February 10th, 2010 jeniii
Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women? Not only does it affect all ethnicities, but it can happen at any age. American’s have been drilled with the idea that a fast paced lifestyle is the way to live. Well, it’s not. There are many ways to fight cardiovascular disease. The average healthy American is recommended to consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. This is equivalent to 1 teaspoon. ONE TEASPOON! For those that are hypertensive, 1,500 mg of sodium per day is recommended.
So where does all of this extra salt come from? According to Heart Healthy Magazine, “Roughly 10 percent of the salt in our diet comes from the salt we add ourselves (the salt we season with while cooking or sprinkle at the table) and 10 percent is naturally occurring. The vast majority of salt—amounting to about 80 percent of daily intake—comes from processed foods. Salt is added to processed foods to achieve a (very salty) taste profile. In many situations adding salt is what makes cheap, un-tasty food palatable. Salt also is added for stability and preservation reasons. But the amount of salt added is clearly above and beyond what’s required for the safety and function of the food supply. The simple math leads to the conclusion that going easy with the salt shaker is hardly going to put a dent in the unhealthy amount of salt in the typical American diet. It’s also hard to trust our taste buds when salt is involved. Some foods taste quite salty because the salt is on the surface, while other sodium-saturated dishes don’t taste salty at all because other flavors and textures (namely, lots of fat and sugars) cover up the salt.”
You can add great flavor to any of your dishes without salt. Here are just a few suggestions and alternatives to your meals. Getting active is another great way to keep your heart strong. Grab some friends and head to the park. Not only is this a great way to get your heart pumping (safely and within your limits), but you can also catch up on the latest gossip, a great stress reliever! President Obama has proclaimed February as American Heart Month. February 5, 2010 was National Wear Red Day, I hope you all wore red to show your support. But wearing red to show your support is not limited to one day a year. Wear red and share your ideas and tips with everyone, everywhere.
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January 3rd, 2010 jeniii
1.Start each morning with a healthy breakfast, high in fiber and nutrients. Studies have shown that what you have for breakfast influences what you eat for the rest of the day. Many people go wrong by thinking a muffin is a light and healthy breakfast. WRONG! Most muffins from the bakery contain on average 340 to 640 calories, EACH. Oh and that’s without butter. Pass! For a quick on the go breakfast have a cup of non-fat yogurt with mixed blueberries, a slice of whole wheat toast and a fresh glass of orange juice (that you juiced yourself!). If you have a little more time to spare try some of these delicious recipes to jump start your morning.
2.Get up and do something! Go for a walk and check out your neighborhood, window shop at the mall, take your dog for a jog at the park or join a gym and take advantage of their exercise classes. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you do, just get active. Get your heart pumping for at least 45 minutes each day.
3.Everyone needs time to wind down, especially after a stressful day. Find a hobby! Try learning to play a new instrument, cooking an unfamiliar dish, knitting, bird watching…etc. The possibilities are endless!
4.Laugh and smile! Laughing increases the levels of endorphins in your body making you less stressed and with a healthier immune system. Pop in a funny movie that will get you laughing in no time. Studies have shown that with just 15 minutes of laughter (even fake laughter) will burn 10 to 40 calories, depending on weight. Ever heard of laughter yoga? Pretty interesting.
5.Be positive. Living your life with the, “Why me?” attitude will only weigh you down. Life is a beautiful and precious thing. Don’t sweat the small stuff! Instead of questioning yourself and your self worth, question what you can do to make it better? There is always room for improvement.
6.Cut out the toxins – smoking, drugs and excessive alcohol consumption.
7.Adopt a pet! I can’t think of another way to get active. Pets are wonderful and loyal companions and they will show you unconditional love 24/7. Plus, you will always have an excuse to get out of the house to take them for walk. It’s a win-win situation!
8.Avoid these 5 ingredients as much as possible.
9.Track your ticker! 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, worldwide. Get your blood pressure checked regularly and follow a heart healthy diet. Just by reducing your sodium intake and exercising everyday, you are on your way to a healthier heart.
10.Get those ZzzZzz! Try to sleep 6-8 hours every night. Everyone is busy, but your body needs time to recharge. By getting the recommended hours of sleep you will feel refreshed and energized in the morning. This will set your mood for the whole day.
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October 15th, 2009 jeniii
Seriously, Sun Gold tomatoes are freaking delish! Each individual tomato has its own beautiful and vibrant orangey-yellowish-greenish color that just screams, “EAT ME!” The first time I tried Sun Gold tomatoes was about two weeks ago and I fell in love. There were so many of these sweet delicious goodies in the backyard; I decided to make my own spaghetti sauce with all of them. I googled many different recipes and just combined a few. It’s a simple recipe, not much thrill because I wanted to keep the natural sweetness of the Sun Golds.
2-3 – 32oz. of fresh Sun Gold Tomatoes (or you can use my measurements, 2 large bowls HA!)
1 large white onion, chopped
2 sprigs of fresh oregano, de-spriged and chopped
5 or 6 or 7 or 8! cloves of fresh garlic, sliced or chopped (I LOVE garlic!)
a pinch of salt and pepper
2 tbsp. of EVOO
fresh parmigiano reggiano
4 qt. of water
2 qt. of ice cold water
your choice of pasta
Cook pasta according to the directions on the package, then drain. Bring 4 qt of water to a boil, add all tomatoes to the boiling water for a only couple minutes. Drain and immediately give them an ice cold water bath, then peel. The ice water helps the skins to peel off easier. Next, sauté the chopped onions in the EVOO. Cook until they are translucent and have a hint of brown. Combine the peeled tomatoes, garlic, onions, oregano, salt and pepper to the cooked onions and let simmer for 25-35 mins. During this time the Sun Golds will start to break down to a saucier consistancy. Serve hot with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or any of your favorite type of cheese. Enjoy!
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May 11th, 2009 cate
From naturalnews:
“A higher intake of vitamin E can cut the risk of lung cancer by more than half, researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has found.
In a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers used the National Cancer Institute’s Health Habits and History Questionnaire and Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess the dietary intakes of 1,088 lung cancer patients and 1,414 healthy participants. Participants were further surveyed about various lifestyle factors, including smoking.
The average age of the healthy participants was 60.8, while the average age of the lung cancer participants was 61.7.
Vitamin E occurs in two main groups, the tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these groups, in turn, contains four varieties, named alpha, beta, gamma and delta. For the current study, the researchers analyzed participants’ dietary tocopherol intake, dividing it up based on which form it occurred in.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to compare dietary intakes of the different forms of tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma and delta-tocopherol) and lung cancer risk,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers divided participants into groups based on intake of tocopherols in general and the four different varieties individually, then compared the rate of lung cancer between the groups.
Participants with the highest tocopherol intake were found to have a 55 percent lower risk of lung cancer than participants with the lowest intakes. The average intakes of the two groups were more than 12.95 milligrams per day and less than 6.68 milligrams per day, respectively.
A powerful protective correlation also showed up for alpha-tocopherol, with those consuming the most having a 53 percent lower risk of lung cancer than those with the lowest intake. The highest alpha-tocopherol intake averaged more than 7.73 milligrams per day, while the lowest averaged less than 4.13 milligrams per day.
Higher consumption of beta-, gamma- or delta-tocopherol alone, however, appeared to have no influence on cancer risk.
“We found consistent independent associations for increased dietary alpha-tocopherol intake and risk reduction but did not find independent associations for gamma-, beta- and delta-tocopherol in lung cancer risk,” the researchers wrote.
The European diet typically contains vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol, while the U.S. diet tends to contain it in the form of gamma-tocopherol. Vitamin pills contain mostly alpha-tocopherol.
The study was not designed to analyze by what mechanism tocopherols in general or alpha-tocopherol in particular might act to reduce cancer risk.
“Our data should be useful in stimulating additional epidemiologic and basic science research in the relationship of different forms of vitamin E and cancer,” the researchers wrote.
Foods high in vitamin E include asparagus, avocado, green leafy vegetables, nuts, olives, seeds and wheat germ. A variety of vegetable oils, including canola, corn, cottonseed, red palm, sunflower and soybean are also high in the vitamin.
The new study is not the first to link vitamin E with cancer protection. The vitamin is well known to function as an antioxidant, meaning that it plays an important role in removing particles known as free radicals from the body. These electrically charged molecules are believed to be responsible for some of the cell damage that leads to cancer, other diseases, and the symptoms of aging.”
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May 9th, 2009 cate
From scientificblogging:
“New research that uses an innovative approach to study, for the first time, the relative contributions of food and exercise habits to the development of the obesity epidemic has concluded that the rise in obesity in the United States since the 1970s was virtually all due to increased energy intake.
How much of the obesity epidemic has been caused by excess calorie intake and how much by reductions in physical activity has been long debated and while experts agree that making it easier for people to eat less and exercise more are both important for combating it, they debate where the public health focus should be.
A study presented on Friday at the European Congress on Obesity is the first to examine the question of the proportional contributions to the obesity epidemic by combining metabolic relationships, the laws of thermodynamics, epidemiological data and agricultural data.
“There have been a lot of assumptions that both reduced physical activity and increased energy intake have been major drivers of the obesity epidemic. Until now, nobody has proposed how to quantify their relative contributions to the rise in obesity since the 1970s. This study demonstrates that the weight gain in the American population seems to be virtually all explained by eating more calories. It appears that changes in physical activity played a minimal role,” said the study’s leader, Professor Boyd Swinburn, chair of population health and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University in Australia….”
Read the full article
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