Pizza with Mushrooms and Sausage

I made this recipe with exotic mushrooms and foccacia bread from the farmers market. It came out great! My changes are in parenthesis. 

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Prep Time:15 min

Cook Time:25 min

Serves:4 (12-inch) French bread pizzas(cut recipe in half for 2)

Ingredients

(I cut the recipe in half for 2)

• 8 large portobello mushroom caps(exotic mushrooms)
• 1 pound button mushrooms
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms
• (1/2 finely chopped onion)
• (your favorite sausage)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, eyeball it
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it (go light on this unless you like the flavor of  it)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, 4 sprigs stripped and chopped
• 1 loaf crusty French bread, 24 inches(foccacia bread)
• 3 cups shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Directions 

 Wipe mushrooms clean with a damp towel. Slice the mushrooms. Heat a deep skillet with extra-virgin olive oil and butter over medium heat. When butter melts into oil, add bay, garlic and mushrooms.(add onions and sausage) Cook until mushrooms are dark and tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and add wine. Deglaze the pan with wine, eyeball the amount. Shake the pan and add the Worcestershire and thyme. Turn off heat.

Preheat broiler and split the loaf lengthwise and across. Hollow out a bit of the soft insides. Toast the bread lightly under broiler. Fill bread with mushrooms evenly then top with cheese liberally. Melt cheese until it browns and bubbles then remove the pizzas from the oven and turn off the broiler.  (I topped the bread with mushroom mix and drizzled all the mushroom juice over the bread and baked for 15-20 minutes.)

Statin drugs

Here is the link to an interesting article about Statin drugs. It made me feel better about taking them for high cholesterol

http://blogs.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/2011/03/do-statins-harm-the-liver.html?ecd=wnl_chl_072611_b

Yummy Tidbits

I just wanted to share a couple of good "finds'.  I decided to give Costco's large fresh prawns a try. Not only were they a good price, but they were delicious! They were cleaned and the shells were split to make it easy to peel them. I seasoned them with some Cajun seasoning and pan sauteed them till cooked through and tossed them on our Caesar salad. Yummy!
The second yummy discovery are new ice cream bars called Niai. They come in unusual flavors. I found them at Whole Foods market. Give them a try, very adult and very heavenly. Here is the website,  http://gelaterianaia.com/

Tidbit about Kombucha

				Ask the Experts February 2011
				Q: What do you think of the drink kombucha? A: Not much. The fermented tea made headlines in the 1990s, when proponents claimed it detoxified the body, increased energy, and cured everything from AIDS to cancer. When clinical studies failed to support those assertions, kombucha’s star dimmed and little more was seen of this brew, which is essentially black or green tea fermented with a culture of yeast and bacteria. Interest in the vinegary beverage, which has a slight fizz and alcohol buzz, has perked up again lately. The health claims continue, but good studies in humans are still lacking. The drink largely remains a cottage industry, and is often homemade—in which case, batches may be contaminated with molds, bacteria, and lead. In rare instances, kombucha has been linked to lactic acidosis, a life-threatening reaction. Commercially made kombucha is growing in popularity as well, though not without some controversy, too. Last year at least two manufacturers removed their kombucha beverages from store shelves over concerns that they contain too much alcohol. We can’t recommend kombucha, whether it’s homemade or store-bought. You should especially stay away from it if you want to avoid alcohol, have a compromised immune system, or are pregnant or nursing.

Benefits of Chocolate Milk

Skip to content

How great is it that we can combine the benefits of chocolate and lowfat/nonfat milk and not feel guilty about it! Love it!! There is still a controversy about children drinking chocolate milk in schools for lunch, but my opinion is that if it is lowfat, they are getting a full serving of milk with benefits, instead of soda with no benefits. Easy choice! I have seen too many children eat only a small amount of their lunches but finish the milk because they are in a hurry to play outside.

Drinking Chocolate Milk May Help Your Workout

Study Shows Low-Fat Chocolate Milk May Boost Endurance, Build Muscle

By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News

July 1, 2011 -- Drinking low-fat chocolate milk after a workout helps endurance, builds muscle, reduces fat, and seems to improve performance, according to new research.
The drink seems to have the right combination of carbohydrates and protein, says researcher John L. Ivy, PhD, department chair of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin.
"When recovering from exercise, two things you want to do is replenish sugar stores in the muscle and turn on protein synthesis and stop protein breakdown," Ivy tells WebMD.
"The combination of carbohydrate and protein [found in chocolate milk] work synergistically to do those two things," he tells WebMD.
The low-fat chocolate milk beat out two other drinks tested -- a no-calorie beverage and a carbohydrate drink with no protein.
Ivy's research is published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and the Journal ofNutrition and Metabolism. He also presented the findings at the American College of Sports Medicine Meeting in Denver in June.
The research was funded by the National Dairy Council and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board.

Natural Ways to Fuel Your Workout

Chocolate Milk After Workouts

In one of two studies, Ivy had 10 well-trained cyclists exercise over two hours to the point of fatigue. They then drank either the milk drink, the carb drink, or the no-calorie beverage right after the workout and then two hours later.
After four hours the cyclist did a 40K cycling time trial.
"The individuals, when they had received the chocolate milk, performed the time trials significantly faster," he says. They shaved six minutes off their time when they drank the chocolate milk compared to the carb drink.
The chocolate milk, he says, activates the proteins that block protein breakdown. This preserves protein and muscle, helping the recovery process.
In a second study, Ivy trained 32 untrained people, having them cycle 60 minutes a day, five days a week, for 4.5 weeks.
He gave one group the chocolate milk right after exercise and one hour later. He gave a second group the carb drink and a third the placebo no-calorie drink.
They looked at maximum oxygen uptake, a measure of aerobic endurance. ''The improvement in maximum oxygen consumption was twice as great [in the milk drinkers] than in the carb or placebo group."
"We also found individuals receiving the milk tended to have a greater increase in lean body mass and greater reduction in body fat."
Ivy says he was not trying to do a head-to-head comparison against sports drinks on the market. He says that sports drinks meant for use after workouts typically do contain protein.
The chocolate milk tested, he says, has a better carb-protein mix than white milk. The chocolate milk used has about 11.5 grams of carbohydrates per 100 milliliters, 3.5 grams of protein, and 2 grams of fat. The carbohydrate drink he tested has 15 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat, and no protein.

Calories Count, Too

Jennifer Schmit, a spokeswoman for Gatorade, did not comment directly on the research. However, she says that a sports recovery drink made by the company does contain protein.
She notes that "it is important to take in 10-20g of protein within 30 minutes of exercise to start the muscle recovery process, as well as to replenish the carbohydrates and electrolytes lost during the workout."
The research findings make sense, says Barbara Lewin, RD, a sports nutritionist in Ft. Myers, Fla. She advises athletes on nutrition to improve their performance. She reviewed the findings for WebMD but was not involved in the research.
"I have been using it for a long time," she says. It's no surprise, she says, that the chocolate milk beat out the no-calorie beverage and the carbohydrate drink without protein. The inclusion of some protein in a post-workout drink does improve muscle repair and growth, she says.
"This doesn't mean that protein shakes are the answer because carbohydrate is extremely important in the recovery process and in restoring glycogen (the stored source of energy in the muscles). However, a food that contains a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1 up to 5:1 does give more of an advantage than taking in 100% carbohydrate. This is what makes chocolate milk such an ideal choice. I usually recommend 1% or skim chocolate milk as the fat in the milk does not appear to provide any advantage.''
Lewin advises drinking the chocolate milk within 20 to 30 minutes. Ivy agrees.
How much to drink, she says, depends on how hard you've worked out and your weight. She advises drinking about 8 to 16 ounces as a general guide. If you weigh 120 pounds and you've done a light workout, keep the calories around 120, she says. If it was a high-intensity workout, the calories can be double your weight, or about 240.
For the average exerciser, Ivy recommends taking in about 50% of the calories you burned during a workout.

Tidbit about Corn Syrup

Interesting article from Prevention magazine... gives you insight to the politics in the food industry. High fructose corn syrup has been in the news for a while about how bad it is, but it really is not so bad just overused in so many products. I think in America, the competitive nature leads to products which are done to excess. When you go to REI check out the protein bar section! Again the 'word' is 'moderation'.

Diet and Obesity

An ad campaign attempts to give this sweetener a makeover. We have the full story.

By Jennifer Goldstein

In the grand tradition of nutritional scapegoating, high fructose corn syrup has stepped into the spotlight as diet enemy number one. It's an easy target. The corn-based sweetener is found throughout the American diet, in everything from sugary foods like soda and cookies to savory products like tomato sauce and salad dressing.

That's precisely the problem, say critics who blame the vast quantities we consume for the nation's soaring rates of obesity and diabetes.

But not everyone is convinced. Last June, the Corn Refiners Association launched an ad campaign telling the other side of the story--namely, that high fructose corn syrup is "made from corn [and] has the same calories as sugar."

The mixed messages have left consumers looking for answers. Prevention investigated--and found little conclusive evidence to confirm the anti-high fructose corn syrup crusade. Still, concerned researchers say there are reasons to keep your intake to a minimum. Here, we address the most common claims about high fructose corn syrup and have diet experts weigh in so you can make the best choice for your health.

Proponents say:
Table sugar and HFCS have the same number of calories.

The verdict: "Gram for gram, table sugar and high fructose corn syrup are equal in calories," says Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, a New York City-based nutritionist. They are also equally sweet. And both consist of two simple sugars--fructose and glucose--in roughly the same proportions (though the two sugars are merely blended together in high fructose corn syrup, versus chemically bonded in sugar). Your body breaks down both products in virtually the same way, says Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. He adds, "There's no evidence that high fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar once it's in your body."

Still, we know much less about the long-term effects of high fructose corn syrup than about those of sugar. high fructose corn syrup was invented in the 1960s and has been used extensively in consumer products since only the late 1970s. "That's when an increase in the price of sugar helped make less expensive corn sweeteners more attractive to manufacturers," says Helen H. Jensen, PhD, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University. It may be too soon to say that high fructose corn syrup and sugar (which has been consumed safely for thousands of years) are the same.

Proponents say:
high fructose corn syrup is natural.

The verdict: Natural is relative, so think of it this way: high fructose corn syrup would not exist without the aid of humans. (Of course, neither would table sugar.) "You don't just squeeze it out of a kernel of corn," explains Jacobson. The sweetener is made from cornstarch via a process that alters corn's naturally occurring starch molecules. For that reason, Jacobson and CSPI protested an early version of the Corn Refiners Association ads that used the term natural in reference to high fructose corn syrup. Eventually, he says, they took out the word "because it's not natural--it's highly processed."

Proponents say:
High fructose corn syrup is responsible for the rise in obesity in our country.

The verdict: Manufacturers started using high fructose corn syrup in the late '70s, right before America's collective waistline began to expand. Researchers have speculated that the relationship between high fructose corn syrup and obesity is more than a diet coincidence. However, a December 2008 supplement to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no scientific support for the hypothesis that high fructose corn syrup is causing obesity in the United States.

Some experts make an indirect case: High fructose corn syrup, once much cheaper than sugar, cut the cost of sweet, calorie-dense foods, which fueled our sweet tooth--causing weight gain in the process. Proponents say:
High fructose corn syrup contributes to diabetes risk.

The verdict: "This notion that high fructose corn syrup is to blame for diabetes isn't exactly accurate," says Zuckerbrot. It probably gained traction alongside the obesity rumor. But we do know that excess calories--from any source--lead to weight gain, which plays a role in diabetes.

Interestingly, research suggests that a diet high in fructose (the sugar found naturally in fruit) may lead to leptin resistance, a hallmark of diabetes--and thanks to the ubiquity of high fructose corn syrup, we are getting more fructose in our diets than ever before. Scientists are continuing to explore the possible link.

One clue that there's more to learn: In 2007, researchers at Rutgers University found that sodas sweetened with high fructose corn syrup have high levels of compounds called reactive carbonyls, which are found in excess in the blood of people with diabetes and may contribute to tissue damage. "This brings up some interesting concerns, but we don't want to hang our hat on the results of one study," says American Dietetic Association spokesperson Lona Sandon, RD. Bottom line: More research needs to be done.

Proponents say:
High fructose corn syrup contains mercury.

The verdict: Nearly half of the 20 high fructose corn syrup samples tested in a recent study contained small amounts of potentially harmful mercury, according to a report in Environmental Health. While the Corn Refiners Association argues that the research was based on outdated information, another study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy found that one-third of all high fructose corn syrup- containing foods it bought in the fall of 2008 tested positive for the toxin. The researchers believe that high fructose corn syrup is probably the source: A compound known as caustic soda, which is used to separate the corn starch from the kernel, can be tainted with mercury, and there's no way for you to know whether the caustic soda used was contaminated, according to study author David Wallinga, MD. Although much of the US production of caustic soda uses mercury-free technology, not all manufacturers worldwide have followed suit, adding fuel to the argument for minimizing high fructose corn syrup intake.

Proponents say:
The FDA says that high fructose corn syrup is safe to consume, so it must be.

The verdict: The FDA has ruled twice that high fructose corn syrup is "safe" to consume. But the FDA also considers double bacon cheeseburgers safe--and you wouldn't want to eat those every day. Limiting high fructose corn syrup (and other added sweeteners) does have one well-understood benefit: It will help you lose weight. And that will help prevent disease.

Jacobson agrees. Although the Corn Refiners Association is successfully pumping up the image of high fructose corn syrup in the minds of many consumers, he believes that there's more the public should know. "The ads set the record straight about the similarities between sugar and high fructose corn syrup," he says. "But the responsible message should be 'Consume less of both.'"

Last Update: 03/18/2009

Issue Date: May 2009 Copyright 2009, Prevention

Exercise

I am such a big believer in exercise! I grew up doing fun outdoor sports, snow skiing, water sports, hiking and have continued with aerobics and walking. It doesn't matter what exercise you choose to do, just have fun doing it!

(Berkeley Wellness)

Exercise: A Prescription for Successful Aging

 Exercise is good for you in so many ways. It can help you lose weight, gain strength and even fight mild depression, among other benefits.

Other exercise perks include better cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improved blood sugar control, stronger bones, less arthritis pain and a more efficient heart and brain.
Here’s a sampling of the studies, all from the Archives of Internal Medicine last year. They are part of the accumulating evidence showing that “physical activity may be the most effective prescription . . . for promoting successful aging,” according to the accompanying editorial.
• Midlife exercise, including walking, increased the odds that women would have “exceptional health”—that is, no major chronic disease or physical/mental impairment—when they reached their seventies, according to a study of 13,535 nurses.
• Weight training once or twice a week for a year improved cognitive skills as well as muscle strength in 106 women aged 65 to 75 from Vancouver. Previous research found such mental benefits primarily from aerobic exercise such as running.
• In a study of 3,900 Germans over 55, those who were physically active were far less likely to develop cognitive decline (ranging from memory loss to dementia) over a two-year period.
• In a second German study, focusing on 246 women over 65, an 18-month exercise program significantly improved bone density and reduced the risk of falls.
• Adding an exercise and weight-control program enhanced the effectiveness of the blood-pressure-lowering DASH diet, in a four-month study at Duke University involving 144 overweight or obese people with hypertension or pre-hypertension.
Take your genes to the gym
Delving deeper into the potential anti-aging effects of exercise, another study, in Circulation, suggested that vigorous exercise may partially reverse aging inside the cells, at the genetic level. In middle-aged long-time runners, there was less shortening of the telomeres (protective caps on the ends of DNA stands), compared to their sedentary counterparts.
Such telomere shortening is a sign of aging in cells—sort of a biological clock. In fact, the telomeres of these runners appeared nearly as “young” as those of runners in their twenties. These were elite runners, but scientists speculate that any vigorous—maybe even moderate—exercise done over the long term may help keep genes young.