Why Apples Are a Superfood

• An average apple contains about 80 calories

• If you eat one large apple per day, you can lower your cholesterol level by 8% to 11% and two large apples can lower it by 16%

•  An average apple contains about 3 grams of fiber and even if you peel it you will still get about 2.7 grams of fiber. Fiber keeps you feeling full and satisfied, and because it has two different kinds of fiber, it really helps in lowering that cholesterol.       
  

• Apple skins have a strong flavonoid called quercetin. Eat one apple a day with 4 cups of green tea, and a couple tablespoons of onions per day and you lower your risk of heart attacks by about 32%.

• Researchers believe that apples can lower the risk of breast cancer and possibly colon cancer.

• Apples come in many varieties, sizes, and colors, and can be enjoyed cold and crisp or warn and soft, and can be used in salads, desserts, appetizers, and main dishes.    

• Braeburn apples can help protect your skin from dangerous UV rays from the sun.  

• Apples have shown to raise the levels of HDL or good cholesterol.    

•  After subtracting the amount of fiber, an average apple has only about 15 grams of carbohydrates.    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Stress and Anxiety

     This is a slight variation of the progressive muscle relaxation technique which was invented by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in 1930.

     A doctor I was seeing taught me this exercise for my anxiety, and it worked! Simply put, you contract groups of muscles and when you relax them you say the word relax. One day I was sitting in a gridlock of traffic, late for work, and feeling very stressed and overwhelmed, barely able to sit still. I said the word relax, not at all thinking about the exercise and I was surprised when my body immediately responded. I had unconsciously trained my body to respond to myself saying the word, "relax".

     It doesn't matter what part of the body you start with or even what order you do this in so feel free to experiment with what works or makes sense for you.

     Lay down comfortably in a quiet low light place with little distractions. Start with your hands by making tight fists and squeezing them as hard as you can. Don't injure yourself but you should apply so much tension that your hands may even start to shake. Hold this for 5 to 7 seconds. The very instant you release them you will first say the word relax then immediately tense the next part, maybe your shoulders or feet.

     The body parts you relax and tense could include:

• hands
• feet
• shoulders
• hips
• neck
• mouth
• forehead 
• thighs, etc.

     You should for the first couple weeks do this exercise twice a day, then just once a day. When you feel your body is perfectly responding to the conditioning you can drop it to a maintenance level of 2 or 3 times a week.
     Whenever you feel tension or anxiety just repeat the word "Relax" and you will feel relaxed. Give it a try!

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Creamy Fruit Pie with Yogurt

     I'm always reluctant to tell people there is yogurt in this pie because it's not everyone's cup of tea. I also know that if they were to taste this pie they wouldn't even know that yogurt was an ingredient. It's that good!

The Basic Recipe

• 1 graham cracker pie crust
• 1 med. container of cool whip
• 1 container of any fruit flavored yogurt
• Fresh or frozen fruit to match the yogurt

     Combine the yogurt and the cool whip, mix well. Pour it into the pie crust and use the fruit to decorate the top of the mixture. Place it in the fridge for a few hours till it's well set. Serve and enjoy!


Notes:

     My favorite pie uses banana flavored yogurt with fresh bananas. I slice the banana and place a layer on the bottom over the crust. After I add the whip cream and the yogurt mixture, I then add more banana slices on top.

     You can also get a strawberry-banana yogurt and use both fruits. You can layer the bottom, place on top,  mix it with the whip cream-yogurt mixture, or even do all three.

     Cool whip comes in a great variety of types and even comes in chocolate. You're only limited by your imagination.

     If you use frozen fruit let it thaw before adding it to the pie to avoid excess water. Canned fruit is good too but again make sure it's well drained.

     Try a chocolate ready made pie crust for a twist.

     You can even deconstruct this pie and layer the ingredients in nice parfait glasses. You can save a few more calories by just taking graham crackers and making crumbs to use for your crust layers.

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Carbohydrates

 A low carb diet can be great for weight loss as long as you remember that carbs are a necessary part of our needed nutrition to keep our bodies running smoothly. If you are diabetic you will especially want to watch your carb intake because when carbs enter our bodies they turn into sugar.

COUNTING CARBS


     It's recommended that 45% to 65% of your daily calories come from carbs. Using simple math you can calculate the right amount of carbs for you. Here are some facts to help you.

     Carbs are counted in grams. One gram of a carbohydrate is equal to 4 calories. Let's say you want to take in 1600 calories a day. Let's also assume that you've chosen to limit your carb intake to 50% of those calories. 50% of 1600 calories would be 800 calories. The next step is to divide 800 by 4 (the calories in 1 gram of carbs), which gives you 200. That is the number of carb grams you would be allowed.


TWO KINDS OF CARBS

     The two kinds of carbs are called simple and complex. Most of your carbs should fall under the complex category. This would include foods such as most vegetables and high fiber foods. The simple carbs are things like sugary treats, cookies, ice cream, etc.
Both kinds have the same calories but you will feel fuller longer and be healthier choosing the complex type.


NUTRITION LABELS AND CARB COUNTS

     When figuring out the number of carbs you also need to pay attention to the amount of fiber in the food. All carbs turn into sugar in the body except for the amount of fiber. So you will need to subtract the grams of fiber from the grams of carbs. If, for example, a single serving of the food has 12 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber you would subtract 2 from 12 to give you an actual gram carb count of 10.


ANOTHER WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF CARBS


     Some people find it easier to use servings instead of counting carb grams. It's recommended that an adult has
between six and eleven servings of carbs per day. If you are diabetic or trying to lose weight you want to be on the low end of that amount around six or eight servings. Men and larger people would want to be towards the high end such as ten or eleven. A serving size is 1 slice of bread, 1/2 a bagel, 1/2 banana, etc. you get the idea.

Guilt Free Detox Soup!

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 small head of broccoli florets
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups water
2 cups spinach leaves torn in pieces
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
Juice of 1 small lemon

Instructions

Heat 1/4 cup broth on med. heat, then add onions and garlic*. Saute, while stirring, for 2 to 3 min. Add carrots, celery, tomatoes, and broccoli. Cook and stir an additional 3 min, adding another 1/4 cup of broth. Stir and add the ginger, cabbage, cinnamon, and turmeric. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the remaining broth and water.

Boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 15 min. Lastly, add spinach
and lemon juice and simmer another 2 min. Serve and enjoy!

* For a stronger garlic flavor, wait to add with the spinach and lemon juice.