Did you know?…
More than 30% of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight, and over 15% are obese!
Help to fight childhood obesity by working hard on feeding your children healthy and balanced meals as well as the children in you family. It is never too late to start and it is definitely never too late to change.
This simple Eggplant and Tomato Sauce is delicious, made with diced eggplant stewed in tomatoes and garlic. I love it served over pasta but it's also great as a side dish on it's own.
1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
28 oz can plum tomatoes including juice, I like Tuttorosso
salt and fresh ground pepper
chopped basil or parsley, for garnish
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large deep skillet, when hot saute the garlic in olive oil.
Add eggplant and cook about 3 minutes, until it begins to soften.
Coarsely chop tomatoes and add them to the skillet along with the juices.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered about 15-20 minutes.
Add fresh chopped herbs and serve over your favorite pasta.
Servings: 3/4 Cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 127
Carbohydrates: 16g
Protein: 3g
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 5g
Sugar: 5g
By: Mark Sisson
Last year, I wrote about 10 of the most interesting predictors of longevity. Many of them were subjective, but, as we all know, the objective physiological processes that occur in the human body also predict how long we live. Luckily, we can measure most of them. Some are standard at doctor's checkups. Some require more involved (and expensive) testing. Some you can complete yourself at home with simple household objects.
But if you care at all about how well you're doing in the longevity game, it's worth paying attention to some of them.
Triglyceride: HDL Ratio
Also known as the atherogenic index of plasma, a high triglyceride: HDL ratio is one of the best indicators of one's risk for heart disease. It has the added benefit of also predicting lipoprotein particle size and insulin resistance.
These all impact a person's longevity. It's difficult to live long when you're getting heart attacks and your insulin skyrockets if you even glance at a potato.
Sure enough, in elderly women, the T:HDL ratio predicts all-cause mortality. (not just cardiovascular mortality).
A ratio of 2 or under is good. Anything above should be addressed before it worsens, and anything above 4 means trouble.
Sex Hormone Status
Our bodies use them to build tissue, build babies, and lead robust meaningful lives. Evolution is mostly concerned with propagation of the species-with reproduction. Some waning is unavoidable with the passage of time, but we shouldn't accept levels that lower health quality and increase mortality.
In older men, low testosterone is a risk factor for early mortality. Add to that all the other examples of benefits I described in the TRT post. It's not just testosterone, and not just in men. Fractures are terrible for longevity, often reducing both quality and quantity of life in the elderly. In both older men and women, low T and low estrogen levels are risk factors for fractures. Sex hormones regulate the body's response to injuries and burns. The older you get, the deadlier injuries get. A 20-year-old slips and falls and maybe gets a little bruise. If an 80-year-old slips and falls, they might break a hip.
Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Regular exercise helps prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, a number of types of cancer, arthritis and falls.
Meet with our Intense Fitness Trainers about how your fitness routine can benefit your long-term health!
Mashed Cauliflower is essentially a creamy cauliflower puree that makes a delicious low-carb or keto alternative to mashed potatoes.
1 medium head cauliflower, cut up into florets
4 cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup 1% buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp salted butter, plus optional more for serving
Steam or boil cauliflower and garlic until soft.
Drain the cauliflower, then add buttermilk, butter, salt, pepper and purée with an immersion blender. (If you don't own a hand blender, you should consider getting one. It is one of my most used gadgets in my kitchen, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!) A regular blender would work fine as well.
Servings: 3/4 Cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 62
Carbohydrates: 8.5g
Protein: 3.5g
Fat: 3g
Saturated Fat: 0.5g
Cholesterol: 6mg
Sodium: 67mg
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 3g
Researchers at the University of Bradford have shown a link between the diet of Roman Britons and their mortality rates for the first time, overturning a previously-held belief about the quality of the Roman diet.
Using a new method of analysis, the researchers examined stable isotope data (the ratios of particular chemicals in human tissue) from the bone collagen of hundreds of Roman Britons, together with the individuals' age-of-death estimates and an established mortality model.
The data sample included over 650 individuals from various published archaeological sites throughout England.
The researchers - from institutions including the Museum of London, Durham University and the University of South Carolina - found that higher nitrogen isotope ratios in the bones were associated with a higher risk of mortality, while higher carbon isotope ratios were associated with a lower risk of mortality.
Romano-British urban archaeological populations are characterized by higher nitrogen isotope ratios, which have been thought previously to indicate a better, or high-status, diet. But taking carbon isotope ratios, as well as death rates, into account showed that the nitrogen could also be recording long-term nutritional stress, such as deprivation or starvation.
Air pollution takes a massive toll on our health. The World Health Organization links it to deadly diseases like lung cancer and stroke, and new research
suggests that polluted regions see more cases of neurological disorders like depression and bipolar disorder.
In the United States, scientists found counties with the worst air quality, as indicated by the Environmental Protection Agency, had a 27 percent increase in bipolar disorder and 6 percent increase in depression, when compared to the national average.
Study author and University of Chicago geneticist Andrey Rzhetsky is careful to note that the study doesn't definitively prove air pollution
causes mental illness, but he says it shows where a person might be slightly more at risk.
Similar studies in London,
China, and South Korea have similarly found a link between polluted places and poor mental health.
Rzhetsky says their study shows that where U.S. counties are being polluted, neurological disorders are taking a toll.
Lemon-Parsley Potato Foil Packets can be grilled or baked in the oven! A delicious side dish, and the best part - easy cleanup!
16 ounces baby red or yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper, to taste
grated lemon zest of 1/2 lemon (1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 piece Reynolds Wrap heavy duty foil, 18 x 18 inches
In a large bowl toss the potatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste, toss to evenly coat.
Transfer to a large sheet, 18 x 18 inches of heavy duty foil on a flat surface.
Place the ingredients in the center of the foil. Form a packet by bringing the short ends of the foil together and fold twice to seal leaving room for steam.
TO GRILL
Grill, covered over medium heat 30 minutes, shaking the bag every 10 minutes so the bottom of the potatoes don't burn. Open carefully and top with 1/8 teaspoon salt, lemon zest and parsley.
IN THE OVEN
Bake in a preheat 400F oven 35 to 40 minutes, shaking the halfway. Open carefully and top with 1/8 teaspoon salt, lemon zest and parsley.
Servings: 1/2 cup
Amount Per Servings
Calories: 113
Carbohydrates: 19g
Protein: 3g
Fat: 3.5g
Saturated Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 0.5mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 1g
Jump roping just a few minutes a day strengthens your legs, glutes and calves. Jump roping burns more fat and calories than typical cardio. It also improves mood and heart and brain function.
Learn more about the benefits of jump rope from our Intense Fitness Trainers!
If you are drinking plant-based "milks" because you think they are better for the environment, think again says a Fonterra scientist.
Nielsen Scantrack data shows sales of alternative milks have taken off in the past two years, with 25 per cent of total market share of all milk categories. In 2017 Kiwis spent $52 million on them, but that has risen to $144m in the last 12 months, with almond milk the most popular, followed by soya.
The value of the alternative milk market is growing at 7.6 per cent a year, while cow milk value is flat. But milk substitutes such as soy, almond, oat and rice have double the greenhouse gas emissions of Fonterra's milk produced in New Zealand, when compared on the basis of their nutrient content.
Spicy Tuna Poke Bowls made with chunks of fresh tuna, avocado, cucumbers, spicy mayo, scallions cut on the bias served on a bed of steamed rice - YES please!!
FOR THE TUNA
1/2 pound sushi grade tuna, cut into 1/2-inch cubes1/4 cup sliced scallions2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
FOR THE SPICY MAYO
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
FOR THE BOWL
1 cup cooked short grain brown rice or sushi white rice1 cup cucumbers, (from 2 Persian) peeled and diced 1/2-inch cubes1/2 medium Hass avocado, (3 ounces) sliced 2 scallions, sliced for garnish 1 teaspoon black sesame seedsReduced sodium soy or gluten-free tamari, for serving (optional)sriracha, for serving (optional)
In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise and sriracha, thin with a little water to drizzle.
In a medium bowl, combine tuna with scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha. Gently toss to combine and set aside while you prepare the bowls.In 2 bowls, layer 1/2 the rice, 1/2 the tuna, avocado, cucumber and scallions.
Drizzle with spicy mayo and sesame seeds and serve with extra soy sauce on the side, if desired.
Servings: 1 Bowl
Amount Per Servings
Calories: 397
Carbohydrates: 33.5g
Protein: 32.5g
Fat: 14.5g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 48mg
Sodium: 864.5mg
Fiber: 6g
Sugar: 3g
Abdominal crunches alone won't cut it if you're trying to lose belly fat. Losing weight requires taking in fewer calories as well as burning more calories. One pound of belly fat equals about 3,500 calories. And not all of the fat "burned" by exercise will come from the belly. You can't have a six-pack abdominal region just by doing a lot of abdominal exercises.
Want to lose belly fat? Meet with one of our trainers today!
Researchers at Michigan State University conducted the largest experimentally controlled study on sleep deprivation to date, revealing just how detrimental operating without sleep can be in everything from bakers adding too much salt to cookies to surgeons botching surgeries.
While sleep deprivation research isn't new, the level at which distractions hinder sleep-deprived persons' memories and challenge them from successfully completing tasks was not clear until MSU's team quantified the impact.
"If you look at mistakes and accidents in surgery, public transportation and even operating nuclear power plants, lack of sleep is one of the primary reasons for human error," said Kimberly Fenn, associate professor of psychology and director of the MSU Sleep and Learning Lab. "There are many people in critical professions who are sleep-deprived. Research has found that nearly one-quarter of the people with procedure-heavy jobs have fallen asleep on the job."
Sweet and spicy Kansas City style BBQ sauce made with tomato sauce, honey, molasses, vinegar and spices.
1/3 cups tomato sauce
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup molasses, unsulfured
2 tsp all natural hickory liquid smoke, Colgin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp chili powder
In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes stirring occasionally.
Let it cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For using on grilled meat, brush onto chicken, pork or beef the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Servings: Makes 2 cups and can be refrigerated for 2 weeks. Serving size: 2 tbsp
Amount Per Servings
Calories: 65
Carbohydrates: 17g
Protein: 0.5g
Sodium: 362mg
Fiber: 0.5g
Sugar: 10g
