Apricots are those beautifully orange colored fruits that are one of the first signs of summer. They are in season in the US form May through August. Their flavor can be described as almost musky, with a faint tartness that lies somewhere between a peach and a plum.
One apricot has 16 calories and is high in beta-carotene, fiber, and vitamin C.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Chubby People May Live Longer than Skinny People????
Health Experts have long warned of the risk of obesity, but a new Japanese study warns that being very skinny is even more dangerous, and that slightly chubby people live longer.
People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found.
"We found skinny people run the highest risk," said Shinichi Kuriyama, an associate professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Medicine who worked on the long-term study of middle-aged and elderly people.
"There had been an argument that thin people's lives are short because many of them are sick or smoke. But the difference was almost unchanged even when we eliminated these factors," Kuriyama said.
Main reasons for the shorter lifespans of skinny people were believed to include their heightened vulnerability to diseases such as pneumonia and the fragility of their blood vessels, he said.
But Kuriyama warned he was not recommending people eat as much as they want.
"It's better that thin people try to gain normal weight, but we doubt it's good for people of normal physique to put on more fat," he said.
People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found.
"We found skinny people run the highest risk," said Shinichi Kuriyama, an associate professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Medicine who worked on the long-term study of middle-aged and elderly people.
"There had been an argument that thin people's lives are short because many of them are sick or smoke. But the difference was almost unchanged even when we eliminated these factors," Kuriyama said.
Main reasons for the shorter lifespans of skinny people were believed to include their heightened vulnerability to diseases such as pneumonia and the fragility of their blood vessels, he said.
But Kuriyama warned he was not recommending people eat as much as they want.
"It's better that thin people try to gain normal weight, but we doubt it's good for people of normal physique to put on more fat," he said.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Low Down on Condiments and Sauces
Summer is here. Time to do the drill and grill!
What sauces and condiments should you avoid & which ones are OK?
Choose condiments with no added sugars or unhealthy trans fats. Ketchup, for example, is loaded with sugar, as are some salsas and steak sauces. Always read labels carefully, and select only those products made with good fats, like extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil, and no added sugars.
Enjoy:
Mustard
Horseradish and horseradish sauce
Hot pepper sauce
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Pesto
Vinegars
Sour cream (fat-free, reduced-fat, or light versions), limit to 2 tablespoons
Cream cheese (fat-free, reduced-fat or light), limit to 2 tablespoons
Sugar-free jams and jellies
Sugar-free syrups
Enjoy but choose products made without added sugars.
Miso, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Salsa
Shoyu, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Soy sauce, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Steak sauce, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Taco sauce, limit to 1 tablespoon
Tamari, limit to 1 tablespoon
Mayonnaise (choose a regular full-fat variety and limit to 1 tablespoon or a low-fat variety and limit to 2 tablespoons)
Worcestershire sauce (limit to 1 tablespoon )
Avoid:
Barbecue sauce
Ketchup
Cocktail sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Honey mustard
Regular jellies and jams
Regular maple syrup
What sauces and condiments should you avoid & which ones are OK?
Choose condiments with no added sugars or unhealthy trans fats. Ketchup, for example, is loaded with sugar, as are some salsas and steak sauces. Always read labels carefully, and select only those products made with good fats, like extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil, and no added sugars.
Enjoy:
Mustard
Horseradish and horseradish sauce
Hot pepper sauce
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Pesto
Vinegars
Sour cream (fat-free, reduced-fat, or light versions), limit to 2 tablespoons
Cream cheese (fat-free, reduced-fat or light), limit to 2 tablespoons
Sugar-free jams and jellies
Sugar-free syrups
Enjoy but choose products made without added sugars.
Miso, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Salsa
Shoyu, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Soy sauce, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Steak sauce, limit to 1/2 tablespoon
Taco sauce, limit to 1 tablespoon
Tamari, limit to 1 tablespoon
Mayonnaise (choose a regular full-fat variety and limit to 1 tablespoon or a low-fat variety and limit to 2 tablespoons)
Worcestershire sauce (limit to 1 tablespoon )
Avoid:
Barbecue sauce
Ketchup
Cocktail sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Honey mustard
Regular jellies and jams
Regular maple syrup
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Work-site Fitness Programs on the Rise
Work-site health promotion
With the recession still lurking, many companies have cut costs. However, companies are not eliminating their work-site health and fitness programs to save costs. As the President of N2SHAPE, Inc., I have received more inquiries for onsite health and fitness programs in the past six months than ever before.
The cost of health care is constantly increasing, and the health promotion programs are expected to have a beneficial effect on the morale of the employee, to provide some offset to reductions in benefits, and to provide a way to improve productivity.
Individual, optimal programs should be developed for each company, as no one program meets all situations.
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