Why Peanut Butter Has the Potential to Improve Your Health

Call me old school, but the performance fuel I’m relying on to get me through my busy days is, well, the same thing I ate when I was 10 years old. I was crazy about peanut butter as a kid and, as an adult, I’ve got a whole new appreciation for the ultimate comfort food. Many of my friends worry that peanut butter is too high in calories and fat to be healthy for them. I’ve been advising them otherwise and espousing all the goodness of the most popular nut butter out there. Why I still love peanut butter This stick-to-your-mouth-and-ribs staple offers some serious health benefits, and if you eat it with the right foods, it can help you get more of the fruits and veggies that may be lacking in your diet. And when I eat peanut butter with carbohydrate-rich foods, like fruit or bread, it helps keep me fuller longer—so I’m less likely to overeat. I also enjoy it after workouts for recovery (on toast or with an apple), as it’s a good source of protein and B vitamins—and a heck of a lot less expensive than any recovery beverages I can buy. The calorie contradiction Yes, peanut butter is high in calories (160 calories per 2 tablespoon serving), but they’re worthwhile calories: The spread contains 30 different vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Peanut butter is a good source of protein, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, and vitamin E, and it has no trans fats or cholesterol. The majority of peanut butter’s calories come from healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, while just 3.5 grams is from saturated fat. Numerous studies have shown that individuals who enjoy nuts and peanut butter in their diet have a lower risk of becoming overweight or obese, and a nut-rich diet is also associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Other studies have found that including nuts and nut butters may actually make it easier to stick to a calorie-reduced diet, possibly due to the natural appetite-suppressing compounds present in nuts. Enjoying more plant-based foods and plant proteins is one of the best ways to improve your health while reducing your food costs and carbon footprint—all at once.

Although a small percentage of the public is allergic to peanuts and peanut butter (and a salmonella scare earlier this year may have frightened some people away from PB for a while), the vast majority of us are able to safely enjoy the wide offerings in the peanut-butter section of the supermarket.

Perfect peanut-butter partners
Here are some of the many ways I enjoy peanut butter in my diet. (I’m also experimenting with these yummy Health.com–approved recipes!)

• Peanut butter with banana, pear, or apple slices
• On top of whole-wheat toast with sliced fresh fruit
• Add peanut butter to yogurt or oatmeal
• Add 1 tablespoon to fruit or yogurt-based smoothies
• Make a peanut-butter dip for fruits or veggies (see below)
• Take whole-grain crackers and 100-calorie portable packs on day trips to prevent fast-food binges

Fruity Peanut Butter Spread*
In a food processor, chop 1 medium apple (quartered but not peeled) and 1/2 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir fruit mixture into peanut-butter mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate.

Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce With Vegetables*
In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons hot water, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, and 2 tablespoons sugar until blended and smooth. Garnish with chopped salted, roasted peanuts and chopped green onions.

Wash and cut a variety of raw vegetables—carrots, broccoli, jicama, celery, snow peas, snap peas, and cauliflower are good choices—and serve with dipping sauce. This savory sauce is also great on chicken or beef kebabs.

*Recipes courtesy of the National Peanut Board.

Posted by Krishnan, Proprietor.

8 Reasons to Make Time for Family Dinner

Soccer practices, dance rehearsals, playdates, and other scheduling conflicts make family mealtime seem like a thing of the past. Suddenly, we’re chowing down on granola bars during the morning commute, sneaking 100-calorie packs at our desks, and grabbing dinner at the drive-thru window.

Eating meals together goes beyond the opportunity for bonding and relaxing. And despite the feeling that there’s no time for such luxuries, 59% of families report eating dinner together at least five times a week—an increase from only 47% in 1998, according to the Importance of Family Dinner IV, a report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

September 20 marks National Eat Together Week, which encourages families to nosh together whenever they can. Here’s a little inspiration:

1. Kids might learn to love their veggies.
A 2000 survey found that the 9- to 14-year-olds who ate dinner with their families most frequently ate more fruits and vegetables and less soda and fried foods. Their diets also had higher amounts of many key nutrients, like calcium, iron, and fiber. Family dinners allow for both “discussions of nutrition [and] provision of healthful foods,” says Matthew W. Gillman, MD, the survey’s lead researcher and the director of the Obesity Prevention Program at the Harvard Medical School.

2. It’s the perfect setting for new foods.
Most likely, a 6-year-old is not one day going to decide she’d really like to try Brussels sprouts. Parents have to introduce new foods to children, who initially need a little guidance in making healthy choices. A family meal is the perfect opportunity for parents to expose children to different foods and expand their tastes.

In a 2003 study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, children were offered some pieces of sweet red pepper and asked to rate how much they liked it. Then, each day for the next eight school days, they were invited to eat as much of the pepper as they wanted. On the final day, the kids were again asked to rate how much they liked it.

By the end of the experiment, the children rated the pepper more highly and were eating more of it—even more so than another group of children who were offered a reward for eating the pepper. These results suggest that a little more exposure and a little less “You can leave the table once you finish your broccoli!” will teach kids to enjoy new foods, even if they don’t like them at first.

3. You control the portions.
Americans spend more than 40% of their food budget on meals outside of the home. Eating out can be convenient but it’s also caloric—portion sizes in restaurants just keep growing! The average restaurant meal has as much as 60% more calories than a homemade meal. Studies show that when we are presented with more food, we eat more food, possibly leading to our expanding waistlines.

4. Healthy meals mean happy kids.
Studies have shown that kids who eat with their families frequently are less likely to get depressed, consider suicide, and develop an eating disorder. They are also more likely to delay sex and to report that their parents are proud of them. When a child is feeling down or depressed, family dinner can act as an intervention. This is especially true of eating disorders, says Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, who has studied the impact of family meal patterns on adolescents. “If a child eats with his or her parents on a regular basis, problems will be identified earlier on,” she says.

5. Family dinners help kids “just say no.”
Eating family dinners at least five times a week drastically lowers a teen’s chance of smoking, drinking, and using drugs. Teens who have fewer than three family dinners a week are 3.5 times more likely to have abused prescription drugs and to have used illegal drugs other than marijuana, three times more likely to have used marijuana, more than 2.5 times more likely to have smoked cigarettes, and 1.5 times more likely to have tried alcohol, according to the CASA report “While substance abuse can strike any family, regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age, or gender, the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help prevent [it],” says Elizabeth Planet, one of the report’s researchers, and the center’s vice president and director of special projects.

6. Better food, better report card.
Of teens who eat with their family fewer than three times a week, 20% get C’s or lower on their report cards, according to the CASA report. Only 9% of teens who eat frequently with their families do this poorly in school. Family meals give children an opportunity to have conversations with adults, as well as to pick up on how adults are using words with each other, which may explain why family dinnertime is also thought to build a child’s vocabulary.

7. Supper can be a stress reliever.
Believe it or not, if you have a demanding job, finding time to eat with your family may actually leave you feeling less stressed. In 2008, researchers at Brigham Young University conducted a study of IBM workers and found that sitting down to a family meal helped working moms reduce the tension and strain from long hours at the office. (Interestingly, the effect wasn’t as pronounced among dads.) Alas, the study didn’t take into account the stress of rushing to get out of the office, picking up the kids, and getting a meal on the table.

8. Put a little cash in your pocket.
In 2007, the average household spent $3,465 on meals at home, and $2,668 on meals away from home, according to the national Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When you take into consideration that the $2,668 spent on meals away from home only accounts for about 30% of meals (according to historical data), that’s about $8 per meal outside of the home, and only about $4.50 per each meal made in your own kitchen. You do the math!

10 Easy Ways to Eat Natural

Let’s face it: The dream of having our very own personal spa chef whip up delicious, good-for-us grub probably isn’t happening in this economy. So we found the next best thing—great stuff that makes eating healthy affordable and, honestly, almost effortless. Check out our top picks:

1. The end of the brown rice rut
Because nobody has an hour to devote to a midweek side dish, quick-cooking quinoa and whole-wheat couscous are truly revolutionary. With the same satisfying texture and nutty flavor as brown rice (plus more fiber), these 10-minute grains give new meaning to fast food.

2. Almonds by the pound
If you’re sick of schlepping to crunchy co-ops to buy nuts, dried fruit, and grains in bulk, you’ll be happy to hear that mass grocery stores are rediscovering these money-saving bins. That means we can buy less-processed, less-pricey raw almonds, unsalted sunflower seeds, organic trail mix, and more where we stock up on milk and other basics.

3. Generation 2.0 market bag
Buying fresh means buying often. And if you’re biking or walking to the market to stock up, you need a tote that’s up to the task. The new reusable, planet-friendly bags do it all—they’re big enough to carry loads of goodies, truly leakproof, and way cuter than granny carts. On the fence about bringing your own? A single reusable bag could eliminate more than 1,000 plastic grocery bags in its lifetime.

4 and 5. Our own herb stash—and mincer!
Fresh herbs add flavor and depth to a dish but practically zero calories and no fat. They also bruise easily, spoil quickly, and aren’t cheap. So we’re all for the grow-your-own-herbs window boxes that are everywhere now. Get an herb mincer to prevent bruising those delicate leaves. If you have a black thumb, herbs in a tube are a good alternative to the fresh stuff. With a fridge shelf life of three months, your cilantro won’t go bad before you can use it up.

6. The mini movement
One downsizing trend we’re on board with—guilty-pleasure foods (think: burgers, cupcakes) getting shrinky-dinked. Twee portions are de rigueur on restaurant menus and at bakery counters. And with all the mini baking pans out there, we can whip up sane-size muffins, cupcakes, quiches, and more without feeling the least bit guilty.

7. Souped-up sea salts
Leave it to gourmands to take a humble essential element and turn it into something spectacular. With a gazillion types of flavored and specialty sea salt—from hickory-smoked to Hawaiian Red Alaea—on shelves now, it’s never been easier to add tons of flavor and complexity to a dish. Coarse-grain sea salt has slightly less sodium than table salt and contains trace minerals that may have added health benefits. They’re definitely pricier, though, so sprinkle a hint on a finished dish instead of using it to salt your cooking water.

8. Frozen edamame
These protein-packed pods were once a rare treat found only in Japanese joints. But now they’re staples in the frozen-foods aisle, serving as a healthy snack or emergency side. It’s hard to beat the nutritional wallop of whole soybeans: They’re 60% richer in calcium than peas, a source of cancer-fighting isoflavones and vitamin E, and a great vegetable source of complete protein. For a snack, sprinkle steamed edamame pods with olive oil and sea salt; pop the beans out and discard the pods.

9. A free-range chicken in every store
It’s never been easier to find real chicken—the kind raised on a veggie diet sans growth hormones or antibiotics. For years, these pampered birds were exclusive to expensive gourmet markets or out-of-the-way farmers’ markets, but they’ve finally gone mainstream. We’re thrilled about the health perks (fewer chemicals in our bodies), but what do we really love? It’s chicken that tastes like, well … chicken.

10. Dot-com cooking
When we just can’t think up one more halfway-interesting twist on grilled chicken, the online recipe database is a virtual lifesaver. Go to FoodPunch.com, order whatever you want and voila, you have got your dinner. A healthy one at that!

Whar are Colds?

What are colds?

Everyone gets a cold from time to time. Children get more colds than adults.

Colds usually last 1 to 2 weeks. You can catch a cold at any time of year, but they are more common in late winter and early spring.

There is no cure for a cold. Antibiotics will not cure a cold. If you catch a cold, treat the symptoms.

What are the symptoms?

Lots of different viruses cause colds, but the symptoms are usually the same:

• Runny nose and sneezing
• Red eyes
• Sore throat and cough
• Headaches and body aches

You will probably feel a cold come on over the course of a couple of days. As the cold gets worse, your nose may get stuffy with thicker mucus.

A cold is not the same as the flu. Flu symptoms are worse and come on faster. If you have the flu, you may feel very tired. You may also have a fever and shaking chills, lots of aches and pains, a headache, and a cough.

If you feel like you have a cold all the time, or if cold symptoms last more than 2 weeks, you may have allergies or sinusitis. Call your doctor.

What can you do for a cold?

Good home treatment of a cold can help you feel better. When you get a cold:

• Get extra rest. Slow down just a little from your usual routine. You don’t need to stay home in bed, but try not to expose others to your cold.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Hot water, herbal tea, or chicken soup will help relieve a stuffy nose and head.
• Take aspirin, ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin), or acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) to relieve aches. Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 20. It has been linked to Reye’s syndrome, a serious illness.
• Use a humidifier in your bedroom and take hot showers to relieve a stuffy nose and head.
• If you feel mucus in the back of your throat (postnasal drip), gargle with warm water. This will help make your throat feel better.
• Use paper tissues, not handkerchiefs. This will help keep your cold from spreading.
• If your nose does get red and raw, put a dab of petroleum jelly on the sore area.

Don’t take cold medicine that uses several drugs to treat different symptoms. For example, don’t take medicine that contains both a decongestant for a stuffy nose and a cough medicine. Treat each symptom on its own.

A nasal decongestant spray can help your stuffy nose, but make sure you don’t use it for more than 3 days in a row. You could get a “rebound” effect, which makes the mucous membranes in your nose swell up even more.

Do not give cough and cold medicines to a child younger than 2 unless you’ve checked with the doctor first. If your child’s doctor tells you to give a medicine, be sure to follow what he or she tells you to do. Using saline drops or a humidifier may help thick or dried mucus to drain. To remove mucus from your baby’s nose, use a suction bulb to gently suction the mucus out. This is a safer way to treat your baby’s stuffy nose.

When should you call a doctor?

Call your doctor if:

• You have trouble breathing.
• You have a fever of 104 ° F (40 ° C) or higher.
• You have a fever of 101 ° F (38.3 ° C) or higher that has not come down after 12 hours of home treatment. Or you have a fever of 100 ° F (37.8 ° C) to 101 ° F (38.3 ° C) that has not come down after 3 days of home treatment.
• You have new symptoms that are not part of a cold, like a stiff neck or shortness of breath.
• You cough up yellow, green, or bloody mucus.
• Mucus from your nose is thick like pus or is bloody.
• You have pain in your face, eyes, or teeth that does not get better with home treatment, or you have a red area on your face or around your eyes.
• Your cold seemed to be getting better after a few days but is now getting worse with new symptoms.

How can you prevent colds?

There are several things you can do to help prevent colds:

• Wash your hands often.
• Be extra careful in winter and when you are around people with colds.
• Keep your hands away from your face. Your nose, eyes, and mouth are the most likely places for germs to enter your body.
• Eat well, and get plenty of sleep and exercise. This keeps your body strong so it can fight colds.
• Do not smoke. Smoking makes it easier to get a cold and harder to get rid of one.

Sinus Infection Symptoms

Pain and pressure in the face along with a stuffy or runny nose are the main symptoms of sinusitis. You also may have a yellow or greenish discharge from your nose. Leaning forward or moving your head often increases facial pain and pressure. The location of pain and tenderness may depend on which sinus is affected.

• Pain over the cheeks and upper teeth is often caused by maxillary sinus inflammation.
• Pain in the forehead, above the eyebrow, may be caused by frontal sinus inflammation.
• Pain behind the eyes, on top of the head, or in both temples may be caused by sphenoid sinus inflammation.
• Pain around or behind the eyes is caused by ethmoid sinus inflammation.

See a picture of the location of normal facial sinuses .

Other common symptoms of sinusitis include:

• Headache.
• Yellow or greenish discharge from the nose or down the back of the throat.
• Bad breath.
• Stuffy nose.
• Cough that produces mucus.
• Fever.
• Tooth pain.
• Reduced sense of taste or smell.

Acute (sudden) sinusitis is usually caused by a viral infection and often develops rapidly. It usually lasts for 4 weeks or less, and the symptoms often begin to clear up within a week without any treatment. Acute sinusitis caused by a bacterial infection is less likely to clear up on its own and may lead to chronic sinusitis or to complications in which the infection spreads beyond the sinuses. Nasal discharge that contains pus and worsens after 5 days or persists for more than 10 days is usually a strong sign of acute sinusitis caused by a bacterial infection.

Chronic (long-term) sinusitis is usually caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. These infections may be difficult to treat. If chronic sinusitis is not cured after trying two or more different antibiotics, you may want to talk with your health professional about surgery or allergy testing. Chronic sinusitis can lead to permanent changes in the mucous membranes that line the sinuses and may make you more prone to sinus infections.

Symptoms of sinusitis in children include coughing, nasal discharge that lasts more than 7 to 10 days, and complaints of headache and facial pain. Many children age 2 or older with chronic sinusitis may also have allergies and frequent ear infections. Some immunizations, particularly pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), may help prevent ear and sinus infections.

Other conditions that have symptoms similar to sinusitis may include allergies, toothaches, and colds or other upper respiratory infections. But if you’ve had a cold that returns or gets worse after 7 days (called double sickening), you probably have a sinus infection rather than a cold or other upper respiratory infection.

What if the flu?

What is influenza (flu)?

Influenza (flu) is a viral infection. People often use the term “flu” to describe any kind of mild illness, such as a cold or a stomach virus, that has symptoms like the flu. But the real flu is different. Flu symptoms are usually worse than a cold and last longer. The flu usually does not cause vomiting or diarrhea.

Most flu outbreaks happen in late fall and winter.

What causes the flu?

The flu is caused by influenza viruses A and B. There are different strains, or types, of the flu virus every year.

What are the symptoms?

The flu causes a fever, body aches, a headache, a dry cough, and a sore or dry throat. You will probably feel tired and less hungry than usual. The symptoms usually are the worst for the first 3 or 4 days. But it can take 1 to 2 weeks to get completely better.

It usually takes 1 to 4 days to get symptoms of the flu after you have been around someone who has the virus.

Most people get better without problems. But sometimes the flu can lead to a bacterial infection, such as an ear infection, a sinus infection, or bronchitis. In rare cases, the flu may cause a more serious problem, such as pneumonia.

Certain people are at higher risk of problems from the flu. They include young children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with long-term illnesses or with impaired immune systems that make it hard to fight infection.

How is the flu diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and examine you. This usually gives the doctor enough information to find out if you have the flu, especially if many cases of a similar illness have occurred in the area and the local health department reports a flu outbreak.

In some cases, the doctor may do a blood test or take a sample of fluid from your nose or throat to find out what type of flu virus you have.

How is it treated?

Most people can treat flu symptoms at home. Home treatment includes resting, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking medicine to lower your fever.

If you think you have the flu, your doctor may be able to give you medicine that can make the symptoms milder. But you need to start taking it within 2 days of your first symptoms.

Can the flu be prevented?

You can help prevent the flu by getting the flu vaccine every year. The best time to get the vaccine is in October or November, just before the start of flu season. You can get the vaccine as a shot or in a spray that you breathe in through your nose.

Almost anyone over 6 months old can have the flu vaccine. The vaccine is especially important for people who are at higher risk of problems from the flu, including:¹

• Children 6 months through 4 years of age.
• Adults ages 50 and older.
• Adults and children who have long-term health problems or an impaired immune system.
• Women who will be pregnant during the flu season.

The flu vaccine is also recommended for health care workers and anyone who lives or works with a person who is at higher risk of problems from the flu. Your doctor can help you decide if the flu vaccine is a good choice for you.

The vaccine usually prevents most cases of the flu. But even if you do get the flu after you’ve had the vaccine, your symptoms will be milder and you’ll have less chance of problems from the flu. You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are medications that kill bacteria. Bacteria are organisms that cause infections.

A health professional will choose an antibiotic to treat an illness based on:

• Whether taking an antibiotic will reduce the length or severity of the illness.
• The person’s age. (For example, some antibiotics are not safe for children.)
• The symptoms.
• Other medical problems that the person may have.
• The severity of the illness.
• How likely it is that a certain antibiotic will kill the bacteria believed to be causing the symptoms.
• Whether the person is allergic to any antibiotics.
• Whether a woman is pregnant.

Mucus

Mucus is a thick, slippery and usually clear substance that is produced in the lining of body cavities or canals, such as the nose, throat, sinuses, and airways of the lungs. Mucus protects and moistens the lining of body organs, such as the stomach and intestines, and traps dust particles, smoke, bacteria, and other irritants that enter the nose when a person inhales.

Mucus that becomes too thick and sticky can block the airway, digestive system, or cause other problems in the body. Thick and sticky mucus is difficult for the body to remove and can increase the risk of infection.

Influenze (flu)

Influenza (flu) is a viral upper respiratory illness that comes on suddenly, causing a person to feel very sick with symptoms such as fever, body aches, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, and a dry cough or sore, dry throat. Home treatment to reduce discomfort is usually all that is needed.

In some cases, the flu can lead to complications, such as bacterial pneumonia. People who are at high risk for complications include young children up to 5 years of age, adults age 65 and older, and all those who have certain health conditions, such as chronic heart or lung problems or immune system disorders.

Yearly immunization with the inactivated flu vaccine (flu shot) or the nasal spray vaccine (FluMist) helps reduce the risk of getting the flu and makes symptoms less severe for people who do get the flu.