, 9,800 steps lowers the risk of dementia by 50%, the research suggests, but taking just 3,800 a day lowers it by 25%.
A companion study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that for every 2,000 steps a day, you could lower your risk of premature death by 8% to 11%.
A new study finds that walking 8,000 steps even one or two days a week has health benefits.
In this study of the walking habits of 3,202 adults, researchers found that participants didn’t have to walk 8,000 steps every day to see health benefits. Participants (average age 50) wore a movement tracker for a week. Over a 10-year follow-up, 439 of the participants died, 148 from cardiovascular disease. People who never walked 8,000 or more steps a day were more likely to die of any cause than those who reached the 8,000-step goal. Even meeting the goal one or two days a week was enough to make a significant difference.
If you can’t hit 8,000, try 4,000. A study published in JAMA in March 2020 that included 4,840 Americans ages 40 and older found that the more steps people took, the lower their risk was of dying over the following 10 years, regardless of age, sex or race.
The bottom line? Make it a goal to walk. Daily is best; 10,000 steps is best. But any amount of walking is helpful.
Q and A
Q: Are all calories the same?
A: Scientifically, a calorie is a unit of energy, and since all calories provide the same amount of energy, calories are equal. However, when it comes to the effects of different calories on our health, calories are not equal. It’s true you can consume 100 calories from orange slice candy or from an orange, but the orange gives your body vitamins, minerals, fiber and other compounds to support health. The candy simply gives you sugar, along with artificial coloring and flavoring. Researchers have seen with the same calories, different foods have different effects on our body — microbiome health, muscle gain or loss, even energy expenditure. It’s best to get calories from whole or minimally processed foods.
RECIPE
One of my personal goals is to get more healthy grains into my diet. For too long, carbohydrates have gotten a rap as being not healthy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whole grains are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. At least half our diet should be from fruits, vegetables and whole grains (all carbohydrates). Here’s a recipe that features bulgur wheat, a healthy whole grain offering plenty of fiber. If desired, you can substitute any cooked grain for the bulgur.
BLACK BEAN BULGUR ORANGE SALAD
Servings: 4
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cups cooked bulgur
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 stalks green onions, sliced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Bring 1 cup bulgur and 2 cups water to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, zest the orange and then juice it. Add vinegar, oil and cumin to make dressing. Mix thoroughly. Add the cooked bulgur, black beans and vegetables, and toss to cover everything with dressing. Chill for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld.
Per serving: 266 calories, 8 g protein, 53 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat (1 g saturated), 12 g fiber, 6 g sugars (0 added), 116 mg sodium.
(Recipe from Oldways)
Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU Med School in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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