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If you love quick breads but crave a healthier treat, this lighter take on Grandma’s traditional recipe serves up a lemony lift. And because it calls for whole grains, dried fruit and nuts, it’s packed with goodness. Quick breads are great because they’re fast to put together, no kneading necessary. The lemon in this recipe not only flavors the bread, but also tenderizes the whole-grain flours. Using a mix of whole-grain flours — whole wheat and oat — gives a broader range of nutrients. Lemony Quick Bread Non-stick cooking spray 3/4 cup oat flour 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup coconut oil 1/2 cup honey 2 eggs 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or pecans 1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 1-pound loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir the flours, baking soda and salt. In another large bowl, combine the oil and the honey, then stir in the egg, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Add in the flour mixture in two batches, mixing just until incorporated. Don’t overmix — there will be some dry spots. Add the nuts and dried fruit. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and transfer the batter to the loaf pan. Smooth the top… read on >

Many people — including those who are overweight themselves — view people with obesity as less human or less evolved, new research reveals. In four online studies questioning more than 1,500 participants from the United States, the United Kingdom and India, researchers also found that dehumanization of those with obesity predicted support for policies that discriminate against this group. “We’ve obviously heard the way that people speak about people with obesity,” said study author Inge Kersbergen. She’s a research fellow at the University of Sheffield in England. “In that sense, we’d be surprised if we didn’t find anything,” Kersbergen said. “But I don’t think we were prepared for the magnitude of our findings.” In the first report believed to indicate that people with obesity are blatantly dehumanized, Kersbergen and her colleagues pooled data examining whether dehumanization depended on participants’ body weight and if those with obesity were dehumanized more than other social groups different from the norm. These other social groups included those based on appearance, such as underweight Americans, or illness, such as Americans with cancer. Different measures of attitudes toward people with obesity were used in the four separate studies. For example, participants indicated how evolved they considered various groups of people to be, including Americans, obese Americans, Americans addicted to heroin, Arabs, homeless Americans, and employed Americans. The research also included measures… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Focus is extremely important while driving. Distractions can cause drivers of any skill level to make mistakes, says the American Association of Retired Persons. To avoid distractions behind the wheel, AARP suggests: Secure your cargo. Restrain your pet. Never use your cell phone. Pre-set your favorite radio stations. Refrain from eating, drinking or smoking. Concentrating on anything other than driving raises your risk of an accident.

Significant but uneven improvements in air quality have greatly reduced U.S. deaths related to air pollution over the past decade, a new study shows. But researchers are concerned that climate change and regulatory rollbacks under the Trump administration will wipe out those advances and put thousands more lives at risk from bad air every year. “If you look at the trend, it’s already been slowing down in recent years,” said lead researcher Kevin Cromar. He is an associate professor of population health and environmental medicine at New York University in New York City. “If we want to continue these improvements, these rollbacks are pushing us in the wrong direction.” Overall, deaths tied to air pollution have decreased by about 43% — from about 12,600 deaths in 2010 to 7,140 in 2017, Cromar and his colleagues reported. But the story gets more complicated when you zero in on the two main causes of air pollution: soot and ozone. Deaths due to airborne soot, or fine particle pollution, declined by more than half between 2010 and 2017 — from 8,330 down to 3,260, the findings showed. “We really have seen some great improvement in terms of the health impacts of particle pollution,” Cromar said. “That’s real progress.” But deaths due to smog — also known as ozone pollution — have remained relatively level over the years. There… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Leg swelling typically occurs from fluid buildup or inflammation, says Mayo Clinic. It can affect any part of the leg, including the foot, ankle, calf or thigh. Even for non-emergency problems, prompt care is still recommended. To minimize leg swelling, consider: Restricting the amount of salt in your diet. Putting a pillow under your legs when lying down. Wearing elastic compression stockings. Giving yourself breaks, especially if you need to sit or stand for long periods. Seek emergency medical care if you are also having chest pain, difficulty breathing, feeling faint or coughing blood.

(HealthDay News) — In recent years, high-protein diets have surged in popularity. Though protein is essential for life, too much protein can be a problem, says Harvard Medical School. Getting too much protein is associated with: High cholesterol. Increased cancer risk. Kidney disease and kidney stones. Weight gain. Constipation or diarrhea.

The way you view aging can affect how well you manage stress. Older people who see aging negatively have stronger (negative) emotional reactions to day-to-day stresses, while such events have little effect on the moods of adults who are more positive about getting older. Their sunny outlook acts as a buffer against little annoyances. That’s not all. People who carry negative views also have lower levels of satisfaction and well-being. And they’re more likely to be hospitalized or die young, according to research published in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. Surveys by the nonprofit West Health Institute and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago found that the time to gain a positive perspective on aging is early in life — your 30s and 40s. This is when many people start to have general concerns about the future, such as facing health and financial issues, developing memory problems and losing their independence. The survey found increasing worry among younger people that government programs don’t — and won’t — do enough for seniors. What can you do to ward off such worries? Stay on top of lifestyle habits that help you avoid serious health threats, like diabetes and heart disease, and that maintain mental sharpness. These include eating a healthful diet, doing regular exercise and getting enough sleep. But beyond activities… read on >

The food-mood connection isn’t all in your head. In fact, there’s even a name for it — nutritional psychiatry. Scientists in the field are actively looking for connections between diet quality and mental disorders to help treat or even prevent these illnesses. One research review found that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish may reduce depression risk, with special emphasis on getting the omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish. Aim for a 3-ounce serving of halibut, salmon, herring, mackerel, oysters, sardines, trout or fresh tuna a few times a week. More Omega-3 Sources Walnuts Flaxseed Chia seeds Pumpkin seeds Other studies have zeroed in on nutrition shortfalls and found a link between depression and deficiencies in vitamin D and the B vitamin folic acid as well as omega-3s. Folic Acid Sources Oranges and grapefruit Strawberries Broccoli Leafy greens If you don’t get some daily sun exposure, it can be hard for your body to make the vitamin D it needs. You can get some D in wild salmon, sardines, egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified milk. Talk to your doctor about a blood test to measure your level and determine if you also need a supplement. How to put all these findings together? Following the classic Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduced risk not only of depression and cognitive impairment, but… read on >

You’ve probably never heard of Q fever, but the bacterial disease may be sickening — and killing — more Americans than once believed, a new study suggests. Caused by a bacteria carried by livestock, Query (Q) fever is a rare disease first discovered in 1947 and is found mostly in dry, dusty areas of California and the Southwest. “Q fever is underdiagnosed in the United States,” said lead researcher Dr. Christine Akamine, assistant professor of medicine at Loma Linda University in California. “We suspect this is because most patients have only mild symptoms and do not present for medical evaluation.” But her research revealed that more patients than expected had severe cases of Q fever — and diagnosis was often delayed. Akamine said increasing awareness of the disease could change that. People can get Q fever either by direct contact with livestock that carry the bacteria, called Coxiella burnetii, or by inhaling the spores carried by dust and wind. For the study, Akamine and colleagues collected data on patients hospitalized for Q fever between 2000 and 2016. Patients lived in a dusty, dry, windy area of Southern California ideal for spread of the disease. Of the 20 patients who were diagnosed with Q fever, three developed chronic cases of the disease and two died, the study found. Most cases of Q fever are mild and… read on >

Taking aspirin or anti-clotting medicines like Plavix won’t boost the risk of another stroke if you’ve already survived a bleeding stroke, a new study suggests. In fact, they might even help guard against a second brain bleed, the researchers noted. The findings “are reassuring for survivors of brain hemorrhage who need to take antiplatelet [anti-clotting] medicines to prevent heart attacks and strokes. I am keen to [further] investigate the possibility that these medicines might halve the risk of brain hemorrhage happening again,” said study author Rustam Salman, from the Center for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland. Anti-clotting medicines are often prescribed to older people to reduce their risk of heart attack and another type of stroke caused by a blood clot (ischemic stroke). But there have been concerns that these drugs might increase the risk of another bleeding stroke in people who’d already had one. In this study, the researchers followed 537 bleeding stroke survivors for up to five years. During that time, half took anti-clotting medicines while half did not. A second brain bleed occurred in 12 of those who took anti-clotting medicines and in 23 people who did not take the drugs, the investigators found. This suggests that anti-clotting drugs reduce, rather than increase as feared, the chances of more bleeding in the brain, though further studies are… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Try This Whole-Grain Lemony Quick Bread

Many ‘Dehumanize’ People with Obesity

Health Tip: Avoid Distracted Driving

Fewer Deaths Tied to Dirty Air, But Threats Persist: Report

Health Tip: Living With Leg Swelling

Health Tip: Effects of Too Much Protein

Take a New View of Aging

Healthy Food May Boost Mood

Q Fever? A Bigger Threat to Humans Than Thought

Aspirin, Anti-Clotting Meds Safe After Bleeding Stroke: Study