Don't just believe what you read...

It seems one cannot open a newspaper or magazine, turn on the television or log on to their computer without being inundated with health-related news. Countless publications and websites are dedicated to informing the public about everything from drug efficacy to nutrition advice, often presenting conflicting information. Some sources seem reputable, others may not. How do you sort out the fact from the fiction?

Check out Health News Review.org. I first heard about this website from a spot on NPR’s Morning Edition and am very impressed. This project, supported by The Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, was established to improve the accuracy of health reporting and help consumers make informed decisions about health care. Reviewers are qualified members of the medical and public health fields, with the appropriate credentials to be authorities on health-related topics. They review news stories which make specific claims with regard to treatments, procedures, drugs, vitamins and nutritional supplements, and diagnostic/screening tests and score them based on a standardized rating system. Articles are given “stars” based on how they fair on 10 different criteria, specifically:
1. Availability of treatment/product/test/procedure
2. If and how costs are mentioned in the article
3. If there is evidence of “disease mongering” in the story
4. Does the article grasp the quality of the evidence? (e.g. adequately point out limitations)
5. How harmful evidence of treatment/test/product/procedure is reported
6. Does the article establish true “novelty” of approach (is it really new information?)
7. How the benefits of the treatment/test/product/procedure are framed (through objective, quantitative data)
8. Whether the article seems to rely solely or largely on a news release
9. Is information from an independent source or are potential conflicts of interest reported?
10. Whether or not alternative options are presented.


This website is clearly a great resource to investigate health claims-- Access it for yourself at: http://www.healthnewsreview.org/

Hormones and Antibiotics, Oh My!

Consumers, beware! Don’t believe everything you read on the label.

Due to concern over growth hormones and antibiotic accumulation, many companies have started labeling their products as “Hormone Free” or “Raised Without Antibiotics.” While this trend may have begun as a means to help us avoid taking in excess toxins with potential long-term consequences, this has evolved into a mere marketing ploy. For example, Tyson Chicken has recently “come clean” about their practice of labeling chicken as “Raised Without Antibiotics” even though they do, in fact, inject their chickens with them. They skirt the issue by injecting the birds before they are hatched so that their claim is still technically true. Shady.

With regard to “Hormone-free “milk, you simply have to trust the producer. The hormones in question occur naturally in cows, so it would be nearly impossible to test for the addition of extra, synthetic ones. Producers have to sign an affidavit stating that they don’t inject these hormones (specifically, rGBH), but who trusts corporations these days… Monsanto, the company that manufactures the synthetic hormone, claims that milk from these cows is just as safe as the all-natural variety. Maybe we should just believe them—I’m sure they have our best interest at heart (*wink*)

Sweet Potato Muffins

I baked up a batch of some fabulously healthy, yet terribly delicious muffins this morning and thought I’d share my recipe!

Sweet Potato Muffins

You’ll need:

2 small sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1/3 c. canola oil

1 large apple, peeled and diced

1c. AP flour

1c. whole wheat flour

¼ c. ground flaxseed meal

2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake or microwave the sweet potatoes until tender and scoop out the flesh (you’ll need about 1 cup). Mash or puree potato until smooth, then add the eggs, oil and apple.

Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add to sweet potato mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon into greased muffin or mini muffin pan and bake 10 minutes for mini muffins, 15 to 20 minutes for full sized (or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean).

Enjoy!

Tonight's Tasty Supper

No pics available because we ate it all...
Check out this month's Eating Well (I swear we'd starve without this magazine) for a delicious Ethiopian-inspired Lentil Stew... Magazine is in the bedroom (along with a sleeping baby), so let's see if I can get it from memory-- I tweaked it a bit anyway...
1 cup of green lentils, rinsed, sorted
1 cup frozen edamame
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 16oz. can diced tomatoes
6 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup quick cooking barley*
1/2 tbsp. ground chili pepper
1 tsp. smoked paprika*
1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cardamom*
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash Kosher salt*
dash ground clove
2 16oz. cans reduced sodium chicken broth* (because I left it cooking on high while bathing the baby and it soaked up all the water-- but I think this was a tasty addition)

Cook lentils in a small sauce pan (enough water to cover about an inch over the lentils) until tender
Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions-- cook until translucent (5 minutes). Add tomatoes, edamame, spices, lemon juice, barley and one can of broth. Reduce heat and simmer until barley is cooked (10 minutes). Add mint and parsley. Add more broth as needed.
I served it with a loaf of crusty whole grain bread from the bakery.
Delish!!!!

*my additions

Stuffed Squash... Yum!

Perfect Fall Recipe: Stuffed Acorn Squash
(adapted from Eating Well)




You'll Need:
3 medium sized Acorn Squash
1/2 lb. lean ground sausage (I use Gimme Lean vegetarian sausage)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 16 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup frozen sweet corn
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
Hot sauce to taste
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

To Make:
Cut squash in half and scoop seeds. Bake in oven preheated to 375 deg. , face down on greased cookie sheet for about 45 minutes or until tender.

While your squash bakes, prepare your filling. Brown sausage over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until soft (5 minutes). Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Next, stir in tomatoes, beans, corn, salt and hot sauce and cook until heated through.

After you've finished baking the squash, reduce oven temp. to 325. Turn squash cup side up and fill with sausage mixture. Top each with cheese and bake 10 minutes (or until cheese is melted... but not burned!)

Seve with a side of kale sauteed with kosher salt, olive oil and garlic for a perfect Fall meal.

Eat to Fight Breast Cancer

As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Were you aware that there are dietary measures you can take to reduce your risk and possibly even increase the efficacy of treatment? A two-time cancer survivor and dietitian, Diana Grant Dyer, has developed what she dubs “The Breast Cancer Diet” which she credits with her own recovery.

3 to 6 daily servings of whole grains – maximize your fiber intake to lower cholesterol which the body uses to synthesize estrogen. High estrogen levels are associated with breast cancer.
1 or 2 daily servings of beans – again, to boost your fiber intake.
2 ounces of nuts several times weekly – more fiber and a healthy dose of monounsaturated fat. Research links high consumption of monounsaturated fat with lower incidence of breast cancer.
9 or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables – again fiber, fiber, fiber… plus phytochemicals and antioxidants that help your body fight off cancer causing free radicals.
1 to 2 daily servings of low fat, organic (hormone free) dairy products- it’s high conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content has been shown to fight cancer (and fat!). CLA supplements are not recommended, however, and the benefits are maximized when CLA is obtained through natural food sources, such as 2% or 1% milk.
1 to 2 daily servings of soy products – soybeans are full of naturally occurring anti-cancer compounds. Diets rich in soy (think that of Japanese women) have been associated with lower rates of certain types of cancer.
2 or 3 weekly servings of fatty fish – the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as salmon have been shown to reduce inflammation and reduce rates of several types of cancer.
1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily – to provide more omega-3 fatty acids. Also, recent research suggests that flax may act to combat estrogen in the body, making it antagonistic toward certain types of tumors.
Drink green tea – it is rich in EGCG, which stops cancer cells from growing by inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase action in the body, which in turn inhibits certain types of cellular growth..
Cook with olive or canola oil – boost your intake of monounsaturated fat!

These nutritional tips, along with increased physical activity, maintaining a healthy body weight and limiting alcohol intake (or cut it out all together) are excellent ways to reduce your risk for breast cancer and may make your body more receptive to treatment if it has already been detected.
Show your support of the ongoing search for a cure by participating in a local Race for the Cure!

(http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/the-breast-cancerfighting-diet.html)

White Wheat Nutrition

If you listen to many nutritionists, eating white bread is tantamount to eating straight sugar from the bowl. Its refined nature makes it very quickly digestible, therefore leading to a rapid conversion of its carbohydrate content to glucose. Consequently, it causes a rapid spike in blood sugar followed by a subsequent drop. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is nutritional, simply because it is enriched with vitamins and minerals—they are only there to replace the natural nutrients that get lost in the manufacturing process.

White wheat is made from an albino strain of wheat, so if it is true white wheat, it is unrefined and unprocessed making it just as nutritious as wheat bread. It's a good way to boost whole grain consumption and daily fiber intake for folks who don't like wheat bread, as long as it is made from 100% white wheat flour (check the label for words like "enriched" that indicate it is the less-nutritious processed variety).

To maximize lunchtime nutrition, try making sandwiches on white wheat bread that has less than 70 calories per slice. Add a lean protein source, 2% milk-based cheese, fresh spinach and sliced tomato-- a perfectly balanced meal!