Health Quest 4
Hosting the family feast this anksgiving? A few ingredient
swaps and changes in cooking techniques can help you set sensible
limits on calories, sugar, fat and salt without sacrificing flavor.
• After roasting the turkey, chill pan juices and then remove the
hardened fat on top before preparing gravy.
• Remove the fatty skin from turkey before eating.
• Steam vegetables, such as broccoli, green beans and carrots,
instead of cooking in butter.
• Substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream or mayonnaise
in dips, sauces, mashed potatoes and casseroles.
• Reduce sodium—and boost flavor—by swapping the salt for
seasonal spices, such as cloves, nutmeg, rosemary and sage.
• Replace some, or all, of the sugar in your recipes with a sugar
substitute such as stevia.
• Use smaller plates to help cut portion sizes and calorie
consumption.
VISIT WWW.PINTEREST.COM/MYHEALTHQUEST/HEALTHY-
RECIPES FOR MORE HOLIDAY COOKING TIPS.
Whether needlework or knitting, scrapbooking or jewelry making, hobbies
that engage the creative half of your brain help your mind stay sharp as you
age, in addition to helping you cope with stress.
MOLD A SHARPER MIND
In a report recently published in the Cochrane Library, researchers found
that participating in arts and crafts improved dementia patients' mental
functioning, communication and memory, even months after they stopped
crafting. Another study published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical
Neurosciences showed that crafts participants were 30 to 50 percent less likely
to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who did not craft regularly.
PURL YOUR WORRIES AWAY
Crafts such as knitting or crocheting also help relieve stress, depression and
anxiety. e soothing, repetitive motions are simple enough to let your mind
drift, producing a calming and meditative effect. Stress reduction aside, crafts
also offer opportunities for social interaction—think knitting circles and
old-school quilting bees!—and give you a sense of personal accomplishment.
After all, what's more comforting at the end of a hard day than curling up in a
cozy homemade blanket?
You don't have to stuff your guests like turkeys to
make them happy this holiday season.
Healthy Twists on
THANKSGIVING
TO FIND A PHYSICIAN WHO CAN OFFER
OTHER WAYS TO MANAGE STRESS,
VISIT THE PHYSICIAN DIRECTORY AT
WWW.HEALTH-QUEST.ORG.
Loves
CRAFTY HOBBIES
WHY YOUR BRAIN
Add rosemary to
boost fl avor!