A little food lesson for you guys: Did you know that you can steam-scramble your eggs? It's a favorite method among foodies, and it can make eggs really light and fluffy--and you need zero butter (no pan to worry about sticking issues!). Here's how it's done...
Chef Jody Williams of the New York City restaurant Gottino makes a famous scrambled egg dish that's ... steamed! How wonderfully unusual is that?!
It's so simple that anyone can do it (anyone who has an espresso machine with a steamer wand, that is). Here's how, according to this helpful post over at FoodMayhem:
1. In a tall porcelain jar (preferably something with a handle), beat together eggs and a sprinkle of salt (note, you can add a little melted butter if you want--but this is totally optional).
Mindfully managing diabetes means more than just monitoring blood sugar levels. It also means making prudent choices in your diet to address the risk factors of common diseases associated with diabetes, such as heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. November is Diabetes Awareness Month, making this a good time to work with your physician and a dietician to create a meal plan that best suits your needs if you are at risk for diabetes. Research has shown that several nutritional elements may be helpful in managing diabetes-related issues:
Want to add years to your life? Make regular, moderate exercise part of your healthy lifestyle routine. Physical activity is good for the body, mind and spirit, helps maintain and improve the health of your heart, reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer's, promotes energy, quality rest and a healthy weight, helps manage unhealthy stress, and can address symptoms of mild to moderate depression.
New evidence from Britain suggests that vegetarians are one-third less likely to develop diverticular disease than are meat eaters.
This disorder, affects the colon and has been associated with diets that are low in fiber. Symptoms include painful abdominal cramps, bloating, flatulence, constipation and diarrhea. A research team from the University of Oxford looked at more than 47,000 British adults participating in a European study of cancer and nutrition; more than 15,000 of them reported that they were vegetarians. After more than 11 years of follow up and adjusting for such factors as alcohol consumption, smoking and body mass index (BMI), the investigators found that the rate of diverticular disease among the vegetarians was one-third lower than that of other study participants. They also found that those whose consumption of dietary fiber was about 25 grams a day were at lower risk of being hospitalized or dying from diverticular disease than study participants who consumed less than 14 grams of fiber daily. Diverticular disease may also worsen into a condition known as diverticulitis. The findings were published online on July 19th on the British Medical Journal's website.
New research from Canada suggests that a combination of relatively minor ailments such as skin, stomach or bladder problems, dentures that don't fit, arthritis, or trouble hearing can raise the risk of age-related dementia. (Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia.) Published in the July 13, 2011 issue of Neurology, the analysis of data gathered from more than 7,200 people age 65 or older showed that a collection of minor ailments may have a cumulative effect on the risk of dementia. The study suggested that each extra health problem increased the risk of dementia by three percent compared to the risk of other seniors in the study with no minor health problems. All told, the healthy participants with no complaints had an 18 percent risk of developing dementia over the next decade while those with a dozen small problems had a 40 percent risk.
The study author said that the findings seem to suggest that paying attention to general health and dealing with small problems may reduce the risk of dementia.
Following a healthy lifestyle is important for all of us, and the general advice for healthy living applies to both men and women equally. As we age, however, gender may play a larger role in the health issues we experience, and how we address them. If you are a man, consider this information or pass it on to a male loved one!
Acupuncture can help ease menstrual pain, pregnancy-related back pain, and now, a small new study suggests, it can also reduce the severity of hot flashes. Of the 53 menopausal women who took part in the study, about half received acupuncture treatments twice a week for 10 weeks while the others received "sham" acupuncture (in which needles are placed randomly rather than traditional therapeutic locations). Results showed that in addition to easing the hot flashes, true acupuncture also elicited a beneficial effect on mood swings among the women treated. No such changes took place among those who received the sham acupuncture. Treatment didn’t affect vaginal dryness or the number of urinary tract infections among the women in the study, which was published in the March issue of the journal Acupuncture and Medicine. Elsewhere, mindfulness classes, including instruction on meditation and stretching, improved the quality of life among women experiencing severe hot flashes. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester randomly assigned 110 women either to attend mindfulness classes for eight weeks or to sign up on a waiting list for the classes. Afterwards, the women in the mindfulness classes reported being less bothered by their hot flashes, less stressed and anxious and better able to sleep. This study was published online on Feb. 26 by Menopause
Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo report that even patients with severe symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were able to get better (and stayed better) if they were motivated and believed they could control their symptoms by changing their behavior. Nearly one-third of the 71 patients participating in a 10-week cognitive behavioral study indicated they felt significant relief after only four weeks, regardless of the amount of time they spent with the therapists treating them. Some had four one-hour sessions with a therapist over the 10 weeks; others had 10 one-hour sessions over the 10 weeks; those in a third "control" group attended no sessions. Conventional wisdom holds that benefit from behavioral treatment is tied to the amount of treatment a patient receives, said lead researcher Jeffrey Lackner, Psy.D., director of the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at the UB School of Medicine. But that didn’t hold true in this study - some patients improved rapidly regardless of how many sessions they had. In addition, the investigators reported that 92.5 percent of these "rapid responders" maintained their improvement for well over three months with little evidence of deterioration. The study was published in the May issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
One of the most popular American quick breads, cornbread is traditionally made with milk or buttermilk and eggs. This vegan alternative can be spiced up with chopped jalapenos or green chile for a delicious Southwestern twist.
Mole is a distinctive Mexican sauce that contains chocolate (or cocoa, in this case). You can buy mole mixes but they are usually high in fat. This version is not, and a blender makes it easy to prepare. Instead of traditional turkey or chicken, this recipe pairs mole with creamy pinto beans. Eat it with salad and rice, fresh polenta, whole-wheat tortillas, or use as a filling for enchiladas.
