Green Beans with Olive Oil Recipe

Green beans are packed with Vitamin C and fiber. This is a great recipe for anytime of the year and it's simple and quick to make. It’s a great side dish for back yard barbecues or formal dinners. Try to buy organic produce when you can to reduce your exposure to pesticides.

Photo By: McKay Savage from London, UK [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh green beans

1/2 cup of filtered water

1/4 – 1/3 cup of olive oil (depending on your personal taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse green beans well, cut off the tips/strings at each end of each bean, or buy fresh green beans (prepackaged) with the tips cut. If the beans are long, cut each bean in half.  If they are not, they don’t need to be cut. Place beans in a large 12 inch non stick saute/fry pan, add the filtered water to just cover the beans. Place a lid on the pan and cook at a low heat for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to get the beans softened but not overcooked to maintain higher levels of Vitamin C.

Drain the remaining water out of the pan then brown the green beans for approximately 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring them gently and occasionally. Now add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for another 10 minutes while stirring them occasionally and gently.
  
*Remember that when cooking with olive oil you cannot use high heats due to its low “smoke point." Maintain a low heat to prevent smoking of the oil. High heat also leaches out some of the healthful qualities of olive oil. 

This can be served as a side dish to a roast or barbecued meats and provides approximately 4 servings.  Enjoy!

5 Tips to Help Prevent Constipation

Most people experience constipation at least once during their lifetime and many times more.  Though embarrassing for some folks to discuss; you can take a few steps using the following tips to help prevent it.

1. Eat whole grains each day such as barley (home-made barley soup is great), whole wheat breads and rolls (with whole wheat flour appearing first in the list of ingredients), whole wheat breakfast cereals such as wheat biscuits/shredded wheat each day for breakfast. Whole wheat pastas and brown rice work well for dinner, coupled with a lean protein and a vegetable.
2. Eat fresh vegetables every day such as broccoli (steamed or raw), baby or regular size carrot sticks (raw) and fresh romaine based salads with various raw veggies such as cucumbers and radishes.
3. Eat fresh fruits every day such as apples with the skin, pears, grapes, cherries, blueberries, peaches and nectarines (depending on the season).
4. Stay hydrated with plenty of water each day. Consider high water content fruits such as watermelon and other melons as part of your daily fruit intake (above). Fresh fruits and vegetables contain water; some have a higher content than others.
5. Stay active. Leading an active lifestyle can help prevent constipation by helping to keep the bowels moving.  A sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate constipation. Keep moving to allow your body to function at its optimum level.

Purchase organic produce whenever possible to reduce your exposure to pesticides. All produce must be washed well before consumption. Be creative and change it up; try a variety of whole wheat foods and fresh produce to make your diet interesting and tasty.

Cracking the Code on Colorectal Cancer

Are you at risk for Colorectal Cancer? Have you been screened for it? Do you know the symptoms? Are there things you can do to help lower your risk for developing it? Too many people delay getting screened for various reasons; experience symptoms that bring them to their doctors and are subsequently diagnosed with a late stage Colorectal Cancer that has metastasized (spread) to other parts of their body.  Once it has spread, it is more difficult to cure.

Colorectal Cancer is Cancer of the Colon (large intestine) and, or, Rectum (last/end portion of the colon). Getting “Routine Screening” (before any symptoms appear) as recommended by your doctor; increases your chances of early detection of this disease (if you have it) and increases your chances of survival by catching it early, before it has spread to other areas such as lymph nodes and organs.

Everyone is at risk for developing Colorectal Cancer; however, some people have a higher risk than others. Exercising and eating a healthy diet that is high in fiber and low in all of the following such as fat, red meat, processed meats and alcohol; along with not smoking may help to reduce your risk.

Take a few minutes to learn about the Symptoms and Risk Factors of Colorectal Cancer. See these links for more information:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/colon/Patient

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001308/

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/basic_info/screening/

http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/default.htm