"If you are going to write, write from the heart." MwsR
"Life has not been the easiest, but it could have been worse!" MwsR
Life is about doing all you can to help others.
Don't go chasing rainbows, make your own pot of gold.
Love, Hope, Faith, the greatest of these is Love!
1. Never Skip Meals
You may think that you’ll accelerate your weight loss by eating less than you should. The truth is, the opposite happens. Cutting too many calories tricks your body into thinking it’s starving so instead of burning calories, it starts storing them as fat for the prolonged famine it’s sure is coming. Eating actually stimulates your metabolism, which is why eating three meals and several snacks a day can help you boost the calorie burn.
2. Build Muscle
Your muscles are fat-burning machines. One pound of muscle uses six calories a day just to keep on going, while fat only uses two calories. That means the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Don’t go gangbusters on a strength-training regime if you’ve never done it before. Start with smaller weights and find exercises that work all your body parts, but particularly the large muscle groups—your legs, back, abdominals, and chest—which give you more burn for your buck.
How to Survive Your First Gym Visit
3. Do it at “Intervals” It turns out that when you exercise going flat out for a long period of time may not boost your metabolism as well or as quickly as going at full speed for a minute then ratcheting it down for a minute. So called “high intensity interval training” requires that you exercise at 80-90 percent of your maximum heart rate which varies based on your age. Calculate yours by subtracting your age from 220. Check with your doctor to see if interval training is right for you before you start a program.
4. Sip Green Tea
While caffeine can boost your metabolic rate and green tea has it, there’s something else in that delicate beverage at work. Green tea contains antioxidant catechins which have been shown in studies to boost metabolism by about four percent, which can amount to as much as 80 calories a day.
5. Stick to Veggies, Fruit, Whole Grains and Lean Meat
These foods are simply more work to eat, and we’re not just talking the extra chewing which can boost your calorie burn by almost a third. Your body takes longer to digest high fiber and hig-protein foods. One Japanese study found that people who ate a diet replete with foods that took longer to digest tended to be slimmer than those who didn’t.
How to Beat a Binge
6.Stand Up
When you’re on your feet, research at the University of Missouri suggests, your body is more likely to burn calories. (Conversely, it’s more likely to store them as fat when you’re sitting.) How does it work? Studies also show that your muscles will be use calories in the effort to just keep you upright. Also, the enzymes your body uses to burn fat are more active when you’re on your feet. If you have a sedentary job, get up as frequently as you can or use a standing desk occasionally. In one study, people who used a standing desk burned 7.2 more calories an hour than when they were sitting. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you add movement, it goes up even higher. Unless you’re a guard at Buckingham Palace, when you stand you’re likely to move around or “fidget.” That adds an additional 30 calories to the 7. If you do that for half your work day, you’ve killed an extra 120 calories just standing there.
Hey All!
This week I am sending out the award I made, the RAKA award, the random act of kindness award.
I came up with this award because so many of us are touched by random acts of kindness, and they are worth mentioning.
All through life we encounter people who for no apparent reason help us, or extend a hand when needed. Some do it directly and some do it indirectly.
Rules are posted on original award post, but here is a recap.
1- copy or paste image for reward on your post.
2- Write a paragraph on a random act of kindness, either you saw, was given to you, or you have done. It is okay to spread the love people. You don’t have to name specific names or whatever but tell us about it.
3- Share this award and link to original post or tag the person who nominated you.
4- If you should want to do this then you can leave an open ended invitation, or personally tag others.
5- Pictures are a good share to, if you have pictures to share a random act of kindness, that is great!
In a greased 6-qt. electric pressure cooker, combine cream cheese, sour cream, mustard and garlic powder until smooth. Stir in beer; add bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons. Lock lid; make sure vent is closed. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
Select saute setting, and adjust for normal heat. Stir in cheese and heavy cream. Cook and stir until mixture has thickened, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with onion and reserved bacon. Serve with pretzel bun bites.
Test Kitchen tips
Your favorite ale will also work in this recipe. The Test Kitchen loved the flavor of New Belgium Fat Tire.
To lighten this up, use reduced-fat cream cheese, light sour cream, half-and-half and reduced-fat shredded cheese. Serve with fresh celery and carrot sticks.
Originally published as Slow Cooker Cheddar Bacon Ale Dip in Cook It Fast, Cook It Slow
A new clinical study found a daily low-dose aspirin had no effect on prolonging life in healthy, elderly people. USA TODAY
If you are a healthy older person and take a low-dose aspirin every day, it may be more harmful than you think.
A large clinical trial involving participants in Australia and the United States found a daily low-dose aspirin had no effect on prolonging life in healthy, elderly people. It also showed a higher rate of suffering from a major hemorrhage.
Over a four-year span starting in 2010, the trial enrolled more than 19,000 people in Australia and the U.S. who were 70 and older, or 65 for African-American and Hispanic participants because their risks of dementia or cardiovascular disease are higher. Also, the participants did not have cardiovascular disease, dementia or a physical disability.
Roughly half of participants were given 100 mg of low-dose aspirin, while the rest were given a placebo.
The results showed the aspirin had no impact on whether people would suffer from dementia or a disability. The trial found 90.3 percent of the people who took aspirin remained alive with no persistent physical disability or dementia, compared with 90.5 percent of people on the placebo. Rates of people who suffered from disability and dementia were nearly the same.
Erica Kannall is a registered dietitian and certified health/fitness specialist with the American College of Sports Medicine. She has worked in clinical nutrition, community health, fitness, health coaching, counseling and food service. She holds a Bachelor of Science in clinical dietetics and nutrition from the University of Pittsburgh.
Red Peppers, yellow peppers and eggplant are all members of the nightshade family.Photo Credit: Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye/Moment/Getty Images
Nightshade fruits and vegetables belong to the family of Solanaceae plants of the Solanum genus. This group of plants contains more than 2,500 species that are widely used as food and medicine, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Some people have a sensitivity to nightshade plants and are unable to digest them fully. If you have a sensitivity, you may experience diarrhea, gas, bloating, nausea, painful joints, headaches and depression from consuming nightshades.
1. Potatoes
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Potatoes belong to the nightshade family
Potatoes are part of the nightshade family. This includes white, red, yellow and blue-skinned potato varieties. Sweet potatoes and yams are not nightshades, however, according to The Weston A. Price Foundation. If you have sensitivity to members of the nightshade family, You need to avoid foods made from potatoes, such potato salad, french fries and mashed potatoes. Also, be sure to read ingredient lists on all processed foods to avoid potatoes and potato starch.
2. Tomatoes
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Tomatoes are also part of the nightshade familyPhoto Credit: Sam Edwards/OJO Images/Getty Images
Another widely consumed member of the nightshade family are tomatoes. Although the culinary world refers to tomatoes as vegetables, scientifically, they fall into the category of fruit. Stay away from all raw tomatoes and also from cooked ones in other preparations such as in tomato sauce and ketchup. Be sure to read the ingredient lists on soups and condiments such as in salsas, hot sauces and marinades, because they often contain tomatoes.
3. Peppers
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All peppers belong to the nightshade family
All peppers belong to the Solanaceae family, as well. This includes bell peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, cayenne peppers and paprika. Paprika, a spice made from ground, dried peppers, is used in a variety of cuisines. Be sure to read labels and communicate well with servers and chefs when eating out to avoid it. Peppercorns are not a member of the nightshade family, even though they contain the word “pepper” within their name.
4. Eggplant
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All varieties of eggplant are nightshade vegetablesPhoto Credit: Evan Sklar/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Eggplant appears in Italian, Thai, Indian and other ethnic cuisines, and even though you need to avoid eating eggplant if you have a nightshade sensitivity, you can easily avoid dishes such as eggplant Parmesan. If you are ordering a meal which states that it contains mixed vegetables, be sure to communicate that you cannot eat eggplant and other nightshades. When in doubt, avoid a food altogether.
5. Tomatillos
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Tomatillos are another member of the nightshade familyPhoto Credit: Ryan Benyi Photography/Image Source/Getty Images
Tomatillos, another member of the nightshade family, are often found in Mexican cuisine. The fruit grows well in warm climates and can be found as a wild weed in parts of Mexico, according to Organic Gardening. Tomatillos have a papery husk and hang like small round paper lanterns from the plants. When ripe, they’re either pale yellow or purple and have a slightly citrus like flavor. Most often, you’ll find tomatillos in sauces and salsas, such as salsa verde.
6. Goji Berries and Other Berries
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Goji Berries fall into the nightshade family
Small, red goji berries fall into the nightshade family. These slightly sweet berries, sometimes called wolfberries, are native to Asia. They can be eaten raw, dried or made into a juice. They’re easy nightshades to avoid, but do read ingredient lists of all juices, smoothies, teas and nutritional supplements to be sure they don’t contain goji berries. Other berries that are nightshades include garden huckleberries, ground cherries and cape gooseberries, but not normal gooseberries nor blueberries.
If you are concerned about inflammation you may have read at one time or another that certain vegetables in the nightshade family can cause inflammation. Obviously, if you are trying to reduce inflammation in your body then eliminating these vegetables would make sense wouldn’t it? But should you be saying goodby to all tomato products forever? Are nightshades actually bad for you? Should you eliminate them all?
Well, here’s the lowdown on nightshades.
Firstly, what are nightshades?
Nightshades are members of the Solanaceae family which includes both edible and non-edible plants. Edible nightshades include:
Potatoes (not sweet potatoes or yams)
Tomatoes
Eggplant
All peppers (not peppercorn), including hot peppers, chili peppers, sweet peppers and paprika
Ashwaganda
Gogi berries
Cape gooseberries (not normal gooseberries)
Ground cherries
I can literally hear many of you groan when reading the above list. After all anyone eating a varied healthy diet is going to be including at least two thirds of that list every week. In fact it would seem that nightshades are fundamental to our modern day diet. It’s not just the actual tomatoes we are eating but consider pizza, marinara sauce (in fact most pizza sauces) ketchup, barbecue sauce ……. The list could go on and on! Potatoes are also another household staple in the form of baked potatoes, French fries, chips, mashed and roasted potatoes. I think we all eat peppers at least once a week these days in salads or roasted.
So we know we like them, we know we consume them often and we probably thought they were good whole foods we should be including in our diet.So what are the potentially problematic aspects of nightshades?
Alkaloids
Nightshades contain substances called alkaloids, which can cause inflammation and stress. One type of alkaloid in nightshades, Solanine, has been studied for its ability to block cholintesterase, an important enzyme in nerve cells. The ability of this alkaloid to inhibit cholintesterase often results in joint stiffness and joint pain.
Calcitrol
Another harmful substance in nightshades is calcitriol, a hormone that signals the body to update calcium from the diet. Although adequate dietary calcium supports hormones,excess calcitriol causes too much calcium in the blood. This results in calcium deposits in soft tissues, such as tendons and ligaments.
Lectins
Nightshades are high in lectins, a substance produced in all plants as a natural pesticide. Lectins are “sticky” molecules that tend to attach to the walls of the intestine. The action of lectins on the small intestine lining can cause or exacerbate leaky gut. Leaky gut occurs when things like undigested carbohydrates or lectins create little gaps between the cells of the small intestine, allowing undigested food particles to escape into the blood stream.
So should you be eating nightshades at all?
Unfortunately, as with most things in life there is not one definitive answer, it really depends on the individual. However, there are a few medical issues that eating nightshades could exacerbate:
Autoimmune diseases
Arthritis
Gout
Osteoporosis
Ongoing inflammation
Also some of us are more sensitive to the lectin and alkaloid content of nightshades.
Often the only way to find out if you do have a sensitivity to nightshades is to eliminate them for approximately 30 days and introduce them back one by one and monitor your response. Or maybe contact your health care provider or nutritionist and arrange a food sensitivity test.
f you are not suffering with one of the above listed medical issues and feel that you do not have a severe sensitivity to nightshades then there are some tips to help you keep it that way.
How to eat nightshades
Choose ripe nightshades, since solanine levels are highest in unripe ones. For example, choose red tomatoes over green tomatoes and red peppers over green peppers.
Cook nightshades, cooking them reduces the alkaloid content up to 50%. Lectins are also degraded, to varying levels, with cooking.
Use moderation and variety. Ensure you are not eating them every day and reduce the how many you eat. Remember it is just not the whole food variety but the sauces and condiments you may be using.
Ingredients
Red Peppers, yellow peppers and eggplant are all members of the nightshade family. Photo Credit: Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye/Moment/Getty Images
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