Nutrition News

April 2002

In this issue:

• No time for exercise in your busy day? Read this!
  
• Triglycerides and stroke
  
• Younger children are going meatless
  
• Recipe of the month - Vegetable Provencale
  
• Favorite food of the month - Trader Joes homemade corn tortillas
  
• NutritionWorks upcoming events and happenings

Hi there!
Spring is such a wonderful time for renewal. Many of us spend time spring cleaning our homes and getting out into our gardens. It is also a great time to look closely at your lifestyle and see what changes you would like to make
for the coming season. Too many changes can be overwhelming, so pick one or two and see what a difference they can make!

We can highly recommend visiting the Tulip Festival that has been extended through April 28th. Those beautiful fields of flowers are truly food for the soul!

We have lots of upcoming events in May and June so read on for those details, as well as lots of other useful information. As always, we appreciate your feedback so email us your comments or any nutrition news you have to share.

Take care,
Sandi and Kathleen

No time for exercise in your busy day? Read this!
Roughly 80% of the population does not exercise due to perceived lack of time yet physical inactivity is one of the leading contributing causes of premature death among US adults.

The encouraging news is that a number of recent studies show that multiple, short bouts of exercise (such as brisk walking) that last from 5 to 15 minutes (totaling 30 minutes on most days of the week), and are spread out over the course of the day, can significantly improve cardiovascular health and assist with weight loss and weight control. This approach may be more
appealing and less overwhelming if you feel that you have a limited amount of time to devote to exercise.

Short bouts of brisk walking appear to be an appropriate way to improve aerobic fitness as well. For example, severely overweight individuals who achieve just a moderate level of exercise on most days of the week can greatly reduce their risk of premature death, even while remaining clinically obese. In fact, fit and fat men have lower death rates than lean and unfit
men.

Here are some tips to incorporate exercise into your day:
- Take the stairs whenever possible.
- Park far away from your destination and walk.
- Leave the car at home and walk to the store.
- Take a walk during your lunch break (make sure to leave time to eat lunch).
- Walk the perimeter of the mall.
- Take a walk after dinner instead of watching television.

Source: Scan's PULSE Summer/Fall 2001.
Adapted from www.sensiblenutrition.com

Triglycerides and Stroke
Do you know your numbers? Many of us may know our cholesterol numbers (which are very important) but we do not know our triglyceride numbers, which are vital too.

The American Heart Association lists high serum triglyceride levels as a risk factor for heart disease, particularly when they occur with other risk factors. Now, a study from Israel has drawn a direct link between high triglycerides and risk for stroke. Researchers followed more than 11,000 patients who had heart disease but had never had a stroke. Over a period of six to eight years, 487 of the patients had a stroke or a mini-stroke (known as a TIA). Those who had one of those events had, on average, higher triglyceride levels and lower HDL (good)
cholesterol levels.

The recommendation is that triglycerides should be no higher than 150mg/dl. The best ways to reduce triglycerides include:

· Lose weight if you are overweight
· Limit alcohol, sugar and refined carbohydrates (e.g. white bread, white pasta, baked goods)
· Increase exercise
· Focus on a low fat diet but include some beneficial fats (like olives, avocado or nuts) in small quantities
· Medication may be necessary for some individuals

If you have further questions about high triglycerides, please contact us for
further information.

Adapted from Circulation 2001;104;2892

Younger children are going meatless
Do you have an elementary school child who considers him/herself a vegetarian? Recent surveys show that about 2 percent of children under 18 consider themselves vegetarians, approximately the same percentage as adults.
The increasingly popular occurrence of young vegetarians is causing school food service providers to rethink their menus. Parents of vegetarian students say most schools do a poor job of supplying meatless choices to their children, and rarely do unless pressured. The few meatless items commonly found on school menus are cholesterol and fat laden such as grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, fried cheese sticks, and pizza.

With nearly 1 million young vegetarians eating lunch at school daily, some schools have begun responding to the parental pressure. Salad bars, meatless entrees, and more fruits and vegetables are surfacing in schools across the
country. Over the past five years many schools have taken to offering a vegetarian item daily. The US Department of Agriculture, which oversees the national school lunch program, is currently experimenting with vegetarian
items as well.

If you are unsure of how to feed your vegetarian child or are concerned about meeting their nutritional requirements, contact us. We will be happy to help.

Adapted from The Boston Globe September 2, 2001.

Recipe of the Month
Vegetables Provencale

This is a colorful, flavorful dish, reminiscent of southern France. Perfect for Spring!

Olive oil spray
1 minced garlic clove
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup cubed zucchini
1/2 pound cubed eggplant (not peeled)
1 cup cubed ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Spray a medium-sized frying pan with oil and allow to heat.
Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Stir in tomato paste and immediately add zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, and mushrooms.
Cover and cook until veggies are tender, approximately 15 minutes.
Combine seasonings and stir into vegetables. Allow to cook for 1 more minute.
Eat while hot or refrigerate until ready to eat.
You can also freeze this dish.

Makes 4 servings

NOTE: Herbes de Provence is a seasoning blend that includes many herbs and spices, including thyme and lavender. You can use 3 Tablespoons of Herbes de Provence to replace the listed
seasonings. Many stores sell this blend with all the other spices.

This recipe is from Vegan Meals For One Or Two by Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD

Favorite Food of the month
Trader Joes has some excellent products (don't forget to read the labels!) One of our favorites is the Trader Joes brand of homemade corn tortillas. They are delicious! They are free of additives or preservatives so keep them
in the refrigerator when you get them home. They freeze well too. And for those of you who are gluten intolerant - you will be happy to hear
that they are gluten-free! Try them and let us know what you think.

NutritionWorks Happenings
We have lots of classes planned for May, June and July. We have a few highlights listed below but for a complete upcoming schedule, go to
www.NutritionWorkSeattle.com and click on Upcoming Events. Find a class that interests you and come and join us. We look forward to
seeing you there!

· Sandi and Kathleen will be teaching an exciting class called Women's Health - Practical Strategies on Wednesday 1st May from 6-8:00pm at Whole Foods Market in Seattle. To register, call (206) 985-1500.

· Are you interested in weight management?
Join us on Wednesday May 15th at Discover U in Northgate for a Food Combining for Weight Loss Seminar. To register, call (206) 365-0400.

· We are teaching an exciting class called Exploring Vegan Diets on Saturday 18th May from 2-5pm. Bring questions, get lots of great resources and sample tasty foods! Call (206) 68-LEARN to register.

For more information, please call us at (206) 551-3407 or email us at NutritionWorkSeattle@hotmail.com

We'd love to hear from you

• Let us know if you'd like us to write about a particular topic or if you have a question you would like printed in the newsletter!
  
• Want to share? If you have had success with managing your health or weight by using a specific technique or would like to share favorite ideas or foods or recipes, please send those in and we will print them in the next newsletter, honoring your privacy if requested of course.
  
• If you know of anyone who would like a nutrition or wellness presentation offered, please let him or her know about NutritionWorks!

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