Friday, February 29, 2008

The 20 Worst Foods in America- #17


The 20 Worst Foods in America
The U.S. food industry has declared war on your waistline. Here's how to disarm its weapons of mass inflation

By: Matt Goulding 17. Worst "Healthy" Burger
Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger

1,145 calories
71 g fat
56 g carbs

We chose this burger for more than its calorie payload: Its name implies that it's healthy.

The Truly Healthy Choice: Skip burgers entirely (few at Ruby Tuesday come in under 1,000 calories). Instead, order a 9-ounce sirloin with a side of steamed vegetables.


TGIF guys,
Can you believe this guys- 1,145 calories, and that’s only for one meal! They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Take a look at this video below and I think it will give you some insight into why the Standard American Diet is SAD.
I hope it will convince you that we must be proactive when it comes to what we eat. I think you will be amazed by how we are subtly affected by advertisers, commercials and packaging. There is a reason why the average American waistline is growing larger and consequently why our health is declining as a nation

Yes, this is a beautiful world filled with wonderful, delicious foods. The choice is ours- we must exercise wisdom and choose to live a healthy lifestyle. The extra time we take to eat right, exercise will have great dividends in the end. Our bodies are not designed to be abused or mistreated. Eventually they will rebel in the form of sickness or disease. Let’s commit to make good choices so that we can be Winners at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Beauty Food

From: EatRealFood

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Obama on The Run?

Obama on the Run

From: snideTV


Hi Guys,
I just had to add some humor to your day. Only in America can you find this type of parody. Watch this video below and you see what I mean. It is important to laugh at ourselves once in a while- it is better than crying. Hopefully when this election is over we will have a president that can initiate some real change in this country.

One thing Obama says that I do agree with is that change must come from the bottom up. We must be initiators of change if we want to leave this world better off than how we found it. It starts with being the best person we can be and teaching our children the importance of following the Golden Rule, studying hard and being a help and not a hindrance to society and our fellow man.

Enjoy your day and remember to laugh.

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Six Strategies for Savvy Ordering in a Restaurant

I found some great information on how to eat smart when you are dining out that I want to pass along. It is very difficult to stay trim and healthy with the busy schedules that we keep from day to day. Knowledge is key and follow through and discipline is critical if we want to stay fit.

Take a look at this guide and try to make it a habit as much as you can. It will enable you to exert some control over the unknown calories that may be lurking in an appetizing-looking dish. Let's work together on being Winners at life.

Stay Blessed & Bon Appétit!
Joyce

Six Strategies for Savvy Ordering in a Restaurant
Courtesy of EatingWell.com
How to stay on track when you're eating out.

1. Read the whole menu. Get a feel for what's available and estimate the calories before you make a decision about what to order.

2. Be the first to order. That way you won't be tempted to go along when the rest of the gang orders more than you'd like to eat.

3. Consider a la carte. Try getting a soup or salad and an appetizer, or a couple of side dishes, instead of an overly large entree. Many restaurants these days offer smaller "tasting" plates or tapas-size portions too. They are worth a try and often just right in size.

4. Split the difference. If an entree sounds like too much food, see if one of your dining companions would like to share it with you. Or set aside half of the food as soon as it arrives and ask the waiter to wrap it up for you.

5. Ask for sauces and dressings on the side. Most restaurants use a heavy hand with toppings; they just can't help themselves. When they're on the side you can control the amount without having to miss out. Rather than pouring them on, dip the tip of your fork into the dressing or sauce, then take a bite of food, so you'll get a little taste in every bite.

6. Ask questions. Request that food be prepared your way, within reason (asking for a salad on the side instead of chips is reasonable; asking to have the fish and chips special steamed instead of fried is not). Ask politely but unapologetically; remember, restaurants are in the service business. Most are more than willing to accommodate your request — after all, you're paying!

Visit EatingWell.com to learn more.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

THE STANDARD AMERICAN DIET= SAD

STANDARD AMERICAN DIET(SAD)

AskDr.Sears.com stated the following about the American diet:

“If you were to list the factors that increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, intestinal disorders – just about any illness – the standard American diet has them all:

• High in animal fats
• High in unhealthy fats: saturated, hydrogenated
• Low in fiber
• High in processed foods
• Low in complex carbohydrates
• Low in plant-based foods

The striking fact is that cultures that eat the reverse of the standard American diet – low fat, high in complex carbohydrates, plant-based, and high in fiber – have a lower incidence of cancer and coronary artery disease (CAD). What's even more sad is that countries whose populations can afford to eat the healthiest disease-preventing foods don't. The United States has spent more money on cancer research than any country in the world, yet the American diet contributes to the very diseases we are spending money to prevent.”

Yes my friends it’s sad, but it’s true. We Americans in general are unhealthy eaters. Perhaps instead of worrying so much about the enemies outside of us, we should focus a little more attention on the enemies (inner mes) within us that we consume everyday.

I hope you have not forgotten your New Year’s resolution to eat better. For starters why not begin with a healthy bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon sprinkled on it. I’ve been working on the Quaker Oatmeal 30 Day Challenge and my cholesterol has gone down.

Remember my friends we have a race to run in this life and we need every ounce of physical, mental and emotional energy to get to the finish line so that we can be Winners at life.

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Monday, February 25, 2008

An Unsung Hero of Black History: Bayard Rustin


I want to thank a reader by the name of Joan Hervey who sent me this information about an unsung hero who also had a dream and who was instrumental and critical to the implementation of Dr. King’s dream. It’s written by Jennifer Vanasco and I have copied and pasted it below.

I hope you will see as I have discovered in my walk through life that it is important to focus on what binds us together as one instead of what separates us. Regardless of your political or religious views, what really matters is whether you have love for one another as Jesus instructed us to have.

I submit that the true test of what’s in your heart is whether you are truly your brother’s or sister’s keeper. Can you be that Good Samaritan that accepts someone from a different race, class or orientation, not because of legislation, but because of what’s in your heart? If we want to be Winners at life, we must focus on what builds up the human race not because it is politically correct, but because love is the more excellent way.

I Cor. 13 says it best:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up …. thinketh no evil;…And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Stay Blessed!
Joyce




Bayard Rustin had a dream, too

He Had a Dream
by Jennifer Vanasco, 365gay.com

He organized the 1963 March on Washington. He helped arrange the Montgomery, Ala. Bus boycott. He debated Malcolm X, learned non-violence directly from Gandhi's followers, went to jail for his civil rights protests, and is considered one of the architects of the black civil rights movement.

He was Bayard Rustin. He was gay. And he is all but forgotten during our country's annual January commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rustin was 17 years older than King, and had been working for the cause since leaving college. Born into a Quaker family in 1912 in a town where the Klu Klux Klan paraded proudly down the street on holidays and where blacks weren't able to take a seat in white restaurants or theaters, Rustin was soon convinced that non-violence was the answer to winning black civil rights. He traveled the country with the Fellowship of Reconcilliation, calling on "angelic troublemakers" to use their bodies to protest unfair conditions.

Rustin was athletic, polite and handsome. He was also completely unashamed of being gay. He met his first partner, Davis Platt, at a conference at Bryn Mawr College.

In the documentary "Brother Outsider," Platt recalls what Rustin was like: "Such intelligence, such a love of life, such a sense of humor, really a lot of wisdom. And he had absolutely no shame about being gay."

That comfort with his gayness ended in 1953 in Padadena, Calif., when he was caught by the police in the backseat of a car with two other men. His conviction for "sexual perversion" was to haunt him the rest of his life. It convinced him to tone down his sexuality in public, and was used by foes of the civil rights movement - notably Sen. Strom Thurmond (R- SC) - to try to convince the public that King was working with moral deviants.

Rustin was a long-time advisor to King - the documentary says that it was Rustin who really taught King the practical application of non-violence. Though all was not rosy, usually because of King's fears that Rustin would subvert the civil rights movement with his homosexuality. Though they were later reconciled, Rustin's strongest falling out with King, according to the documentary, came when Sen. Adam Clayton Powell threatened that he would accuse King and Rustin of having a sexual affair. King blinked, and friends recall Rustin as feeling personally betrayed.

While King inspired, Rustin's genius lay in the actual organizing of people and events. Rustin set up phone banks and transportation for the 1963 March on Washington, making the impossible possible. He insured that African-Americans around the country knew about the march, that every group that wanted a bus to Washington got one, and that no buses got lost.

King and Rustin were hoping for a crowd of 100,000 - instead, over 200,000 people from around the country packed the Washington Mall to hear King give his soaring "I Have a Dream" speech.

For the rest of his life, Rustin would continue his activism, working to end nuclear war, advocating on behalf of Soviet Jews and Israel, visiting refugee camps, and working with the gay and lesbian civil rights movement.

In 1977, Rustin met Walter Naegle in Times Square - they would be parters until R ustin's death of a ruptured appendix in 1987. Perhaps it was this relationship - and the changing times - that spurred him once again to be open about being gay.

Toward the end of his life, in 1986, Rustin said, "Indeed, if you want to know whether today people believe in democracy, if you want to know whether they are true democrats, if you want to know whether they are human rights activists, the question to ask is, 'What about gay people?' Because that is now the litmus paper by which this democracy is to be judged."

Bayard Rustin. An activist for civil rights for all.

.

Friday, February 22, 2008

The 20 Worst Foods in America- #18



The U.S. food industry has declared war on your waistline. Here's how to disarm its weapons of mass inflation.
By: Matt Goulding

18. Worst Supermarket Meal
Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)


1,020 calories
64 g fat
86 g carbs

The label may say this pie serves two, but who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.

Pick a Better Pie: Swanson's pot pie has just 400 calories

TGIF guys!
I want to share a post from a viewer named Julie struggling with weight problems and also reference a website she mentioned in the body of her post:

"Dear Joyce,
Thank you for the blog and the info about the Jamba Juice. I used to love them especially the Mango-A-Gogo but after I found out how many calories are in one of those things I gave them up...

God has been so good in helping me start to work on my health. I had used excuses of a bad childhood, an unhappy marriage, job stress and every excuse under the sun to blame others for my lack of self-discipline but through prayer and a support program. I am working "it" one day at a time...

The You Are a CEO program helped me first become aware that I was not disciplined with my health and maybe this will help others that find it hard to say no to sweets and high calorie treats www.youareaceo.com."

Thanks again Julie. I'm passing the info along. And to my other readers, if you have a website that will empower others please post it to my blog so that together we can be Winners at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

The 20 Worst Foods in America- #19


The U.S. food industry has declared war on your waistline. Here's how to disarm its weapons of mass inflation By: Matt Goulding

19. Worst Drink
Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)

900 calories
10 g fat
183 g carbs
(166 g sugar)

Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milk shake. In fact, this beverage contains more sugar than two pints of Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan ice cream.

Turn Down the Power: Seventy-five percent of this chain's "power smoothies" contain in excess of 100 grams of sugar.

Stick to Jamba's lower-calorie All Fruit Smoothies, which are the only menu items that contain no added sugar. And always opt for the 16-ounce "small."


The saying "it's tight, but it's right!" is definitely apropos. My readers I hope you can see clearly that not all smoothies are alike. We must choose life and our destiny. No one else can do this for you. As a child, your parents or caretakers made decisions for you. But now that you are of age, you must decipher, analyse and make decisions for yourself. A little sugar is fine, but too much and too often can be deadly.


Why not make your own smoothie this evening for dessert. Yes, pass up the double fudge brownie and treat yourself to a real healthy dessert that will extend and not shorten your life. This is how you can love yourself and be a Winner at life!


Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Monday, February 18, 2008

The 20 Worst Foods in America- #20


As promised I want to share with you the 20 Worst Foods in America according to menshealth.com. Today I will spotlight #20. The author, Matt Goulding declares the following: The U.S. food industry has declared war on your waistline. Here's how to disarm its weapons of mass inflation by.

#20. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal
Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce
830 calories
55g fat (4. 5g trans fat)
48 g carbs

The only thing "premium" about these strips is the caloric price you pay. Add a large fries and regular soda and this seemingly innocuous chicken meal tops out at 1,710 calories.

Change Your Chicken
McNuggets have the same impact. Instead, choose Mickey D's six-piece offering with BBQ sauce and save yourself 530 calories.


I hope you were amazed and shocked as I was upon reading the caloric and fat content. 1,710 calories is enough subsistence to carry you the whole day. My friends let’s begin to make healthy and smart choices.

The bottom line is you will pay for it now or later. We must discipline ourselves to say one simple word, -“no.” Do you realize that by saying no to foods that are self-destructive, you are saying “yes” to life? You are not only empowering yourself, but your offspring. You are putting money in the bank and assuring that you won’t have to spend it on doctor bills, medications, time off from work or play.

I’ve never seen a consummate athlete downing a plate of fried chicken on a regular basis. Study the diets of athletes; they know that they are what they eat. It’s time to come out of denial and look yourself in the mirror. You can be a Winner at life, when you take the first step and act like one!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Laugh Your Way To Health- Happy Valentine's Day!

Good Morning my friends,

Yes, indeed it is a good one! I awoke with health, strength, a roof over my head and a determination to make this day my best one. I want to share with you 3 things to show my love for you:

The first is a free downloadable book by Suze Orman on Oprah.com entitled, "Women and Money: Owning The Power to Control Your Destiny." The offer expires this afternoon.

The second is the article below by Steve Goodier on the medicinal benefits of laughter, called, A Healthy Dose of Laughter.

And lastly, I double dare you not to get a huge belly laugh when you watch the youtube video below, Top 3 Laughing Babies.

My friends know that you are loved by God and that He wants you to be a Winner at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce


A Healthy Dose of Laughter

"I read that a child laughs 400 times a day on the average, while an adult laughs only 15 times each day. Which is puzzling since laughter feels so good and is so good for us!

You may know the benefits of laughter on the mind and spirit, but are you aware of how much a good laugh can help you physically? Norman Cousins used to say that laughter is so bene­ficial for your body that it is like “inner jog­ging.”

Mayo Clinic (Mayo Clinic Health Letter, March 1993) reports that laughter aids breathing by disrupting your normal respiration pattern and in­creasing your breathing rate. It can even help clear mucus from your lungs.

Laughter is also good for your heart. It in­creases circulation and improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues throughout your body.

A good laugh helps your immune system fight off colds, flu and sinus problems by increas­ing the concentration of immunoglobulin A in your sa­liva. And it may help control pain by rais­ing the levels of certain brain chemicals (endorphins).

Furthermore, it is a natural stress reliever. Have you ever laughed so hard that you doubled over, fell off your chair, spit out your food or wet your pants? You cannot maintain muscle tension when you are laughing!

The good news is that you are allowed more than 15 laughs a day! Go ahead and double the dose and make it 30 times today. (You may begin to no­tice immediate improvement in your relationships!) Then double it again! You are bound to feel better, you will cope with problems more effectively and people will enjoy being around you. Laughter: it’s just good medicine!"

by Steve Goodier



From: mjpsp youtube.com (Top 3 Laughing Babies)

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

“Change is Gonna Come”


Change is Gonna Come (From: DesertRatDan youtube.com)

Yes, my friends we need a change- a real change! It’s time to unite as Americans, not as Blacks, Whites, Asians, Native Americans, but one nation under God. Science has empirically told us that underneath the skin we are the same. The animal kingdom does not discriminate among themselves because of the different hues that a butterfly, a dog, a cat possesses, etc. Why do we?

It’s about saving our natural resources- it’s been said that if we don’t learn to live together as one race- the human race, we shall perish as fools. We have been given the mandate to be fruitful and multiply the Earth. Not destroy it with toxic landfills, polluted waters, cities and neighborhoods on the verge of foreclosure and bankruptcy, students that can’t read or write, but have their own cell phones and I-pods. Who are they calling--the children in Africa, Asia, India that are starving, that would love the opportunity to attend school and eat the food that our children turn their noses up at? Parents- what are you teaching your children that will leave a legacy of goodwill and empowerment for the next generation?

It’s about not just saving America- but the world. It’s time for world leaders to come together and work collectively as one force for good. One man, one President is not the answer. We can elect someone who embodies this message, but the real change is needed within the heart and actions of each and every individual on this planet.

If you want to see things differently, if you want a better world, start with yourself and then the collective energy of others will form a synergism that will truly change the world. We must put down our weapons of warfare and pick up the mantle of peace, negotiation, compromise, love and forgiveness and share this Earth that all men and women are entitled to by their divine birthright. God told us that when my people who call upon his name would humble themselves and seek His face, then He would heal the land.

Yes we do need change, and a “change is gonna come,” but we must be the initiators in order to be Winners at life. Barack is right; change does come from the bottom to the top.

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Somewhere- We’ll Find A New Way Of Living


Somewhere with Anita Baker and David Koz (From: fasho305)

Perseverance is the name of the game. As you can see below, I love Anita Baker and when you add David Koz on the sax it is absolutely heavenly! Click on the link below to listen and enjoy as the two of them take you to a place that will lift you above the cares of this world. Their music and melody will inspire you to overcome whatever obstacles you may be facing today.

Tomorrow always offers the prospect that a rainbow will appear to cast out the storms and discouragements of the past. The key is to take one small step at a time if necessary and never, never, give up. You see the race is not given to the strong, but to those who persevere to the end.

The word persevere means “to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.” By definition it means going through the severe times, the “mean” times in our life. Do you know what I like about life and God? It’s amazing that He would give us a rainbow right after the storm and before our desire has manifested to let us know that whatever we are going through,- that this too shall pass!

The race is not given to the swift either, so don’t give up- rest if you must, but don’t you quit! You see there is always a rainbow on the horizon that will cast its reflection and let you know all is well. As you continue to fight the good fight of faith in this vast universe, your time will eventually come, and you will be a Winner at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Monday, February 11, 2008

This Too Shall Pass- “Ain’t No Need To Worry!”

This current real estate market is unlike any that has occurred in the last 50 years or more. I have good news though for my fellow real estate agents, loan officers and other service related professionals that feed off the real estate industry. This too shall pass! The question that arises is- what do I do in the meantime?

I have some suggestions as to what you can do in these "mean" times. This is what works for me and how and why I keep smiling:

1) Pray
2) Listen to songs like this one by Anita Baker & the Winans
3) Exercise
4) Find a job even if it is beneath you. (I did BPOs for a company and got paid $65 for each one. Every agent knows that this is no money, but it kept be busy and fought off depression. Out of the blue one day I got a call from a REO company that asked me to handle their REOs)
5) Sell or do anything legally that can make you money. Can you bake delicious cookies? Encourage and motivate children? Write newspaper articles? What untapped talents do you have that will allow you to make money?
6) Pray for supernatural intervention so that you can connect with someone that can elevate you to the next level. (I was blessed to find a buyer for a commercial building that allowed me to pay off all my debts and have money left over to weather this storm.)
7) Watch your expenses- bring your lunch, make lunch for your husband and kids, buy a whole chicken and bake it yourself. Use the leftovers for sandwiches.
8) Watch a funny movie and continue to count your blessings.

Until tomorrow, remember to keep smiling and continue to release those healthy endorphins to strengthen your immune system so that you can be a Winner at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce


Anita Baker & The Winans - Ain't No Need To Worry- (from: MissyMonet76)

Friday, February 8, 2008

Keep Smiling- That's What Friends Are For!


That's What Friends Are For (from Bozang youtube.com)

TGIF guys,
We’ve made it through another week. Thank God we are alive and if you can see and read this blog or listen to the video below you are blessed. You could be in a hospital, prison or homeless, living under a bridge.

Let’s continue to keep smiling, believing the best and encouraging and challenging others to pursue and achieve their dreams. This is a daunting task to love through the good and bad times. It is said that a friend sticketh closer than a brother.

If you have one or two close friends you are doubly blessed. Why not call your friend(s) today and give them their roses while they can still smell them. Let your friends know that you love and appreciate them. Don’t be afraid to love- it’s love that makes the world go round.

If you don’t have any friends, then become the friend that you want others to be to you and I guarantee that you will keep smiling and you will be a Winner at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Thursday, February 7, 2008

How To Get To The Palace From Your Prison!


Hello guys,
It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood. My cholesterol is done and I am counting my blessings one by one. I am particularly excited about sharing with you the release of a powerful, life impacting, and motivational book. It is entitled, How To Get To The Palace From Your Prison! Joseph’s 14-Step Program to Overcome Loneliness, Depression, Discrimination, Barrenness & Abuse written by yours truly.

A synopsis of the book is as follows: “The Biblical story of Joseph is used to uncover a 14-Step Recovery Plan to overcome loneliness, depression, discrimination, barrenness and abuse. The author’s spiritual and psychological analysis of Joseph’s trials, tribulations, and triumphs reveals to the reader how to achieve the promises of God and arrive at that place of shalom, the Hebrew word for peace. Farrar-Rosemon defines the word to mean “nothing missing and nothing broken” in the reader’s life.

The author draws on her background as a broker and psychiatric social worker and shares how her personal tragedies and those of other individuals and groups were resolved using this 14-Step Program. This book details statistics on depression, unemployment, abuse, addictions, miscarriage, abortion, HIV/AIDS, discrimination and other timely social and psychological ills. The Appendix contains national toll-free 800 resource numbers for individuals and groups to connect with so that they can begin the healing process.” For a free preview click on, How To Get To The Palace From Your Prison!
Remember it’s important that you don’t let others define who you are and what you can become. Stir up the gifts and talents that God has placed in you. Encourage yourself when no one else will. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made and it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. He wants to make you a Winner at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

What's For Dinner Mom? (Low Calorie Baked Chicken)

Good Morning guys,
In my ongoing commitment to improve the quality of my health for myself and love ones, I have selected today a low calorie recipe that I want to try this evening. I plan on varying it by using a whole chicken and stuffing it with a crabmeat stuffing that’s available in Kroger’s frozen food section. (I’m not sure of the fat or calorie content in it, but I’m rewarding myself for getting my cholesterol level under 200.) If you are not there yet, I would stick to the basic recipe.

I also selected a humorous video that I feel will bring a smile on your face and will raise your endorphin levels. I need a break and perhaps you do too from all this past Super Bowl and Super Tuesday Election day coverage on television. Why not watch it while you prepare your healthy dinner this evening? And make sure you don’t forget to add steamed veggies,a baked potato (hold the butter and sour cream) or salad.

Remember to be a Winner at life we must continue to develop our mind, body and spirit. I’m off for now- time to exercise and meditate.

Stay Blessed!
Joyce


LOW CALORIE BAKED CHICKEN
Printed from COOKS.COM


Fryer chicken parts or halves, washed and salted and peppered
Layer in 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with paprika and dry parsley flakes. Add about 1/4 cup water in pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a small shallow pan of water on lower shelf of oven underneath pan of chicken. Cook for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done (do not cover chicken pan). This chicken has a wonderful brown crust and is tender and juicy. (Barbecue sauce can be brushed on about 20 to 25 minutes before done, if desired). The pan of water method can also be used with other meats to keep them juicy.


From: Kitti1 (youtube.com)

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Stroke 101: How To Prevent It From Happening To You

Let’s take a proactive stance by choosing preventive measures to avoid having a stroke. First of all, let me define what a stroke is. The most common form of a stroke is the result of a sudden disruption of the flow of blood to parts of the brain. When blood cannot reach parts of the brain, the oxygen supply to those areas is cut off and the brain cells die. Functions normally controlled by these damaged brain areas are affected. In many cases, unconsciousness and/or partial paralysis, or death may occur. This is often the immediate outward sign that a Stroke has occurred.

The Stroke Recovery Association NSW reports the following two types of strokes:
Ischaemic Stroke
In the case of Stroke, however, clots are dangerous because they can block arteries and cut off blood flow. Ischaemic Stroke is the most common type of Stroke (80% - 85% of Strokes are ischaemic). An Ischaemic Stroke is caused when a clot blocks or ‘plugs’ a blood vessel in the brain. There are two ways that a clot Stroke can occur.
• An embolic Stroke occurs when a blood clot forms somewhere in the body and travels through the blood stream to the brain.
• A thrombotic Stroke occurs when blood vessels narrow as a result of blood fat, cholesterol or calcium which grow to completely block the blood vessel.

Haemorrhagic Stroke
A haemorrhagic Stroke is caused when a blood vessel in the brain breaks or ‘erupts’. There are two types of haemorrhagic Stroke. A subarachnoid haemorrhage and an intracerebral haemorrhage.
• An intracerebral haemorrhage, which is the more common form, involves bleeding within the brain tissue itself.
• With a subarachnoid haemorrhage the bleeding occurs in the space around the brain. This is often due to an aneurysm - a thin or weak spot on a blood vessel wall.

Now that we have defined what a stroke is, let’s focus on how to prevent it. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death among African Americans, and more than 100,000 will suffer one this year. This is Black History Month, a time to recognize the greatness of our past, but it is imperative that we focus on the greatest threat to African Americans: stroke.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s message of freedom was reiterated through the words of his daughter, the late Yolanda King: “We will only be truly free when we reach down to the inner depths of our own being and sign with the pen and ink of assertive selfhood, our own emancipation proclamation. No civil rights, no voting rights, no equal rights, no immigration rights are worth fighting for if we are dying from heart disease and stroke,” she said shortly after her mother, the late Coretta Scott King, suffered a stroke. Ironically, it appears that Yolanda also suffered from heart disease like her mother.

We can heed Yolanda’s words by taking the following steps to prevent the occurrence of a stroke for ourselves or loved ones and become Winners at life:

1) Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help you reduce your risk for a stroke or heart disease.
2) Choose healthy foods. You are what you eat.
3) Make Exercise & Fitness a daily part of your routine: Swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, dancing, walking and dozens of other activities can help your heart. Whether it is included in a structured exercise program or just part of your daily routine, all physical activity adds up to a healthier heart
4) Manage Your Weight: Taking control of your lifestyle will help you to better manage your weight and reduce your risk for heart attack.

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Monday, February 4, 2008

Count Your Blessings And Lower Your Cholesterol

The refrain of a popular gospel song contains the words, “count your blessings, name them one by one…” I found an updated version below with the same old fashioned message. This song came to mind as I received my doctor’s report that my cholesterol level was under 200.

Yes, payday has finally arrived. My steady regimen of exercising 30 minutes a day, eating low-fat meals has paid off and has caused me to reap a harvest of good health. There’s no price you can put on your health. If you don’t believe me ask the millionaire with a diagnosis of terminal cancer which would he prefer- another million dollars or the restitution of his health?

I do believe in counting my blessings and naming them one by one to see what God has done in my life. Why don’t you try the power of praise in your life? Not only is laughter good medicine for the soul, but so is a spirit of optimism and praise. An article by the Ririan project lists 10 benefits of laughter.

Included in the research were findings that state that there is a link between optimistic attitudes and good health. Overall, scientists found that optimistic people are healthier. Their biological makeup is different and they have a more robust immune system.

In the same article, the writer reports that according to some recent research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, elderly optimistic people were 71 percent less likely to die than the pessimists!

So my friends if you want to live longer learn how to smile and see the glass of life as half full rather than half empty. When you do this, you will become a Winner at life!

Stay Blessed!
Joyce

Click on the link below as you meditate on this song of encouragement by Dietrick Haddon and remember to smile throughout the day.


From: UnitynLove (youtube)

Friday, February 1, 2008

What's For Dinner Mom?- Make A Healthy Choice!



TGIF Guys!
I hope you will not make a choice like the one pictured in this caption(smile)this evening. Seriously, I've got a great recipe for all my readers that are committed to a lifestyle of taking off the weight, eating healthy and living longer. It's part of a 1500 low calorie, low fat diet plan designed for people like myself with high cholesterol. To find it and other recipes click on Crestor. Now that you have a delicious low fat entree, why not add a baked sweet potatoe and some tasty veggies and you are on your way to a healthy lifestyle?

Don't forget you can also make a choice and vote today! In some counties the polls stay open to 7pm this evening. I'm going to take my car in for an oil change today and walk to the polls. If you are like me and you don't like lines, click on this link to find out where you can vote today in your county. Remember all you have do is make one choice at a time to be a Winner at life- have a great weekend!
Stay Blessed!
Joyce


Baked Parmesan Chicken

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
4, 6 oz (1.5 lbs) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Nonstick vegetable cooking spray

Nutrient content per serving:
Total calories: 277
Protein: 42g
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fat: 7g
Calories from fat: 24% Cholesterol: 102mg
Sodium: 466mg
Fiber: 1g
Saturated fat: 2g


Instructions:

In a medium-size bowl combine seasoned bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and salt. Mix well. With a paper towel pat chicken breasts dry. Lay chicken on a plate and coat with olive oil. Cover chicken with bread crumb mixture, coating all sides, and place in a baking dish sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over chicken. Bake uncovered at 375°F for 35 to 45 minutes or until done. Makes 4 servings.