Weekly Wellness
Issue 303
Featured Article
The 3-Day Diet -- Explanation of the The 3 Day Diet.
Fitness Tip
The Rest Element
How much rest you need depends on your level of fitness and the intensity of your physical activity. During any strenuous activity, microscopic tears occur in the muscle fibers. These tears do not damage the muscle as long as they are given enough time to heal. That's why rest is so important. Rest means to literally take time off before exercising again. The muscles need forty-eight hours to repair themselves. So if you're doing a total body workout that includes weights and cardio, you should alternate rest days with workout days.
Nutrition Tip
Facts on Fiber
The average person needs 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily to help lower cholesterol and even out blood sugar levels. Most Americans only get 10 to 15 grams of fiber daily. Fruits are an excellent source of fiber. A half cup of raspberries provides about 4 grams. A bowl of cereal can provide up to 5 grams. When increasing your fiber intake, be careful not to do it by too much all at once. You can experience diarrhea, abdominal cramps, gas and bloating. Ramp your intake up over a few weeks and space out fiber throughout the day. In addition, you can get too much fiber! Once you get past 40 to 50 grams a day, fiber can interfere with vitamin and mineral absorption. It's difficult to get that much, but you can if you eat a whole bag of dried plums or if you're a vegan who eats a lot of beans for protein.
See also:
Fiber: A Non-Nutritional Vital Nutrient
Eight Conditions You Can Fight with Fiber
Fitting Fiber into Your Day
High Fiber Recipes
Quip or Quote of the Week
Quote:
The belly rules the mind. --Spanish Proverb.
Quick Recipe
Quick Tomato Bisque
Heat one can (10-3 /4 ounce) condensed reduced-sodium tomato soup as directed on label with one soup can water. Stir in 3 ounces light cream cheese until completely melted. Sprinkle with black pepper, if desired. Makes three servings, about 3 /4 cup each.
Tidbit(s)
Sweet News About Aspartame
Aspartame, the sugar-free sweetener in hundreds of soft drinks and diet products, does not cause cancer, according to a National Cancer Institute (NCI) study of nearly 500,000 older Americans. Previous research in rats linked aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) to lymphoma, leukemia and brain tumors. But the NCI found that drinking even as many as three or more diet sodas a day seems to be safe.
Food Facts
Fresh nuts have glossy shells and should not rattle when shaken. They are easily shelled and free of the bitter taste common to stale nuts.
For a quick cake, cookie or dessert decoration, fill a plastic sandwich bag with frosting, whipped topping, or whipped cream; snip off a tiny corner and squeeze out icing in decorative swirls.
Softening brown sugar is a simple task. Sprinkle the sugar lightly with water and heat in a shallow pan in a 200 degree oven. Once it is soft, crumble it with a fork. To keep your brown sugar soft, store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
More Cooking Tips and Quick Cooking Tips on the Web site!