Weekly Wellness
Issue 333
Featured Article
Fighting a Weightloss Plateau You have been eating the right food, exercising, dropped one size, but you've hit a wall and the weight is not coming off anymore. Do you give up on your original weight loss goal?
Fitness Tip
Help for High Blood Pressure
Flush away high blood pressure without drugs. A new study has found that a diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy lowers blood pressure as well as drugs! The reason: When you eat these foods, you excrete more water, thus reducing your blood volume so your heart doesn't have to pump as hard. Source: Consumer Reports
Nutrition Tip
Nutrition Education
The US government now spends over $1 billion annually to promote nutrition education with a host of programs ranging from "happy fruit" videos to "eat good and you'll feel good" classes, but an AP study of the results, or lack thereof, indicates this is money flung into the wind. Out of 57 programs reviewed, only four had any positive effect on the kids' eating habits. It seems that the government entering the "nutrition education" field isn't an effective use of our tax dollars.
Quip or Quote of the Week
Quote:
Swallowing your pride seldom leads to indigestion. --Author Unknown
Quick Recipe
Almost Salt-Free Salad Dressing
For a week's worth of almost-salt-free salad dressing, combine 2/3 cup olive oil with 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2 crushed garlic
cloves, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey, and a spritz of fresh lemon. Shake well.
Tidbit(s)
When it comes to walking, it's all good, says Mayo Clinic researcher
"Getting out there and taking a walk is what it’s all about," says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., and a Mayo Clinic expert on obesity. "You don't have to join a gym, you don't have to check your pulse. You just have to switch off the TV, get off the sofa and go for a walk. Sitting is bad for cholesterol, it's bad for your back and muscles," Dr. Levine says. "It's such a terrible thing for our bodies to do and the less of it you do, the better. But activity is not easy. If it were easy, everyone would do it."
Food Fixes
Tomatoes offer lots of fiber and vitamin C, but they're also an excellent source of the pigment lycopene. Studies suggest that this carotenoid may help prevent heart disease and certain cancers, so make harvest ripe tomatoes a juicy part of your day.
The stirring and stirring and stirring that is done for a traditional risotto recipe has a distinct purpose. It releases the starch in the rice and it's the starch that gives risotto its distinctive creamy texture. The stirring need not be constant, just frequent.
Tasty Tip: Top Jell-O brand pudding snacks with Teddy Graham's graham snacks and miniature marshmallows for an added tasty crunch and a blast of low-calorie sweetness.
More Cooking Tips and Quick Cooking Tips on the Web site!