Learn About Tofu

You don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan to experiment with tofu. Also known as “bean curd,” tofu is an excellent source of soy-based protein and iron and it lends itself to a variety of delicious, healthy dishes. Tofu can be found in a number of different forms: Silken tofu (or Japanese-style tofu) is softer, smoother, and generally better for creamier dishes, while regular tofu (or Chinese-style tofu) is firmer and more granular in texture, and it works especially well in stir-fries, stews, soups, salads, and more. You can enjoy a 1/2 cup serving of all varieties of tofu on all phases of a low glycemic diet.

Buying and Storing Tofu
Both silken and regular tofu can be purchased at an Asian market or health food store and many supermarkets now carry both types as well. Each type comes in varying degrees of firmness: soft, firm, and extra-firm. Light silken tofu is also available. There are also ready-to-eat baked and marinated versions of regular tofu available in a variety of flavors, from Italian to Asian. Regular tofu is always packed in water and sold refrigerated. Silken tofu is usually sold in vacuumed-packed containers that do not need to be refrigerated and can last for years on the shelf unopened.

Cooking With Tofu
Silken tofu is ideal for puddings, smoothies, dips, soups, salad dressings, sauces, pie fillings, and other creamy desserts (even cheesecake!). Regular tofu is an excellent meat replacement and delicious marinated for stir-frying, sautéing, or grilling. It’s also great in baked tofu dishes or in any dish in which you want the tofu to retain its shape. Try it crumbled and scrambled as well.

See more South Beach Diet Tips.

Low vitamin D levels linked to prediabetes and prehypertension

Prediabetes and prehypertension have been associated with low vitamin D levels. In a recent issue of the journal Diabetes Care, scientists report a correlation between reduced vitamin D levels and prediabetes and prehypertension in adults. Both prediabetes and prehypertension are estimated to exist in at least one-fourth of disease-free adults.

Researchers analyzed data from 898 men and 813 women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001-2006. Blood pressure measurements were obtained during examinations conducted upon enrollment, and blood samples were evaluated for glucose, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other factors.

Prediabetes was defined as having a fasting serum glucose of between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter, and prehypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mmHg. Prediabetes was 33 percent higher among those with vitamin D levels of 76.3 nmol/l (30.5 ng/ml) or less compared to those with higher levels. Prehypertension was evident in 61 percent of those with the lower vitamin D levels. Participants with undiagnosed diabetes and untreated hypertension had even lower vitamin D levels on average. Serum vitamin D levels tended to decline with increasing age and body mass.

When the risk of having both conditions was considered, those with low vitamin D levels had 2.4 times the risk of that experienced by subjects with higher vitamin D levels. 

It is reasonable that among those with prediabetes or prehypertension, vitamin D supplementation resulting in increased serum vitamin D levels may help reverse subtle changes in fasting serum glucose and resting blood pressure that may lead to more advanced disease states.

Alok K. Gupta, MD, Meghan M. Brashear, MPH and William D. Johnson, PHD. Prediabetes and Prehypertension in Healthy Adults Are Associated With Low Vitamin D Levels. Diabetes Care March 2011 vol. 34 no. 3 658-660.

FromUSANA Health Sciences usana@updates.usana.com

New Jonny Bowden Cookbook Offers "Fountain of Youth"

The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer Cookbook: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about Great-Tasting Food that Prevents Disease and Gives You Optimal Health and Longevity

In The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer Cookbook, nutritionist Jonny Bowden and chef Jeannette Bessinger, reveal the science behind food and longevity, and offer recipes to lengthen your life and keep you strong, healthy, energetic, and active.

Each of the 150 recipes has been specifically engineered to combat and reverse the effects of aging.

The recipes are designed to:

• Combat oxidative damage caused by free radicals from the environment and your own body, wearing you down from the inside out
• Fight inflammation, the “silent killer” that is a factor in just about every degenerative disease
• Avoid glycation, a process that is implicated in many of the diseases of aging
• Reduce stress, which can cause more damage to your overall well-being than you think
• Prevent damage to the organs that are most vulnerable to aging such as the brain, heart, and bones are also included.

About Jonny Bowden 

Dr. Jonny Bowden, C.N.S is on a mission to help people look and feel better. In his nutritional healing newsletter, In Step with Jonny, best-selling books and blog posts, he teaches about nutritional healing, effective weight loss tips and longevity secrets.

His work has been endorsed by a virtual who’s who in the world of integrative medicine and nutrition including Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Barry Sears (who calls him “one of the best”) and Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman, (who calls him “the personal health coach I would want in my corner no matter what”).

He has been featured in or contributed material to The New York Times, The New York Post, Bottom Line Health, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, GQ, Muscle and Fitness, Cosmopolitan, Oxygen, Seventeen, MSNBC Online, MSN Online, The National Star, Self, Fitness, Family Circle, Marie Claire, Allure, Men’s Health, Ladies Home Journal, Walking, Prevention, Total Health, Woman’s World, Weight Watchers, In Style, Shape and the National Enquirer and has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS as an expert on nutrition, weight loss and fitness.

Dr. Bowden writes the monthly “Healthy Solutions” column for Better Nutrition Magazine, is a regular contributor to America Online, and a contributing editor for both Clean Eating magazine and Total Health Magazine.

Dr. Bowden has a Master’s Degree in psychology and counseling and a PhD in nutrition, and has earned six national certifications in personal training and exercise. He is board certified by the American College of Nutrition. He is adjunct faculty at Clayton College for Natural Health, and a much in-demand speaker at conferences and events across the country.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO LIVE LONGER COOKBOOK
The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about Great-Tasting Food that Prevents Disease and Gives You Optimal Health and Longevity
by Jonny Bowden and Jeannette Bessinger
Fair Winds Press
May 2011
$24.99 US/$27.99 CAN
Trade Paperback Original
ISBN-13: 978-1-59233-445-2

Midway to Heaven

Midway to Heaven is a movie that reinforces good Christian values. Beautiful shots of Utah in the autumn.  Directed by Michael Flynn, based on a book by Dean Hughes.  3 of 5 stars