Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i Prevention

THE KITCHEN Freezing meat is a great way to reduce food waste and always have protein on hand, but it’s important to defrost it safely to avoid foodborne illness. The ideal method is to thaw it in the fridge overnight. Use ground meat, poultry, and seafood within two days and red meat within five (you can safely refreeze thawed meat if you haven’t removed it from the fridge!). DIY frozen veggies by blanching and then freezing; freeze fresh fruit on a parchment-lined baking sheet and portion into freezer bags. And try this tip for stretching fresh produce: Pickle it! THE BATHROOM Squeegee the shower after each bathing session to prevent mildew. Hang towels on a rack or an over-the-door towel bar instead of a hook; this helps them dry faster,…

DOUCHI This Chinese staple, also known as fermented black beans, is actually made from black soybeans, and the fermentation creates gut-friendly bacteria that can improve digestion, says Laura Iu, R.D., a certified intuitive eating counselor in New York City. Used as a sauce base, douchi are also rich in powerful antioxidants. You can order douchi or jarred black bean sauce from Amazon or umamicart.com. ACHAR “This is the Hindi name for a pickled food, commonly made from mango, lime, green chile, carrot, and turmeric,” says Vandana Sheth, R.D.N., author of My Indian Table: Quick & Tasty Vegetarian Recipes. Achar delivers bold flavor, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory ingredients, and probiotics. Some of Sheth’s favorite brands include Mother’s Recipe, Rani, and Patak’s, all available from Amazon. CALABRIAN CHILE PASTE This condiment is made from…

Humans have long recognized that our connection to plants is inherently healing. In fact, research has shown that just having a plant in your hospital room could shorten your stay. Horticultural therapy takes this a step further by using plants and plant-based activities to support healing and rehabilitation. Here, Derrick Stowell, Ph.D., a registered horticultural therapist (HTR) and the education and horticultural therapy program administrator for the University of Tennessee Gardens, explains how it works. First, what is horticultural therapy? Horticulture is the act of growing and caring for plants. When you tag on the word “therapy,” it means an HTR is facilitating a person’s participation in horticultural activities to achieve specific goals within that person’s treatment plan. Simply put, it’s about using the connection of plants and people to…

OLD HABIT COMPARING YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE AROUND YOU INSTEAD Think about what makes you special. Lots of us have a friend who posts perfect craft projects (“Nailed it!”) or know a fellow parent who never misses a kid’s game, but dwelling on where you fall short isn’t helpful. “By learning to focus on ourselves instead of others, we can decrease our stress and anxiety, increase our happiness and self-esteem, and live a more purposeful and authentic life,” says Renee Exelbert, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and an adjunct professor at New York University. She suggests celebrating strengths and victories (even tiny ones!) and doing things that bring you happiness without external validation. OLD HABIT SHOULDERING RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVERYTHING INSTEAD Delegate—even if it doesn’t seem worth it. Whether you’re handling a big…

A DECADE AGO, Corinne Segura, of Victoria, Canada, was an active 29-year-old who enjoyed salsa dancing and liked to cycle. But after exposure to mold in her rental home, she began having strange symptoms: Whenever Corinne was around certain very common chemicals—air fresheners, household pesticides, new carpet in a doctor’s office, gas station pumps, even essential oil diffusers—she became dizzy, disoriented, and exhausted, and her throat would swell. The symptoms became so debilitating, she eventually had to quit her job as a grant writer and move. Doctors prescribed antihistamines and an asthma inhaler, but the only thing that helped was avoidance. “The more I removed chemicals from my space, the simpler it was to tell which products bothered me,” Corinne says. After several years of this and taking supplements prescribed…

If you’ve ever looked into what to do about that extra water weight, you may have heard that “lymphatic drainage” can help. Here’s the story: Your body’s lymphatic system includes a network of vessels, from your feet to your head, that collects excess fluid from your tissues and returns it to your bloodstream. The system typically works fine on its own, but when a lot of extra fluid accumulates—after surgery, for instance—doctors may recommend certain treatments and products to help the drainage along. But are they a good idea for healthy people with more typical bloating? Read on for expert advice. MANUAL LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE (MLD) WHAT IT IS: A specially trained massage therapist stimulates the lymphatic vessels, which lie just below the skin, by gently stretching the tissue above them.…

EXPRESSING EMPATHY Empathy means trying to understand what someone else is feeling. If someone feels bad, empathy is a gift your child can share. PRACTICE THIS Encourage your child to say “Tell me more—I’m listening” (instead of “You’ll feel better”) and “I like being with you even when you’re sad” (instead of “Cheer up!”). GETTING A NAME RIGHT Let your child know there’s no need to act puzzled, laugh, or comment on the name if they’re not sure how to pronounce it correctly. Making a sincere effort is the way to go. PRACTICE THIS Your child can simply ask someone to say or repeat their name, then say it back to make sure they’ve got it right. PERSUADING SOMEONE Sometimes your child will really want to convince someone to do…

You might want to assess your summer wardrobe—it could help prevent you from being eaten by mosquitoes. Skeeters seem to be drawn to certain colors, found a new study in Nature Communications. When University of Washington researchers placed mosquitoes in a test chamber with a colored dot at the bottom and sprayed carbon dioxide inside (when we exhale, this is what attracts the buggers), they flew toward dots that were red, orange, black, or cyan (a teal-like shade) and ignored ones that were green, blue, purple, or white. When CO? wasn’t sprayed, the mosquitoes ignored all colors. Scientists say these findings could help develop better deterrent methods. But for now, it can’t hurt to use this info for your own protection and deck yourself out in hues that may keep…

There’s nothing wrong with a nice Netflix marathon, but make sure you get up and move while watching. Spending four or more hours a day in front of the television was associated with a 35% higher risk of blood clots compared with less than two and a half hours, says a new meta-analysis in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. And this was true independent of other factors such as age, sex, BMI, and physical activity. Being immobile for long periods impairs circulation and can cause blood to pool, say researchers, and you may also be likelier to snack unhealthily while lounging, which can lead to other issues (like weight gain) that increase your risk of clots. Try setting a “stand up” timer that goes off every 30 minutes, or…

1 Cool Connections About a quarter of the bones in your body are in your hands–that’s 27 apiece—connected by ligaments, tendons, and joints, which allow you to flex and grasp. You also have over 30 muscles in each hand, some starting at your elbow and running along your forearm to your fingers. These muscles fit into the bones of your digits to make them move like puppets on a string. There are also tiny muscles in the hand and fingers that let you spread, bend, extend, and stretch your digits. Your hands use two kinds of grip: power grip (in which your palm, long flexor tendons, fingers, and thumb work in tandem to carry, say, a heavy grocery bag) and precision grip (picture your thumb and index finger acting like…

70% of adults will experience neck pain that interferes with their daily lives. Waking up with a crick can be a real pain in the neck. You may feel soreness in your upper back area or neck when you’re still, or a twinge when you’re moving. Sleeping in a weird position is a well-known trigger, but an increasingly common cause is something we’ve all been doing a lot more of lately—staring at digital screens. “‘Tech neck’ is a muscle strain in the neck and upper back from holding our heads in a forward or downward position as we work long hours on computers or scroll on our phones,” says Karen Erickson, D.C., F.A.C.C., a chiropractor in New York City. The issue usually goes away in about a week (call your…

It’s a common sensation: feeling either younger or older than your age. A person may be 42 but, during an afternoon of playing laser tag with their kids, feel as if they’re 12 again. Or after a tough day of juggling meetings, supermarket slogs, and an emergency vet appointment, they may fall into bed feeling closer to 70. When it comes to our brains, science shows that this age disconnect is an actual thing: Our brains can essentially age at a different rate than our bodies do. Depending on your health, lifestyle, and personality, you could be much younger (or older) in brain years than you realize. How can you tell whether your brain is fresh and vital or getting more senior by the second? Check out these signs, both…

Be mindful when you talk The vast majority of 10-year-olds are scared of being fat, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), so it’s wise to be aware of how you talk about weight: Avoid using “fat” as an insult, warning kids not to overeat, and remarking on your own body dissatisfaction or diet. Even teasing about food (“Wow, someone has a big appetite!”) can be troubling for some kids. While any child can show signs of disordered eating, some may be more at risk of an eating disorder, including kids who are related to someone with an eating disorder, those who identify as LGBTQ, children with a diet-treated chronic illness like diabetes or celiac disease, and kids with ADHD. Look more deeply at picky eating Many kids are…

Meet your new foodie obsessions: Shito sauce and pepper sauce from Ayo Foods, two traditional accompaniments in West African cuisines. Pepper sauce has a habanero kick with notes of tomato, ginger, and basil, and it pairs well with meat, seafood, or Puff Puff (a classic fried dough ball also available from Ayo). Shito sauce is smoky, spicy, and sweet with an umami vibe, and it’s super versatile—try it on eggs or grilled fish, with rice and beans, or for dunking your grilled cheese or veggie sticks. ($9, ayo-foods.com)…

SIZE UP Athletic sneakers will usually need to be a larger size than fashion shoes. “When your foot strikes the ground, it expands in length and width,” says Perkins. “For most people, going up a half size is perfect, but pay attention to how your feet feel and size up accordingly.” DO THE FINGER TEST “You should have about a half inch of room (roughly a finger’s width) from the tip of your longest toe to the end of the shoe. Shoes should align with the shape of your foot (so if your foot is wide, look for shoes that are wider, especially in the toe box), and make sure your little toe isn’t squished,” Perkins says. MEET THIS CHECKLIST A solid walking shoe has a roomy toe box, firm…

ANTIOXIDANT SMOOTHIE Enjoy this carrot-ginger beverage for breakfast or an afternoon snack. In a blender, combine 1 chopped carrot, 1 cored and chopped tart apple (such as Granny Smith), 1 to 2 tsp fresh ginger, 2 to 4 Tbsp raw unsalted cashews, 1 cup carrot juice or water, and 2 tsp lime juice. Blend until smooth and creamy. (Hint: If you don’t have a high-powered blender, use shredded carrots and soak the cashews in hot water for an hour to soften, then drain before adding to blender.) Makes 1 serving. “CARROT CAKE” OVERNIGHT OATS Indulge in a sweet treat for breakfast or dessert. In a small bowl, stir together ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats, ¾ cup milk of choice, ¼ cup shredded carrots, 1 Tbsp raisins, ¼ tsp cinnamon, and…

You’ve taken the stairs and parked your car farther from your destination—so what’s next? “Any movement is always good for the body, to support cardiovascular health and lower your risk for chronic disease,” says Natasha Trentacosta, M.D., a sports medicine specialist and an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute. She suggests incorporating movements that increase your heart rate as well as strength-training exercises to build lean muscle mass. And you can break it up and do 10 minutes at a time, she says. A study recently published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that if all Americans ages 40 and older added just 10 minutes of physical activity to each day, over 100,000 deaths could be prevented every year. With 20 or 30 minutes of added daily physical activity,…

MYTH #1 Vegetarian diets are always healthy. MYTHBUSTER Plenty of studies show that a diet high in meat—especially red meat—can up your risk for heart disease and cancers like colorectal cancer. There’s also solid evidence that fruits and veggies are good for you, and vegetarian diets have many health benefits. But cutting out meat doesn’t automatically make your diet healthy. In fact, a study from the American College of Cardiology found that vegetarians with diets high in sweets, refined grains, and juice showed no heart-health benefits compared with meat eaters. “Many foods that qualify as vegetarian aren’t nutrient-rich,” says Lainey Younkin, R.D., owner of Lainey Younkin Nutrition. Sugary processed foods may be vegetarian but lack fiber, protein, and healthy fats, she adds. Veg or no, aim to eat whole foods,…

OUR NUTRI TIONAL CRITERIA ☑ Made with real, recognizable ingredients ☑ No trans fats or hydrogenated oils ☑ Made with minimal amounts of sodium and added sugars 1 BEST PUFF LESSEREVIL Sour Cream and Onion Sun Poppers Watermelon and pumpkin seeds are blended into these protein-rich puffs. The plant-based sour cream and onion seasoning kept our tasters coming back for more, and since a serving is 45 pieces, you’ll feel great about grabbing another handful. $4, lesserevil.com 2 BEST DRIED FRUIT RIND Kiwi Chips One ingredient is all it takes to make these crunchy vitamin C–rich kiwi chips with a tangy taste. Snack on the immune-boosting bites on their own or spread with a scoop of yogurt and a squeeze of honey. $5, rindsnacks.com 3 BEST PICKLES CLEVELAND KITCHEN Dilly Garlic Pickle Chips Sliced…

IN THE MIDDLE For each pair, find a word that creates two new compound words or phrases. It should work as the ending of the first word and the beginning of the second. ADD IT UP Use each of the numbers from 1 to 9 to fill in the blanks with a correct sum. CODED MESSAGE Use the coordinates here to fill in some wise advice—and the name of the person who wrote it long ago. A: a6, b4, b6, d4, d6, f4 B: b5 C: f2 D: b7, c4 E: b1, f6 F: a2, d1 G: c6 H: e4 I: a1, b2, e5 K: e1 L: d7 M: c1 N: b3 O: a4, c2, c3, c7, d2, f1 P: e6, e7 R: a7, d3, f3 S: f7 T: f5…