This month as been all about how to manage your health and diet with different tips, tricks, and tools. There are literally hundreds of different ways to redefine your diet and help fight off that nasty chronic pain.

From simple diet changes to smart phone applications, here is some great research and insight on how you can help create a healthier, happier you this March, and beyond.

Be aware of and fight emotional eating

Learning how to avoid stress eating is one of the first and most powerful steps to change your diet and keep with it. In our post “What’s The Connection Between Stress And Emotional Eating?” we talked a lot about how to gain awareness of this habit as well as some great ways to break it.

14 ways to a better body and fatter wallet

One of the main struggles in eating healthy is that it can be so darn expensive. It is usually cheaper and easier just to go the route of quick, processed food when you are hungry. Of course, that is also one of the worst options when you are trying to combat chronic pain. By taking a few simple steps, you can eat better and save beaucoup bucks.

Our suggested changes include:

• Simplify your meals
• Buy your food in bulk
• Prepare for the week by making some big meals to snack on throughout the week
• Have some emergency frozen foods that are still healthy, just in case
• Avoid nutrient-deficient foods
• But no really, you need to start using a crock pot

Swap the junk food to kill the cravings

Another big way to keeping to a diet is to find a healthier way to satisfy those junk food cravings we all have. Check out the “Eat This, Not That: Healthy Junk Food Swaps” post that focuses on tricking your brain into munching on a snack your body will love even more.

Don’t forget the crazy awesome new food research!

Scientists are finding out all the time just how much different foods and drinks affect our mental and physical well-being. We noted in our post:

“We live in a world that is constantly evolving. New things are discovered every day that make each of us healthier and help provide a better life in the world of food research.”

Here is a quick recap of what that research shows:

1. Algae is high in protein, easy to digest, and a heart-healthy alternative with thousands of strands to choose from.
2. A glass of wine can have beneficial effects on inflammation and depression-related behaviors that come from social stress.
3. Eating as much as one egg a day has been shown not to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
4. New research shows that women who drink beer once or twice a week have a lower risk of heart attack.
5. Eating leafy vegetables (like kale, collards, or mustard greens) can slow cognitive decline.
6. Organic meat and milk are foods that are generally all around better than their non-organic counterparts. Although, a diet high in animal proteins isn’t the best health choice, there are other considerations to take into account when choosing the right red meat if you wish to indulge.

Sugar, sugar everywhere

Sugar is a topic that comes up a lot when dealing with your diet. It is one of the most common additives in today’s food and adds no nutrient, but tons of calories. It can also give you a great boost of energy, but is almost always followed up with a nasty sugar crash. Sugar can increase inflammation, decrease immune response, increase stress, and cause tooth decay. In short, watch out for sugar as a lot of it can sneak into your diet without even realizing it.

Speaking of which, we also took a look at energy drinks in the article “Pain Patients: How Do Energy Drinks Affect You?” If sugar wasn’t enough, these drinks are packed with caffeine which can be very problematic for those with fibromyalgia or chronic migraines. Pain is specific to the patient, but it is good know the effects and alternatives to sugar to keep your body healthy.

Busting obesity

In a post about recent obesity initiatives, we stated that:

“Obesity is arguably the number one preventable cause of illness and death, leading to conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.”

Here are a few strategies that are being developed to help our society on the whole:

• Reduce the price of healthy foods
• Schools to provide nutrition education for students and their families
• Redesign of communities that prompt more exercise and better access to healthy, fresh foods

Did these strategies make you want to know more? Check out our article “5 Findings From The Latest Obesity Research” to really learn about all the amazing new concepts scientists are discovering about obesity today.

Eating right to manage your chronic condition

This month we also went over the best ways to manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and fibromyalgia with a healthier, well-crafted diet. Here are a few quick takeaways that can set you on the right track:

• Be mindful of what you eat by keeping a food diary
• Make sure you always stay hydrated
• Know that exercise and rest is almost always beneficial to your health
• Reduce your stress where you can
• Develop a strong support structure and ask for help when you need it

4 must-try gamified apps

Let’s wrap this month up by talking about all of the neat, new technology that will help us all live healthier. In our post, we covered four (out of hundreds) of available smart phone applications that can help you manage your diet as well as other parts of your life. These apps are simple, easy-to-use, and can give you the boost you need to get out of that slump and make a real change. Make sure to take a look and get going on making positive life changes today.

Which tips, tricks, or tools will you use in your life to help manage your health and chronic pain condition?

Health myths abound, partially because it’s so difficult to keep up with all the constantly changing recommendations. The pendulum of expert opinion swings wildly, making it hard for the average person to make good decisions.

Fortunately, science is coming to a point where some of the most perplexing health issues of our time—aspartame or sugar? Full-fat or low-fat? Is salt really bad for you?—are being answered with clear, definitive research.

Here is our guide to some of the most pervasive health myths and the reasons why they’re not true.

1. Is low-fat dairy really good for you?

Public health officials have for decades urged the public to choose low-fat milk and cheese. They believed that low-fat options contained fewer calories while still offering all the health benefits of the full-fat—and full-flavored—versions.

Now, research is casting doubt on that belief. Time magazine reports that a recent review of studies published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that people who opted for full-fat versions of milk, cheese, and other diary products didn’t face increased risks of obesity, cardiovascular disease, or type 2 diabetes as predicted.

What’s more, researchers found the full-fat versions may even offer protective health benefits. Eighteen of the 25 studies reviewed found people who ate full-fat dairy products weighed less than those who diligently ate low fat. Not one study found superior health benefits for low-fat dairy products.

Another study in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care found those who ate full-fat butter, cream, and milk had a lower risk of obesity than those shied away, reports Time. Greg Miller, executive vice president of the National Dairy Council, tells NPR:

“We continue to see more and more data coming out [finding that] consumption of whole-milk dairy products is associated with reduced body fat.”

Researchers have based their recommendation to avoid full-fat dairy on the presumption that the type of fat it contains—saturated—contributes to poor heart health. However, more recent research has punctured that hypothesis, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola. Although many people still steer away from low fat, the tides are slowly turning. Cooks around the world are even turning against margarine and again cooking with butter, Mercola reports.

2. Vaccines are not linked to autism

It was a medical breakthrough when vaccines for devastating illnesses like polio and the measles were discovered. Thousands of lives have been saved because of the vaccines that changed the course of history by nearly eradicating these serious illnesses.

Then autism levels began rising, and people searched for answers behind this mysterious disorder. In the search for answers, immunizations and vaccines arose as a possible reason why more children received diagnoses.

Now, research confirms that no link exists between autism and vaccines, debunking these health myths. An analysis of ten studies that collectively reviewed more than 1.2 million children found that immunizations do not cause autism, and in fact, the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine may even offer protective benefits, according to advocacy group Autism Speaks.

3. Real sugar is better than fake

The public has been inundated with information about the horrors of sugar. And to avoid the most significant problems, many people have switched to alternatives like aspartame and saccharine.

Only it turns out the sugar alternatives are often worse than sugar. Keep in mind that sugar itself is generally not good for you and should only be eaten in moderation. But when indulging, scientists say it’s better to eat the real thing and not the alternatives.

Consider diet soda, which attracts soda lovers seeking to cut calories while still getting their fix. However, research shows that diet soda is not better. It may actually be worse.

Multiple studies have shown that aspartame is dangerous for diabetics or those at risk because it exacerbates insulin sensitivity, according to Mercola. Additional research has linked aspartame to weight gain, according to Harvard Health Blog.

Researchers say sugar alternatives may be used as an excuse to rationalize unhealthy eating habits—eating a slice of cake with no cause for celebration, for example. People may be more likely to eat the cake if they think drinking calorie-free, aspartame-sweetened soda gave them extra wiggle room on the day’s food intake.

However, healthy eating isn’t just about counting calories. It’s also about nutrients and vitamins. People who fill up on cake and sweets—low-calorie or not—may not be getting all the nutrients they need to be healthy, Harvard Health Blog reports.

And while jumping for joy isn’t the most common reaction to broccoli, eating artificially sweetened food products may actually change a person’s taste buds, making plants even less tasty, according to Harvard Health. Fake sweeteners are so sweet that they could change the way people experience more complex tastes, including natural fruit and vegetables.

Experts at Harvard recommend eating natural sugars like those found in fruit, which is also rich in nutrients. But if you do indulge, it may be best to go for real sugar, and not a substitute. In moderation.

4. Salt is not evil

The same war that assaulted full-fat dairy also set its unfounded sites on salt, which many health experts have demonized. Now, a spate of research is questioning whether salt should really be considered so evil.

Some medical experts even say the government-recommended levels of salt are dangerously low, reports The Washington Post.

Although the topic is controversial among health experts and not everybody agrees, experts say the type of salt you eat is the most important thing.

Salt is a vital nutrient. It helps your cells collect and discharge necessary nutrients, and it helps to regulate blood pressure.

However, most of the salt people eat today comes from processed foods—not natural salt, according to Mercola. Even today’s table salt is heavily refined, Mercola says. He recommends a pure, unprocessed salt like Himalayan crystal salt, which provides the vital nutrients.

Adding a dash of unrefined salt onto healthy, freshly cooked, whole foods promotes good health, while eating processed food laden with sodium does not.

Which of these busted health myths most surprised you?

Image by liz west via Flickr

Adopting healthy eating choices is probably one of the single most important things you can do to manage pain, no matter the condition you suffer from.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats like those found in nuts and olive oils contain powerful micronutrients that work to reduce pain-causing inflammation and help you feel better.

It all sounds good in theory, but finding the time and energy to cook these meals is one of the biggest challenges to healthy eating. Eating only whole foods can be costly, too, especially if buying organic produce and specialty ingredients. And if you’ve come home from a long day at work, or are suffering from a bad pain day, finding the energy to cook nutritious meals can seem like an impossible task.

But here are a few ways to help your healthy eating efforts, from reducing costs to just making it easier.

1. Buy in bulk

Consider that a canister of name-brand oats can cost anywhere from $3 to $5 for just over a pound while an entire pound of oats purchased in bulk can cost less than one dollar. Buying in bulk saves money.

Other items available for purchase in bulk include nuts, dried fruit, even flour and other grains like quinoa. Save big money on healthy snack items like trail mix by buying the nuts in bulk and making your own.

You might even make your own granola, taking oats, a comforting winter breakfast, into the summer with the addition of yogurt and fruit.

To make granola, try this recipe from Elizabeth Rider:

Combine two cups of oatmeal with a ½ cup of chopped, raw nuts with about two or three tablespoons of honey or maple syrup. Add two tablespoons of coconut oil and one ½ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract. Also include ¼ cup of raw seeds like sunflower seeds and ½ cup of dried, chopped fruit if you’d like. For extra oomph, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. Mix it all together, lay on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

2. Find inspiration in ethnic cuisine

Many delicious, healthy recipes inspired by Japanese, Indian, and European cooking center on vegetables—which tend to cost less to make than meat—and spices. It’s easy to forget the aromatic flavors that spices can impart on foods, transforming a simple plate of vegetables from flavorless to fantastic.

Consider healthy, easy, incredibly affordable miso soup. Miso is a fermented soybean paste available in the refrigerated section of most health food stores. It offers profound health benefits, including reducing inflammation, which is essential for those living with chronic pain, and preventing cancer, according to MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Making miso soup is very easy and once you get the hang of it, you don’t even need a recipe. It basically involves heating water, adding spices like ginger, vegetables, and any noodles you desire until they’re cooked. For extra anti-inflammatory benefit, try adding seaweed, which is packed with antioxidants and iodine, an important nutrient that could help diminish fatigue, depression, or any difficulties losing weight, according to Greatist.

Once the soup is cooked and ready to eat, remove the pot from the heat and add miso in the amount recommended on the package. Heating miso destroys its active probiotics, so add it in near the end of cooking, and never to boiling water.

To get started, try this miso recipe from Whole Foods that includes garlic, ginger, bok choy, carrots, and tofu.

Another benefit to using spices like ginger, turmeric, and garlic is that these flavor enhancers offer many benefits to chronic pain patients. All offer potent anti-inflammatory compounds that help reduce pain.

Exotic spices impart fun flavor and powerful nutrients to healthy cooking.

Turmeric in particular is not frequently used in U.S.-style cooking, but has been found to put ulcerative colitis in remission, and potentially help to relieve arthritis pain and prevent heart disease, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Turmeric also works to lower blood sugar, making it potentially effective for those with diabetes.

Turmeric is used mostly in Indian cooking, giving curry its signature yellow color. Eating Well offers a collection of dishes with turmeric to get you started experimenting with this colorful, healthy spice. It’s available in powdered form in the grocery store, but most grocery stores also carry the root, usually alongside ginger.

3. Cook in a crockpot

Slow-cooked meals combine ease of cooking with healthy ingredients. Recipes made in a crockpot also frequently yield many servings, reducing the amount of cooking needed overall.

For those with chronic pain who find chopping vegetables difficult because of pain or fatigue, this feature is essential and a great tool for healthy eating. No sautéing or keeping an eye on the stove necessary—simply add the vegetables, turn the crockpot on and, a few hours later, voila, a healthy, delicious meal.

Foods cooked in crockpots tend to be more flavorful because of the slow cooking process. They enable you to buy less expensive cuts of meat because virtually any meat will become tender after hours spent marinating in savory juices and flavors.

Options for meals include vegetable and chickpea curry or butternut squash parsnip soup. If neither of those sound good to you, check out Cooking Light’s list of 100 slow-cooker healthy eating recipes.

4. Money-saving grocery shopping tips

Food costs continue to rise and searching for healthy recipes sometimes turns up fancy-sounding and expensive ingredients. Even if money isn’t an issue, maybe those fancy ingredients scare you away from healthy eating.

Eating nourishing food is about feeling good. If it doesn’t feel good, try something different. Plenty of recipes feature ordinary, everyday ingredients that don’t require a visit to a specialty store. Buying frozen vegetables is often less expensive than buying fresh. Plus, you don’t have to worry about fresh produce going bad, sending money straight into the trashcan.

While fresh vegetables are preferable, frozen is a good alternative, and much better than canned. Basing meals around staples such as vegetables, beans, and rice is a wonderful way to eat healthy while cutting costs. This way of eating is much more affordable than including meat on the plate every night, and healthier, too.

Using fresh spices like ginger, garlic, and lemon is a healthy way to add delicious flavor while keeping costs down and nutrients high.

What is your favorite tip for eating healthy and fast on a budget?

Image by Janine via Flickr

Juice bars, home juicers, and smoothies—particularly green ones—have proliferated over the recent years, but do the drinks really make you healthier?

Purported benefits of the fruit- and vegetable-based drinks include detoxing, disease prevention, and increased vitality. While studies haven’t shown that drinking your veggies is superior to eating them whole, juices and smoothies are good ways to increase your vegetable intake while having fun.

If you’re not a fan of say, kale, mixing it with bananas and coconut milk helps hide the taste while still offering the cruciferous vegetable’s many health benefits. For chronic pain patients with achy joints or hands, juicing vegetables or adding chunks of them to smoothies is a way to ingest the required daily amount of produce while minimizing the amount of slicing required.

Plus, including more of these inflammation-reducing and health-boosting foods into your diet is an excellent way to manage pain.

Although juicing has surged in popularity over the last few years, the practice dates back to the 1930s, according to AARP. But experts say this time, juicing is here to stay. San Francisco-based restaurant consultant Andrew Freeman says:

“The concept has settled into being just part of a healthy life, rather than a thing.”

As the popularity of these healthy drinks has skyrocketed, so has the availability of juice and smoothie bars. Some of the concoctions served up at these trendy establishments come with sky-high price tags, particularly for juice, which is expensive to make.

A 16-ounce cup of juice can take up to two pounds of produce make, reports the LA Times, and with the surcharge of purchasing the drink from a vendor, those wanting to drink juices frequently may find it best to purchase a machine. Smoothies cost a tad less, but expenses still add up, making home blending a more affordable option for those wanting to drink the beverages regularly.

Juice versus smoothie—which is better?

Die-hard juicers swear by the drinks, claiming they detoxify, brighten the skin, and help the body achieve levels of energy envied by Superman. However, juicing does have drawbacks.

First, most juicers remove the fiber from vegetables. Proponents view this as a positive thing, noting that it’s possible to ingest more nutrients absent the fullness of fiber. Also, the lack of fiber may help people with digestive issues absorb the nutrients, according to AARP.

Smoothies, on the other hand, do contain fiber since the entire fruit or vegetable is added to blender, which pulverizes it into a drinkable liquid. In addition to helping you feel full, fiber regulates the rate at which the body metabolizes sugar. Smoothies also produce less waste. Juicing results in clumps of leftover pulp that often go to waste.

Either way, drinking juices or smoothies, people with chronic conditions like diabetes should be cautious with how much fruit they include because too much could send blood sugar skyrocketing.

Another note of difference is that smoothies require some type of liquid to blend the ingredients, usually water or a non-diary milk like almond or coconut, while juices include only the juice squeezed from the fruit or vegetable.

Making smoothies and juices at home

The first thing to purchase, obviously, is a juicer or blender. Appliances come in a range of budgets, from around $30 to $500 and beyond.

For blenders, the holy grail is the Vitamix, which will set you back around $500. The higher-quality blenders do a better job of liquefying greens while the lower-end models sometimes leave chunks of leaves. Not too tasty.

Nevertheless, high-quality blenders are available for substantially less than the Vitamix for those who want to blend greens without such a high price tag. The Nutribullet is one, but there are dozens more.

Juicers also come in a range of price points, but unlike blenders, the more expensive ones tend to work through a different process.

• Centrifugal juicers: These machines essentially grind the vegetables through a shredding or chopping apparatus to separate the juice. This is the most commonly used, and most affordable, home juicer. However, the process isn’t the most efficient and doesn’t work that well for greens and other hard-to-juice vegetables.
• Masticating juicers: These extract juice by crushing fruit and vegetable fibers. They don’t produce as much heat as centrifugal juicers, and so are believed to preserve more nutrients. Masticating juicers tend to cost a bit more than centrifugal ones, but are generally better for juicing greens. They also produce less waste.

Next, you’ll need to select ingredients. The true benefits of juice or smoothie drinks come into play when they include vegetables, especially leafy greens. This is your chance to hide the taste of kale, spinach, or chard behind the sweetness of pineapple, blueberries, and other dessert-worthy fruits.

Even hidden behind fruit sugar, greens can taste a little bitter, so start out slow. Add just a leaf or two of whatever green you desire, and then cap it off with a complementary fruit. As your taste buds grow accustomed to green juices and smoothies, feel free to change the proportion accordingly, adding more greens and fewer fruits.

Once you get the hang of proportions and which fruits and vegetables taste delicious in combination, have fun experimenting with all types of concoctions. In the meantime, look for recipes online. Try this roundup of 50 juice and smoothie recipes by The Roasted Root to start.

Another thing to consider when making smoothies is the type of liquid or additional ingredients used. Be wary of high-fat and calorie add-ins, like yogurt. As a once-in-a-while treat, extra creamy smoothies are a delicious, healthy option, but they can result in extra pounds if enjoyed on a regular basis.

A good option for liquid is water, but non-sweetened almond milk is another excellent choice.

Vegetable drinks at the juice bar

If you’re not ready to commit to making juices or smoothies at home, experimenting with different tastes at a local juice bar is an excellent way to get started. Options abound and range from mainstream chains like Jamba Juice to Kaleidoscope Juice, a local business with locations in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Whole Foods also has a smoothie and juice bar in select locations, including Tempe.

When ordering, take care to look at all the ingredients. Some establishments, particularly the more mainstream ones, will include generic ingredients like “red fruit juice,” and it’s hard to tell if those juices have extra sugar in them or are completely natural.

The healthiest options will have only fresh, raw fruit and water or some type of milk, not fruit juice. Packaged fruit juice contains added sugar and limited real fruit, decreasing the health benefits of your drink.

Other smoothie shops, like One Stop Nutrition, are more geared towards bodybuilders and include flavors like blueberry or banana, but may not include any actual fruit.

Do you drink fresh smoothies or juices?

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Breakfast is perhaps the easiest meal of the day to skip, but one of the most important to sneak in. Eating breakfast bestows many health benefits ranging from increased energy to weight loss, both important for people dealing with chronic pain.

Despite the benefits, about one in ten people in the U.S. skip food first thing in the morning, according to NPD Group, a market research firm. Most people said they weren’t hungry or didn’t have time to eat before 11 a.m.

Research shows that eating a high-protein breakfast supports weight loss because it reduces the likelihood of overeating later in the day, according to researchers at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Assistant professor Heather Leidy says:

“Our research showed that people experience a dramatic decline in cravings for sweet foods when they eat breakfast…However, breakfasts that are high in protein also reduced cravings for savory—or high-fat—foods.”

That’s because eating breakfast increases the brain’s levels of the chemical dopamine, which moderates feelings of reward and food cravings. Heightened production of dopamine helps stave off food cravings, but researchers found that people who are overweight tend to require more food to reach that elevated state. Conversely, scientists found that people who ate high-protein breakfasts had higher levels of dopamine.

Eating a high-protein breakfast helps to stave off cravings for unhealthy food later in the day, researchers say.

Earlier research conducted by Leidy found that people who skip breakfast generally eat 40% more sugary foods, 45% fewer vegetables, and 30% fewer fruits compared to breakfast eaters.

However, the breakfast habit must be hard to maintain because all the study participants resumed skipping the meal within six months after the research ended. Those who abandoned eating early said it was hard to find healthy options.

Dr. Mike Roussell says that eating a healthy meal first thing also sets the tone for other wise health choices. He writes:

“By having a well-rounded and nutritious breakfast, you are sending a message to your body that you are going to do what it takes to be fit and healthy.”

The UCM research isn’t the only study to uncover benefits from eating a high-protein breakfast. Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center compared two groups of women, one set that ate bagels for breakfast and another that ate two eggs, according to WebMD.

The meals contained an identical number of calories, but the egg eaters lost weight and reported increased energy. The eggs also made no difference in blood cholesterol levels, which has been a concern for frequent egg eaters.

Proponents of skipping breakfast say eliminating the meal is a tool for weight loss, mainly because it lowers a person’s intake of calories and carbohydrates. Researchers at Australia’s Monash University found patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease who skipped breakfast lost inches in their waists, which scientists said is a way of measuring improvements in liver health.

However critics say weight isn’t the only barometer of health. Australian nutritionist Aloysa Hourigan told the Syndey Morning Herald:

“If you’re eating less in total, you might be also getting less nutrients…You might lose weight, but that’s not the only important thing to health.”

Besides physical health, there is some evidence that eating breakfast supports cognitive health. A study completed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing found that children who regularly nosh on breakfast scored higher on IQ tests.

Breakfast may not only help you lose weight, it may make you smarter.

Although the research focused on children, scientists said those good habits continue through the rest of life. Study author Jianghong-Liu says:

“Irregular breakfast eating has already been associated with a number of unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, frequent alcohol use, and infrequent exercise.”

Breakfast may also lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease, reports WebMD. And for those with diabetes, eating first thing in the morning is important for maintaining blood sugar levels, according to Everyday Health.

With so many researchers supporting the idea that breakfast encourages a healthy lifestyle, including the meal in your daily routine can’t hurt.

Looking to start the healthy breakfast habit? Here are some easy meals to try:

• Eggs cooked any way you like in olive oil, served with a slice of whole-grain toast and jam
• Smoothie made with frozen fruit and yogurt (yogurt contains protein)
• Oatmeal with sliced fruit and nuts, cooked in water, skim milk, or almond milk
• Hard-boiled egg and a piece of fruit

Making time for breakfast when you’re rushing out the door in the morning can be a challenge. But by preparing food the night before, you’ll be two steps ahead. Options include pre-slicing fruit or even taking a banana on the road. Overnights oats are also an easy and fun option. Eggs can be hard-boiled the night before, and slicing a piece of toast to hold a thin layer of peanut butter takes just a few seconds more than toasting a pop tart.

Breakfast doesn’t have to take 20 minutes to prepare. Simple, healthy foods provide fuel for the day ahead.

The key to eating a breakfast that gives you all the benefits of increased energy, improved mental acuity, and support for weight loss is keeping it healthy. Sure, you can eat a doughnut or a croissant and call it breakfast, but research shows eating a meal with protein offers the most benefit. Keep in mind that Greek yogurt, nuts, and peanut butter are all excellent sources of protein.

Incorporating fruit into a morning meal is a great way to appease the sweet tooth while enjoying the anti-inflammatory benefits of all those antioxidants. Experiment with a few meals to find your favorite breakfast, and do what you can to make it a quick and easy meal to prepare.

Do you eat breakfast?

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Cooking up a large pot of chili is one of the best ways to utilize leftover ingredients and feed a crowd in one fell swoop. It can also be a pitfall to healthful eating, if you are not careful; with an abundance of meat and toppings. This recipe is an alternative to the norm, with loads of vegetables including carrots, peppers, corn, and of course, beans.

One serving of black beans contains over half the recommended amount of daily fiber, and close to 1/3 of the recommended amount of daily protein, meaning that not only are these beans good for you, but they will fill you up too! In addition, black beans steady the digestive tract, and have been shown to help balance blood sugar.

Very Veggie Black Bean Chili (Serves 4-6)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 5 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound grass-fed ground sirloin (OR ground sirloin with 85+% fat)
• 1 28-ounce box chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can black beans

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add all of the vegetables to the pot, and cook for approximately 10 minutes.
3. Add the sirloin, breaking up the meat, and cook until browned; about 8 minutes.
4. Add the spices and stir until blended.
5. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf and water, reducing heat to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for one hour.
6. Stir in the tomato paste and black beans. Simmer uncovered for an additional 20 minutes. Serve with desired toppings (sprouted corn tortilla chips, Monterey Jack cheese, and green onions are all good options!).

What’s your favorite chili recipe?

There’s just something special about sitting back and relaxing with a steaming hot cup of tea. Tea not only tastes good, it also offers a variety of health benefits, including improved memory and cardiovascular health.

Tea was first discovered in China thousands of years ago, and has been a popular beverage all over the East since then. In the 1600s and beyond, tea found its way to England and ultimately, the United States. Tea drinkers gravitated to the beverage for its medicinal benefits, and today it ranks among the world’s most popular beverages.

Tea’s abundance of antioxidants continues to be studied for their health benefits. Recent research from the European Society of Cardiology found that tea drinkers had a 24% reduced risk of dying from a cardiovascular-related event such as a heart attack. French research professor Nicolas Danchin says:

“Tea has antioxidants which may provide survival benefits.”

Researchers said the tea drinkers studied tended to have healthier lifestyles overall, which could have influenced the reduced risk of dying from a cardiovascular event.

Coffee drinkers were more likely to smoke and less likely to exercise than tea drinkers. In fact, after adjusting for smoking, coffee drinkers were no more likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes than non-coffee drinkers. Nevertheless, scientists remained hopeful about the ability of tea to improve cardiovascular health. Danchin adds:

“I think that you could fairly honestly recommend tea drinking rather than coffee drinking and even rather than not drinking anything at all.”

Nearly all teas offer some type of health benefit, but some types are particularly beneficial. Whichever type you gravitate toward, try drinking two or three cups a day for maximum benefit, recommends Harvard Health Publications.

Make sure the water absorbs all the wonderful nutrients by allowing the tea to steep for at least three minutes. Also be sure to drink it plain, or with just a dash of lemon or honey. Adding tons of sweeteners to the tea could counteract any of the health benefits.

To get the most out of drinking tea, drink it freshly brewed. The power of antioxidants becomes diluted as tea is processed, and so it’s best to avoid altered forms including decaffeinated tea or bottled preparations, according to Harvard Health. Tea contains less caffeine than coffee, so you don’t have to worry too much about the intake.

1. Green tea

Green tea, with its rich array of antioxidants, has gained fame as a cancer fighter. This chlorophyll-colored beverage offers the best source of antioxidants known as catechins, according to Harvard Health Publications. The powerful compounds work to stop cellular damage and have been linked to reduced risks for several types of cancer, including breast, skin, lung, and colon.

The health benefits don’t stop there. Research from the University of Basel shows the beverage also works to improve memory by stimulating brain plasticity, which refers to its ability to change. Scientists say the tea could prove to be an asset in the war against dementia.

Other mental benefits include green tea’s purported ability to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. It could also reduce the risk of stroke.

2. Black tea

Although green tea’s popularity is steadily gaining, black tea is still one of the most popular types of tea. It also has the highest caffeine content, but still offers numerous health benefits. Black tea and green tea actually come from the same plant, but black tea is exposed to oxygen-rich air, which turns the leaves black, according to WebMD.

This type of tea is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols, which work to protect cells against DNA damage and are believed to protect against certain kinds of cancer, including ovarian and lung cancer. Black tea has not been shown to prevent the types of cancer that green tea has, including breast and colorectal.

However, if you’re concerned about a heart attack, black tea may offer health benefits. Research shows that it may help to keep arteries clear. It could also reduce the risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, Parkinson’s disease, and kidney stones, according to WebMD. The beverage may also promote bone health.

3. White tea

While black tea is more processed than green tea, white tea is the least processed of them all. Some researchers believe the white variety offers even more potent protection against cancer than green tea, according to researchers at Oregon State University. The minimal processing ensures the tea retains more of the powerful antioxidants known as polyphenols.

White tea is derived from young leaves—the same as black or green tea, but they’re picked before the buds fully open. The leaves are steamed and dried before they oxidize and turn darker. Because of the minimal processing, the tea tastes a bit more mild and sweet than green or black.

4. Oolong tea

Oolong tea also comes from the same plant as green tea, but is processed in a different way than other teas. After the leaves are picked, they’re bruised through a shaking process. The bruised areas then turn red while the rest of the leaf turns yellow through fermentation. Finally, the leaves are fired in a pan.

The tea has been shown to promote mental clarity, according to WebMD. Other research shows it likely offers benefit for preventing ovarian cancer.

5. Herbal tea

In addition to white, black, green, and oolong teas that come from the Camellia sinensis plant, there are a variety of herbal teas available that offer countless health benefits. These teas can be purchased in bags at the store, but some varieties can be made easily at home.

Ginger tea, for example, helps to reduce inflammation, combats nausea, and may reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis, according to WebMD. If you’d like to make the tea at home, simply take fresh ginger root, chop it up, and boil it in water for about 10 minutes. Pour in a cup and enjoy.

Other healthy herbal teas include chamomile, believed to stave off complications of diabetes such as vision loss and nerve damage. It may also thwart tumor development, according to WebMD.

What is your favorite type of tea?

Image by Nomadic Lass via Flickr

Looking for a unique appetizer to serve at your holiday cocktail party? Consider this very vegetable, Stromboli roll recipe! It can be prepared up to a day in advance and baked right before your guests arrive, or can be baked, sliced, and then served at room temperature, making it ideal for the no-fuss, no-muss host or hostess!

This is a hearty bite with a lot of vegetable goodness in it, but the recipe concept is very versatile should you want to switch up the ingredients, lessen the cheese, or just use whatever is currently hanging out in your refrigerator! The Stromboli works as an appetizer, or is a great accompaniment to soup or salad for a winter dinner!

Very Vegetable Stromboli Roll 

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4-6)

• 1, 1-pound package of premade pizza dough
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 8-ounces cremini mushrooms, diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 1 tomato diced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan, set over medium heat. Add the pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and salt and pepper to the pan and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, stirring, until the water has cooked out of the mushrooms and the vegetables are soft. Remove from stovetop and let cool slightly.
3. Roll your pizza dough out on a large baking sheet, in the shape of a rectangle, with about ¼” thickness (it doesn’t have to be perfect!).
4. Spread the vegetable filling over the dough, in a thin layer, leaving about ½” border around the perimeter. Sprinkle with the cheese, spinach, and tomato.
5. Carefully, roll the dough into the shape of a log. Place it seam-side down on the baking sheet.
6. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, until the dough is completely cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.
7. Slice and serve!

What are your favorite holiday appetizer recipes?

Researchers have for many years understood the physical benefits bestowed by a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Now, the impact diet has on mental health is coming into focus with an increasing amount of research linking the two.

The foods you eat feed the body as well as the brain, with healthy foods reducing the risk for depression and other mood disorders.

This way of thinking represents a marked departure for modern day doctors, with scientists previously reluctant to connect the mind and body in such a powerful way.

However, researchers can no longer ignore the data, although they’re still working to understand just how food affects mood. For example, a study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found people who frequently ate processed foods suffered from higher rates of mental illness, including depression and anxiety. 

Spanish scientists found eating fast food increases the risk of developing depression by 51%.

Part of the reason could lie in the stomach — what some scientists call the “second brain”. Key mood neurotransmitters including serotonin are found in the intestines as well as the brain. And, early in life, stomach bacteria heavily influence serotonin levels in the brain, found researchers at Ireland’s University College Cork.

If you’d like to improve your diet to lift your mood, try focusing on unprocessed foods. Filling your plate with whole grains, leafy greens, lean meats, or fish could unlock a host of mental health benefits.

While most whole foods support mental health, some offer particularly potent mood-improving benefits.

Spinach

This leafy green is rich in folate, a nutrient that supports human growth and development. People who are depressed frequently exhibit folate deficiencies. Eating spinach and other leafy greens helps ensure healthy levels of this important nutrient.

Fish

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, tuna, and other fatty fish have been shown to protect mental health. Research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found eating a diet rich in omega-3s staved off psychosis in high-risk individuals. French researchers also found fish oil supplements benefited patients experiencing major depression.

Olive oil

Cooking with olive oil does more than reduce the risk of heart disease. It also protects against depression, Spanish researchers found.

Have you experienced a connection between healthy food and happiness? 

Image by NatalieMaynor via Flickr

There’s nothing quite like a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings. The juicy turkey, richly flavored mashed potatoes, tart cranberry sauce—and the pile of plates left to clean up after the festivities.

Enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without the mess by visiting one of the many places in Phoenix serving a holiday meal. Options also abound for picking up fully cooked dinners for enjoying at home, sans cleanup, along with festive events to make Thanksgiving 2014 memorable. Just be sure to make reservations early because these popular events tend to book up fairly quickly.

Avanti

This Phoenix restaurant specializes in Italian and Continental fare and is located on Thomas Road. Avanti serves a Thanksgiving dinner buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for those who like eating early and having the rest of the day to digest.

Menu options begin with a bruschetta appetizer followed by salad offerings, including mixed greens or a Waldorf salad. For the main meal, load your plate with pumpkin soup, oven roasted turkey, candied yams, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Save room for a dessert of pumpkin or pecan pie, caramel flan, chocolate mousse, cannoli, tiramisu, and pumpkin cheesecake.

Seasons 52

This Phoenix grill, located on Camelback Road, focuses on seasonally inspired ingredients to present meals that taste supremely fresh. Typically, the restaurant aims for meals fewer than 475 calories, but Thanksgiving dinner is an exception to that rule with a menu geared toward indulgence.

Dine on roasted turkey with herb stuffing, mashed potatoes, maple-glazed butternut squash, and green beans. Cap it off with the restaurant’s special pumpkin mini indulgence.

Buca di Beppo

This nationwide Italian, family-style dining restaurant offers a menu priced per family, instead of per person. Portions are sized large enough to feed everyone. A small, three-person course is available or a larger one suitable for six people.

Valley locations are in Peoria, Chandler, Mesa, and Scottsdale. The menu features a choice of turkey or ham, gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, sausage, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.

Maggiano’s

This Scottsdale restaurant in the Promenade on Scottsdale Road is also a nationwide chain, and it offers an Italian inspired Thanksgiving dinner available for dine-in, carryout, or home delivery. Traditional turkey is available, but the menu also offers a range of alternatives for those looking to spice things up.

The family-style menu starts off with bruschetta, and then offers a choice of salads, including an Italian tossed salad, Caesar, or chopped salad. The third course involves a choice of meat and complementary side, such as turkey with sausage, ham with mashed sweet potatoes, or tilapia with sage, lemon, and tomatoes.

Families may choose two additional sides along with two types of pasta. The meal also includes a choice of two desserts. Pumpkin pie doesn’t make an appearance on the menu, but pumpkin praline cheesecake does, along with warm apple crostada, chocolate zuccotto cake, and tiramisu.

Rawhide Steakhouse

Located at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, this steakhouse provides an authentic western experience and a Thanksgiving dinner event to remember.

On Thanksgiving, the restaurant is serving up a Thanksgiving buffet complete with live music from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

La Grande Orange Grocery

Located in Phoenix, La Grande Orange Grocery offers fully cooked, customizable meals for carryout so patrons can enjoy stress-free festivities inside their homes.

One option is to buy a whole turkey or prime rib and then select sides and desserts a la carte. Sides include salads, mashed potatoes, and a dazzling array of desserts. Try bouche de noel, flourless chocolate cake, or maybe a six-layer chocolate cake. Red velvet cake, cheesecake, and ginger cake are also options.

Gluten free? No problem. Try the gluten-free holiday dessert sampling, with brownies, coconut bars, and other delicacies cooked just for your special dietary needs.

If you’d like Black Friday breakfast taken care of, too, give the grocery’s breakfast pastries a try.

Another option is to forgo the a la carte and instead purchase a curated meal with all the fixings. Choose from turkey or prime rib. Each comes with set sides.

Chompie’s

This Jewish-style delicatessen is well-known for its bagels and gargantuan sandwiches, but on Thanksgiving, it turns into your favorite meal helper. Chompie’s offers a complete to-go menu complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, and candied yams. Jewish favorites like matzo ball soup are also available, along with a wide assortment of pies.

Meals are available curated or a la carte. Dining-in is also available. Chompie’s has four Valley locations: Chandler, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Phoenix.

L’Auberge de Sedona

If you’d like to splurge or escape town for a night, consider visiting L’Auberge de Sedona, a gorgeous hotel and restaurant set along the banks of Oak Creek. The gourmet, four-course menu, served from noon to 4 p.m., features meal-opening options such as a salad of winter greens, white pumpkin bisque, and an appetizer of pork rillettes with pickled huckleberries.

For the entrée, select among turkey, filet mignon with lobster foam, red snapper with smoked clams, or chestnut lasagna with truffles and Fontina cheese. Dessert options include assorted mini pies or pomegranate sorbet with champagne foam. The restaurant uses local, organic produce whenever possible.

Proof Canteen

This Scottsdale restaurant is serving a special Thanksgiving dinner menu with delicacies like smoked pumpkin soup, whipped sweet potatoes with house-made marshmallow fluff, and roasted beets with goat cheese.

Besides dinner, families may also stop by for a Thanksgiving breakfast or brunch buffet. A three-course dinner is served from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Thanksgiving Shootout

If you’re looking for a special event to commemorate the holiday, consider attending the Thanksgiving Shootout hockey game sponsored by the Arizona Hockey Clubs. Games take place at rings in Gilbert, Peoria, and Tempe.

Watched teams in divisions ranging from Midget to Squirt duke it out to see who will be this year’s reigning ice hockey champions. Games run from November 28 through 30.

For the pro experience, watch the Arizona Coyotes play the Calgary Flames on Nov. 29 at Gila River Arena. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving dinner?

Image by Tim Sackton via Flickr