Four Tips to Lift the Winter Blues

If the shorter days and longer nights of winter have stolen the spring in your step and sparkle in your eye, you're not along. In fact, as many as 12 million Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and up to 35 million Americans have a milder version of the disorder. Woman are more likely than men to suffer from SAD.

It zaps energy, leaving sufferers less productive. SAD also induces carbohydrate cravings, which results in packing on a few, unwanted pounds during the colder months.

AlternativeMedicine.com suggests making the following healthful changes to rebound from the winter blues:

• Start your day with a high-protein breakfast and end it with a whole grain-rich dinner. This combination will help balance mood-regulating hormones.
• Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids by adding cold water fish or flaxseeds to your diet.
• Try light therapy. Research has shown that exposure to light is an effective treatment for winter depression. Light therapy is administered by a 10,000-lux light box. It mimics outdoor light and causes a biochemical change in the brain to lift the mood.
• Get outside and exercise as much as possible. The outdoor light and activity will help boost serotonin levels.

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No-Sugar, Naturally Sweetened Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Dark chocolate is the best tasting antioxidant-rich treat around, so why not indulge a little this holiday season?

Here is a recipe for a delicious, chocolaty, creamy cheesecake. This chocolate truffle cheesecake is made without sugar, using low-glycemic agave nectar instead to sweetened it up naturally. You can also shave off a few calories and fat grams by using neufatchel cheese instead of cream cheese.

It was a huge hit at my family's Christmas party yesterday, but it could also work for an upcoming New Year's celebration.

Admittedly, the crust is made of chocolate wafers, which are almost impossible to find in a non-sugar, but natural variety. I usually buy chocolate cookies with the least amount of evaporated cane juice, such as Nature's Path Organic Deep Chocolate, and turn them into crumbs with my food processor.

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:
1-1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter

Filling:
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 (8 oz.) softened neufatchel cheese
1-1/4 cup agave nectar
3 Tbsp cocoa
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup rum (optional)

Ganache:
12 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

Crust:
Combine chocolate wafer crumbs with melted butter in a small bowl. Press onto bottom of a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.

Filling:
In a double boiler, melt chocolate over low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and mix in cream. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese on low until free of lumps. Beat in agave nectar and mix until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time and slowly mix. Add cocoa and mix in thoroughly. Mix in vanilla, rum (optional) and chocolate mixture until blended. Pour over crust. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the center has just a very slight jiggle to it when you move the pan. Let the pan cool on rack before placing cheesecake into refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Ganache:
While cheesecake is chilling, melt 12 oz of unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler over low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and mix in heavy cream and agave nectar. Spread ganache over cheesecake and then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Serving:
Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a knife or metal spatchula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate. Serves about 12.

Reduce Holiday Stress With Calming Amino Acid

When you're on overload this holiday season (or any time of the year) and feeling very anxious, it could be because you're brain is short on its main calming neurotransmitters.

GABA, an amino acid also known as gamma-aminobutyric acid, helps the brain, which is constantly being bombarded with loads of sensory information, filter out the nonessentials and helps improve mental focus. This, of course, leads to less anxiety.

When GABA levels are low, the extraneous isn't being filtered out so you feel stressed.

Japanese researchers have found that taking GABA supplements reduces anxiety and promotes relaxation. Further research has found that low levels of GABA is associated with depression and insomnia.

You can take 200 mg of GABA up to three times a day, but to increase it's benefits you may also want to combine it with 100 mg of L-theanine and B-complex.

Additionally, drinking green tea can help increase your GABA levels. It contains the amino acid L-theanine, a GABA booster.

Source: Better Nutrition

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Herbal Supplement Found to Lengthen Lifespan

For those looking for the fountain of youth, a new study offers hope that taking an herbal supplement may add a little extra time to your lifespan. A study from the University of California, Irvine found that when fruit flies ate a diet rich in Rhodiola rosea--an herbal extract known to relieve stress--they lived about 10 percent longer than the flies not on the special diet.

Researchers admit that the study doesn't confirm that Rhodiola rosea will have the same effect on humans. However, given that the herb is also known for other health benefits, they say it is a promising candidate for additional anti-aging research.

The study was published in the online version of Rejuvenation Research.

(Photo: Image courtesy of University of California - Irvine)

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Moisturize Your Lips From Within

The wintry winds may leave your lips chapped, but don't just rely on a natural lip balm to keep them moisturized. Instead, make sure you drink eight glasses of water a day to keep them replenished.

In addition, eat foods rich in essential fatty acids such a salmon, tuna and mackerel as well as nuts and flaxseed to help keep your lips moist. Of course, you can also supplement with fish or flax oil.

As an added bonus, drinking plenty of water and eating the right fats will also help if you suffer from dry skin.

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Organic Milk & Dairy Linked to Healthier Breast Milk

Nursing mothers may want to make sure they're eating organic meat and dairy now that a recent study has found such a diet improves the quality of breast milk.

The research published in the British Journal of Nutrition compared mothers eating a conventional diet to those eating at least 90 percent of their meat and dairy from organic sources. Researchers found that the organic-eating group produced breast milk with higher levels of a beneficial fatty acid known as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

This healthy fat is especially helpful for newborns because it is believed to help their immune system development. Additionally, CLA is thought to have anti-carcinogenic properties and a wide range of other healthful benefits, including a positive influence on body fat composition.

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An Orange a Day May Keep Wrinkles Away

If you want younger looking skin, you may want to beef up on vitamin C-rich foods. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who had a higher dietary intake of vitamin C had fewer wrinkles than women who ate very little foods containing the vitamin.

The results made sense to researchers, who say that vitamin C's antioxidant and photoprotective properties play a role in collagen synthesis.

The study also found that women's skin fared better when their diet was low in saturated fats and carbohydrates. However, the study also found that women's skin looked younger when they ate a diet high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, found in many nuts as well as sunflower and safflower oils.

The results are further evidence that what we eat affects how our skin ages, say researchers.

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Guide to Help Parents Weed out Toxic Toys

Recent headlines about toys contaminated with lead and other toxins have parents worried. But just in time for the holiday season, a safety group has released a list of more than 1200 toys that they tested for toxins at HealthyToys.org. The online consumer guide lets parents find out what's tainted and what's not before they head out shopping.

The Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., which conducted the testing, found that only 28% of the products tested did not contain any lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury or PVC.

Researchers believe that these chemicals are a threat to infants and children whose brains and bodies are still developing.

The consumer guide isn't a comprehensive list of the millions of toys available, but parents can nominate a toy for testing at HealthyToys.org. If it is one of the most commonly requested items, it may be tested in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

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Exercise Speeds Wound Healing, Reduces Skin Inflammation

We already have a million reasons to exercise, and now researchers have discovered another benefit to get us moving: it may decrease inflammation of damaged skin tissue.

A new University of Illinois study found that moderate exercise accelerated wound healing in old mice, who otherwise heal more slowly due to hyper-inflammation. Researchers speculate that exercising induces an anti-inflammatory response in wounds.

They also claim that the study not only applies to older people, but also to diabetics and people at risk of high levels of inflammation, such those who are obese or have congestive heart failure or coronary heart disease.

Source: Science Daily

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Affinity for Green Veggies Starts in the Womb

If you're a mom who can't get your kids to eat broccoli, it may be because you didn't eat it while they were in the womb. A new study has found that children are more likely to eat nutritious, but unappetizing foods, such as Brussels sprouts and other bitter greens, if their mothers ate them during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

According to researchers at Philadelphia's Monell Chemical Senses Center, expecting and nursing moms should be vigilant to eat right so that their children get hooked early on these 'yuck' foods--and therefore, save the family from numerous mealtime battles later on.

“Flavors from the mother’s diet are transmitted through amniotic fluid and mother’s milk. A baby learns to like a food’s taste when the mother eats that food on a regular basis,” said lead researcher Julie Mennella, as reported in Times Online.

Researchers also found the same result when expecting or nursing mothers drank carrot juice or ate peaches and green beans.

Of course, if your kids are well past the womb and breastfeeding stages, all hope is not lost. A 2003 study found that children exposed daily to those unappealing veggies can still strike a liking to them.

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