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Barley: A Tasty Alternative to Rice

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Looking for a simple yet delicious way to enjoy whole grains? Start with nutritious, easy-to-cook barley, a great swap for processed grains like white rice. When shopping, choose hulled barley instead of pearl. Hulled barley retains more of the outer bran layer with its fiber and nutrients. Pearl parley has had most of the bran layer “polished” off. Hearty barley is a staple in Europe. In the United States, it’s often used as an ingredient in soups and stews, but there’s no reason to relegate it to those dishes. To cook barley for a fast breakfast or side dish, for every two servings, use a half-cup barley to a cup and a half of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the grains are tender and most of the water has evaporated. Top with cinnamon in the morning or herbs for dinner — it’s that versatile. But don’t stop there. Try this twist on traditional risotto for a one-pot meal. Mushroom Barley “Risotto” 1 cup dry hulled barley 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 red onion, minced 3 garlic cloves 5 ounces mushrooms, such as button or crimini, sliced 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, chopped Place the barley in a…  read on >

Pain Relief: When to Use Cold, When to Use Heat

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Sore from a workout? You don’t have to reach for pain relief medicine when ice or heat will help. But when should you go cold and when should you go warm? Ice is the go-to therapy when an injury first happens. It can stop the swelling of a sprained ankle, for instance, and numb the pain. The traditional approach is 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off at first. You might step this down to 20 minutes every two or three hours on the second and third days. If you have a long-term injury, icing the area for 10 to 20 minutes after a workout can be soothing. Ice options include a plastic bag of crushed ice, a reusable ice pack or even a bag of peas that can be refrozen for use again — label it so no one eats them. Whatever you use, always place a thin towel between the ice and your skin to prevent skin damage. Once the swelling of an injury is gone, you can switch to heat. Heat eases discomfort and promotes healing. With a chronic condition like arthritis, it can soothe achy joints and lessen your pain. You can follow the same type of schedule you would when icing. Just as you don’t want to freeze your skin with ice, you don’t want to burn it with heat. So…  read on >

Nearly 5 Million American Kids Are Obese, New Study Finds

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THURSDAY, Oct. 10, 2019America’s child obesity epidemic shows no signs of shrinking. About 4.8 million American kids aged 10 to 17 — just over 15% — were obese in 2017-2018, according to a new report. “These new data show that this challenge touches the lives of far too many children in this country,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which produced the new report. It found that the five states with the highest youth obesity rates were Mississippi (25.4%), West Virginia (20.9%), Kentucky (20.8%), Louisiana (20.8%) and Michigan (18.9%). The lowest rates were seen in Utah (8.7%), Minnesota (9.4%), Alaska (9.9%), Colorado (10.7%) and Montana (10.8%). Progress against child obesity seems to have stalled: The report’s authors said that no states had statistically significant changes in obesity rates between 2016 and 2017-2018. The report also noted large racial and ethnic disparities. Obesity rates among black and Hispanic youth (22% and 19%, respectively) were sharply higher than among whites and Asians (about 12% and 7%, respectively). “Black and Hispanic youth are still at greater risk than their white and Asian peers,” Besser said in a foundation news release. Family income also had a major impact, the findings showed. The obesity rate among youth in households with incomes below the federal poverty line was nearly 22%, compared to about…  read on >

Tying the Knot Is Tied to Longer Life Span, New Data Shows

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Married folks not only live longer than singles, but the longevity gap between the two groups is growing, U.S. government health statisticians report. The age-adjusted death rate for the married declined by 7% between 2010 and 2017, according to a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Not only is the rate for married lower, but it’s declining more than any other group,” said lead author Sally Curtin, an NCHS statistician. Statistically, death rate is the annual number of deaths for every 100,000 people. It’s adjusted so that a 26-year-old and an 80-year-old married or widowed or divorced are on equal footing. The new study reported that the death rate for never-marrieds declined only 2%, while that for divorced people hasn’t changed at all. Worst off were the widowed, for whom the death rate rose 6%. They have the highest death rate of all the categories, researchers said. Married men in 2017 had an age-adjusted death rate of 943 per 100,000, compared to 2,239 for widowers. The death rate was 1,735 per 100,000 for lifelong bachelors and 1,773 for divorced men. Married women had a death rate of 569 per 100,000, two-and-a-half times lower than the 1,482 rate for widows. The death rate was 1,096 for divorcees and 1,166 for never-married women.…  read on >

The Slow Cooker Makes a Comeback

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You might think of a slow cooker as your grandma’s favorite timesaver, but this countertop device has many modern benefits — from making healthier meals and cutting calories to saving you time at the stove. Because almost all you need to do is cut, measure and add ingredients, you can set a slow cooker in the morning and have a meal ready when everyone rushes in at dinnertime. That’s a nutritious and inexpensive alternative to fast food. A slow cooker draws the maximum flavor from the ingredients you put in and makes delicious dishes with little or no added fat. It’s also a great way to make less expensive cuts of meat more tender. Do rub the inside of the machine with a few drops of oil or spray it with nonstick cooking spray before using for easier cleanup — or use a special liner made for the purpose. Always carefully clean it out afterwards. Adding lots of vegetables to a one-pot meal means you don’t have to worry about cooking separate side dishes to get in vegetable servings. Just place them in first, then add your protein and liquid in that order for the most even cooking. Note: Cutting larger pieces of food into small pieces will also ensure that everything cooks evenly. Typically, you’ll fill the slow cooker between half and two-thirds full,…  read on >

Kids + Gadgets = Less Sleep and More Risk for Unwanted Weight

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If you’re an adult managing sleep problems, you likely know that part of creating an environment conducive to sleep includes turning off all gadgets at least an hour before bed because of the effects of the light they emit. This same advice goes for kids, too. Using smartphones, tablets and other gadgets has become more and more linked to sleep problems in children, such as not getting enough sleep or enough quality sleep. This can set up a chain reaction that seems to increase youngsters’ obesity risk. Not getting enough sleep leads to being sleepy at school, ramping up hormones that cause cravings for sugary or starchy foods, eating to get the energy to stay awake and, in turn, gaining unwanted weight. To help restore a healthy sleep pattern, turn off gadgets an hour before bed and create a family charging station away from all bedrooms. Not having the phone handy avoids the temptation for kids (and adults) to check messages just one more time before putting their head on the pillow. Make the hour before bed a calming time with quiet activities, like reading and choosing clothes for the morning. See to it that your children get an hour of exercise every day, outdoors if possible. Add time to any school-based physical activities to reach 60 minutes. Even though adults are encouraged to get…  read on >

Veggies’ Popularity Is All in the Name

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How do you make healthy food more popular? Start by giving it a yummy-sounding name, researchers say. People are much more likely to choose good-for-you foods like broccoli or carrots if labeled with names that emphasize taste over nutritional value, according to Alia Crum, an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford University, and her colleagues. In previous research, Crum’s team found that Stanford students were far more likely to go for decadent-sounding veggies like “twisted citrus glazed carrots” over an equivalent option that might be labeled “dietetic carrots.” The key, however, is the food must actually be tasty, the new study confirms. “This is radically different from our current cultural approach to healthy eating which, by focusing on health to the neglect of taste, inadvertently instills the mindset that healthy eating is tasteless and depriving,” Crum, senior author of the new report, said in a university news release. “And yet in retrospect, it’s like, of course, why haven’t we been focusing on making healthy foods more delicious and indulgent all along?” she added. In the new study, the researchers tracked food choices made by students enrolled across a network of 57 U.S. colleges and universities. The investigators looked at 71 vegetable dishes labeled with either taste-focused, health-focused or neutral names. Students were 29% more likely to select veggies when taste was emphasized rather than health.…  read on >

‘Smartphone Slouching’ More Serious Than It Sounds

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The health risks that spring from poor posture while using mobile devices don’t concern many Americans, a new survey finds. But maybe it should. Poor posture can lead to health issues such as chronic pain in the back, neck and knees, circulation problems, heartburn and digestive problems, according to researchers from the Orlando Health system in Florida. American adults spend an average more than 3.5 hours on their smartphones every day, meaning they may be looking down or slouching for long periods of time, they noted. Their national survey, published Oct. 9, asked respondents their level of concern about eye strain, carpal tunnel and other potential health consequences of mobile device use. Only 47% said they were concerned about poor posture and how it affected their health. “It’s not just when you’re scrolling on your phone, but any time you put your body in a less-than-optimal position, whether that’s reading a book, working at a desk or lounging on the couch,” said Nathaniel Melendez, an exercise physiologist at Orlando Health’s National Training Center in Clermont, Fla. “People don’t realize the strain they’re putting on their body when it is not aligned correctly, or just how far corrective exercises and daily adjustments can go toward improving pain and postural issues,” he added in a health system news release. “I see a lot of people compensating for…  read on >

You’ve Lost the Weight — Now Keep It Off to Keep Diabetes at Bay

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The health of people with type 2 diabetes often improves dramatically with a 5% to 10% weight loss — but to sustain the benefits, you need to keep the weight off, new research claims. After losing weight with a yearlong intervention, blood sugar and blood pressure levels go down and cholesterol results improve. People who kept at least 75% of that weight off for another three years retained or had even greater health benefits, the study reported. “A lot of times, the emphasis is put on weight-loss programs, but it’s just as critical to help people maintain their weight loss,” said study senior author Alice Lichtenstein. She’s director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston. “People tend to think of diets as short-term, but it’s really something that has to be lifelong. If you’ve found a successful way to lose weight, don’t revert to old habits. Figure out how to incorporate the changes you made to lose weight,” Lichtenstein suggested. Excess weight is a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that losing weight can improve the symptoms of type 2 diabetes. And shedding around 10% of your body weight may even put the disease into remission, a recent study from Diabetic Medicine found. The current study — published…  read on >

Health Tip: Getting Too Much Exercise

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(HealthDay News) — For many people, moderate-intensity exercise throughout the week is recommended, says MedlinePlus. At the same time, neglecting rest can backfire. MedlinePlus mentions possible symptoms of too much exercise: Being unable to perform at the same level. Needing longer periods of rest. Feeling tired, depressed, anxious or irritable. Having difficulty sleeping. Having sore muscles. Getting overuse injuries. Getting more colds than usual.