Family Health and Fitness Day! – Saturday September 27

Saturday, September 27, is Family Health and Fitness Day! Try trading time spent in front of the TV or computer for a family walk. Why? Walking is the easiest and least expensive way to combat obesity and illness. What if your family doesn’t like to walk? Make it fun! Walking can be enjoyable for everybody — just use your imagination. Start by trying these tips:

• Develop a reward system. Keep track of the distance everyone walks and award prizes for goals reached. For example, reward your little ones with small activity toys like bubble blowers, Frisbees, and bouncy balls. These inexpensive gifts will keep them going long after the walk has ended.
• Walk to the beat. Sure, chatting is fun, but family walks don’t have to revolve around conversation to be fulfilling. If your teenagers seem reluctant to walk with you, encourage them to bring along their favorite music — it might be just the thing to get their feet moving.
• Play a game. As you and your family walk, try playing a game that involves the changing scenery. I Spy and 20 Questions are fun for young children. You can also plan a scavenger hunt using objects commonly found along your path — like pinecones, leaves, and rocks of certain shapes and colors — and have your whole family participate.

You’ll probably find that your family will be happy to spend some quality time together. Remember, while Dr. Agatston recommends that adults get 30 minutes of daily cardio activity, along with stretching and resistance exercises in the form of core training. Children require at least one hour of physical activity a day. And since many schools are cutting back on recess and physical education, it’s up to parents to make sure kids get moving. Happy walking!

Making Sense of Your Cholesterol Tests

By Donna Shields, R.D.

So you’ve had a blood test. When your doctor reviews your cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride values, do your eyes glaze over as you struggle to remember what’s good and bad? This quick rundown will help you put your results in perspective.

The Gist of It
Blood lipid (fat) levels are one piece of the puzzle used for assessing coronary heart disease risk. Other risk factors, such as your weight and whether or not you smoke, have high blood pressure, and/or a family history of heart disease, will determine how often blood lipids should be checked as well as the diet and exercise plan you need to follow.

Fats, especially cholesterol, are not water-soluble so they must hitch a ride to something else, such as protein, to move through the bloodstream. Hence, they’re called “lipoproteins.” There are the most common terms you’ll hear:

• HDL (high-density lipoprotein) retrieves cholesterol from cells and returns it to the liver to be metabolized. HDL is considered the good kind of cholesterol. Here’s a little trick to help you remember: HDL is good—happy—and should be high (H=happy, high).
• LDL (low-density lipoprotein) transports cholesterol and triglycerides from the liver to be used in various body cells. LDL is considered the bad type of cholesterol. Remember: LDL is lethal and should be low (L=lethal, low).
• TG (Triglycerides) are the primary storage form of fats in the body. Elevated TG levels are undesirable.

Where do you fit in?

The recommendations below are from the National Cholesterol Education Program, National Institutes of Health, and the American Heart Association. If you are diabetic, check with your doctor for desirable levels.

Desirable Levels
If all of your numbers meet these criteria, recheck your cholesterol every one to two years—your doctor will tell you what’s appropriate based on your age and health history.

• Total cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL
• LDL: Less than 130 mg/dL
• HDL: Above 60 mg/dL
• TG: Less than 150 mg/dL

Borderline Risk
If all or some of your results are in this group, ask your doctor for advice and have your numbers rechecked yearly.

• Total cholesterol: 200–239 mg/dL
• LDL: 130–159 mg/dL
• HDL: 40–59 mg/dL
• TG: 150–199 mg/dL

High Risk
If any of your numbers are at these levels, talk to your doctor about the proper treatment that most likely will include diet, exercise, and medication.

• Total cholesterol: 240 mg/dL and above
• LDL: 160 mg/dL and above
• HDL: less than 40 mg/dL
• TG: above 200 mg/dL

Low Cholesterol Recipes

Use Watkins herbs, spices, and low-sodium soup bases to make these recipes flavorful and healthful.

Tex-Mex Spinach Omelet

• 1  cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 4 eggs
• 1  tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro
•   Dash salt
•   Dash ground cumin
•   Nonstick cooking spray
• 1  ounce reduced-fat cheddar cheese, reduced-fat Swiss cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno chile peppers, shredded (1/4 cup)
• 3/4  cup fresh baby spinach leaves
•   Corn-Pepper Relish (below)

1. In a medium bowl, combine egg, cilantro, salt, and cumin. Beat with a whisk or rotary beater until frothy.

2. Coat an unheated 10-inch nonstick skillet with flared sides with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat skillet over medium heat.

3. Pour egg mixture into prepared skillet. Cook, without stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until egg mixture begins to set. Run a spatula around edge of skillet, lifting egg mixture so uncooked portion flows underneath.

4. Continue cooking and lifting edge until egg mixture is set but is still glossy and moist. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with three-fourths of the spinach and half of the Corn-Pepper Relish. Using the spatula, lift and fold an edge of the omelet partially over filling. Top with remaining spinach and the remaining relish. Cut omelet in half; transfer to warm plates.

5. Corn-Pepper Relish: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup chopped red sweet pepper; 1/4 cup frozen loose-pack whole kernel corn, thawed; 2 tablespoons chopped red onion; and 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro.

NUTRITION FACTS PER SERVING: 142 calories, 5 g fat (3 g sat), 9 g carbo, 12 mg chol, 393 mg sodium, 17 g protein, 2 g fiber.

Return bread rounds to center of grill (not directly over coals). Cover grill. Grill for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings are heated through. Remove from grill and top with basil before serving.

Caramelized Onion Pizza

1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 6- to 7-inch whole wheat pita bread rounds
1 large tomato, quartered and sliced or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Romano cheese (1 ounce)
1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves or shredded fresh basil

Directions
In a medium saucepan cook onion slices and garlic in hot olive oil over medium heat, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until onion is very tender, stirring occasionally; set aside.

For a charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around the edges of the grill. Test for medium heat in the center of the grill. Toast one side of each bread round directly over the coals for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from grill. Top toasted side of each bread round with onion mixture, sliced tomato, mozzarella cheese, and Romano cheese.

Return bread rounds to center of grill (not directly over coals). Cover grill. Grill for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings are heated through. Remove from grill and top with basil before serving. Four servings.

Servings Per Recipe 4 servings
Calories 292
Total Fat (g) 11
Saturated Fat (g) 3
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 5
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1
Cholesterol (mg) 12
Sodium (mg) 472
Carbohydrate (g) 39
Total Sugar (g) 2
Fiber (g) 6
Protein (g) 10
Vitamin C (DV%) 11
Calcium (DV%) 14
Iron (DV%) 12
*Percent Daily Values are base on a 2,000 calorie diet

Gorgeous George Burger

• 1  10-ounce package frozen soy burgers
• 3  tablespoons canned vegetable broth
• 1  8-ounce can pineapple slices (juice pack)
• 1/2  of a medium red onion, sliced
• 4  whole wheat hamburger buns, split
• 4  slices fat-free process or reduced-fat Swiss cheese (4 ounces)
• 4  tablespoons bottled fat-free thousand island salad dressing
• 4  leaves leaf lettuce

Directions

For a charcoal grill, grill burgers on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 8 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling and brushing with vegetable broth several times. Add pineapple and onion slices to grill for the last 3 minutes of grilling time, turning once halfway through grilling. Add bun, split side down, to grill for the last 1 minute of grilling time. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)

Serve burgers on grilled buns, topped with pineapple, onion, cheese, salad dressing, and lettuce. makes 4 burgers.

Servings Per Recipe 4 burgers
Calories 339
Total Fat (g) 5
Saturated Fat (g) .6
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Sodium (mg) 889
Carbohydrate (g) 56
Total Sugar (g) 18
Fiber (g) 8
Protein (g) 21
Vitamin C (DV%) 13
Calcium (DV%) 26
Iron (DV%) 20
*Percent Daily Values are base on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ginger-Squash Soup

• 1/2  cup chopped onion
• 2  teaspoons canola or olive oil
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  pounds buttercup squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
• 2  14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 4  teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
•   Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1  medium apple, cored and chopped (optional)

In a large saucepan, cook onion in hot oil 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic; cook and stir 1 minute more.

Stir in squash, chicken broth, ginger, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is very tender. Cool slightly.

Transfer one-third of the soup mixture to a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup. Return mixture to saucepan; heat through. Makes 4 (1 cup) servings.

Ladle soup into bowls. If deisred, top with chopped apples.

Nutrition facts per serving:

• Servings Per Recipe 4 (about 1-cup) servings
• Calories 122
• Total Fat (g) 3
• Saturated Fat (g) .3
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1.4
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) .9
• Cholesterol (mg) 0
• Sodium (mg) 772
• Carbohydrate (g) 23
• Total Sugar (g) 7
• Fiber (g) 4
• Protein (g) 5
• Vitamin C (DV%) 42
• Calcium (DV%) 7
• Iron (DV%) 8

*Percent Daily Values are base on a 2,000 calorie diet

Pumpkin Seed Breadsticks

• 1  13- to 14-oz. pkg. refrigerated pizza dough
• 1  egg, beaten
• 1  to 3 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, flax seeds, plain sesame seeds, and/or black sesame seeds
•   Coarse salt or salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease two large baking sheets. Unroll pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, shape dough into a 12×9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with some of the egg. Sprinkle with seeds and lightly sprinkle with salt. Use a floured long knife or floured pizza cutter to cut dough crosswise into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-wide strips.

2. Place strips on prepared baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Rice and Veggie Stuffed Peppers

• 1/2  cup chopped onion
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  teaspoons olive oil
• 2  14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1-1/2  cups brown rice
• 1/2  teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2  teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1/8  teaspoon paprika
• 1  14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1  11-ounce can whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained
• 2  tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
• 8  small green, yellow, and/or red sweet peppers

Directions

In a large saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil over medium heat about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in broth. Bring to boiling; add uncooked rice, oregano, black pepper, salt, and paprika. Simmer, covered, about 40 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes, corn, and cilantro.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice tops from sweet peppers; remove and discard seeds. In a 3-quart rectangular baking dish, arrange peppers in a single layer. Spoon rice mixture into sweet peppers; place pepper tops onto rice. Bake, covered, about 30 minutes* or until peppers are crisp-tender and rice mixture is heated through.

*TEST KITCHEN TIP: For a more tender pepper, increase the baking time to 40 to 45 minutes.

Nutrition facts per serving:

• Servings Per Recipe 8 servings
• Calories 204
• Total Fat (g) 3
• Saturated Fat (g) .4
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 1
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) .6
• Cholesterol (mg) 0
• Sodium (mg) 524
• Carbohydrate (g) 40
• Total Sugar (g) 7
• Fiber (g) 5
• Protein (g) 6
• Vitamin A (DV%) 125
• Vitamin C (DV%) 102
• Calcium (DV%) 4
• Iron (DV%) 8

*Percent Daily Values are base on a 2,000 calorie diet

Apple Cranberry Crisp

• 5  cups thinly sliced peeled apples
• 1  cup fresh cranberries
• 2  tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2  teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
• 1/2  cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 3  tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2  teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon
• 2  tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a 2-quart baking dish, combine apples and cranberries. In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice. Sprinkle over fruit mixture in baking dish; toss to coat.

In a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over apple mixture.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm.

Nutrition facts per serving:

• Servings Per Recipe 6 servings
• Calories 189
• Total Fat (g) 5
• Saturated Fat (g) 3
• Cholesterol (mg) 11
• Sodium (mg) 45
• Carbohydrate (g) 37
• Fiber (g) 4
• Protein (g) 2

From Heart Healthy Living at HeartHealthyOnline.com

Breast Cancer – Mastectomy

Christina Applegate: Back to Work After Double Mastectomy
September 17, 2008 – Health.com Newsletter

Actress Christina Applegate went back to work this week. On Monday she returned to the filming of her ABC comedy, Samantha Who?.

Applegate, 36, had a double mastectomy in July after being diagnosed with cancer in one breast in April 2008.

She has been nominated for an Emmy award for lead actress in a comedy series for her performance on the show, which is in its second season, and is scheduled to present at the Emmy Awards this Sunday, September 21.

Applegate, whose mother also had breast cancer, decided to undergo the double mastectomy as a preventive measure after undergoing two lumpectomies and testing positive for a breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA.

The decision was difficult, she said in an August interview with ABC News’ Good Morning America, but it greatly decreases the chance of her cancer returning. “This was the choice that I made,” she said, “and it was a tough one.” During the interview, she said she is now cancer-free.

While having a double mastectomy sounds like a radical choice, it can be a good option for some women with a very high risk of cancer, or cancer recurrence.

Applegate appeared in a star-studded television event, Stand-Up to Cancer, on September 5. The one-hour, commercial-free program aired during prime time on NBC, ABC, and CBS and raised $100 million for cancer research.

During the program, Desperate Housewives star Dana Delany underwent an on-air mammogram.

Annual mammograms are recommended for most women starting at age 40, but Applegate underwent earlier screening due to her family history of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is relatively rare in young women, making up about 4% of all cases in the United States. However, that still represents 8,000 women, so young women who detect a lump in their breast should be evaluated by a doctor.

Like Applegate, women with a family history—a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer, not a distant cousin—may need to begin routine screening earlier than age 40.

Applegate’s cancer was diagnosed during a doctor-ordered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, another breast cancer detection method that’s generally reserved for women at higher cancer risk due to the test’s higher cost and greater risk of false positives (test results that seem suspicious but turn out to be nothing).

MRIs can offer a more detailed analysis of breast tissue than mammograms, but there’s some evidence that they may delay treatment or increase the likelihood of a mastectomy when given to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

When Smoking Tastes Good, It’s Harder to Quit

Both of my parents smoked and I vowed never to touch a cigarette! I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to spend their hard-earned money on such a discusting habbit. The smoke permeates everything it comes in contact with making clothing, furniture, car, hair smell like burning cigarettes not to mention what it does to the human body.

I didn’t realize as a child that I smelled like cigarette smoke to my friends, teachers, and classmates. Smoking was more widely accepted several years ago than it is today.

Smoking affects the skin on a smoker’s face causing it wrinkle prematurely. The nicotine can even discolor the skin around a person’s mouth. If that isn’t enough to make a smoker throw out that partially inhaled pack of cigarettes, the possiblility of lung cancer should. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer. I’ve known people who died of lung cancer who showed no symptoms until they developed a sever cold which led to pneumonia and then death within a few weeks.

If you smoke I hope some of the information in this article will help you kick the habbit.

Seemingly safe and yummy cigarette additives like cocoa can have a dangerous effect when inhaled.
You may find yourself missing more than nicotine when you finally snub out your last butt. Cigarettes are designed to manipulate your taste buds too, and research shows that tobacco’s flavors, both natural and added, can hold extra sway for many people struggling to quit.

“The sensory components—the taste of it, the feel of inhaled smoke—these are an important part of why people smoke,” says Joseph McClernon, PhD, an assistant research professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center.

And they are also an important part of why people quit. “Taste can potentially help us explain who smokes and who doesn’t,” says McClernon.

A little chocolate with your cigarette?
A typical cigarette may include cocoa, honey, vanilla, and licorice. While the taste of a particular brand has a lot to do with its tobacco blend, hundreds of additives may be included to smooth out the tobacco’s rough edges and create a more delicious puff.

This may sound like nothing more than a tricky way of winning your loyalty to a particular brand—or to cigarettes in general. But many of these additives can be dangerous when inhaled. “The additives are found in a lot of products that are eaten and are safe, but when burned they’re different products,” explains K. Michael Cummings, PhD, chair of the department of health behavior at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.

Cocoa, for example, is a nice treat for a cold winter’s night when mixed in its powdered form with hot milk. But when burned in a cigarette, cocoa produces bromine gas, which both dilates and anesthetizes the lungs, maximizing their absorption of smoke and nicotine.

“Bitter tasters” are less likely to smoke
Not everyone is susceptible to the sweet lure of cigarettes’ taste. So-called bitter tasters are less likely to cite taste as a motivating factor for smoking—and less likely to smoke in the first place.

This category of smoker was investigated in a 2001 study published in Addictive Behaviors; researchers at the National Institutes of Health compared subjects’ genetic ability to recognize bitter flavors with their likelihood of smoking and their motivations for lighting up.

The study found that at the other end of the spectrum from bitter tasters were smokers with very little bitter sensitivity (“nontasters”), who were at higher risk for heavy smoking and therefore more likely to become addicted to nicotine.

Some food makes smoking taste better
If you’re not genetically programmed to find smoking hard to quit, maybe it’s the food you eat that makes cigarettes so enticing.

A 2007 study—led by McClernon and published by Duke University Medical Center in Nicotine & Tobacco Research—found that certain foods enhance smoking, while other foods get in the way of one’s enjoyment of a cigarette. Red meat, coffee, and alcohol seem to make cigarettes taste better, while fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and noncaffeinated beverages such as water and juice were most often cited as interfering with the taste.

This may explain the coffee-cigarette connection as well. “The conventional wisdom has been that there’s something about the combination of nicotine and caffeine that smokers like,” McClernon says, referring to theories that the two substances may complement each other chemically. “But it may simply be that they taste better together—like Oreos and cold milk.”

The research is preliminary, but it does suggest a decent strategy for quitting smoking. Grabbing a celery or carrot stick might indeed do more than just distract you from your cigarette craving.

Health.com
Lead writer: Claire Stanford
Last Updated: September 09, 2008