JULY HEALTH NEWS

Quick Bites: Wash the Rind to Leave Bacteria Behind

The peak of summer brings ripe, delicious melons, like cantaloupe and watermelon, from the farm to your table. And watermelons are not only refreshing but also a great source of the antioxidant lycopene.

What’s so special about lycopene? Lycopene, which gives watermelon its red color, may help to protect against cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer. And although it is more commonly associated with tomatoes, there is more lycopene in watermelon than any other fresh fruit or vegetable.

But hold off on having an icy cold bite. To get more lycopene from watermelon, serve it at room temperature. Whole watermelon stored and served at room temperature can have up to 40 percent more lycopene than refrigerated watermelon. At room temperature, watermelon continues to ripen, producing additional lycopene. So choose the counter instead of the refrigerator for storing watermelon.

Just make sure to refrigerate the watermelon within two hours after cutting it to avoid food-borne illness. If you prefer a cold taste, chill right before serving.

Of course watermelons aren’t the only melons that pack in the nutrients. Cantaloupes are a good source of vitamins A and C and potassium. When slicing and dicing any of your melon favorites, be sure to keep it clean — melon rinds can host harmful bacteria.

When fruit is cut, bacteria on the surface can be transferred to the flesh. To reduce the risk, avoid melons with blemishes, wash hands with soap before handling melons and scrub melons with a brush under cool tap water before cutting into them.

As with any food preparation, utensils, knives and cutting boards should be cleaned in hot, soapy water before and after use. And they should not be cross-contaminated with other foods, particularly uncooked meat products.

Here's to a favorite summer treat - Melons!  Enjoy!

Easy Healthy Cookies!

You're sitting at your desk at 3:00 pm and have a craving for something sweet and yummy. Instead of buying a package of Oreos from the vending machine, try bringing some of these simple healthy cookies for a snack. These are so healthy, you can have cookies for breakfast with no guilt!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 2 cups oatmeal (quick or regular)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place oats in blender or food processor and blend until oats become the consistency of flour; it's okay if it's not perfectly ground.

In large bowl combined mashed banana with oats until smooth. 

If desired you may add in 1/2 cup of your favorite add in such as dark chocolate chips or walnuts, but be careful about adding too many calories and fat. You may also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for extra flavor.

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Drop dough by large tablespoons onto cookie sheet; flatten a bit with a rubber spatula. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until cookies are set.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. 

Cookies will keep in a covered container for a few days, or they can be frozen and reheated. Makes about 16 cookies.

Be sure to enjoy one warm out of the oven!


FITNESS TIP
Trying to cram 5 days of exercise into the weekend actually has mixed results.  Instead, remember to exercise everyday, even if only for 30 minutes.

There's An App For That!

Everyone with a smart phone knows there are apps available for almost anything, including managing your health.  So, which apps will help you get healthy and stay healthy?

No phone app can do the hard work necessary to change bad health habits into good, or burn more calories for you, or do your cardio exercise, but some of them can be wonderful tools for helping you improve your health by providing calorie information, logging exercise, and providing motivation as you strive for better health.

Here are some apps we think are worth checking out.  Ultimately, the ones that are best for you depend upon your personal health goals and upon your actual use of the app! 

1. MyFitnessPal - keep track of the food you eat (calorie counter) and log your exercise/activity to help you lose weight. This app has the largest nutritional database, which makes it easier and faster to log everything you eat. Entries are automatically synced to www.myfitnesspal.com so you can use it online or on your phone. Allows you to customize goals, track your weight and measurements and view charts of your progress - all for FREE!
2. Lose It! - helps you set a daily calorie budget, track your food and exercise and stay motivated with challenges and social networking.
3. EveryMove - helps you make every active move count without buying an expensive fitness tracker. Users can earn points and get rewarded from brands, health plans and employers automatically for all of their tracked activities. 
4. RunKeeper - track your runs, walks, bike rides automatically. Easily add indoor cardio, yoga and other exercise. Get training advice while you run and sync RunKeeper with other fitness apps like MyFitnessPal, Lose It! and others.

If you have a smartphone, try one or more of these free mobile apps and use it consistently for 7-10 days. You may be surprised to learn you only walk 3,000 steps a day and not 10,000 like you guessed, or that you are actually eating 2,500 calories a day, not 1,500.  Knowledge is power.  And, this knowledge could be exactly what you need to finally reach your health goals!

Eat This, Not That!   We've given these tips before, but they are worth repeating.  Fast food restaurants are FINALLY giving a few more calorie friendly options on their menus.  However, sometimes we think we are eating wisely when, in fact, we aren't.  Here are a few examples from McDonald's menu.  So, when you are craving something sweet, go ahead and have a reduced fat vanilla ice cream cone, but skip the large milkshake! Bad Choice                                           Better Choice Chicken Club Sandwich (crispy)            Chicken Classic Sandwich (grilled) 620 cal, 29 g fat, 1200 mg sodium         350 cal, 9 g fat, 820 mg sodium Chocolate Shake w/cream & cherry       Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Cone 870 cal, 25 g fat                                      170 cal, 4.5 g fat Big Breakfast (no hotcakes)                    Egg McMuffin 740 cal, 48 g fat (yikes!)                         300 cal, 12 g fat It's June in Texas.  Please don't forget to use sunscreen!

May Health Observance - High Blood Pressure

5 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Without Medication

Hypertension strikes one in three American adults. Learn the top lifestyle strategies that can make a real impact on lowering your blood pressure.  

About one in every three American adults has hypertension, or high blood pressure. Medication is often prescribed, but that's not the only solution. There are many lifestyle strategies that have also been shown to have an impact. For some, weight loss combined with exercise and a healthy eating plan may even reduce or eliminate the need for medication altogether.

Your doctor can help you decide whether to take a combined approach (medication plus lifestyle) or whether to try following these healthy lifestyle strategies first:

1. Increase exercise. Aerobic exercise can lower blood pressure and can also help with weight loss. It doesn't take a time-consuming workout in a gym to reap the benefits, either.

• As few as 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week has been shown to be effective.
• Aerobic activities such as walking, biking, swimming and water aerobics often produce the best results.
• Before you start an exercise program, ask your doctor what type and amount of exercise is right for you.

2. Cut your salt intake. One teaspoon (2,400 mg) is the maximum recommended daily amount. Reducing this to two thirds of a teaspoon (1,500 mg) can make a big difference.

• Check labels of food and over-the-counter medication for their sodium content.
• Use herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods.
• Avoid processed foods such as canned and frozen ready-to-eat foods, cheeses and luncheon meats.

3. Eat a healthy diet. Follow the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) guidelines. This has been shown to lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, even without other interventions.

• The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. It restricts intake of saturated fats, red meat and sugar.
• The increased fiber, potassium, calcium and magnesium from these foods are all thought to play a role in reducing blood pressure.

4. Lose weight. For every two pounds of weight loss, you can lower your systolic pressure by one point and your diastolic pressure by 1.4 points.

• Gradual weight loss of one to two pounds per week is most effective.
• Keep a food journal to track exactly what and how much you eat.
• Choose foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fats and refined sugar.
• Watch your portion sizes.
• Do not skip meals. Eating three meals a day plus snacks is essential in weight management.
• Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily, which will fill you up and curb your hunger.

5. Limit alcohol. Drinking a lot of alcohol can raise blood pressure.

• This means no more than one drink a day for women, two drinks for men.
• One drink is the equivalent of 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or two ounces of hard liquor.

You can also help yourself to relax and cope better with stress from your busy life with these techniques:

• Simplify. Try to cut out activities that eat up your time but deliver little value. Learn to say "no." Clean out your house, car and garage of things that you no longer need. Let go of relationships that complicate your life more than they add.
• Take a deep breath. Making a conscious effort to deepen and slow down your breathing can help you relax.
• Exercise. Physical activity is a natural stress-buster.
• Get plenty of sleep. Being sleep-deprived can make your problems seem bigger than they really are.

The key is to discover what works for you. Choose your strategies, take action and start enjoying the benefits. You can lower your blood pressure and help prevent other chronic diseases at the same time.

Pasta Salad with Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients

12 ounces whole-wheat rotini (spiral-shaped) pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 can (28 ounces) unsalted diced tomatoes in juice
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
8 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions
Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly. Place pasta in a large serving bowl. Add the olive oil and toss. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the chicken broth over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions and tomatoes. Saute until the onions are transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and saute until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the basil and oregano.
Add the vegetable mixture to the pasta. Toss to mix evenly. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.
Place lettuce leaves on individual plates. Top with the pasta salad and serve immediately.

Nutritional analysis per serving
Serving size :Approximately 2 cups
Total carbohydrate 43 g     Protein 9 g
Dietary fiber 8 g                Calories 235
Sodium 54 mg                  Cholesterol trace
Saturated fat 0.5 g            Total fat 3 g

Be healthy!