All Blog Posts Tagged 'healthy' (130)

Our health report card for 2009: Are we making progress?

As 2009 winds down and the season for gratitude is upon us, this is a great time to reflect on our progress and contemplate the road ahead. This year especially, with the ongoing debate over public-policy directions for the U.S. health-care system, the collective state of our health deserves our attention.

America`s Health Rankings’ 2009 report came out just recently, and as a two-decade continuous assessment of our nation’s… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 30, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Recipes for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, celebrate fall, and enjoy the bounty of nature and the company of family and friends.

I love this holiday because it’s so important to take a break from focusing on all the problems in our world and in our lives, and spend time reflecting on the good in the world. There’s much to be grateful for, even in hard times.

As a vegetarian cook I follow the traditional Thanksgiving meal quite loosely. The palette of my… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 23, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Are we exercising less or eating more?

There are many compelling reasons to exercise. Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the incidence of heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. It improves mental health, fosters strong muscles and strong bones. It also makes most participants happier and improves our looks.

Physical activity also burns calories. In the past few decades exercise has therefore become one arm of the two pronged approach to combat overweight and obesity. Exercise is the calories expended in… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 9, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Combat Holiday Weight Gain with a Battle Plan

The holidays can be a big hurdle in a weight loss/health plan. Holidays don't mean you can't enjoy the good food and desserts.

Here are 5 tips for a healthier holiday:

1. Plan Ahead - It will help if you have a plan in place ahead of time. Decide if you are going to have seconds in advance and what you are going to have seconds of. For example, mashed potatoes and gravy can be loaded with calories and fat, so opt for seconds of a healthier salad or other side… Continue

Added by Lisa Nelson on November 5, 2009 at 9:00pm — 1 Comment

Walnut yeast “roses” cake: a delicious indulgent dessert

If the photo of this golden, brown delicacy wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, let me describe the smell: It’s the essence of childhood dreams, the aroma of pleasure itself. At least for me.

Clearly I’m digressing this week from veggie and whole grain recipes and the science of healthy living to the aroma of baked cakes. Well, I do make desserts, and am very much into indulgent ones. I don’t serve dessert every day but I’ll… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on November 2, 2009 at 6:00am — 4 Comments

10 Secrets to Surviving the Holidays Without Gaining Weight!

Can you really enjoy the holidays without gaining weight?

Join Dietitians Lisa Nelson and Ursula Ridens for this FREE Teleclass

"10 Secrets to Surviving the Holidays Without Gaining Weight!"

Call in from anywhere Thursday, November 12th 7-8 pm MT.

Losing and maintaining a healthy weight depends on you making the right choices to achieve your goals and stop the weight loss… Continue

Added by Lisa Nelson on October 30, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

Healthy neighborhoods can reduce the risk of diabetes

Do you live in a healthy neighborhood?

Is there such a thing as an unhealthy neighborhood?

Personal choice has a big impact on many aspects of our health, but do we really have the wherewithal to choose our lifestyle, or do most of us fall into a pattern determined by what’s easy to do and what everyone else is doing? Sure, there are a few motivated individuals who swim against the stream and set their own trend. Most of us don’t. Whether we realize it or not, we follow… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 26, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Coke did make America fat

Coca-Cola’s CEO Muhtar Kent recently wrote a much viewed op-ed in the Wall Street Journal titled “Coke Didn't Make America Fat,” in which he claims Americans need more exercise, not another tax, and should “enjoy the simple pleasures of a Coca-Cola.”

While it’s perfectly understandable that Mr. Kent would fight the soda tax idea—not because… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 19, 2009 at 6:00am — 1 Comment

Blurt: Yahoo!!! I’ve Lost Over 100 Pounds!!!

Milestone accomplished! I have now lost a total of 112 pounds!!! Yes, that’s right, One Hundred and Twelve Pounds!!! I am so excited! I have been thinking for awhile now I had reached this milestone but I have not been able to go weight in. But today, I finally had the opportunity. It feels so good! As many of you know I have been following the Weight Watchers® Plan and it is definitely working for me.

I have used this plan in the past but… Continue

Added by Brian, the old man on October 12, 2009 at 11:03am — 3 Comments

Food, nutrients and relief from the common cold

Medical science has no cure for the common cold; symptomatic relief is the best we can offer as we wait for our body to overcome the viral illness.

Although the common cold is generally a mild disease and poses no real threat to overall healthy people it can be quite unpleasant. As a mom and a physician I really like having some helpful,… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 12, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

Healthy recipe: pear, cinnamon, thyme jam

Ingredients

1200 g peeled, cored and coarsely chopped, ripe pears

400 g rice malt syrup

juice of 1 lemon

half a teaspoon powdered cinnamon

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Makes about 2 jars, 350 g each.

Directions

Put the pears in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the malt syrup, lemon and cinnamon and toss until combined. Let the fruit marinate for 30-40 minutes then start to cook it over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon… Continue

Added by cotto e crudo on October 10, 2009 at 5:22pm — No Comments

Whole wheat banana bread with mint sauce

I’ve always wondered why banana bread is called banana bread and not banana cake.

Is it because it’s baked in a bread pan, and not in a round pan? Is the name designed to make us feel better about eating it—bread’s a necessity and cake’s an indulgence?

To be honest, this recipe, although a more… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on October 5, 2009 at 5:30am — 3 Comments

Hello Autumn!

It is so nice outside; I was so excited to be out there on my balcony doing my exercise routine this morning. I love the crisp morning air in the fall. It smells so clean and fresh, it is absolutely invigorating. I made sure to fill out my strength training log as I completed each exercise. As many of you know I am rebuilding my strength on my… Continue

Added by Brian, the old man on September 30, 2009 at 8:34am — 1 Comment

Can super-sizing fruit help you shed weight?

I’m very skeptical of promises that sound too good to be true.

No field is as rife with these as the diet industry, where new dream diets are invented daily and claim to have found a magic trick allowing us to eat as much as we want yet lose weight.

But here’s one worth checking out: Can eating more fruit help you shed weight?

This diet is worth a second look because we have many other good reasons to increase our fruit consumption—fruit and vegetables… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 28, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

Bingeing at Night?

Are you gorging on foods at night? Do you grab a bag of your favorite chips to watch TV? Do you overindulge on your favorite snack? Do you splurge and overdo to satisfy that feeling of depression? Do you find that after you open a bag of cookies it is gone or almost gone before you go to bed? It is easy to overeat if we are not careful and not paying attention to our behavior. I know certain foods I must avoid completely or be very careful to make… Continue

Added by Brian, the old man on September 26, 2009 at 11:27am — 1 Comment

Health experts favor taxing sugary drinks in new report

A recent New York Times article says the debate over a tax on sugary soft drinks is starting to fizz over.

The story quotes President Obama as saying taxing sugary drinks is an idea worth exploring, and that “every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity.”

A… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 21, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments

How can “cutting added sugar” drive better health?

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) new guidelines published in late August were a refreshing point of clarity contrasting with the vagueness typical of nutrition advice designed not to offend any major food lobby.

The new statement, published in Circulation, replaces AHA’s hazier 2006 one to “minimize the intake of beverages and foods with added sugars,” and provides detailed guidance by… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 14, 2009 at 6:11am — 1 Comment

Pump up that Motivation

Sometimes when I am feeling down and depressed I start to think of how to get motivated to do the things that are necessary to achieve my goals. I want to be healthy but at times I just stop caring. I feel like the world just stops turning. It is as though I do not exist, that I am unimportant. I start thinking of all the bad decisions I have made and how I should have done better. I feel like a failure, unable to push forward and live life. I find I… Continue

Added by Brian, the old man on September 13, 2009 at 9:06am — No Comments

Back to school -- five easy tips to improve your kids’ health this school year

I can’t believe the summer vacation is over and kids will be going back to school this week. This summer went by way too fast!

I was happy to get a letter from my daughter’s elementary school announcing new snack policies—the school will not be giving out any more snacks, will not give food as incentives, prizes or rewards, and birthday celebrations at school will become "food free." Parents are being encouraged to send healthy snacks from home, including fresh fruit, cut-up… Continue

Added by Ayala laufer-Cahana MD on September 7, 2009 at 6:39am — No Comments

Improve Your Health, Save Money, Do Something Fun, Help Your Community & Enjoy Your Holiday All At The Same Time

One of the best ways to improve your health, save a few bucks and help your local community all at the same time is to engage in buying local. This holiday weekend, take time to search out a local farm market, pick-your-own farm, food co-op or festival with locally produced goods. These are often the best places to get the produce, meats, eggs, dairy etc. of highest quality nutrients & freshest natural ingredients. You will be doing your health some good, saving a few bucks by eliminating… Continue

Added by TC on September 6, 2009 at 8:37am — 1 Comment