Recently, flipping through the February issue of Martha Stewart Living, I spotted this yummy breakfast meal that Martha Stewart considers a fave. P.S. It's really healthful and easy ...
Good morning, my dears! How was your Valentine's Day weekend? Mine was ... OK. My kids screamed through dinner. Not so romantic. Anywho, so here it is Tuesday morning--back to talking about healthy living! And, I wanted to tell you about the yummy breakfast Ms. Martha Stewart happens to love.
We've talked about quinoa before (the photo above is from the beautiful blog Test With Skewer)--I'm smitten, and apparently Martha is too. Living featured her recipe for Breakfast Quinoa. Here's how she makes it:
The approach was studied in more than 3,200 postmenopausal women age 50 to 74 at average risk of the disease. Over nine years, all participants received an annual test for CA-125, a blood protein associated with ovarian cancer but not a reliable marker for the disease. When the initial test results indicated low levels of CA-125, the women were retested a year later. Those with elevated levels were retested in three months. If these follow up results were elevated further, the women were referred for transvaginal ultrasound to examine their ovaries and to a gynecologic oncologist to assess the need for surgery.
Of the 3,200 women, eight had surgery. Three had early stage ovarian cancer (the others had benign or borderline tumors). There were virtually no false positives. Results of a larger study due in 2015 will tell us whether the new approach should be recommended for all older women. The strategy was described at a May 20 news conference in advance of the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Your home - whether big, small, or somewhere in between - should be your sanctuary, a place where stress is left at the door and your soul is nurtured. For a more comforting environment, gradually implement the following changes into your home:
Red cabbage is just like green cabbage in taste and texture, but with the added benefit of powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins that give the redhead of the vegetable world its distinctive color. Red cabbage is also one of the cruciferous family of vegetables; all are rich in fiber, vitamins (most notably vitamin C), minerals like potassium and calcium, and cancer-fighting compounds called indoles. (Other cruciferous vegetables include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and chard; all are delicious.) Be prepared when cooking red cabbage for the color to "bleed" into the other ingredients. The acidic vinegar and wine in this dish keep the cabbage a beautiful purple color. Without the acid, the cabbage will turn blue. This dish is a taste sensation and makes a great side dish with salmon or as a warm appetizer salad. And considering the very affordable price of cabbage, it can't be beat.
Pistachios in the shell may not be as popular as traditional choices like carrots for a healthy (practically no-cal) snack, but as one of the lowest calorie nuts, they have another advantage: shelling them slows down snacking - and a growing pile of shells shows may remind you of how much you've eaten. A study from Eastern Illinois University found that students given unshelled pistachios ate 41 percent fewer nuts (an average of 125 calories per sitting) than those were given shelled nuts (they averaged 211 calories per sitting). The researchers also learned that when given a bowl of pistachios and a bowl for the shells for the day, the students ate 22 percent less when the shells accumulated all day than when the bowls were emptied every two hours. This study supports results from earlier investigations suggesting that pistachios can be a healthy "diet" food: UCLA researchers found that snacking on pistachios was better weight-wise than snacking on pretzels. And a U.S. Department of Agriculture study found the body may not completely absorb the fat in pistachios, which would make the nuts even lower in calories than we think.
Yesterday's post discussed some dietary and lifestyle changes that can help to prevent or minimize sinus issues; today we discuss four ways to reduce the symptoms. If you are experiencing sinus drainage, congestion or pain, consider the following:
The perfluorocarbons (PFCs) found in household products ranging from carpeting to plastic containers and clothing may be to blame for early menopause in some women.
A study from the University of West Virginia University School of Medicine found that women over the age of 42 with higher than normal blood levels of a type of PFCs called PFOA were more likely to have already gone through menopause and to have lower estrogen levels. The investigators looked at 26,000 West Virginia women whose drinking water supplies had been contaminated with PFCs in 2005 and 2006. In this population, levels of PFOA were 500 percent higher than the average American's. This data doesn't prove that PFCs caused early menopause, but the information suggests a correlation that has to be investigated further. Early menopause puts women at risk of osteoporosis and heart disease sooner than they would be otherwise. PFCs are due to be phased out in the U.S. by 2015. To lower exposure to these chemicals, avoid stain and water resistant fabrics, nonstick cookware and food packaged in grease-resistant containers.
Pickled carrots, jicama, cauliflower and string beans make a healthy snack to have on hand. The carrots offer a great deal of beta-carotene and iron. The jicama and cauliflower provide vitamin C and potassium, and the string beans have a good deal of antioxidants and also add some color to the combination. The vinegar here is well seasoned with the essence of mustard, dill weed, and garlic, all offset with a hint of sweet and balancing brown sugar. The pickling liquid makes an excellent dressing for any salad.
I've already discussed the healthiest choices to make if you find that you have no alternative to eating fast food. Today, we cover four nutritional pitfalls to avoid when eating at a fast-food restaurant.
