November 2009

Holiday Celebration in Moderation

It's that time of the year again for family, friends and food! Soon the scents of turkey, and pumpkin pie will be wafting in the air and the tastes of cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes will be tantalizing our taste buds. In the company of family and friends, it may be easy to overindulge while partaking in the festivities. In one Thanksgiving meal, the average person will consume somewhere between 2,000-4,500 calories. This maybe two days worth of calories for some people! Here are a few tips that may helpful in preventing the common holiday weight gain.

• Start with a healthy breakfast and try to get some light exercise during the day.
• Eat a small piece of fruit about a half hour before the Thanksgiving dinner, this will help to curve your appetite.
• Try to keep your eyes as small as your stomach. You can always have seconds if you are still hungry at the end of the meal. Chances are you won't be.
• Use the 1-10 scale for the foods being passed. Rate your favorite food a 10, and your less favorite foods 5 and below. Eat only 9's and 10's.
• Don't skip meals before the Thanksgiving dinner, you'll be too hungry and may overeat.
• Use more spices to flavor food, not more fat.
• Start with salad, you'll eat less during the meal.
• After dinner go for a walk.
• Remember, no foods are “good” or “bad”, enjoy all foods in moderation.

Butternut Squash – Taste of the Season

BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Butternut squash is among the “winter squashes” that ripen in late summer through fall. It is bell- or dumbbell-shaped, with cream-colored skin and blazing orange, sweet and smooth flesh on the inside. The hard protective skin of winter squashes gives them a long shelf life, another reason for the name “winter” squash. Butternut squash is a culinary and nutritious treasure to enjoy in fall and winter months.

Butternut squash is enjoyed across the globe in stews, gratins, pasta dishes, soups, risottos, lasagna and curries and more. It is so plentiful in South Africa – even growing on roadsides – that butternut squash soup flavored with sweet spices is a national dish. The sweet flavor of butternut squash marries well with Indian and North African spices such as cumin, coriander, cloves, cayenne, cardamom and ginger. It is delightful with sage and thyme or just simply baked with a little butter and a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg or maple syrup or brown sugar. Or with cheese such as Parmesan, toasted nuts or mushrooms and blended with other ingredients such as potatoes or grains or apples or sausage or white beans or leeks or caramelized onions or garlic.

Butternut squash is packed with vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, is a very good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber and manganese. In addition it is a good source of folate, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and complex carbohydrate.

Beta-carotene has very powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Potassium can help to lower blood pressure. Vitamin C, also an antioxidant, helps to reduce inflammation. Folate is important for prenatal health. It also breaks down homocysteine which damages blood vessel walls.

Take advantage of the suburb flavor and stellar nutrients in butternut squash. It can be cut into cubes making it a convenient addition to soups and stews.Many grocery stores carry butternut squash pre-cut packaged in the produce section. It is also available frozen.

Basic Baked Butternut Squash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel squash and remove seeds. Cut into slices about 1-inch thick. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Dot with butter or brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake about 30 to 45 minutes or until tender.

Or

Cut squash in half. Remove seeds. Place in pan with about ½-inch water, skin-side up. Bake about one hour or until tender. Dot with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

HEALTH MATTERS: Energy Drinks. Should I Believe the Claims?

Being a 6 billion dollar industry, there is no question about the increasing popularity of energy drinks. Some of these drinks say they will help your physical and mental performance, while others advertise their ability to keep you awake. These claims are no doubt attractive to college students with names like “Rockstar”, “Full Throttle”, “Toxic Jock”, “Bawls” and “Playboy”. Who wouldn't want to jump higher, run longer or be able to stay awake to study for a final the next day? But with all these claims, it is difficult to decipher the truth about these drinks and what they are really doing for our overall health and nutrition.

What ingredients are typically in these drinks and what do they do?

Guarana – This is a seed grown in the Amazon. Its main component, guaranine, is similar to caffeine and has similar effects.

Caffeine – This is used in energy drinks as a stimulant in the mental as well as physical capacity. This can be a double edged sword as excessive stimulation due to caffeine can have a detrimental effect not only on physical performance, but also aspects of metabolism that influence health, such as blood pressure and heart rate.

Taurine – This is an amino acid found in bile. When this is combined with caffeine, it can act as a mood elevator as well as aid memory and concentration. Taurine is also believed to play a role in muscle contraction.

L-Carnitine – This is a protein made in the liver and kidneys that helps break down fats. This is a popular ingredient in energy drinks because as L-carnitine breaks down fats, energy is released , which increases endurance and can help with weight loss.

B Vitamins – This group of vitamins is used by the body to release energy from food. Adequate diets provide enough B vitamins, making this an unimportant component in these drinks.

Sugar – (found in forms such as sucrose, and glucose) Sugar is present in these drinks to help them taste sweeter while being digested rapidly for immediate physical activity.

Herbals – These are often touted as providing health benefits, but there is not much scientific evidence to support these claims. “The Therapeutic Goods Administration” has warned that high intakes of these supplements can be harmful and that some can interfere with the effectiveness of-or interact in harmful ways with medicines.

• Ginko Biloba – This herbal has been linked to increased circulation, improved mental function and antioxidant activity.
• Ginseng - traditionally this herbal has been used for antifatigue, antistress, immune system function, mental performance improvements and cardiovascular health.
• St. John's wort – Claims state that this herbal helps with improved mood, calmed nerves, and a decrease in inflammation during wound healing.

Are these drinks okay to mix with alcohol?

Both energy drinks and alcohol are diuretics. Consuming these drinks together increases dieresis and could lead to dehydration. Energy drinks also seems to mask the effects of the alcohol. People may not feel tired or be aware of how much they are actually drinking, yet the energy drinks do not mask the blood's alcohol level. In fact, the caffeine actually stalls the body's ability to metabolize the alcohol.

Will these drinks really help me to perform better cognitively and physically?

Studies have shown that caffeine in moderation can help with mental and physical improvements when ingested before activity. When taken in excess caffeine has been shown to have negative effects.

How much caffeine is actually in these products?

Not all energy drinks list the amount of caffeine on the label. EnergyFiend.com and ScreamingEnergy.com are web sites dedicated to energy drinks that can help decode the mystery. Moderate caffeine consumption is considered to be under 300mg. Most energy drinks have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.

Tea– 20-90mg
Coffee– 65-120mg
Energy drinks– 0-141mg
12 oz. Coca Cola– 35 mg

Is it okay to drink energy drinks on a regular basis?

These drinks are not safe for everyone. Children, women who are pregnant and those with pre-existing heart conditions or caffeine sensitivity should limit, if not eliminate caffeine. Consuming excessive amount of caffeine can cause increased heart rate, nausea, restlessness, sleep disturbances, anxiety, nervousness, light headedness and can increase the risk of heart rhythm problems. When consumed in moderation, these drinks will not harm you, but read the label and be aware of what you are drinking.

If you are consuming these products consistently in order to stay awake or for more energy, a lifestyle change may be a healthier solutions. A combination of more sleep, a healthy diet and exercise could give you the extra energy that you need. Obtaining energy from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat proteins are more balanced sources than the sugar and caffeine found in energy drinks.

BALANCE: Asian Pears

All pears have a common ancestry in Western China. The Asian pear is the oldest cultivated pear, growing in China and Japan for at least 3,000 years. Other names for Asian pears are Chinese pear, apple pear, Japanese pear, Sand and Nashi. An Asian pear is round and smooth, clear yellow, brown or yellow-brown, and looks a bit like an apple. It is crisp and refreshing. Asian pears came to the U.S. with Chinese miners during the California Gold Rush and with workers on the railroads.

Because Asian pears mature on the tree they are ready to eat when you buy them. Good quality Asian pears are selected by smell rather than variations in firmness. Ripe Asian pears are extremely firm. Available from California, Washington, Oregon and Japan from July to late October, these pears keep well in the refrigerator.

Asian pears are an excellent snack. Just rinse in cool water before eating. Eat it like an apple or cut it up and dip in fruit-flavored yogurt. Slice into a spring mix or mesclun salad and add the dressing of your choice. Asian pears contain fiber and vitamin C.

MIND: Sleep Well

Getting enough sleep is essential for health and happiness. To sleep more soundly, develop a bedtime ritual for yourself. As you wash-up, ease your self into sleepiness. Listen to music you enjoy or read a fun book. Value your sleep. During sleep, your body rests and heals as your mind shifts through and sorts the events of your life.

BODY: Snorkeling

Snorkeling is swimming at the surface of a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a breathing tube called a snorkel, and swim fins.

Beneath the sea are vast skeletons thousands of years old and hundreds of miles long. These skeletons are coral reefs made up of coral polyps and algae living together.

When corals die, their skeletons remain behind on the coral reef. Swimming among these skeletons are fish as colorful as marbles and as fast as the blink of an eye.

Coral grow in clear, shallow water where the sun can reach them, and fortunately we can see them. Snorkeling is one way to explore the wonder of coral reefs.

SOUL: Collections

Do you collect anything such as stuffed animals, key chains, posters, or stickers?

Does anyone in your family have a collection?

Like a scientist, the collector must identify, select, compare, evaluate, classify and arrange.

Each item in a collection has a story. For example. Stamp collectors, may be able to tell you about the history or art trends of a specific time and place based on a stamp's art.

Don't want to collect? Visit a museum.

A museum is a big collection of things other people selected as valuable to them.

What would be in your museum?

You can view Balance: Mind, Body, & Soul Newsletter, November 2009 in Portable Document Format (PDF 523 Kb).

Balance: Mind, Body & Soul is a newly developed program supporting Sodexo guests with the latest in nutrition and health information. This web site is intended to provide you with information that promotes balance through healthy living.
www.balancemindbodysoul.com