Swap It: a easy guide for healthy substitutions on your dinner plate.

Everyday someone pledges to start a diet, never eat chocolate again, skip the bread, and give up some other food favorite.  And of course usually within days, hours or even minutes, you give in and feel like you failed at your attempts to be healthier.  Well you know longer need to skip it, its time to learn to swap it for a similar food that is slightly lower in fat, calories or sugar.  Take a look at some simple swaps, that will still satisfy your taste buds without the guilt.

 

Instead of:       Swap With:

Sour cream on a potato             Choose non-fat greek yogurt for the same rich texture without the fat

 

Sugary cereal                             Choose whole grain cereal and add sliced fruit to give it natural sweetness

 

Croutons on a salad                   Choose chopped walnuts for a crunch that also helps lower your bad cholesterol 

 

Margaritas                                   Choose red wine, which has about 1/10 the amount of sugar and will provide valuable antioxidants

 

Butter                                               Choose a vegetable oil based spread, which replaces a bad fat with a good fat

 

White Rice                                       Choose quinoa, which is a protein based grain that also contains fiber

 

Granola                                            Choose high fiber cereal, gives you the crunch without the fat

 

Avocado in Guacamole                    Choose to cut down on the avocado and add in some cooked zucchini to save unnecessary fat

 

Mashed Potato                                Choose cauliflower, when mashed save the calories, 29 per cup versus 120 for the potato

 

Vanilla Ice Cream                            Choose frozen cool whip which is lower in calories and fat with the same creamy taste

 

Mayonnaise                                     Choose dijon mustard for great taste without the fat

 

Potato Chips                                    Choose kale chips, giving you the nutrients from these leafy greens, along with the crunch, leaving the fat behind

 

Beef Burger                                      Choose a turkey burger for a hardy meal that is leaner and lower in cholesterol

5 Healthy Rhubarb Recipes from Around the Web

 

Rhubarb is one tricky ingredient. It‘s ripe for pickin‘ in early summer, grows in long, tie-dyed stalks vaguely reminiscent of celery, and has leafy tops (which are not usually used in cooking) that resemble Swiss chard. Raw rhubarb is extremely sour, which is why it‘s usually a) cooked and b) prepared with sweet ingredients. On top of everything, it‘s still up for debate whether this colorful early-summer plant is a fruit or a vegetable. But there‘s hope at the end of the tunnel. Rhubarb is actually pretty easy to cook with, and adds tons of flavor and pep to all kinds of summery dishes. So next time you see those confusing stalks at the market, grab a few stalks and dive in with these five tasty recipes. 

Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble via Local Kitchen
Before getting too crazy, let‘s revisit the classic. Sweet, in-season strawberries (seriously, grab as many as you can before June‘s over!) pairs perfectly with sour rhubarb. This crumble, made with whole-wheat flour and not too much sugar, gets our vote.

 

Photo: Kaela / Local Kitchen

Grilled Rum-Glazed Pork with Rhubarb Chutney via The Seasonalist
Rhubarb is usually paired with sweet stuff, but why restrict it to the dessert table? Smoky, spicy grilled pork gets a savory, tart boost when it‘s topped with a sauce made from rhubarb, vinegar, onion, and lime zest.  

Photo: Christopher and Victoria / The Seasonalist

Rhubarb and Ginger Mojito via Girl Cooks World
If you‘re sick of the whole rhubarb-strawberry combo, this is your drink. Mix up a batch of simple syrup flavored with rhubarb and ginger, and then add white rum, seltzer, lime, and plenty of fresh mint. Ahhh.

Photo: Cate / Girl Cooks World

Rhubarb and Gin Sorbet with Rose Cream via Apt. 2B Baking Co.
There‘s something pretty mind-blowing about a sorbet recipe that uses gin as one of the main ingredients. This fragrant, totally grown-up dessert would be a perfect finish for a classy summer dinner party. 

Photo: Yossy Arefi / Apt. 2B Baking Co.

Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries via Food52
This ain‘t your mama‘s strawberry-rhubarb dish. The classic combination gets plenty of savory, sophisticated flavor when combined with vermouth, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Roast the mixture for 40 minutes, then use it to top ice cream, yogurt, or even toasted bread.  

Photo: James Ransom / Food52

Did we miss any of your favorite recipes? Have a theme you‘d like to see in next week‘s The Greatist Table roundup? Share your thoughts in the comments below or tweet the author @SophBreene.

Ice Cream Bread?

While doing research recently, I came across a recipe for Ice Cream Bread on the Taste of Home‘s website. It had a four-out-of-five star rating. 

I glanced at it and remembered I had flagged an e-mail about this recipe from the Taste of Home‘s public relations folks. It caught my eye then because, besides sounding interesting, the recipe makes a mini-loaf. Readers are always asking me how to pare down recipes or make smaller versions of some of their favorite foods.

 

But when the recipe turned up again this week on a Facebook post by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Food Editor Nancy Stohs, I knew I couldn‘t ignore it any longer. Though I must admit my first thought was, this is just plain odd. You‘re supposed to eat ice cream cold. And aren‘t there better uses of ice cream, which in my house is a real treat? And, besides, who wants to waste good-quality "full-fat" ice cream (as the recipe recommends) making bread?

 

But I just had to try it.

 

The bread is made by stirring together ice cream, sugar and self-rising flour. That‘s it. (Don‘t fret if you don‘t have self-rising flour; you can make your own as noted in the recipe.)

 

I tested it using two different ice creams: Southern Butter Pecan Crunch and Triple Brownie. Both were the deluxe versions of store brands and both were on sale. I didn‘t want to waste $4 on a pint of premium ice cream when I could get nearly a half-gallon for $2.50.

 

An Internet search turned up all sorts of comments and recipes that used a variety of ice creams. Some even added fruit, like blueberries and bananas, to the batter, with good results.

 

The first thing you need to know: The ice cream needs to be softened so it mixes easily with the flour. Scoop out what you need, place in a bowl and let it sit out a good 30 minutes. The rest is gravy: Mix the two with sugar, spoon the batter into a loaf pan sprayed with nonstick spray and then bake.

 

Easy as pie.

 

Although mine seemed to take longer to bake, the end results were fine. The bread tasted sweet. I expected the butter pecan bread to taste the best, but it had a floury taste. The triple brownie tasted much better.

 

A coworker noted that one use for this bread would be to serve it with more ice cream.

 

Tempting, isn‘t it?

___

ICE CREAM BREAD

 

Makes: 1 mini-loaf (6 servings) / Preparation time: 5 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes plus cooling time

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup butter pecan ice cream or favorite ice cream, softened

3/4 cup self-rising flour (see cook‘s note)

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a mini (5 3/4-inch-by-3-inch-by-2-inch) loaf pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the ice cream, flour and sugar. Transfer to the loaf pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Cook‘s note: As a substitute for self-rising flour, place 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 3/4 cup.

From Taste of Home (www.tasteofhome.com). Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Analysis per 1 slice:

217 calories (17 percent from fat), 4 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat), 18 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 217 mg sodium, 8 mg cholesterol, trace of fiber.

 

Think they’ll Replace Paula Deen with a Vegan?

I posted that question on my “Eat Vegan on $4 a Day” Facebook page of 23,000 fans this week. The most popular response was “Keep dreaming!” And so I do. 

For those of you who don’t follow the Food Network, Paula Deen was a good ol’ Southern-cooking gal with a popular show who eventually disclosed that her constant reminders to cook everything deep fried with tons of butter gave her diabetes. Worse, she didn’t disclose this and then began promoting an anti-diabetes drug that made her even more money. When all of that became public a year later, many demanded she be taken off the air, to no avail.

 

But her recent disclosure that she had used the “n” word frequently in the past was her undoing and within days, The Food Network announced it was cancelling her show. As a former TV investigative reporter, I am still surprised at how people who have everything going for themselves can shoot themselves in the foot.

 

About a year ago, I sat next to a man who as it turned out, owned several network-affiliate broadcast stations. He had a wife who was vegan and claimed to know decisions makers at the Food Network. He asked what big city TV market I was closest to. He asked, and I submitted, a proposal for a half-hour show. He eventually got back and said his investors pushed back, fearing objections from meat and dairy advertisers. And so the story has always gone…as I say in my book, “No money in broccoli. No lobby, association, board or corporation that makes it.”

 

What I hope that some TV network will “get” is that the popularity of shows like Paula are what is killing us as a country. All of us pay for the uninsured who check into hospitals by the minute with preventable diseases of affluence: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure, and recently categorized for insurance purposes this week as a “disease,” obesity. We all pay for these diseases, whether is you, me, the government or insurance corporations.

 

 Ironically, this same week, popular, gifted actor James Gandolfini dropped dead of a heart attack, reportedly just after eating 2 servings of fried shrimp, faux gras and a pina colada. There has been much discussion about that too on social media, whether that’s what caused his death and whether it’s too soon after his death to talk about a suspected cause without an autopsy. One only has to look at current photos and read accounts of “how he did love his food,” (as if the rest of us don’t) to imagine that he probably wasn’t in the best of health, for whatever reasons. 

 

Whether or not an autopsy confirms suspicions, it’s time that people make say, enough is enough. I suspect that even though as I prepare for the National Senior Games in a month clocking a :08 50 meter dash, and briefly clocking a 5 minute-mile, at 60, even with 2 Emmys and 18 years TV news under my belt, I am not the next Paula Deen candidate. After all, at the end of my TV career, I was told by the station’s makeup consultant, “40 is never too young to have a facelift, and the more often you have them, the more effective they are long term. You just don’t get to be Barbara Walter’s age and look like that.” Since I knew someone who almost died from a facelift complication, I knew I would never get a facelift. The only magic bullets left were diet/exercise. 

 

And so, I gladly concede TV entertainment to the young, unless some angel out there thinks that a reasonably well-preserved, accomplished sprinter and endurance runner (very rare to do both), trained vegan cooking class instructor (2 times a day, 5 days week at the peak when the classes were free at the community center) has something to offer that was as important as Paula Deen. If so, well by golly, you know where to find me. Otherwise, I’m more than content running most days on our pristine beaches, fielding the barrage of great questions I get on my social media pages, doing YouTube videos and traveling on book tour at the request of my publisher and others. You can lead a horse to water, but you sure can’t make it drink. Gotta run!

 

Ellen Jaffe Jones is the author of “Eat Vegan on $4 a Day,” and just released, “Kitchen Divided-Vegan Dishes for Semi-Vegan Households.” She is a certified personal trainer/running coach and for availability, can be reached at www.vegcoach.com

Her call-in “Veg Vixen” radio show is Tuesdays, 10 a.m. on www.annamariaislandradio.com. Column from "The Anna Maria Island (FL) Sun" 06-23-13

Some Infertile Men Show Higher Cancer Risk

Men who are infertile because they produce no sperm may have a higher-than-average risk of developing cancer, a new study finds. 

 

Researchers found that of more than 2,000 men with fertility problems, those with no sperm production had an increased risk of developing cancer over the next six years.

 

The men were young going into the study (about age 36, on average), so few did develop cancer. Among men with no sperm -- what doctors call azoospermia -- just over 2 percent were diagnosed with cancer.

 

Still, their risk was three times higher than that of the average man their age.

 

"They have the cancer risk of a man about 10 years older," said lead researcher Dr. Michael Eisenberg, an assistant professor of urology at Stanford University School of Medicine.

 

About 15 percent of infertile men are azoospermic, according to the study, which was published June 20 in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

 

This isn‘t the first work to connect male infertility to cancer risk, but it suggests the link may be concentrated among men with the most severe type of infertility.

 

"This suggests that it‘s not male infertility in general, but azoospermia in particular," Eisenberg said.

 

That‘s an important piece of information, said a male-infertility expert not involved in the study. If the link between male infertility and cancer is real, you would expect that more severe infertility would be tied to a greater cancer risk, said Dr. Thomas Walsh, of the University of Washington in Seattle.

 

"This reinforces the idea that this is a real relationship," Walsh said.

 

He said he doubts anyone would say that infertility is causing cancer. But he and Eisenberg said it‘s possible that some common genetic factors contribute to both azoospermia and a greater vulnerability to cancer.

 

"When we see a man with azoospermia, we usually assume there‘s a genetic cause," Eisenberg said. There are certain gene mutations already tied to the condition, but a minority of azoospermic men turn out to have one of them when they are tested. That means there are likely other, as yet unknown, gene defects involved in azoospermia, Eisenberg said.

 

And some of those genetic flaws might be involved in cancer susceptibility, he said.

 

Another infertility expert was cautious about interpreting the findings because of the small numbers: only 10 cases of cancer among the 451 men with azoospermia, and 19 cases among nearly 1,800 men with other types of infertility.

 

The idea that genetic abnormalities might underlie both azoospermia and cancer risk has merit, said Dr. Frederick Licciardi of NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. But, he said, "while this is important reasoning and is based in basic science studies, I do not feel they have enough evidence in this paper to bolster this theory."

 

Another question is whether azoospermia is linked only to certain cancers. Past studies, including one Walsh worked on, have found that infertile men show a higher than average risk of testicular cancer -- a highly curable disease usually diagnosed in young men.

 

Of the 10 cancers in azoospermic men in this study, two were testicular tumors. The others included brain cancer, prostate cancer, lymphoma and melanoma.

 

Eisenberg said there were too few cases of each cancer to see whether men with azoospermia were at particular risk for any one type.

 

For now, he recommended that men with the condition "be aware of the possible risk, and pay attention to your health." That includes not only maintaining a healthy lifestyle, he said, but also doing what most younger men do not -- seeing your doctor for a regular check-up.

 

"It‘s too early to make any recommendations about cancer screening," he said. But a routine visit to your doctor for a physical exam -- which can detect testicular cancer, for example -- is wise, Eisenberg said.

 

Licciardi agreed. "Any man -- very low sperm count or not -- should have regular physical examinations."

 

Walsh said much more research is needed to dig into the connection between male infertility and cancer, including studies that follow men over a long period since cancer rates climb with age, as well as basic lab research to try to uncover the reasons for the link.

Potty-Training Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

Incorrectly toilet training children can lead to problems ranging from bed-wetting and daytime accidents to urinary tract infections, so it‘s important to get it right, an expert says.
There are a number of common mistakes that parents make when toilet training their children, said Dr. Steve Hodges, a pediatric urology specialist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Training too early is one mistake. Children younger than 3 don‘t have the mental maturity to make good toileting decisions. "They don‘t understand how essential it is to get themselves to a bathroom when nature calls," Hodges said in a Wake Forest news release. "Instead, they hold their urine and feces, which can lead to numerous problems, including bed-wetting."

Holding urine also leads to smaller bladder capacity, Hodges said.

Some parents potty-train their children but don‘t follow up with their toileting habits. Parents should have children urinate on a schedule, about every two hours, he suggested. To help make the bathroom trips successful, have the child count to 10 while on the potty and have some favorite books and puzzles nearby.
Hodges also said that a high-fiber diet can make defecation less painful, so children are less likely to try to avoid it.

Up to 30 percent of children aged 2 to 10 have chronic constipation, but some parents miss the signs of constipation in their children. "Many parents mistakenly believe that if their child has daily bowel movements, they are not
constipated," Hodges said. "But in kids, there‘s a different definition of constipation known as ‘poop burden.‘ It refers to poop backed up in their rectum that can press on the bladder and cause bed-wetting and other problems."

Symptoms of constipation in children include having extra-large bowel movements or bowel movements that are very firm, rather than mushy; poop accidents; poop-stained underwear; and mild belly pain with no obvious cause, Hodges said.

He also said parents should never ignore signs of bladder trouble, which include painful and frequent urination and blood in the urine. These symptoms could be due to an infection or other problems that should be evaluated by a doctor.

Accidents of urine or stool should not be considered normal and ignored.

"Often, parents have the impression that wetting, like throwing temper tantrums, is just something kids do," Hodges said. "But accidents aren‘t normal and potty-trained kids shouldn‘t have accidents any more often than adults do."

Trouble at Old Faithful

Yellowstone and Grand Teton have just begun their tourist season but without the excitement it normally brings. 

 

A highly contagious virus has at least 200 people sickened this month.

 

The Norovirus, commonly called “food poisoning” or “stomach flu” causes your intestines, stomach or both to become inflamed (acute gastroenteritis), diarrhea, vomiting, fever, headache and abdominal pain has found its way to the lives of outdoor enthusiasts.

 

Highly Contagious for anyone, the norovirus causes around 21 million illnesses in the United States and can be especially serious for young children and older adults who account for some of the average 800 deaths a year.

Not related to the “flu” (influenza) the norovirus can be spread relatively easy. The most common forms of transmission are being in contact with contaminated food/drinking liquid, a contaminated surface, or in close quarters with someone who is already infected.  In areas with a large population in close quarters like daycares, nursing homes, and cruise ships the virus spreads quickly.

 

Now imagine an expected turnout of close to 6 million visitors during the season.

 

These Wyoming national parks will be taking a huge hit to their tourism dollar with visitors being fearful of becoming sick. The parks will attempt remain open although there is an advisory warning requiring businesses to increase their cleaning and disinfection of all public areas. The warning also advises any visitors to wash their hands to prevent spreading the infection. Workers that have been potentially infected have been asked to isolate themselves until they have been symptom free for at least 72 hours.

 

The illness, first diagnosed around June 7 by a group visiting Yellowstone National Park, has affected over 100 Yellowstone employees, 50 Grand Teton workers and at least 50 recorded visitors. More are anticipated to be undiagnosed.

 

Currently there is no vaccine for the norovirus but there are ways to prevent it. Practicing proper hand hygiene is one of the top priorities, washing your hands consistently while handling food, after using the toilet, or after any contact with fecal matter and infected individuals.  Poor Food preparation and handling is one of the leading causes of transmission of this virus. Wash and cook your food thoroughly. It has been proven the norovirus can survive cooking temperatures as high as 140 degrees F.

 

Clean, wash and disinfect any areas potentially contaminated due to vomit or fecal contamination. Surface areas are easily cleared utilizing household chlorine bleach (5-25 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water).  Clothes and linens should be handled with care while wearing rubber or disposable gloves. 

1 in 4 Stroke Survivors

Many of those lucky enough to survive a stroke find that they‘re soon faced with another serious challenge. Nearly one-quarter will develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study. 

The data show that experiencing a life-threatening health crisis can pose serious psychological challenges, said study lead author Donald Edmondson, an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

 

Although post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) typically is associated with combat veterans and sexual assault survivors, the researchers discovered that patients who develop a serious health condition followed by intense treatment may have mental problems that frequently go unrecognized by physicians and family members.

The study, published online June 19 in the journal PLoS ONE, also found that people who develop PTSD after a stroke could have a greater risk for heart problems or another stroke because of the psychological issues they endure.

 

PTSD is an intense physical and emotional response to a life-threatening or traumatic event. The symptoms fall into three broad types: reliving the event, avoiding usual activities and hyperarousal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

For Peter Cornelis, 62, the trauma of enduring a series of strokes followed by brain surgery left him unable to move for months. He remembers lying in bed mentally designing paintings to help him occupy endless hours with nothing to do.

Over the past four years, he has been slowly rehabilitated, and he now walks with a cane. Although he leads an art class at the local community center in Wantagh, N.Y., he avoids going outside as much as possible, because he suffers from PTSD.

Cornelis said he has little control over his emotions -- from crying when he reads a sentimental greeting card to laughing at nothing at all. Sometimes he blows up without knowing why. He is anxious around people, worrying about how he‘ll react and how others will respond to him. "And I‘m afraid," he said. "Could I have another stroke? Can I make plans for the future?"

But people think he has recovered, Cornelis said. "I look fine, talk perfectly," he said.

 

Cornelis is not alone. Each year, nearly 300,000 stroke survivors will develop PTSD symptoms because of their health scare, the researchers said. Twenty-three percent will develop PTSD symptoms, and for about 11 percent, the condition will become chronic.

 

For the study, the researchers analyzed nine prior studies of stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), which are blood vessel blockages that break up quickly and dissolve without lasting damage. Together, the studies included more than 1,100 survivors who were either interviewed or given questionnaires.

 

PTSD is triggered in people who have strokes and TIAs by a variety of sequential factors, Edmondson said. First, there is a significant, terrifying, life-threatening event that is often accompanied by internal cues, such as a rapid heart rate and high blood pressure. "It‘s called the fight or flight response, and it‘s our innate response to fear," he said. An emotional ambulance ride, invasive tests, hospitalization and sometimes surgery follow.

 

Next, people must adjust to the shock of what has just happened, Edmondson said. "We walk through our lives with the naive belief that we‘re invulnerable," he said. "Often what is traumatic [about a stroke or heart attack] is that such unspoken assumptions are broken."

 

And once home, physical and environmental cues can stimulate the fear response all over again. Unlike a soldier who can leave the battlefield, stroke patients typically return to the place where the crisis occurred. Many patients may simply see the living room chair where they had the stroke and immediately feel PTSD symptoms.

 

Flashbacks, nightmares, palpitations, chills, and elevated heart rate and blood pressure may occur for months or years after their return home, Edmondson said. Severe anxiety, headaches and outbursts of anger also are likely for patients with PTSD.

 

"PTSD is a huge detriment to quality of life, a debilitating disorder in its own right, and deserves to be treated," said Edmondson.

 

Edmondson said that although the research does not show that strokes cause PTSD, he thinks it comes close. "You can‘t develop PTSD without a life-threatening event," he said. "Having PTSD can‘t cause a stroke a month ago, so this research is some of the strongest causal evidence we have."

 

Dr. Rafael Ortiz, director of the division of neuroendovascular disease and stroke at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said he thinks this is the first time PTSD has been so closely associated with strokes and TIAs. "It‘s important that after suffering from a stroke, people are taken care of by a comprehensive team of doctors and other specialists, including psychologists and nurses who are very well-trained," he said.

 

Edmondson encouraged patients and family to talk with their physicians about PTSD. "I really hope this research lets survivors and their family members know it‘s not weird and it‘s nothing to be ashamed of," he said. "It‘s treatable. Tell somebody."

 

More information

Visit www.kurriosity.com

Consider Adding Yoga to Boost Flexibility & Reduce Risk of Injury

 

Improve overall health and fitness (both physical & mental) by signing up for a yoga class every once in a while.

As a workout, yoga’s unlikely to induce huffing and puffing quite like a spin class or session on the track, but yoga has other (equally important) benefits. Stretching and breathing reduces anxiety, boosts antioxidant performance, and improves flexibility, which can help prevent injury.

Fusion Style:

Would you do yoga with weights? What about Power Yoga? Are these new styles of yoga “authentic?”

Om, Om, Ouch:

Yoga sounds relaxing, but misaligned poses and overstretching can cause injuries. Here’s how to prevent them.