Meatless Monday:Great Northern White Chili

Great Northern White Chili
Makes 8 servings

Great Northern beans are large and white - and native to North America. They're most often used in soups and cassoulets.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce)can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
1 (14-ounce) can white sweet corn, drained

Coat a large pot with nonstick cooking spray, then sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Stir frequently so vegetables don't stick. Empty one can of the Great Northern beans into a food processoror blender and process with one cup of the vegetable broth until smooth. Add everything to the pot: the pureed bean mixture, the second can of Great Northern beans,the garbanzo beans, the remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, green chiles, and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Garnish with a dollop of tomato salsa.

Nutrition Information per Serving
Calories 220, Total Fat 2g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 980mg, Carbohydrates 40g, Fiber 9g, Protein 13g

Positive Thought For The Week

Friendship

I have spent a lot of time in the past 8 months or so thinking about some of the folks I have called my friends over the years. I have been thinking about the way they treat me and how I treat and interact with them. I have to admit there have been times over the years where in an effort to make some folks feel less insecure I have dimmed my light in their presence. With certain folks, it felt like every time I had a praise report or revelation for a vision, I would watch their entire countenance change. I have watched them get bitter when some one complimented or celebrated me. I have endured them trying to indirectly blame me for the areas in their life where they have failed to live up to their God given potential. I have heard them minimize my successes. These are the same people that I have rejoiced with and cheered them on through every victory in their life big or small. I have been silent through a lot of this because I didn’t want to make them feel more insecure, because I was being loyal to memories of our good times and I because I did not want to be accused of being vain.

The truth of the matter is I have done them, myself and who God has made a great disservice. The attention I have often gotten for things that I have done I have not sought. I recognize it is the gifting that God has given me. It is His light in me shinning outward.

• I’m kind because I feel it is the right thing to do. Not because I’m trying to gain public approval.
• I’m funny because God gave me a sense of humor, not because I desire to be the center of attention.
• I’m giving because so much has been given to me and I’m grateful, not because I am trying to buy loyalty.
• I am who I am because of who God has made me and true friendships should celebrate that.

In hindsight, how many ideas have been aborted because my focus was on the wrong thing? How many people have I not helped because I worried over the feelings of one when what I could have done could have helped hundreds including that one? I have come to this resolution. I can no longer be more loyal to my friends than I am to my God given purpose. That sometimes I have to accept that certain friends are for the past and it’s ok. I finally get that when the fundamental principals of what it takes to maintain a friendship diverges between two people nostalgia can not sustain the relationship. I will no longer pretend to be less than who I am and who God has made me just to placate folks who are in essence vision blockers. If you fall into this category and you are going to continue to call yourself my friend, you are either going to grow up or we will just grow apart.

Make It A Blessed

YMA

Factsheet: Depression in the Workplace

Clinical depression has become one of America's most costly illnesses. Left untreated, depression is as costly as heart disease or AIDS to the US economy, costing over $43.7 billion in absenteeism from work (over 200 million days lost from work each year), lost productivity and direct treatment costsⁱ. Depression tends to affect people in their prime working years and may last a lifetime if untreated. More than 80 percent of people with clinical depression can be successfully treated. With early recognition, intervention, and support, most employees can overcome clinical depression and pick up where they left off.

Know The Facts

• Depression ranks among the top three workplace problems for employee assistance professionals, following only family crisis and stress ii.

• 3% of total short term disability days are due to depressive disorders and in 76% of those cases, the employee was female iii.

• In a study of First Chicago Corporations, depressive disorders accounted for more than half of all medical plan dollars paid for mental health problems. The amount for treatment of these claims was close to the amount spent on treatment for heart disease iv.

• The annual economic cost of depression in 1995 was $600 per depressed worker. Nearly one-third of these costs are for treatment and 72% are costs related to absenteeism and lost productivity at work v.

• Almost 15% of those suffering from severe depression will commit suicide vi.

Employees Attitudes Towards Depression

• Often times a depressed employee will not seek treatment because they fear the affect it will have on their job and they are concerned about confidentiality.

• Many employees are also unaware they have depression or they fear their insurance is inadequate to cover costs.

• Most employers will refer a depressed employee for help if they are aware of the symptoms. 64% of NMHA Survey respondents said they would refer an employee to an EAP health professional ^vii.

Learn to recognize the symptoms of clinical depression

No two people experience clinical depression in the same manner. Symptoms will vary in severity and duration among different people. See your doctor* if you experience five or more of the following symptoms for more than two weeks:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" mood.

• Sleeping too little, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much.

• Reduced appetite and/or weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain.

• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, including sex.

• Restlessness, irritability.

• Persistent physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment (such as headaches, chronic pain or digestive disorders).

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

• Fatigue or loss of energy.

• Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless.

• Thoughts of suicide or death.

* As a first step, a thorough physical examination may be recommended to rule out other illnesses.

Help Is Available

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill	1-800-950-NAMI
National Depression Screening Project	1-800-520-6373
DEPRESSION/Awareness, Recognition and Treatment Program, The National Institute of Mental Health	1-800-421-4211
National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association	1-800-82-NDMDA

Reprinted with permission from Mental Health America

Positive Thought For The Week

Faith and Faithful

It’s funny you would think if you had demonstrate faith you must automatically be faithful. The other day I was traveling to the bank to make a deposit and I was thinking about how good God is. He has been helping me and my family through a challenging financial situation. What had prompted this train of thinking was that I was a little annoyed because I had agreed to do something for my mother and she automatically started voicing all the negative things that could happen and I felt like screaming “after all that God has done for us how can you still keep spouting out such negative things”.

As I sat in the parking lot of the bank feeling quite impressed that I was such a woman of faith, I got hit up side the head with this revelation. Although I had demonstrated I was a woman of faith, I had not always been very faithful. What does that mean I asked the Lord? Then the revelation came. I may be good at standing back believing and trusting that no matter what the circumstance is God will come through for me. But I have not been so good at being faithful to the one who has delivered me time and time again. Oh, I would say thank you, but to be honest some times I have done it because I was raised to have manors. I’m embarrassed to admit there were a number of times when I would say it but there was no real feeling behind it. My attitude on a very subconscious level has been like a very spoiled child. After all God should do it for me, come on it’s me.

But since confession is good for soul let me say this:

• I have not been faithful to praise Him every day the way He deserves to be praised.
• I have not been faithful in letting the world know that if it had not been for God on my side where would I be?
• I have not always appreciated what He has done for me especially when He gave me something I really needed instead of something I really wanted.
• I have not always been faithful in giving Him the credit for my victories.

So what is the life lesson I take away from this. It is great and important to be a person of faith but an even greater measure of who you are as person should be how faithful you are to the one who time after time proves to you your faith in Him has not been wasted.

Make it a blessed,

YMA

Clothing Exchange - Jan. 24th

Great Cheat Sheet from Meatless Monday!

Great little cheat sheet from Meatless Monday so you can learn the health terms you hear daily but may not understand their meaning!



Health and Nutrition Dictionary

Sometimes it feels like you need a dictionary to understand today's health and nutrition news. Well, here you go!

Antioxidant - chemical substances that help protect against cell damage from free radicals (molecules with one or more unpaired electrons). Some well-known antioxidants include vitamins A, C, and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, and key enzymes in your body.

"Bad" cholesterol - also known as LDL (low-density lipoproteins). A high level of LDL cholesterol in the blood signifies clogged arteries and is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other lifestyle-related diseases.

BMI - Body Mass Index. A ratio of weight to height, calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. A BMI under 20 is considered too thin; 21-25 is normal; 25-29 is overweight, and a BMI over 30 is considered obese.

Cholesterol - an essential substance produced by the body and found in animal products. Divided into "bad" cholesterol, which clogs arteries, and "good" cholesterol, which cleans ateries. You can lower your cholesterol by eating foods low in saturated fats and exercising.

Complex carbohydrates - starches and fiber found in foods such as bread, whole grains, rice, and cereals. These nutrients are broken down slowly in the digestion process and are a steady, long-lasting source of energy. Empty calories - calories from junk food that contribute to weight gain and do not offer any nutritional value.

Essential fatty acids - fats your body needs that it can not produce on its own. Classified into omega 3s and omega 6s, these fatty acids must be obtained from food sources such as tuna, salmon, leafy greens, vegetable oils, walnuts, and flax seeds.

Fiber - the part of plant foods that can not be absorbed by the body and aids in digestion. Fiber is found in fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains. Flavonoid/flavonol - a group of chemical compounds found in plants. In studies, they've proven anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial. They're also powerful antioxidants.

Genetic modification (GM) - human-engineered changes in a plant or animal, whether carried out through traditional breeding or gene splicing. Glycemic index - a measure of how a given food affects blood-glucose levels. The lower the rating, the slower the absorption and digestion process, which provides a more gradual, healthier infusion of sugars into the bloodstream.

"Good" cholesterol - also known as HDL (high-density lipoproteins), it carries harmful plaque buildup out of the arteries. Too low an HDL level is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. You can increase your HDL level by eating avocados, and certain vegetable oils and nuts.

Hydrogenation - a chemical process that changes unsaturated oil into a semi-solid saturated fat (such as making margarine from vegetable oil). The result is a trans fat, which have been shown to increase "bad" LDL cholesterol and decrease "good" HDL cholesterol.

Macronutrient - categories of food the body needs in large amounts: fat, protein, and carbohydrates.

Micronutrient - substances the body needs in small amounts, such as vitamins and minerals.

Mineral - naturally occurring elements (as in, The Periodic Table) that the body needs to function. Some of the 25 Minerals we need to sustain good health include Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Iron. Variation: trace minerals.

Natural - foods, both plant and animal, that are not genetically modified, and do not contain additives.

Nutritionally dense - foods that offer high amounts of vitamins and minerals per serving. These foods, sometimes called superfoods, typically provide slow-burning fuel for the body and are high in fiber.

Organic - foods, both plant and animal, produced without the use of artificial pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, steroids, or antibiotics.

Refined - processed. Refined grains have their bran and germ removed, resulting in a huge loss of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Refined sugar depresses the body's immune system and leads to weight gain. The opposite of a refined sugar is a simple sugar like honey.

Saturated fat - a type of fat most often found in animal food products including milk, eggs, meat and butter, but also found in coconut and palm oil. Too much saturated fat in a person's diet increases heart disease risk.

Simple carbohydrates - sugars found in honey, molasses, candy, soda, cake, and fruit - they are quickly digested and contain few vitamins and minerals.

S.A.D. - a derogatory term for the Standard American Diet - high in saturated fat and refined foods, and low in nutrients.

Trans fats - A "bad" fat formed when vegetable oil is processed with hydrogen and added to foods to increase their shelf life and flavor stability. Found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils, trans fat raises bad cholesterol, increasing risk for heart disease.

Unsaturated fats - "good" fats are found in vegetable oils, and are capable of reducing blood cholesterol levels. Unsaturated fats are classified as poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated; mono-unsaturated is the healthier variety.

Vitamin - compounds that are necessary for normal body function. In contrast with minerals, vitamins are produced by plants. Humans require 13 vitamins. Whole food - whole-grain food that is not refined and does not contain additives.

Meatless Monday: Smoked Salmon Scramble

Makes 2 servings

4 slices whole grain bread
2 tbsp. butter substitute, such as Smart Balance)
4 egg whites (or 1/2 cup egg substitute), beaten
2 tbsp. skim milk
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2/3 cup flaked or chopped smoked salmon

Toast bread. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour in egg and milk, and stir in black pepper. Stirring constantly, cook eggs until light and fluffy. Remove from heat and stir in salmon. Slice toast into triangles and place, with points in toward the middle, around a plate. Spoon eggs into the center and serve warm.


Nutritional Info per Serving
300 calories, 9g total fat, 2g saturated, 10 mg cholesterol, 38g carbohydrate, 22g protein, 6g fiber, 910mg sodium

Exercise Might Prevent Onset of Diabetes in Black Women

Science & Medicine | Study Shows Regular Exercise Might Prevent Onset of Diabetes in Black Women

[Dec 19, 2008] Taking a brisk walk several times a week for exercise appears to reduce black women's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published this month in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Reuters Health reports. Few studies have been conducted on the benefits of exercise among black women, according to Reuters. For the study, Julie Palmer of Boston University and colleagues used data from the ongoing Black Women's Health Study that followed 45,000 black women from 1995 to 2005.

Researchers found that those who said they walked for a minimum of five hours weekly for exercise were one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not walk. The risk of being diagnosed with the disease was significantly lower among women who said they regularly took a brisk walk even when taking into account possible contributing factors such as age, income and diet. The study included a large number of obese women and they too appeared to have a lower risk for developing diabetes if they exercised regularly.

Palmer said, "This is important, because it suggests a way to reduce diabetes risk even among the women who are at highest risk of the disease," adding, "The finding that brisk walking for a few hours a week or longer reduces diabetes risk may be the most important finding of all. This is something almost all women can do in the course of their daily lives."

Researchers also found that women who watched television for five or more hours a day were 86% more likely to develop diabetes than those who watched less than one hour per day (Norton, Reuters Health, 12/18).

Lung Cancer: Still the Biggest Cancer Killer

by Dennis Thompson

(HealthDay) It's the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, killing more people each year than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined.

It's typically discovered too late to be treated successfully, with about 85 percent of victims dead within five years of diagnosis.

And nine out of 10 cases of the disease are tied to a single behavior -- smoking.

Lung cancer killed 160,390 people in 2007, according to the Lung Cancer Alliance. That's an average of 439 people a day.

And tobacco caused 90 percent of those deaths, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

"Smoking is the most lethal legal activity in our society," said Dr. James Mulshine, a professor of internal medicine and associate provost for research at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Researchers are trying to find better ways to detect lung cancer and to find genetic warning signs, or markers, that could predict who might be at increased risk.

But doctors say anti-smoking measures have proven the only effective weapon against the disease.

"At this point, the progress in decreasing lung cancer death rates is due solely to men quitting smoking since the early 1990s," said Dr. Michael Thun, vice president of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society.

The death rate for men fell from 90.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 1990 to 69.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2005, Thun said. But the death rate for women peaked in 1998 at 41 deaths per 100,000 and has remained in that range ever since, he said.

"Lung cancer rates have been falling in men since 1991, since men began to quit smoking," Thun said. "They have leveled off in women, but are not declining. Women started smoking later than men in our society and are having more trouble quitting."

For some time, it was thought that women might be more susceptible to tobacco-related lung cancers than men. However, recent research from the National Cancer Institute has disproved that notion.

"It looks like the effect of tobacco is the same for women as it is for men," said Dr. Tim Byers, deputy director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and a professor with the university's department of preventive medicine and biometrics.

Other recent research has discovered a genetic variant tied to lung cancer risk. Doctors earlier this year found a 70 percent increased risk of the disease among carriers of a deficient gene called Alpha 1-antitrypsin.

But given that smoking is the cause of nearly all lung cancers, doctors aren't sure that knowledge of a genetic link will prove useful in the near term. "There's nothing that can be done about this genetic variant," Thun said.

The most promising area of new research involves early detection of lung cancer through the use of spiral CT scans.

Currently, when lung cancer is detected, the disease has already spread outside the lung in 15 percent to 30 percent of cases, according to the National Cancer Institute. That's because chest X-rays can only detect larger tumors of 1 centimeter or more.

But spiral CT, a technology introduced in the 1990s, can pick up tumors well under 1 centimeter.

About 50,000 current or former smokers are participating in the National Lung Screening Trial, a study that hopes to determine in the near future whether CT scans can allow early intervention that would save a person's life.

"We all have our fingers crossed that the trial will show there is a screening procedure that will make a difference," Byers said. "We're probably about two to three years away from knowing the results of that trial."

In the meantime, doctors say the best way to save lives from lung cancer is to throw more energy into measures that will prevent smoking.

Studies have shown that raising the price of cigarettes through taxation, clean air laws that prohibit smoking in public places, and counter-advertising have all helped reduce smoking rates in the United States, Thun said.

"We know those tactics work, but, for political reasons, they're not being fully applied," he said.

Quitting smoking also will allow people to avoid the host of other health problems that come with it, most notably cardiovascular disease.

"If you avoid smoking, you have avoided the Mount Everest of avoidable health hazards," Thun said.

Jog To The Beat

(ScienceDaily) Brunel University’s School of Sport and Education has reveals that, according to Dr Costas Karageorghis’s latest research, carefully selected music can significantly increase a person’s physical endurance and make the experience of cardiovascular exercise far more positive.

The study, due to be published in the U.S. periodical Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, is the latest from a 20-year programme of work into the motivational qualities of music in sport and exercise. The findings illustrate the considerable benefits associated with exercising in time to music: something that some elite athletes, such as marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie, have been doing for years.

Thirty participants exercised on a treadmill while listening to a selection of motivational rock or pop music, including tracks by Queen, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Madonna. They were asked to keep in strict time with the beat. The findings show that when carefully selected according to scientific principles, music can enhance endurance by 15% and improve the ‘feeling states’ of exercisers, helping them to derive much greater pleasure from the task. One significant new finding is that music can help exercisers to feel more positive even when they are working out at a very high intensity close to physical exhaustion.

The scientific principles that guided this piece of research are about to be put into action through an ambitious and exciting sporting event due to take place on 5th October in Greenwich, London. The Sony Ericsson Run To The Beat half-marathon will be the first to provide scientifically-selected live musical accompaniment along the entire length of the course. Dr Karageorghis has selected and coordinated the music that will be played at 17 live music stations to accompany 12,500 runners.

Dr Karageorghis’s latest research findings are particularly noteworthy for public health practitioners, given that treadmill-based exercise such as walking and running is often incorporated into the rehabilitation programmes of those in a primary care settings (e.g. cardiac patients and those suffering from obesity). Music has the power to make a considerable impact in the fight against public inactivity. Moreover, the effects of music on mood and emotions open up the possibility that it can be used to improve compliance to exercise and therefore help people achieve their long-term health and fitness goals.

Dr Karageorghis, who is a reader in sport psychology at Brunel University, explains: “The synchronous application of music resulted in much higher endurance while the motivational qualities of the music impacted significantly on the interpretation of fatigue symptoms right up to the point of voluntary exhaustion”.

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Center of Wellness for Urban Women
wishes you a healthy and wonderful new year!

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We look forward to serving you in 2009 with wonderful programs and support.

Live Life Well in 2009!