Health is Wealth
There is something special about using fresh peas straight out of the pod. This recipe was inspired by our root-to-stem philosophy of cooking: It always seems like such a waste to throw away the pea pods, but they are relatively inedible. To make use of the pods, we’ve pureed them into a spring-fresh pasta sauce. Remember: Pasta for breakfast is a great choice, especially when it’s loaded with healthful pea protein.
Kosher salt
1 pound fresh English peas in pods (yields about 1 cup shelled peas and about 3 ½ cups pods)
½ cup water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small spring onions or 2 large shallots, chopped
2 small spring garlic (whites) or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (optional)
12 ounces whole grain pasta, such as linguine, rigatoni or small shells
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh mint (peppermint preferred), thinly sliced
Espelette pepper to taste (optional)
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)
Makes 4 servings.
Calories: 554 kcal
Total fiber: 12 g
Soluble fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 15.5 g
Total fat: 16.7 g
Saturated fat: 2.0 g
Healthy fats: 12.1 g
Carbohydrates: 84 g
Sugars: 7.7 g
Added sugars: 0 g
Sodium: 178 mg
Potassium: 433 mg
Magnesium: 14 mg
Calcium: 134 mg
Source: The What to Eat When Cookbook by Michael F. Roizen, MD, Michael Crupain, MD, MPH and Jim Perko, Sr, CEC, AAC.
Check-in with your care team, and focus on low-impact exercises and walking for good gains
If you’re living with advanced prostate cancer, you might be wondering exactly how far you should push yourself when it comes to physical activity and exercise. Should you take it easy and hold back? Or should you try to maintain your exercise routine?
And if you’ve had your prostate surgery or your prostate removed (prostatectomy) you may be concerned about any sort of limitations or restrictions on specific exercises to avoid further pain or injury.
Occupational therapist Maria Pickston, OTR/L, CLT, reminds us that each person’s medical history and cancer treatment is unique. So, before beginning any exercise program during recovery, it’s essential to obtain clearance from your oncologist or healthcare team.
Pickston shares some additional insight on how exercise can help with the process of recovery and why exercise is so important overall.
Your prostate is part of your pelvic floor, an area densely populated with a group of muscles and connective tissues that support the functions of your bowel, bladder and reproductive organs. Your pelvic floor muscles also aid your abdominals (core muscles) and back muscles in providing structural stability to your spine.
When we talk about prostate health, we’re most often talking about modifiable risk factors, which are the things you can do to reduce the likelihood of developing prostate cancer. But if you’re living with prostate cancer, focusing on your overall health is key and exercise is a big part of that.
“When you put the words ‘cancer’ and ‘exercise” together, it can feel like such a road block because it sounds counterintuitive to be exercising when you’re going through cancer treatment,” says Pickston.
“Years ago, people were told not to exert themselves and to take it easy. But in the last 20-plus years, we’ve had an explosion of research supporting the benefits of physical activity for cancer survivors and how exercise can improve the symptoms and side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.”
Exercise can have a huge impact on your physical, mental and emotional health and increase your energy levels — all things that tend to be affected when you have surgery or are going through cancer treatments.
“Prostate cancer treatment can lead to several side effects like loss of muscle mass and physical strength, sexual dysfunction, reduced bone density, increased fatigue, and a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes,” explains Pickston.
Exercise plays a vital role in tackling these challenges and enhancing the physical outcomes of treatment.
“Current research demonstrates that exercise is safe and beneficial before, during and after cancer treatment as it improves energy levels and the overall quality of life, enabling individuals to continue enjoying the activities they love,” notes Pickston. “A physically active lifestyle not only helps in lowering the risk of various cancers, but also reduces the risk of recurrence in some cancers, including prostate cancer.”
Translation: Once you check in with your care team, don’t let your cancer diagnosis stop you from working out.
If you’re living with prostate cancer, are going through cancer treatment or have had a prostatectomy, you want to talk to your healthcare provider first to before you begin any exercise program as you may need to adhere to certain precautions during those first few weeks of recovery.
There’s no one set exercise that specifically focuses on prostate health — but if you focus on improving your overall health, increasing your heart rate, improving your blood flow and getting those endorphins going, you’ll find that those things will have significant positive impact on how you’re feeling overall and your ability to recover from your condition and treatment.
“Individuals who are physically fit or active before their cancer diagnosis are more likely to regain their previous level of functioning compared to those who lead a more sedentary lifestyle,” says Pickston.
“In oncology rehabilitation, personalized programs are designed to cater to each individual’s unique circumstances. Special considerations are taken into account, including your medical history, current fitness level, the type and stage of your cancer, and the specific cancer treatment you are having to ensure that the rehab process is both safe and effective.”
Everyone responds to cancer and cancer treatments differently. What works for someone else might not come as easily for you — and that’s OK.
“Each individual’s journey is different, and your focus should be on finding an approach that suits your specific needs and abilities, fostering progress and overall well-being,” encourages Pickston.
And don’t feel like you have to push yourself too hard — you can, and should, rest when you need it the most. Exercise doesn’t always have to be a one-hour routine, either. It can be as simple as standing up and stretching during commercial breaks, walking to the end of your driveway and back, or making sure you keep up with your daily living activities around the house like laundry, cleaning and showering.
“Just the act of walking or going up and down the stairs is something you can immediately do when you get home after prostate surgery,” says Pickston. “Be patient with yourself and avoid pushing to the point of pain or excessive discomfort or fatigue. If it’s been a while since you’ve been active or your overall fitness level is low, start slowly and gradually build. The key is to be as physically active as your current condition and abilities allow.”
Specifically, aerobic exercise (also known as cardiovascular exercise) has wide-ranging full-body benefits that can impact your heart, brain, joints, skin and muscles. It not only extends your life expectancy, but it can also decrease your blood pressure and heart rate, and increase your blood flow, which has a direct impact on your sexual function, mood, digestion and more.
The American Cancer Society recommends engaging in moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling for 150 to 300 minutes per week. Additionally, you’ll want to perform strength training exercises two days per week using body weight, resistance bands, dumbbells or fitness machines.
Again, if you can’t hit the ground running that fast, you can do small things to work your way back up to that routine.
“Think about all the physical activity you can do like playing with your grandkids, dancing, gardening, carrying groceries or doing chores around the house. But it’s even better if you begin to incorporate intentional exercises like brisk walking, swimming and weightlifting,” says Pickston.
“It’s crucial for those undergoing treatment to understand that exercise is the best way to treat cancer-related fatigue. As your strength and fitness improves, you can engage in meaningful activities more easily.”
One specific side effect mentioned earlier is loss of bone density, which can lead to osteoporosis, a condition where the bones become weak, less dense and more likely to increase your risk of fractures. Weight bearing exercises such as weight training, yoga, Pilates and climbing stairs are ideal for preventing bone density loss.
“Starting slowly with light weights and gradually increasing the load is key to avoid pushing too hard and experiencing pain or exhaustion,” advises Pickston. “With time and consistency, you will notice improvements in your fatigue, strength and overall health, fitness and endurance.”
Cycling is an excellent aerobic exercise, but it’s one you might want to hold off from doing at least in the early weeks after having prostate surgery. The reason is because you tend to put a lot of pressure on your sit bones and your pelvic area while cycling, and this can cause discomfort, pain and swelling if you’re not fully healed.
“You need to be sure you are cleared by your physician before initiating cycling for any amount of time first,” says Pickston. “Once you receive clearance, there are various bike seats and bike shorts available to help cushion or accommodate the perineal area, alleviating some of that pressure.”
After having prostate surgery, it’s common to experience side effects like urinary leakage and erectile dysfunction. Kegel exercises specifically are designed to help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and reduce the likelihood of those side effects from happening as well as help quicken recovery from those side effects. These exercises are also often recommended for some people before even having surgery so their pelvic floor muscles start off having a strong foundation before going into surgery.
“Your pelvic floor is often compromised after prostate cancer treatment because surgical or radiation treatment can damage the surrounding tissues, including the muscles of the pelvic floor,” explains Pickston. “When the pelvic floor muscles are compromised, it can lead to weakness, pain and dysfunction. Seeking help from a pelvic floor physical therapist can address these issues.”
It’s also common to experience muscle tightness in your pelvic floor and surrounding muscles after treatment, and doing Kegels without proper guidance can worsen this tightness.
“A pelvic floor therapist will help to make sure you are performing your Kegels correctly and help guide you in managing areas of muscle tightness in your pelvic floor,” says Pickston. “Learning how to engage the pelvic floor muscles correctly during daily activities can significantly reduce leakage. Sometimes, just a few simple adjustments in movement can lead to dramatic improvement.”
Having overweight or obesity increases your risk for prostate cancer — but it can also provide additional complications during the recovery process in some cases.
“If you’ve had a prostatectomy, it’s normal to experience emotional ups and downs, but the important thing is that you focus on what small things you can do each day, to feel better every day,” says Pickston. “Physical activity improves both your physical and emotional health. It’s important for managing weight, maintaining or building muscle, reducing your risk of heart disease and keeping your bones strong.”
Mindfulness and meditation can improve your mood and motivation, while flexibility-focused exercises like yoga can provide additional benefits for stretching and getting your muscles moving and activated. By focusing on these low-impact exercises along with daily walking habits, you can develop an increased focus on your overall health while slowly ramping up your physical activity all in an effort to speed up your recovery from cancer.
“You want to get up, go outside and see what’s going on in your neighborhood,” encourages Pickston. “When you start exercising, your sleep improves. When your sleep improves, you’re able to heal better. And the more you can do early on, the more long-term effects you’ll experience along the way.”
Learn m
If you’re planning to start an exercise program and wondering where to begin, start with your core first, says physical therapist Brittany Smith, DPT. People often think of the core muscles as being the abdominal muscles, but the core includes the muscles in the abdomen, back and hips, all working together as a group.
“The core muscles provide stability for the entire body as it moves,” says Smith. “These muscles are activated when you stand up, turn, bend, reach, twist, stoop and move in most other ways. Everything starts with your core.”
Strong core muscles help you maintain good posture, while weak ones can lead to slouching and slumping. Poor posture can be a cause of aches and pain, especially in the back.
To get your core muscles in shape, you need to exercise.
“Our bodies were made to move, so any physical activity is really important,” says Smith.
She recommends these specific core-strengthening exercises below.
The first one engages the deep muscles in the abdomen, called the transverse abdominis. “These muscles help hold us in a better position to stabilize our core, thereby stabilizing our arms and legs,” says Smith.
“The more you work on these muscles, the more it will become second nature to hold these muscles tight when you’re lifting grocery bags, doing yard work or any other kind of physical activity,” says Smith. This will help support your body.
Other muscles that tend to be weak are the gluteus maximus in the buttocks, and the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus on the side of the hip. The bridge and clamshell exercises can help strengthen these muscles.
Smith emphasizes that getting the proper position of these exercises correct is more important than the number of repetitions you do. “It’s better to take your time, maybe do fewer reps, but with better quality,” she says. For that reason, it can be helpful to have the guidance of a physical therapist to get started.
Core exercises are the starting point of overall fitness because you need to hold those muscles engaged while you strengthen other muscles, such as the biceps in the arms or the quadriceps in the legs.
Smith suggests setting short-term goals (for about a month) and then more long-term goals. Once you have achieved short-term goals, such as getting around more easily, add other types of weight-training or resistance exercises to build muscle elsewhere.
With any exercise you do, always listen to your body, warns Smith. If you have pain other than muscle burn, take it easy. Reduce the number of repetitions, the weight or the duration of the exercises. Then build up gradually. “You don’t have to be in pain to make gains,” she says.
For each of the following, work up to one to two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions once a day.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Contract your abdominal muscles, and press the arch of your back down toward the floor, pulling your belly button toward your spine. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds. Make sure your lower back stays flat on the floor. Relax and repeat.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor with your arms at your sides. Squeeze your abdominal and buttocks muscles, push your heels into the floor and slowly lift your buttocks and hips off the floor. Keep your back straight. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
Lie on your side with knees bent in line with your hips and back, draw up the top knee while keeping contact of your feet together as shown. Don’t let your pelvis roll back during the lifting movement. Hold for 5 seconds.
Recipe: Spanish Omelet With Veggies and Cheese
Omelets are a great choice for a one-skillet meal, and our recipe delivers on nutrition and taste! This meatless dinner option provides 100% of your daily vitamin C and is a good source of calcium.
Makes 5 servings
Calories: 290
Total fat: 6 g
Saturated fat: 2.5 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 120mg
Sodium: 250 mg
Total carbohydrate: 43 g
Fiber: 6 g
Sugars: 5 g
Protein: 18 g
— Recipe courtesy of Digestive Disease Health Team Dietitians.
This bright, lemony salad is best made with farm-fresh asparagus, which is dressed and eaten raw here. Look for stalks that are bright green with firm, tight tips. Buy it in season from your local farmer’s market.
1 pound fresh asparagus
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon shaved Parmesan
8 fresh chives
Makes 4 servings
Calories: 70
Total fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Protein: 4 g
Total carbohydrate: 7 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 95 mg
— Developed by Sara Quessenberry for Cleveland Clinic Wellness.
You know exercise builds muscles, strengthens bones, keeps your heart healthy and your mind sharp. But it also does something that you might not think much about: It helps keep your immune system — your internal defenses against infection — in tip-top shape.
If you take time for some physical exertion each day, it helps get your body ready to attack bacteria, viruses and toxins that can sneak in and make you sick.
But how much exercise is effective? Do too little or too much, and it won’t have the best effect on your immune system.
Clinical immunologist Leonard Calabrese, DO, answers common questions about how exercise can impact your immunity and how to use your workouts to shut out a world of would-be invaders.
A: If you exercise moderately on a regular basis, it tunes up the immune system in many ways. It enhances your broad-based defenses against viral infections, such as those causing upper respiratory infections.
Working out regularly also reduces the risk of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory illnesses and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
A: Fortunately, you don’t have to push yourself to the limit to rev up your immune system. In fact, your immune system needs less of a workout than you get with your average cardio routine.
Focus on getting 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week, and your immune system will thank you.
A: Moderate exercises, including biking or walking briskly in your neighborhood, are good ways to get your blood flowing. Swimming is also a good option for non-weight-bearing exercise for your joints.
Also try mind-body exercises such as Tai-Chi, Qi Gong and yoga, which are all options that help keep your joints flexible. These exercises also reduce chronic stress, which in itself is a powerful immune booster. These exercises can also help alleviate osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia symptoms.
A: Yes, though, the level to which it can slow your system down is still up for debate.
Research shows that exercising for more than 1.5 hours without refueling your body or giving it enough time to recover suppresses your immune responses for up to a few days. During that time, your cortisol levels rise, your white blood cell count drops and you’re more likely to develop a respiratory infection.
This problem usually affects elite athletes, such as marathon runners, most.
On the flip side, staying sedentary also increases your risk of infection, inflammation and chronic disease.
A: Yes, it can. This is a complex issue, but I like to tell my patients to do a “neck check.” If your symptoms are mostly of a mild cold without fever or lower respiratory symptoms, such as a productive cough, wheezing or shortness of breath, mild exercise can actually reduce congestion and may make you feel better.
If your symptoms are primarily in your lungs or you have a significant fever its better to rest until things settle down. Regardless, good hydration is important.
As you move throughout your day, the joints in your ankles and surrounding muscles absorb a lot of force. And that can take a toll. The good news: You can work to strengthen your ankle muscles and adjoining ligaments. This will help ward off injuries and improve your stability and mobility. Mary Hamker, PT and Amanda George, PT share some easy balance exercises to try.
We all want to protect our kids whether it be from falls, bumps and bruises — or avoidable infections and diseases. To help your child avoid illness, it’s important to encourage good habits and take steps to boost their immune system from an early age.
“Most of what makes a child’s immune system strong is common sense,” says pediatrician Adriane Lioudis, MD. If you keep these five tips in mind, you’ll stack the deck in your child’s favor for a healthier life.
While it’s a very personal decision (that isn’t always possible), if you are able to exclusively breastfeed your child for at least six months, it may have benefits. Some research shows that breastfeeding your child might possibly reduce allergies, Dr. Lioudis says.
Eighty percent of infections are spread by touch. Teach your little one to take the time to wash their hands after sneezing, coughing and going to the bathroom. Washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds can remove bacteria and viruses and can reduce the chance of lung infections by up to 45%.
Follow your pediatrician’s advice when it comes to the childhood vaccination schedule. Immunizations start in infancy and continue to adulthood and prevent measles, mumps, chickenpox, rotavirus and other infections.
“Get the flu shot for your child yearly, as well,” Dr. Lioudis says. This is particularly important for children with asthma and other chronic health conditions.
Also, if your family will be traveling internationally, it’s important to seek advice from your child’s healthcare provider about any needed vaccinations.
To maximize immunity, children must get enough sleep.
Sleep requirements for each night vary by age:
Not getting enough sleep limits the body’s ability to produce proteins called cytokines that help fight infection and reduce inflammation.
A healthy diet is also important for your child’s immune system.
Dr. Lioudis recommends encouraging your child to “eat the rainbow” when it comes to fruits and vegetables. A good selection of whole grains should be part of their diet as well. Keep processed foods to a minimum. Proper food choices can help ensure that your child gets enough vitamins — such as vitamin A and E. These vitamins are needed to maintain good health and a strong immune system.
“Even if you follow these tips, your child might still get between seven and 11 colds each year,” says Dr. Lioudis. She adds that you can expect each one to last up to two weeks.
Also, keep in mind that some things billed as common “remedies” aren’t effective in boosting immunity. For example, there’s no definitive proof that large amounts of vitamin C or echinacea help prevent colds or shorten them, she says.
However, if your child has a compromised immune system, work closely with your pediatrician to find ways to improve his or her immunity. Each child needs a personalized approach because their individual immune system varies, Dr. Lioudis says.
“There’s generally a different protocol with immunocompromised children. There are some vaccines we have to add in on top of what most children have, but it’s something that we must determine on a case-by-case basis.
This recipe switches up chicken marsala by swapping in salmon. It’s a great way to get delicious and healthy fish on the menu. You should be able to find Marsala wine in the cooking wines or condiments section of your local grocery store.
Makes 4 servings
Calories: 450
Fat: 12 g
Fiber: 9 g
Sodium: 147 mg (doesn’t include the optional salt)
Carbohydrates: 44 g
Protein: 37 g
— Recipe courtesy of Speaking of Women’s Health.
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