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Looking to boost your fiber and vitamin C in one bite? Forget dietary supplements — emerald green broccoli is the answer. Cup for cup, broccoli has more vitamin C than oranges, and only half the calories. It’s also rich in folate and vitamin K, the minerals potassium and calcium, and many phytochemicals that may play a role in cancer prevention. To pick the freshest broccoli, look at the stem — it shouldn’t be dried out. Then look at the color of the florets. They should be dark green. Avoid heads that have yellowed in spots. While steaming broccoli is a snap, pan roasting adds great flavor without having to turn on your oven. The cheese sauce in the following recipe is bound to convert skeptics. Cheesy Pan-Roasted Broccoli For the broccoli: 1 head broccoli, cut into florets 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt For the sauce: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon flour 1 cup skim milk 1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and broccoli. Sprinkle with salt. Toss and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook four to five minutes until cooked through. While the broccoli cooks, make the cheese sauce. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil and flour. Cook… read on >

It’s great to challenge yourself to keep workouts interesting, but you need to take steps to avoid injury whether you’re new to exercise or a seasoned veteran. This often means adapting exercise to your current fitness level and abilities. For instance, if you’re experiencing a problem with balance, swimming will be safer than running. If you develop joint pain from a condition like arthritis, avoid high-impact activities to avoid stressing those joints. If you take fitness class and are having trouble with certain movements, don’t hesitate to ask the teacher to help you modify exercises. If you have a medical condition and are new to exercise, talk to your doctor about the safest options for you. Get instruction before you go it alone. Always warm up first. Walking in place gets your circulation going and delivers blood to your muscles, prepping them for more intense exercise of almost every type. Afterward, cool down the same way. To avoid overuse injuries, vary your exercise choices from one day to another. For instance, alternate between brisk walking and cycling. When you’re ready to challenge yourself, gradually increase intensity and length of workouts. A 5% increase is safe as you progress. Don’t forget to make sure your equipment and any safety gear are in good working order. Ease up or skip a workout when you’re not feeling well… read on >

If you struggle with infertility, chances are you will be twice as likely to get treatment for the heartbreaking condition if you are white, college-educated or affluent. So claims a new study that analyzed data from more than 2,500 women aged 20 to 44 who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2016. Nearly 12.5% of the women — about 1 in 8 — reported infertility. Older age was associated with higher infertility rates, but race/ethnicity, education and income did not appear to be associated with infertility. However, the study found that certain women were much more likely to get infertility treatment. More than 80% of infertile women with a college degree or higher sought treatment, while only 33% of those with a high school degree or less did. More than two-thirds of infertile women with household incomes above $100,000 sought treatment, compared with one-third of women with household incomes of $25,000 or less. Only 39% of uninsured women with infertility sought treatment, compared with 65% of those with insurance, according to the researchers. “Our study highlights important unmet infertility needs at a national level,” said senior study author Dr. James Dupree, from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. “While infertility prevalence is equal among women of varying socioeconomic, education and racial and ethnic… read on >

He sings, he plays games — and Huggable the ‘social robot’ teddy bear could be good medicine for kids in the hospital. In a study of 50 children, aged 3 to 10 years, the plush bear boosted spirits, eased anxiety and even lowered perceived pain levels, say Boston Children’s Hospital researchers. “It’s exciting knowing what types of support we can provide kids who may feel isolated or scared about what they’re going through,” said study first author Deirdre Logan, a pediatric psychologist at the hospital. Logan noted that hospital staffers provide a lot of support to help kids feel comfortable, but they can’t be with every kid all the time. “Social robots create a more consistent presence throughout the day,” Logan said. “There may also be kids who don’t always want to talk to people, and respond better to having a robotic stuffed animal with them.” The robot is not designed to replace health care specialists, only to assist them, the study authors noted. Study co-author Cynthia Breazeal, founding director of the Personal Robots Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said, “Our group designs technologies with the mindset that they’re teammates … We want technology to support everyone who’s invested in the quality care of a child.” For the study, the researchers split the young patients into three groups: One used the robotic teddy; another… read on >

Children of mothers who are often exposed to solvent chemicals in the workplace appear to have an increased risk of autism, a new study finds. The study of almost 1,000 families can’t prove cause and effect, but researchers report that mothers of autistic children had more frequent exposure to solvents than mothers of children without autism. Overall, moms exposed to solvents were 1.5 times more likely to have a child with autism. Exposure to other workplace chemicals seemed to have no effect on autism risk in offspring, the study found. The study “results are consistent with earlier reports that have identified solvents as a potential risk factor for [autism spectrum disorders],” said a team led by Erin McCanlies. She’s with the Health Effects Laboratory at the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. One autism expert who wasn’t involved in the study said it does give pause for thought. “The fact that there was a weak association between solvents and autism spectrum disorders is concerning and should not be dismissed,” said Dr. Andrew Adesman, who directs child and adolescent psychiatry at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. He stressed, though, that the association failed to reach statistical significance “when needed adjustments were made for this analysis.” On the other hand the study sample was relatively small, so a larger population might… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Obesity can develop as a result of poor eating habits, inactivity or genetics. To help prevent obesity, the URMC suggests: Work to change your family’s eating habits and activity levels. Be a role model for healthy eating and physical activity. Limit screen time to less than two hours per day. Keep the pantry stocked with healthier snacks.

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds — we hear a lot about the “best” food groups for health. But what about the worst ones? What foods should you be eliminating or at least cutting back on? Research published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at dietary intake and 318,000 deaths from diabetes, stroke and heart disease. In addition to not eating enough omega-3 rich seafood, nuts and seeds, two problematic factors stood out. These deaths were associated with eating too much salt and too many processed meats. The two go hand-in-hand in sausages, hot dogs, corned beef, beef jerky, canned meat, meat sauces, lunch meats and bacon. Eating too much salty food was associated with nearly 10% of those deaths. Processed meats are a key source of salt, but so are snacks, prepared foods and even packaged vegetables, especially those canned in salt. A separate study of 400,000 deaths related to heart and blood vessel diseases presented at an American Heart Association scientific meeting came to similar conclusions — finding 9% of these deaths were due to too much salt. The very unhealthy trans fats were also on the dangerous foods list. Fortunately, these are being phased out of packaged foods. But again, what you’re not eating makes a difference, too. These researchers also found that not getting enough whole… read on >

Setbacks are a part of life for everyone, but these stumbling blocks can be extremely difficult, even debilitating, to navigate. Taking certain steps can make it easier for you to rebound, according to experts at the University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. It’s easy to get caught up going over what happened again and again in your mind. But instead of simply reliving the event, spend the time exploring your feelings surrounding it. Putting them down on paper can give you insights into the situation, help you learn from the experience and finally move forward. Rather than berate yourself for whatever role you played in what happened, show yourself the same compassion you show friends and loved ones when you see them struggling with a serious issue. Be kind to yourself — this can change your mindset from blame to being open to finding better solutions in the future. If the situation was brought on by the actions of another person (or more than one), forgiveness may help you move forward. That doesn’t necessarily mean you must reconcile with the offenders — it’s possible that their actions are inexcusable and you can’t go back to the relationship you had before. But forgiving them will stop you from wasting your valuable energy on holding a grudge and, again, allow you to go forward and… read on >

Even a small increase in blood pressure during your first trimester could spell bigger trouble later in your pregnancy, new research suggests. Those troubles can include gestational high blood pressure, which develops after the 20th week of pregnancy, and preeclampsia (high blood pressure and protein in the urine), the researchers explained. Both conditions increase the risk for stroke in an expectant mother and for stillbirth, preterm birth and low birth weight. Preeclampsia also increases the risk of life-threatening seizures in the mother (eclampsia). In this study, the researchers analyzed data from about 8,900 pregnant women in the United States. Of those who had elevated blood pressure in the first trimester (120/80 to 129/80 mm Hg), just over 30% developed a high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy. This was a 42% higher risk than among women with normal blood pressure (less than 120/80 mm Hg) in the first trimester. Among women with stage 1 high blood pressure (130/80 to 139/89 mm Hg) in the first trimester, almost 38% developed a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, which was an 80% higher risk than among those with normal blood pressure, the findings showed. Stage 1 high blood pressure was associated with more than 2.5 times the risk for preeclampsia, according to the study. An increase in blood pressure between the first and second trimester also increased the risk of… read on >

Stop agonizing over the decades you spent glued to the couch. New research shows that physically active middle-aged and older adults live longer — even if they were inactive when they were younger. And that’s even if they had previous serious health problems, according to the British study. “These results are encouraging, not least for middle-aged and older adults with existing cardiovascular disease and cancer, who can still gain substantial longevity benefits by becoming more active,” said Soren Brage, of the epidemiology unit at the University of Cambridge, and his colleagues. The study included nearly 14,600 men and women, ages 40-79, who were recruited between 1993 and 1997. They underwent four assessments up to 2004. Deaths were recorded up to 2016. During follow-up, there were more than 3,100 deaths among the participants, including about 1,000 each from heart disease and from cancer. The researchers controlled for risk factors such as diet, weight, medical history, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They concluded that higher physical activity levels and increases in physical activity over time were associated with a lower risk of death. What counted as physical activity? The research noted activity at work, sports and recreational exercise. Among those who were inactive at the start of the study and gradually met minimum physical activity guidelines over five years, there was a 24% lower risk of death… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Broccoli You Are Sure to Love

How to Prevent Exercise Accidents

When It Comes to Treating Infertility, Race, Education and Income Matter

Meet ‘Huggable,’ the Robot Bear Who’s Helping Hospitalized Kids

Women’s Exposure to Solvents at Work Tied to Autism in Children

Health Tip: Help Prevent Obesity

What Are the Most Dangerous Food Groups?

How to Move Past Life’s Inevitable Speed Bumps

Even Slightly Elevated Blood Pressure Early in Pregnancy a Bad Sign

Forget the Past: Get Moving Now and Live Longer