My mom loves brunch, too, and not surprisingly, we usually make her that as a meal for Mother’s Day. This year, I’m going to try some of the recipes from Toast to Women. Check this out, since Mother’s Day falls on the kick-off day for National Women’s Health Week (May 10-16), two organizations (Clos du Bois and WomenHeart) are teaming up to help raise money to benefit women with heart disease.

Not only that, but they have several heart-healthy recipes on their site that have been taken from the book, WomenHeart’s ALL HEART Family Cookbook. I’ve browsed the recipes and they look fabulous: Green Tea-Oatmeal Pancakes, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Asparagus Frittata, and Lemon Blueberry Muffins, among others. There are also several healthy drink recipes (and who doesn’t like a nice beverage to go along with their brunch meal?)

Best of all, you can help them donate to women’s heart health by sending a free e-card. They have three designs to choose from (I chose the groovy retro 50s card), and when you hit send $1 is given to WomenHeart, an organization devoted to research, education, and promotion of women’s heart health.

As if that wasn’t enough, you can also win a grab bag full of great healthy prizes, including an MP3 player, pedometer, yoga mat, water bottle, and plush gym towel.  Check out the website for more details.

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Healthy Brunch Recipes for Mom

A new US study found that cardiac surgery patients who received blood transfusions of blood that had been stored for 2 weeks or less had lower rates of complications and death than those who received blood that was older.

Were you instructed on when to donate? Did the nurse or case manager that prepared you for surgery advise you that the fresher your blood the better?

Why would this be the case you ask? Older blood loses nitric oxide, an important agent in the delivery of oxygen to tissue cells. Another reason is that red blood cells become more rigid and sticky as they age, making it difficult for them to squeeze through narrow blood vessels and raising the risk of a clot.

via Medical News today

Post from: Blisstree

Newer blood will yield better results in heart surgery