By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
April 6, 2011

Dr. Elaine Joslyn, DO, can’t stress healthy living enough.

“We can prescribe medicines and run tests, but the bottom line is patients have to buy into changing their lifestyle, eating healthy foods that are fresh, cooking at home from scratch, exercising at least five days a week,” Joslyn said, who’s served Northeast for 25 years and operates her practice at NEighborhood Family Care.

Healthy living also includes no smoking and limiting alcohol intake to three or less drinks a day for a male and two or less drinks a day for a female, she said.

“Obviously, there’s no quick fix,” she said. “It’s a total change in those bad habits.”

When asked for tips on eating healthy, she said, “There is practically nothing you can get at a fast food restaurant that is healthy.”

Cooking from scratch allows an individual to control the ingredients in his or her dishes, like the amount of sugar, salt and fat, she said.

In terms of portion control, a serving of meat should be four ounces and two servings of meat a day suffices. Another tip, she said, is to divide your plate in quarters. Two quarters should be dedicated to fruits and vegetables, one quarter should be meat and one quarter should be carbohydrates like pasta, rice or potatoes.

A combination of the food groups is key to one’s health, she said.

Individuals should avoid fried meats and fish and instead opt for a dish that’s grilled, baked or broiled.

Instead of drinking diet or regular soda, which provides no nutritional value, choose milk or water, she said. Fruit juices should be reserved for the “occasional treat.”

“It would be better to eat an orange than drink a glass of orange juice because it gives you a sense of being full and gives you fiber and all the vitamins,” Joslyn said.

Fruit juices, she said, are loaded with sugar and lack the same concentration of vitamins.

For parents with picky eaters, Joslyn said parents must lead by example and their children will follow.

“If that’s (healthy food) all that’s available, they’ll eat it,” she said.

To cut down the cost of buying fresh produce, Joslyn encourages residents to visit Kansas City’s City Market, which offers a variety of inexpensive fruits and vegetables.

When asked to cite examples of healthy recipes, Joslyn suggested visiting the recipe section on the American Diabetes Association website, www.diabetes.org.

Asked how to devise an exercise plan, Joslyn said it can involve any 20 minute exercise that keeps the heart pumping faster.

“If you’re a couch potato, that may mean walking around the block. If you’re really fit, you may have to run,” she said.

Northeast residents can also visit the community center at 18th and Paseo, she said.

For obese individuals, failing to exercise becomes a vicious cycle.

“Joints weren’t designed to carry extra weight, so of course they’re going to wear out and that gets to be a vicious cycle because your knees and hips hurt, so you don’t feel like exercising. So, you sit around more and gain more weight.”

In addition to deteriorating joints, obesity is also linked to diabetes, heart disease, strokes and colon and breast cancers, she said.

To alleviate the pressure on joints and exercise at the same time, enroll in a water aerobics class, she said.

Interactive video games, like those on the Wii, can also help with exercise.

“It’s certainly better than just exercising your thumbs,” she said.

While heart pumping games on the Wii may be helpful during winter months, it’s important to venture outside during warmer weather, she said.

“Kids should be outside where they can run and play and do whatever kids do,” she said.

If a child is tied to watching TV or being inactive, Joslyn said to make exercising a family outing.

“Go play a family game, go take a walk around the park together. Kids do what you do, not what you say.”