“Dr. Weil has some great suggestions for some easy, healthy snacks here. I personally try to snack on as much dark chocolate as I can!”
Dark chocolate. An ounce of dark chocolate now and then will satisfy a sweet tooth while providing antioxidant polyphenols. Choose high quality dark chocolate with at least 70 percent pure cocoa, and enjoy the rich flavor.
Read more snack suggestions at DrWeil.com.
The New York Times recently had a story about how migraines disappeared in 80% of people who had plastic surgery in the forehead, temples, or back of the head. Wow!
Now, I’m not sure how I feel about surgery for migraines, but if it truly produces significant improvement, then it’s nice to have that as an option. Acupuncture also works well for migraines. I don’t usually see a total elimination of migraines, but a big reduction in frequency and severity. The nice thing about acupuncture versus plastic surgery is that it does not have any of the risks associated with surgery.
Read more at the New York Times.
And on another note, while we’re on the coconut-milk tip, one of my favorite coconut milk products is Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream. It’s as rich and creamy as any of the super-premium ice creams (i.e. Ben and Jerry’s), but it’s made with coconut milk instead of dairy. There’s a subtle coconut flavor, but it’s barely noticible, particularly with the various chocolate flavors. Again, it’s not a health food, but if you’re going to eat ice cream, why not eat one that won’tgive you cholesterol problems?
I’ve recently been using more coconut milk in my diet, and was excited to see this recipe for pumpkin pie, from foodie blog Eat This!. This recipe replaces the evaporated (or condensed) milk with coconut milk to make a dairy-free alternative. While coconut milk has a lot of fat, they are medium-chain fatty acids, which aren’t as bad for you as the saturated variety that’s in dairy and meat. Don’t look at coconut milk as a “health food” exactly, but rather simply a great alternative to milk. And that’s a godsend if you’re lactose intolerant!
Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 can coconut milk
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shellDirections
Preheat overn to 425 degrees.
Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Gradually add coconut milk while stirring.
Pour into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack for 2 hours.
Read more at Eat This!.
I work on a lot of tennis elbow in my acupuncture practice. One problem with resolving tennis elbow with acupuncture is that people have to go out in the world and continue using their arm, even before it’s fully healed. So we often have a two-steps-forward-one-step-back experience. That’s why I’m always looking for more ways to help my patients.
Adding some exercises can speed up the healing process. Take a look at this promising, low-impact, non-surgical treatment for tennis elbow recently posted in the New York Times Well blog. It involves a series of exercises with a flexible rubber bar, like in this video:
Read more at the New York Times.
