Daily Health News Blog

They are a healthy way to perk up your palate Bored with veggies? Well, the vegetables popular in North America are just a tiny portion of the varieties available. If you are wary of experimenting with strange vegetables you know nothing about, here is a quick get-started list that can help. Fennel Sometimes called sweet anise, it looks like celery. Aromatic flavor and smell like licorice.The stems can be eaten like celery, uncooked or cooked. Try paring it with apples and nuts. Choose in same way you choose celery. Belgian Endive Silvery-white leaves with green edges. This sophisticated leafy vegetable is great for salads. Avoid specimens with wilted leaves. Use whole leaves as a boat for zesty fillings. Cardoon A favorite in the Mediterranean. A thistle-like plant. Use the inner leaves and stalks as a celery substitute. A favorite dish during Lent, when it is available. Celeraic A root vegetable, like a turnip. The light brown bulb root is a nice change from potatoes.

The vegetarian way of eating can be a very healthy style of eating.  The rules still apply with healthy eating, although you should add variety, balance, and moderation. A vegetarian is someone who avoids all types of meat, whether it be hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, or even fish. Vegetarians are also sometimes classified by the type of food they are or aren't willing to eat.  For example, Lacto-ovo vegetarians will avoid animal flesh yet they will eat eggs and most dairy products.  A Vegan on the other hand, will avoid all food that has any trace of animal origin. Because they don't eat meet, vegetarians will often wonder how they'll get enough protein.  Although you may not realize it, the average American actually consumes more protein than he actually needs.  For the lacto-ovo vegetarian, dairy products are an excellent source of protein.  Vegans on the other hand, get their protein from nuts, seeds, and soy products. Along the lines of beans, ther

This recipe makes about six half pints. 2 1/2  pounds ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears, cored and chopped. 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple. 1/2  cup vinegar. 1/2  cup packed brown sugar. 1 cup golden raisins. 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger. 1 1/2  teaspoons salt. 2 cloves garlic, crushed. 1/2  teaspoon each, cayenne pepper, ground cloves, ground cinnamon. 1/2  cup slivered almonds. Combine all ingredients except almonds. Bring to boil, cook and stir over low heat for 30 minutes, until thickened. Stir in almonds. Ladle into clean, hot half- pint canning jars, within 1/2 inch of tops. Seal according to manufacturer's directions. Place jars on rack in canner. Process 10 minutes in boiling-water bath with boiling water 2 inches above jar tops. Remove jars from canner, place on wire racks to cool. After 12 hours, test lids for proper seal.

This vitamin protects the heart. It controls the release of stress hormones that lead to  high blood pressure and inflammation. It can decrease the risk of colon cancer by half. A  study of post-menopausal women showed a 77 percent lower risk of all cancers among  those who took 1,000 mg of D plus calcium.  The role of vitamin D in bone health has been proven for some time, making the vitamin an  important factor in preventing osteoporosis. According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin D-fortified orange juice has joined  the short list of foods and beverages that contain vitamin D. This is good news for people  who don't drink much milk.  Vitamin D helps to prevent falls in older adults. While exercise is important in fall  prevention, vitamin D is more important.  Vitamin D is best known as essential for calcium uptake and the prevention of disease in  childhood. Since it was added to milk, rickets has largely disappeared.  Vitamin D could be a facto

WOMEN over 40 generally find it harder to lose weight and stay in shape. Hormonal changes, plus poor eating habits, accentuate the problems of slower metabolism, thicker waistlines and creeping weight gain. Though hormonal changes are inevitable for women over 40, there are healthy eating tips which women over 40 could follow to lose weight and stay in shape. Here are five healthy eating tips for women over 40: "Losing Weight Answers"

Want to live a longer, healthier and more successful life? An optimistic outlook can help you achieve all three. Researchers at Yale University say people who think positively live 7.5 years longer than those who don't. The effect was more important than lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. An optimistic outlook is not something you are born with. It's a character trait that can be achieved. If your outlook is generally gloomy, changing it to positive isn't easy. It takes work and repetition. When you are aware of your feelings, decide to be positive instead of negative. It might feel as if you are faking optimism, but after a while the optimism will be real. Motivational author Charles Kovess says it's important to remember that you are bound to meet negative people. Don't let them throw you off course. He recommends being grateful for all experiences because we grow stronger by getting through the negatives. Our actions are the results of our be