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• eating turkey
• turkey recipe
• cooking turkey

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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.

• live a healthier life
• live to 100 years
• secrets to 100 years

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Continued from Part I…

You’re a calorie counter.

Researchers in St. Louis reported that men and women who limited their daily calories to 1,400 to 2,000 (about 25% fewer calories than those who followed a typical 2,000-to 3,000-calorie Western diet) were literally young at heart—their hearts functioned like those of people 15 years younger. 

You prefer to drink tea.

Both green and black teas contain a concentrated dose of catechins, substances that help blood vessels relax and protect your heart. 

You skip cola (regular and diet).

Scientists in Boston found that drinking one or more regular or diet colas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome—a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, and excess fat around the waist, that increase your chance of heart disease and diabetes.

You eat purple food.

Concord grapes, blueberries, red wine: They all get that deep, rich color from polyphenols—compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may also protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to research. 

You’re not a burger-eater.

A few palm-size servings (about 2½ ounces) of beef, pork, or lamb now and then is no big deal, but eating more than 18 ounces of red meat per week ups your risk of colorectal cancer—the third most common type, according to a major report by the American Institute for Cancer Research. 

You run at least 40 minutes a day.

Scientists in California found that middle-aged people who did just that—for a total of about 5 hours per week—lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older.

• live a healthier life
• live to 100 years
• Signs years

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Thanks to advances in health, education and disease prevention, people are living longer – many people hitting triple digits – more so than ever before. 

But there are also some everyday habits, or circumstances in your past, that can influence how long and how well you’ll live. 

Here is a two-part article of some science-based signs that you are on the long-life path. 

You love to work out.

Studies have shown that staying physically active can help improve your longevity and help reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other health conditions.

You have a relatively flat stomach after menopause.

Women who are too round in the middle are 20% more likely to die sooner (even if their body mass index is normal), according to a National Institute on Aging study. At midlife, it takes more effort to keep waists trim because shifting hormones cause most extra weight to settle in the middle. 

You were a healthy-weight teen.

A study in the Journal of Pediatrics that followed 137 African Americans from birth to age 28 found that being overweight at age 14 increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood. 

You like raspberries in your oatmeal.

Dietary fiber helps reduce total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol, improve insulin sensitivity, and boost weight loss. 

Continued in Part II…

• living with arthritis
• arthritis diet
• foods to avoid arthritis

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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

• burn calories
• burn calories easily

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Written by Lisa Jillanza

Every candy on the market seems to have a “fun-sized” version these days. And while it may seem “fun” and harmless, those candies still pack a powerful punch when it comes to calories.

This October, combat the extra calories of your favorite candies with these exercises. 

Snickers – 80 calories = 13 minutes of Pilates

Milky Way – 80 calories = 10 minutes of walking up stairs

Milk Duds – 40 calories = 5 minutes with an agility ladder

Peanut M&M’s – 90 calories = 11 minutes of running 5 MPH

Kit Kat – 70 calories = 13 minutes of gardening

Nestle Crunch – 60 calories = 12 minutes of Yoga

Sour Patch Kids – 105 calories = 10 minutes of kickboxing

Pay Day – 90 calories = 15 minutes of swimming

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup – 110 calories = 12 minutes of jumping rope

Butterfinger – 85 calories = 12 minutes on the elliptical

Snickers Peanut Butter – 130 calories = 15 minutes of burpees

Starbursts – 40 calories = 5 minutes of walking upstairs

Nerds – 50 calories = 11 minutes of sit ups

Skittles – 80 calories = 11 minutes on a stair master

Baby Ruth – 85 calories = 12 minutes of walking lunges

Twix – 80 calories = 10 minutes of moderate spinning

Atomic Fire Ball – 40 calories = 10 minutes of Zumba

Swedish Fish – 100 calories = 5 minutes of kettlebell swings

Hershey Chocolate Bar – 67 calories = 13 minutes of push-ups

Hershey Kiss – 22 calories = 5 minutes of jumping jacks