Asparagus with Creamy Tarragon Sauce

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

   From EatingWell.com

Ingredients

• 2 bunches asparagus, tough ends trimmed
• 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 6 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put asparagus in a steamer basket, cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, tarragon, lemon juice, water, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the asparagus. Serve warm or cold.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the sauce for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Per serving: 114 calories; 7 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 8 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber; 350 mg sodium; 336 mg potassium.

Hibiscus – Pomegranate Iced Tea

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

  From EatingWell.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup loose hibiscus tea, or 12 herbal tea bags that contain hibiscus
• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 cup pomegranate juice or nectar
• 4 cups cold water
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Preparation

1. Steep loose tea (or tea bags) in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Strain the tea (or remove tea bags) and pour into a large pitcher. Stir in pomegranate juice (or nectar) and cold water. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve over ice with lemon wedges, if desired.

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Per serving: 19 calories; 0 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 8 mg sodium; 25 mg potassium.

Strawberry Salsa

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

Salsa Ingredients

• 3 – cups fresh strawberries, chopped
• 1/2 – cup minced yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 – cup mined green bell pepper
• 1/2 – cup minced red bell pepper
• 1/2 – cup minced green onion
• 2 – jalapenos seeded and minced
• 2 – tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1 – Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 – Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
• 1/4 – cup Raspberry Vinaigrette
• 1/2 – tsp Sugar
• 1/2 – tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 – tsp Salt
• Homemade Pita Chips (recipe below)

In a large bowl, combine strawberries, peppers, green onions and jalapenos. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil lime juice raspberry vinaigrette, sugar, garlic powder and salt. Add to strawberry mixture tossing gently to combine. Cover and chill. Serve with Pita Chips.

Homemade Pita Chips

• 1 – 12oz Package Pita Bread, Split (we love whole wheat pitas)
• Cooking spray
• Cinnamon-sugar seasoning

Preheat oven to 400. Cut Pita rounds in half crosswise. Cut each half into 3 triangles. Place pita triangles on prepared baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and then sprinkle on cinnamon – sugar seasoning. Bake for 8 minutes until golden brown. Cool Completely.

Shrimp Cobb Salad

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

   from Cooking Light, May 2011

Ingredients

• 4 slices center-cut bacon (can use turkey bacon)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 (10-ounce) package romaine salad
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup shredded carrots (about 2 carrots)
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
• 1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges
• Optional: add or substitute other veggies for bell pepper and cucumber

 Preparation

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; cut in half crosswise. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt; toss to coat.

2. While the shrimp cooks, combine remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, juice, oil, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce; toss to coat.

3. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 6 shrimp, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup carrot, 1/4 cup corn, 2 avocado

Calories:  332; Fat 15.2g (less for turkey bacon);Protein 30g;Carb 21.8g

Aging & Brain Health

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

Our partners from the Neuroscience Institute of Hoag Hospital  recently shared a fascinating article with us on some of the latest advancements in brain health.  We hope you find it interesting.  For our clients, we will be offering the MCI Screen discussed below in the near future.

Brain Health: A Vital Component of Overall Wellness

Most of us have grown accustomed to our doctor’s admonishments to eat balanced meals, exercise regularly, manage our cholesterol and hypertension, and keep our weight under control.  While this excellent advice is tied to broad health benefits, it is driven in large part by a focus on a healthy heart and vascular system. 

The Heart-Brain Connection

The focus on the heart will likely persist, but don’t be surprised if your physician has some new advice during your next visit.  An avalanche of evidence over the past 18 months has hammered home the importance of maintaining brain health as a vital component of overall wellness.  This makes sense given that the brain is the heart’s most important customer, demanding a major share of the oxygen rich blood that the heart distributes.

 As you would guess, a healthy brain and high cognitive function are critical components of performing good self-care.  One must remember well, and use sound judgment, in adhering to therapy for chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension.  If cognition is impaired and therapy becomes poorly administered, these conditions can spiral out of control and further impair self-care in an ever-worsening chain reaction.

 How to Care for Your Brain

So how should you go about taking good care of your brain?  As noted, taking good care of your heart is a good start, but that is not enough.  You and your physician must also be vigilant in detecting and intervening against any medical condition known to impair brain function.  The list of such conditions is long and includes thyroid disorders, depression, sleep disorders, vitamin deficiencies, small silent strokes, medications, poorly controlled diabetes and hypertension, and many others.

 To regularly test and monitor, for all of the conditions mentioned above, would require an intensive effort by your physician.  However, thanks to new advances in the field of cognitive assessment, your physician can evaluate your cognitive function with a short test that will accurately detect any underlying problem. Performing well on the test eliminates the need for many other diagnostic efforts.  However, a poor performance triggers an evaluation by your physician to detect the underlying problem and treat it in a timely and effective manner.

The short test described is called the MCI Screen.  It is administered in the physician’s office and consists of a series of short memory and judgment tasks, which are scored by a computer.  The test takes ten minutes and should be part of any routine physical, or part of any evaluation of a memory or cognitive concern.

Trends in Maintaining Brain Health

Two important trends, one national and one local, underscore the emerging importance of routine cognitive assessment.

On the national level, a key component of healthcare reform is the inclusion of an annual wellness visit for Medicare recipients.  During such visits, physicians are required to assess cognition, even if the patient has no cognitive complaint. This is consistent with the evidence that early detection of cognitive decline and timely intervention to treat the underlying cause, lead to the best outcomes, the best self-care, and the best overall health.

Locally, you may be aware of the Orange County Vital Aging Program*, sponsored by the Unihealth Foundation, and driven by the Neuroscience Institute at Hoag Hospital.  The program is promoting optimal cognitive health for the aging population in the Orange County.  A key element of the program is education for physicians about the importance of monitoring cognitive health with tools like the MCI Screen.  The Personal Care Physicians group is among the early participants who have taken a leading role in providing such high standards of care to their patients.

 So keep taking good care of your heart, but also remember the importance of maintaining a healthy brain.  It’s as easy as monitoring your cognition when you visit the doctor to make sure your brain is functioning at a high level.  If it is not, the assessment will allow your physician to intervene and treat the underlying problem in a timely manner.

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*The Orange County Vital Aging Program provides education and resources to Orange County residents and physicians, to facilitate an informed and proactive approach to managing cognitive vitality.  Additional details about the program are available at www.OCVitalAging.org.

Aging for Women: Menopause and Exercise

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

For women, menopause is inevitable, but understanding what to expect and having a plan to help with the symptoms can be the key to getting through it a bit more easily. Menopause is a series of natural biological changes that occur when your ovaries stop producing the hormone estrogen, and fertility ends.

Beginning around the mid-thirties, the ovaries decline in hormone production. This accelerates in the 40′s, hormones fluctuate more dramatically and by the 50′s, women’s menstrual cycles usually end completely.

This process can cause several symptoms that can be tough to manage including:

• Hot flashes
• Depression, stress and anxiety
• Sleep disorders
• Irritability
• Osteoporosis
• Cardiovascular disease

In addition to this many women may experience weight gain, especially around the midsection. Part of this has to do with those declining hormones, a decrease in your metabolism and a possible increase in appetite. Combine this with the fact that many women exercise less as they get older, weight gain becomes inevitable.

Keeping your metabolism going (the amount of energy your body burns in calories to energize itself) is critical to preventing that unwanted weight gain. One reason metabolism declines with age is the loss of muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so when you lose that muscle (about ½ pound a year if you don’t preserve it with weight training/exercise), you don’t burn as many calories.

What is the answer?

There are a number of ways to manage menopause symptoms, from alternative therapies (such as acupuncture) to eating a healthy diet. However, one simple thing you can do that will make a significant difference is exercise. A regular exercise program that balances cardiovascular training (get that heart rate up), strength training, and stretching / flexibility work will provide you the following benefits:

• Weight loss – Exercise will help you burn calories. Creating a deficit in calories (burning more than your body needs for energy) is what will lead to weight loss. For every 3500 calories you burn, you can lose 1 pound in fat.
• Reduction of hot flashes – Exercise can help increase estrogen levels, which can decrease the severity of hot flashes.
• Increased bone mass - Strength training can help strength the bones and prevent osteoporosis.
• Cardiovascular benefits – Exercise can help lower high blood pressure and greatly reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke.
• Stress reduction – Menopause can often lead to depression, anxiety and stress. Exercise is proven to help reduce stress and improve your mood.

Exercise may cause the same magnitude of change as that induced by estrogen therapy.

Ready to get started?

The key to committing to a life-long exercise program is that you must find activities that you enjoy. A brisk walk is a great way to get started. Get yourself moving and as you get stronger over time you can start to challenge yourself more. Walking, running, cycling, swimming, group fitness classes, and cardio machines are all great ways to get your cardiovascular system in shape.

Strength training is equally important, especially if you want to increase your metabolism and lose body fat. You don’t have to train like a bodybuilder to get the benefits, but you do need to use resistance (such as dumbbells, machines or resistance bands) and you do need to challenge your muscles and body. You might want to work with a personal trainer to get started to ensure you are using proper form and don’t hurt yourself.

Additionally, schedule your time to exercise just like any other appointment or meeting, make it a priority in your daily life. Get your friends and family involved, exercise is a great way to spend quality time together. Taking control of your physical health will get you through menopause and provide you with life changing benefits.

Whooping Cough

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

As you have probably heard, whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has been very widespread in California. It is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. Although it initially resembles an ordinary cold, whooping cough may eventually turn more serious, particularly in infants.  Whooping cough is most contagious before the coughing starts.  Whooping cough is a serious disease that causes coughing fits often followed by vomiting. It has a distinct sound to it and can last for months.  It can be deadly for infants and is easily transmitted to them from older siblings and parents.

For those of you with children, you have probably received a letter from their school stating that according to new law AB354, all students entering into 7th grade or above, starting in July 2011, will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster shot, called Tdap, before starting school. (The childhood vaccine is called DTaP.)

Why has this happened?  During 2010, several states have reported an increase in cases and/or localized outbreaks of pertussis, including a state-wide epidemic in California. Localized outbreaks are not uncommon and occur throughout the year. Over the last 5 years, 8,000-25,000 cases of pertussis were reported per year in the United States.

We recommend that you plan to get your child vaccinated as soon as possible, and please do not wait until summer when there is going to be a rush of parents attempting to meet the requirement.  Tdap is a booster that protects against 3 dangerous diseases:  tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough.  In addition to children 10 years and older, we also recommend that parents and others at home get vaccinated as well.  Even if you have had whooping cough in the past, you should still get the Tdap booster shot as the immunity developed after having whooping cough disease does wear off.

For more information, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/features/pertussis/ for more information.  For our clients, please contact us here or call (949) 706-3300 to setup an immunization appointment.

Are You Eating Your Fruits and Vegetables?

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

The holidays are here and healthy eating can be a huge challenge.  We all know that getting several servings of fruits and vegetables a day is not easy.  Here are a few tips that I found in a recent article from US News that you can use as you are preparing your holiday menus to help you and your family get some extra nutrients without even knowing it!

    #1 Bake them into muffins, breads, and pies.  Carrot cake, zucchini bread, banana muffins and even pumpkin pie can be healthy.  Additionally, you can use applesauce instead of sugar, butter and oil in many recipes.  Click here for a Health Zucchini Bread Recipe

   #2 Use them in sauces, chili, soups, and casseroles.  Grating and sautéing vegetables such as zucchini, squash, carrots or corn and then putting them into a food processor until smooth can be a great way to create a nutritious sauce or soup.  Try adding extra vegetables to your favorite chili or casserole dishes.  Squash Soup Recipe

   #3 Drink them.  Naked juice, low-sodium V8, and homemade smoothies can easily give you a few servings toward your daily goal.  You can even hide veggies such as carrots without really changing the flavor of a smoothie.   Banana Berry Smoothie Recipe

   #4 Dip them.  Dipping your vegetables into low-fat dips can help you get several servings while being satisfied.  Using low-fat ingredients such as fat-free plain yogurt or light sour cream will help lighten up a favorite Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  Try several different vegetables with plain or flavored hummus, you will love it!

   #5 Make fruit for dessert.  Angel food cake with strawberries, raspberries, and bananas is decadent and healthy!  Dark chocolate fondue with apple or pear wedges is a sure crowd pleaser as well.

Don’t be afraid to experiment a little.  Sautéing with a little olive oil and garlic, grilling and roasting are great options for a quick side dish.  Remember, eating healthy is the key to disease prevention and should be your goal even during the holidays!

Low Fat Spinach & Artichoke Dip

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen

from food.com

Ingredients: 

• 8 ounces neufchatel cheese, softened (do not use fat free)
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (do not use fat free)
• 14 ounces artichoke hearts, undrained
• 7 1/4 ounces roasted red peppers, drained
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions:

 Prep Time: 15 mins       Total Time: 40 mins

1. Preheat oven to 375F and lightly spritz a shallow baking dish (1.5-2qt) with cooking spray (Pam).
2. Using food processor, mix light cream cheese, sour cream and artichoke hearts by pulsing until even consistency.
3. Add roasted bell pepper and Parmesan cheese and pulse until creamy.
4. To bake dip: Place mixture into prepared baking dish; add spinach and stir until combined.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring half way through.
6. Dip is done when browned and bubbly around the edges.
7. To keep warm, lower temperature in oven to 250F and stir every 10 minutes until dip is served.
8. For microwave directions: Place mixture into microwave safe dish (1.5-2qt), add spinach and stir until combined.
9. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving room for steam to escape.
10. Microwave on HIGH for 7 minutes or until dip is hot and boiling on the sides – microwaves vary, check often.
11. Mix well before serving.

Berry Banana Smoothie

Written by: Dr. Marcia Whalen