Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

When it comes to getting the best taste and the greatest nutritional value from grains, keep it whole grain. Quinoa, oats, short-grain brown rice and wild rice, polenta (which is made from corn) and barley are most nutritious in their whole, unprocessed form. That’s because the bran is still intact, and the bran is where most of the minerals, vitamins and plenty of fiber reside. Processed and packaged foods are rarely made from 100 percent whole grains. Think of them as empty carbs with lots of preservatives, so switch to these flavorful grains to load up on nutrition, including essential minerals and even some protein. Tip: Don’t be fooled by the word “multi-grain” on packages — this does not mean that a variety of or even any whole grains were used. Brown rice is high in magnesium and tryptophan, barley is high in selenium and tryptophan, and steel cut oats are high in manganese and zinc. These grains are simple to prepare. Bring water to a boil, add your grains and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and keep covered for 5 minutes to allow the grains to fluff, then stir with a fork. Quinoa is another excellent choice, high in iron and manganese, plus it’s quicker to cook than the other grains. Rinse a cup of… read on >

Your long-term happiness in marriage may hinge on the genes you and your partner bring to the union. A Yale University study suggests marital bliss could be influenced by a genetic variation that affects oxytocin, the so-called “love hormone” that is involved in social bonding. “This study shows that how we feel in our close relationships is influenced by more than just our shared experiences with our partners over time,” said lead author Joan Monin, an associate professor in the Yale School of Public Health. “In marriage, people are also influenced by their own and their partner’s genetic predispositions,” she said in a Yale news release. The study included 178 married couples ranging in age from 37 to 90. The participants were asked about their feelings of marital security and satisfaction, and each provided a saliva sample for genetic testing. When at least one partner had a genetic variation known as the GG genotype within the oxytocin gene receptor, the couple had greater satisfaction and feelings of security in their marriage compared with couples with different genotypes, the researchers found. Previous studies have linked the oxytocin receptor variant, OXTR rs53576, to personality traits such as emotional stability, empathy and sociability. This study is believed to be the first to examine its role in marital satisfaction. The Yale researchers also found that people with the GG… read on >

If supermarket circulars influence your grocery shopping, you could be saving money at the expense of your health. That’s because studies show the offerings are often far from the healthiest food choices. Researchers looked at a year’s worth of circulars from a small Midwestern grocery chain to see how the nutritional quality of sale items compared to that of the average American diet, which itself scores low. They found that sales reflected a tendency to eat too much protein and not enough fruits and vegetables. While 25 percent of sale items were for protein-based foods, only 8 percent were for vegetables and 7 percent for fruits. Worse still, less than 3 percent were for the most healthful dark green, red and orange vegetables. So, it’s important not to let these circulars dictate your eating habits. Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost as much as you might think. The difference can be as little as $1.50 more per day. Interestingly, some studies have shown that even people who spend the most money on food don’t automatically select healthier choices. Regardless of budget, the average family spends the biggest chunk of their food budget — about 35 percent — on items like snacks, treats and frozen dinners. That means shifting just some of your shopping dollars may be enough to boost your diet. Once you’re at the… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Dry, cold air can trigger asthma attacks, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says. Breathing in the winter air can cause airways to restrict, making it difficult to breathe. The foundation offers suggestions to reduce asthma attacks during winter: Cover your mouth with a scarf. Exercise indoors, not outdoors. Always carry your quick-relief inhaler with you. Talk to your doctor about pretreatment plans.

Obesity and severe obesity have been added to the list of conditions that put children and teens at increased risk for early heart disease. So says a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA). “Parents need to know that some medical conditions raise the chances of premature heart disease, but we are learning more every day about how lifestyle changes and medical therapies can lower their cardiovascular risk and help these children live their healthiest lives,” statement writing group chair Dr. Sarah de Ferranti said in an AHA news release. She is chief of the Division of Cardiology Outpatient Services at Boston Children’s Hospital. The latest statement is an update of a 2006 statement. Other conditions that increase the risk of early heart disease in children and teens include type 1 and type 2 diabetes, familial high cholesterol, congenital heart disease, and surviving childhood cancer. Severe obesity and obesity are now included as moderate-risk and at-risk conditions, respectively, because research shows they significantly increase the risk of heart disease later in life, according to the AHA. For example, a study of nearly 2.3 million people who were followed for over 40 years found that the risk of dying from heart disease was two to three times higher if they had been overweight or obese as teens. In general, a gradual approach to weight… read on >

Nuts and seeds are often mentioned in the same breath, but nuts seem to get all the attention. Time to stop overlooking seeds — they might be tiny, but they pack in a lot of nutrients. They’re also tasty and some make a filling snack. Like nuts, seeds have protein, carbohydrates and fats. Because of their fat content, they’re calorie-dense, and a half-ounce — weighed without the shell, about one tablespoon — is equivalent to an ounce of protein. Flax seeds are especially good for you because of their high omega-3 content and both soluble and insoluble fiber. To get the most benefits, buy them whole, keep them in the fridge and grind them as you need them (not in advance) — easily done in a coffee bean grinder. Besides sprinkling ground flax on cereal and yogurt, add it to smoothies, ground meat dishes and pancake, waffle and muffin batters. You can even use it instead of breadcrumbs. Sunflower seeds are a tasty source of vitamin E, some B vitamins and a wide array of minerals. They’re great when sprinkled over salads or creamy vegetable soups as well as on their own. Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are another great choice, a good source of protein, zinc and antioxidants. You can buy them when shelled or unshelled, but it’s easy to roast your own anytime… read on >

Is forgive and forget always the right approach after hurtful behavior from your spouse or significant other? Research done at the University of North Carolina suggests it could actually set up a pattern of continued bad behavior, one in which you forgive and your spouse forgets the mistake and does it again. Researchers evaluated a quality they call agreeableness and looked at the variations that could exist in a relationship: Both partners rank high in agreeableness; both rank low; or one partner is high and the other low. People with a high level of agreeableness tend to put their relationship before themselves. If they do something hurtful and are forgiven, they tend not to repeat that behavior — they feel it’s only right to reciprocate with kindness. People with a low level of agreeableness are more focused on themselves and more likely to repeat the hurtful behavior after being forgiven. They interpret a lack of sustained anger from their partner as a sign that their behavior wasn’t bad enough to stop — that they have his or her unspoken permission to keep acting the same way. If your partner keeps repeating something that bothers you, consider where you each are on the agreeableness scale. Do you both believe in quick forgiveness? Do you both get angry after a breach? Or do you each react differently?… read on >

(HealthDay News) — As days become shorter and the weather becomes colder, it is not uncommon to have depression-like symptoms. For those with the winter blues, the American Psychological Association offers ways to manage symptoms: Immerse yourself in daylight by going for a walk, or sitting by a window. Eat healthy, low sugar meals. Spend time with friends and family. Stay active by exercising or scheduling pleasant activities. Seek professional help if symptoms worsen.

If life looks gray and cloudy when you smoke, you might not be imagining it. Heavy smoking may actually damage color and contrast vision, researchers report. They looked at 71 healthy people who smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes in their lives and 63 people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day. The participants were aged 25 to 45 and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision. But the heavy smokers showed significant changes in their red-green and blue-yellow color vision and also had greater difficulty discriminating contrasts and colors than nonsmokers. “Our results indicate that excessive use of cigarettes, or chronic exposure to their compounds, affects visual discrimination, supporting the existence of overall deficits in visual processing with tobacco addiction,” said co-author Steven Silverstein, director of research at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. “Cigarette smoke consists of numerous compounds that are harmful to health, and it has been linked to a reduction in the thickness of layers in the brain, and to brain lesions, involving areas such as… the area of the brain that processes vision,” he added in a university news release. And, he noted, “Previous studies have pointed to long-term smoking as doubling the risk for age-related macular degeneration and as a factor causing lens yellowing and inflammation.” Nicotine and smoking harm the body’s circulatory system, and these findings indicate they also damage blood… read on >

Obese young children may have less risk for high blood pressure if their mother took the omega-3 fatty acid DHA — found in fish oil — during pregnancy, new research suggests. The findings could be important since rising numbers of American children are obese and experiencing hikes in blood pressure. That could have long-term consequences for their health, said study co-author Susan Carlson. She’s professor of nutrition at the University of Kansas. “It is known that blood pressure tracks over time, such that people with higher blood pressure early in life are more likely to have higher blood pressure later in life,” she said in a university news release. The study tracked 171 children born in the Kansas City area. During pregnancy, half of the children’s mothers took 600 milligrams a day of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) — which is found in prenatal vitamins, fish oil supplements and fish — while the other half took a placebo. The children’s blood pressure was then checked a number of times between the ages of 4 and 6. Among kids who were overweight or obese, higher blood pressure was found in those whose mothers took a placebo during pregnancy, but not in those whose mothers took DHA during pregnancy, the researchers found. On average, overweight/obese children of mothers in the placebo group had 3.94 mm Hg higher systolic (top… read on >