Yoga Circle - November Schedule

Here's the line-up for November:  

• November 6th - Krystyn
• November 13th - Tomo 
• November 20th - Wendy 
• November 27th - no class 

 

 

Study: U.S. diabetes cases could triple by 2050

 "If current obesity trends don't change, one in three American adults will have diabetes by 2050," is a frightening possibility released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Currently, 1 in 10, or an estimated 23.6 million people in the U.S. are living with diabetes.  A more dire number is the 6 million Americans who don't know that they have the disease and the additional 57 million Americans who are currently pre-diabetic.  Pre-diabetes means that it's probably only a matter time before that person is a full blown diabetic.

While there are pills to control blood sugar levels, diabetes is the leading cause of heart attack, stroke, blindness, lower limb amputations, dementia and cancer - not a good outlook for a long and vibrant life. 
The good news is that most cases of type II diabetes can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle.  A healthy diet, regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are the simple solutions to dramatically lower your risk for diabetes - and most other chronic disease states.

Make your health a priority! 

Set aside time daily to get moving and to make your

own healthy meals.

2010 Dietary Guidelines Target Obesity

By the end of the year, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which recommend optimal dietary choices for U.S. citizens, will be released. What will they look like this time around? The DGA will focus on recommendations for reducing obesity and improving health, said Robert Post, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, at a press conference hosted by USDA and the Institute of Food Technologists on July 19, 2010. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, released in June 2010, will shape the final version of the DGA. Every section of the report addresses the relationship between obesity and diet, as well as the effects of sodium intake on blood pressure. In addition, the report addresses eating behaviors, such as breakfast consumption, snacking and fast foods, and recommends a shift in food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Institute of Food Technologists, July 19, 2010.

Yoga Circle - October Schedule

Hope this finds you enjoying fall! Here is the schedule for October.


Oct. 2 Krystyn
Oct 9 Tomo
Oct 16 Tracye
Oct 23 Wendy
Oct 30 Krystyn

peace,
Tracye

Time Change

Barre None is moving to a more convenient time, 9 a.m.  I moved it to an earlier time to make it more convenient for moms dropping their kids off at school.  Now you can come directly to the studio instead of going home first!

Barre None

The Barre None class is back starting Monday, Sept. 13th.  Holly Cosner will be leading the class every Monday and Wednesday from 10-11 a.m.

Barre None focuses on small isometric contractions to develop strength without stressing joints.  This type of exercise is performed by dancers to produce long lean STRONG muscles.

Give it a try!!!

Waste of Money

"Waste of money" that's the conclusion of researchers who compared the effectiveness of nine popular weight-loss supplements compared to a placebo.  The weight loss supplements tested were L-Carnitine, polyglucosamine, cabbage powder, guarana seed powder, bean extract, Konjac extract, fiber pills, sodium alginate formulations and selected plant extracts.  While the advertising makes these supplements tempting to try, there's no good evidence that they provide additional weight loss.  Most supplements include recommendations for healthy eating and exercise, which is the likely reason for any weight loss experienced.  So save your money - or invest it in a good pair of exercise shoes :)

For more information about this study, see International Congress on Obesity, June 2010.

Black Bean Lasagne

1 chopped onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped tomatoes or 1 small can diced, low salt
1 ½ c. frozen corn or fresh off the cob
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbl lime juice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 large bunch of thinly sliced Swiss Chard (I like the red chard)
2 c. crushed baked tortilla chips (I bake corn tortillas in a toaster oven until crisp)
8 oz. grated low-fat cheddar cheese
2 c. red salsa, medium or mild
low-fat sour cream, optional

Saute onions in the oil until translucent. Stir in tomatoes, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt and pepper. Continue to saute until just heated through.

Meanwhile steam swiss chard for 1-3 minutes, until just wilted but still bright green. Drain immediately. (May blanch greens instead of steaming but more of the vitamins are lost.)

Lightly coat an 8x8 casserole with cooking spray. Spread half of the chips on the bottom. Spoon the greens over the chips and sprinkle on about 2/3 of the cheese. Arrange greens evenly over cheese and spoon on ½ of the salsa. Finish with the rest of the chips and top with the remaining salsa and cheddar. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.  Serve with sour cream.  I also top mine with "hot" salsa for more pizzazz (I make it with mild salsa since my child doesn't like spicy).

Per 8-oz serving (made with low-fat cheese): 245 cal, 16.4 g protein, 4 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate.


Some tasty variations: 
1.  Replace swiss chard with sauteed zucchini and use monterey jack/feta mix for the cheese.
2.  Use blue corn tortilla chips instead of yellow

Yoga Circle - September Schedule

Sept. 4 Wendy

Sept 11 Tomo

Sept 18th Tracye

Sept 25th Krysten

Cucumbers with Wasabi

We graciously received a bag of garden fresh cucumbers.  I often just slice the cucumbers and dress lightly with seasoned rice vinegar.  Here's a delicious variation.

3 small garden cucumbers or 2 larger cucumbers from the store
1/2 tsp wasabi powder (or more if you like it spicy)
1/2 tsp warm water
2 Tbl rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 Tbl. sugar
1/4 tsp salt or soy sauce
1 Tbl. sesame seeds

If the cucumbers are from the store (and not the unwaxed english type), they should be peeled.  Slice the cucumbers.  Make the dressing by dissolving the wasabi powder in an equal amount of water.  Add the vinegar, sugar.and salt.  Pour over the cucumbers.  Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan.  Sprinkle on the cucumbers right before serving.

Too Much Calcium Can Be Dangerous

While calcium is vital for strong bones, too much puts you at risk for hypertension and kidney problems.  The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) for calcium is 1,000 mg for women between the ages of 19 and 50 and 1,500 mg for women over age 50.  The average diet already contains about 250 mg of calcium - not including dairy products.  A serving of dairy from milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc adds another 200-300 mg calcium.  Most calcium supplements supply a full day's supply of calcium so adding in the calcium from your diet, it is quite easy to have too much calcium.  The excess calcium floats around in the blood and can accumulate in the arteries causing them to "harden".  Excess calcium increases a women's risk for a heart attack by a whooping 30%!

Eating calcium-rich foods such as kale, spinach, low-fat dairy, sardines and Chinese cabbage may be better for your bones.  Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found that women who ate a calcium-rich diet had stronger bones than women who received most of their calcium from supplements even though the women who did not supplement took in less calcium overall.

So what to do?  Eat your kale (see recipe below), get daily sun-exposure (for vitamin D production) and look for foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D.  Check out http://www.nutritiondata.com/, a website that makes it easy to search for foods based on their nutrient content.

Kale Royale

Members of Hight of Wellness have generously been sharing their garden's bounty (thanks Deb & Kathy!).  Here's an easy recipe to introduce kale to your family.

1 cup brown rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch kale
1/4 or more cup of sun-dried tomatoes, softened in hot water
1/4 walnuts, chopped
parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare rice in the chicken broth.  Slice kale into thin ribbons, discarding the woody stems.  Steam kale until wilted.  Be careful not to overcook.  Lightly toast the walnuts in a dry skillet.  When the rice is tender, add the kale, sun-dried tomatoes, and walnuts.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese and ground black pepper.

High Triglyerides? Examine your sugar intake.

While we know that eating too much sugar is bad for our waistline, now new research shows that excess sugar can also cause high cholesterol.  Research published in the April 21, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association strongly associated high sugar intake with elevated triglyceride levels and reduced HDL ("good" cholesterol) levels.  Excess triglycerides contribute to "hardening" of the arteries which then can result in high blood pressure and overtaxing the heart. 

So while the medical community focused on fats in the diet to control cholesterol levels, this new research demonstrates how excess sugar can also contribute to high cholesterol.  When sugar is processed in the liver, the extra sugar is converted to fat.  Sugar forms the backbone of triglycerides. 

Amercians get nearly 16% of our total calories from added sugars, significantly up from 10.6% in 1977-78.  To give you an idea of how much sugar that is, the average sugar consumption is 90 grams of added sugar or 21.4 teaspoons per day.  Much of the rise is due to the hidden sugars in processed foods.

There is some good news in all of this and that is triglyceride levels can come down relatively quickly just by reducing the amount of sugar consumed.  There's hope that new packaging is on the horizon that will separate out added sugars from sugars found naturally in foods (such as fruit and milk). In the meantime, read the ingredient list on foods and look for these added sugars:

• high fructose corn syrup
• corn syrup
• dextrose
• maltodextrin
• fruit juice concentrates
• malt syrup
• molasses
• brown sugar
• invert sugar
• honey
• sorphum
• cane sugar

Finally, the optimal way to control your sugar intake is to limit foods with added sugars.  Here are some ideas that you may want to incorporate into your life.

• Instead of sugar in your cereals or on top, use cut-up fresh fruit
• Sweeten your oatmeal with mashed up banana, cinnamon, and/or raisins
• Look for bottled spaghetti sauce without added sugars
• Swap out soft drinks for iced tea, diet sodas, sparkling water, etc.
• Switch from regular jelly to low-sugar or all-fruit varieties.

New App

A new app for smart phones allows you to check calories on the go.  The app is an extension of mypyramid.gov.  Just type in a food and the app will give you nutrition information as well as how that food contributes to the recommended daily servings from the pyramid food groups.

Find the calories and MyPyramid food groups for a food, or compare two foods.

myfoodapedia.gov

Currently, the government apps work with Blackberry, Android and iPhones.

Broccoli Rabe

If you've seen broccoli rabe in the store or farmer's market, here's a great way to serve it.  I grudgingly share it with my husband who likes it much more than regular broccoli.  Broccoli rabe looks like long thin stalks of broccoli.  I'm sure you can easily substitute regular broccoli.

Lemony Broccoli Rabe

1 bunch broccoli rabe

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp salt or kosher salt

Wash broccoli rabe and slice longwise into smaller pieces if desired.  In a saute pan, add one swirl of olive oil.  Over medium heat, add broccoli rabe and stir fry for about 2 minutes.  Add choppped garlic cloves and salt.  Continue stir frying until broccoli rabe is al dente (tender but still firm to the bite).  Squeeze half a lemon over the top and serve.  This dish keeps well and is just as good at room temperature or cold.

For extra lemony flavor, add some lemon zest. at the end with the lemon juice.

Salmon Burger

Looking over the weekly ads for City Market and Safeway, I saw that City Market had silver salmon for $4.99 lb and Safeway had Coho (Red) salmon for $9.99.  Both are wild caught.  The difference between the two types of salmon is the omega-3 content and the fat content.  The higher the fat and omega-3, the redder the salmon.  So the Coho (or Red) salmon is more prized for its higher fat (and flavor).  However, the silver salmon is still a good source of omega-3s.  I really like salmon burgers but would never chop up the more expensive Coho salmon, so I bought the silver salmon and made the following recipe last night.  The recipe makes 4 burgers; Kiviok and I had the leftover two for lunch today.  I put half of the burger in a corn/whole wheat tortilla and warmed it in the microwave.  I topped it with chopped tomatoes, salad greens and drizzled low-fat sour cream on the top.  Yum!

Guiltless Salmon Burger

Created by Laura Pensiero

1 pound skinless wild salmon fillet
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives ( used the green tops of scallions)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup sesame seeds
2 teaspoons peanut oil
4 whole wheat buns (I used Sara Lee's whole wheat sandwich thins)
4 slices tomato
1 1/2 cups baby greens

Directions

Remove and discard any bones from salmon, then cut into 1-inch pieces. In a food processor, pulse salmon just until finely chopped (do not overprocess). Transfer salmon to a medium bowl. Add mustard, mayonnaise, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Form mixture into four 3 1/2-inch patties. Generously sprinkle one side of each patty with sesame seeds.

Brush peanut oil over bottom of a large nonstick skillet to coat evenly. Place skillet over medium-high heat. Place burgers, seed side down, in skillet; cook until sesame seeds brown lightly, 2 to 3 minutes, reducing heat slightly if necessary. With a spatula, gently turn burgers over and cook just until opaque in the center, about 3 minutes.

Transfer salmon burgers to buns, and top with tomato slices and greens.

Yoga Circle - August Schedule

August 7th ~ Wendy ~ Hatha Yoga ~ a rejuvenative class focused on calming all systems of the body, great for all levels including beginners.

August 14th ~ Tomo ~ Heart Yoga ~ A Kundalini inspired breathing and asana practice. All levels are welcome. Please bring a blanket.

August 21st ~ Krystyn ~ A gentle asana practice, great for all levels including beginners.

August 28th ~ Tracye ~ Vinyasa ~ A fun, dynamic & challenging asana practice

Texas Cavier

Lately, I'm making this a lot to serve with blue corn tortilla chips or toasted pita chips -it's REALLY tasty.  However, I've made it differently every time.  So I'm giving you the basics with lots of options.  Note:  if you're looking for black-eye peas in the store, for some reason the cans are located with the canned vegetables instead of the beans....

Chop all incredients to about the size of a bean.  Corn is in season so I microwave an ear wrapped in plastic wrap for about 1 1/2 minutes, then slice it from the cob.

4 cup black-eye peas (may use half pinto beans or black beans), rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped red onion (or use about 6 green onions, thinly sliced)
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 ear of corn (or 1 cup frozen corn)
1 small jar of pimentos, chopped (optional)
2 stalked of celery, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning or 2 tsp cumin plus 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
1/2 tsp sugar, to balance the flavors
1/2 txp salt if needed to balance the flavors

Mix all and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.

Yoga Circle - July Schedule

July 3rd - Cancelled

July 10th - Komal (Hatha)

July 17th - Tomoe (Kundalini)

July 24th - Karen (Yoga Nidra - please bring a blanket)

July 31st - Wendy (Hatha)

Yoga by Komal

A new Hatha Yoga class will be offered by Komal starting Monday, June 28th from 6:00 - 7:20 p.m.

• Hatha Yoga is a very ancient system of Yoga performed slowly in coordination with deep and controlled breathing.
• This noncompetitive discipline emphasizes the experiencing and enjoying of various Yoga Aasanas (Postures).
• The entire being is involved: mind and body work together to bring about mental and physical well-being.

Komal is from (Rishikesh) India, she has practiced various forms of Yoga. Her classes are gentle and well suited for all age groups. The class comprises of a flow of various poses - the focus of the session is on deep breathing, connecting with the body, stretching the whole body, and relaxing the mind.

If you've thought about trying out yoga, give this class a try!