Weekly Wellness
Issue 343
Featured Article
The Nutritional Top Ten A list of the top ten nutritional foods plus an explanation as to just HOW they are beneficial to your overall health!
Fitness Tip
Dark Chocolate for Hypertension?
If your blood pressure is high, chocolate may help. The Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University, recently found that hypertensive people who at 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for 2 weeks saw their blood pressure drop significantly, according to an article in the journal "Hypertension". Their bad cholesterol dropped, too. Some people at the same amount of white chocolate, but it did nothing, due to the fact that is does not contain any cocoa, which is where flavonoids come from. How much is 3.5 ounces? That would be roughly equal to a big bar of baking chocolate. The participants in the study cut out about 400 calories from their regular daily diets to make room for the dark chocolate. But you don't necessarily have to go to those lengths -- just a bite or two will do you good. See also: The Nutrients in Chocolate.
Nutrition Tip
Restaurant "Value"
Big restaurant portions typically shatter any healthy limit for fat and calories at a single sitting. Don't feel you're wasting your money if you can't eat it all -- eat half, wrap up the rest, take it home, and make it a second meal later. If there's a lot left over, ask your server to put the food into two take-home containers and make more than one extra meal out of it. Or, if you know your eyes are bigger than your stomach, ask to have half your portion wrapped up to take home before it ever reaches the table, so you won't even be tempted to eat it all in the restaurant.
Quip or Quote of the Week
Quote:
Worries go down better with soup. -- Jewish Proverb
Quick Recipe
Mini Tortilla Snack
Layer a soft mini corn or flour tortilla with 2 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Microwave until the cheese melts. Slice into bite-size pie shapes. Dip into some salsa if desired.
Tidbit(s)
Tomatoes
Did you ever get frustrated by a tomato? You pay enough for a fresh tomato only to find it is mealy and flavorless once you bite into it... Well, the new greenhouse-grown Russo Bruno tomato, developed by Dulcinea Farms, promises to put an end to these tomato troubles. At first glance, the deep chocolate color is a bit off-putting, but the flavor is intense, and the flesh is firm and juicy. They are available year-round at supermarkets nationwide.
Food Fixes
An order of eggplant parmigiana at a typical Italian restaurant will fill you with more saturated fat than a McDonald's Big Mac.
Add vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms or tomatoes to your egg or egg white omelet for a great boost in nutrition.
Tasty Tidbit: Take a chocolate rice cake and top it with fat free or light whipped topping to indulge your sweet tooth without too much guilt. Alternatively, try a tablespoon of peanut butter.
More Cooking Tips and Quick Cooking Tips on the Web site!