10 Tips for Reducing Cancer Risk

While we can’t always prevent cancer, we can do things to help reduce the risk of developing it. Of course, we always hear: eat healthy foods, exercise, don’t smoke. But the message doesn’t seem to be getting through because people still eat junk or high fat foods, still don’t exercise and still smoke.

The Mayo Clinic published 10 tips to reduce cancer risk in their most recent issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.

Here are the tips and below there’s more explanation:

1. Stop smoking
2. Limit alcohol intake – some alcohol is okay, too much is not
3. Follow recommended intake of fruits and vegetable (daily!)
4. Decrease the amount of fat in your daily diet
5. Lose weight if you’re too heavy, try to gain weight if you’re too thin
6. Move! Get active
7. Watch your skin (from the sun and don’t use tanning beds)
8. Don’t take chances when having sex. Protect yourself.
9. See your doctor regularly and take part in recommenced screening tests
10. If you have had cancer or are at particularly high risk, speak with your doctor about chemoprevention, which is taking medications to reduce the risk of new cancers

How and why do these steps help?

First of all, none of these are a surprise. All these recommendations, save for the last one, are recommended to help reduce the risk of developing many health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and more. So by following these tips, you’re helping your body more than you may realize. Read more

Soy Twist on Roasted Butternut Squash

Today’s recipe is a lighter alternative to the Thanksgiving favorite, roasted butternut squash.  Adding flare with sage and pecans, this recipe from Galaxy Nutritional Foods, incorporates its number one soy-based cheese alternative Veggie to shake things up. I love butternut squash and I personally have never had it with pecans before.  And then throwing cheese into the mix just makes it sounds sinful!

However, I think this recipe is a great because like most people in the world, I need to count my calories.  And pecans and cheese sound like a lethal combo! This delicious alternative to cheese has no trans fats and no carbohydrates.  Sounds good to me!  I’ll give it a shot! Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage, Pecans, and Veggie Parmesan, Mozzarella, and Romano Shreds

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into ½” cubes
• 6-9 fresh sage leaves, chopped (sub 1 teaspoon dried or rubbed sage)
• 1 small package pecan pieces
• ½ package of Veggie Shreds Parmesan, Mozzarella, Romano Blend (or simply substitute the Veggie Shreds with your favorite Galaxy product)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pinch black pepper

Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Toss to incorporate.  Line a sheet pan or cookie sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Place the squash mixture onto the sheet pan and place in the oven.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is tender. Chef’s Note: For added flavor, add dried cranberries to this dish.

Greek Citrus Honey Holiday Cake

Do you love pound cake but hate all the extra calories?  Then give Star Olive Oil’s recipe for Greek Citrus Honey Holiday Cake a shot.  Made with olive oil instead of butter, this delicious cake is a lighter and sweeter alternative as it has no trans fats and is low in sugar.  And the addition of orange honey and lemon peel adds a savory and tangy twist.

A wonderful Mediterranean twist on an American classic, this dessert would offer a great new flavor to your Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsps ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup STAR Extra Light Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup orange honey
• Juice and grated peel of 1 orange
• Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
• 2 tsps of powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Sift dry ingredients together. In medium bowl, beat olive oil, gradually adding honey. Alternately fold in dry ingredients and juices, using about a fourth each time. Pour into oiled and floured 9” round cake pan. Bake about 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool completely on rack before removing from pan. Dust with sugar.  Serves 6-8

TruWhip~ A Greener Topping For Your Dessert

I’ve been enjoying some yummy whipped topping from TruWhip on my crustless pumpkin pie the last couple days, so I thought I’d let you know a little bit more about the product.

TruWhip is the only all natural whipped topping with no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup and no GMO’s, it’s 70% organic, and it’s gluten-free. It has the convenience of CoolWhip, but without any of the questionable ingredients.

TruWhip sent me a container of their whipped topping to try out. My son’s a big fan of all things dessert, so he was excited when he saw the container. He’s been bugging me to give it a try.

So did it pass the taste test? It definitely did at our house. My son loves whipped topping, so I usually whip up my own, once in a while we’ll use CoolWhip. I gave him a dollop of the TruWhip on top of his pumpkin pie, and asked him what he thought of it. He said it was yummy. His answer for anything he likes.

I thought the TruWhip was very good too, of course there’s nothing better than whipping up your own batch of whipped topping the old fashioned way. If you are short on time, and don’t want to make your own, I would say TruWhip is a great alternative.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Review- The Intellectual Devotional: Health

Wondering what causes bruises, or perhaps you’re pondering the effects of trans fats? Maybe you’d like to know a little more about everything, whether it’s obsessive-compulsive disorder or gastroenteritis.

For the medically curious (that would be me) or the reader just looking for a different type of devotional, The Intellectual Devotional: Health may be the perfect medicine. I received a free copy for review.

Not to judge a book by its cover, but I really like the textured spine, deckled pages and colorful cover. For gift-giving, that’s a plus. Now, on to the inside. The book is the fourth installment in the New York Times best-selling series, created by David S. Kidder, Noah Oppenheim. Bruce K. Young, MD, an international leader in obstetrics and gynecology, joins the team as a co-author.

Yes, I’m writing about this book in Women’s Health, but it’s a book for anyone who can read. The language is easy to understand. The 365 entries are meant to help you empower yourself with a greater knowledge of the world of health. Perhaps the language your doctor uses might make a bit more sense after your year with The Intellectual Devotional: Health.

Of course, you could read the whole book at once, but you’d probably lose interest. While there are some extremely interesting facts in the devotional, it’s not page-turning reading. You’ll want to break it down into an entry or two at a time. As for photos, there are a few black-and-white images scattered about among the 365 pages of entries. Each entry is limited to a page with footnotes at the bottom providing additional facts.

Categories include Children and Adolescents, Diseases and Ailments, Drugs and Alternative Treatments, The Mind, Sexuality and Reproduction, Lifestyle and Preventive Medicine, and Medical Milestones. Entries are presented in a scattered-category fashion. In other words, you won’t have to read a straight month on The Mind.

If you’re wanting to expand your medical knowledge one day at a time, this may be a good bedside partner for you. Likewise, if you have any friends who seem interested in medicine and the body, the book would make a beautiful gift. The Intellectual Devotional: Health by Rodale Books will be released next week.

(Images by Peggy Rowland)

Read Your Food Labels Carefully

I’m a label reader. I love to got to the grocery when I’m not in a hurry so I can check out the labels on foods before I buy. I have some favorite foods that I know what’s on the label, but whenever I try something new I like to see what’s in there.

If you just take the time to check out labels while your in the grocery store a couple times, you’ll get much faster at it on future trips. You’ll know where to look for the important stuff, and you’ll learn which brands you can trust.

Some things to look for on the food label?

• Check out the ingredients list, if there are things you can’t pronounce put it back on the shelf.
• While you’re checking out the ingredients list check to see what the top ingredients listed are. Ingredients are listed from most used to least used on a label. If the first item on the list is high fructose corn syrup, enriched white flour, or sugar you probably should put it back on the shelf and look for a healthier option.
• What should top the ingredients list? whole grains, fruits, or vegetables are a great start to an ingredients list.
• Watch out for hydrogenated oils and fats, or partially hydrogenated oils. Your body has no idea what to do with these, they’re also listed as trans-fats, shortening, and a few other sneaky names.
• While you’re checking out the ingredients, take a look at the calorie information, fats, carbs, and fiber content.
• Another thing that’s good to check is the serving size, how many can you eat for 150 calories? Sometimes what looks like a one serving bag can deceptively be labeled as three servings.
• Check the sodium content, you’ll be surprised at all the sodium in processed foods.

Not all packaged foods are bad for you, there are many healthy options out there, once you get used to reading the label it becomes like second nature. Every time you pick up a new item you’ll automatically turn it over to see what’s inside the packaging.

I’m also not saying that everything that goes in my cart is healthy, but reading labels does help me make more good choices than bad in the grocery aisle.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Back to school eco-cookies!

Animal cookies have been a kid staple for years because they’re fun, portable, and kids love them. Now you have a green option that ditches the animals in exchange for small eco messages. Eco-Planet Heaven Scent Organic Cookies are a great kid-friendly pesticide free treat that’s not only yummy, but adorable and eco-smart. These cookies come in super cool eco-shapes like little hybrid cars, wind turbines, the sun, and planet earth – a good conversation gateway into eco-topics and perfect for back-to-school lunches or after school snacks.

Eco-perks of Eco-Planet Organic Cookies:

• Made with USDA Organic ingredients
• GMO free
• Low fat
• NO Trans fats
• No Hydrogenated Oils
• No saturated fats
• Dairy free
• Vegan
• Just 100 calories per serving
• Low sodium
• Kosher

Eco-Planet cookies come in vanilla, oatmeal, and cinnamon (they also make crackers in the same cute eco-shapes) donates a portion of each sale to groups that provide green-minded education.You can find their products in various store or buy through their website. Visit Eco-Planet to learn more.

Starbucks Goes Au Naturale for Summer

Starbucks has just released a news thingie (yes I know, very professionally put: thingie) that they are removing the artificial ingredients from their baked goods and replacing them with all natural ingredients.

Just remember folks, all natural is NOT the same as organic. However they are promising the following:

• No artificial flavors
• No artificial trans fats (LOL! ALL transfats are artificial)
  
• No artificial dyes

Seven Easy Steps To Health

I along with millions of people, I know how hard it is to change your eating habits. With so many people having diabetes and heart disease because of obesity I took this as my wake up call. I went on line and found an article from Mayo Clinic that is very informative, that I would like to share.

In the article there are seven steps to follow as a guide to better health; you will also find menus to help get you started. There are suggested foods to eat and foods you need to limit.

To lower your cholesterol and risk of coronary artery disease you need to limit saturated and trans fats. These fats increase the risk of plaque buildup in your arteries called atherosclerosis, which is the cause of heart attack and stroke.

When choosing foods high in protein make sure they are low in fat, such as lean meat, poultry and fish. Select egg whites or egg substitutes, skim milk instead of whole for better health.

We all know that vegetables and fruits are good for us; they are low in calories and rich in fiber. We should eat whole grain foods as well; they provide fiber, vitamins and minerals.

One of the most important things to remember is to limit your salt intake, we all know that salt is a killer causing high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association suggests that we eat no more than 1 teaspoon of salt per day. 

To find more information on the subject click here Heart disease, Menus.

Limit Fat Intake

In countries around the world (Trans Fats) have been eliminated in most foods. Some traces of trans fats are found in some dairy and meat products, which are formed during the manufacturing process.

Limiting the intake of saturated and trans fat in your daily diet can lower your risk of cholesterol or plaque buildup which causes coronary and artery disease.

Most of us acquired our eating habits while we were young and these habits are different through out the world. If you have been eating unhealthy most of your life and are thinking you need to take control of your diet, maybe this article may give you a jump-start.

When selecting meats lean meat, poultry such skinless chicken and fish are best. Skim milk instead of whole milk is a great low fat choice.

Foods rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals; are vegetables and fruits; they are also high in soluble fiber and low in calories. These foods will help to lower your cholesterol level as well.

Another way of lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure may be accomplished by adding whole grains to your diet. Adding fiber to your diet can be as easy as eating whole grain cereal or a whole grain muffin for breakfast each morning.

Cutting your salt intake to 2,300 milligrams daily or about one teaspoon will aid in the fight against heart disease.

Cutting the portions on your plate will aid in keeping your weight down, as well as the fat intake and cholesterol levels.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196

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