Weekly Wellness
Issue 234
Featured Article
Herbal Teas: Their Benefits -- Herbal Teas from Plants Around us and Their Benefits To Our Health
Fitness Tip
Do You Manage Your Stress Levels Adequately?
We have only recently begun to appreciate how important stress is as a risk factor for heart disease. Stress increases your levels of two hormones -- cortisol and adrenaline -- both of which contribute to high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes. Exercise is a wonderful way to lower your stress level, obviously. But it may take more than that. You can learn breathing exercises, take a stress-management class or seek counseling. People should really focus on stress reduction. Many studies have shown that chronic high levels of stress can increase heart disease by as much as 50 percent.
Nutrition Tip
Pesticides and Fruit
Most uses of most pesticides on foods do not leave residues that raise any public health concern. Only 15 to 20 of the most hazardous pesticides, each used on a handful of foods, are responsible for the vast majority of dietary risk. Groups like Consumers Union and the Environmental Working Group, have used sophisticated computer analyses to estimate how often which fruits carry residues of the least and most dangerous pesticides. Using their data, there is one simple rule to follow: Try to buy organic apples, cherries, grapes, peaches, pears, raspberries and strawberries. Those are the fruits most likely to contain harmful pesticide residues. Canned peaches, for example, are among the least contaminated fruits. So are fresh bananas, blueberries, kiwifruit, mangoes, watermelon and canned pineapple. Don't let pesticides scare you away from fruit. Ultimately, you are better off eating fruit with pesticides than not eating fruit.
Tidbit
Write it down.
Stuck in a rut? Reached a plateau? Break the logjam with an activity or workout log and for good measure, a food diary, too! Keeping a fitness journal to track your routine will give you insight into your performance, let you measure your progress and help you set goals. A food diary will help you see first-hand just what you've all been eating - sometimes we grab something without even thinking...this will force you to be more aware of every morsel you put in your mouth.
Quip or Quote of the Week
Quote:
"A man too busy take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools." -- Unknown
Quick Recipe
Grab and Go Cottage Crunch
1/2 cup fresh or canned peach slices in light syrup, drained
1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese (see note)
1/2 cup raisin bran cereal
Place peaches in clear plastic cup; top with layers of cottage cheese and cereal.
Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note: Substitute your favorite low-fat yogurt for the cottage cheese.
Food Fixes
Cold temperatures can destroy the flavor and texture of tomatoes. Store them at room temperature and use them within a few days.
For sweeter, richer bread pudding, use day-old cinnamon rolls instead of bread.
When tomatoes are tasty and abundant, wash them and freeze whole in resealable plastic freezer bags. Take them out of the freezer all year as needed. The skins will come right off and you will have tomatoes that are ideal in cooked dishes such as soups, chili, spaghetti sauce or stewed tomatoes.