Tag: Karen Owoc

KRON 4 | “Meatless” Foods Made with Meat

You’ve gone meatless, but do you really know what’s in your breath mints and “heart healthy” peanuts? KRON 4 Morning News Weekend anchor, Marty Gonzalez, chats with me and I reveal twelve processed foods that may seem meatless but are derived from animals (cows, pigs, and/or fish) or may contain some animal by-products.

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1. Jell-O® and Candy: Examples include gummy candies, Starburst chews, Altoids: Many foods contain gelatin which is a protein derived from the collagen of cow or pig bones, cartilage, tendons, and skin. Gelatins are used as thickening or stabilizing agents in a variety of candies and gelatin-containing desserts.

Planters peanuts2. Peanuts: Some brands of peanuts, such as Planters® Dry Roasted Peanuts, contain gelatin. The gelatin helps the salt, spices and flavorings adhere to the nuts.

At first glance, they all look the same! And by the end of the day, the different varieties are intermixed on the shelves.

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Planters® Dry Roasted Peanuts + Unsalted and Lightly Salted versions. The brands all have similar packaging including the “Heart Healthy” heart.

If you grab the wrong one, you can end up with just plain peanuts or peanuts with salt OR…

Ingredients in Planters® Dry Roasted Peanuts: PEANUTS, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SEA SALT, SPICES (CONTAINS CELERY), DRIED ONION, DRIED GARLIC, PAPRIKA, NATURAL FLAVOR, SUGAR, GELATIN, TORULA YEAST, CORNSTARCH, DRIED CORN SYRUP, MALTODEXTRIN. CONTAINS: PEANUT.

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ABC 10 | Healthy Summer Treats

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Last week I appeared on ABC 10’s lifestyle/news program in Sacramento (Sac & Co.) with Host Mellisa Paul for their “Healthy Summer Treats” segment. I took advantage of many of the sweet summer fruits in season.

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On the menu…

Summer Fruit Bruschetta (fresh basil, strawberries, nectarines, and raspberry balsamic glaze) served on Dr. Kracker Seedlander Crispbread with cranberry mascarpone* (Italian cream cheese).

The mascarpone is a decadent “treat” due to its creamy milk fat content. To ‘thin’ out the fat, I created more volume by adding the raspberry balsamic glaze used in the bruschetta + chopped berries. The cheese is meant to be thinly spread on the cracker to help hold the bruschetta on the cracker and balance out the acidity of the bruschetta. A healthier substitute for mascarpone is Greek cream cheese which has half the fat/calories per tablespoon but has a more acidic, tangy taste.

The Seggiano raspberry balsamic glaze is a naturally dense, balsamic vinegar glaze, made with just cooked grape must, wine vinegar, and natural raspberry juice.

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Hawaiian guacamole (fresh avocado, mango, and pineapple) served with Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips and Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips. Boost your brain health by serving this dip with an assortment of fresh veggies, on fresh grilled salmon, or with beans. Avocados are an excellent source of vitamin E and healthy fat — great for your heart, brain, and skin!

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“Salad Bars” — A salad in a bar! These baked treats are made with whole grain flours, almond flour, almond milk, flaxseeds, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, banana, apple, applesauce, and zante currants. Contain no dairy or eggs.

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Quick Homemade Almond Milk (used in the Salad Bars above)

Mini Fruit Pizza with Plain Nonfat Greek yogurt (as the “cheese”) and strawberry fruit spread (as “the pizza sauce”) + various plant-based toppings (fresh fruit, nuts and seeds) on a multigrain thin sandwich bun.

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Freshly brewed Hibiscus Raspberry tea infused with fresh citrus and berries

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KRON 4 | How Much Sleep is Too Little…and Too Much

How much sleep do you need? Many working Americans sleep too little, but did you know you can sleep too much? According to studies on sleep and mortality, insufficient AND excessive sleep can shorten your life.

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*Healing and repairing cells, tissues, and blood vessels help build bone and muscle mass.

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Lack of Sleep: Immediate and Long-term Health Effects 

  1. Diminished cognitive function
  2. Increased levels of cortisol (stress hormone) which cause the following:

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KRON 4 | You Could Have Heart Failure and Not Know It

A Simple Way to Suspect Heart Failure

Do you get short of breath when you bend forward, such as to tie your shoelaces or put on a sock? If so, here’s what this symptom could mean and why you shouldn’t ignore it.

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What this Symptom Could Mean

If you bend forward and get short of breath, do NOT ignore this symptom! This symptom was recently coined as “bendopnea” (pronounced bend-op-nee-ah). This symptom could be a sign of heart failure.

A study of 102 heart failure patients showed bendopnea was present in 28% of their subjects (29 out of 102 subjects). When bending over, the average time it took for these symptoms to appear was eight seconds. Some patients thought their bendopnea was due to being out of shape or overweight, but were more likely to have other symptoms of advanced disease.

Try this test:  Sit down and bend forward at the waist. Are you short of breath within 30 seconds? If you have “bendopnea”, you have:

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What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure, often referred to as congestive heart failure or (CHF), is a serious condition, but people often mistakenly think that it means that the heart has stopped beating.

Heart failure occurs when one or more chambers of the heart “fail” to keep up with the volume of blood blowing through them. The heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to maintain blood flow to other organs in your body. The reoxygenated blood from your lungs starts building up inside your lungs when your heart can’t keep up with ejecting it to other organs in need.

The buildup of blood causes fluid (mainly water) to leak from the small blood vessels (capillaries). That is, the arms, lungs, legs, feet, ankles, and other organs become “congested” with blood and fluid which explains how “congestive heart failure” got its name.

First Signs and Symptoms of Heart Failure   

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KRON 4 | Protect Your Pooch from Heatstroke and Severely Burned Paws

Protect Your Pooch from Heatstroke

Your pets are just as vulnerable to heat exhaustion and heat stroke as their humans. You sweat to keep yourself from overheating. Here’s how to be sure your four-legged friends keep their cool too.

How Your Pets Sweat

Dogs and other pets don’t sweat through their skin and fur. Their sweat glands are located in their foot pads.

  • They cool themselves through their paws, but these few sweat glands are not significant enough to regulate their body temperature alone.
  • Their primary method of cooling is by panting rapidly through their noses and mouths. So be sure you don’t muzzle your dog! They need to freely pant.

Protect Their Paws

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  • Along with sand, concrete, and asphalt, artificial (synthetic) turf get very hot too.
  • Opt for cool grass or shady areas.

Warning Signs of Overheating

Fortunately, it’s not very difficult to see signs of overheating in dogs. Watch for the subtle, early signs of heat stroke.

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Signs of Heat Exhaustion/Heat Stroke

A dangerously overheated dog may exhibit the following signs:

    • Collapsing or convulsions
    • Vomiting (sometimes with blood)
    • Diarrhea
    • Red or pale gums
    • Bright red tongue
    • Glazed eyes
    • Rapid heart rate
    • Dizziness 
    • Lack of coordination (wobbly or drunken gait)
    • Fever (usually 103 and 106 degrees Fahrenheit and higher)
    • Lethargy
    • Loss of consciousness (cannot be awakened)
    • Small amounts of or no urine

*Heat stroke can progress to organ failure, seizures, coma, cardiac arrest, and death.

Risk Factors for Overheating   

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