Fiber and Your Diet

Bored with bland and tasteless high-fiber foods? Add excitement with burgers, meat loaf, waffles, pasta, and enchiladas–each packed with over 8 grams of fiber per serving. An essential part of heart health, fiber has been associated with decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease by carrying LDL (bad) cholesterol out of the body. 

Eat plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains for the most fiber bang for your buck. Try Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Arugula for a simple Italian dish with 8.2 grams of fiber per serving

Exercises That Help Prevent Knee Pain

Build pain-proof knees

From Health magazine

Protect and pamper your knees now, and they'll keep you striding strong and pain-free for life.

Here are key stretching and strengthening moves from physical therapist Lisa Konstantellis.

Calf stretch

Stand at arm's length away from a wall. Place your right foot behind your left foot. With your hands against the wall for support, slowly bend your left knee forward, keeping your right knee straight, your right heel on the floor, and your left knee above your left foot. Hold for about 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat.

Quadriceps set

Lie or sit on the floor with your right leg extended straight out in front of you and a towel roll under your right knee. Push your knee down into the towel while you tighten your thigh. Hold for five seconds, then release. Do three sets of 10 reps, then switch legs

Straight leg raise

Lie down with right leg extended and left leg bent. Lift your straight leg up until both knees meet, then slowly lower. Do three sets of ten reps, then switch legs.

Hamstring stretch

Lie on your back, both legs straight, and place a long strap around the ball of your right foot. Using the strap, lift your leg until you feel a stretch behind your knee and thigh. (Make sure your knee's not locked.) Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times, then switch legs

6 Dietary Changes That May Help Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain ....Is there an arthritis diet?

   By Mara Betsch

Anywhere from 33% to 75% of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) feel that some foods make symptoms, such as stiff and painful joints, better or worse.

However, the scientific evidence is spotty.

“There’s no compelling data that generalizes all patients,” says Nortin M. Hadler, MD, professor of medicine and microbiology-immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of Worried Sick.

“There are multiple trials, but the effects are minimal.” Even if some foods do alleviate RA symptoms, it would be hard to sort out individual diet factors, Dr. Hadler adds.

That said, here are six dietary changes that may be worth trying if you have rheumatoid arthritis.