Weekly Wellness
Issue 213
Featured Article
Web Sites Make Claims for Herbals
Fitness Tip
Too Much TV
Watching TV can be hazardous to your health. In a study of more than 50,000, every two hours per day of watching TV increased the risk of obesity and diabetes. Sitting while at work was linked to much smaller increases in risk. In contrast, every hour per day of brisk walking was linked to a drop in the risk of obesity and diabetes. An estimated 30-percent of new cases of obesity and 43-percent of new cases of diabetes could be prevented if people were to spend less than ten hours a week watching TV and walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day.
Nutrition Tip
The Apple-A-Day Theory
Could the old saying about an apple a day be true? A recent study of more than 2,500 men found that eating five or more apples per week was associated with better lung function -- even after the researchers took into account factors like body mass, smoking and exercise. The authors admit that this might just be a side effect of an overall healthy diet, but they suspect that the powerful antioxidant quercetin, found in apples as well as onions, tea and red wine, may also help protect delicate lung tissue.
Herb of the Week
Mat Leaf
Green Mate Leaf perks you up, soothes your spirit, sharpens your wits, balances your mood, nourishes your immune system, and, if all that is not enough, actually tastes delicious. South Americans call yerba mate the "drink of the gods", and have used mate for hundreds of years to combat fatigue, stimulate the mind, boost immunity, detoxify the body, normalize blood pressure, tone the nervous system, control the appetite, restore youthful hair color, retard aging and cure insomnia. Modern folk use also extends to metabolizing fat for weight loss, balancing sleep patterns and increasing libido.
Quick Recipe
Beany Sloppy Joes
In large skillet, combine one can (15 ounces) rinsed and drained black-eyed peas, one can (15 ounces) rinsed and drained kidney beans, 1-1/2 cups store-bought marinara sauce, one-half cup frozen cut green beans and one-half cup chopped green bell pepper, 1-tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2-teaspoons red-wine vinegar and 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder; mix well. Bring to boil on medium high heat. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 12 minutes or until peppers are tender. Spoon onto toasted whole-wheat hamburger buns. Accompany the sandwiches with frozen hash browns and a mixed green salad.
Tidbit(s)
Sauerkraut
Mound sauerkraut on your low fat wiener to add cancer protection. Fermenting cabbage - already rich in cruciferous phytochemicals -- releases isothiocyanates, compounds thought to protect cells from cancer.
Food Fixes
To keep onions on hand for two or three months without sprouting, remove them from their mesh or plastic sack and put them in a brown paper bag on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
It is easy to open an oyster by using a beer can opener. Just wedge the point under the hinge at the top of the oyster, then push down hard.
When making soup, to absorb the grease that settles to the top, place a leaf of lettuce on the top of soup while cooking. Remove when it has done its job.
Sprinkle a little salt in your frying pan before cooking to keep the grease from splattering.