Numerous studies show that home-cooked meals nourish the spirit, brain and health of all family members. These meals don’t have to be complicated to reap the benefits. Start with theses simple ingredients and then check out our recipe suggestions below.
Rebecca Mueller, RD for Clearly Brand
According to a U.S. News and World Report study, the Mediterranean Diet has stood the test of time for being a universally beneficial eating plan for long-term health. The Mediterranean Diet focuses on consuming food high in omega-3 fatty acids like olive oil, nuts, hearty grains, fish, legumes, vegetables, and fresh fruit. All of these foods offer cardiovascular benefits while also helping balance blood sugar, decreasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes. One of the core principals of a Mediterranean Diet is physical activity and a positive sense of community. Some doctors are even known to recommend this eating plan for patients with anxiety and depression. Enjoying increased amounts of vegetables and fresh fruit can help improve your mood and promote digestive health.
One of the biggest differences between a standard American diet and the Mediterranean Diet is the amount of red meat and vegetables that is encouraged. A base protein for the Mediterranean diet is fish and legumes served with a variety of seasonal veggies. While some red meat is consumed it’s not typically an everyday option. The additional omega-3s and nutrients from daily vegetables and fish help those on the Mediterranean diet have a reduced cancer risk. If you desire to improve your eating plan it might be wise to adopt a few principals from the Mediterranean Diet.
A Mediterranean Meal Plan For A Day
Breakfast: 2 egg omelet with 1 cup of sautéed vegetables.
Lunch: Avocado toast on whole grain bread topped with tomatoes. 1 cup of berries.
Snack: 1/4 cup olives and 2 Tablespoons raw almonds.
Dinner: 6 oz of salmon served over mixed greens with feta and tomatoes.
Sponsored by Clearly by Best Choice.
For many years, garlic has been used in Mediterranean, Italian, and Chinese cooking because of its fragrant aroma and delicious flavor. Garlic not only delivers a savory taste but it has long been used for its medicinal properties. Studies show that garlic can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels which can reduce the risk of heart disease. It’s also notable that garlic contains a high concentration of antioxidants and nutrients that can assist in boosting your immune system while also helping ward off brain conditions like dementia.
The best way to reap the most beneficial nutritional properties from garlic is by chopping or crushing the garlic clove after removing it from the garlic bulb. A mechanical garlic press can make this process simple and easy. Crushed garlic is very delicious cooked into a stir fry, mixed in a salad dressing or used as a marinade. It’s also easy to roast a whole bulb of garlic. Then you can have a hearty stock of fragrant caramelized garlic ready to use in a variety of recipes. Roasted garlic helps jazz up roasted veggies, mashed potatoes, a green salad or scrambled eggs. If you love garlic consider adding more of this healthy and delicious food to your meal plan.
Here is a recipe for Easy Roasted Garlic:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the head off of each garlic bulb to expose most of the garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place bulbs cut side down on a piece of foil. Secure foil around garlic bulbs. Then roast in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Garlic skins will turn golden brown and the cloves will become tender.
Eating together feeds the emotional well-being of all family members, especially children and adolescents. Family meals have been shown to help us:
Choose wellness by eating together with your family and / or friends more often.
How do you choose? Advil or Tylenol? Listerine or Scope? Zyrtec or Claritin? When we’re choosing wellness products, we want to purchase the best. Everyone has personal opinions, but sometimes it’s best to leave it up to the professionals, our pharmacists.
The Choose Wellness Team includes a dedicated pharmacy team to help you select the most effective over-the-counter products. They’re sharing this listing of Top Recommended Health Products from U.S. News and World Report. Click HERE for a complete guide to 130 over-the-counter product categories selected by pharmacists. Below are a few of our favorite top-rated products:
Adult Allergy Antihistamine: Zyrtec
Children’s Allergy: Children’s Claritin
Sleep Aid: Unisom
Topical Antibiotic: Neosporin
Headache Products: Advil
Mouthwash: Listerine
Antacid: TUMS
Smoking Cessation: NicoDerm CQ Patch
There are a lot of questions surrounding influenza and the flu vaccine. The Immunization Action Coalition answers your burning questions to help your family have a healthy flu season.
Is influenza more serious for kids?
Infants and young children are at risk for getting seriously ill from influenza. That’s why health experts recommend that all children 6 months and older and all adults get vaccinated against influenza each fall or winter.
What is influenza?
Influenza, or “flu,” is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. It can easily spread from person to person.
Including the vaccine, how else can I protect my child?
• Every year, get an influenza vaccination yourself.
• Urge your child’s close contacts to get vaccinated, too. This is extremely important if your child is younger than 5 or if he or she has a chronic health problem such as asthma or diabetes. Because children younger than 6 months can’t be vaccinated, they rely on those around them to get vaccinated.
• Wash your hands often and cover your coughs and sneezes. It’s best to use a tissue and quickly throw it away. If you don’t have a tissue, you should cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. This will prevent the spread of germs.
• Tell your children to – Stay away from people who are sick, – Wash their hands often, – Keep their hands away from their face, and – Cover coughs and sneezes to protect others.
What are signs of influenza?
Influenza comes on suddenly. Most people with influenza feel very tired and have a high fever, headache, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and sore muscles. The cough can last two or more weeks. Some people, especially children, may also have stomach problems and diarrhea.
How is influenza spread?
People who have influenza usually cough, sneeze, and have a runny nose. The droplets in a cough, sneeze, or runny nose contain the influenza virus. Other people can get influenza by breathing in the virus or by getting it in their nose or mouth. It is also spread by touching a surface that an infected person has touched, such as doorknobs, tabletops, or keyboards.
How long can a sick person spread influenza to others?
People can spread influenza from one day before getting sick to up to five or more days after getting sick.
What should I use to clean hands?
Wash your children’s hands with soap and water. Wash them for as long as it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. If soap and water are not handy and hands are not visibly soiled, use wipes or gels with alcohol in them. Gels should be rubbed into hands until the hands are dry.
What can I do if my child gets sick?
Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and drinks lots of fluids. Talk with your child’s doctor before giving your child over-the-counter medicine. If you suspect that your child may have influenza, never give him or her aspirin or medicine that has aspirin in it. It could cause serious problems.
What warning signs should I be on the look-out for during my child’s illness?
If your child has any of the following emergency warning signs, seek urgent medical attention by taking them to an emergency room or calling 9-1-1:
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not urinating or not producing tears when crying
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Influenza-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Can my child go to school/ day care with influenza?
No. If your child has influenza, he or she should stay home to rest. This helps avoid spreading it to other children.
When can my child go back to school or day care after having influenza?
Children with influenza should be isolated in the home, away from other people. They should also stay home until they are symptom-free for 24 hours (that is, until they have no fever without the use of fever-control medicines and they feel well for 24 hours.) Remind your child to protect others by covering his or her mouth when coughing or sneezing. You may want to send your child to school with tissues or wipes with gels that have alcohol in them if the school allows gels.
Influenza vaccine may save your child’s life.
Most people with influenza are sick for about a week, and then they feel better. But, some people, especially young children, pregnant women, older people, and people with chronic health problems can get very sick. Some even die. A yearly vaccination against influenza is the best way to protect your child from this serious disease. It is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.
Ingredients
Instructions
Place oats and chia seeds in a food processor or small blender. Process or blend for 10 seconds. In a bowl mix ground oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together vanilla, milk, melted coconut oil, and egg white. Add liquid to dry ingredient bowl and stir until just combined. Let sit for 5 minutes. While ingredients sit coat a griddle with Clearly pan spray, then heat a griddle to medium-high heat. Using a 1/4 measuring cup scoop batter onto griddle. Drop berries evenly into pancakes. Cook until each side is golden brown. Serve with Clearly butter and maple syrup.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 450° F. While the oven is heating, place the pita bread on a large baking sheet, coasted with olive oil. Spread 4 tablespoons of pizza sauce onto each pita bread, coating surface almost to the edge. Blend Feta with garlic. Evenly distribute all of the olives, mushrooms, and feta mixture on top of the sauce. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve and cut into quarters.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and cook fish filets according to package directions. While fish is cooking place coleslaw in a mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, lime juice, tomato, corn, and cilantro. Mix until contents are evenly distributed. Once fish is done baking let cool for 2 minutes. Then place the desired amount of slaw and fish on each flour tortillas.
