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Publicity for 16 yo and Under
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/16andunder
Colorfull Bell Peppers
Since we are still in Vision Health Month, we cannot avoid to mention Bell peppers.
But, did you know?
A green bell pepper is just an unripe yellow pepper, which is just an unripe red pepper (though some varieties ripen to yellow, not red).
Benefits? yes! plenty:
Whatever to color they have they all have many nutrients that are good for you, Vitamin C, B6, Capsaicin, and certain enzymes. One of those, lutein, protect the eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration later in life.
Now, How do I eat them?
Ideally raw, you keep lutein and all the vitamins undamaged. If you rather cook them try to chose a light sautee in a pan, until they are somewhat crispy still.
To find a list of worth trying recipes click here and enjoy! at least, ideally, twice a week.
May is (also) Vision Health Month
Even though we are at the very end of the month I thought it would be worth to be aware of May being National Vision Health Month.
When we talk about Vision Health we are not talking about eyes only. We are referring to the health of our body’s vision system; the eyes are one part of this system. For vision, other factors are also involved. For example, the brain processes light received by the eye into images we can understand. However, problems with vision often arise from eye related health conditions which can sometimes be avoided.
Protect your vision:
Schedule regular eye examinations:
By the age of 3 every child should at least have had one eye exam. Later one, the recommendation is to do it yearly. In early ages it is important to detect any problem/s related to vision as it can interfere in their early development and school work. As we age there are other issues that may come up and they all have ways to be corrected if we know we have them and we can prevent them
Protect Against UVA & UVB Rays:
Sun damage is linked to the two most common vision health conditions in Canada: age related macular degeneration and cataracts. People can protect their eyes from harmful UVA & UVB rays by wearing sunglasses when appropriate.
Healthy Lifestyle:
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can also promote vision health. Healthy lifestyle practices include quitting smoking, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy diet.
Weekend ahead, you running? meditating? or both!?
For all those out there that love to run this feels like the perfect time to do it. Perfect temperature and sunny. Running fairly long distances can play tricks on your mind. After a few miles the mind/body fight starts: “cannot keep going”, “legs hurt”, “there is a big hill coming up, better stop” and countless of other negative thoughts may come up.
There is a different strategy worth trying: Running Meditation. You can read a full article on this here.
Meditation is not sitting still, it is all about being aware. You can bring that awareness to your running. Whether you decide to listen to the stomp of your feet on the ground, your heavy breathing rhythm it is all about being aware. At the beginning it can be hard to maintain this awareness for long period of time, I would suggest start for 2-3 mins at a time, until it becomes a habit, an awareness that starts immediately after a few steps, after a negative thought
Happy exercising!
Cholesterol: Simple Explanation in a Short Video
We commonly come across people wondering about Cholesterol, those who try to avoid it by all means, those who don’t however everybody wants to know where comes from, why we need some. We are going to talk about meals, foods that contain cholesterol later one, but….what is really cholesterol?
This short video about what really is cholesterol will answer that question.
Comfort Food for Rainy Day Dinner
As the rain seems to stay with us for the rest of the day it wouldn’t be fair to take time from what we decided to do today. Whether is reading a new book, using the treadmill at home, having to go to work, you can give yourself a little bit of extra time today and prepare this light version of comfort food Lasagna
If you want and have one, use a crock pot, will make it even easier on you a fill the kitchen with a nice smell everyone will like
What you need:
4-5 Zucchini (or eggplants, or whole wheat lasagna pasta)
3 Ripe tomatoes (or a can of tomato sauce)
1 cup Mozzarella cheese (or ricotta)
1 cup firm tofu (cooked) or ground meat or chicken
The how to:
Finely cut the zucchini length wise. About 1/2 inch thick and arrange in the base of your crock pot
Add tomatoes or tomato sauce to cover
add more layers of zucchini and tomatoes and intercalate with cheese and one or two layers of tofu
Make sure last layer is tomatoes and they cover your zucchini, eggplants or pasta very well
Set to cook in high for 2-3 hs
‘You can serve with a green salad or pita bread
