Weekly Wellness
Issue 408
Featured Article
REMOVED
Fitness Tip
Assess Your Hunger Meter
Before you sit down to eat, try these simple steps:
- Take a moment to assess your hunger.
- Give it a rating on a scale of 0 (ravenously hungry) to 10 (Thanksgiving stuffed).
- When your hunger is a 4, it's time to start eating; waiting until you're at 2 or 1 could put you at risk for overeating.
- Start slowing down when you get to a 6 or 7 and reassess: Are you still eating to satisfy your hunger? Or are you simply munching mindlessly?
Nutrition Tip
Bigger is not Always Better
The next time you're in the produce aisle, try thinking small. The larger your produce, the fewer nutrients it packs per ounce, according to the Organic Center, a nonprofit research organization. Their new report examined several recent studies and revealed some interesting findings. For instance, they found that the more a tomato weighs, the lower its concentration of the antioxidant lycopene -- even if it's organic. Researchers believe that high-yield farming, which often focuses on the quantity of crops, rather than their quality, may be to blame. Bottom line: Fill your cart with petite fruits and vegetables.
Quip or Quote of the Week
Quip
The grapefruit got its funny name from the way it grows in clusters (like grapes) on the tree.
Quick Recipe
Double Blueberry Smoothie
1 /4 cup milk
6-ounce container blueberry yogurt
2 cups frozen blueberries (if using fresh, freeze them for two hours)
Dash of cinnamon
Put milk and blueberry yogurt in a blender. Add blueberries and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.
Tidbit(s)
Exercise, or Just Take a Pill?
It sounds like every gym-evader's dream come true: Skip the treadmill and just pop an exercise pill. According to a study conducted by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a nonprofit research organization, sedentary mice given a specially formulated daily pill actually burned fat in the same way they would have during vigorous exercise. The pill, which targets a specific fat-torching gene, also made the mice resistant to weight gain. Is there a treatment for humans in sight? Researchers remain tight-lipped on that one.
Food Fixes
Healthy meals can be simple: Add vegetables to a favorite low-cost food like packaged macaroni and cheese.
Suffer a minor cut? Sprinkle some ground black pepper on it to stop the bleeding quickly. You'll be surprised at how well this works. It doesn't sting or burn, actually reduces the pain, and even has antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Extra bonus -- it doesn't cause scarring.
Tasty Tidbit...
Sprinkling your favorite flavor of Kool-Aid on grapefruit slices makes it a fun and tasty treat for kids.
More Quick Cooking Tips Online!