Healthy Tidbits

 Here is more evidence that exercise as simple as brisk walking helps to keep you healthy. I love it, it is easy, you get out in the fresh air, you can walk with your friends and family. You can also get lots of important conversation in too. Think about picking different locations, the world has some awesome scenery to view!  I use the treadmill when the weather is cold and rainy. 

(Dr. Weil)

Walking Away From Prostate Cancer

Here's some good news for men who have been treated for prostate cancer: brisk walking - at a pace of three miles per hour - seems to lower the risk of disease progression and the need for additional treatment. This finding comes from a study of 1,455 men who had localized prostate cancer. The original investigation was conducted from 2004 to 2009, and the men's average age when their cancer was diagnosed was 65. The analysis showed that men who walked three or more hours a week at a brisk pace had a 57 percent lower risk of prostate cancer progression when compared to men who walked less than three hours a week and who walked at a slower pace. The participants reported their physical activity by questionnaire about 27 months after they were diagnosed to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of California, San Francisco. The new analysis was published in the June 1st, 2011 issue of Cancer Research.
My take? We already knew that regular aerobic exercise is associated with a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer in the first place, so it's good to hear that exercise (in this case, brisk walking) makes a difference for men who have been treated for the disease. This finding makes sense to me: several years ago studies showed that brisk walking improved breast cancer survival rates among women who walked as little as an hour a week at a pace of 2 to 2.9 miles per hour. Better yet, women who had had breast cancer and walked three to five hours a week had a risk of death that was 50 percent lower than breast cancer patients who performed little or no exercise. The message from these studies is clear: get moving!

LowFat Cheese/Chicken Enchiladas

I was impressed with this recipe tasting so good and being low fat. I think you can add other vegetables and seasonings if you like it hotter and more favorable. My additions are in parenthesis. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
• 2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
• 1 2/3 cups plain low-fat yogurt( nonfat sour cream)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (leave it out)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion( & red bell pepper, also corn or beans)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• (Try cumin, fresh cilantro, hot peppers)
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup (such as Healthy Request), undiluted
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas( I like the corn, look for low fat)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil( I sprayed the tortillas with cooking spray)
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Remove 1 cup chicken mixture; set mixture aside.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, brush oil over both sides of tortilla. Add tortilla to pan; cook 5 seconds on each side or until toasted and soft. Remove from pan; arrange 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla. Roll jelly-roll style; place filled tortilla, seam side down, in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining 7 tortillas, remaining oil, and remaining chicken mixture. Spread reserved 1 cup chicken mixture evenly over enchiladas. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese and green onions; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Makes about 8 servings.

Nutritional Information

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• Amount per serving
• Calories: 454
• Fat: 20.3g
• Saturated fat: 10.4g
• Monounsaturated fat: 6.7g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.5g
• Protein: 30.8g
• Carbohydrate: 36.6g
• Fiber: 2.2g
• Cholesterol: 73mg
• Iron: 2.3mg
• Sodium: 757mg
• Calcium: 347mg

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Cooking Light MAY 2009

Healthy Tidbits about Honey

 (HealthCastle.com)
Antibacterial

Studies have documented the ability of some types of honey to inhibit growth of dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The mechanism by which honey acts as an antibacterial agent is not fully understood. First, the sugars in honey draw away moisture, which helps inhibit bacterial growth. In addition, honeys with strong antibacterial activity contain compounds that are known to be toxic to bacteria, such as methylglyoxal in manuka honey or hydrogen peroxide in others. Interestingly, a 2011 study out of the University of Amsterdam that compared the antibacterial activities of two medical-grade honeys found that the antibacterial activities of manuka honey continued even after the methylglyoxal was neutralized, meaning there were other unknown factors that contributed to the antibacterial capacity.

Antioxidant

Raw unpasteurized honey contains various phytonutrients that have been shown to exhibit anti-cancer properties. However, processing and heat applied during pasteurization destroy most of these phytonutrients. A 2009 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that darker honeys such as buckwheat, blueberry, manuka, or eucalyptus exhibit higher antioxidant levels than lighter-colored samples.

Throat-soothing or cough control

The throat soothing properties of honey are not well-explained scientifically, but ask most singers and they swear by singers’ tea (which counts honey as one of its main ingredients) for irritated throat or squeaky voice. Many of us resort to hot tea made with lemon and honey for soothing relief of sore throat and coughs. A 2007 study from the Pennsylvania State University that compared buckwheat honey and the cough medicine dextromethorphan found that parents rated honey favorably in relieving nighttime coughing in children with upper respiratory tract infections.

Prebiotic

A prebiotic makes your gut environment hospitable to friendly bacteria. Certain types of honey contains oligosaccharides, which appear to facilitate the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut. Some types of honey have been shown to contain friendly bacteria. However, a 2010 study in the British Journal of Nutrition found no significant change in the levels of friendly bacteria in the gut of healthy volunteers after daily consumption of honey for 4 weeks.

The Bottom Line

While honey (in particular, raw, unpasteurized honey) contains trace amounts of various compounds that exhibit beneficial properties, it is important to note that nutritionally its role is limited to a carbohydrate that contributes calories. You get more antioxidants and vitamins from fruits and vegetables. From a food safety perspective, infants under one year of age should not be served honey because of the risk of infant botulism.

Healthy BBQ Tidbits

It is BBQ time coming up and these are good tips to remember when cooking our favorite meats over the open flame.

(Berkeley Wellness)
You may be looking forward to firing up your barbecue grill this Memorial Day weekend. But grilling meat exposes you to potentially dangerous chemicals.

Grilling, frying, broiling and other cooking methods that expose meat to extremely high temperatures create potentially cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). This is especially true when the meat is charred or overcooked. Moreover, when fat drips on the heat source, the plumes of smoke can coat meat with other dangerous chemicals. The worst offenders are fatty, well-done beef, pork and lamb, but even poultry and fish produce HCAs when seared.

What if you love grilling? Here are ways to reduce the risks:

• Choose lean cuts of meat and trim any visible fat.

• Marinate meat. Researchers have found that this can decrease HCAs by more than 90 percent. Use combinations of beer, cider, vinegar, citrus juices, mustard, herbs, and brown sugar.

• Precook in a microwave or oven and finish on the grill.

•Use lower heat. Turn down the gas or wait for the coals to burn less hot. Don't cook directly over the heat source.

• Flip the meat frequently to avoid charring, and grill just until the meat is cooked through and safe to eat. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.

• Go vegetarian. When veggie burgers, tofu, and vegetables are grilled, there is little or no formation of HCAs.

• Stay upwind from grills to avoid breathing in smoke, which also carries health risks. No smoke is good smoke.

Grand Canyon Tour

We just came back from our road trip to Bryce National Park, Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon. Awesome trip the views are indescribable! We started our trip in Las Vegas picked up our rental car and drove from there. We decided to spend the first night at the Mirage and see the show Beatles Love which was fantastic! But I must say the best dinner we had for the whole trip was at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Ron had the rib eye steak and I had the pork loin. Both were perfectly cooked! Every meal paled in comparison.

For dessert I could not resist the Churros with chocolate sauce!

Blue-Green Algae

 I use a protein powder that I like that contains spirulina, Hmmm, wonder if it is worth it. I guess it can't hurt.

(Berkeley Wellness)
Blue-green algae are among the most ancient life forms on earth. They are now also popular dietary supplements, with almost limitless claims made for them.
There are many kinds of algae, and though Cyanobacteria (the scientific name for blue-green algae) were once grouped with true algae by biologists, they are now recognized as a separate phylum. They contain protein, some vitamins and minerals, and other compounds. They are rich in chlorophyll, a pigment that enables plants to manufacture sugars from solar energy. But there’s no convincing evidence that chlorophyll does anything for the human body.
While algae are an essential part of the food chain, blue-green algae (also known as pond scum) are not generally eaten by other aquatic organisms. The question is whether they provide any special nutritional or medicinal benefit to humans.
The two main types of blue-green algae are Spirulina and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), both naturally present in lakes and streams. Blue-green and other algae are used as human food as well as animal feed in China, Japan, and many other countries. They are also sold as capsules, pills, and powders in health-food stores and drugstores and on the Internet. In this country AFA is harvested chiefly from Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon, where it is freeze-dried and turned into capsules.
Skimming the health claims
Blue-green algae supplements are said to be nutritionally superior to ordinary foods, and medicinally superior to drugs. Marketers promote blue-green algae as a treatment or preventive for everything from heart disease and cancer to hyperactivity in children and Alzheimer’s disease, but there is no credible research to support these claims. The algae do, of course, contain nutrients, which vary, depending on where the algae grow and other factors. In any case, the supplements usually contain only tiny amounts of algae.
There has been some interesting research on blue-green algae in recent years. For instance, a small study from Korea found that elderly people with diabetes who took Spirulina supplements had reductions in blood pressure and blood cholesterol over a three-month period. Other small studies have found that Spirulina could reduce nasal symptoms in those suffering from allergic rhinitis.  But this is preliminary research and does not support the extravagant claims made by marketers of the supplements.
It’s well known that blue-green algae can produce micro­cystins and other toxins that can contaminate drinking water and, in large amounts, make people sick and kill livestock and pets. Over the years Health Canada (which functions similar to the FDA) has tested a broad range of algae supplements for microcystins. They found no toxins in Spirulina, though other blue-green algae products sometimes contained them. Health Canada warned against giving non-Spirulina algae products to children.
Bottom line: You don’t need blue-green algae supplements. Even if they are pure and free of toxins, it’s a stretch to think they’ll keep you healthy. Get your nutrients from vegetables and fruits, which taste better and cost a lot less than algae.

Healthy Tidbits

(Dr. Weil)
Cleaning Your Kitchen

The kitchen can be an overlooked source of household germs. The ever-present kitchen sponge is a likely culprit: its moist environment can breed bacteria, molds and other pathogens. Sinks and drains are also typically germ-ridden, as are handles on the refrigerator and microwave, cutting boards and dish towels. You can help reduce germs in the kitchen by washing your hands before and after handling food (for home use, plain soap works just as well as antibacterial versions, and is better for the environment); replacing sponges frequently, or running them through the dishwasher weekly; and wiping down the sink, counters and other surfaces that are touched often with a solution of 3/4 cup bleach to a gallon of water. If you wish to avoid synthetic chemicals, add 50 drops of tea tree oil (found in health food stores) to a vinegar-water solution.