Health for life

Yesterday, HOTUS and I hosted (HOTUSted?) our first official family holiday, if you don’t count that one time everyone came over and sang karaoke for Arbor Day. We were celebrating Easter, as well as the debut of our wedding dishes ™, a monumental event in any aspiring adult’s life. My sister and her lovely man friend brought us roses, which were promptly made into a cat appetizer (catpetizer?).

Alas, we were also commemorating the loss of our Old Lady Cart (2007-2011), a beloved and highly useful member of the family. If you’ve ever been to New York, you’ve seen an old lady cart, probably pushed around by a baby boy. (Just kidding.) The four-wheeled device is kind of like a shopping cart, but smaller, more colorful, and incredibly prone to catching a wheel on sidewalk cracks, which then causes it to pitch forward, which then causes you to fall into it (shins first), which then leaves you with a bruise that lasts longer than the Roosevelt presidency. (Franklin Delano, not Theodore No Middle Name).

Our particular Old Lady Cart bit the dust on Saturday, the victim of overloading after a trip to CostCo. What began as, “I’m just getting a hunk of brie for my parents,” turned into, “Why WOULDN’T we want 90 ounces of Palmolive?” The right front wheel snapped 60 blocks north of my apartment, in the rain, after a nasty bump. It wasn’t pretty. And neither was I, at the end of the journey. Badness.

(Also, if the nice man who helped me lug the disabled cart up three flights of subway stairs happens to read this blog – thank you. And I’m sorry I almost dropped it all those times.)

Anyway, back to Easter. We feasted on many delectable hors d’oeuvres, drank much Gruner Veltliner, and dug into a homemade pie from my Ma and Pa, the finest purveyors of homemade pie in three states (Alaska, South Carolina, and Wyoming). But the centerpiece was Dave Lieberman’s Braised Hoisin Beer Short Ribs with Creamy Mashed Yukons and Sesame Snow Peas. It’s neither cheap nor healthy, but sweet Bea Arthur, was it ever good.

Well, I take some of that back. That last part – the Sesame Snow Peas – fall quite nicely into the parameters of this here blog. Due to a mix-up at the grocery story (meaning: I got mixed up), we used snap peas instead of snow peas. No big whoop. Thing still came out dang fine. Crisp, tender, and just the right counter for extra-heavy potatoes and beef.

If you should make it yourself, feel free to reduce the oil, possibly by quite a lot. We used a nonstick skillet, and didn’t need anywhere near the prescribed amount (3 tablespoons). I think about half would do it.

And that’s it. Hope y’all had a happy (also hoppy) Easter, and that your old lady carts live forever. *sniffle*

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If this looks quite tasty, you will most definitely enjoy:

• Broccoli Almond Stir Fry
• Sautéed Shrimp and Asparagus with Sesame Seeds
• Vegetable Lo Mein

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Sesame Snap Peas
Serves 6
From Dave Lieberman.


1 lb. snap peas, washed and thoroughly dried
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted if perred

In a large skillet, heat oils over medium-high heat. Add peas and sauté about 2 or 3 minutes, until they are bright green. Remove to a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving
99 calories, 7.7 g fat, 2 g fiber, 2.2 g protein, $0.46

NOTE: Honestly, you could probably cut the oil in half and still have a really nice dish here. Give it a shot.

Calculations
1 lb. snap peas, washed and thoroughly dried: 191 calories, 0.9 g fat, 11.8 g fiber, 12.7 g protein, $1.99
2 tablespoons vegetable oil: 265 calories, 30 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.18
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil: 119 calories, 13.5 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.40
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted if perred: 17 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0.4 g fiber, 0.5 g protein, $0.17
TOTALS: 592 calories, 45.9 g fat, 12.2 g fiber, 13.2 g protein, $2.74
PER SERVING (TOTALS/6): 99 calories, 7.7 g fat, 2 g fiber, 2.2 g protein, $0.46

The American Heart Association last week published an update to their guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Their paper addressed women specifically.

Here is the table of recommendations included in their paper:



You can click the pictures above for a larger version, or you can download their entire paper at:
Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women: 2007 Update

For people with diabetes, heart disease looms as the most fatal complication. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) describes some links between the two:

• CVD is the leading cause of early death among people with diabetes - about 65% of them die from heart disease and stroke.
  
  
• Adults with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to have heart disease or suffer a stroke than
  people without diabetes.
  
  
• High blood glucose in adults with diabetes increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, angina, and
  coronary artery disease.
  
  
• People with type 2 diabetes also have high rates of high blood pressure, lipid problems, and obesity,
  which contribute to their high rates of CVD.
  
  
• Smoking doubles the risk of CVD in people with diabetes.
  
  - NDEP, The Link Between Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

In addition to their recommendations for all women (e.g. dont smoke, be physically active, eat a healthful diet), the AHA 2007 Guidelines gave some special advice for women with diabetes.

• * Achieve an HbA1c of <7% through medication (and lifestyle)
  
• * Blood pressure of >130/80 mm Hg should be treated with medication (and lifestyle)
  
• * LDL cholesterol of >100 mg/dl should be treated with medication (and lifestyle)
  
• * Aspirin (75 to 325 mg/day) should be used in high risk (i.e. diabetic) women unless it cannot be tolerated.
  
• * ACE inhibitors or ARBs (for blood pressure management) should be used.

If you fall into any of the above categories and are not receiving treatment, you may want to discuss your therapies with your doctor. You could even bring the above AHA Tables, or their entire paper, with you.