Weekly Gravy « Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Research published in the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics highlights two important steps for improving diet and exercise habits. The first is getting practical and personalized tips for making changes that you’ll permanently adopt. The second is developing the inner motivation needed to help make the first step stick. The study recruited adults from a rural area in the South with limited access to a gym and other health-oriented facilities. To help them make positive changes, each had four sessions with a wellness counselor who gave recommendations tailored to their lifestyle. These included making realistic changes to the typical southern diet they normally ate, with an emphasis on how to make better fat and carb choices. They were also given a fitness goal of 30 minutes a day, such as walking at least 7,500 steps at least five days a week, plus information on where to find farmers markets for healthier food as well as local parks and schools where they could walk. Although researchers thought that rural participants would have a harder time making healthy changes than city dwellers, those who lived in the country lost more weight and became more active than those in healthier, more supportive environments. In fact, some became so motivated that the farther they lived from a gym, the greater the number of steps they took. Everyone trying to… read on >

Want to warm up as the temperature cools down and get in more nutrients, too? Roasted vegetables are a delicious way to do both. Starchier root veggies, like carrots, parsnips and potatoes, lend themselves to roasting since their natural sugars intensify as they cook. Carrots have beta carotene for skin health. The parsnips are high in vitamin C, great for immune health. And rather than reaching for typical white potatoes, look for exotic Peruvian potatoes with high levels of antioxidants plus fiber in their purple skins. To turn these vegetables into a full meal, serve them with shredded roasted chicken and a cooked grain such as quinoa or brown rice or your favorite beans — in a pinch, a store-bought rotisserie chicken and a can of chickpeas or kidney beans will do fine. Roasted Root-Vegetable Dinner 1 pound carrots 1 pound parsnips 1/2 pound baby purple potatoes or other exotic variety 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dry 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cups shredded, skinless roasted chicken 2 cups cooked grains or beans, if canned, drained and rinsed Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the carrots and parsnips, and cut them in half and then lengthwise. Cut the potatoes in half. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. Add the oil, rosemary,… read on >

It’s not uncommon for new moms to feel an emotional letdown shortly after baby is born. Though symptoms of these so-called “baby blues” can be wide-ranging, they last no more than two weeks and go away on their own. Some Signs of the Baby Blues: Mood swings Feeling sad or overwhelmed Being unable to concentrate Appetite and sleep troubles Women who have more severe symptoms that linger could be experiencing postpartum depression, which needs treatment. It’s not always easy to identify this in yourself. You might chalk up negative feelings to the demands of motherhood, like nighttime feedings, little sleep and a low energy level. Some women ignore these symptoms because they feel guilty for feeling bad. This form of depression is prevalent enough that in 2016 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) suggested that every new mom be screened with a simple questionnaire to uncover depression early on. There’s science behind this wellness step, including a study done in the Netherlands that found that moms assessed for depression at well-baby visits had better mental health in the long run. A February 2019 USPSTF recommendation added that women who are known to be at increased risk for postpartum depression should be offered counseling to help prevent it. Some Signs of Postpartum Depression: Severe mood swings and anxiety Not bonding with baby Withdrawing from loved… read on >

A new study warns that even your soothing cup of tea might serve up some invisible health hazards. Some tea companies are replacing traditional paper teabags with plastic ones, but the new bags may be adding billions of tiny bits of plastic to your beverage, a team from Canada reports. “We show that steeping a single plastic teabag at brewing temperature [205 degrees Fahrenheit] releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of the beverage,” concluded a team led by Nathalie Tufenkji. She’s a professor of chemical engineering at McGill University in Montreal. The global proliferation of microplastics — bits of plastic so small they are often invisible to the naked eye — have made headlines recently, having been found in large numbers in ocean and tap water, seafood and even human poop. “In the past few years, there has been a steadily increasing body of scientific literature demonstrating that not only are microplastics permeating the broader environment, they are entering our bodies, as well,” noted Dr. Kenneth Spaeth, chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y. He wasn’t involved in the new research. Spaeth stressed that there’s just too little data on whether or not microplastics pose a threat to human health. However, “based on the molecular composition of microplastics, there is reason to… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Snoring occurs when the upper airways become narrow, says Harvard Medical School. As a result, airflow is disrupted, making tissues vibrate and produce the snoring noise. To help alleviate snoring, Harvard Medical school suggests: Reduce alcohol consumption. Lose excess weight. Rinse stuffy sinuses with saline before bed. Use allergy medication or a humidifier. Sleep on your side. Quit smoking.

Many people who take the antidepressant Zoloft report feeling better. But new research suggests the drug may be treating their anxiety, rather than their depression, at least in the early weeks. Zoloft (sertraline) — and the family of similar drugs it belongs to — may actually take months to ease classic symptoms of depression, U.K. researchers found. That doesn’t mean the drugs aren’t making patients feel better relatively soon, however. That’s because Zoloft appears to have a much speedier effect on anxiety. Within six weeks the drug notably cut down on feelings of nervousness, worry and tension, said study senior author Glyn Lewis, a professor of epidemiological psychiatry at University College London. Zoloft is in a group of commonly prescribed antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Although the study focused only on Zoloft, Lewis and his team “think that results for other SSRI antidepressants, including Prozac, are likely to be very similar.” Celexa, Paxil and Lexapro are other common SSRIs. The study was conducted between 2015 and 2017. It involved 653 patients cared for at primary care facilities across four British cities. Half were assigned to receive Zoloft for 12 weeks and half got a placebo pill. Patients completed depression symptom questionnaires at two weeks, six weeks and 12 weeks. General anxiety screenings were also conducted. Symptoms of depression typically include poor… read on >

Few families are able to escape squabbles completely, whether between spouses, children or other relatives. But a Danish study that looked at nearly 10,000 men and women, aged 36 to 52, warns that stressful social relations can be more than just unpleasant — they can increase your overall risk of early death. How can you live in better harmony? Though your approach might differ depending on whether the argument is with your spouse or with an uncle you see just once a year, some steps are the same. Write out what you think the squabble is about, along with your views on the subject, so that you can articulate them clearly. Add how you would like to see the issue resolved. Offer your family member this same opportunity. Agree that you will each take time to respectfully listen to the other with the goal of reaching a solution or a compromise. Make sure you both interpret any solution the same way. To move forward, it’s important that you accept the outcome and not harbor any feelings of resentment. If conflicts over specific issues happen again and again, look for a deeper, underlying cause. Remember that arguments within a family, especially between kids and parents, are normal — no fighting often means issues aren’t being addressed, not that they don’t exist. Also, airing differences of opinion… read on >

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a risk factor for stroke, heart disease and other dangerous conditions, but it offers no early warning signs. That’s why it’s so important to have your pressure checked regularly. You can take preventive steps to keep it in line by getting regular exercise and by adding foods that support a healthy blood pressure to your diet. If you’ve already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, follow your doctor’s orders on medication, but know that a better diet is essential to help those medications work — it might even reduce the number of drugs you need. Healthy diets, like DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), focus on lowering salt and boosting the minerals calcium and potassium through food. Vegetarians and vegans, in particular, tend to have significantly lower blood pressure and lower odds of hypertension than non-vegetarians, in part from all the extra vegetables and fruits (and their fiber) they eat. These are healthful foods everyone can enjoy more of. What other foods can help? Make sure you’re getting between 1,000 and 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium every day from foods like milk and yogurt. A report in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that 1,500 mg was even more effective. The omega-3 fatty acids in flax seeds seem to be particularly good for blood pressure. Buy whole brown… read on >

More than one in 10 older female veterans experienced sexual assault while on active duty, a new study shows. Doctors “caring for older women veterans should recognize the prevalence and importance of [military sexual trauma] when assessing patients’ health concerns,” said study author Dr. Carolyn Gibson. Gibson is with the San Francisco VA Health Care System. Her team notes that mandatory screening for military sexual trauma was launched in 2003, and the results indicate the issue has touched the lives of about 1 in 4 female vets. But given that most of the veterans screened were relatively young, Gibson and her team set out to conduct screening focused solely on postmenopausal vets. They found that 13% of older vets reported that they, too, had been the victim of military sexual trauma. Such trauma, said Gibson, was also “strongly associated” with a risk for depression, thoughts of suicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A higher risk for sleep trouble and chronic pain was also seen. Dr. Stephanie Faubion is medical director of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The findings “underscore the importance of trauma screening regardless of a woman’s age,” she said in a NAMS news release. Gibson and her colleagues plan to present their findings Tuesday in Chicago at a meeting of the North American Menopause Society. More information There’s more on military sexual… read on >

Cyber attackers who target hospital databases mostly go after patient contact and financial information, not medical records, a new study finds. The data that hackers seek could lead to identity theft and financial fraud, according to investigators from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Moreover, this is the focus of more than 70% of hospital cyber attacks, the researchers said. Reporting in a pair of studies in the Sept. 23 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study authors noted that only 2% of hospital breaches ultimately accessed patient medical records. “The major story we heard from victims was how compromised, sensitive information caused financial or reputation loss,” lead author John (Xuefeng) Jiang said in a Michigan State news release. “A criminal might file a fraudulent tax return or apply for a credit card using the Social Security number and birth dates leaked from a hospital data breach,” he added. Jiang is a professor of accounting and information systems at Michigan State. He and his colleagues reviewed more than 1,460 hospital data breaches that occurred across the United States over the last decade. Roughly 169 million patients were affected. The breaches fell into three categories of information: names and contact information; financial data; and medical records. Two million people had their personal health information stolen, amounting to just… read on >

Weekly Gravy

Look Good – Feel Good – Feed Good

A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Making Lifestyle Changes You Can Live With

Try Roasted Root Vegetables for a Tasty Fall Dinner

Why You Should Ask to Be Screened for Postpartum Depression

Billions of ‘Microplastics’ in Your Tea From Each Plastic Teabag: Study

Health Tip: Solutions for Snoring

Common Antidepressants May Work in Unexpected Way: Study

A Good Reason to Stop Squabbling at Home

Everyday Foods for Better Blood Pressure

Many Female Veterans Troubled by History of Sexual Assault

What Do Hospital Cyber Attackers Want to Know About You?