Happy Thanksgiving!! Go On Indulge!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here in the states and I hope everyone, everywhere, has alot to be thankful for!!

One more reason to be thankful for our meal...There are health benefits to the foods on your thanksgiving table!You can assuage any guilt for indulging on turkey day or you can allow yourself a more pleasurable time digging into leftovers and the rest of the upcoming holiday feasts. *g*


Lets start with the usual guest of honor….

Tom Turkey

He is naturally low in fat without the skin, oh but you can cook it with the skin to keep the moisture in the fat doesn’t get into the meat! Don’t eat the skin when its done and it contains only 1 gram of fat per ounce of flesh. A 5-ounce serving provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, and is a good source of vitamins B, B1,B6, zinc and potassium. These nutrients have been found to keep blood cholesterol down, protect against birth defects, cancer and heart disease, aid in nerve function and growth, boost the immune system, regulate blood pressure, and assist in healing processes.


Stuffing- well as long as its whole grain and sage stuffing! In Studies, This lovely herb has been improving memory in college students for up to 6 hours. Apparently sage helps the brain keep making chemicals that usually drop with age. And adding it to holiday recipes helps the liver digest fatty acids!


Cranberry Sauce- all I have to say is eat it! and lots…the tannins is cranberries prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract walls, stopping infection, and sticking to the gums, preventing periodontal disease and from sticking to the stomach lining preventing ulcers. They are also following up on studies that suggest they may stop the growth of some tumor cells…take a look at the info on the cranberry institute site: http://www.cranberryinstitute.org/healthresearch.htm


And if you don’t know to eat your veggies tsk tsk.

But of course the most common turkey day veggie is the

sweet potato: doused in antioxidants!!!! Besides that some recent animal studies showed that the carotenoids in sweet potatoes helped stabilize blood sugar levels and lowered insulin resistance.


Thirsty?
RED WINE! Most know its good for the heart but a resent study shows its good for eye health reducing risk of cataracts glaucoma and macular degeneration. Okay that’s an occasional glass or no more than 4 oz LOL but grape juice has the same results.


Coffee: as my friends over at web MD say:

Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities?

If it sounds too good to be true, think again.

Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.


Want a boost of energy without the caffiene jitters though?

Hot Cocoa! Its packed with theobromine and it doesn’t cause jitters. Plus it has a hormone that speeds oxygen to the brain making it easer to process your thoughts faster! And it fights tooth decay!

While on the chocolate lets skip over to deserts:


Dark Chocolate has flavonols that prevent heart attacks and strokes by increasing blood flow to the heart, decreasing bad cholesterol and like aspirin reduces platelet stickiness!


Baked goods: The smell of vanilla reduces stress! And over at Duke university they found that the fat in backed goods increases moodboosting endorphins and serotonin in the brain. Not all that healthy but after a stressful day of shopping or visiting with relatives, a little indulgence can be just what you need to take the edge off.


And gingersnaps are a great cookie to indulge on! Ginger is a potent pain reliever and decreased the swelling in arthritis patients. Not to mention aids the digestion.


What about Pies?

Pumpkin! Just one slice of pumpkin pie has nearly 300% (not a typo) of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A good for eye health and proven to keep skin youthful by speeding cell turnover. And pumpkin is loaded with vitamin E fatty acids, and enzymes that promote collogen growth, this is the dessert that can help keep the skin firm and supple!!!


Apple Pie: Yummy and even better if you spinkle Cinnamon on it! in fact you should sprinkle cinnamon on everything. It stabilizes glucose levels. Just a ½ a teaspoon of this spice a day lowers blood sugar 30% which might help prevent diabetes from developing in the first place! And it also increases the amount of nitric oxide enough to lower blood pressure.


And if like me, you love this time of year cause you can nibble on candycanes *g* they can make you smarter!!! peppermint increases beta waves associated with increased alertness. People performing mental tasks while inhaling the peppermint scent complete them faster and had more correct answers than others! Also if you are still afraid of over indulging at the table despite these nutritional benefites try a candycane before you eat. peppermint is an appetite suppressent.


So dig in and enjoy! You have a bit more to be thankful for when gathered around the table!


((((((Big hugs out to everyone)))))) I hope you find yourselves surrounded by the ones you are thankful for and take advantage of the opportunity to tell them so! Thank you for stopping by,
Mari

PS> Real fact from my Snapple green tea: Borborygmi is the noise that your stomach makes when you are hungry.

Technology isn't enough

I need to ask a favor of you. My friend Barbara was diagnosed with breast cancer this October. Tomorrow she is having a double mastectomy. Please send prayers, healing white light, positive thoughts, whatever you prefer. Send them so her surgeon and caregivers will be at their best. So that her husband, three young children and all of us who care for her will know comfort and strength. So that she will know she is not alone and she will find the courage and strength to go through what ever the future holds for her.

After she was diagnosed she didn't hide away and sink into denial. That isn't her. She is a very proactive person. If she weren't she might not even know she had cancer yet. She sat down and wrote a letter to our local paper about her experience. she wanted people to know. She asked me to post it on my blogs and I am.

To the Editor:
As breast cancer awareness month is coming to an end I wanted to share a story. We all know someone that has been touched by breast cancer. As my surgeon told me, Technology failed me for my cancer. Technology is great but there are times where you need to be an advocate for yourself and go with your gut. On 10/14/08 I was diagnosed with intraductal and invasive breast cancer.

In the end of July, beginning of August, my right breast looked different. I felt something but it wasn't a marble/pea type feeling. I just knew it was something that wasn't there before (from self-exams). I went and had a mammogram which said "density" so I went to the Gyn and said there is something wrong I don't want to wait the recommended the year. So She sent me for an ultrasound which didn't even find the area of concern. We could feel it but not find it. Next was a breast specialist that stated it is probably fibrosis we could wait and do another ultrasound in 3-6 months.

I said I wanted a breast MRI which I did get. I got the call that I had some brightening and needed to return for another ultrasound. I returned for another ultrasound and still no definite diagnosis. Again it was probably fibrosis but the radiologist stated let's make sure and do random biopsies.

Well I had 6 core biopsies taken from my right breast. It was just a sampling of the area, because by this time, approx 8 weeks later, this area went from the size of about 1 inch to almost half my breast. Four days after my biopsies the radiologist called me and said 5 of the biopsies were positive for intraductal and invasive carcinoma which means it started in my milk ducts and then had spread outside into my breast tissue.

I am having a double mastectomy in November. Thank God I did not wait a year for another mammogram. Because my breast cancer was not picked up with mammo or ultrasound even though there was palpable change and visual change. I am choosing to have a double mastectomy.I know similar problems have happened with other women, we need our technology but we also need to follow self breast exams, gut feelings and be an advocate for yourself... be informed.

Hopefully this information can help someone that might be having similar problems/questions.
Thank you,
Barbara Corbett

Remembering Veteran's Day

This shows up rather small the quote is...
The Mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and every patriot grave, To every living heart should swell into the mighty chord of remembrance, gratitude, and rededication on the solemn occasion~ Abraham Lincoln

Thank you
Mari

A funny, a Review, and a public service

What Are they?... BooBees *g*

Another exhale and a Squee!! Winning Bess received Five Angels from Fallen Angel Reviews and is a Recommended Read!!!!!

Winning Bess is a gritty slice of American history. This erotic romance isn’t set in some neat and tidy Regency ballroom but in an 1847 New York City slum. The writing is wonderfully descriptive. I was so sucked into the story I lifted my feet off the floor as I read so the rats couldn't touch them. I have never done that before. The dialogue is curt and harsh, the sex scenes hot and the romance surprisingly sweet. Winning Bess is a winning read.~ Kimber
*Gopher dancing*

And yes, My Soapbox Public Service…Its election day here in the states, and they say the whole world is watching. I’m Proud to say I voted, and so did my son, Jim. Today was his first time. He was very excited about this right of passage.

And while I was excited about the presidential election, and enjoyed debating issues with my kids.( Mainly that when I studied Yellow Journalism in school it was considered a bad thing *blink*) I tried to emphasize to them that they shouldn’t let the presidential campaign over-shadow the other elections taking place. There are others whose platforms we should look closer at besides the presidential nominees.

I feel my vote is better served by whom I vote for to fill seats in the Senate and Congress, along with those running in the local races. These are the people that vote for the issues close to home. Those representing us at the national house level are the ones that higgle and haggle over the proposed budgets and bills put before them and ultimately vote to pass or reject them. Don’t think party members all think the same, know what they stand for.

No Matter your philosophy on political science or how you feel the country should be run I hope fellow Americans all took pride in your Civic duty and educated yourself then got out there to vote. And the Polls are still open if you haven’t!!

May you take pride in what your ancestors struggled hard to achieve, no matter where you hail from!
Mari