Cottage-Cheese Veggie Dip Recipe

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup(s) cottage cheese, low-fat
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/2 cup(s) carrot(s), baby
• 1/2 cup(s) peas, snow, or snap peas

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Preparation

Combine cottage cheese and lemon pepper. Serve with carrots and peas.

Diagnostic Tests for Thyroid Disease

Problems with energy, mental capacity, and weight may be due to thyroid disease. Simple tests can determine if thyroid function is to blame for your symptoms so you can get the treatment you need.

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Could You Have an Underactive Thyroid?

How Weather Changes Affect Your Thyroid

The thyroid is a small, yet powerful gland in the neck that releases hormones that help regulate many of the body's functions. One of those hormones is thyroxine, which is necessary for the heart, brain, and other organ systems to function properly.
While thyroid disease can lead to a variety of potentially serious symptoms, including fatigue, anxiety, palpitations, forgetfulness, high blood pressure, and fluctuations in weight, it’s fairly simple to diagnose.

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Thyroid Disease: Blood Tests
There are many different causes of thyroid disease, but they all lead to one of two issues regarding thyroid function. The thyroid either produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism), or too little (hypothyroidism). Under normal circumstances, the pituitary gland in the brain tells the thyroid how much hormone it should release. But sometimes infections, medications, and even the body's own immune system can interrupt communication between the pituitary and the thyroid. When this happens, thyroid function becomes altered.
Fortunately, a simple blood test can provide important information about several hormones related to thyroid function, including:

• TSH. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is what the pituitary gland releases to tell the thyroid when to produce thyroid hormones. A low level of TSH in the blood usually means that thyroid function is excessive (hyperthyroidism), while a high level of TSH generally indicates that too little thyroid hormone is being produced (hypothyroidism).
• T4 (thyroxine). An excess of T4 in the blood is indicative of an overactive thyroid, whereas low levels of T4 indicate underactive thyroid function. Testing T4 blood levels also helps doctors pinpoint whether or not thyroid disease is due to a problem in the pituitary gland or the thyroid gland itself.
• T3 (triiodothyronine). T3 is another important thyroid hormone. T3 levels can fluctuate quite a bit, but high levels of T3 are typically due to hyperthyroidism, while low levels are caused by hypothyroidism.
• Thyroid antibody. Autoimmune thyroid diseases (like Hashimoto's thyroiditis or Graves' disease) cause the immune system to release proteins called antibodies that attack the thyroid as if it were foreign tissue. Blood tests can reveal the presence of thyroid antibodies and allow doctors to diagnose such an autoimmune disease. Thyroid Disease: The First Steps to Diagnosis
  If your doctor suspects that you have thyroid disease, he or she will order blood tests. The blood draw itself only takes a few minutes, but you'll have to wait up to a week for the test results. Your doctor will probably schedule another visit or a phone call to discuss these results with you and give you a chance to ask any questions.
  
  If your blood tests indicate that you have a thyroid problem, but don't provide enough information for a clear diagnosis, you may need additional thyroid tests.
  
  Thyroid Disease: Other Tests
  Other tests that can help diagnose thyroid disease include:
  
  • Radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU). The thyroid gland uses iodine in the blood to make thyroid hormones. Swallowing a small, radioactive iodine pill helps doctors measure how much iodine your thyroid gland uses. If the thyroid gland draws upon a lot of the iodine released by the pill (leading to a high RAIU reading), hyperthyroidism is probably the cause. A low RAIU usually reflects an underactive thyroid.
  • Thyroid scan. Often used along with RAIU, a thyroid scan can reveal specific regions in the thyroid that are using either too much or too little radioactive iodine. This scan can help doctors decide whether a thyroid biopsy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
  • Ultrasound. Ultrasound images of the thyroid can show underlying structural causes of thyroid disease such as a tumor or cyst.
  Diagnosing thyroid disease, determining the cause, and starting treatment can help prevent serious health complications like heart disease and mental health problems. Thyroid tests are easily done and relatively painless, usually only requiring a blood sample or imaging test. Once properly diagnosed, thyroid disease symptoms can generally be managed effectively.

Working Out With Hypothyroidism

Struggling with weight gain, depression, and other symptoms of an underactive thyroid? Exercise can help with these issues and more.

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Get Support for Hypothyroidism

Make the Most of Your Hypothyroidism Treatment

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You need to exercise for optimal health, and when you’re managing hypothyroidism, a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone, regular workouts can do double duty as part of your overall treatment plan.
“Due to a slower metabolism, people with hypothyroidism are prone to gain weight,” says Betul Hatipoglu, MD, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Your cholesterol levels might also go up, you may sense changes in cognitive function, and even experience depression, she explains, but "exercise can help with all of these symptoms of hypothyroidism.”
More specifically, Dr. Hatipoglu notes that regular aerobic exercise improves good cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol. “Exercise also causes a net energy expenditure, which helps with weight loss and body fat loss,” she adds.
In terms of mental health boosts, she says that both aerobic exercise and weight training reduce anxiety and depression and improve cognitive function.
Of course, there are the many other overall benefits of exercise, all of which also reinforce your hypothyroidism treatment. “Exercise decreases inflammation, reduces blood pressure, improves insulin sensitivity, and can help prevent diabetes,” Hatipoglu says.

Regular workouts will also help lower risk for heart attack, stroke, some cancers, and bone loss; promote better sleep; reduce stress; and help your body become stronger and more flexible.

The Best Types of Exercise for Countering Hypothyroidism

For her patients with hypothyroidism, Hatipoglu recommends both aerobic exercise and weight training. “Aerobic exercise is beneficial for hypothyroidism because it can help with fat burning and overall cardiovascular health,” she says.
For moderate-intensity aerobic activities, she recommends walking fast, water aerobics,
bike riding, playing tennis, using a push lawn mower, and dancing. Want to step up to
vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise? Try jogging or running, swimming, or playing basketball. “You can practice these more vigorous workouts once you feel comfortable with the moderate activities,” she advises.

Hatipoglu stresses weight training as part of your hypothyroidism treatment to build muscle mass and to keep the basal metabolism (your level of calorie burning when your body is at rest) active, she says, adding that strength training is particularly important when your hypothyroidism isn’t well treated and your metabolism slows down.
Aim for at least two days of strength training each week (rest your muscles for at least one day between sessions). Good strength-training activities include lifting weights,
working out with resistance bands, doing exercises that use your own body weight such as push-ups and sit-ups, and yoga.

Making Room for Regular Exercise

Before you start any exercise program, speak with your primary care physician or endocrinologist to get the go-ahead.
Next, Hatipoglu recommends you take exercise one step at a time. “Start with small goals and expectations and build upon them as you get stronger,” she says. “You cannot run a marathon in one day if you’ve never run in your life, but you can start with one minute of running and 10 minutes of walking and build on that over time.”
In terms of frequency, she recommends the universal guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recommend one of two scenarios: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, with strength-training activities that work all major muscle groups on two or more days a week, or 75 minutes a week of a vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging or running, plus strength training.
Whether you choose to exercise moderately or vigorously to help combat hypothyroidism, make sure you do activities you really like. “Exercise is a lifelong commitment, so enjoying what you do is very important,” Hatipoglu says.

7 Exercises to Change Your Body

You can do these moves on their own, or incorporate them into problem-solving fitness routines. 

Squats

How to do them: Standing with your feet hip-distance apart, tighten up your core as if you were bracing for a punch to the gut. Then shift your weight into your heels and press your hips back, keeping your abdominal muscles tight. Bend your knees and slowly lower into a squat. Your knees should be in line with your second toe. Go as low as you feel comfortable going, and hold for a count of two. Straighten your legs to rise. Standing and lowering into the squat should take the same amount of time. 

You're doing them wrong if... Your lower back feels strained. You should feel the burn in your thighs and butt. 

Push-ups

How to do them: Start on your hands and knees with your hands directly under your shoulders and your bent knees behind your hips. Your arms should be straight. Bend your elbows, lowering your chest toward the floor. Make sure to keep your elbows fairly close to the sides of your body and keep your torso in a straight line from your knees to your head. Hold for a count of two and then return to your starting position by pushing up through the heels and outer portions of your palms. 

You're doing them wrong if... You're not feeling the burn in your shoulders, arms, and chest. If it feels too easy, tuck your elbows in, check your hand placement, and make sure your knees are far back enough to make the move challenging. 

Biceps Curls

How to do them: Sit on the edge of a chair, keeping your back straight and your feet directly below your knees. Take a dumbbell in each hand and hold them down by your sides. Your palms should be facing forward and your wrists should be in line with your forearms. Pull your shoulders down and back. Keeping your elbows in and your arms close to your sides, draw both weights up to your shoulders and hold for a count of two. Lower the weights and return your arms to your sides. 

You're doing them wrong if... If your wrists feel pinched or strained. The main areas you should be feeling are your biceps and forearms. 

Next: Shoulder presses, dumbbell rows, and more...

Shoulder presses

How to do them: Stand with feet hip-distance apart with a dumbbell in each hand. Curl the dumbbells up to shoulder level, with your elbows tight to your sides and your palms facing away from your body. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, push both arms up overhead and hold for a count of two. Breathing in, bend your elbows to return to your starting position. 

You're doing them wrong if... You find your back arching with strain. You should be feeling your shoulders and arms working, not your back. 

Dumbbell rows

How to do them: Take a dumbbell in one hand. Assume a split stance with one leg slightly in front of the other. Keeping your back straight and abs tight, fold over at the hips. Rest your free hand on your back thigh for support, and bend into your front knee. Keeping your arms and elbows tight to your body, breathe out as you draw your elbows straight back toward the ceiling. Hold for two counts. Inhale and lower the weight without twisting your torso. 

You're doing them wrong if... Your torso is rotating during the row or if your shoulders are scrunched up by your ears. You should feel your back muscles working. 

Chest presses

How to do them: With dumbbells in each hand, lie down on a bench or the floor, with your knees bent and feet firmly grounded. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees, with your palms facing away from you, holding the dumbbells level with your chest and directly above the armpits. Breathe in. As you exhale, press your arms overhead until your elbows are straight. Hold for a count of two. Inhale and bend your elbows to return your arms to their starting position. 

You're doing them wrong if... Your back is arching. Concentrate on keeping your back in contact with the ground so you feel the move in your shoulders, arms, and chest. 

Side lunges

How to do them: Start with your feet together and step out to hip-distance, keeping your core tight. Take a small step out to the side, keeping your toes facing forward, and begin to shift weight into the leg you stepped out with. Your knee should be directly over your second toe. Push your hips back as you bend your knee and lower your thigh toward the ground. Hold for a count of two. Push off your heel to return to your starting position. 

You're doing them wrong if... You're taking too big a step to the side. Keep it small enough that your knee stays over your toes. Expect to feel it in the butt, thigh, and calf. 


Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/Exercises-to-Change-Your-Body-and-Your-Life#ixzz3KwcmIyGY

3 Calorie-Counting Rules for Weight Loss

Tracking your calories is a proven weight loss strategy, but too few Americans tally their intake – or even know how to. Here's how to sharpen your calorie counting skills to slim down healthfully.

How many calories have you eaten today? And how many should you consume if you’re trying to maintain your current weight or lose those last 10 pounds? If you’re like most Americans, you probably don’t know the answers to these calorie-counting questions, according to a new survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, a not-for-profit health education organization.
A scant 9 percent of Americans keep track of how many calories they eat every day, the survey found. The same percentage were able to accurately estimate how many calories they should eat each day.

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With so many weight loss plans focused on certain nutrients — Load up on protein! Banish carbs! Eat “healthy” fats! — counting calories may seem downright passé. But you shouldn’t discount this powerful weight loss tool, say experts.
In fact, the “secret” to losing weight for good isn’t eliminating carbs or eating gallons of cabbage soup, according to My Calorie Counter, a new book from Everyday Health. “Sustained, healthy weight loss comes down to a pretty basic equation: fewer calories plus more exercise,” say authors Jenny Sucov and Maureen Namkoong, MS, RD. “By keeping track of how many calories you consume and burn every day, you can slim down, gain energy, and stave off a whole host of health problems.”

So why don’t more people track their calorie intake? Among the biggest roadblocks people cite, according to the survey, are the difficulty of counting calories (30 percent); having a focus on other nutrients (30 percent); thinking that calorie counting doesn’t matter (23 percent); and being too busy (22 percent).
But counting calories is easier and less time-consuming than you think. Follow these tips to get started:

Rule #1: Determine How Many Calories You Should Eat

How many calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight depends on factors such as your gender, age, height, weight, and activity level. Your body uses about two-thirds of the calories you consume each day just to keep its systems functioning — your heart beating, your muscles moving. The rest of your calorie intake, according to My Calorie Counter, fuels everyday activities like walking around, exercising, typing an e-mail, doing a crossword puzzle.
To find out your ideal caloric intake, start by calculating what’s known as your base metabolic rate (BMR):

• Women: Multiply your weight by 10. Men: Multiply by 11. This is your BMR.
• Now add to that 20 percent of your BMR if you have a sedentary lifestyle; 30 percent if you are somewhat active; 40 percent if you are moderately active; or 50 percent if you are very active.
• The number you get is how many calories you need to maintain your weight.

For example: If you’re a somewhat active 145-pound woman, your BMR is 1,450 calories a day, and your lifestyle quotient is 30 percent of that, or an additional 435 calories. So your daily total for maintaining your current weight is 1,885 calories. If you want to lose one pound per week, you simply need to cut or burn an extra 500 calories a day.

Rule #2: Count How Many Calories You Actually Eat and Burn

You can track your calories online here for free, or consult the nutritional information in our My Calorie Counter iPhone app or book when you’re on the go.

Don’t forget to log your exercise too. Find out how many calories you're burning with everyday and fitness activities using the My Calorie Counter list of calories burned during exercise, then enter the figure in your online journal.
You can easily cut 500 calories by making small diet and exercise changes throughout your day. Here’s one approach:

• Breakfast: Drink water instead of orange juice (calories saved: 117)
• Snack: Have sliced cucumber and a tablespoon of hummus instead of a bag of chips (calories saved: 119)
• Lunch: Swap out your salad’s creamy ranch dressing for fat-free Italian (calories saved: 66)
• Dessert: Eat half of a cup of strawberries instead of a half of a cup of chocolate ice cream (calories saved: 118).
• Exercise: Stroll at a moderate pace for 30 minutes (calories burned: 125 for a woman weighing 145)

Rule #3: Get Portion Savvy

Even if you can’t or don’t want to tally the calories you eat at every single meal or snack, adopting these little portion control tips can help you consume fewer calories without trying too hard. “In a world where supersize is the new regular, it’s easy to undercount your calories,” say Sucov and Namkoong. These tips can help you recognize what a healthy portion looks like, which can help you keep calories in check:

• Think of a tennis ball. It’s the equivalent of one cup of food, which is the recommended portion for such foods as pasta, cereal, and yogurt.
• Don’t eat straight out of the container. It’s a recipe for mindlessly overeating. Instead, measure a serving size of whatever you’re noshing on — almonds, soy chips, or other snacks — and put it on a plate or in a bowl.
• Use smaller plates. Trick your mind into thinking that you have more food by downsizing your large dinner plate for a smaller salad-sized one. A healthy portion can look teeny on a huge plate but will seem more normal when you shrink its surroundings.
• Spoil your appetite with nutritious food. Try eating celery sticks with peanut butter an hour before mealtime, My Calorie Counter recommends. You’ll eat less at the meal and feel more satisfied later.

How Can I Beat a Dinnertime Binge?

I started dieting and exercising about six months ago, and I have a terrible time in the evenings. At dinner and afterward I tend to binge eat, which messes up my meal plan. What can I do to beat this bad habit?

— Albert, Pennsylvania

This is an excellent question. So many dieters struggle with nighttime eating. I suggest taking the following steps:

• Examine your diet. Is it overly restrictive? Too often, enthusiasm for losing weight quickly leads to setting calorie goals that are too low. Most women who are trying to lose weight should consume at least 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day. For men, around 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day is typical. You may want to touch base with a registered dietitian for guidance on ensuring that your calorie goals fit your needs.
• Consider your eating pattern. Are you getting enough calories throughout the day? Are you skipping meals or starving yourself, only to feel ravenous in the evening? Try to space your calories evenly across breakfast, lunch, and perhaps a midmorning or afternoon snack. This will stop you from getting too hungry later in the day, which leads to bingeing.
• Choose filling foods. Are you eating a healthy balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fat? Are you getting enough fiber and other essential nutrients? A balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables — and other low-calorie-density foods — can help you feel full on fewer calories and help your diet sustain you through the evening.
• Pay attention to your emotions. Ask yourself, "What do I really need?" before you have that after-dinner snack. Understanding what is going on with your emotions may provide a clue as to what you really need, and it will help prevent you from automatically reaching for food. Perhaps you are bored. Finding an activity to distract yourself might help. If you happen to be lonely, an activity with other people might be just what the doctor ordered. If you use food to unwind or feel good, look for other things to help you feel good — taking a stroll, exercising, listening to music, or devoting some time to a hobby may be what you need.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Diet and Nutrition Center.

The Cauliflower Recipe You've Never Seen Before

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons chile powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a small baking sheet with vegetable oil. Set aside.
2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.
4. Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly over its surface. (Excess marinade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days and used with meat, fish or other veggies.)
5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.
6. Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving alongside a big green salad.