10 Telltale Signs of Low Blood Sugar
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is common among diabetics, and it can occur even when you're carefully managing your diabetes. Hypoglycemia occurs when the amount of blood glucose (sugar in the blood) drops too low to sustain normal functioning. This drop can cause both short- and long-term complications, so it's crucial to monitor your glucose levels and treat hypoglycemia as soon as you're aware of it. Pay attention to these telltale signs of low blood sugar and do your best to keep your glucose under control
Showing posts with label Healthy Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Healthy Living. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
5 Reasons to Eat More Chocolate
It may be hard to believe that something as delicious as chocolate could actually be good for you. But according to a growing body of research, America’s favorite sweet treat comes with a host of surprising health benefits—from lowering cholesterol levels to boosting your brainpower. Read on for five guilt-free reasons to indulge in this decadent dessert (as if you needed any more convincing).
- Healthier Cholesterol Levels. A recent study conducted at Penn State University found that people who ate a diet rich in cocoa powder and dark chocolate had lower oxidation levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol and higher levels of HDL “good” cholesterol.
- Better Blood Pressure. According to a German study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a bite of dark chocolate a day may help regulate high blood pressure. The study’s authors suspect that the cocoa increases levels of nitric oxide, a compound that helps to relax and open the blood vessels.
- Muscle Magic. It might seem like a strange choice for a sports drink, but chocolate milk may help boost athletic performance. In a recent Indiana University study, cyclists who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who consumed standard sports beverages.
- Brain Gains. According to the National Alzheimer’s Association, consuming dark chocolate can help reduce your chances of developing dementia later in life. In fact, a local chapter of the organization recently included dark chocolate in all the gift baskets it gave to attendees at the Maintain Your Brain program.
- Disease-Fighting Power. Cornell University researchers recently found that cocoa contains nearly twice the disease-fighting antioxidants of red wine and up to three times more than green tea.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Basic Grilled Chicken Breasts (a la Andrea)
- 6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- ¾ cup Barbecue Sauce
- Place chicken breasts on a well-oiled grill.
- Cover and grill for 6-8 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- Brush with barbecue sauce during last 5 minutes of grilling.
Makes 4-6 servings
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Soup is Good Food
Soup is Good Food
by Leanne Ely, C.N.C.
One of the most wonderful comfort foods under the sun is soup. Great big soup, not anemic wimpy soup that you can sip with a straw.
I am not one of those that believes soup should be served as a first course. First courses are for people who have butlers. For the rest of us work-a-day stiffs, we need rib-sticking, hale and hearty Soup, capital S.
The problem with these kinds of soups is the unfortunate propensity for a nice, thick soup to feed a nice, thick waistline. What we want is warm, robust, soul satisfying soups without all the fat and calories. The question then is—how do we do that?
Here are my Top Ten Ways to Make Great Soup (and without all the "extras").
1. Skim the Surface.
If you’re using a ham bone or a chicken carcass to make soup from, you’ll get a lovely broth, but you’ll also get a heck of a lot of fat. That’s easy to dispense of. Once you’ve made your homemade broth and removed the solids, chill the broth for a few hours or overnight. The fat will rise to the top, solidify, and make it easy to skim right off.
2. Can It.
There are a multitude of wonderful, nearly fat free broths already made and available for purchase at your local grocery store. I find the low-sodium chicken broth to be a close second place to my homemade and definitely a first place in timesaving!
3. Chill Out.
If you already made your soup and you didn’t first de-grease your broth, you can do it even as it sits on the stovetop. Throw a few ice cubes in your soup and watch how the grease migrates to them. Pull the ice out (with its cling-on greasy friends) and dispose of them before they melt.
4. Decrease the grease.
Another way to get rid of the extra fat in soup is to use a lettuce leaf. Weird, I know (talk about your soup and salad!), but if you float a big old lettuce leaf in your pot of soup, it’s like screaming, "Buffet!" to the little grease blobs—they come running to the big leaf and cling to it like a life raft.
5. Flavor Saver.
If you sauté the onions and other veggies before adding them to the soup pot, you will add extra flavor to your soup. The veggies themselves will retain their flavors rather than giving it all up to the soup and having everything taste the same.
6. The Frozen Chosen.
Use frozen veggies, such as corn, petite peas and beans to cut your prep time way down. Just remember they will continue to cook as your soup simmers so you need to be careful when you add them.
7. Scrap Heap.
Rather than chuck your leftovers, why not save them and make soup out of them? Leftover veggies, meats and pasta will all add a new dimension to your soup. Simply freeze your little leftovers and on soup day, add it all in to the same pot. True, your soup will never taste the same, but it will be good and definitely unique.
8. Thicker Stock.
It’s easy to thicken up your frail little soup with a modest amount of instant potato flakes. Just be sure you look for the kind without the trans fats and you’re good to go.
9. Lean and Green.
Soup is a great place to get your kids (and other picky eaters) to eat their veggies. Some kids and grown ups hate broccoli but adore cream of broccoli soup—and it can be made without the cream and still be just as wonderful.
10. A Change of Seasonings.
Sometimes your soup loses the oomph it once ad and that’s because your seasoning needs to be corrected. Don’t be afraid to taste and re-taste your soup as necessary (just go easy—you don’t want to have a full soup meal before you sit down to the table!) and add a little more seasoning if it needs it.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Practical Pampering
From Today's Christian Woman . . .
Practical Pampering--29 ways to treat yourself right in the New Year
Taking care of yourself doesn't need to be a costly or extravagant affair. A friend of mine says it's all in the lighting; anything can be pampering as long as you light a candle while doing it. For example, take a bath and light a candle. Make dinner and light a candle. Balance the checkbook and light a candle. (Well, maybe that last one is taking it a bit too far, but you get the idea!)
Lighting issues aside, pampering can be as simple as getting creative with what you have and giving yourself permission to do something special for yourself. Try some of these simple, inexpensive pampering pointers when you need a break from the race that is your life. And don't forget to light a candle!
1. Get a manicure at a local beauty school.
2. Give your walls a new look by checking out artwork from your local library.
3. Take a 20-minute nap under your softest blanket.
4. Buy one great bra that fits perfectly.
5. Check out a used CD store and find some favorite music from your high-school days.
6. Find a small group of women to eat out with once a month.
7. If you're signing kids up for soccer/dance/swim/music lessons, sign yourself up for a class too.
8. Write a letter to an old friend.
9. Buy one fresh cut flower to display on your desk. Buy another one for a friend. Or a kind stranger.
10. Have a girlfriend highlight your hair.
11. Check out one of your favorite books from childhood. Reread it alone, then share it with a child.
12. Shop for a super-comfortable sweater in your favorite color.
13. Give yourself a foot massage, then paint your toenails hot pink—even though it's the middle of winter.
14. Go through your box of memories—if you don't have one, decorate a sturdy shoebox and start one. Fill it with cherished cards, letters, pictures, ticket stubs, dried flowers—anything small that conjures up a special memory.
15. Relish a pint of the most expensive ice cream in your supermarket's freezer. Eat it with a silver spoon if you have one.
16. Send away for travel brochures from a far-off destination you'd like to visit someday.
17. Savor a smoothie.
18. Head to your nearest consignment/second-hand shop and find a fantastic $5 treasure.
19. Read one of Francine Rivers's short novellas about women in the lineage of Christ.
20. Rent and watch a classic (black-and-white only) movie—just you, the couch, and a box of tissues.
21. Visit Bath & Body Works and sample everything.
22. Buy Puffs Plus.
23. Call your mother and ask her about the day you were born.
24. Write a letter to a grandparent, describing special memories you have of him or her.
25. Start a journal of blessings. Write down something for which you're thankful every day.
26. Throw away all your socks with holes in them.
27. Begin a private quest to find the best park for viewing sunsets in your town.
28. Dial directory assistance and ask for the toll-free phone number of a resort in St. Tropez.
Call and speak to the reservation clerk for two minutes just to hear his accent.
29. Spend some time in prayer with the One who loves you best.
Kimberly Neessen lives with her family in Iowa.
Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian Woman magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Today's Christian Woman.January/February 2007, Vol. 29, No. 1, Page 58
Monday, January 15, 2007
Monday, January 01, 2007
Free Pedometer
Free Pedometer and Walking Tips
Warning: You must fill out a short survey. . .
http://www.justkeepmoving.com/index.jhtml
Warning: You must fill out a short survey. . .
http://www.justkeepmoving.com/index.jhtml
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