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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
It’s that time again for Thanksgiving and while Americans eat it nearly every year to celebrate Thanksgiving, how much do you know about turkey?
- Turkey is very low in fat and high in protein. It is also a good source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, and B vitamins.
- The fat and calorie amounts vary because white meat has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat and skin.
- Turkey is also naturally low in sodium. It typically contains less than 25 milligrams (mg) of sodium per ounce on average.
Recipe: Turkey Chili
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- 1 cup chopped green pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 (35 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
- 2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup chicken or turkey stock
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried hot red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon salt, plus more if desired to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 to 4 cups shredded, cooked turkey meat
- Sugar
- Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, sour cream for optional garnishes
In a large, 8-quart thick bottom pot, cook the onion and green pepper over medium heat, stirring until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two more. Add a bit more olive oil if needed. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, beans, oregano, salt, pepper and cooked turkey meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for an hour.
Recipe: Creamed Turkey
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup sliced mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup hot chicken broth
- 1 small jar diced pimento, drained
- 4 cups diced cooked turkey
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Melt butter over medium-low heat. Sauté mushrooms until golden and tender. Add flour; stir until smooth. Slowly pour on milk and broth, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Add pimiento, turkey, salt and pepper. Cook until heated through, but do not boil. Serve with rice or toast.
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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
So, you have been working out and eating right, but you still can’t get that scale to move in the right direction? Well, there may be a “strange” reason why you are gaining weight instead of losing weight.
Here are three strange factors that could cause you to be gaining weight, even though you are doing everything you can to lose weight:
- You take antidepressants.
- You have digestive issues.
- Your body is low on Vitamin D, magnesium or iron.
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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
(Continued from Part I…)
Moisturize your skin. Harsh temperatures can make your skin dry. Also, you still should be wearing sunscreen.
Buy in-season food. Beets, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, kale, pumpkin, broths, roasted squash, roots and sautéed dark leafy greens are all great choices.
Stay active! It can be easy to just sit around all the time, but it’s important to get in some movement throughout the day. Raking leaves or shoveling snow counts.
Wear layers and protect your body from the dropping temperature. Make sure you have gloves, a scarf, earmuffs, a winter coat, warm socks, and snow boots.
Do some “spring cleaning” in the fall. Clean out your closet, organize that back room, and rid yourself of things you don’t need.
Prepare your home for possible extreme weather conditions. Do you have a shovel and/or snow blower? Do your flashlights have batteries? Is your heat working okay? Being prepared now can cause less stress in the future should situations arise.
Get some books to read and shows to watch. Who doesn’t want to sit by the fire on chilly winter nights and read a good book or binge-watch some Netflix?
Be kind to yourself. The holidays can cause weight gain, the shorter days can cause low mood, and the flu season can cause sickness. Listen to your body and give it what it needs, and don’t beat yourself up! Try reframing negative thoughts into positive ones.
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- Written by Lisa Jillanza
Transitioning from those long, summer nights to shorter, fall evenings can be quite stressful on your physical and mental health.
To help ease the change, here we offer you these fall wellness tips.
Start taking a Vitamin D supplement. We get most of our Vitamin D from the sun, so our intake decreases when the weather is colder since we spend most of our time inside during the fall/winter seasons. If you find you are not getting outside much, a Vitamin D supplement can boost your mood and immune system!
Take some time to yourself. Autumn and winter are the Earth’s way of telling us to slow down. Start a journal or track your moods to get more in touch with how you are feeling.
Get your flu shot and yearly check-up. Self-explanatory! No one likes sniffling and aching and sneezing and coughing getting in the way of life.
Boost your immune system. You can do this by drinking plenty of water, washing your hands often to prevent sickness, and eating nutritious foods.
Get yourself ready for Daylight Savings Time. Go to bed earlier when you can, especially the week before the clocks change. Longer periods of darkness = longer periods of sleep!
Make some plans for the cold months. In the winter, we tend to hibernate if we don’t have things to keep us busy.
(Continued in Part II…)
- Details
- Written by Lisa Jillanza
According to experts, there are more than 100 different types of arthritis. While there is no compelling evidence that one type of arthritis reacts differently to foods over another type, doctors do advise against eating certain foods to help alleviate some symptoms.
There is some evidence that an “anti-inflammatory” diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, may be helpful in reducing body-wide inflammation and joint pain in certain types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis. These diets favor fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, and olive oil while restricting highly processed foods, red meat, and unhealthy sources of fat.
Obesity can also lead to certain types of arthritis, so doctors suggest maintaining a healthy weight to avoid arthritis and other obesity-related ailments.
Here are some foods (and other things) to avoid if you have arthritis:
- Fried foods
- Processed foods
- Salty foods
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Spicy foods
- Red meat
- Tomatoes
- Gluten-containing foods
- Canned meat
- Mussels
- Certain vegetable oils
- Foods high in AGE’s