Weekly Wellness
Issue 237
Featured Article
Ten Drugs You Should Never Buy Online -- In response to growing concerns regarding the safety of online pharmacies, the FDA issued a list of ten prescription medications that consumers should never purchase online.
Fitness Tip
Lift Your Spirits
If you're struggling to get to the gym, consider this: workouts are a good way to beat the blues.
In a study of adults with mild to moderate depression, researchers noted that burning a certain number of calories each week through aerobic exercise resulted in significantly lower depression scores over time. The workouts in the study were equivalent to a 150-pound person burning about 1,200 calories per week.
Nutrition Tip
Keeping Energized
When it comes to energy, we really are what we eat. Making sure we consume balanced meals and snacks throughout the day is part of the solution to helping us feel our best. Different food groups provide different nutrients, which are broken down and used at different rates. This is why we need a combination of foods to keep us energized throughout the day. Since carbohydrates, protein and fat move through the stomach at different rates, eating meals and snacks that provide a combination of these nutrients helps us get a steady supply of energy.
- Carbohydrates: Found in grains, fruits and vegetables, they provide a quick energy supply, but typically leave the stomach within an hour.
- Protein: This nutrient, found in meat and milk products, usually takes about two hours to digest.
- Fats: These tend to stay in the stomach the longest -- about three to five hours.
To get a combination of carbohydrates, protein and fat each time you eat, try to eat meals that include foods from at least three food groups and snacks that include foods from at least two.
Quip or Quote of the Week
Quote:
"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons." -Alfred E. Newman
Quick Recipe
Fruit and Peanut Snack Mix
1 6-ounce package pretzel, plain, or cheddar cheese-flavored, bite-size, fish-shaped crackers
1 6-ounce package dried cranberries
1 7-ounce package dried apricots, snipped
1 cup peanuts
In a medium mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 6 cups (12, 1/2-cup servings).
Nutritional Analysis Per 1/2-cup: Calories: 213, Total fat: 7g, Saturated fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 206mg, Carbohydrate: 35g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 5g
Healthy Snack Recipe Collection
Tidbit
Fiber Shortcut
Get a fiber boost from psyllium seed to help you avoid diabetes, or to reduce or eliminate diabetes medications. Pour one-half cup of a fiber supplement made from ground psyllium seed into a plastic bag and tuck it into your purse. Have a teaspoon in a cup of water before each meal. Research shows that this strategy could reduce blood sugar dramatically - from 210mg/dl to 140mg/dl in one study.
Food Fixes
Refrigerate cooked beans for 4 to 6 days, or in freeze up to 6 months.
To help keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
When keeping soup or stew warm until ready to serve, wrap a clean kitchen towel around the lid and place it back on the pot. The towel absorbs the moisture that collects on the lid, preventing it from dripping onto the food and potentially changing the finished consistency.