One of the best ways to lower your blood pressure is to lose weight if you are overweight. This can be accomplished by eating smaller food portions and also being active every day. You can reduce your blood pressure by eating foods that are low in total fat, saturated fat, eating lots of fruits vegetables and choose calcium rich foods like low fat dairy products. Fruits & vegetables are high in potassium and fiber which helps to lower one’s blood pressure. Choosing whole grains and lean protein foods are also helpful in controlling high blood pressure. Too much sodium can help to increase your blood pressure if you are sodium sensitive. The American Heart Association recommends eating less than 2300 milligrams (mg) of sodium (Na) per day. A ¼ teaspoon (tsp) of salt (including sea salt) has about 590 mg of Na. You can find the sodium information for a product on the food label. For more information go to http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hbp_low/hbp_low.pdf.
Vegetables are typically low in calories and high in nutrients. Eating fresh vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, and peppers are great snacks and can be dipped in low fat dressing like ranch dressing or low fat yogurt. Vegetables can be hidden in foods like spaghetti sauce. Throw some broccoli, peppers, spinach or other vegetables into the blender. This puree can be added to an assortment foods like soups, hamburger, chili, etc, to help boost the nutritional quality. If you need a recipe, The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine or Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld are excellent resources (www.amazon.com). Kids love French fries. Try making your own fries with thinly cut sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers or parsnips. Put the vegetables in a plastic bag with 1 tablespoon of olive, a favorite spice, some sea salt and shake. Spread on cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or so until tender.
Image from www.vwex.edu
Per Serving: 495 calories, 19 grams protein, 12 grams of fat, 78 grams of CHO, 12 grams of fiber, 1071 mg sodium.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 12
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced or ½ teaspoon minced garlic
3 cans (15.5 oz) black beans, drained*
2 cups water
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp prepared mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
12 (10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a medium skillet and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven and serve.
Shopping List
- vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- canned kidney beans
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- prepared mustard
- cayenne pepper
- soy sauce
- sweet potatoes
- 12 (10-inch) flour tortillas
- shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
*May substitute your favorite canned beans like kidney or pinto beans.
Personally, I like to eat 3 small meals and 2 snacks per day. Here’s why – keeping bullets of energy from small feedings help keep you on track mentally and energized throughout the day. Because I exercise most days I plan one of my snacks for post exercise as a recovery food. But key is to ensure you are getting enough calories but not too many calories to balance the energy equation. It’s no secret, too many calories consistently can cause weight gain. A planned snack is better than an unplanned snack which could lead to overeating. A good snack contains an assortment of nutrients, some dietary fiber not just filled with sugar an fat. Here’s some snack ideas: 8 baby carrots and 2 tablespoons hummus (110 calories), 1 tablespoon of wheat germ and ½ cup fat free strawberry fat free yogurt (150 calories), fresh fruit like ½ cup fresh strawberries (80 calories), kiwi (60 calories), etc, 100-calorie microwave fat-free popcorn, 2 tablespoons of almonds (80 calories), walnuts (100 calories) or raisins (70 calories).
Image from Spaindex.com.
Love this recipe for an alternative to burger. It’s easy-to-fix. Add a sliced tomato and green leaf lettuce to dress it up. You can spice it up with more salsa on top or old standbys light mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup.
Image from Planetforward.ca
Per Serving: 366 calories, 22 grams protein, 5.5 grams of fat, 57 grams of CHO, 16 grams of fiber, 820 mg sodium.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes Grill Time: 6 minutes
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
¼ block extra firm tofu, chopped, crumbled
1/3 cup chopped red onion
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
2 Tb med-hot chunky salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp hot sauce
Instructions
Drain and rinse beans. Using a fork, mash beans in a medium bowl. Drain tofu. Using a fork, mash the tofu and add the bean mixture. Mix onion, breadcrumbs, salsa, cumin and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using moistened hands, shape bean mixture into two 4 inch diameter patties. Prepare grill at medium to high heat. Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Grill burgers until heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve on bun or whole wheat flatbread.
Shopping List
- 1 15 to 16 ounce can black beans
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- red onion
- dry breadcrumbs
- med-hot chunky salsa
- ground cumin
- hot sauce
Is there really a difference in the quality of name brand vitamins and store brand or generic?
In most cases there is no difference between name bread vitamins/minerals or generic except price. You can compare the Supplement Facts to ensure they contain the amount of nutrients you want or need. As required by FDA, dietary supplements must show on their labels or packaging the percent of the Daily Value for vitamins and minerals they contain. The Percent Daily Value (DV) is the amount of nutrients in one tablet or capsule. The Daily Reference Value for nutrients for adults are: 1000 milligram (mg) calcium, 2 mg copper, 0.4 mg (400 microgram – mcg) folic acid, 18 mg iron, 400 mg magnesium, 20 mg niacin, 10 mg pathothenic acid, 1000 mg phosphorus, 1.7 mg riboflavin, 1.5 mg thiamine, 5,000 international units (IU), 6 mcg Vitamin B 12, 2 mg Vitamin B-6, 60 mg Vitamin C, 400 IU Vitamin D, 30 IU Vitamin E, and 15 mg zinc. Keep in mind, you can get many of these vitamins and minerals in the foods that you eat. Boron, nickel, silicon, tin, vanadium, lutein and lycopene do not have an established Daily Value.
Image from fitness.resourcesforattorneys.com.
THE STATE OF U.S. KIDS: 2010
KidsHealth.org and TIME For Kids Joint Survey Provides a Kids’ Eye View of Life Today
Wilmington, DE, January 19, 2010 – With President Obama’s first State of the Union Address just around the corner, many Americans are reflecting on their lives today and thinking about what’s in store for the future. When will the economy get better? Will the unemployment rate continue to rise?
But what about kids? What it’s like to be a kid living in the U.S.? That’s what KidsHealth.org and TIME For Kids magazine wanted to know. In a joint survey conducted online, they polled 1,000 kids, ages 9-13, to find out how things are going at home, at school, and in the United States. Below is a glimpse into the minds of today’s generation, appropriately titled The State of U.S. Kids: 2010.
What Kids Say About the Country & Leadership:
- Only 18% of kids totally agree that the U.S. economy is strong and only 23% totally agree that people in other countries respect the United States.
- When asked to grade how well President Obama is doing his job so far, here’s how kids score him: A (19%), B (30%), C (24%), D (10%), and F (17%).
- The economy is the #1 priority for kids, with 45% telling President Obama it is the most important issue he should work on.
- When grading the country’s leaders on the economy, 29% of kids gave leaders a C, but a very close 28% of kids gave leaders an F.
What Kids Say About the Future:
- Two out of three kids agree with the statement, “My future is going to be great.”
- 94% of kids say that in the United States, it’s possible for kids to grow up to be anything they want.
- 51% of kids think the world will be a better place in 10 years.
- 90% of kids think they will see a woman elected President of the United States in their lifetime.
Understanding Today’s Generation:
- When asked “What do you want to be when you grow up,” the most popular professions for girls are teacher (17%) and vet (12%) vs. athlete (15%) and videogame designer (9%) for boys.
- 39% of kids think math is the school subject most important to the success of their future careers, followed by reading (20%), science (13%), and technology (10%), among others.
- Only 1 in 4 kids think money is most important for their future careers, with 53% of kids choosing “How much I will enjoy my job” as first on their list of priorities.
- Almost 52% of kids spend less then an hour each day playing outside, with 16% reporting they spend no time at all. However, kids report they spend 1 or more hours each day on the following activities: playing video games (45%), watching TV/movies (79%), or using the computer or IM-ing (51%).
- Nearly 18% of kids say their families eat dinner together less then 1-2 times a week, with 8% reporting eating dinner together less then 2-3 times a month.
- Gone are the days of not being allowed to go outside and play as punishment and in are the days of technology punishments. Nearly half of kids say they often lose computer or video game privileges when they misbehave or break the rules at home.
- 1 in 4 kids report their family’s money situation is either “not good” or “bad” and 63% of kids say they worry about money “a lot” or “sometimes.”
- 75% of kids chose a family member as the person they look up to most, with 2 out of 3 kids choosing a parent.
To read more about the survey results, please visit: KidsHealth.org or TIME For Kids.
To view the KidsHealth “State of U.S. Kids” Flickr gallery of drawings submitted by kids, please click here. (Note: a Flickr account is required to view gallery.)
Note About Survey Methodology:
The survey was conducted online by C&R Research in December 2009 among a sample of 1,004 U.S. children ages 9-13. The sample was balanced and weighted to match 2007 U.S. Census figures for online households with children. The survey has a margin of error no worse than +/- 3.2%.
For complete survey findings and methodology, please contact Ryan Biliski at (302) 651-4046 or biliski@KidsHealth.org.
Recently I attend a Memorial Service for Radio Talk Show Host Francene Cucinello on Monday, Jan 18. She died suddenly of a heart attack and brain aneurysm at age 43. Francene was a local talk show host for WHAS Radio, a Clear Channel station. My weekly radio show is also on a Clear Channel Station in Louisville even though my show is in the evening, I knew Francene and used to listen to her show.
John Yarmuth, US Representative from KY and a Democrat, was at Francene’s Memorial Service. I took the opportunity to ask him some questions about health reform. I know that was tacky but I know Francene would have taken advantage of the situation as well!
Yarmuth had been appointed by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to be the spokesperson on health care for the House. I have actually seen him interviewed on Fox News a number of times. However, he always stays on the Democratic House message. I got to know Yarmuth when he was publisher of LEO. I told him I had attended the Health Care Reform Town Meeting at Central High School when Francene was the moderator. I thought he took a lot of heat that night from angry citizens. He should have understood at that meeting Louisvillians were steamed about what the federal government was doing behind closed doors. He has been quoted in several local newspapers as saying he was for the single payer system, so I knew deep down he was interested in a complete government takeover.
Yarmuth asked me what I thought would be a good plan for Health Reform. I told him to read the 7 letters I have faxed him over the past 7 months about some suggestions that would be effective ways reform health insurance first before the Congressional Democrats dramatically change health care and the dynamics of America forever.
I explained to him that I didn’t feel Americans could get any reliable information on health reform from the government, the politicians or the media. Both have lost credibility with me and most Americans. Each entity seems to have their own agenda! He actually agreed to that observation.
I explained to him that middle America needs to understand the nuts and bolts of the new health plan and how it would affect us and our families. No one can assure us that new health care plan will indeed be better and cost less. Both bills in the Senate and House have been piece-milled together in order to get votes either by their members or by their voters.
It’s no big secret but in the past, government entitlement programs have always cost more and accomplished less. I fear this plan will allow more Americans access to health insurance policy but will not have access to care because there are not enough health care professionals to take care of the patients that are on the books today. The current plans on the table force Americans to pay for the programs for 4 years however the new health plan won’t begin to cover taxpayers until 2014. Some special interest groups like unions don’t have to pay in to the program until 2018.
Get Politicians Out of the Health Care Business!
For one thing, I suggested getting the politicians out of the health reform business should be the first step. Having the actual architects of health care reform include people who are involved in the day-to-day management of health care. Politicians are trying to re-design health care based on lobbyists and bribes to them and their members which can’t make for a very effective sustainable reform.
Politicians need to consider what is best for the American people rather than what is best for the DC politicians. Most Americans have lost faith in politicians in Washington, DC as a result of the three-ring circus that is playing out in Congress.
States Should Demand Fair Treatment
States should demand fair treatment! Yarmuth said the House is very irritated at what the Senate is doing. Unfortunately he must have forgotten what the Rep from Louisiana got from Pelosi for her vote. Isn’t that always the way it is between the House & Senate?
Yarmuth also indicated to me that Nelson from Nebraska recently suggested he wants the same deal he got for all the states. (Like he thought I didn’t know about this situation). How in the world could the Federal government afford to do this? I know – tax Americans more and cut services!
What about TORT Reform
One of the ushers from Southeast Christian Church was on hand for the discussion with Yarmuth as well. He said his son was a family practice physician. The usher wanted to know specifically about TORT Reform. Yarmuth said that the House bill has TORT reform included. Really? We asked him what were the stipulations. He said that the House stance on TORT reform is that it should be State regulated not at the Federal level. Congressional Democrats typically have their campaigns financed by trial lawyers so of course they do not want to vote for TORT reform at the federal level.
I wanted to ask him, then, why based on his answer about TORT reform, health insurance reform not a state issue rather than a Federal issue. Health reform, is my opinion, is more about the federal government’s control rather than providing health care to Americans. It’s a no brainer, just because someone has a health insurance policy doesn’t mean they will actually have access to care.
Yarmuth said as far as TORT reform was concerned when studies looked at how effective TORT reform was at lowering the cost of health care, he said they all indicated TORT reform didn’t lower the costs. He said there were a least 6 studies done and all of them determined TORT reform didn’t save any health care dollars. I asked him about who complied the studies. One study was done by a newspaper, according to Yarmuth, which in my opinion was probably biased and not reliable. I explained to him that I had worked in research. And, to make sure these studies were legitimate, they should have appeared in peer reviewed journals before the Democrats started using them as the basis for discounting TORT Reform as a way of decreasing health care costs.
Yarmuth also indicated that physicians who over-ordered tests just in case they might get sued was unlawful and he cautioned the father to let his son know that he could be prosecuted as a result.
Paying for Health Reform Is the Challenge But Taxing Tanning Beds!
For example, putting a 10% tax on tanning beds to help finance health reform is ridiculous! Politicians are not smart enough to understand that tanning is one of those items you can do without especially when one’s personal budget is at risk due to the economy. The tax will be effective at forcing those type of business out of business meaning more job loss. There was a discussion about a Botox tax. How ridiculous! What these proposals suggest to me is that these people in DC are completely out of touch with Americans.
In light of the devastation in Haiti where many people have lost their lives, the subject of our sermon today in Church was The Importance of Life. Today is the 37th anniversary of Roe vs Wade which legalized abortion.
Many of the Haiti people who survived the earthquake or had their loved ones die plus the many volunteers who are trying to rescue others see the importance of life. Then, you think about 37 years of legalized abortions in the US and 50 million deaths as a result of the Supreme Court’s Decision on Roe vs Wade. Approximately 1.2 million babies are aborted per year. Our minister quoted someone as saying “all those in favor of abortion are alive today.” When you consider all the couples who would be happy to raise a child. Life is precious!
I have to admit, sometimes a baby’s arrival isn’t exactly perfect timing. I just finished reading Sarah Palin’s Book, Going Rogue. She readily admitted her last pregnancy couldn’t have come a worse time for her. She was governor of Alaska and at times she was a single parent because of her husband, Todd’s, job situation. But as a Christian her view which comes from the Bible is “Children are a reward from God.” Even worse news was when she found out her baby boy, Trig. had Down’s Syndrome. Her next challenge came when her young daughter, Bristol, became pregnant. Unmarried and unplanned, Bristol decided to keep her baby boy. It would have been understandable for both mothers to decide to have an abortion under the circumstances. But they both chose life. Sarah and Bristol understand how precious life is and depended on God to help lead them through their perils.
Massachusetts Dr. Eric Keroack told Fox News that a 2-year study showed 75% of patients unsure about having an abortion changed their minds after viewing an ultrasound of their baby. Focus on the Family’s Project Ultrasound is close to its goal of equipping 800 crisis pregnancy centers with ultrasound machines. From the Southeast Outlook weekly newspaper.
Taxpayer’s Money Should Not Pay for Abortions
I understand that an abortion is a woman’s right to make but I personally don’t want taxpayers money to pay for an abortion. The abortion should be on the woman’s own nickel not the government’s nickel. With so many options for preventing pregnancy, it’s hard to believe there are so many unplanned pregnancies. It’s obvious that many Americans are not buying into protected sex at any level.
A Woman’s Choice Resource Center and Necole’s Place
Last year I went to a fund raising dinner for A Women’s Choice Resource Center (www.awomanschoice.org). The featured speakers were Mike Huckabee and several women who had to make the decision to either have an abortion or have the baby. One woman had her baby and the other woman had an abortion. The Louisville woman who had an abortion said that she has had a difficult time dealing with her decision. She did not know about A Women’s Choice Resource Center she only knew about the abortion clinic. It’s obvious that she has had a difficult time accepting her choice to abort her child and deals with her loss by discussing the downside of making the abortion choice. I got the feeling that she may never forgive herself for aborting her unborn baby. But was impressed by her willingness to share her most personal feelings. She even talked about her attempted suicide after the abortion. It’s obvious that she felt at the time it was easy to abort the baby but didn’t understand how she was going to cope with the loss over the years. Women need to know there are other options rather than an abortion.
Wednesday I was in Frankfort, the state capitol of KY, to learn about three new pieces of legislation that were introduced regarding physical activity in elementary schools and also menu labeling in food chain restaurants in our state. I was able to meet with State Senator Julie Denton. She lives around the corner from me in Louisville. She’s dental hygienist by profession.
I asked Senator Denton specifically about some of her concerns regarding the Health Reform Proposals that are currently being discussed in Congress. I was particularly interested in how the KY (states) felt about the federal government forcing states to expand Medicaid. Senator Denton pointed out that KY is already struggling with a major deficit. She said that it’s going to cost KY a lot more money. She said “but with our revenue down due to job loss, we are struggling financially.”
Senator Denton is very knowledgeable about Medicaid because she serves as the co-chairman of the Health & Welfare Committee. She said that new participants in the Medicaid program in KY due to all the job losses are not your regular type Medicaid patients. In fact, they are utilizing many more of the services that are provided by Medicaid which ends up costing more money.
New Medicaid Patients Using More Services – Costs are Skyrocketing
Many of the these new patients may have not had health insurance before their job loss so accessing health care is like being a kid in a candy store. (Wait till they find out they can get FREE orthodontics for their children). Senator Denton said, ultimately, as more participants are added to the Medicaid rolls more services will have to be cut due to financial constraints. She reminded me States were unable to print more money like the federal government. So where will states get the extra money, from higher taxes!
States may not be happy campers with all the new entitlement programs the federal government is trying to impose on them. She did point out that KY was not one of the States which got sweetheart deals like FL, Nebraska, CT, Louisiana and VT.
Americans Should Be Outraged at all the Sweetheart Deals Made by Reid and Pelosi for VOTES!
I am outraged by these Sweetheart Deals for votes to pass Health Reform. In my opinion, States should demand equal treatment when it comes to Medicaid and Medicare. All states should stand up for their rights and not let the federal government decide who get deals and who doesn’t.
Image from www.campaignforfamilies.org
Clients
