Health in Review Now

Monday's Quote!

2011-06-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.

Summer is near!

2011-06-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Summer Health Concerns for Kids

As spring sliding towards summer, parents are weighing in on the summer health risks they see for their adolescent children.

Sunburn, bee stings, and heat strokes made the list. So did concerns such as online safety and knowing how to handle an unsafe situation.

That's according to an online survey taken by 542 parents of kids aged 10-13 years.

Nearly one in four parents are "extremely" or "very" concerned about their school-aged child's health during summer break, the survey shows.

The survey, conducted in late March, comes from the National Parent Teacher Association's survey and was funded by the drug company GlaxoSmithKline.

Parents' Summer Health Concerns

The parents rated a list of 10 health issues related to their young adolescent.

Here is that list, along with the percentages of parents noting concern about those issues:

Knowing what to do in an unsafe situation: 77%
Understanding how to be safe online: 75%
Making healthy food choices: 71%
Getting a sunburn: 61%
Getting injured while playing sports: 56%
Getting bitten by a tick: 46%
Swimming or playing at a pool, lake, or beach not attended by a lifeguard: 46%
Getting stung by a bee or wasp: 44%
Suffering from heat/sun stroke or dehydration: 44%
Being exposed to an infectious disease: 42%

Almost all parents -- 95% -- said they want their child to be active and fit over the summer. Nearly a quarter said their child doesn't get enough exercise over the summer. About half said their child spends too much time watching TV or playing video games.

Parents' Stay-Safe Summer Strategies

The parents also rated how likely they were to take certain steps to keep preteens and young teens healthy over the summer. Here are the eight steps most frequently chosen:

Maintain open communication with him/her: 92%
Provide him/her with healthy food choices: 81%
Insist that he/she wear sunscreen: 75%
Talk to him/her about Internet safety: 71%
Ensure that he/she takes a bottle of water with him/her every day: 68%
Make sure his/her vaccinations are up to date: 62%
Teach him/her 911 protocols: 61%
Teach him/her first aid protocols: 52%

Oh! That Sun!!!! Screen!

2011-05-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the beginning of summer, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has issued its 5th annual guide to sunscreen products.

Just one in five of more than 600 beach and sport sunscreens made the cut. Another 11 products earned a spot in the group's Hall of Shame.

The report also evaluates lip balms, moisturizers, and makeup products that claim sun protection.

The environmental group had some general advice for consumers, as well. "We recommend people avoid sunscreen sprays," says report co-author Sonya Lunder, MPH, a senior analyst at EWG. The concern, she says, is that chemicals can be inhaled.

Sunscreens with a form of vitamin A known as retinyl palminate -- in about 30% of sunscreens -- should also be avoided because of concerns about it producing skin lesions, she tells WebMD. Oxybenzone, which EWG calls a ''hormone disrupter," is another ingredient to be avoided, she says.

Meanwhile, the report is termed ''reckless'' by Farah Ahmed, chair of the Sunscreen Task Force for the Personal Care Products Council, an industry group. Ahmed reviewed the findings for WebMD. "It's very, very similar and probably 90% of it is verbatim from last year," she says.

Ahmed takes exception with some of the EWG evaluation methods.

Lunder counters: "We think the industry really needs to catch up with the science."

Best Sunscreens, According to EWG

Sunscreens earning a spot on the EWG recommended list contain the minerals zinc or titanium as their active ingredient. "We think they are the most stable," Lunder tells WebMD.

Among the sunscreens on the EWG top pick list:

Alba Botanica Mineral Sunscreen, Fragrance-Free, SPF 30
Aveeno Baby Natural Protection Mineral Block Face Stick SPF 50
Climb On! Mineral Sunblock SPF 30
Karen's Botanicals Simple Sunblock Lotion, Unscented, SPF 30
Loving Naturals Sunscreen, SPF 30 plus
Sun Putty Face SPF 30
Vanicream Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin, SPF 30

None of the recommended sunscreens include chemicals that EWG considers hormone-disrupting, such as oxybenzone. None of the recommended sunscreens had retinyl palminate.

EWG named 11 products to its Hall of Shame. They earned the spot for various reasons. Some contain oxybenzone or retinyl palminate. Some were sprays. Others made exaggerated or misleading claims, according to EWG. Among products listed in the Hall of Shame:

Hawaiian Tropic Baby Stick Sunscreen SPF 50.
Baby Blanket SunBlankie Towelette SPF 45+
Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70+
Banana Boat Sport Performance Active Max Protect, SPF 110
Elizabeth Arden--Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense for Face, SPF 50
Rite Aid Kids Sunscreen Spray Lotion SPF 45
Anthony Logistics for Men Sun Stick SPF 15
iS SPF 20 Powder Sunscreen & Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 30 & colorescience Suncanny Face Colore SPF 20

EWG also calls out the FDA for its failure to finalize the proposed regulations on sunscreen, first suggested in 1978. The most recent version of the proposed regulations was issued in 2007. They are not yet finalized.

The proposed regulations would require sunscreen makers to give information on the amount of UVA screening their products provide, among other requirements.

FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess says the regulations are expected to be finalized shortly. "We're close, we're really close," she tells WebMD. In an email, she says that the "FDA recognizes the importance of publishing a final OTC monograph for sunscreen products and is making every effort to publish it as soon as possible."

EWG Report: Industry Response

Ahmed takes exception to the report, including the method used to evaluate the sunscreens.

For instance, she says, EWG calculated the protection level of individual ingredients. In its report, EWG explains that it determined the amount and type of UV light filtered out by an ingredient or ingredient combination at every wavelength along the UVA and UVB spectrum.

According to the EWG report: "We based our analysis of sunscreen effectiveness in part on the absorbance spectrum of each active ingredient."

Ahmed says protection could change, either increasing or decreasing, when ingredients are evaluated in combination, as they are in the product.

As for concerns about retinyl palminate, Ahmed says "We have no data to demonstrate there is an issue."

Sun Protection: Common Ground

On one point industry and EWG agree: sunscreen is only part of a good sun protection program. "We never say sunscreens alone are enough," Ahmed says.

Covering up with clothing, wearing sunglasses, and avoiding the most potent sun rays at midday are also advised.

Monday's Quote!

2011-05-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.

Billy Graham

Did I miss Friday?

2011-05-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Perfect Potato Salad

Potato salads come in one of two categories: creamy or vinegar-based. Once you understand a few basics, you'll be ready to create your own famous recipe!

Creamy potato salads almost always have a mayonnaise-based dressing but can also include sour cream, yogurt, and creamy-style salad dressings. Creamy potato salads are served cold.

Vinegar-based potato salads (frequently called German-style potato salad) are dressed with a mixture of cider vinegar, vegetable oil, and sugar. This style of salad is often served warm.
Pick a Potato

Don't overlook the most essential part of your potato salad: the spuds!
Among the best varieties for potato salad are Yellow Finn, Yukon Gold, and red potatoes. Their high moisture content will give them a more pleasant texture when cold, and their waxier flesh holds up better to chopping and to tossing with dressing than drier, more mealy potatoes, like Russets.

If you wish to add a little extra color and texture to your salad, leave the skins on. Just be sure to scrub them thoroughly before you begin; "gritty" is one texture that nobody likes! Once you've either scrubbed or peeled your potatoes, cut them into bite-size chunks, place them in a pot, and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil, then generously salt the water. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the pot at a gentle boil.

Depending on your definition of "bite-size," the potatoes will take between 8 and 15 minutes to cook. As soon as they're tender enough to bite through easily, drain them. Remember that the potatoes will continue cooking a little bit even after they've been drained.

If you're making a hot potato salad to be served immediately, have your dressing ready and standing by. Otherwise, spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet in a single layer to cool. This is a good time to add some seasonings, since potatoes are at their most absorbent when they're still hot. Add salt, pepper, dried herbs, and a sprinkle of your favorite vinegar.

When the potatoes are no longer steaming, transfer them to the refrigerator to chill.
Mixing the Salad

While your potatoes cool, mix the rest of the salad ingredients together.

Some people prefer the simple route, with just a few additions; others like as many extras as they can pack into the bowl while still leaving room for the taters!

Whether you're making creamy or vinegary potato salad, some favorite choices for seasoning the dressing are cider vinegar, lemon juice, pickle juice, horseradish, paprika, hot pepper sauce, dried and fresh herbs, and any variety of prepared mustard from plain yellow to stone-ground or Dijon-style to extra spicy.

Dill, chives, and parsley are especially good partners with potato salad, but some other potato-friendly herbs are sage, tarragon, basil, thyme, and rosemary.

Apart from herbs and spices, there are many other delicious additions:
Tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, bell peppers of any color, pickles, capers, chiles, peas, celery, red onions, green onions, shallots, olives, fennel, pimentos, watercress, and artichoke hearts
Crumbled cheeses including Gorgonzola, blue cheese, smoked cheddar, or feta
Toasted nuts and seeds, especially sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, or pecans
Tidbits of cooked or cured meats like salami, ham, prosciutto, smoked salmon, shrimp, chicken, or bacon
And, of course, hard-cooked eggs

Once you've chosen your ingredients, mix everything together well, and take a taste. Need more salt? Vinegar? Spice? Adjust seasonings before you start tossing the dressing with the potatoes; the less you stir, the prettier your salad will look. And remember, the potatoes are much blander than the dressing; a spoonful of strong-tasting dressing may be just right once it's mixed with the potatoes. Also, the flavors will intensify with time. If you can manage it, make your potato salad a day ahead to achieve optimum flavor.

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Coffee May Lower Prostate Cancer Risk

2011-05-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Coffee - The Wine of the Tropics!

Men who drink coffee regularly appear to lower their risk of prostate cancer, especially the lethal form, new research suggests.

When the researchers looked at all forms of prostate cancer, ''the highest coffee drinkers had about a 20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer during the follow-up," says researcher Lorelei Mucci, ScD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The 20% lower risk was found in those drinking six or more cups daily compared to none, she tells WebMD.

Coffee protected even more against the most lethal form of prostate cancer. Among those drinking one to three cups a day, the risk of lethal prostate cancer declined 29%, compared to that of nondrinkers. Among those drinking six or more cups daily, the risk for deadly prostate cancer was reduced 60% compared to that of nondrinkers.

The surprise: the risk reduction held for both regular coffee and decaf, leading the researchers to speculate it's not the caffeine providing the protection.

The study is published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Other research has found coffee can lower the risk of Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, and liver cancer.

About 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2010, according to the American Cancer Society. About 32,000 men died of the disease in 2010.

A Visual Guide to Prostate Cancer

Checking for Health Benefits of Coffee

Mucci and her colleagues tracked more 47,911 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The men reported their intake of coffee, both regular and decaf, in 1986, and every four years after that.

From 1986 to 2006, 5,035 men developed prostate cancer. This included 642 with lethal forms of the cancer. Lethal forms were either fatal or were cancers that spread.

The researchers evaluated whether there was a coffee and prostate cancer link. They found it held after accounting for such factors as obesity and smoking.

"We're not exactly sure what the mechanism is," Mucci says. It could be the antioxidants in coffee.

Or it could be substances that reduce inflammation, which has also been linked with higher prostate cancer risk.

It might be compounds that help regulate insulin, she tells WebMD. Higher insulin levels have been linked to higher risk of prostate cancer, she says.

"I think it's probably too early to tell men to start drinking coffee to lower their risks of lethal prostate cancer," she tells WebMD.

However, she adds, it's probably good news for men who already enjoy a cup or more.

More Studies Needed

The study evaluates participants from a long-running, well-regarded study, says Mark Kawachi, MD, director of the Prostate Cancer Center at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, Calif.

He reviewed the study findings for WebMD. ''Coffee is a very complex beverage, in that there are so many known and unknown chemicals in coffee," he says.

For those advised not to drink caffeinated coffee for other health reasons, he says, the study still holds some good news. "Some of the concerns about drinking so much coffee may be mitigated by the fact they found decaf had the same benefits."

The findings, he tells WebMD, need to be validated in another, independent study.

Likewise, Eric Jacobs, PhD, of the American Cancer Society urged caution in interpreting the findings. "This is a large, well-designed study," he tells WebMD, ''but it is the only study to show a link between coffee consumption and lower risk of fatal prostate cancer." More research is needed to duplicate the finding, he says.

Smoking and being obese are linked with a higher risk of fatal prostate cancer, he says. "So it is fine to enjoy a nice cup of coffee, but avoiding smoking and maintaining a healthy weight are among the surest ways to stay healthy."

Top Picks

Monday's Quote!

2011-05-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hot heads and cold hearts never solved anything.

Monday's Quote!

2011-05-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

May Your days, Mother,

be noted as special

everyday!

To be a mother is by no means second class.

Men may have the authority in the home,

but the women have the influence.

The mother, more than the father,

is the one who molds and shapes those little lives

from day one.

Adam named her Eva - mother of all.

No love is closer to God's love

like a mother's.

How to Hydrate Your Active Child

2011-05-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Tips for Preventing Dehydration in Children

Drink water or sports drinks. Water is fine, but a flavored beveragemay be preferable for preventing dehydration because children may drink more ofit, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Fruit juice may befine for kids participating in lighter activity, but sports drinks are betterfor the more active child, says StevenParker, MD, co-author of the 1998 edition of Dr. Spock's Baby and ChildCare.
Be prepared. Before training and competitions, children should bewell-hydrated.
Get on schedule. Active or athletic children should drink fluids ona regular basis. Create a "fluid schedule" in which your child drinks a certainamount of fluids before, during, and after practices, games, and competitions.Children should drink more if they are working out in hot, humid, sunnyconditions, or if they sweat heavily.

Steps to Take During Sports Activities

Drink early. By the time a child is thirsty, he or she may alreadybe dehydrated.
Drink enough. The AAP suggests that a child weighing about 88 poundsdrink 5 ounces of cold tap water or a flavored beverage every 20 minutes.Children and teens weighing 132 poundsshould drink 9 ounces of cold tap water or a flavored beverage like a sportsdrink every 20 minutes. One ounce typically equals two kid-size gulps.
What to avoid: dehydrating beverages such as caffeinated beverages(sodas, iced tea). The caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it causes the child tolose more fluid.

Monday's Quote!

2011-05-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

Now, the true soldiers of Christ

must always be prepared to do battle for the truth,

and must never, so far as lies with them,

allow false convictions to creep in.

Good Friday!

2011-04-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary

Ingredients

1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 pounds whole leg of lamb
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, rosemary, ground black pepper, lemon zest and garlic. Mix well and apply to the lamb. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Place lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and roast for 55 to 60 more minutes for medium rare. The internal temperature should be at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 790 | Total Fat: 55.4g | Cholesterol: 224mg

Easter is Near!

2011-04-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Braided Ester Egg Bread!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
5 whole eggs, dyed if desired
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 234 | Total Fat: 8.7g | Cholesterol: 162mg

Nutrition for strength, when ...

2011-04-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the old adage "you are what you eat" -- and it'snever as true as when you are feeling under the weather. During these times,what you eat and when you eat it can preserve strength, boost immunity, andhelp you feel better -- quicker.

But for people battling arthritis, cancer, depression, and other conditionsthat can affect appetite, eating right is much easier said than done. To help,WebMD compiled this list of nutrients you need, complete with suggestions forhow to get them quickly and easily.

Harnessing the Power of Protein

Hands down, "the most important nutrient when you are feeling weak isprotein," says Rachel Beller, MS, RD, director of the Brander NutritionalOncology Counseling and Research Program at the John Wayne Cancer Institute inSanta Monica, Calif. "We need protein for strength and for maintainingproper body mass."

If you have cancer, are not hungry, and don't eat, "you could becomeweakened to the point that treatment can be halted," she says. To avoidthis scenario, "psychologically think of food as medicine."

When you feel too ill to eat, consider a high-calorie drink, Bellersuggests. "Take some easily-digestible protein powder (such as whey) andput it in a blender with some almond milk (which is also easy to digest) andsome frozen berries, so it has a cool temperature, but it's not icy," shesays.

"Sliced bananas or yogurt can be added to make it creamy," she says."Blend and drink." It's high-protein (containing roughly 21 grams ofprotein, which is the equivalent to 3 ounces of chicken), contains one to twoservings of fruit, and is rich in calcium, Beller says.

Another good choice: "Healthy, high-protein foods such as nuts areusually well tolerated when you are nauseous," she says. Almond butter,cashew butter on crackers, or pre-prepared soup with beans also pack a goodprotein punch.

Sally Pataky, MS, RD, recommends eggs, as well as shakes, to her clients atthe City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. "It takes a lot of energyto chew things," she says. "I suggest eggs because they are the bestquality protein and they are easy to eat."

Concentrating on Calcium

Calcium is an essential mineral that all women need from adolescence on,says clinical nutrition specialist Frederic Vagnini, MD, FACS, medical directorof Pulse Anti-Aging Center in Scarsdale, N.Y. "It's an absolute must and ano-brainier."

For optimal bone health -- especially among people taking medications suchas corticosteroids that deplete bone density -- aim for 1,200 to 1,500 mg ofcalcium a day from both food and supplements.

"Yogurt is rich in calcium and easy to get down," he says.

Taking a Daily Multivitamin

Most nutritionists, including Beller, suggest that people try to get theirvitamins from whole foods. Food contains many vitamins and minerals, and theirsynergistic effect is probably more beneficial than vitamin supplements. Still,no one has a perfect diet. So Beller and Vagnini suggest one multivitamin eachday.

"I recommend everyone take a multivitamin, especially those who areelderly or who have a chronic illness," says Vagnini. He says "poorappetite is not an uncommon problem in the elderly and it is also worsened bypoor teeth, fatigue, and a decrease in mental acuity."

Finding Time for Fiber

Most people need 20-35 grams of fiber a day, depending on your gender andage, according to the American Dietetic Association. In addition to improvingregularity, adequate fiber can help prevent several forms of cancer and heartdisease.

"Generally speaking, fiber comes from fruits, vegetables, and wholegrains," Vagnini says. But if your appetite is compromised, "one of thethings that you may try is a fiber supplement or try oat bran cereal mixed withsome milk and fruit."

Fresh fruit is another great source of fiber. Also, some meal-replacementdrinks and bars have fiber in them.

Certain pain medications and cancer medications can be constipating, sofiber can help keep you regular. But she cautions against filling up on branbecause it is important to get calories from other foods as well.

Fitting in Fat

"We encourage people to eat fats like avocado and even ice cream,"Pataky says. "We are not as concerned about fat types as we are aboutgetting in calories because if you lose weight when you are sick, it's not justfat loss, it's muscle loss as well and that is very hard to get back," shesays. "It's important to get enough calories and fat is high incalories," she says.

Juicing Your Fruit Bowl

"Fruits have more calories than vegetables so if you can't eat freshfruit, eat canned fruit," Pataki says. "Juicing is not a bad thingeither because it is easier to drink then chew when you don't feel well,"she says.

"Generally I am opposed to juicing because it takes away fiber,"adds Vagnini. "I'd prefer a person eat an apple or orange, but when you aredebilitated it's a very good way to get in nutrient density, is easy to do, andmore palpable."

Crunching Something Cruciferous

"I recommend one serving a day of cruciferous vegetables for optimalimmune function," Beller says. Whether Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy,broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, radishes, broccoli sprouts, or others,cruciferous vegetables are probably one of the strongest powerhouses ofphytochemicals or plant-based substances that are rich in disease fightingantioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

"They should be a key player in one's weekly -- if not daily --nutrients," she says. Sneak them into a salad or a sandwich.

Other helpful appetite boosters include:

Keep a food diary. "The first step is to keep a food diary or acareful food history for at least two weeks to help evaluate calories andnutrient intake better -- then show it to your doctor," Vagnini says. Italso should include beverages and reflect how you feel after you eat, he says.Medications, too, should be included.
Be wary of nutrient thieves. "Fast food is easy and cheap andcan be double trouble," Vagnini says. "These foods contain higheramounts of fat, sugar, and salt and they rob the body of nutrition," hesays. Steer clear!
Eat smaller meals. "Eat small amounts often because most peoplecan't manage the three-meal-a-day thing when they don't feel well," Patakysays. Even three normal meals seem like a lot to people who don't have anappetite. Also, get enough rest because people who are tired don't eat, and ifyou can, engage in some exercise such as walking. "Exercise improvesappetite and fatigue," she says.

Best Diet Plan: 6 Mini Meals or 3 Squares a Day?

2011-04-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

Eating small meals frequently throughout the day may not help take the bite out of your hunger while you are dieting, according to a new study.

Many diets and dietitians promote such mini meals, but they may not be any better than three square meals a day when it comes to feeling full and satisfied, according to a new study in Obesity.

“You hear a lot in the lay press claiming that mini meals were better, but there was no scientific evidence to support these claims,” says study researcher Heather J. Leidy, PhD, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Leidy was getting her PhD at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., when the study was conducted. “We are not saying three meals a day is the best, but mini meals are not any more beneficial at controlling appetite,” she says.

3 Meals vs. 6

Twenty seven overweight or obese men were placed on a reduced-calorie diet in which either 25% or 14% of the calories came from lean protein for 12 weeks. Men were asked to eat the same diet as three meals or six meals a day for three days starting at week seven, and then they switched to the other eating pattern for three more days.

Men recorded their feelings of hunger or satiety every hour that they were awake during the three- or six-meal-a-day portion of the study using an electronic device.

Men who ate low-calorie, high-protein diets felt more satisfied and less hungry than those eating a low-calorie, normal protein diet, the new study showed.

Those men who ate six mini meals a day showed no improvement in appetite control or perceived fullness compared to those who ate three meals a day.

The findings are likely applicable to overweight or obese women, Leidy says. Some people such as athletes, recreational runners, and people with diabetes or prediabetes, however, may benefit from eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day, she says.

“But eating more frequently is not the best diet strategy to combat obesity,” she says.

No One-Size-Fits All Strategy

This is a tricky one, says Dana Greene, MS, RD, a nutritionist in Brookline, Mass. “Some people enjoy eating small meals throughout the day, and others don't have the time and/or don't care to eat so frequently,” she says.

The three meals in this study were calorie controlled, which is what helps weight loss, Greene says.

“It was thought that eating small meals more frequently helps stabilize blood sugar and better controls appetite, but if those frequent meals aren't appropriately portioned, this won't work,” she says. “I don't think there is a one-size-fits-all answer.”

Unrealistic Expectations

Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of The F-Factor Diet and a New York City-based nutritionist, says that "a diet consisting of six meals throughout the day can be unrealistic to maintain considering people’s hectic lifestyles.”

In an email, she says that “when you eat a more substantial meal, you get increased sensory stimulation because you have more food going through your mouth and you’re eating for a longer period of time, both of which help to promote feelings of satisfaction.”

Zuckerbrot promotes a combination of lean protein and fiber at every meal. “Meals consisting of a combination of fiber and protein will help keep you feeling full longer because they take the longest time to digest,” she says. “They also keep blood sugar levels stabilized and thus prevent drastic spikes and crashes in sugar levels that can ultimately lead to increased hunger, bingeing, and/or making poor choices at mealtimes.”

The National Pork Board and the American Egg Board funded the new study. Eggs and lean pork were among the main sources of protein in the diets.

It is Friday!

2011-04-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Apricot Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

2 pounds carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

Add carrots to a pot of lightly salted water, and bring to a low boil. Simmer until carrots are tender. Drain.
Put melted butter in a bowl, and stir in apricot preserves. Stir in nutmeg, salt, orange zest, and lemon juice. Add carrots, and stir well to coat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 119 | Total Fat: 4.7g | Cholesterol: 11mg

Cocoa Rich in Health Benefits

2011-04-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Cocoa, used throughout history as a folk medicine, may actually have significant health benefits, according to a new study by Harvard researchers.

Their analysis of 21 studies with 2,575 participants shows that cocoa consumption is associated with decreased blood pressure, improved blood vessel health, and improvement in cholesterol levels, among other benefits.

Eric L. Ding, PhD, of Harvard Medical School says the apparent health benefits come from polyphenolic flavonoids in cocoa that have the potential to prevent heart disease. Flavonoids are antioxidants that are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, tea, wine, and coffee.

Cocoa Flavonoids Good for Cholesterol

In addition to decreasing blood pressure and improving blood vessel health, consumption of flavonoid-rich cocoa decreased “bad” LDL cholesterol among people under age 50, and increased good HDL cholesterol, the analysis showed.

Flavonoid-rich cocoa consumption also was linked to reductions in risk factors for diabetes -- a major risk factor itself for cardiovascular disease.

Also, resistance to the hormone insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar, favorably dropped among people who consumed flavonoid-rich cocoa, compared to people in comparison groups.

Further, consumption of flavonoid-rich cocoa did not change triglyceride levels of study participants or make them obese. Triglycerides are a type of blood fat that have been linked to coronary artery disease when levels are elevated above normal.

More Research Needed to Nail Down Benefits of Cocoa

Most of the previous studies analyzed were short-term research projects using mostly sugar-free, dark chocolate.

Ding and his colleagues say in the new study that because most chocolate is high in added sugar and fat, more research is needed to determine the risk-benefit effect on the heart health of eating commercially available chocolate.

Though past studies by Ding and others have found that cocoa may reduce heart attack risk, the dosage necessary to produce this effect is not known, and further research is needed to shed more light on that question, as well as on cocoa’s direct benefits on preventing strokes and heart attacks, according to a news release.

The new research is being presented in Atlanta at the American Heart Association’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism/Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2011 Scientific Sessions.

When Friday happens on Saturday!

2011-04-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

Carrots Cupcakes-Easter is Near! Get Ready ... ...

Ingredients

2 ounces white chocolate
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cups white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 639 | Total Fat: 32.2g | Cholesterol: 80mg

Yogurt Goes Gourmet: Greek Yogurt, Goat Milk Yogurt, Soy Yogurt, and More

2011-03-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Walk down any dairy aisle and your head may spin when you see the ever-expanding yogurt options. Once viewed as a health food, yogurt has gone uber-trendy with a dizzying choice of flavors, textures, styles, milk sources, fat content, and sweeteners.

Yogurt’s nutritional goodness and health halo are at the core of its appeal. According to a news release from AC Nielsen Global Services, yogurt is among the fastest-growing food categories in the world.

Satisfying consumer demand for healthy foods, yogurts are quick, easy, and pleasing to most everyone. Convenient and portable, you can drink it or squeeze it when you are crunched for time or eat it the old-fashioned way with a spoon.

Not All Yogurts Are Nutritional Superstars

But not all yogurts are created equal -- some are more like a dessert than a nutritious snack.

“Various yogurts undermine the nutrient richness with fat and added sugar from sweeteners and additional ingredients like candy and cookies that make it more like candy in a container instead of a valuable dose of dairy,” says New York weight loss expert Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD.

The Truth Lies in the Label

To find the healthiest yogurts low in fat and sugar, be sure to check the Nutrition Facts panel on the package. Keep in mind that the sugar listed on the panel includes added sugars and lactose, which is the natural form of carbohydrate found in milk.

“A serving of plain yogurt contains 8-12 grams of sugar from lactose without any added sugars. Check the ingredient list to see if fruits, fruit juice concentrates, high fructose corn syrup, cane syrup, or other sweeteners are present,” says Taub-Dix, author of Read It Before You Eat It.

Yogurt is often filled with added sugar and can also come with toppings to mix in -- adding even more calories. Natural sugar from fruit is better than other sugars, Taub-Dix says. She recommends choosing the lowest-sugar option or adding your own fruit or high-fiber cereal to plain, nonfat yogurt.

And when it comes to artificially sweetened yogurts, it is a personal choice that can help trim calories but Taub-Dix prefers a more natural approach by adding your own fruit to plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt.

The fat content of yogurt depends on the type of milk, including skim or nonfat, 1%, 2%, whole milk, and whole milk with a splash of cream.

Most nutrition experts recommend nonfat and low-fat yogurts.

Nutritional Benefits of Yogurt

Rich in protein, calcium, B vitamins, and often fortified with vitamin D, yogurt is a nutrient-rich food routinely included on "super food" lists. An average 8-ounce serving contains between 8-12 grams of protein.

An excellent source of calcium, an average 8-ounce container contains one-third of the Daily Recommended Value. Yogurt has slightly more calcium than the same amount of cow’s milk. It is also a good source of potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and phosphorus.

A few servings of low-fat or nonfat yogurt a day helps fill in the calcium, potassium, and vitamin D nutrient gaps most adults and children have in their diets, says Elizabeth Ward, RD, nutrition expert and author of Expect the Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating, Before, During and After Pregnancy.

Friendly Bacteria a Bonus

Yogurt’s live and active cultures contribute friendly bacteria that promote digestive health by settling an upset stomach, promoting regularity, and possibly boosting immunity says Jo Ann Hattner, RD, author of Gut Insight.

Look for the "Live and Active Cultures" seal to be sure you are getting yogurts that have not been heat-treated after the fermentation process (similar to beer, wine, and cheese), which kills most of the beneficial active cultures.

People with limited lactose tolerance may tolerate yogurts with live and active cultures because the fermentation process helps to digest some of the lactose, making it more digestible.

Sorting Through the Yogurt Varieties

Greek yogurt, with its thicker, richer texture, is the latest newcomer garnering lots of attention. Choose nonfat or low-fat Greek style yogurt that contains up to twice the amount of protein and about half the sugar of regular yogurts.
Sheep milk yogurt is another option claiming to be richer and creamier than cow’s milk yogurt with double the calcium and more protein. Ideal for cooking, it stands up to higher temperatures without breaking down like other yogurts.
Goat milk yogurt is considered one of the most popular worldwide. Typically made from whole goat milk, it has a softer texture with a slightly sweet and salty flavor. It's lower in calcium and usually higher in fat, but you can lower the fat content by skimming the cream off the top.
Soy yogurt made from soybeans has no saturated fat or cholesterol, is lower in protein, and is usually fortified with calcium to compete with cow’s milk yogurt.

Best bets, experts say, are plain, low-fat varieties topped with your own fruit, nuts, whole-grain cereal, or granola.

Easy Yogurt Recipes

Choose your favorite variety of lower-fat, low-sugar yogurt, or make your own.

Serve yogurt for breakfast or snacks as a parfait layered with fruit and whole-grain cereal or top it with a touch of honey, pomegranate seeds, and chopped walnuts. Fruit smoothies made with fresh or frozen blueberries, a banana, a few ice cubes, and low-fat plain yogurt is another great snack or on-the-go breakfast.

Boost nutrients in your recipes by substituting equal amounts of nonfat Greek-style yogurt instead of sour cream or mayonnaise in salads, dips, casseroles, and more. Add plain yogurt to marinades to help tenderize meat. Make the Greek sauce Tzatsiki to serve with fish or chicken by adding chopped cucumber and mint to Greek-style plain fat free yogurt.

Sweeten plain low-fat yogurt with crushed pineapple and top it with coconut for a pina colada dessert. Top a baked apple with low-fat yogurt mixed with apple pie spice.

There are so many ways to enjoy yogurt, limited only by your imagination and creativity.

It's Friday!

2011-03-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced roasted chicken breast
2 cups uncooked yolk-free wide noodles
1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

Directions

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the flour, oregano, thyme and poultry seasoning until blended; saute 1 minute longer. Gradually add broth, potatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Stir in the chicken and noodles; simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat. Stir in the milk; heat through (do not boil).

Footnotes

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1-1/2 cups) equals 235 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 31 mg cholesterol, 851 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 20 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

2011-03-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Childhood vaccines offer protection from a variety of serious or potentially fatal diseases. Know which vaccines your child needs now and which vaccines are coming up.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Wonder which vaccines your child needs? It can be difficult to stay on top of the vaccines schedule for children, especially when new vaccines are developed and added to the schedule. Complicating matters is that many vaccines require several doses — and sometimes, a child can get off schedule due to a shortage of vaccines or other issues.

Use the guide below to find out which vaccines your child needs now and which vaccines are coming up, based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If your child misses a dose of a vaccine, ask your child's doctor about scheduling catch-up vaccines.

Birth to age 18 months

Birth

Hepatitis B vaccine

The first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is usually given at birth. A second dose is given at least one month after the first dose.

Age 2 months

Rotavirus vaccine (RV)
Diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV)

At age 2 months, a series of several vaccinations usually begins. Combination vaccines are generally recommended to reduce the number of shots.

Age 4 months

Rotavirus vaccine (RV)
Diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV)

At age 4 months, follow-up doses to those vaccines received at age 2 months are usually given.

Age 6 months

Hepatitis B vaccine
Rotavirus vaccine (RV)
Diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV)

At age 6 months, another round of the vaccines given at 2 months and 4 months is usually given, as well as the final dose of the hepatitis B vaccine.

A yearly seasonal influenza vaccine, preferably given in the fall, also is recommended beginning at age 6 months. For children younger than age 2 years, the vaccine is given as a shot. Ask your child's doctor for details.

Age 12 months

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)
Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine
Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine
Hepatitis A vaccine

The final doses of both Hib vaccine and PCV and the first doses of MMR and varicella vaccines are usually given between ages 12 months and 15 months. In addition, two doses of hepatitis A — spaced at least six months apart — are usually given between ages 12 months and 23 months.

Age 15 months

Diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine

The fourth dose of DTaP is usually given between ages 15 months and 18 months. In some cases, the fourth dose can be given as early as age 12 months — as long as it's been six months since the last dose.

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Blood Test May Predict Risk of Diabetes

2011-03-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

Elevated levels of a group of five amino acids may predict the development of diabetes years before any noticeable symptoms occur, according to a new study.

Researchers found that blood tests that screened for these amino acids accurately predicted risk of type 2 diabetes in otherwise healthy adults as well as in those with traditional risk factors such as obesity.

"These findings could provide insight into metabolic pathways that are altered very early in the process leading to diabetes," says researcher Thomas Wang, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital's Cardiovascular Research Center, in a news release. "They also raise the possibility that, in selected individuals, these measurements could identify those at highest risk of developing diabetes so that early preventive measures could be instituted."

Researchers say metabolic abnormalities that eventually lead to type 2 diabetes can be present years before diabetes is diagnosed. For example, insulin resistance, where the body does not use insulin effectively, occurs long before blood sugars reach the level seen in type 2 diabetes.

Predicting Diabetes

The study, published in Nature Medicine, followed 2,422 healthy adults with normal blood sugars at the start of the study for 12 years. During this period, 201 developed type 2 diabetes.

Researchers compared blood samples taken at the beginning of the study in 189 participants who developed diabetes and 189 similarly matched participants who did not. Specifically, they screened for levels of 61 various metabolites, small molecules released into the bloodstream by metabolic activities.

The results showed that elevated levels of five amino acids, isoleucine, leucine, valine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, were associated with the development of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers found that measuring combinations of these five amino acids rather than a single amino acid was a more accurate predictor of future diabetes risk.

In addition, in people closely matched for traditional risk factors for type 2 diabetes, such as obesity or insulin resistance, those with the highest levels of the three most predictive amino acids -- isoleucine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine -- had a five to seven times higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest levels.

Researchers say several of these amino acids have also been associated with the development of diabetes in previous studies, but further studies in larger numbers of people will be needed to confirm these results.

Top Picks

It is Friday!

2011-03-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Banana Sour Cream Bread Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 263 | Total Fat: 10.5g | Cholesterol: 38mg

Healthy Living Tips to Prevent Illness and Disability

2011-03-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

You know the story: Somebody's 99-year-old aunt never exercised, smoked her whole life, and lived on a diet of red meat and ice cream. So why bother with healthy living, right?

"For every one person who lives a long life of unhealthy choices, there are countless others who die prematurely because of them," says Robert Schreiber, MD, physician-in-chief at Hebrew SeniorLife, an elder health care provider and affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Betting that you will be one of these people is playing a game of Russian roulette, Schreiber says.

The seeds for illness in many of Schreiber's patients in their 70s and 80s were sown in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, he says. "Probably 50% of cases of the most serious conditions -- heart disease, diabetes, stroke, many forms of cancer -- are related directly to lifestyle and behavior," Schreiber tells WebMD.

No one is guaranteed a life free of disease or injury. As we age, many of us will face at least one of these common health problems. But certain lifestyle steps can help forestall illness and sometimes prevent it altogether. They can also improve your quality of life and recovery if disease or injury does strike. Read on to learn what you can do to improve your odds.

Better Health through Diet

"Food provides essential vitamins and minerals that play a number of different and overlapping roles," says Jen Sacheck, PhD, an assistant professor at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston. Some vitamins support metabolism, some boost immunity, some are good for bones, some help synthesize protein -- and many do several of these things and more. "The key is: You have to have all of them for optimal health," Sacheck says.

Besides providing nutrients and fuel, food plays a decisive role in your weight. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces the risk for many cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis, to name a few. For people who are overweight, even a small amount of weight loss reduces the risk of many associated diseases.

If you do develop a medical condition, a nutritious diet is an important component of managing many diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.

Healthy Diet Basics

A healthy diet gives you enough fuel to get through the day without loading you up with excess calories. Start with foods from plants. The USDA's 2010 guidelines encourage Americans to eat more vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains, as well as more seafood and fat-free and low-fat dairy products.

In addition to focusing on beneficial foods, limit foods that may increase risk of health problems, like sweets. "Chocolate has some nutritional value, but is also high in sugar and fat," Sacheck tells WebMD. If you really love chocolate, enjoy it in small amounts, keeping the calories in mind.

Watch out for empty calories. For example, soft drinks have no nutritional value and are loaded with empty calories. You can find red flags for calorie emptiness in the list of ingredients on the label. If you see added sugar, saturated or trans fats, or refined grains, proceed with caution.

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It is Friday!

2011-03-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

Dessert: Olive Oil Ice Cream with Blood Oranges

Olive oil ice cream, enriched by pasture-raised egg yolks, honey, fresh cream and whole milk, is dense in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The combination of unrefined extra virgin olive oil and blood oranges, with their fruity and floral perfumes, adds a beautiful flavor and generous boost of vitamin E to a special and unique dessert.

Ingredients

2 blood oranges
3/4 cup unrefined, extra virgin olive oil
2 cups heavy cream, preferably fresh not ultra-pasteurized
2 cups whole milk, preferably fresh not ultra-pasteurized
6 egg yolks, beaten
1/3 to 1/2 cup raw honey
6 to 8 drops organic, food-grade orange essential oil
Dash unrefined sea salt

Instructions

Zest the blood oranges and reserve the zest.

Tenderly segment the oranges, removing the white pith and tough membranes and reserving the tender, colorful orange flesh. Set aside.

Whisk unrefined extra virgin olive oil, heavy cream, whole milk and beaten egg yolks together until thoroughly combined and gently emulsified.

Vigorously whisk honey into the milk and egg mixture. If your milk and eggs are very cold, the honey may harden and you may find it challenging to combine it thoroughly with the milk and eggs. If that is the case, you may gently warm the mixture of milk and egg yolks over very low heat which enables the honey to blend more efficiently into the cream, milk and egg yolks.

Stir in reserved orange zest, food-grade organic essential oil and sea salt into the honey-sweetened mixture of milk, cream, olive oil and egg yolks.

If you’ve warmed the mixture, cool it in the refrigerator until it becomes quite cold -- about twenty minutes.

Fold reserved blood orange segments into the olive oil ice cream mixture, and then freeze it according to your ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.

Total Servings: 12

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 249.9

Carbohydrates: 12.5 g

Cholesterol: 23.9 mg

Fat: 20.9 g

Saturated Fat: 6.0 g

Fiber: 0.0 g

Sodium: 192.2 mg

Protein: 4.1 g

What Is Prediabetes or Borderline Diabetes?

2011-03-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

People with prediabetes have glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough yet to indicate diabetes. The condition used to be called borderline diabetes. Most people with prediabetes don't have symptoms, but they are considered to be at high risk of developing heart disease.

Normally, your body produces a hormone called insulin to help your cells use the energy (glucose) found in food. With diabetes, either your body doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't efficiently use the insulin it does produce. When glucose builds up in the blood, it can damage the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys, heart, eyes, and nervous system.

With prediabetes, the subtle balance between glucose and insulin has been thrown off. The pancreas may not be able to produce enough insulin after a meal to "clear" the incoming glucose from the blood. Or cells may be insulin resistant. When cells are insulin resistant, they won't allow the insulin to escort glucose from the bloodstream into them. Too much glucose in the blood is also called high blood sugar or hyperglycemia. A low blood sugar level is called hypoglycemia.

If you have prediabetes, you're at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as the serious medical problems associated with diabetes, including heart disease and stroke. With prediabetes, you are at a 50% higher risk of heart disease and stroke than someone who does not have prediabetes.

How is prediabetes diagnosed?

Two blood tests are commonly used to determine if you have diabetes or prediabetes. One is the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG). The other is oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). These tests measure how quickly your body can "clear" glucose from your blood. The American Diabetes Association supports either test to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes.

How is the fasting plasma glucose test (FPG) done?

The fasting plasma glucose test can be done after an overnight fast or after an eight-hour fast during the day. It is a relatively easy, inexpensive test. After the fast, a simple blood test measures glucose levels before you eat again. The test results indicate whether your blood glucose level is normal or whether you have prediabetes or diabetes:

Normal: Normal blood sugar levels measure less than 100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) after the fasting glucose test.
Prediabetes: Blood glucose levels of 100-125 mg/dl after an overnight or eight-hour fast is diagnosed as prediabetes. People with these results are considered to have impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
Diabetes: Diabetes is diagnosed when the blood glucose is 126 mg/dl or above.

How is the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) done?

The OGTT usually requires that you have the fasting glucose test first. Then you take a dose of high-sugar (glucose) solution to challenge your body to clear the glucose from your blood. After two hours, another blood glucose test is done. The final test results indicate whether you have a normal level of blood glucose or have prediabetes or diabetes:

Normal: Normal blood sugar levels measure less than 140 mg/dl after the oral glucose tolerance test.
Prediabetes: Blood glucose levels of 140-199 mg/dl after the OGTT is diagnosed as prediabetes. People with these results are considered to have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).
Diabetes: Diabetes is diagnosed with blood glucose of 200 mg/dl or above.

How common is prediabetes?

The CDC estimates that as many as 57 million Americans aged 20 or older have prediabetes. That's based on national statistics of people who have been diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose.

Prediabetes should not be ignored. It signals the likely onset of a more serious condition, and it can begin the process of doing damage to your heart and possibly other organs such as the kidneys, eyes, and nervous system.

Are there lifestyle changes recommended for prediabetes?

Lifestyle changes can help many people with prediabetes to delay -- or even prevent -- the onset of full-blown diabetes. Changes that can help prevent diabetes include losing weight to bring total weight to a near-normal range, exercising daily, and eating balanced meals.

In a large research study called the Diabetes Prevention Program, the following lifestyle changes reduced the development of diabetes over three years by 58%. For people aged 60 or older, the reduction was an even greater 71%.

Weight control . Obese and overweight people are at high risk of having prediabetes turn into diabetes. Losing excess weight to bring weight within normal ranges for your height can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Even losing 5% to 10% of excess body weight can help.
Exercise. Studies have shown that moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day, such as cycling, swimming, or brisk walking, helps prevent -- and manage -- diabetes. Aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart rate up to your target heart rate, is ideal for losing weight and preventing prediabetes from turning into type 2 diabetes.
Nutrition . Healthy meals that mix a balance of low-fat protein, vegetables, and whole grains can help prevent prediabetes from becoming real diabetes. Calorie control, portion sizes (no super-sizing), and low-sugar, low-carbohydrate choices are key. Eating adequate fiber every day also helps.
Blood pressurecontrol. Because hypertension is associated with type 2 diabetes, keeping blood pressure within or close to normal ranges can help delay -- and control -- diabetes.

Your doctor may also advise lowering any other heart disease risks you may have, such as smoking and high cholesterol levels.

You can control your prediabetes by creating a healthier lifestyle. If prediabetes does become type 2 diabetes, these lifestyle changes -- weight control, exercise, nutrition, and blood pressure control -- build the platform for managing diabetes for life. A healthy lifestyle can also help you prevent or delay the need to begin using medications such as insulin to control blood sugar levels.

Healthy Cooking Tricks

2011-03-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

If you feel like you're losing the fight against food -- scarfing chips and cookies when you should be munching on carrots -- maybe it's time you learned the rules of healthy eating and healthy cooking. Learning to feel more comfortable in the kitchen can help you feel closer to your food -- and closer to a healthy lifestyle.

Diet Secret: Eat at home and learn healthy cooking tricks

Americans eat a lot of food they didn't cook themselves. While three-quarters of us eat most dinners at home, less than 60% of us prepare them in our own kitchens. In 2005, the trend of combining the convenience of take-out food with the comforts of home found each American buying an average of 57 restaurant meals to eat elsewhere, up from 33 meals 20 years ago. And when we do cook, we seldom cook from scratch. Last year, less than half of main meals prepared at home included even one fresh product, according to research from the NPD Group.

Why don't we cook more often? Many of us are just too busy--and too tired to face the kitchen after a long day of work. Others don't cook because they see food as the enemy, and are afraid they'll eat what they've made--maybe even all of what they've made, says therapist Karen R. Koenig, author of The Rules of "Normal" Eating and The Food and Feelings Workbook. Another cause for kitchen avoidance is the fear of making mistakes. According to Koenig, some people see the food they make as an extension of themselves, so they worry about being judged by the outcome. Ordering in takes a load of pressure off the perfectionist's back--you can blame a lousy dinner on the restaurant it came from, instead of on yourself.

Some of us hope that, by steering clear of the kitchen, we can keep the numbers on the scale from creeping slowly upwards. But when it comes to what we eat, ignorance is not bliss. And avoiding the issue won't keep us from getting fat. In fact, studies show that we're more apt to eat too much, too fast when we don't keep an eye on what goes into our mouths. And how can we make sure our meals are healthy and low-calorie if we don't know how they were prepared?

Learn healthy cooking tricks -- and resolve your food issues, too

One of the best ways to watch what you eat is to make it yourself.

"I love shortbread cookies," says Vicki Smythe, 26, a personal trainer. "But I had no idea how much butter was in them until I baked a few batches last week--an entire cup of butter in just 1 dozen cookies! I used to eat up to 4 or 5 cookies at a time, but now I'll definitely be stopping at 2!"

There are more reasons than just a reality check.

"Cooking helps food matter," Koenig says.

Many of us are disconnected from food because we're disconnected from our bodies. Cooking helps us tune in to how food smells and looks (real food - not its fake, processed equivalent), as well as to the whole process of feeding ourselves; a process in which food is energy and nourishment--not the enemy. If your biggest food issue is speed eating (which often leads to overeating), cooking can help you slow you down and connect with your senses, she says. Tasting and smelling food as it cooks encourages you to do the same as you eat. You're also more motivated to slow down and really enjoy a meal after working hard to make it.

Food and cooking have emotional associations, says Koenig, and paying attention to how you feel as you cook you get in touch with feelings you have about the past that relate to food. Were you often urged to finish your dinner because a parent worked so hard to make it for you? Or was your childhood spent eating frozen dinners and fending for yourself? The process of cooking can help you understand why you feel the way you do about food.

Ready to get started? Here are 4 healthy cooking tricks that can help you be just as comfortable in the kitchen as you are on the couch.

Healthy Cooking Tip #1: Stock your kitchen.

Healthy cooking starts with filling your cupboards. Keep these basics on hand, and you'll be able to whip up delicious meals in less than the time it takes for pizza to be delivered.

Basic healthy cooking tools:

good set of pots and pans
vegetable steamer/rice cooker
soup pot
food processor
grill
crock pot
good utensils

Basic healthy cooking ingredients:

fresh fruits and vegetables (just an amount you'll be able to use before spoilage)
frozen vegetables (They're fairly equal to fresh veggies in terms of vitamin levels, says Lola O'Rourke, a Seattle-based dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.)
yogurt
cheese
eggs
low-fat cuts of meat such as chicken breast or pork tenderloin (both fresh and frozen)
rice (brown, red, black and mixed rice varieties)
pasta (preferably whole grain)
whole grain bread and/or pita
beans (pinto, black, white, etc., both dried and canned)
canned chopped tomatoes
salsa (fresh, if available)
vegetable or chicken stock
garlic
onion
olive oil
vinegar
herbs and spices (fresh, if possible)

Healthy Cooking Tip #2: Plan ahead.

Simplify dinnertime prep by making as much as possible ahead of time, O'Rourke suggests. Make double or triple the amount the recipe calls for, and freeze the extra for future use. (Be sure to label and date each item). Minestrone soup is a great example of something that freezes well and thaws into an instant healthy meal, says Carol Hildebrand, co-author, with her brother Bob Hildebrand, executive chef at The Three Stallions Inn in Randolph, Vermont, of 500 3-Ingredient Recipes, 500 5-Ingredient Desserts and 3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Comfort Foods.

For example:

Clean and chop vegetables.
Peel and chop potatoes and store in cold water in the fridge.
Cut chicken breast into strips or bite-sized pieces for stir fry.
Make vegetable or chicken stock to use as a base for soup.
Prepare a basic marinara sauce for use over pasta or with polenta.
Cook a big batch of beans for minestrone, chili or beans and rice.
Cut up fruit for quick snacks. (According to research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, it's just as nutritious as fruit cut directly before eating

Healthy Cooking Tip #3: Keep it simple, sweetheart!

Using just these basic healthy cooking tools, ingredients, and pre-made foods, you can make any of the following healthy meals in minutes:

Stir fry. Fix quick-cooking rice or use a rice cooker (some can even be set to start on a timer, just like your trusty coffee pot), and serve with stir fry made with your pre-prepped chicken and vegetables and your favorite spices.
Pasta. Cook whole wheat pasta and serve with pre-made marinara sauce. Round out the meal with a salad of pre-washed and prepped greens. Sandwiches. Grill chicken breast and serve on a pita or whole grain sandwich, again using pre-prepped chicken and veggies.
Beans and rice. Cook black or pinto beans, and eat with rice, salsa and a salad.
Soup. Here are two quick recipes from Carol and Bob Hildebrand:
- Quick chicken soup: Saute pre-cut chicken breast, garlic and onion in bottom of a soup pot with a small amount of olive oil. Add chicken or vegetable soup stock, chopped basil, and either a half bag of your favorite frozen vegetables or the equivalent amount of pre-cut vegetables, and simmer.
- Carrot ginger soup: Saute pre-cut minced fresh ginger, onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Add finely chopped carrots (can be done in food processor ahead of time), saute a few minutes more, add chicken or vegetable stock to cover, and simmer until the carrots are soft. Puree the whole thing in a food processor and serve topped with a dollop of yogurt. Add a salad and some crusty rolls and you're all set!
Dessert. Serve fresh fruit anytime for a quick and nutritious snack or dessert. For a special treat, try one of the following ideas from Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Wellness Institute in Chicago and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association:
- Quick apple crisp. Microwave chopped apples topped with sprinkled cinnamon. Serve with a sprinkle of rolled oats and sugar.
- Grilled fruit. Grill pineapple, peach or banana, and top with a small scoop of ice cream.
- Fruit 'n' yogurt sundaes. Spoon low-fat yogurt and chopped fruit into a sundae glass. Pile high, and top with a cherry and reduced-sugar chocolate syrup.

Healthy Cooking Tip 4: Fold in flavor.

Garlic and onion add flavor depth to any dish, Hildebrand says, and you can up the ante even more with spices like basil, oregano and cilantro--fresh, if possible. A sprinkle of chopped cilantro over black bean soup, for example, adds punch to the entire dish, she says. And salt, when used judiciously, brings out flavor like nothing else.

To save on fat and calories, use low-fat plain yogurt in place of sour cream or mayonnaise, and buy low-fat cheese and milk instead of full-fat versions, says O'Rourke. Add flavor to vegetables with low-fat cheese, nuts, salad dressing or margarine with no trans fat; then add herbs and spices. Blatner suggests an Italian blend on green beans, curry on cauliflower, cumin on sauteed bell peppers, and lemon pepper on broccoli.

And there you have it: 4 healthy cooking tricks for a lifetime of good taste. Bon appetit!

When Friday happens on Saturday!

2011-03-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups fresh mushrooms, quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake the chicken pieces in flour until coated. Heat the oil in a large skillet (one that has a cover/lid). Fry the chicken pieces until they are browned on both sides. Remove from skillet.
Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to the skillet and saute until the onion is slightly browned. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the tomatoes, oregano and wine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
Add the mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 670 | Total Fat: 38.1g | Cholesterol: 170mg

Diabetes Body Care: Feet, Skin, Eyes, Teeth, and Heart

2011-03-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

If you have type 2 diabetes, you know that blood sugar control, a balanced diet, weight management, regular exercise, and checkups are vital to your health. Taking special care of every part of your body to avoid serious complications is just as critical.

Among some of your biggest concerns with diabetes care are:

Recommended Related to Diabetes

Diabetic Shock and Insulin Reactions

Severe hypoglycemia, or diabetic shock, is a serious health risk for anyone with diabetes. Also called insulin reaction, as a consequence of too much insulin, it can occur anytime there is an imbalance between the insulin in your system, the amount of food you eat, or your level of physical activity. It can even happen while you are doing all you think you can do to manage your diabetes. The symptoms of diabetic shock may seem mild at first. But they should not be ignored. If it isn't treated...

Foot infections
Chronic skin infections
Gum disease and tooth loss
Vision problems
Heart disease and blood circulation problems

Diabetes Body Care: It's for Everyone

The need to take care of yourself isn't just for adults; with the epidemic of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes has also become more prevalent among children, teens, and young adults.

"In hospitals, we're seeing first-time patients in their late 20s and 30s who have uncontrolled blood sugar and severe skin infections that probably started as a boil or a spider bite," says Philip Orlander, MD, director of endocrinology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

How can diabetes so dramatically damage the body? If blood sugar is uncontrolled, blood vessels and nerves become damaged, while the body becomes less able to fight infections.

Controlling blood sugar is the bottom line in preventing these problems, but personal care routines -- simple things you can do every day -- can dramatically reduce your risks, too.

5 Steps to Total Diabetes Body Care

Your feet, skin, eyes, heart, and teeth and gums need special attention if you have diabetes. Here are steps you can take to care for these parts of your body:

1. Foot Care and Diabetes

Common foot problems can cause many complications, including athlete's foot, fungal infections in nails, calluses, corns, blisters, bunions, dry skin, sores, hammertoes, ingrown toenails, and plantar warts.

While anyone can have these problems, they're more critical for people with diabetes because:

If you have nerve damage, you may not feel small wounds that need treatment.
Poor blood flow can slow wound healing.
If you're immune suppressed, you may be more prone to infection.
Damaged foot muscle nerves may prevent your foot from aligning properly, causing you to put more pressure on one area of the foot, leading to foot sores and pressure point ulcers.

Prevention tips: Make time for foot care daily. Wash, dry and examine the tops and bottoms of your feet. Check for cracked skin, cuts, scratches, wounds, blisters, redness, calluses, and other changes. Use antibiotic creams recommended by your doctor and apply sterile bandages to protect cuts. Prevent ingrown toenails by cutting toenails straight across; don't cut corners. Don't go barefoot and always protect your feet. Make sure you wear properly fitting footwear.

If you develop even minor foot problems, treat them right away or see a doctor. And see a foot doctor (podiatrist) every two or three months.

Checking your feet daily means you can catch small things and get them treated before they become serious. Make it part of your daily morning routine -- it doesn't take long.

2. Skin Care and Diabetes

Bacterial infections, fungal infections, and itching are common skin problems anyone can develop, but they're especially problematic for people with diabetes because of poor blood flow and because the body may not be fighting infection well. Avoid extremely serious complications. Don't ignore these problems:

Bacterial infections like boils (hair follicle infections) require antibiotic treatment.
Fungal infections include the yeast-like fungus called Candida albicans, which often occurs in warm, moist folds of the skin: under the breasts, around the nails, between fingers and toes, and in the armpit and groin areas.
- Jock itch(in the genitals and thighs), athlete's foot (between the toes), ringworm (on the feet, groin, chest, abdomen, scalp, and nails) and vaginal infections are very common when blood sugar isn't controlled. These may require treatment with prescription medications, though occasional over-the-counter antifungal treatments may work.
- A fungal infection called mucormycosis (contracted from soil fungus and decaying plants) can become extremely serious, especially for those with out of control type 2 diabetes. It may start as a sinus infection that gets worse, and can spread to the lungs and brain. Symptoms are sinus infection, fever, eye swelling, skin redness over the sinus area; occasionally ulceration can occur with drainage. See a doctor immediately; this can be life-threatening.
Itching caused by dry skin, a yeast infection, or poor blood flow (in the legs especially) is often a result of diabetes. Using lotion or creams can provide relief.

Other skin conditions are caused by poor blood supply and some by your body's resistance to using insulin.

Rashes, bumps, and blisters can also occur; some require treatment, some don't. You need to know which is which and get them treated when necessary.

For instance, eruptive xanthomatosis, a skin condition, is caused by high cholesterol and fat levels in the blood. It appears on the backs of arms, legs, and buttocks as firm, yellow, waxy, pea-like bumps which are typically itchy and surrounded by red halos. Medication to control fat levels in the blood help, as does controlling blood sugar.

Prevention tips: Boost your body's ability to fight infection, and help prevent dry skin, by controlling you blood sugar. Use talcum powder in areas prone to infections and use moisturizing lotions and soaps when needed. (Don't put lotions between toes; extra moisture there can trigger fungus growth.)

And remember, see your doctor for treatment of skin problems that won't go away -- especially foot problems and fungal infections. These can be very serious, and require treatment with prescription medication.

3. Eye Care and Diabetes

Diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the eyes, leading to serious preventable problems like cataracts, glaucoma, and retinopathy.

With a cataract, the eye's lens becomes cloudy, blurring vision. While anyone can get cataracts, they may develop at an earlier age -- and progress more quickly -- if you have diabetes.
Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds inside the eye due to fluid not draining properly. The pressure damages the eye's nerves and blood vessels, harming vision.
Retinopathy is caused by blood vessel damage in the eyes, and if not diagnosed and treated early, can lead to blindness.

Prevention tips: Prevent these problems from becoming serious by making sure your blood sugar is under control and see an eye doctor for an annual exam.

4. Teeth and Gum Care with Diabetes

Most people develop gum problems during their lives but, if you have diabetes, your risks are higher for serious gum disease -- and for getting it at an earlier age.

That's because, with diabetes, your body is more vulnerable to bacteria and infection. High blood sugar levels can make gum disease worse, resulting in bleeding, tender gums, and gums that pull away from teeth. In time, you may need gum surgery to save your teeth.

6 Best Herbs and Spices You're Not Using But Should Try

2011-03-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days of seasoning food with just salt and pepper, or of jars of herbs and spices collecting dust for a decade in a kitchen cabinet.

The exciting era of herbs and spices has begun and you can either let it boost your home cooking to a higher level of flavor and health or be left behind clutching your jar of Old Bay Seasoning.

There’s a whole world of exotic herbs and spices available to you now over the Internet or at specialty stores that you might not know about because they aren’t called for in Grandma Martha’s recipes. You might not even see the following up-and-coming herbs and spices in magazine and cookbook recipes either -- yet.

Herbs and spices aren’t just about adding flavor. They may also have health perks related to their antioxidants. And using herbs and spices in your foods may help you cut back on fat, sugar, and salt, which could help your waistline, blood pressure, and overall health.

Here are six herbs and spices that you probably aren’t using yet, but should.

1. Smoked Serrano Chili Powder

Serrano chili peppers are known for their bold, spicy heat. Now you can find serrano chilies that are smoked and ground into a fragrant powder.

How it improves dishes: Smoked serrano chili powder adds a rich, smoky flavor and lively heat to your favorite dishes, including a variety of Mexican and Southwestern dishes, stews, casseroles, egg dishes, and chili.

2. Turmeric

Turmeric, a favorite ingredient since ancient times, is the root stalk of a tropical plant in the ginger family. It adds a bright golden color and a pungent flavor found in everything from Indian curry powder to traditional American mustard.

How it improves dishes: Turmeric can be added to Southeast Asian recipes including curries; soups; rice and pilaf dishes; and vegetable, chicken, or lentil dishes. It can also be used to add some punch to relishes and chutneys.

3. Saigon Cinnamon

Cinnamon is not a new spice, but Saigon cinnamon, prized for its sweet and spicy taste and aroma, is considered the finest and most flavorful cinnamon in the world.

How it improves dishes: Cinnamon is an old favorite called for in fancy coffee drinks, hot oatmeal, cookies, and fruit crisps. It's also a popular spice for main dishes (including chicken, seafood, and lamb) from international cuisines such as Indian, Greek, Mexican, and Middle Eastern. Saigon cinnamon is an important ingredient in the popular Vietnamese noodle soup called pho.

4. Vanilla Paste

Vanilla extract is ubiquitous in dessert recipes, but the next generation of recipes might start calling for vanilla paste instead. Vanilla paste is much more preferable to vanilla extract because of flavorful flecks of vanilla bean dispersed throughout its syrup consistency. Vanilla paste has the benefits of using the actual vanilla bean (where you cut the long, thin bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the center) but is so much easier.

How it improves dishes: Vanilla paste has a more concentrated flavor than extract, and the flecks of vanilla bean can be particularly appetizing used in single-color dishes such as ice cream, sugar cookies, and vanilla frosting. It’s a treat to see and taste those flavor-packed little black dots.

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Healthy, Low-Calorie Breakfast Ideas and Recipes

2011-02-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

Breakfast has been called the most important meal of the day, and with good reason.

The body and brain require a steady stream of energy and nutrients. Going without food for 10 to 14 hours or more forces your child’s body to tap its reserves.

“Kids literally fast overnight, and their ‘tanks’ are empty when they wake up,” says Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, a nutrition consultant in Columbus, Ohio and creator of the Real Mom Nutrition web site. “They need food to get their day off to the right start.”

In addition to providing energy and nutrients, the morning meal also prevents hunger that saps a child’s energy to learn and play. Breakfast eaters may have an easier time with weight control, in childhood, and as adults.

But parents are pressed for time, and many kids clamor for sugar-filled cereal and toaster treats.

The American Dietetic Association's recent State of Family Nutrition and Physical Activity Report shows that breakfast is the meal kids miss out on most often.

“This is particularly disturbing, given the strong connection between breakfast consumption and increased school attendance, concentration, problem-solving ability, and less disruptive classroom behavior,” says Katie Brown, EdD, RD, national education director for the American Dietetic Association Foundation.

Here’s how to feed your family healthy breakfast every day, without the hassles.

17 Simple, Healthy Breakfasts

Nutrition experts say the best breakfasts offer nutrient-rich foods from at least three food groups, and include adequate protein. Protein helps to keep kids fuller longer, and protein-packed foods -- such as milk, yogurt, and eggs -- also supply vitamins and minerals.

Breakfast, or any meal for that matter, doesn’t need to be elaborate to be satisfying and nutritious. A bowl of whole-grain cereal with milk and topped with fruit is a fine choice.

If your child doesn’t go for traditional breakfast foods, don’t worry. No healthy food is off-limits for the morning meal.

Here are some suggestions for what you can reasonably prepare in a few minutes on busy mornings:

Frozen whole-grain waffle sandwich with sunflower seed butter, peanut butter, or almond butter, California raisins, and low-fat yogurt
Ice cream cone parfait: Layer low-fat lemon or vanilla yogurt with sliced fresh or previously frozen mango and crunchy whole-grain cereal
Hot cocoa (made with milk) or chocolate milk, slice of whole grain toast, fruit
Breakfast berry parfait: Layer low-fat cottage cheese with whole grain cereal and fresh or frozen berries
Hard-cooked egg (make 6 or so on the weekend), fruit, and ½ whole wheat English muffin with tub margarine
Banana smoothie: Blend 1 cup low-fat milk with a medium banana and teaspoon vanilla extract in blender or food processor. Serve with half a whole-wheat English muffin.
Slice of pizza, and orange juice with calcium and vitamin D
Turkey or roast beef roll-up with cheese on a whole-wheat wrap
Whole-grain crackers, string cheese, and dried figs
Half of a sandwich, milk, and fruit
Sliced cheddar cheese melted on top of whole-wheat tortilla, and low-sodium vegetable juice
Whole-wheat graham crackers, hard-cooked egg, small banana
Trail mix: whole-grain cereal, shelled pistachios or sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and low-fat milk
Mini pizza: Layer a small whole-wheat pita round with marinara sauce and grated reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Toast or broil.
Whole-wheat bagel (mini for younger kids) spread with sunflower seed butter, almond butter, or peanut butter and drizzled with honey; orange juice with calcium and vitamin D
Plain low-fat yogurt topped with chopped walnuts, California raisins, and molasses or honey
Microwave plain, 1-minute, or instant oatmeal with low-fat milk. Top with 1/4 cup dried fruit and 2 tablespoons chopped almonds

It is Friday!

2011-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

Portuguese Chourico Stew

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package chourico, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can canned tomato sauce
6 cups water
2 small potatoes, diced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 dash paprika
2 (15 ounce) cans green beans, drained

Directions

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute chourico, onion and garlic until onion is tender. Stir in tomato sauce, water and potatoes. Season with red pepper and paprika. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in green beans, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 336 | Total Fat: 21.8g | Cholesterol: 52mg

Being bilingual a good brain work-out, experts say

2011-02-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON — Speaking more than one language protects the brain against cognitive decline and makes a person better at multi-tasking, researchers said Friday at a major US science conference.

Being bilingual, or even learning a second language late in life, has been shown to slow the decline of some key brain functions, said Ellen Bialystok of York University in Canada, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

A study co-authored by Bialystok found that people who spoke more than one language were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 4.3 years later and reported the onset of symptoms 5.1 years later than monolingual patients.

Another study, the results of which have not yet been published, used computed tomography, or CT, scans to show that bilinguals had the same level of cognitive decline as monolinguals even when the people who spoke multiple languages were at a more advanced stage of Alzheimer's, Bialystok said.

"One of the reasons bilingualism has these powerful mechanisms including protecting against early symptoms of dementia is because it's one way to keep your brain active," Bialystok told reporters at the meeting.

"Every little bit helps. The longer you've been bilingual, the more you use all your languages, the more fluent you are, all of those things contribute.

"Even if you're starting to learn a language at 40, 50, or 60, you're unlikely to become bilingual, but you are keeping your brain active. So you're contributing to cognitive reserve through very engaging and intense activity," she said.

Cognitive reserve has been defined by Yaakov Stern of Columbia University's Department of Neurology as the ability to recruit different brain networks to optimize brain performance.

"Bilingualism is a cognitively demanding condition that contributes to cognitive reserve in much the same way as do other stimulating intellectual and social activities," said the study co-authored by Bialystok and published in Neurology late last year.

Other studies have found that bilingual people are better than monolinguals at shutting out distractions and focusing on what's important, which makes them better at multi-tasking, Amy Weinberg of the University of Maryland said at the conference.

"Getting to some level of proficiency in a second language certainly makes you an expert multi-tasker," Weinberg, a professor of linguistics, told AFP.

"When you're speaking, all the languages you speak are turned on, and you have to activate a mechanism in the brain that allows you to limit interference from one language when talking in the other," she said.

"You're juggling all kinds of mental balls as a bilingual," she said.

This mental juggling act is what makes people who speak more than one language more adept at managing several tasks at once, agreed Judith Kroll, director of the center for language studies at Penn State University.

"The bilingual is somehow able to negotiate between the competition of the languages, and the speculation is that these cognitive skills come from this juggling of languages," she said.

But an ability to speak English, Chinese, Russian and Creole, for example, does not make a person more intelligent.

"Bilinguals simply acquire specific types of expertise that help them attend to critical tasks and ignore irrelevant information," said Kroll.

It's Friday!

2011-02-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

Blueberry-corn-muffins

These grainy muffins are just the right amount of sweet. We split them and grill them in a dab of light olive oil until they turn golden and sizzling around the edges. The warmth brings out the taste of the blueberries.

Ingredients

3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup millet or buckwheat
3/4 cup sorghum or brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca or potato starch (not potato flour), or cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 tablespoon honey or raw agave nectar
2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon light tasting vinegar
1 tablespoon egg substitute whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or 2 large eggs)
3/4 cup warm water
1 rounded cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-muffin cupcake pan.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup millet or buckwheat
3/4 cup sorghum or brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca or potato starch (not potato flour), or cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add:
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 tablespoon honey or raw agave nectar
2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon light tasting vinegar
1 tablespoon egg substitute whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or 2 large eggs)
3/4 cup warm water

Beat well to form a smooth, sticky batter. If the batter seems a tad dry or stiff, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more warm water. Stir in 1 rounded cup fresh blueberries.

Plop the batter into 12 muffin cups and using wet fingers, smooth the tops a bit. I like to add 2 or 3 extra blueberries to the muffin tops.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, depending upon your oven and altitude.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for five minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and cool them directly on the rack (this keeps the bottoms from getting soggy).

Wrap extras in foil and freeze for easy on-the-go gluten-free treats.

Total Servings: 12

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 229
Carbohydrates: 43.5 g
Cholesterol: 31 mg
Fat: 5.7 g
Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
Fiber: 1.4 g
Sodium: 201 mg
Protein: 2.1 g

Heart Failure Treatment Works Better in Women

2011-02-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

An implantable device that packs a one-two punch against heart failure seems to be more effective in women than men, according to a new study.

Once reserved only for the sickest heart failure patients, cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator consists of a device with two functions.

The device provides cardiac resynchronization therapy by generating small electrical impulses that coordinate the action of the right and left heart ventricles so that they work together more effectively. The defibrillator function senses dangerous heart rhythm abnormalities and provides an electrical shock to restore the heart back to a normal rhythm.

Women in the study who received this therapy had a 70% reduction in heart failure events and a 72% reduced risk of dying from any cause. By contrast, men showed a 35% reduction of heart failure events, the study shows.

The study is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

“We did find unexpectedly that women did spectacularly better than men,” says study researcher Arthur J. Moss, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.

A Visual Guide to Heart Disease

Understanding Heart Failure in Women

Heart failure occurs when the heartdoes not pump blood efficiently enough to meet the body's needs. More women with heart failure in the study had a condition called "dyssynchrony." In this condition, both ventricles do not contract simultaneously. The result is an abnormal heart rhythm that is treated with the study device.

More women have dyssynchrony than men, and women also have smaller hearts than men. These factors may explain why women did so much better with the cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator than men, Moss says. “Resynchronization therapy does better in patients with smaller hearts.”

Zayd Eldadah, MD, director of Cardiac Arrhythmia Research and Electrophysiology Laboratories at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., explains the therapy to patients this way: “Think of the heart as a water balloon, and the goal is to expel all its contents into the body,” he says. “The best way to accomplish this is to put one hand on each side and squeeze at the same time.”

This is exactly how cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator works. “It is a very potent way to improve the way the heart contracts,” Eldadah says.

“Resynchronizing the heart improves survival, and this study show us that women may do better than their male counterparts,” he says. “This is not an iron clad open-and-shut case.”

Studying the Gender Gap

To flesh out any gender differences, “there needs to be a study of men and women where both sexes have the same degrees of failure and other parameters and the only difference is their gender,” Eldadah says.

This study, as a whole, shows that this therapy “is a very effective and lifesaving even in people who don’t look so bad, and we should be using it in people who aren’t so sick,” he says.

“That is important because we are putting a device in, and this is invasive, so you usually try to reserve it for those patients who are the sickest,” says George Sopko, MD, a senior cardiologistat National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Md.

Exactly when to intervene in people with early heart failure is not yet known, he says. “It should be cost-effective because we can prevent very expensive hospitalizations and certainly save lives.”

Ranjit Suri, MD, the director of the Electrophysiology Service and Cardiac Arrhythmia Center at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, says that “we have known that people with advanced heart failure benefit, but what we have not known is that even people with early deterioration will benefit and that the magnitude of the benefit in women is greater than in men.”

Top Picks

It's Friday!

2011-02-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

High heat and herb-infused oil make this simple dish some of the juiciest, crunchiest shrimp you’ll ever have the pleasure of eating. Serve the shrimp as an appetizer, or as an entree with salad and crusty bread. The shrimp also would be phenomenal over pasta.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
12 thyme sprigs
2 peeled whole garlic cloves
2 pounds large shrimp (about 18 per pound), peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Pour olive oil into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or similarly sized roasting pan.

Add thyme sprigs and garlic to the dish. Set the dish in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Lay shrimp over the thyme and garlic, then roast until pink and firm, about 8 minutes for medium shrimp (about 30 per pound) or 10 minutes for large shrimp (about 18 per pound), tossing gently two or three times.

Remove baking dish from the oven, and stir in vinegar, salt, and pepper. Serve.

Variation: To make Rosemary-Roasted Shrimp, substitute 5 rosemary sprigs for the thyme, and 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar for the balsamic.

From “Cooking Know-How”

Total Servings: 4

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 316
Carbohydrates: 7.1 g
Cholesterol: 324 mg
Fat:13.8 g
Saturated Fat: 2.0 g
Fiber: 1.4 g
Sodium: 486 mg
Protein: 43.0 g

Cold Virus May Trigger Type 1 Diabetes

2011-02-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

A common cold virus could trigger type 1 diabetes in at-risk children, a new research review suggests.

The finding could help explain a dramatic rise in diabetes incidence among very young children, and could even lead to better ways to prevent and treat the disease, researchers say.

The analysis of 26 studies published today in the journal BMJ Online First revealed that children with type 1 diabetes are almost 10 times more likely to show signs of enterovirus infection than children without the disease.

Enteroviruses are the second leading viral cause of cold-like symptoms in children, after rhinoviruses.

Slideshow: 12 Tips to Avoid Diabetes Complications

Enteroviruses and Type 1 Diabetes

Researchers have long believed that genetic predisposition, the immune system, and environmental triggers interact to cause type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects nearly one in 400 children and adolescents in the U.S., according to the American Diabetes Association.

Enteroviruses have been on the radar as a possible disease trigger for decades. While some studies have found evidence of a link, others have not.

The newly published analysis was the first to combine results from molecular enterovirus-diabetes studies, and the findings were clear, says researcher Maria E. Craig, PhD, of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

“We saw a very strong association between enterovirus infection and type 1 diabetes," Craig tells WebMD. “Obviously studies like the ones we looked at cannot prove cause and effect, but the findings make a strong case for this association.”

Since enteroviruses are made up of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and proteins, the studies included in the analysis measured RNA or protein in the blood, stool, or tissues of type 1 diabetic or pre-diabetic patients and compared them with people who did not have the disease.

Children with type 1 diabetes were 9.8 times more likely to be infected with enterovirus than children without the disease and those with pre-diabetes were three times more likely to have the infection than other children.

School bullying: Study maps teens' social status in relation to aggression - latimes.com

2011-02-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

School bullying: Study maps teens' social status in relation to aggression - latimes.com

11 Causes of Dry Skin Problems

2011-02-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

A dry skin problem can be uncomfortable and even maddening. Your skin might feel tight and painful; it might look dull or red or flaky. Worst of all is the itchiness -- the sort of overwhelming itchiness that makes you feel like you're infested with fleas, that keeps you awake at night, miserably raking your skin with a back scratcher.

"Dry skin is extremely common," says Barney Kenet, MD, a dermatologist from New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center. "There are probably close to 100 million dried out, itchy people in this country right now." And if the itching weren't bad enough, a dry skin problem can be more than just a superficial issue, experts say.

Understanding Dry Skin

Let's start with some skin basics. Normal, healthy skin is coated in a thin layer of natural lipids, or fatty substances. They keep in moisture, leaving the skin soft and supple.

What causes dry skin -- or xerosis, as it's known medically? Usually, something in the environment -- or something you're doing to your skin -- is stripping away these fatty oils, leaving your skin unprotected. Less often, the cause is internal; a health condition or genetic predisposition is making your skin dry out.

While patches of dry, itchy skin can appear anywhere, it's most common on the arms, hands, lower legs, and abdomen. Dry skin is often felt more than it's seen, but on some people it can be noticeable and embarrassing. For many African-Americans, dry skin is a special concern, since the flakes of skin can look gray, or "ashy," says Vesna Petronic-Rosic, MD, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic at the University of Chicago Medical School.

If untreated, dry skin can sometimes lead to dermatitis -- inflammation of the skin -- swelling, and infection. The good news is that just as most causes of dry skin are external, most cures for dry skin are external. With careful dry skin care, you can usually solve the problem.

It is Friday! Join Ana's Kitchen.

2011-02-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

Breads and Muffins: Gluten-Free

I baked this handsome loaf in my bread machine. Follow your manufacturer's instructions regarding dry and wet ingredients. If you are mixing and baking by hand, see below for instructions.

Ingredients

First- whisk together your dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside:
2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup millet flour
1 cup potato starch
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dry Ener-G Egg Replacer (or use 1 beaten large organic happy egg in with the wet ingredients)

You'll need sesame seeds for the top- or hemp seeds; set aside for later.

Proof the yeast:
Add 1 packet rapid dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons to
1 1/4 cups warm mix of plain hemp milk + water (at 110 to 115 degrees F) with a pinch of raw sugar

Let it get a little foamy (this doesn't take long- or shouldn't). Pour the liquid ingredients into the bread machine pan:

The proofed yeast and water
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons honey or raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon mild rice vinegar or lemon juice

Instructions

Gently pour the mixed dry ingredients on top of the liquid.

Set your bread machine program for 1.5 loaf medium crust. I used the gluten-free cycle on the Breadman; if you don't have a gluten-free cycle, I believe a rapid rise cycle will also work.

Here's what I did- my tips for using a bread machine with gluten-free flours:

After a minute or two of mixing, open the machine and scrape down the sides of the pan with a soft spatula to help incorporate he flour; I had to do this twice.

After the mixing/kneading cycle was finished (before the Rise cycle) I removed the paddle and with wet fingers pressed and smoothed the top to even out the shape.

I sprinkled a generous tablespoon of sesame seeds all over the top.

When the machine beeped "done" I checked to see if I thought the loaf was baked all the way through. I do this by lightly pressing on the side- if it gives too much or seems soft; add another 5 to 10 minutes of baking time.

When you think the loaf is done, remove it from the hot machine and place on a wire rack. Tip it on its side and when cooled a little, shimmy it out (if you don't do this, it steams and gets too moist). Place the loaf on a wire rack and do the “thump test”. The “thump test” reveals if it's done. It should sound hollow when tapped.

If by some chance you find it's not quite done or you like a crusty crust, place the naked loaf directly into the oven- on the center rack- and turn on the temp to 350 degrees F. You can bake it for another 5 to 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it. It should sound hollow if you tap it.

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