The BEST caramelized onions

Today  I am going to share with you my secret on making the BEST caramelized onions EVER!! You can eat them all by themselves, they are that yummy! I love putting them on top of my steaks, chicken, in pasta etc.. I was playing around with making them one day and this is what I came up with to make them so delicious.

Here is what you need:

• Salt
• Sun dry tomatoes ( you don't have to put these in)
• Red wine vinegar
• Butter
• Sugar
• Onions

Start with melting a little butter in a sauce pan and and your onions all sliced up

Now as far as measuring I do it different every time, it just depends on how many onions you make. I put a little salt in, a big pinch of sugar, a couple dashes of the red wine vinegar. Which if you just use that without the sun dried tomatoes they are still supper good. But adding them does something to them that tops them off =) Cook on medium heat and stir stir stir until you have them as caramelized as you like. Enjoy!!

Having A "Can Do" Attitude Could Help You Lead A Healthier Lifestyle

Having a positive "can do" attitude can lead to a healthier lifestyle.

The study which was conducted by Professor Deborah Cobb-Clark, Director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, found individuals who believe their life can be changed by their own actions ate healthier food, exercised more, smoked less and avoided binge drinking. The study used data from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. 

Having A "Can Do" Attitude Could Help You Lead A Healthier Lifestyle
(Photo : Flickr/ Park Avenue of Wayzata)

Researchers analyzed the link between perceived control and the health investments from an economic point of view, rather than a psychological perspective. They used economic models to assess the numerous ways an individual's thoughts influence their health choices.

The study analyzed information regarding more than 7,000 participants' diet, exercise and personality. The results demonstrated men and women hold different views concerning the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Men were more likely to want physical results while women were more interested in the everyday enjoyment of leading a healthier lifestyle.

"Our research shows a direct link between the type of personality a person has and a healthy lifestyle," she said. "What works well for women may not work well for men."

Professor Cobb-Clarke hopes the research will display the need for more targeted policy responses. Policy-initiatives should include having healthy choices as a default, rather than the option. This may increase the convenience of healthy options for individuals. Additionally, she believes there should be more of a focus on gender-specific policy initiatives.

"Gender specific policy initiatives which respond to these objectives may be particularly helpful in promoting healthy lifestyles," Professor Cobb-Clarke said.

Professor Cobb-Clark hopes the study would help inform public health policies on ways to combat obesity.
 


Source : Medical Daily

Omega-3 Supplements Don’t Lower Heart Disease Risk After All

If you want to protect your heart, stick to exercise and a healthy diet, and pass on the fish oil pills, says a new study.

For years, doctors and health experts have recommended taking fish oil supplements, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, to lower the risk of heart disease. But the latest study on the issue — an analysis of previous clinical trials on the effects of omega-3s — shows that the supplements don’t lower users’ risks of heart attack, stroke, sudden death or death from heart disease or any cause. Although the rates of these events were lower among those taking omega-3 supplements compared with those not taking them, the differences were not statistically meaningful, the authors said.

It’s not the first time that the cardiovascular benefits of fish oil have been questioned: another recent analysis of previous research found that the supplements didn’t prevent heart attack or stroke in people with heart disease. (Separately, other research has suggested that that pills have little effect on boosting memory in Alzheimer’s patients, reducing symptoms of the disease or improving thinking and verbal skills compared with placebo.)

In the current analysis, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and led by Dr. Moses Elisaf of the Lipid Disorders Clinic at the University Hospital of Ioannina in Greece, the scientists reviewed 20 studies dating back to 1989 that involved 68,680 participants. Volunteers in the studies, most of whom were heart patients, were randomly assigned to take either 1.5 g of omega-3 supplementation or a placebo every day for about two years. They were followed for heart events, including death, heart attack and stroke.

While the omega-3 users showed a 9% lower rate of heart-related death compared with the controls, and an 11% lower rate of heart attack, these differences were too small to attribute to the omega-3 pills.

The findings may lead to some confusion among people — both heart patients and those who are healthy but trying to avoid heart disease — who may be taking omega-3 supplements daily. While some early studies did show a significant benefit from taking fish oil pills, data from newer clinical trials weakened that effect. That may be because at least one early, important study did not blind participants or researchers, meaning that everyone knew who was taking omega-3s or placebo. Further, inconsistencies between the included trials, such as the dosages of supplement used or preexisting conditions among participants, may have contributed to the discouraging findings.

Much other past data showing benefits of omega-3s also came from studies that did not randomize participants into fish oil and placebo groups, and instead retrospectively compared heart events in people who chose to consume more omega-3 fats than others.

Another reason the current study failed to find a benefit may be that more people are using better treatments for heart disease these days, including cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Elisaf says he wasn’t able to eliminate the potential influence of these medications in lowering rates of heart attack and death from heart disease overall. “We need more data in order to have a clear answer about the role of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in everyday clinical practice,” he says.

The authors acknowledge that additional research may help determine whether omega-3 supplements may still benefit people depending on their individual risk of heart disease, or if their diets are low in foods that are naturally rich in the fatty acids.

Currently the American Heart Association (AHA) advises people with high triglyceride levels to eat more fatty fish — the omega-3s in oily fish help boost good cholesterol and lower triglycerides — but to discuss supplementation with their doctor if they can’t get enough from their diet. The organization does not recommend the pills in general as a way to protect the heart.

Both the AHA and many doctors recommend eating more fish, however: everyone, including healthy people and heart patients, should eat at least two servings of fish per week to benefit from the omega-3 fats. “If people are taking supplements because their physician prescribed them, they should consult with their physician before stopping,” says Dr. Donna Arnett, president of the AHA and professor of epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “But I would tell them they should not stop eating fish. The results of this study are about dietary supplements. So dietary sources of omega-3s may be different than supplements. They should not assume that dietary sources are not useful.”

Which means that the advice you’ve been hearing all along remains the same — eat more fish. It’s good for your heart.

Source : http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/12/omega-3-supplements-dont-lower-heart-disease-risk-after-all/