Healthy nuggets of news to keep your motor humming

Welcome to the 30th issue of our newsletter:

Healthy World Digest

In this issue:

* Dehydration & dry eyes

* The low carb diet issue

* Colorful foods are best: Purple foods

* Delectable herbs for osteoarthritis

* Why we stress exercise, supplements & lifestyle choices over meds

* Recipe: Chicken & rice casserole

As promised, or threatened, following is this month’s bonus issue of Healthy World Digest, a little late but, hey, it's August.

* Dehydration & dry eyes

A common complaint, especially as we age, is dry and/or burning eyes.

Here’s a first line of defense. Just drink 2 glasses of water. Best on an empty stomach. Might help immediately and it can’t hurt.

For more, visit our page on dehydration and dry eyes

* The low carb diet controversy

Want to know the truth?

I wrote the title of this item ("The low carb diet issue") some time ago but I forgot what I specifically wanted to say about the topic. But I’m pretty sure it was important.

Ok, here’s something about the so-called low carb diet that you should be very clear about.

All, ALL respectable and effective diets are essentially low carbohydrate diets.

Let the creators manipulate the protein and fat, let them rip off Dr. Atkins like the South Beach phony (that’s right, I said it because I don’t like to see fat cardiologists take credit for what Atkins outlined years ago), but they all stress carbs in moderation with little to no simple carbohydrates.

Even the diets that simply end up cutting back on calories essentially work by cutting back on carbs.

I remember my friend being on Nutrisystem and taking out his little, very little, serving of soon-to-be-microwaved soup for lunch. He raved about the system. I said, “Oh, that looks pretty good but what are you going to have for lunch?” He replied, “Ah, well…this…um…this is lunch.”

I furrowed my eyebrows and observed, “Mmmm, I think I know why Nutrisystem works. ..They just ask you to eat 1/3 the normal amount of food. Brilliant!”

You need Nutrisystem for that?

Hey want a really good diet plan if you need to lose weight? Eat regularly except cut all carbs in half. Do not compensate by having more fats or protein or more simple carbs or more sodas and juices.

Your insulin levels will decrease so you'll burn more fat. Also you wont feel the terrible food cravings that diets like Nutrisystem result in. Even the Atkins diet has an initiation period that I think is very difficult to go through no matter what Dr. A used to claim.

Oh, and make sure your activity level stays the same or even increases.

* Colorful foods are best

Yeah, it goes back to survival. Colorful foods attract us, we eat ’em, they’re good for us, the more we eat them, the better our bodies use their nutrients, and so on.

Let’s go with purple foods which are rich in antioxidants.

Purple potatoes contain nutrients that help us avert heart disease.

Purple cauliflower contains nutrients that help us avoid cancer.

Oh, and did you know that you could mash potatoes for a great side dish. I’m sure you’ve had them before.

But all kidding aside, here’s something you might not have heard of. You could incorporate some cauliflower into your mashed potatoes, adding some butter and salt as usual. Using some cauliflower helps cut back on carbs and it adds nutrients.

Just mash up some cooked cauliflower with your potatoes. Use about 1 part cauliflower to 1 or 2 parts potato. You should not be able to tell the difference between classic mashed potatoes and your new fangled ones.

Why not try fooling the kids into having more veggies with this one?

* Delectable herbs for osteoarthritis

A very common problem especially as we age, osteoarthritis could be managed with some very common foodstuffs.

Let’s start with delicious pineapple. It contains an enzyme, bromelain, which helps prevent inflammation. The pineapple must be fresh or take capsules which contain bromelain.

And then there’s ginger. A small study showed that eating ginger could provide welcomed relief from pain and swelling. For more on this great herb, visit our page on the benefits of ginger

For more on managing arthritis go to our page on home remedies for osteoarthritis

* Why we stress supplements, exercise & lifestyle choices over meds

Where do I even start? How about a quick list?

Medications target symptoms, not disease

Really think those drugs are effective and safe? Note that long term studies of drug and possible infinite interactions of the many prescribed medications are not really possible. With herbs, at least we have centuries of anecdotal evidence.

Drug companies keep negative results from studies secret. If they pay for them, why should they report on poor results?

This one really makes my ears red. Medical experts now make up conditions to sell meds and they find other uses for popular medications to keep the profits flowing. Hey, your kid doesn’t need a prescription if he’s a a little hyper or shy, OK?

Many drugs simply don’t work, like meds for moderate depression. That’s right, they flat out don’t work, at least not any better than a placebo.

Here’s some good advice. If you have to take drugs, take generic if possible because results and side effects are better understood over a longer term.

Oh, and finally, I've wanted to get this one off my chest for a long time. When some snarky fellow, in love with drugs, tells you that taking "too many" supplements just results in “expensive urine” first tell him to stick it and then tell him that the same thing happens with prescription drugs, so there.

Geez, this newsletter is so angry, sorry about that.

Well the next item will make me feel good. You too.

* Recipe: Chicken & rice casserole

Great news! I “discovered” a way to make a chicken casserole that’s quick, simple and healthy.

I just put a chicken of desired size in a fairly large, deep casserole pot, pour in a cup or two or three(I really don’t measure a thing) of cold, filtered water into pot. I then add salt, pepper, spices that I like into water and on chicken. If I want it curry style, I just throw in a bunch of curry powder.

I bake chicken for, oh about an hour or so. By this time there is a whole lot of thin gravy in the pot. I pour around a cup of rice (I like basmati or jasmine) in the pot and maybe some thinly chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic and anything else I like in chicken.

Cover or don’t cover pot depending on what side of the bed I roll out of. In about 10 minutes, shut off oven, stir, cover, let sit 10 - 15 minutes and Walla.

Now, to make it really healthy, I put some chia seeds into rice mixture, about 1 - 2 tsps per cup or 2 of rice.

Now enjoy but do note that the chia seeds sap some of the flavor and the chicken itself might be a little flavorless since much of it’s flavor is in the rice mixture. I just chop up some of the chicken meat into rice and enjoy together.

Well, that's all until September. September! Can you believe it's almost September?

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter & receive anywhere from 5 - 10 healthy “nuggets” of information, monthly, to get you feeling & looking your best.

Oh, and we wont harass you with numerous mailings or with articles that are longer than the Bible.

Just a few important, interesting, up to date, super beneficial health items that you could easily apply to you life or pass along to loved ones.

See you next month!

Sal

Healthy Water