Nourish: Apple walnut berry oatmeal

Dusted with freshly ground flaxseed and brimming with B vitamins, folate, iron, magnesium, fiber, selenium, vitamins C and E and K, along with flavanoids, reservatrol, omega 3 fatty acids and copper, Apple Walnut Berry Oatmeal is one of my favorites.

Make a big batch and freeze single-serving portions for later. That is, if you can keep everyone in the house from noshing it all down!

In extended, I share my easy-does-it recipe. You'll also learn a bit more about what makes this morning meal such a powerhouse.

Protect: Cardio exercise boosts protective brain protein, increases stress resilience

According to the American Psychological Association:

• 75% of Americans feel stressed
  
• 50% of us grab unhealthy food as a result
  
• 47% of us have insomnia because of it
  
• 33% of us say we're depressed due to our stress
  
• 42% of us report feeling worse than last year

Not a pretty picture is it?

Kimberly Goad wrote a data-filled article in Fitness magazine's September 2010 issue worth a look-see (it appears in full online).

Stop Stress for Good: Exercise to Fight Stress reports that cardio workouts help your brain and body become more resilient to stress. Researchers are learning that, compared to the sedentary, "'brains on exercise' morphed over time into a biochemically calm state that remained steady even when the subjects were under stress."