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Vegetables are light on calories, but packed with disease-fighting vitamins and minerals. Ideally, you should fill half your plate with them. And it’s easier than you think.
To bulk up the vegetable content of your meals:
- Cook fresh or frozen vegetables in the microwave for a quick-and-easy dish.
- Be ahead of the game. Cut up a batch of bell peppers, carrots or broccoli and pre-package them to use in a pinch.
- Brighten your salad by using colorful vegetables, such as shredded radishes and chopped red cabbage.
When eating out, choose vegetables or a salad as your side dish.
About one-third of Americans have high blood pressure, which raises your risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don’t have high blood pressure, you can take steps to prevent it. These healthy habits can help you keep your blood pressure normal:
- Eating healthy foods and limiting salt and alcohol intake.
- Being physically active.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Learning to relax, manage stress and cope with problems.
- Quitting smoking to protect your blood vessels.
If you have trouble keeping your blood pressure in check or have a family history of high blood pressure, talk to your doctor.
Barbecuing in the great outdoors is fun, relaxing and brings people together. But it also means you have to be extra careful when you prepare food.
Some studies suggest that eating food charred by high-heat techniques, such as barbecuing, grilling, frying and broiling, may raise your risk for cancer. To make sure your cookout stays safe:
- Don’t leave meat or poultry cooking over a high-heat source, like an open flame or hot metal surface, for too long.
- Remove any visible fat that can cause flare-ups.
- Precook meat and poultry in the microwave before putting it on the grill; this releases some of the juices that can drop on coals.
- Keep turning meat or poultry over, so no one part gets burnt.
- Don’t eat charred pieces of meat or poultry.
- Throw out the gravy from meat drippings.
With these basic precautions, you can fire up that grill with peace of mind!
You can’t do much without healthy bones, joints and muscles. As you age, it’s especially important to protect your “moving parts” with aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises.
These activities can slow the loss of bone density that makes you weaker and more likely to get hurt as you get older. They also lower your risk for arthritis and osteoporosis down the road. You may not be able to look young forever, but you can help yourself feel young for many years to come.
Getting motivated to work out on your own can be hard. But having friends join your activities makes them more fun! Exercising in groups has lots of great benefits. Two or more people can energize and support each other to keep moving. They can also help make fitness part of each other’s daily routine.
Plus, when you meet your health goals, it’s nice to have cheerleaders applaud your success and encourage you to set new ones. And another person can make you feel safe if you’re nervous about walking or jogging alone. So find a buddy and get active!
It’s easy to stray off the healthy eating path. When you don’t plan your meals, you’re more likely to go to a fast food drive-through or microwave a chicken pot pie.
If your schedule makes it hard to find time for food shopping or cooking, try creating a weekly menu of healthy recipes you can select from. This menu should include food that’s simple and quick to prepare; has healthy protein choices, such as lean meats or poultry; uses whole grain and vegetable ingredients; and stays yummy as leftovers. Shop in bulk and, for perishable items, pick frozen or canned options with no salt added. Then, when it’s time to whip up a meal, you’ll have everything you need.
The eMagazine dedicated to improving members’ well-being
- About CalCPA Health
- September is Healthy Aging Month
- Eat well to age well
- Can depression affect aging?
- Antibiotic awareness
- How’s your HDL?
In each issue you will find information and inspiration to help you with your health and wellness goals.
When it comes to matters of the heart, there’s usually hope. Lifestyle changes can dramatically lower your risk for most kinds of heart disease, including the most common type, coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to a heart attack.
To help protect your heart:
- Eat foods that are high in fiber, and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Stay active.
Avoid smoking and alcohol.
Eating out can be great – especially when you don’t have time to prepare a meal or want to celebrate a special occasion without the work. The problem is that ordering can feel like a guessing game if you’re watching your diet. But there are ways to stay in control and keep your restaurant visit healthy. Start by ordering water, unsweetened tea or other sugar-free drinks. Then, fill up on low-calorie appetizers, such as salads and grilled vegetables, instead of bread and creamy soups.
For the main dish, choose broiled, grilled or steamed foods over fried ones. The same goes for sides: Say no to fries and yes to baked potatoes. You can also ask for smaller portions or share your meal with your fellow diner(s). If it’s still too much food, get a container before you begin eating and put half away to take home. Finally, choose fresh fruit for dessert.
Do you always have excuses when it comes to physical activity? Not enough time? Bad weather? No fun?
Being active is important to your health, so it’s time for you to look at why you can’t fit it into your day – and then find ways that you can! Have to work through lunch? Try taking three 10-minute walks throughout the day instead. Raining outside when you want to jog? Find an indoor track, or power walk in the mall. And if you hate the idea of “exercise,” make what you love work for you. You can garden, dance, do yoga or play running games with your kids and pets. Just get moving.