Health and Fitness

One day last week, I was feeling particularly health-conscious PLUS after reading a great book written by the founder/president of PETA, I wasn’t overly hungry for meat.  So I went to the freezer aisle to see what new flavors Boca had come up with.  I LOVE their original burgers, but my heart skips two beats when they really get their strut on.

Fortunately, they’d done just that.  While I actually noticed several new flavors and varieties, once my eyes landed on the Bruschetta Tomato Basil Parmesan Veggie Patties, that was it. I’ll go back and check on the other varieties next time. I grabbed some great wheat buns (some people don’t want to believe me, but I SWEAR, they’re softer than the white ones), a ball of Mozarella cheesse, Roma tomatoes, a sweet onion, and leafy green lettuce.

I cooked the Bruschetta Tomato Basil Parmesan Veggie Patties in a little bit of olive oil - I only put a little salt and pepper on them, because I wanted to see how they “stood up” without extra garlic, onion powder, etc.

I built our burgers on the super soft wheat buns with the patties, lettuce, and slices of cheese, onion and tomatoes. When I told my daughters what was for lunch, only the vegetarian of the group got excited. But after each took a bite, there were 4 happy eaters around the table!

My youngest, who’d scoffed at the wheat buns, even admitted that she liked them better than the white. Her sisters agreed that they were “softer.” Yes! Converts!

These patties need absolutely no mayo, mustard, garlic salt, or even my beloved onion powder. I’m not convinced they even needed the salt and pepper… but I had to feel like I was contributing something!

I’ve been on a huge quest in our household to get my family to eat healthier and to actually love doing it. Boca makes it SO much easier. The Bruschetta Tomato Basil Parmesan Veggie Patty has jusg 70 calories and 0g trans fat per serving. Of course, if it wasn’t show stoppingly delicious, none of that would mean a thing.

Visit Boca Burger.com to read more about their deliciously healthy products. Their crumbles are so versatile, you’ll love them. I throw them in chili, spaghetti sauce, homemade vegetable soup, and stew. They take on the flavor of whatever they’re seasoned with, so a combination of garlic powder and onion powder set the stage for a delicious meal.

Boca products would make great alternatives when tailgating, too. No need to worry about meat “going bad” when there’s no meat to go bad! I’m not saying to give meat up completely (I don’t think I could give up catfish if you paid me to), but substituting whenever you can is something worth considering.

Eat smart. Live better.

Sometimes we’re more like children than we are adults, aren’t we?  We know, full well, what foods we should be eating more of and what ones we should be eating less of - yet, off we go on our merry way to the nearest hamburger in a hurry joint.  What’s worse, when we get there we almost always make our sinister selection as large as possilbe and, yes, of course, we would very much like fries with that.

Maybe, just maybe, if we were to concentrate more on the Positive Foods and less on the Negative Foods - we’d fill up so much on the good stuff that we wouldn’t even want the bad.  Worth a try?  Worth a try.

The following are a few ideas for sneaking more of the highly recommended foods into your day.  If we fill up on what we SHOULD, it’ll leave very little room for what we SHOULDN’T.  Well, that’s the plan anyway.

Garlic
Garlic is known to be one of our heart’s favorite foods. Fortunately, it’s very simple to up our garlic intake. Garlic goes beautifully with just about every meat and bread you can think of. To get the most from garlic, we should eat several cloves a day, so we need to work it into our meals as often as possible.

In addition to serving garlic with meat dishes, minced garlic is heavenly when served over steamed green beans. If, like me, you’re trying to wean yourself off of bacon fat for seasoning (Yum….sorry, but yum), garlic makes a great substitution. I’ve also used slivered almonds (more on them later) on my green beans.

Crushed Garlic can be added to Salad Dressing or Mayo to create a Kicked Up Sandwich spread.

If you don’t get too crazy, garlic can also be addded favorably to Ranch Dressings for salads. It’s especially good if you add a little finely chopped basil with it.

Olive Oil
Since our heart also loves Olive Oil, it would be a great idea to keep a bottle or two on hand at all times. Even though you may think it sounds excessive, keeping regular olive oil AND Extra-virgin olive oil each in your pantry is a good idea. Why? Extra-virgin olive oil packs extra polyphenols (compounds that keep LDL cholesterol from sticking to artery walls) than the other varieties. But, since it costs several dollars more, I’m not that keen on cooking with it. I like to save it for drizzling over salads, pasta, breads, and steamed vegetables.

Almonds
Almonds are proven to lower LDL levels - they’re brillaint at it, actually. While all nuts are healthy and should be included in our daily diets, almonds have a bit of a heart-healthy edge - they have vitamin e and are also a good source of calcium. If you toast them in the oven, you’ll bring out more of their flavor, without lessening their nutritional benefits.

Carrots
A Harvard University study found that a half cup of dark yellow vegetables, like carrots, eaten daily cuts the risk of diabetes in women by 27 percent. They’re one of those foods that seemingly increase their nutritional value daily, so it would be ridiculous NOT to use them in our meals more. As an added bonus, they’re not nearly as costly as other vegetables. (I made a huge salad last night with a Ravioli meal that nearly required a small loan. Cauliflower and Broccoli should be ashamed of themselves.

Personally, I love carrots (and celery, for that matter) enough to eat them in the raw - them, not me. But, if you require a little more flavor, a buttermilk ranch dressing is always a delicious way to go. You can work a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil into your portions and get a one-two punch by drizzling it over steamed carrots. Finish it off by snipping a little thyme on top. Fresh herbs are also healthy - and add an aggreable flavor to everything. Rosemary and Thyme are perfect with everything known to man or woman.

Salmon
Salmon is one of the biggest of shots when it comes to omega-3 fatty acids. I can’t understand anyone NOT love, love, loving salmon - but if it’s not your favorite thing, experiment with different flavors. Add a little dill and lemon, and never forget the pepper.

In a Saving the Best for Last type of thang - see the following post on Self Help Daily. Of course, if (nudge, nudge) you’re really just not that into chocolate, don’t bother.

Granted, grilling is one of the healthiest cooking techniques around, but the process can quickly turn into a dietary disaster if you make your burgers with fatty cuts of beef and serve them alongside a plateful of fattenting fries, potato salad, or potato chips. But there is a better way, fellow burger lovers!  Creativity in the kitchen will pay off in both the health and taste departments.

The following delicious-sounding AND healthy Burger recipes appear in the August issue of Shape Magazine (a personal favorite).  They’re presented to you, here, courtesy of the magazine.  Cool?  Way cool!

You aren’t going to believe how amazing these recipes sound!

BLACK BEAN TOSTADA BURGERS!

(You can substitute a store-bought chunky salsa for the pico de gallo.)

Serves 4
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 32 minutes

For the pico de gallo

1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped (about 3⁄4
cup)
1⁄4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped (about 1⁄4 cup)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the burgers

1 15.5-ounce can low-sodium black beans
Cooking spray
1⁄3 cup finely chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs), preferably whole-wheat
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 small (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 large California avocado, peeled and sliced

To make the pico de gallo, combine tomato, onion, jalapeños, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir, cover, and set aside at room temperature for up to 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 3 hours to allow flavors to blend.

To make the burgers, rinse black beans in a colander and set aside. Meanwhile, coat a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium-low. Add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes more. In a large bowl, combine black beans, onion mixture, panko, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mash,allowing
some chunks to remain. Form bean mixture into four patties about 3 inches wide and half an inch thick. Divide tortillas into two stacks of four and wrap each stack loosely with foil. Place burgers and tortilla packets on a lightly oiled grill and cook for 4 minutes. Flip burgers and packets and cook for 3 minutes more, or until burgers are lightly browned. To serve, arrange two tortillas on
each of four plates. Top with a burger, salsa, and avocado slices and serve.

Nutrition score per serving
(1 burger, 2 tortillas, 1⁄4 cup salsa, 1⁄4 avocado): 348 calories, 10 g fat (25%
of calories), 1 g saturated fat, 56 g carbs, 11 g protein, 13 g fiber, 77 mg
calcium, 3 mg iron, 317 mg sodium

CONFETTI BURGERS WITH CILANTRO SAUCE!

Lean ground beef gets a flavor kick from chopped veggies and lime-spiked cilantro sauce (!!!) made with creamy Greek yogurt.

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

For the cilantro sauce

1⁄2 cup packed cilantro leaves
3⁄4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the burgers

1 pound lean ground beef
1⁄4 cup sliced scallions
1⁄4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1⁄4 cup corn kernels, fresh or thawed frozen
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 whole-wheat hamburger buns
Sliced tomato and romaine lettuce

To make the cilantro sauce, place cilantro, yogurt, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a blender and pulse, scraping down the sides as needed, until cilantro is finely chopped and ingredients are combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill.

When you’re ready to grill, combine beef, scallions, bell pepper, corn, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix well, using your hands or a large spoon. Form into four patties about 3 1⁄2 inches wide and half an inch thick.

Place patties on a lightly oiled grill and cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a burger reaches 160°F. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Split the buns and lightly toast on the grill. Place a burger, tomato slice, lettuce, and cilantro sauce between each bun to serve.

Nutrition score per serving
(1 burger, 1 bun, 3 tablespoons sauce): 477 calories, 19 g fat (39% of
calories), 7 g saturated fat, 35 g carbs, 33 g protein, 4 g fiber, 125 mg
calcium, 4 mg iron, 524 mg sodium

SOUTHERN “FRIED” CHICKEN BURGERS!

Buttermilk and seasonings give this juicy burger the flavor of spicy fried chicken. (Buttermilk…burger..fried chicken? Are you serious? All three expressed in one thought - I’m dying a little bit, here…YUM!)

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 34 minutes

For the coleslaw

2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon celery seed
2 cups loosely packed pre-shredded coleslaw mix
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the burgers

5 whole-wheat English muffins
1⁄4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound lean ground chicken
6 teaspoons honey mustard

To make the coleslaw, stir together yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and celery seed in a medium bowl. Add the coleslaw mix and stir well to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve. To make the burgers, tear one English muffin into chunks and add to the bowl of a food processor. Process for about 10 seconds to make medium bread crumbs. In a large bowl, stir together crumbs, buttermilk, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add ground chicken and mix
well, using your hands or a large spoon. Form into four patties about 3 1⁄2 inches wide and three-quarters of an inch thick. Place on a lightly oiled grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip burgers and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of a burger reaches 165°F.

Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Split the remaining English muffins and lightly toast on the grill. To serve, spread one side of each muffin with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons honey mustard. Top each with a burger, one-third cup coleslaw, and the other half of the muffin.

Nutrition score per serving
(1 burger, 1 English muffin, 1⁄3 cup coleslaw): 442 calories, 18 g fat (37% of
calories), 0 g saturated fat, 43 g carbs, 29 g protein, 6 g fiber, 283 mg
calcium, 4 mg iron, 591 mg sodium

Thanks for the great recipes, Shape Magazine!

For great information on what we SHOULD be ordering when we eat out, check out Shape’s Grab and Go. They’ve provided healthier options for all of our favorite fast food restaurants and most of their selections are less than 400 Calories!

Not long ago, my doctor told me that my blood pressure was a little higher than normal.  The result, I’m certain, of tons of allergy pills necessitated by May and June.  She said it wasn’t any cause for alarm (after all, mine is normally low, so “normal” would be high for me).  She did say, however, that I’d be wise to cut back on salt.

My inner coffee addict raised her mug and yelled, “Yeah, baby! She didn’t even mention caffeine!“  But just behind her, my chip fanatic cluched her Frito’s behind her back as a tear trinkled down her little cheek.

Bitterly, I stopped buying as many Frito’s, Ruffles, Dorito’s and Cheese Puffs (Chester Cheetah called to see if I was still alive.) -  I still bought them, of course, but I did try to cut back.

Recently, however, the inner chip fanatic had cause to wipe away the tears and smile again!  Frito Lay has come out with a line of “Pinch of Salt” chips.  They’ve cut waaaaay back on the sodium, ditched the cholesterol altogether, and have even used an All Natural Oil for these snacks. 

I first tried the Ruffles Pinch of Salt chips.  I have to admit, I opened the bag half-expecting to laugh the chips to scorn, but instead of laughing, I just reached for more.  These chips are absolutely delicious!  I honestly like them better than the regular chips - you taste the wonderful potato chip and realize they are made out of potatoes, after all!  I promise you, these are incredibly good.

After discovering that Frito Lay was onto something, I tried the Fritos Pinch of Salt Corn Chips.  Even better!  I’ve been a fanatical Fritos eater since I carried lunch boxes (The Hair Bear Bunch…remember them?) - my mommy put Fritos in there along with my Peanut Butter and jelly sandwiches, Dr. Pepper, and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.  Awwww.

I was even more skeptical of the Corn Chips weathering the salt reduction but, yet again, it actually improved the chip.  Just like the Ruffles Pinch of Salt Chips allow you to focus more on the potato flavor, the Fritos Pinch of Salt Corn Chips, allow you to totally enjoy the delicious corn-ocity.  Yes, I made that particular word up for the occasion. 

To learn more about the Nutrition Facts, you’ll want to pay a  visit to  http://www.fritolay.com/.  This website is absolutely gorgeous.  You feel as though you’re looking out a farmhouse window.  There’s a tractor going about its chores, birds flying by, a flag waving in the breeze…  Cool stuff.  There’s also a section on Being Green - My inner Environmentalist chick loves them for that.  She frees one arm from the tree she’s hugging to give them a thumb’s up.

You HAVE to try both of these chips!

I’m hooked on the Lean Cuisine microwavable meals.  My daughters are at the age where they’re running in and out just about all day long, so I like to keep things on hand for them to grab a meal whenever they need it.  (Okay, I’ll be honest, I actually heat the meals up for them - my girls are nothing if not spoiled.) 

I also keep them on hand for myself.  I work from home, so I have the luxury of taking my lunch break whenever I want to (generally, whenever I Love Lucy comes on TV Land).  One of my favorites, in fact the one I enjoyed today, is the Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans. I like to eat it with either a heated soft tortilla or some tortilla chips on the side.  My middle daughter, Brittany, who happens to be a vegetarian, loves this one too.  My youngest daughter, Stephany’s favorite is the Spaghetti & Meatball’s meal and my oldest, Emily, is just like her mom… we love them all so much, it’s just too close to call.

Emily, Stephany, and I love seafood as much as we love any food, so we’re TOTALLY excited about the new Lean Cuisine line of Seafood Delights.  Each has 350 or less calories and will be available in July.

The newbies are: Parmesan Crusted Fish, Shrimp Alfredo, Tortilla Crusted Fish and Szechuan Style Stir Fry with Shrimp. 

Shrimp?  Sign me all kinds of up!

The Lean Cuisine meals are perfectly healthy alternatives to fast food lunches.  They’re surprisingly filling, too.  While we only eat them for lunch, they could just as easily be used at supper.  Served with a little bread and a bowl of salad or cole slaw, they’d be delicous and satisfying.  And best of all, they’re healthy!

The tomato scare is certainly getting a lot of attention, isn’t it?  I don’t remember the FDA being quite this cautious with foods in the past.  Tomatoes are being pulled from restaurant menus as well as grocery shelves.  This particular, and unusual, type of salmonella is called salmonella saintpaul.

Monday morning, the FDA reported there have been 145 reported cases of salmonella saintpaul since mid-April. It’s been identified in Washington, Oregon and 15 other states. Twenty-three people have been hospitalized. 

By day’s end, though, the number shot up to 166.

Federal officials have said that cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes are likely not the source of the outbreak.  It seems to me that most people are avoiding ALL tomatoes, just to be safe.

I really, really, really  feel badly for farmers.  The economy’s bad enough without them having this hit them.  What a terrible waste.  It makes me want to go to the Farmer’s Markets and buy even more of everything else.  Oh, yeah, I see me spending a lot of time at roadside stands - even more than usual.

Health.com recently sought out nutritional information from restaurants across the country.  A lot of them cooperated and ten restaurants made the top ten list of Healthiest Casual Dining Spots.

I was honestly surprised to not find Applebee’s on the list.  I’d love to know what kept them off, because they have some pretty amazing food that seems as healthy as it is delicious.

Below are the top ten:

1. Uno Chicago Grill
2. Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes
3. Mimi’s Cafe
4. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro
5. Bob Evans Restaurants
6. Ruby Tuesday
7. Romano’s Macaroni Grill
8. Chevy’s Fresh Mex
9. Olive Garden
10. Denny’s

Denny’s?  Bob Evan’s?  Wow, I’m impressed - I thought those guys were all about the calories and beefy goodness.  Appaently there’s more to them than meets the eye….or should I say less than meets the eye? 

Health.com has also compiled a list of the restaurants that aren’t lightening up.  You can find these tasty, but not trim restaurants Here. 

I guess a lot of it has to do with what you order at a restaurant.  It’s good to know which restaurants have the healthiest cooking practices, though.

While we’re on the subject of healthy eating, I have a few more links I want you to check out:

Build a Better Salad

All Star Foods that Fight for Health

Everything we put into our mouths either makes us more healthy, less healthy, or keeps us where we’re at.  If we’re smart (and I believe we are!), we’ll start doing our homework and start loading up on the foods and drinks that’ll give us better health.  At the same time, we’ll start cutting out those that harm us in any way.

As for those foods and drinks that are sort of in a fog - you know, the ones we KNOW aren’t necessarily healthy but we don’t know if they’re exactly harmful - if any studies have even suggested that they’re unhealthy, we should “Throw the bum out!“ Then, we can replace it with something from our “healthy” list. 

I bought a great little recipe book as I was checking out at the grocery store a few days ago. It’s from Better Homes and Gardens and is titled “Heart Healthy Living: Lower Your Cholesterol.” My cholesterol and I get along just fine, but after I flipped through the pages and saw the AMAZING recipes, I put the little book in its rightful place…my shopping cart!

It’s less than $5.00, in fact I think it was only $4.00. But it features 35 recipes that, in my opinion, are each worth the little bit of money paid. They’re fresh, healthy, beautiful, and look incredibly delicious - who in the culinary world could ask for more?!?!

The recipe below is on page 55 and it’s as in the mood for spring and summer as I am, so we’re combining our resources to make it happen. If you include kiwifruit in your fruit used for this recipe, there’d be enough green to make this a perfect dish on St. Patrick’s Day.

FRUIT SALAD WITH LIME TOPPING

1/2 cup light dairy sour cream
1/3 cup fat-free or light mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 TBS powdered sugar
1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel
2 TBS lime juice
1 TBS fat-free milk (optional)
6 cups assorted fresh fruit (mango, raspberries, kiwifruit, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, star fruit….)

In a small bowl, combine the sour crem, mayonnaise, powdered sugar, lime peel, and lime juice. If you want the sauce to be a little thinner, stir in the fat-free milk.

Divide the fruit among serving bowls or plates. Spoon the creamy mixture over the fruit.

Sounds amazing!

For more information on treating your heart as well as you want it to treat you, you should visit HeartHealthyOnline.com. You can never be too informed about good heart health, but you can certainly be woefully under informed.

Also, I highly recommend this little recipe book. A few of the other recipes are:

Tex-Mex Spinach Omelet - featuring a corn-pepper relish

Hash Brown Potato Cakes

Crab Cake Salad

Lemon Chicken

Penne with Vegetables

Three Cheese Manicotti

And more! You can probably find it in your grocery store near the check-out section. If not, the web site I told you about above might have a place you can order a copy.

I recently began using artifical sweetener in place of real sugar in my coffee and tea. I’ve even experimented with it in my baking a little - I’m all for cutting as many calories out of my daily lineup as humanly possible! I recently tried what can only be described as the “Cadillac of the Zero Calorie Sweeteners.” It’s Sweet Simplicity and there’s just no going back to the other stuff now!

As you know, to say that I’m “into” tea and coffee would be a gross understatement - it’d be like saying Rita Hayworth was “attractive.” I have a wall cupboard full of different flavors and styles of teas, and have been taking Sweet Simplicity for a test drive through each - one at a time. The ingredients in Sweet Simplicity are all natural. In fact, the main sweetening ingredient is a sugar alcohol called Erythritol. While the taste is the most important thing for me, I love the fact that it keeps things simple. I want for a product’s ingredients to make sense to me, after all.

You have to check out Sweet Simplicity’s beautiful web site, where you’ll find more information and (of course) a place to order your own sweetness. Also on the web site is a Recipes Section which I’ve bookmarked and will keep returning to until I’ve tried each and every recipe. The Citrus Green Tea is not only Heavenly (I mean absolutley Heavenly!), it’s also extremely good for you. When you eat or drink something that’s this good for you, your body rewards you with a deep down, healthy feeling that causes you to glow from the inside out.

That’s not just a good thing, that’s a darned good thing!

If you’re one of the blessed, lucky few who hasn’t been bit in the butt by this year’s particularly nasty flu bug - maintain a low profile and don’t let him know where you live. Never one to miss out on anything if I can keep from it, I (of course) had to give it a go. What? You say the flu tends to come hand in hand with bronchitis this year and hits harder and lasts longer than normal? Yeah, baby, sign me up!

For five straight days my fever was an honor’s student (nothing below 100), I had chills so severe you’d think I was a Floridian visiting Iowa in January. In shorts. And aches and pains? My aches and pains had aches and pains of their own. To compound matters, the overwhelming feeling of weakness leaves you feeling like you couldn’t even fight off a bad idea.

One of the cutest tricks of this bug is the way it can make you feel like you’re freezing to death one minute (literally underneath 3 covers and still shivering), then convince you that your insides are on fire the next minute. At this point is where you get really nauseous and most people start throwing up. I fought off that joy ride and just headed for a blessed tiled floor to wait for the chill brigade again. When it showed up, back to the couch, living room floor, or computer room floor. My youngest daughter had it the same time I did, and we pretty much kept the same route.

Oh.

My.

God.

You might just have to trust me on this one. Starting right now, pretend you’re in a movie. Your role is a deliciously complex individual with OCD. Your character washes his/her hands after everything they touch. Heck, they run for soap and water even if they just think of touching something. If you wash them so much you begin to feel kind of silly, then (and only then) you can assume you’re on the right track.

A few more tips from the flu battlefield:

1. If you or anyone you know has the flu, don’t underestimate it’s bite or the suffering that comes from being bitten. If the victim (and I haven’t meant that word so literally in a long time!) is elderly, very young, or has a pre-existing problem such as diabetes, heart disease, or asthma - take yourself or them to the doctor when the symptoms first appear. Excess tiredness, a scratchy throat, weakness, headache, and aches and pains are the early signs.

2. Wash your hands after everything you touch. That one can’t be repeated often enough. Also, teach everyone around you to do the same.

3. Buy disposable cups, napkins, and plates.

4. Make up a lot of tea and stock up on Gatorade or Powerade, Vitamin Water. You need to drink a lot, and if you can drink and give your body what it’s missing at the same time, you’re a step ahead of the game. I love iced green tea, so I kept it flowing - I never got anywhere near dehydrated.

5. Unless you feel extremely nauseous, keep eating. You want your metabolism to keep running and gunning, so keep giving it the fuel it needs. Go with whatever sounds good to you. For me, on days 2 and 3 the only foods I could stand to be near me were applesauce, grape popsicles, and animal crackers. So I went with a soft, purple circus. On the last night though, I HAD to have homemade dumplin’s (maybe it’s a southern thing), so I found myself in the kitchen late at night making dumplin’s. Delicious!

6. Spray or wipe down any places where germs may be lurking. Flu germs can lurk for up to 48 hours - so don’t let them fool you. Buy a can (or 2 or 399) of Lysol and a container of Lysol wipes and go after sinks, toilet handles, light fixtures, doorknobs, refrigerator door handles, pantry doors, wands to open blinds, remote controls, the computer’s mouse, the keyboard, etc. Of course, use the wipe on sensitive things like keyboards and remote controls - you don’t want to saturate them, jut wipe them off.

7. Gargling with warm salt water actually works wonders. Do it quite a few times a day and you’ll be able to tell a big difference.

8. Don’t push yourself too hard because you’ll only suceed in pushing yourself backwards. If you get the flu, it’s too late - he won. You know how they say that when someone has a gun on you and demands your money - the smart thing to do is to give it? Only an idiot would fight, right? Well, the flu bug has the gun and you’re unarmed - so give him what he wants, which is between 1 and 2 weeks of your life. I’ve known some people who were down for 13 days or more - Yesterday was day 6 for me and was the day I felt human again. I think the majority of cases seem to fall somewhere in between the two.

Trying to rush things is where I messed up, I think. After about 2 days, I thought my green tea and I had kicked some serious flu bug butt and I got dressed and took off to take care of a few chores. Common sense found me in the drink aisle at Target and let me know that I wasn’t the heroine I thought I was. I crawled to my vehicle with my tail between my legs and came back home to assume my rightful place on the floor.

9. If you have head and chest congestion, take something over the counter for it. I swear by Tylenol products and they really helped a great deal. I have asthma, so chest congestion isn’t something I like to mess around with.

10. I actually just read something interesting this morning about fever and the flu. A doctor wrote that if your fever is below 101 and you can tolerate the side effects, don’t take anything for it. The fever is actually your body fighting off the virus, so I guess when we shoot down the fever, we’re taking out our own soldiers.

Now, go wash your hands, drink your green tea or Vitamin water, and stay well.