™
Pumpkin-orange muffins
Ingredients
Canola oil spray
1 egg
½ cup skim milk
½ cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup canola oil
1 t easpoon dried grated orange zest
1½ cups unbleached flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
■ Preheat
oven to 375 degrees. Spray
muffin tin lightly with spray oil.
■ In
a medium bowl, beat egg, milk,
pumpkin, oil and grated orange zest,
mixing well.
■ In a separate bowl, mix together dry
ingredients. Mix into pumpkin mixture.
■ Spoon batter into greased muffin tin,
filling each ½ to 2⁄3 full, and bake until
pick inserted in middle of muffin comes
out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
■ Remove from oven and set on wire
rack to cool, about 5 to 10 minutes.
■ Remove muffins and allow to cool
completely on rack.
■ Serve immediately or store in plastic
bag or other sealed container, but do
not refrigerate. (If making more than one
batch, extras can be frozen.)
BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF KANSAS CITY
2301 Main, Kansas City, MO 64108
Nutrition information
Makes 9 muffins. Amount per serving:
191 calories, 7g fat, <1g saturated fat,
29g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 1g dietary
fiber, 134mg sodium.
Source: American Institute for Cancer Research
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M
HEALTHY COMPANION is published as a community
service for members of BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD
OF KANSAS CITY, 2301 Main, Kansas City, MO 64108,
telephone 816-395-2076. BLUE CROSS AND BLUE
SHIELD OF KANSAS CITY is an independent licensee of
the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
David Gentile
President and
Chief Executive Officer
Bryan Sitzmann,
Brooke Fisher
MD, FAAFP
Health & Wellness
Medical Director Communications Specialist
Information in healthy COMPANION comes from a
wide range of medical experts. If you have any concerns
or questions about specific content that may affect your
health, please contact your healthcare provider. Models
may be used in photos and illustrations.
Copyright © 2012 Coffey Communications, Inc.
CUN28276
Contacting Healthy Companion
Email:
[email protected]
Phone:
Kansas City: 816-395-2076
Toll-free: 866-859-3813
Mailing Address: Healthy Companion
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
2301 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64108
Diabetes
Drug helps keep
diabetes at bay
You can be at risk for diabetes
long before you might get
the disease. But a drug called
metformin may help you avoid
it.
The medicine can:
■ Help you lose weight. Extra
pounds raise your diabetes risk.
To slim down, you’ll need to
eat a healthy diet and be more
active. But you may also need to
take metformin.
■ Improve how your body uses
food. Your body turns food into
a sugar called glucose. It goes
into your blood to give you
energy. If your body puts too
much in your blood, you’re at
risk for diabetes. But metformin
can help keep your blood sugar
level down.
■ Raise your good cholesterol.
This is also called HDL. A higher
HDL level means a lower risk for
diabetes.
Eating right is key to lowering
diabetes risk. Ask your provider
which foods are best. You’ll also
want to be active. Try to make
these daily habits. That’s true
even if you take metformin.
Sources: American Diabetes Association; National
Institutes of Health
Fight it
five ways
T
o fight diabetes, think five.
That’s the number of health
problems that can raise your
diabetes risk.
The five risk factors are:
1. A large waist. This means you
have more fat around your tummy
than other parts of your body. Some
people call it having an apple shape.
2. High triglycerides. This is bad
fat in the blood.
3. Not enough HDL cholesterol.
This is a good type of blood fat.
4. High blood sugar. It’s not high
enough to be diabetes—but close.
5. High blood pressure. This puts
a strain on your heart and other organs.
All five problems are serious. But
if you have three or more, it’s called
metabolic syndrome. That means
you’re at high risk for diabetes. The
more factors you have, the higher
your risk.
What can you do? Ask your
provider how you can avoid diabetes.
Learn which of the five factors may
be a problem for you. Then work
together on a plan to fight them.
Part of your plan may be to lose
weight. This may be enough to
lower all five diabetes risk factors.
You’ll also want to eat healthy foods
Avoid the flu
Nobody wants to catch the flu. But it
can sweep through a family. One person
gets sick, and before you know it—
coughs, fevers and sore throats for all.
And this isn’t the worst of it.
The flu can lead to pneumonia. You
might have to stay in the hospital. Some
people, such as kids younger than 5 and
adults older than 50, have a high risk
for serious problems from the flu.
The best way to keep from catching
The sodium solution: Less is best
A sprinkle of salt kicks up the flavor in
food. Yet most of us eat too much of
it. Over time, too much salt (also called
sodium) can lead to heart problems,
including heart failure.
To protect your heart, aim for less
than 1,500 milligrams of sodium a day.
Metabolic Syndrome Edition: Vol. 1, No. 2
That’s about half a teaspoon of salt.
Most of the sodium we get is added
to processed foods. So we also need to
read labels and compare levels.
To cut back:
■ Drain and rinse canned vegetables
and beans. Or choose those labeled as
Metabolic syndrome
isn’t the same as
diabetes, but it puts
you on the road to
getting that disease.
and get lots of exercise.
Sure, it may not be easy to make
healthy changes. But your provider
can help. And you can get your whole
family to join you.
Lowering your risk for diabetes is
worth the effort.
Sources: American Heart Association; National Institutes of Health
the flu is to get a flu shot every year. Talk
to your provider about getting a flu shot
for everyone in your family. These healthy
habits can help too:
■ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
■ Eat healthy foods.
■ Get enough sleep.
■ Get plenty of exercise.
■ Try to stay away from sick people.
■ Wash your hands often. Use soap, then
rinse under running water.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
low-salt or no-salt-added.
■ Eat at home more often than eating
out. That way, you control the salt.
■ Season foods with herbs and spices.
■ Taste your food before adding salt
(unless your provider has asked you to
avoid salt).
Source: American Heart Association