Spaghetti Squash: The Ultimate Healthy Pasta Substitute

Spaghetti squash: neat name - neat vegetable

I first heard of spaghetti squash earlier this year. I was told the neat thing about this veggie is that it can replace pasta. This sounded really weird to me. How in the world is this possible?

I had to find out for myself. Through friends of my wife and the internet we were prepared to cook with spaghetti squash for the first time. We just used the spaghetti squash to make a simple spaghetti and served it with spaghetti sauce. I had my doubts, but it was pretty darn good. I will say that the spaghetti squash really doesn't have any taste at all, at least to me, but it is healthier than pasta.

When cooked properly spaghetti squash can have very close to the texture of pasta. Also it only has 42 calories per cup, has a lot of fiber and it doesn't have all of the carbs which are in pasta. My wife and I will definitely be cooking with spaghetti again soon and will be trying some new recipes. Spaghetti Squash Recipes

If you want to try cooking with spaghetti squash follow the instructions below from http://www.easybalconygardening.com/:

Choose firm spaghetti squash with no bruises. Its light yellow color should be even. Avoid squash with any green color or soft spot on it. A four-pound squash will have a yield of about four cups.

Scrub the squash very well.

To prevent the squash from breaking open during baking, pierce it all over with a skewer. This is especially important if you are microwaving it.

To bake in the oven: Preheat the oven at 375ºF. Put the whole squash in a shallow baking pan, rind side up, and bake for 40 minutes or more, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork.

To microwave: Place in a microwave dish, cut sides up, with about a quarter cup of water. Cover and set the timer for about eight to twelve minutes, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork. Let stand for a few minutes before taking the squash out.

To boil: Place the squash in boiling water and let boil for about twenty minutes or so, depending on the size. Test for doneness with a fork.

To use a slow cooker or crock pot: Place up to two cups of water and cook on low heat about eight to ten hours. Make sure the size of your squash is right for your crock pot.

As soon as sufficiently cool, using a serrated knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half or quarters, depending on the length of strands you prefer.

Scrape both seeds and fibrous strings from its center. Do not throw the seeds away. They are good roasted. Simply toss in a little bit of olive oil (not greasy), sprinkle with some sea salt, and bake for about twenty minutes to one hour at 250ºF, depending on quantity. Serve warm.

Separate the spaghetti squash pulp into strands using a kitchen fork’s tines. Serve alone or as a side dish. Do not forget the butter, salt, and pepper! Or, you can serve it with your favorite spaghetti or Alfredo sauces, herbs, etc. There are several variations you can experiment on!

The Healthy Lifestyle Community on Lunch.com has officially been launched

I'm very happy to officially announce: the Healthy Lifestyle Community on Lunch.com has officially been launched. I founded this community to create a gathering place for those with a passion for the fitness, nutrition and overall personal wellness. My goal is for this community to be a spot to learn and share knowledge on a healthy lifestyle which include: exercise, weight loss, disease prevention, medicine, food and everything else to keep you happy and healthy.

If you would like to become involved, I urge you to join the Healthy Lifestyle Community on Lunch.com.

Some examples from the Healthy Lifestyle Community:
What Working Out Means to Me (6) by Savvygirl
Avoid Trans Fats: They Are Bad News by Clay_Miller
The Bar Method - Feel the Pain In Your Muscles and Your Wallet by PattyP


 The Healthy Lifestyle Community is here


 My personal Lunch.com page is here


 The Green Living Community is here


Thank you and I hope to see you on Lunch.com

Nutritiondata.com is a great healthy resource

In my never-ending quest for valid health information I have found the great website nutritiondata.com. It gives you a cornucopia of health information attached to almost any food. They even have many foods from fast foods joints and popular restaurants.  Nutritiondata has its own blog at: http://blog.nutritiondata.com/. You can find them on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/nutritiondata.

For instance, if you wanted to know the nutritional content of raw strawberries, you would just type in 'strawberries' in the search box at the top right of nutritiondata.com. If you did this you would see the following:

You can even fine tune your research to look in specfic food categories.  One of my favorite searches is

to use the Nutrient Seach function.  You can find the foods with the highest or lowest of a certain nutrient (e.g. sodium, fiber, fat or even calories).  You can find the Nutrient Search here:  http://www.nutritiondata.com/tools/nutrient-search. Nutritiondata.com even has a mobile nutritional food search widget which can be found here: http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/nutritiondata-food-search-widget.  There is one on this blog to the right.

Check out nutritiondata.com and you might be surprised how healthy or unhealthy something is that you are currently eating.  You know many fast foods are unhealthy, but now you can see how unhealthy. 

Have fun researching.  Any interesting finds yet?

Ways to raise your HDL (good cholesterol)

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins that enable lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides to be transported within the water-based bloodstream. It is hypothesized that HDL can remove cholesterol from atheroma within arteries and transport it back to the liver for excretion or re-utilization, which is the main reason why HDL-bound cholesterol is sometimes called "good cholesterol". A high level of HDL seems to protect against cardiovascular diseases, and low HDL cholesterol levels (less than 40 mg/dL or about 1mmol/L) increase the risk for heart disease.

	At risk	Desirable
Men	Less than 40 mg/dL* (1.0 mmol/L**)	60 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L) or above
Women	Less than 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L)	60 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L) or above

Let's look at ways to raise our HDL (good cholesterol), shall we?

• Exercise - just 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week can jump-start your HDL in the right direction
• Reduction or elimination of foods that reduce HDL─Hydrogenated fats ("trans" fats) should be eliminated, since they reduce HDL (as well as increasing LDL and blood pressure, and have been associated with cancer)
• Moderate amount of alcohol daily - alcoholic beverages raise HDL, red wine confers additional benefits, such as reduction in blood sugar and blood pressure, provided no more than 2 glasses per day are consumed
• Dark Chocolate - preferably 70% cocoa or greater - do not exceed 40 grams, or approximately 2 inches square, per day
• Green tea - brewed only, never instant or pre-mixed bottles. Many say several cups per day are required for its full effect
• Quite smoking - quitting smoking can raise your HDL levels by about four points
• Eat more fiber - soluble fiber found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains might boost your HDL
• Maintaining a healthy weight - losing 10 pounds can increase your HDL by one and a half points. Aim for a weight loss goal to achieve a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or below
• Dietary supplements - these include omega-3 fatty acids (fatty fish, fish oil supplements) and flaxseed oil or grain
• Medications - some used to lower LDL cholesterol may also increase HDL cholesterol, including niacin, fibrates (Lopid, others) and statins (Lipitor, Zocor, others)

I've had low HDL (even less than 40) since I've had mine checked in the last few years. I'm really trying to raise it consistently to be over 50. I tackle both LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL with exercise and a healthy diet of fruit, vegetables, moderate alcohol and green tea every day. Not a bad diet, right?

What is your HDL level? Do you have low HDL and need to raise it? Join the club and join in on the ways to increase it.

Don't forget to get your 10-year Tetanus shot

I just got a tetanus shot today.  Not that big of a deal.  It cost me $21.  My last tetanus shot was about 20 years ago.  We are supposed to get a tetanus shot every 10 years.  Oops.  I'll get my tetanus shot every 10 years from now on.

So what exactly is tetanus?  From MayoClinic.com:

Tetanus is a serious bacterial disease caused by a toxin that leads to stiffness of your jaw muscles and other muscles. Tetanus can cause severe muscle spasms, make breathing difficult and, ultimately, threaten your life.


Spores of the tetanus bacteria, Clostridium tetani, usually are found in the soil, but can occur virtually anywhere. If deposited in a wound, the bacteria can produce a toxin that interferes with the nerves controlling your muscles.

Treatment for tetanus is available, but the process is lengthy and not uniformly effective. Tetanus may be fatal despite treatment. The best defense against tetanus is preventing it by getting a tetanus shot and by properly caring for wounds.

Signs and symptoms of tetanus may include:

• Spasms of your jaw, neck and other muscles. As the toxin spreads to nerves, your face and jaw muscles may be affected by strong spasms. Spasms can also affect muscles in your chest, abdomen and back.
• Stiffness of your jaw, neck and other muscles. This is why tetanus is commonly referred to as lockjaw. Spasms and stiffness of your jaw and neck may lead to difficulty swallowing. Stiffness can also affect your chest, abdominal and back muscles.
• Difficulty breathing. Severe spasms can affect respiratory muscles and make it difficult to breathe.

Other signs and symptoms can include:

• Fever
• Muscular irritability

When to see a doctor

See your doctor to obtain a tetanus booster shot if you have a deep or dirty wound and you haven't had a booster shot within the past five years or aren't sure of your vaccination status. Or see your doctor about a tetanus booster for any wound if you haven't had a booster shot within the past 10 years.


The bacteria that cause tetanus, Clostridium tetani, are found in soil, dust and animal feces. When they enter a deep flesh wound, spores of the bacteria may produce a powerful toxin, tetanospasmin, which acts on various areas of your nervous system. The effect of the toxin on your nerves can cause muscle stiffness and spasms — the major signs of tetanus.

Even if you don't like needles or doctors, you really should get a tetanus shot.  It is great defense from many foreign invaders of your body.  I feel better that I got mine.

How long as it been since you got your last Tetanus shot?  How was your experience getting your shot?

Foods with trans-fats and things you need to know

Foods where you may find high amount of trans-fats:

• Margarine and butter - loaded with trans fats and saturated fats
• Packaged foods - some cake mixes, Bisquick
• Soup cups - Ramen noodles, for example
• Pound cake
• Donuts
• Cookies and cakes (with shortening-based frostings) - from supermarket bakeries have plenty of trans fat.
• Frozen Food - frozen pies, pot pies, waffles, pizzas, even breaded fish sticks contain trans fat
• Baked goods - more trans fats are used in commercially baked products than any other foods
• Fast Food - fries, chicken, and other foods are deep-fried in partially hydrogenated oil. Even if the chains use liquid oil, fries are sometimes partially fried in trans fat before they're shipped to the restaurant.

According to BanTransFats.com, the following are what we need to know about trans-fats:

• Don't eat any product which has the words "partially hydrogenated" or "shortening" in the ingredients list.
• If the label says zero trans fats, don't believe it. If the words "partially hydrogenated" or "shortening" are in the ingredients list, it DOES contain trans fat.
• Be careful when consuming products with labels from outside the United States. Sometimes they contain partially hydrogenated oil but it's not on the label.
• In restaurants, bakeries, and other eateries, ask whether they use partially hydrogenated oil for frying or baking or in salad dressings. If they say they use vegetable oil, ask whether it is partially hydrogenated. Don't be shy about asking. Assume that all unlabeled baked and fried goods contain partially hydrogenated oil, unless you know otherwise.
• Keep saturated fat intake low too. This is very important.
• Remember that polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fats are good fats.
• Cholesterol that affects our arteries comes from two sources: (i) animal products and (ii) bad fats. If a product is "cholesterol fee," that doesn't mean that it won't raise your bad cholesterol. If the product itself contains no cholesterol but it does contain trans fat or saturated fat, it will raise your bad cholesterol.

Work up a sweat for even more health benefits

Richard Simmons was really onto something when he was "Sweatin' to the Oldies".  Did you know that sweating has multiple positive health and beauty related benefits? The skin is the body’s largest organ, and through perspiration, it plays a big part in helping the body detox and renew itself. Sweating is, in a sense, exercising your skin.  The next time you’re suffering while sweating it out at the gym or in the sauna, remember that you’re doing a great deed for your overall health.

Sweating is the way our bodies keep themselves from overheating.  When we perspire, we expel toxins and even disease from our system. Many viruses and bacteria can’t live in temperatures above 98.6, so in many cases, sweating literally burns away illness.

There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine sweat glands and apocrine sweat glands. Eccrine glands are distributed over the entire body. They are particularly concentrated on the palms, soles of feet, and on the forehead. Apocrine sweat glands are located on the scalp, armpits and the genital area, and produce sweat containing fatty materials.

Below are the two best ways to sweat it out:

Saunas

Saunas are a great way to “sweat it out,” and have been popular for centuries. Many years ago, healers relied on saunas to treat illnesses, and priests used the heat of the sauna to chase away evil spirits. The newer infrared saunas stimulate the body at a cellular level so toxins deep in tissues can be eliminated. These saunas are able to heat the body while the air stays cool, resulting in a more pleasant experience.

Exercise

Naturally, we equate exercise with sweating. In addition to benefits like improving sleep, relieving symptoms of depression, immune function, and stress level, in most situations exercise also promotes perspiration, which softens skin and helps keep pores clear.

Dr. Oz says, "If you can work up a sweat just 1 hour a week, you'll enjoy a range of benefits: reduced risk of heart attack, better mood, and lower blood pressure.  I like interval training on the elliptical, with 15 pullups and 15 dips every 10 minutes.  Your muscles will become more efficient, so you'll have more stamina for more enjoyable activities that also work up a sweat".


 
I do try to work up a good sweat whenever I am doing aerobics, whether on the treadmill or out jogging.  I haven't been in a sauna in a long time, but maybe I'll have to look into visiting one soon.  I like the idea of getting rid of toxins, relieving stress, lowering my blood pressure and improving my skin.

What are your favorite sweat-inducing activities?  Have you ever been in a sauna before?