Healthy cooking
Learning Center
A spoonful of sugar helps the veggies go down
Looking for a new way to prepare veggies? Try glazing. Pour 1 1/2 cups water into a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup each of chopped onion, carrot, turnip and potato, all cut into 1-inch pieces. Simmer uncovered until veggies are tender and the water is almost absorbed, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Turn heat up and continue to cook, shaking pan until veggies are glazed and slightly golden. Serve.
Vitamin C: An essential nutrient
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that supports normal growth and development and helps your body absorb iron. Because your body doesn't produce or store vitamin C, it's important to include vitamin C in your diet. For most people, an orange or a cup of strawberries, chopped red pepper, or broccoli provides enough vitamin C for the day.
Want whiter teeth?
If your pearly whites are dulled by surface stains, whitening toothpaste can appear to whiten teeth slightly. Whitening toothpaste can't change the natural color of your teeth, however. For more noticeable results, ask your dentist about tooth-whitening bleaching products.
Blood pressure tip: Get off the couch
If you're concerned about your high blood pressure, get moving. Regular moderate- to high- intensity workouts can lower your top blood pressure reading by about 11 mm Hg and the bottom number by about 5. Regular exercise also reduces stress and weight gain, which are known to be bad for your heart health. Need an idea? Try brisk walking for about 30 minutes most days of the week. Talk to your health care provider about starting an exercise program.
Blood pressure tip: Get more potassium
Want to lower your blood pressure? Cut back on sodium in your diet and add more potassium. Sodium increases your blood pressure. Potassium can reduce the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Many fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium, including bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe, spinach, peas and tomatoes.
Blood pressure tip: Know alcohol limits
Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily increases blood pressure. Binge drinking can cause large and sudden increases in blood pressure and increase the risk of stroke. If you're a heavy or binge drinker, talk to your health care provider about how to reduce your drinking.
Hay fever: How to avoid triggers
If you have hay fever, the best thing you can do is to take steps to lessen your exposure to allergens, such as pollen and mold spores: 1. Close doors and windows during pollen season. 2. Use air conditioning in your house and car. 3. Avoid outdoor activity in the early morning, when pollen counts are highest, and also on high pollen-count days. 4. Use a dehumidifier to reduce indoor humidity. 5. Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.
Five foods to lower your cholesterol
A few tweaks to your diet may be enough to lower your cholesterol to a healthy level and help you stay off medications. Consider adding these cholesterol-lowering foods to your diet: 1. Oatmeal and oat bran. 2. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts. 3. Fish, especially mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. 4. Olive oil. 5. Foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols, such as margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks.
Office work: Don't take it sitting down!
Finding time to exercise can be a challenge. Why not work out while you work? To make office exercise a part of your routine, walk or bike to work, get off the bus a few blocks early, or park farther from the door. Stand while talking on the phone or skip instant messaging and walk to a colleague's desk for a chat. Organize a lunchtime walking group or schedule walking meetings.
Nutrition: Does it come in a pill?
Nutritional supplements abound. Still, if you want to improve and protect your health, think real food. If you depend on supplements rather than eating a variety of foods, you miss the potential benefits of antioxidants, fiber and other nutrients that only whole, unprocessed foods can provide.
Refine Your Search
Type
- All
- HealthTip
Age
- All
- 19 to 44 younger
- 45 to 64 middle
- 65 to 80 older
- 03 to 5 years preschool
- 02 months to 2 years infant/toddler
- 06 to 10 years elementary