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Red or green, sweet or hot, peppers are a great source of vitamins A, C, E and many of the B vitamins, plus minerals like calcium, iron and potassium. These and other nutrients are jammed into a low-calorie “package” that’s perfect for stuffing with other healthful foods. Chili peppers, such as jalapenos and serranos, also add zesty spice to dishes. They get their heat from a special compound called capsaicin that may also have health properties, including pain relief. (All peppers except bell peppers contain some capsaicin.) When shopping for peppers, look for firm, unblemished skins with no soft spots. Store them in produce bags in the fridge for up to three days. One of the tastiest Mexican chili peppers is the poblano. It looks similar to a green bell pepper, but has a slightly darker skin, longer shape and spicier, deeper flavor. Like bell peppers, poblanos can be heartily stuffed to make a complete meal. Here’s a meatless recipe that delivers on flavor as well as satisfaction. Stuffed Poblanos 4 poblano chili peppers 4 cups baby spinach or 10-ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed 1/4 cup raisins, red or golden 2 tablespoons pine nuts or chopped walnuts 4 tablespoons mild or medium salsa 1 cup grated Colby or Jack cheese Roast poblanos under the broiler on an ungreased baking tray for three to four… read on >

Looking for ways to burn extra calories? Don’t just stand there — these moves allow you to multitask for fitness. Whenever you’re stuck in a long line, do toe raises to work foot and calf muscles. Simply lift both your heels off the ground and roll up to your tiptoes. Hold for five seconds and then roll back down. The American Council on Exercise suggests alternating between slow and fast rolls to reach all muscle fibers. Isometrics are another option, and no one will be able to tell what you’re doing. Cycle through your various muscle groups by contracting one group at a time. Start with your calves and work up to your thighs and glutes. Then do your abs, pecs, biceps and triceps. To contract, tighten and hold each muscle group for a full 30 seconds before moving on to the next group. These contractions are easy to do if you’re standing on a bus or train or even as you ride the elevator to your office. Make brushing your teeth even more effective by doing squats. To add a fitness component to your TV viewing, trade in your cushy spot on the sofa for a stability ball. You’ll work your core muscles and improve posture just by sitting on it. Keep small hand weights nearby and grab them for sets of upper body… read on >

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer vacation — a season of potato salad, ice cream and, if you’re not careful, unwanted weight gain. But it is possible to avoid packing on the pounds. Just hop on the scale every day, researchers suggest. The new study included 111 U.S. adults, who weighed themselves every day from mid-November 2017 to early January 2018 and received feedback on their weight changes. The participants either maintained or lost weight during that end-of-year holiday season. A “control group” of adults who did not do daily self-weighing gained weight, according to the study published in the June issue of the journal Obesity. Other than being told to try to maintain their weight, the self-weighers received no instructions on how to achieve that goal. That meant they had to decide for themselves how to manage their weight. “Maybe they exercise a little bit more the next day (after seeing a weight increase) or they watch what they are eating more carefully,” study author Jamie Cooper said in a journal news release. “The subjects self-select how they are going to modify their behavior, which can be effective because we know that interventions are not one-size-fits-all.” Cooper is an associate professor of foods and nutrition at the University of Georgia, in Athens. The study findings support something known as discrepancy theories of… read on >

Sunscreen is a real key to protecting your skin from the sun and preventing skin cancer, but are you using it correctly? Santa Monica-based dermatologist Dr. Tanya Kormeili thinks not. A recent American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) found “only about a third of Americans are reapplying their sunscreen every two hours while outside. Since sunscreen wears off, incorrect usage leaves you unprotected and susceptible to skin cancer,” Kormeili said in an AAD news release. She outlined other common sunscreen mistakes and how to avoid them. First, read the sunscreen labels. You should choose sunscreens that are broad-spectrum, water-resistant and have an SPF of 30 or higher. Second, most people apply only one-quarter to one-half of the recommended amount of sunscreen. To fully cover their body, most adults need about 1 ounce of sunscreen, or enough to fill a shot glass. Apply enough sunscreen to cover all skin that isn’t covered by clothing. Apply it 15 minutes before going outdoors, and reapply every two hours while outdoors or after swimming or sweating. Third, only 20% of Americans apply sunscreen on cloudy days, but the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays go through clouds. Apply sunscreen every time you go outside, even under clouds. Another mistake is using old sunscreen. Sunscreens are required to retain their original strength for at least three years. Throw out your sunscreen if… read on >

Water polo players appear to face similar head injury risks as athletes in better-known sports, a new study FINDS. “For years, water polo’s head trauma risks have been downplayed or overshadowed by football-related brain injuries,” said study co-author James Hicks. “Our data quantifies the extent of the problem and sets the stage for additional research and possible rule changes or protective gear to improve water polo safety,” Hicks added. He is chairman of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Irvine. “People who’ve never seen a game may not realize how physical it is,” Hicks said in a university news release. “Head-butts and elbows. Balls flying up to 50 miles per hour.” And while no concussions were diagnosed among players in the study, the force of the head blows was “similar to those observed in collegiate soccer, another sport that is commonly studied for the risks associated with repeated head impact exposure,” he added. For the study, Hicks and his colleagues tracked several dozen players in Division 1 NCAA Men’s Water Polo over three seasons. The players wore caps embedded with electronic sensors. Overall, the researchers counted an average of 18 head hits per game. Offensive players were far more likely to get hit in the head than players in defensive and transition positions (60%, 23% and 17%, respectively), the… read on >

Do you worry a lot? Besides the anxiety it’s causing you emotionally, it can threaten your health. Whether you worry over actual problems or the fear of future ones, it interferes with sleep and quality of life. And, according to research done at Case Western Reserve University, it can be so intrusive that it harms your important relationships, too. Here’s what you can do to ease your worries and protect your mental and physical health. Take action for true concerns. For instance, if you’re worried about money for retirement, learn more about investments. Work with a certified financial planner to help you meet goals. If you’re nervous about a health condition or an upcoming medical test, bone up on the procedure, experts at the University of California, Berkeley, suggest. Don’t be afraid to ask your medical providers questions so you understand what you’ve read and how it applies to you. On the other hand, if you find that you look for things to worry about and can’t seem to shake the bad habit, try to lose yourself in exercise. Physical activity boosts mood and improves health — that’s one less worry right there. You might also investigate mindfulness, a technique that teaches you to live in the moment and not worry about “what ifs.” There are self-help approaches to try on your own, or you… read on >

Arthritis in the knees can strike people as young as 45, with symptoms severe enough to limit activities and harm quality of life. What can be done about it? First, know that inactivity isn’t the answer. You need to move, so try low-impact exercises like walking and swimming. Researchers are also looking at possible benefits from interval training rather than continuous workouts. If you’re overweight, research has shown that diet, along with exercise, can reduce pain and improve function. Studies on the popular supplement glucosamine have yielded conflicting results over the years, but one explanation for the mixed findings has to do with the different formulas that were used. Success in Europe and other parts of the world was found with a daily 1,500-milligram dose of patented crystalline glucosamine, according to the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases. Acupuncture helps some people find relief, as does daily do-it-yourself acupressure — using just your fingertips on the painful areas. More invasive procedures, like injections of corticosteroids or hyaluronic acid, have limited benefits and possible side effects. And knee surgery, often suggested to “wash out” debris inside the joint, does not seem to result in significant pain relief, better function or greater benefits than conservative strategies like exercise therapy. One helpful suggestion came from an analysis of studies involving exercise among people with knee and other joint pain… read on >

The popular weed killer Roundup might be linked to liver disease, a new study suggests. A group of patients suffering from liver disease had elevated urine levels of glyphosate, the primary weed-killing ingredient in Roundup, according to researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). “We found those patients who had more severe disease had higher levels of [glyphosate] excretion, which means they had higher levels of exposure, presumably through their diet,” said lead researcher Paul Mills. He is director of UCSD’s Center of Excellence for Research and Training in Integrative Health. Until now, debate regarding the health effects of glyphosate has largely centered on fears that the chemical causes cancer. Earlier this month, a California jury awarded $2 million to a couple who said long-term exposure to Roundup caused them to develop the same type of cancer — non-Hodgkin lymphoma — four years apart. That happened days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft conclusion that glyphosate poses “no risks to public health” and “is not likely to be carcinogenic for humans.” Dr. Kenneth Spaeth is chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y. He said that the UCSD study findings regarding liver disease raise “a whole other area of potential reason to have concern about this product and its widespread use globally.” Glyphosate is… read on >

It’s a simple concept, but new research reinforces the idea: Teens with type 1 diabetes benefit when they feel their concerns have been heard. Teens with type 1 diabetes may experience anger, frustration and anxiety if they haven’t met their treatment goals. Their parents and health care providers may also feel frustrated and may blame the teen. But the new study suggests that interventions designed to improve diabetes-related care and communication could improve a teen’s diabetes self-management. “The biggest thing people don’t understand about living with type 1 diabetes is that patients become physicians essentially, and doctors and staff become consultants,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Harold Starkman. He’s the director of pediatric endocrinology at the BD Diabetes Center at Atlantic Health System’s Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, N.J. “Families and teens who have type 1 diabetes have the responsibility of caring for diabetes all the time. They have to figure out how much insulin they need, what to eat, count the carbohydrates in the food, consider the impact of diabetes,” he explained. Most teens are trying to do the best they can, but it’s a lot of responsibility, he said. And, it’s frustrating to ask for help when you’re a teenager. “Normally, teens need to separate from their parents and move on, but for teens with type 1 diabetes, diabetes is a tether,”… read on >

Your unhealthy eating habits could increase your risk of cancer as much as drinking alcohol can, new research reports. The Tufts University study found that poor diets cause about the same number of cancer cases as alcohol consumption does in the United States. The researchers said their modeling study estimated that dietary factors may have accounted for over 80,000 of the new invasive cancer cases reported in 2015, or about 5% of that year’s total among U.S. adults. Alcohol was associated with 4% to 6% of cases, overweight and obesity with 7% to 8% of cases, and physical inactivity with 2% to 3%, the study authors noted. The study also found that poor diet was linked with 38% of colorectal cancer cases, and with nearly 26% of mouth, pharynx and larynx cancers reported in 2015 in the United States. In actual numbers, in 2015, poor diet was associated with over 52,200 colorectal cancer cases; over 14,400 mouth, pharynx and larynx cancers; nearly 3,200 uterine cancers; just over 3,000 cases of breast cancer in postmenopausal women; 2,000 kidney cancers; nearly 1,600 stomach cancers; and 1,000 liver cancers. The investigators also looked at specific eating habits linked with cancer risk. Low intake of whole grains was associated with the largest number and proportion of diet-related cancer cases, followed by low levels of dairy products, eating lots of… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Turn Up the Heat With Healthy Hot Chili Peppers

How to Burn Calories During Everyday Tasks

How to Prevent Sneaky Summer Weight Gain

Does Your Sunscreen Work for You?

Water Polo Study Highlights Head Injury Risk

Worry Less for Better Health

Got Knee Pain? What You Need to Know About Alternatives to Surgery

Roundup Linked to Human Liver Damage: Study

Open Communication Helps Teens Manage Type 1 Diabetes

Poor Diet Might Raise Your Cancer Risk