Learning To Manage Your StressWritten by Susan Rutter
Stress may not be a laughing matter to you. But maybe it should be. Humor is one of most powerful stress-reducing tools there is. "Just as studies have shown negative effects of stress on body, we're now finding that humor has positive effects," says Karyn Buxman, R.N., editor of "Therapeutic Humor, journal of National Association for Therapeutic Humor. When you laugh, your heart rate and blood pressure rise -- giving your cardiovascular system a mini-aerobic workout -- then temporarily dip lower than they were before. Your immune system makes more immune cells.Learning to manage stress isn't just good for your body. It keeps your mind and spirit more youthful, too. With fewer worries to tax your brain, don't be surprised if your noggin becomes more nimble. Under highly stressful conditions, it's simply harder to remember things and to concentrate. When stress hits high gear, you may be unable to retain a sentence that you have just read or remember someone you met minutes before.
| | Power Up On LentilsWritten by Susan Rutter
They're not prettiest pods on planet, but lentils more than make up for their plain, pellet-like appearance with nutritional punch. In fact, they come close to being perfect food - nourishing, inexpensive, and low in calories, fat and cholesterol. Lentils contain good amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, thiamine, copper, niacin and Vitamin B6. They're an important source of potassium and a good source of iron. Eating lentils with foods rich in Vitamin C, such as bell peppers, tomatoes and citrus fruits or juices, helps body absorb its iron more efficiently. And lentils provide more folic acid than any other unfortified food. Your body needs folic acid (Vitamin B9) to produce red blood cells as well as norepinephrine and serotonin (chemical components of nervous system). Though rich in protein, lentils lack one: methionine. Serve or cook lentils with grains, eggs, nuts, seeds, meat or dairy products for complete protein. The most common kinds of lentils found in Western-style supermarkets are unhusked green or brown ones. The smaller, rounder, husked red or Egyptian lentil is also widely available.
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