Cheryl Mussatto MS, RD, LD – Osage County Online | Osage County News

Author Archives: Cheryl Mussatto MS, RD, LD

Eat Well to Be Well: Why crash diets capsize your weight loss efforts and what to do instead

Crash diets rarely last for the long term. The best diet plan is one that stresses realistic long-term expectations.

One of the worst things you can do when attempting to reach a healthier body weight is to follow a “crash” diet.  Crash dieting takes on many forms – fasting, detox programs, yo-yo diets, cleanses, Keto, or perhaps extremely low-calorie liquid diets. Unfortunately, each one is unsustainable and an example of radical calorie or macronutrient deprivation, all in the name of losing weight quickly.

My take on crash dieting

I’m not a fan of crash dieting. Plain and simple. Yet, many people will still rely on these weight loss methods. And when people ask my opinion of the latest crazy crash diet circulating on social media, this is what I tell them and what I am telling you: If the diet is followed as written, there’s no doubt you will lose some weight fairly rapidly – but at a cost to your health, metabolism, muscle mass, and ability to sustain weight loss long-term.

Nutrition and health professionals know keeping weight loss off long-term after following a crash diet rarely works. Once you go off the diet, weight regain begins. You end up feeling like a failure until the next trending crash diet comes along, promising yet another “easy” solution setting you up, once again, for frustration and defeat.

Crash diets depend on selling you “quick” weight loss. They’re designed that way for a reason. Immediate gratification is motivating. You experience speedy success with a quick drop in weight, a thrilling and intoxicating influence. But, the rapid drop in pounds is most likely water weight loss. In addition, shedding weight too fast can lead to muscle mass loss, eventually slowing down your metabolism and weakening strength and endurance.

Achieving and maintaining optimal body weight is challenging. Wanting to succeed at improving your health and well-being is admirable and should be encouraged.  When the goal is to lose a few pounds, it requires understanding the physiology and psychology of how to lose weight successfully and sustainably.

However, if you follow a crash diet lacking competence and a realistic strategy, your prospect of long-term success in keeping whatever weight you lose off for good will likely be thwarted.

Eat Well to Be Well: Save money and have fun with meal prepping ideas

Freshen up meals, add nutrition, save time

Envision coming home after a long day to a meal already prepped and ready for you to enjoy. You don’t have to imagine anymore. It can be your reality when you embrace “food prepping.” Food prepping is a commonly used term to prepare foods ahead of time, making meal planning a snap. Besides saving you time, energy, and anxiety over what to have for dinner, food prep is perfect for feeding your family nutritious and delicious meals.

If you’re new to food prepping, you can master meal planning with a few simple tricks, and even better, you’ll actually enjoy doing so. Once you’re in the habit of planning ahead what you’ll eat days from now, you will appreciate that food prepping also means more money in your pocket. Why? Relying on fast food take-out or sit-down restaurants increases your food spending dollars. The latest information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that from 2017 to 2020, households spent an average of $2,300 to more than $3,300 a year on eating away from home. Reducing one meal a week eaten out can save you dollars annually – less money spent at restaurants means more money in your pocket.

So, if you’re ready to make food prepping a reality, here are clever ideas to get you started:

Eat Well to Be Well Recipe: Skillet Chicken with Olives and Tomatoes

A must-make Mediterranean meal that’s budget friendly too!

Here’s a simple recipe that will be a family favorite particularly perfect for a weeknight dinner. Ready in less than 30 minutes, you’ll be savoring the taste of the Mediterranean in no time. Even better, everything cooks in one skillet, so fewer dishes to clean means more time for you and less time scrubbing pots and pans.

In this delicious recipe, you’ll find plenty of heart-healthy support. Lean chicken breast, olives brimming with healthy monounsaturated fat, and antioxidant-rich herbs and spices make this a hands-down winner toward helping dodge heart disease.

One of the main features of this recipe is Spanish olives, giving the recipe a typical salty or briny taste any connoisseur of olives knows and loves. But what if you are not a fan of olives? What can you substitute to get that same flavorful kick? I would recommend either capers or artichoke hearts. And if you do like olives, but not Spanish olives, choose another type olive such as kalamata olives. No matter what type of olive you choose, for anyone needing to be mindful of their salt intake, choose an olive with a reduced sodium content.

When it comes to heart health, olives are an excellent choice. Packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, this type of fat has been linked with lowering LDL or “bad” cholesterol while maintaining HDL or “good” cholesterol. Other heart health features of olives include:

  • Increasing nitric oxide production, which improves blood flow to tissues.
  • Olives contain polyphenols helping reduce chronic inflammation.
  • These same polyphenols found in olives may also improve your bone density helping lower the risk of fractures in older adults.
  • They contain vitamin E, an antioxidant linked to better cognition and a reduced risk of cognitive decline.
  • If you use extra virgin olive oil when cooking olives, it boosts satiety, keeping you fuller longer.
  • Eating olives or using olive oil help absorb beneficial antioxidants from fruits and veggies when eaten with these helpful dietary fats.

This recipe comes from my latest book, The Heart Disease Prevention Cookbook, which includes 125 recipes based on the Mediterranean diet. So, if you are ready to dive into an authentic-tasting Mediterranean meal, let’s get started!

Eat Well to Be Well: Nutrients work better when paired together

Food is fuel for your body, and some foods provide a tremendous nutritional boost when paired together!

The potential of teamwork is powerful. Even Helen Keller, an American author and educator, famously said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” This same philosophy also applies to nutrients found in food working together are dynamic health collaborations.

Collaboration is good and when applied to teaming up certain nutrients and foods, your health will benefit significantly. Also known as “nutrient synergy,” nutrients found in food – vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients – perform better when working in tandem with other nutrients, helping improve nutrient absorption, increase satiety and effectiveness, and reduce the risk of disease and illness.

It’s tempting to rely on vitamin and mineral supplements to get nutrients your diet lacks. Still, nutrient supplements cannot replicate the unique power of nutrients found naturally in food. That’s why strategically eating certain nutrients found in certain food together at meals or snacks, creates a healthy situation supporting a healthy nutritional boost.

Here’s a look at dynamic nutrient pairings creating a synergistic effect:

Iron and Vitamin C

Synergistic effect: The human body absorbs only about 10 to 15 percent of the iron you eat. Both animal-based and plant-based foods contain the mineral iron. Rich animal sources of iron include beef, poultry, fish, and pork. The iron found in animal-based foods is called “heme” iron and is easily absorbed on its own.

However, iron found in plant-based foods – beans, spinach, soy products (tofu, tempeh), nuts and seeds, fortified cereals, and the iron found in supplements, is called “nonheme” iron. You can enhance your nonheme iron absorption by eating food that’s high in vitamin C along with iron-rich food. The absorption of nonheme is improved thanks to vitamin C and the acids in your stomach. For example, just 25 milligrams of vitamin C – the amount found in about one-quarter cup of orange juice – can double the amount of nonheme iron you absorb from plant-based foods, while a one-half cup of orange juice increases the amount of iron absorbed by sixfold.

Best food sources: Animal-based food sources of iron include red meat, poultry, fish, and pork. Plant-based foods include spinach, beans, soy products, nuts, seeds, and iron-fortified cereals. Vitamin C is found plentiful in citrus fruits, berries, broccoli, leafy greens like spinach and kale, red and yellow peppers, and tomatoes.

Harnessing the synergy: Suggestions to increase your iron absorption by pairing a vitamin C rich food with iron found in plant-based foods include:

  • Eat an orange with a peanut butter sandwich or breakfast cereal or top cereal with vitamin C-rich berries like strawberries.
  • Add sliced red bell pepper, onions, and fresh fruit to a spinach salad.
  • Use canned tomato sauce or tomato paste for spaghetti or pasta dishes.
  • Have a quarter cup of walnuts with orange or kiwi fruit slices.

Eat Well to Be Well: Now’s the time to celebrate summer fruit

Summer is here, reminding us why this season is to be enjoyed for so many reasons. But, one of the best is the fact that summer is the perfect season for enjoying and eating more fruit. First, it’s when many fruits are ripe, available, least expensive, and taste the best. And don’t forget that besides their nutritional punch, fruits provide hydration on hot, balmy days, helping boost energy while reducing tiredness and fatigue.

Let’s take a look at four commonly eaten summer fruit favorites, reminding you to eat more of these mouthwatering and nourishing produce:

Berries

You can’t go wrong with berries – whether blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries – each are fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, and full of antioxidants. The American Cancer Society agrees that every day you should eat some type of berry, bursting with nutrition. That is because berries contain a powerful type of antioxidant called polyphenols – including ellagic acid – and anthocyanins that counteract, reduce, and repair damage to cells. And if you’ve ever admired berries’ jewel-like tones, you should. In fact, the darker the color of a fruit (or vegetable), the higher the concentration of phytochemicals, a plant substance good for reducing blood pressure and arterial stiffness.

Cherries

While not native to the U.S., cherries are grown in most parts of our country. The dark, rich color of sweet red cherries indicates their high levels of anthocyanin pigments and phenolic compounds.  Cherries also supply a good source of vitamin C and satiating fiber. Besides vitamin C and antioxidants, sour red cherries are also an excellent source of vitamin A, which is necessary for regulating the growth and differentiation of all cells in the body.

Eat Well to Be Well: Take practical steps for improving poor digestion

Life is usually good when our gut feels good – no bloating, diarrhea, gas or constipation. But when those symptoms rear their ugly head, and for many they do, suddenly your happy-go-lucky life has just taken a turn down the wrong road.

Having a gut that works like a charm the majority, if not all of the time, is one of life’s most valuable health assets. When tummy troubles are under control, we can enjoy life much more. Luckily, good gut health and the ability to digest what we eat without worry can be achieved by most of us when specific steps are taken.

Causes of poor digestion

There can be several reasons why we may experience poor digestion. Here are some common ones many may have:

  • Taking too many over-the-counter medications or prescription drugs.
  • Sedentary lifestyle.
  • Tooth decay and gum disease.
  • Drinking too much alcohol.
  • Eating too many sugary foods and beverages or refined carbohydrates.
  • Too much “bad” bacteria instead of “good” bacteria.
  • Stress.
  • Environmental contaminants.

Signs of poor digestion

Many of us associate poor digestion with the typical symptoms of bloating, gassiness, constipation, or diarrhea. But poor gut health can make itself known by causing other symptoms outside of our abdomen, such as joint pain, unexplained headaches, fibromyalgia, skin problems, sleep disturbances, and fatigue.

Eat Well to Be Well Recipe: Oven-Roasted Lemon Parmesan Asparagus

Effortless, this side dish bursts with delicious hints of lemon, garlic, and Parmesan when perfectly paired with asparagus. Here’s a recipe that brings out the best in this perennial veggie by roasting. Easy and quick to make and tastes incredibly good, this recipe you’ll use again and again. Roasting strong-tasting vegetables like asparagus caramelizes the flavor, reducing its natural bitterness. Even the pickiest of eaters will find a liking to roasted asparagus.

Most grocery stores stock asparagus year-round. However, April and May are the peak months when asparagus is at its best. Typically we think of the color green with asparagus, but it also comes in white and purple. White asparagus tastes similar to its green cousin, while purple asparagus is much sweeter.

Eat Well to Be Well: Asparagus, a perennial spring favorite

One of the most sought-after vegetables usually signaling the arrival of spring is asparagus. Farmers markets and supermarkets are brimming with this “king of vegetables,” aptly named by France’s King Louis XIV, who cultivated them in greenhouses so he could enjoy them throughout the year.

This tender perennial stem vegetable belonging to the Asparagaceae family was considered a prized delicacy by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Asparagus is closely related to Liliaceae plants, which also include onions and garlic. Asparagus is believed have originated along the coastal regions of the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor regions, and is considered one of the oldest known vegetables.

Health benefits of asparagus

Asparagus is naturally rich in many healthy nutrients and compounds we can take advantage of. Therefore, this “king of vegetables” is a must-buy not only for its delicious flavor but to obtain its powerful nutritional benefits:

Eat Well to Be Well Recipe: Comforting tomato veggie split pea soup

Take stock of what makes soup so soothing and satisfying

A warm bowl of soup is a classic comfort food. Just the sight, smell, and feel of holding a cup of steaming soup makes cold winter weather pleasantly cozy. No matter what season, soup is always a good choice. When brimming with nutritious veggies, soup makes a wholesome, hearty vegetarian meal with great texture and taste. Pair soup with crusty bread making it an easy meal when in a hurry.

At this point, go ahead and jump to the recipe, if you like. But, if you want to know why a warm bowl of soup is special, read on. A pot of soup simmering on the stove offers more than a spoonful of comfort. It’s also a satisfying and nourishing meal loaded with health benefits. Here’s a look at what soup has to offer:

Eat Well to Be Well: Aging healthily is possible and starts with a healthy gut

The secret to successful aging may rely on a changing gut microbiome

How well are you aging? Good, fair, or poor?

The passage of time is out of your control but how you age is a different story. No matter how many birthdays you celebrate, your biological age can either be “younger” or “older” than your chronological age. And guess what? Aging healthily begins in your gut, starting with an overall healthy composition of gut microbes.

Zooming in on gut health 

Your gastrointestinal tract is teeming with trillions of microbes composed of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These amazingly efficient microbes work round the clock keeping you healthy. Their jobs include digesting and absorbing food, manufacturing vitamins and minerals, and protecting against invasion of harmful microbes. Sounds good but that’s not all. Healthy gut bacteria also influences your sleep, brain health, heart health and cancer risk.

What about immunity? Yes, a strong immune system depends on gut health too. Seventy percent of the immune system is intimately intertwined inhabiting the gut. What’s present in the gut determines the health of your immune system.

Aging well with good gut health

Research is now showing that how you age may depend on these microbes nestled within in your gastrointestinal tract.

A 2021 study published in Nature Metabolism, may have found a key component of healthy aging. The secret? Older adults, whose mix of gut microbes changed the most over time, lived longer and healthier than people with less change.

The study did not prove that having a diverse gut microbiome was responsible for people living longer. Rather, simply having an eclectic mix of micro biota was associated with people who could walk faster, had greater mobility, higher vitamin D levels, and reduced cholesterol levels. The ability to walk fast and have healthy blood lipid levels are factors already associated with a longer lifespan.

Living a healthy, long life doesn’t just happen. It takes some work and know-how getting from point A to point B. Living a healthy lifestyle is a good start. Setting achievable and consistent lifestyle goals is your guide to aging healthily.

Here are steps to take:

Eat Well to Be Well Recipe: Baked Butternut Squash with Apples and Cranberries

If you like recipes that meet your checklist of hearty, healthy, and delicious, this is it.  Featuring seasonal food superstars, including butternut squash, apples, and cranberries, your senses of sight, smell, and taste are in for a pleasing palate sensation.

There’s something about seasonable fall and winter flavors. For me, it’s similar to the feeling of a cozy, warm blanket wrapped around you on a chilly evening. Inviting, fragrant, and flavorful, this good-for-you comfort food side dish is ideal for family get-togethers.

Comfort food and “nutrient-rich” usually don’t go together. But in this recipe, each ingredient tastefully coexists while providing various nutrients to boot.

Basics about butternut squash

The headliner of this recipe is butternut squash. This winter squash is shaped like an elongated pear, is a member of the cucurbitaceous family. Squash goes back a long ways, 10,000 years ago, to its origin in Mexico and Central America. In fact, the word “squash” comes from the Native American word askutasquash, which means uncooked or eaten raw.

Unsure of what butternut squash tastes like? If you like the taste of sweet potatoes or carrots, you’ll like butternut squash, too.

Health wise, butternut squash is a winner. One cup is packed with more than 100 percent of your daily needs of vitamin A and nearly 40 percent of vitamin C. It’s also good for hydration as one cup is approximately 87 percent water.

Eat Well to Be Well: 22 simple ways to be healthier in 2022

Say goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022! Father Time keeps ticking away with the arrival of another New Year with new possibilities affecting your life and health. Speaking of health, what plans do you have for restoring or maintaining your health this coming year and what steps will you take to reach your goals?

One thing we learned over the past two years is good health matters. COVID-19 continues to take a toll, especially on individuals with chronic health conditions, a blunt reminder that getting and staying healthy has always had distinct advantages. However, gaining good health doesn’t just happen. It takes daily dedication of practicing regular healthy habits with a lot of self-discipline added to this mix.

To start your New Year with good health in mind, here’s a list of 22 simple ways to get healthier with minimal effort:

1. Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables. High in nutrients, low in calories and carbohydrates, these valuable veggies include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, peppers, radishes, squash, spinach, Swiss chard, tomatoes, and zucchini.

2. Drink more water. Water is calorie and sugar-free and essential for good health. A good guide for daily water intake is to divide your weight in half and aim for that number in fluid ounces. For example, someone who weighs 150 pounds should aim for at least 75 ounces or about nine, 8-ounce glasses a day.

3. Stay flexible. Every day, do some sort of stretching routine to keep your body and joints flexible and strong.

4. Dedicate at least 5 minutes of your lunch break to walking. This will keep you more active and is a great stress reliever and mood enhancer.

5. Drink green tea. One of the healthiest beverages you can drink, green tea is packed with antioxidants helping you fight free radicals shown to increase disease and speed aging.

6. Brush and floss your teeth. Get in the habit of brushing and flossing twice a day.

7. Avoid sugar beverages. Sugary sodas are bad for your health and loaded with added sugar. If you drink a lot of soda, opt for healthier beverages such as water, unsweetened tea, coffee, or green tea.

8. Go to bed 10 minutes earlier. By the end of the week, you’ll add an extra 70 minutes of sleep. Keep it up all year and you’ll have slept 60 hours more. Imagine how well-rested you’ll feel.

9. Make a grocery list before you shop. This can help you make healthier decisions when shopping and prevent impulse buying. Studies have also shown that grocery lists can help you eat healthier.

10. Limit screen time. This includes screen usage from cell phones, TV, computers, laptops, and other devices. Estimate your average screen time per day and aim to reduce it by half.

Eat Well to Be Well: Enjoy these top 12 foods to energize your day

When feeling drained of get-up-and-go, it’s tempting to down an energy drink or grab a candy bar. These choices often do provide a quick, short burst of energy you need. But beware – sugary drinks, candy, and pastries put too much fuel (sugar) into your blood too quickly. Instead of long-lasting energy, that sugar spike will soon come crashing down, leaving you tired and hungry once again.

Try instead to choose foods that boost energy levels and have all-day staying. These same foods should also be rich sources of protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates. Here are 12 healthy food ideas to amplify your energy level from sluggish to energized staying-power:

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a tried and true favorite for sustained stamina. The energy boost comes from a combination healthy fat, protein, and fiber, helping satisfy hunger and keeping blood sugar stable. Choose all-natural peanut butter without added sugar and stick to a 2 tablespoon serving size.

Air-popped popcorn

Popcorn is a high-fiber, whole-grain treat and a smarter choice than a bag of high-fat, overly salted potato chips. The popped kernels provide volume for quieting hunger longer than other snack foods. Stay away from high-fat microwave popcorn and instead pop your own kernels seasoned with herbs and spices.

Almonds

This superstar snack food provides important nutrients such as magnesium and B vitamins, helping to convert food to energy. When magnesium levels are low, you’ll tire more easily, particularly during exercise. A lack of B vitamins can lead to fatigue, irritability, and poor concentration. All it takes is about 1 ounce or 23 nuts to be considered a serving.

Eat Well to Be Well: Eating your way to bladder health

Bladder health should be a top priority for all of us, ranking alongside heart, brain, and bone health. And one way to promote bladder health is by making smart food choices. From urinary incontinence to overactive bladder, your dietary choices are an important part and play a supporting role of fending off these quality-of-life issues. That’s because what you eat and drink directly affects your bladder and it’s functioning.

Get to know your bladder

Before discussing food and dietary changes helping manage bladder and urinary issues, let’s get to know your bladder better.

Every single day, all of us use our bladder multiple times. Located in the lower abdomen, the bladder is a hollow organ, much like a balloon, that stores urine. It is part of the urinary system, which also includes the kidneys, ureters, and urethra. Urine contains wastes and extra fluid left over after the body takes what it needs from what we eat and drink.

Over time, the bladder can change. The elastic bladder tissue may toughen and become less stretchy. A less stretchy bladder cannot hold as much urine as before and might make you go to the bathroom more often. The bladder wall and pelvic floor muscles may weaken, making it harder to empty the bladder fully and causing urine to leak.

Because bladder problems are common and can disrupt day-to-day activities, you may find yourself avoiding social situations or having a hard time completing tasks at home or at work.

Top dietary habits your bladder will love

To achieve and maintain good bladder health, a good start is by what you eat and drink. Adopt the following healthy bladder dietary habits to help avoid overactive bladder and urinary incontinence:

Stay well hydrated

Up to one third of the water we consume comes from food like fruits, veggies, and soup. So how much water do you need to drink each day? As a general rule of thumb, take your weight in pounds and divide it by two, and that’s the number of ounces of water you should consume daily. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you should aim to drink 80 ounces of water every day.

Why is staying hydrated important for urological health? Drinking sufficient water is essential for helping balance salts and sugars within the body and to flush out toxins and wastes through the urinary system. When dehydrated, the buildup of minerals can irritate the lining of your bladder and the concentration of wastes can lead to frequent and urgent urination or pelvic pain.

Eat Well to Be Well Recipe: Maple-Poached Pears

Simple and perfectly delicious, a fiber-rich stewed pear is one of the healthiest desserts you can serve after a meal

Before I talk about this fabulous recipe, let’s talk first about the simple pear itself.

Pears are one of the most underrated and overlooked fruits around. Maybe it’s because they lack the eye-catching colors of strawberries or watermelon and their flavor is more subtle compared to the distinctive taste of a kiwi or a papaya. And when it comes to popularity, pears are just … so-so. Pears don’t even rank in the top five favorite fruits of Americans, which by the way are bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, and oranges, respectively.

But don’t let that stop you from trying out this recipe! A pear slowly cooked in rich maple syrup surrounded by cinnamon sticks is a decadent dessert showcasing this fruit’s blend of sophistication and sweetness that rivals a baked apple.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve eaten a pear, here’s your opportunity. From September through January (right now!) is when pears are at their peak. And when in season – watch out! An in-season ripe pear’s unique taste and texture range from succulent to buttery to a mellow sweetness – a true culinary delight.

Nutritionally, this humble fruit is top notch for several reasons:

Pears are an excellent source of fiber. A medium-sized pear provides 6 grams of fiber – the majority found in the skin – equal to about 21 percent of the recommended daily value. This makes pears one of the best sources of fiber of all fruits.

Pears are fat free and cholesterol free. By including more pears in your diet, you will replace higher fat foods helping lower your overall intake of fat and cholesterol. This may help reduce your risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.

Pears are sodium free, too. Eating more sodium free foods, like a pear, just makes sense since most Americans over-consume sodium.

Pears are a good source of vitamin C, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. A medium-sized pear provides about 7 mg or 8 percent of the daily value for the antioxidant vitamin C. Pears also naturally contain various phytonutrients and other antioxidants supporting good health. Choose pears with vibrantly colored skins of various pear varieties.

Not sure which variety of pear is best for cooking or how to store pears, here are tips you need to know:

  • Firmer varieties like Bosc and Anjou are best for cooking while Bartlett and Comice are best raw.
  • Keep pears out on the counter until they are ripe. Then store in the refrigerator.
  • To determine ripeness, gently press near the stem with your thumb; if it gives slightly, it’s ready.
  • Puree pears into smoothies, sauces, and dressing to add sweet flavor.

Eat Well to Be Well Recipe: Rotisserie Chicken and White Bean Soup

There’s nothing like an Italian-inspired hearty and healthy chicken and white bean soup that soothes the soul!

Nothing says “comfort food” quite like a hot, steaming bowl of chicken soup. No matter the time of year, but especially when temps take a dip and the north wind blows, chicken soup with a side of crusty bread and a glass of wine always sounds good.

Chicken soup really does warm the heart and soul. And with just the right amount of soothing, mouth-watering appeal and taste, along with a healthy compliment of nourishing ingredients, here’s a chicken soup recipe that will be your comfort go-to food time and time again.

What’s especially nice is to use an already prepared store-bought rotisserie chicken offering incredible versatility, saving you precious time in preparing the chicken yourself. And no worries – a store-bought rotisserie chicken still provides a flavorful “homemade” chicken soup taste that’s come to life.

I used a rotisserie chicken with mild seasoning – both plain and lemon-pepper work well. If you like a richer flavor, be sure to add meat from the wings and some of the bones to the broth. Creamy white beans are used in place of traditional noodles, making this soup a protein-packed meal. Fresh sage provides a nice herby and savory vibe to the stock. Add in a few carrots and celery and you’ve got deliciousness waiting for you to experience how good it is.

This hearty, warming bowl of chicken soup is just steps away and is incredibly easy and fast to put together. Read on, I’ll walk you through it.

Eat Well to Be Well: Could you be calcium deficient and not know it?

Calcium is the most abundant mineral found in the human body, with 99 percent stored in the bones and teeth, and is necessary for strong bone structure. The roles of calcium are critical for body functioning, but many adults, adolescents and children do not consume enough calcium-rich foods.

Many people may think that calcium is primarily needed during childhood when the body is rapidly growing. The belief is that once calcium has been deposited into the bones, it stays there forever, that once it is built, it is inert, like a rock. That is not true. The minerals of bones are in constant flux, with formation and dissolution taking place every minute of the day and night. In fact, almost the entire adult human skeleton is remodeled every 10 years.

Skipping consuming dairy foods due to believing calcium intake is not that important, will likely set you up for a calcium deficiency. Would you know the signs and symptoms if you are calcium deficient and more importantly, how to prevent it?

Signs of calcium deficiency

No matter what the cause of calcium deficiency may be (diet, medication, etc.), the symptoms remain similar. Individuals who need to be most concerned and aware of these symptoms are vegans, who consume no dairy foods, which are the biggest and best contributors of calcium. Vegans also need to be mindful of running the risk of being deficient of other nutrients, like vitamin B12, iron, and zinc.

Here are possible signs you may have a calcium deficiency:

  • Muscle aches and cramps, especially in the legs
  • Numbness and tingling in the hands, arms, legs, and feet
  • Dry skin
  • Severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms

Anyone who has these symptoms or is high-risk for calcium deficiency should follow-up with their doctor. The longer calcium deficiency continues the higher chance for developing osteoporosis, severe dental problems of bone loss in the jaw, depression, chronic joint and muscle pain, and bone fractures.

Eat Well to Be Well Recipe: Salmon With Pomegranate Salsa

A sensory sensation bursting with zesty sweet and savory flavors everyone will love

There was a time in my life I would never have imagined eating fish regularly, especially salmon. Growing up on a Kansas farm, it was fields of wheat, oats, and soybeans that dominated alongside pastures overflowing with cattle peacefully grazing on big bluestem and switchgrass flourishing in the Flint Hills. Let’s just say, the meat department at my small town grocery store was filled with various cuts of beef, pork, and poultry without a fresh salmon in sight.

But thankfully many years ago, my taste buds were introduced to the savory appeal of perfectly baked or grilled, tender fresh salmon. And if you love salmon as much as I do now, this is a recipe you must try. This dish is a great option, especially if you’re looking for different ways to prepare this heart healthy fish, or unique toppings to serve it with. And yes, salmon is now a regular on my menu rotation, along with beef, pork, and poultry.

Salmon with pomegranate salsa is a “fit for a king” treat and a feast for your eyes. From the peachy color of the salmon, to the bright, ruby-red pomegranate seeds, to the vibrant green of fresh dill, it’s a refreshing and beautiful blend energizing all your senses.

Speaking of the “vibrant green of fresh dill,” be sure to choose bunches that are aromatic, bright green, and firm. Store fresh dill in the refrigerator wrapped in a paper towel for two to three days and just before you’re ready to use it, wash and dry it well.

And let’s not forget what a superior food both salmon and pomegranates are. Here’s a look at several key nutritional advantages each have to offer:

Salmon:

  • A powerhouse of high quality protein helping maintain muscle mass.
  • Abundant in omega-3 fatty acids promoting healthy joints and skin while reducing risk of heart disease.
  • An impressive source of selenium, a mineral important for cognitive function, a healthy immune system, and supporting thyroid health.

Pomegranate seeds:

  • High levels of antioxidants helping reduce inflammation.
  • Contains phytochemicals protecting against heart disease.
  • Has anti-tumor potential of preventing development and progression of prostate cancer.

If you’re ready to include more heart healthy eating, starting with an appealing, flavorful and ready-to-eat meal within 15-20 minutes (salmon takes almost no time to cook), let’s take a look at how to put together this exceptional recipe:

Powered by WordPress