LiveWell Vermont

Try this fresh and delicious recipe as a wonderful side dish or a topping over mixed greens. The fresh corn, crunchy tortilla chips, and crisp white onion make black beans irresistible. For extra zing, add a few drops of hot sauce at the table! Serves: 4 Ingredients 1 white onion, diced, divided 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped 3/4 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese 1 cup fresh corn kernels (or 1 can no salt added corn) 3 Tbsp lime juice 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 2 15 oz. cans no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed 3/4 tsp kosher salt 4 oz. baked tortilla chips 1 lime, cut into wedges Directions In a large bowl, toss together half the onion with the tomato, feta cheese, corn, and lime juice. Set aside. In a large skillet, saute the remaining onion and the bell pepper in the oil until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the beans and saute for another minute. Add the contents of the skillet to the large bowl, mix all the

Sleepless nights may make you feel miserable the next day... but according to brand new research, they may also lead to serious metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. In a small study at the University of Chicago, seven healthy men and women ages 18 to 30 were studied in a sleep lab during two time periods, at least four weeks apart. Participants had four nights of eight and a half hours of sleep and four nights of just four and a half hours. Physical activity and caloric intake were strictly controlled each time. At the end of each session, participants were given glucose-tolerance tests to measure insulin sensitivity, and also had abdominal fat cell biopsies to measure how they responded to insulin. After the four nights of restricted sleep, total-body insulin response decreased by an average of 16 percent, and insulin sensitivity of fat cells decreased by 30 percent. What does this mean? Researchers say this sleep deprived response amounts to the fat cells i

Cold and flu season has arrived, serving as a reminder that eating to enhance the immune system is extremely important and beneficial to prevent getting sick this year. The fact is, we live in an increasingly polluted world with hard-to-kill microbes and pandemics lurking in the distance. Individuals are experiencing more stress due to work and family responsibilities, and many have become more reliant on processed foods that can potentially compromise a person's immune system and increase his or her risk of illness. With the variety of food products that boast immune health benefits, it's hard to know as a consumer which ones actually work. The food industry insiders have become very good at marketing their products to convince us that they'll keep us healthy and will support our immune system. So what should we eat in order to keep us healthy and disease-free? Let's start by understanding how our immune system functions: Where Does Immune Health Start? Th

Life comes with a lot of unexpected, happy, sad, trying and special moments. Regardless of what you face in this lifetime, having a strong support system to guide you and celebrate with you is important. The Okinawa community firmly believes that having a group of lifelong friends contributes to their long, healthy lives. The Japanese term for this support group is ‘moai’. The research is there, but how do we get this support system? Where do we go and what do we do to try and grow our group of life companions? Here are a few ways to grow your moai! Hobbies! Having common interests is a great way to bond with another individual. Exploring and even learning new hobbies can be a great way to strengthen a bond.  Meet Up  can be a great way to find others in your area with common interests! This website/app allows you to create a group based on your interest or search through a variety of topics to find an existing group you would like to join. Trying new events in your area can be a f

Are your energy levels low mid-afternoon? Do you find yourself reaching for coffee or caffeinated soda just to keep you going? If so, this could be a sign that you need to eat more frequently during the day. Ideally, you should be eating a little something every three hours or so in order to keep you full and satisfied, to prevent cravings, and to keep your metabolism going throughout the day. Not feeling hungry or ready to have a snack in between meals? Your body is most likely conditioned and used to going long periods of time without eating. This happens after years of skipping meals such as breakfast or snacks, which, over time, slows your metabolism to prevent your body from burning calories too quickly. If this didn't happen, you'd find yourself hungry all day long. How do you get your metabolism functioning for you again? Begin with small snacks in between your meals. This may take some effort at first - especially if you're not feeling all that hungry - but ove

Retail food prices rise on average between 2.5-3% a year due to inflation, and next year that increase will be between 3-4%. This could mean your gallon of milk that cost $3.43 in July, according to the Consumer Price Index , could cost 10 to 13 cents more next year. If you bought a gallon a week, that would add up to an extra $6.76 a year. Unfortunately, the price increases are in foods most of us eat quite often and are likely foods that are already costly such as eggs, meat, and dairy. Rather than dwell on the negative, let's focus on finding ways to combat those rising costs while still enjoying the foods you like. 1. Portion control. This helps both your waistline and your bottom line. A pound of meat yields four adult-size servings, which is about four ounces raw and approximately 3 ounces cooked. One egg is one serving. And a cup of milk (8 fluid ounces) is a serving. By measuring your foods and striving to eat smaller portions, and supplementing with less costly items

Why should people get vaccinated against the flu? Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. Over a period of 31 seasons between 1976 and 2007, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people. During a regular flu season, about 90 percent of deaths occur in people 65 years and older. The “seasonal flu season” in the United States can begin as early as October and last as late as May. During this time, flu viruses are circulating in the population. An annual seasonal flu vaccine (either the flu shot or the nasal-spray flu vaccine) is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and lessen the chance that you will spread it to others. When more people get vaccinated against the flu, le