Hi my dears! How's the morning treating you? You guys know how I love to make big batches of pancakes to freeze for instant (well, almost instant) breakfasts, right? Well, next time I'm making pancakes, I'm adding this ...
Food & Wine shared a recipe for polenta-cinnamon pancakes that look pretty tasty! "Using polenta (cornmeal) in addition to white flour in these pancakes makes them especially satisfying, as the ground whole grain delivers lots of fiber and a good amount of protein," they write.
What a good idea!
Of course, you can follow the recipe, but I would just try swapping out a bit of flour and replacing with cornmeal.
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Seniors are less likely to be depressed if they sip four or more cups of green tea daily. In a study involving both men and women, all of whom were over 70, Japanese researchers found that those subjects who drank more than four cups of green tea were 44 percent less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who drank less than four cups daily. The effects of green tea held true even after the researchers factored in gender, social and economic status, diet, history of medical problems and antidepressant use. No such association with depression was found for black or oolong tea or coffee. More studies are needed to confirm that drinking green tea really does have an anti-depressant effect, but the investigators noted that the amino acid theanine found in green tea may play a role in the benefits they saw. The study was published in the December 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sound far-fetched? The British researchers who found the link between giving kids daily sweets - candy and chocolate - and violent behavior when the youngsters grow up suggest that the "instant gratification" of treats on demand may teach kids that impulsiveness pays off, and perhaps foster aggression later in life. This was a large study with more than 17,000 participants; data on their health, education, social and economic circumstances and consumption of sweets was collected when the kids were five and 10 years old and later when they were 26, 30, 34 and 42.
The study showed that of the participants who had eaten sweets daily as children 69 percent had violent tendencies by the age of 34, while these behaviors were seen in only 42 percent of those who didn't get daily sweets. While the researchers said that their findings need further attention, they suggested that improving youngsters’ diet may enhance their health and make them less prone to aggression. The study was published in the October 2009 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Rainy season is one season that is loved by all. But when it approaches, it shows its effects on skin and hair. Skin tends to lose its moisture and luster while the hair tends to become frizzy. The combination of oil and sweat makes the condition even worse. In rainy season, it is essential to have clean scalp as humidity and oil may cause infections.
Investigators there gave lab rats green tea to drink and then tested their eyes to see if the tea's catechins had any beneficial effect. They found that the antioxidants reduced oxidative stress in the animals' eyes for up to 20 hours. Based on these findings, the Chinese researchers suggested that catechins are absorbed by the lens, retina and other parts of the eyes, although they don't yet know how the antioxidants get to the eyes from the gastrointestinal system.
Based on their findings, the investigators said that catechins might protect the eyes from oxidative stress and, in humans, might help prevent such common eye diseases as glaucoma. The researchers noted that other antioxidants capable of protecting the eyes include vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein and zeanxanthin. The green tea study was published in the February 10, 2009, issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Intriguing new findings from England suggest that the compounds responsible for the health protective properties of green tea become even more effective against triggers of Alzheimer's disease once the tea is digested.
What's more, the same research team found that after these substances are digested they also exhibit anti-cancer properties - they slowed the growth of tumor cells in the laboratory. The investigators noted that polyphenols, compounds present in green tea and black tea, have neuroprotective properties - that is, they can protect brain cells from toxins that can trigger Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The British team wanted to investigate whether these compounds survive digestion and still provide these benefits. In the study, cells were exposed toxins and then to digested green tea compounds.
The results suggest that these polyphenols are possibly even more protective after being digested in the body. The researchers worked with new technology that simulates the human digestive system. Now, they're going to look whether the same beneficial products of digestion are produced in the bodies of healthy human volunteers. The study was published online on Dec. 21, 2010, by the journal Phytomedicine.
Taking a regular, daily walk is good for physical health, and now it appears that it may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease and ward off mental decline as well. The amount of walking needed to realize these benefits to the brain is more than just a stroll around the block: researchers from the University of Pittsburgh concluded that to guard against cognitive decline you've got to put in an average of at least five miles a week, every week, for about 10 years. The investigators analyzed data from an ongoing 20 year study looking at the weekly walking patterns among 426 seniors. At the start of the study, 44 of the participants already had Alzheimer's and another 83 had mild cognitive impairment (in half of all cases, this disorder eventually progresses to Alzheimer's). All the others were cognitively healthy. Ten years into the study, after accounting for age, gender, body-fat composition, head size and education level, the researchers found that brain volume was largest among participants who exercised the most (greater brain volume is a sign of general brain health and less brain cell death). What's more, walking five miles a week appeared to protect those with some form of cognitive impairment against further cognitive decline. The healthy participants had to walk six miles a week to protect their brain health.
If you suffer from chronic sinus problems, nasal congestion or postnasal drip, you may want to consider using a Neti pot. Originally from the Ayurvedic tradition, a Neti pot resembles a genie’s lamp and uses a saltwater solution to irrigate nasal passages and sinuses, making nasal mucus thinner and flushing out irritants. It’s fairly easy to use, but may take practice before it feels comfortable and is done correctly: