Healthy Winter Habits: Maintain your health through the colder months

Maintain Your Health

(Family Features) Another cough and cold season calls for healthy preparation, and while there may not be a foolproof plan for escaping pesky germs, taking preventive steps and practicing self-care can help protect your health.

You can catch a cold or flu any time of the year, but they seem more common during the cooler months.

“As much as we all would love a quick cure for the common cold, unfortunately, that doesn't exist,” said Ian K. Smith, MD. “However, there are many options one can try to relieve cold and flu symptoms, including over-the-counter medications. These medications can provide fast and much-needed relief.”

Reduce the chances you’ll contract a serious illness this cold season by following these tips from the experts at Mucinex:

Make handwashing a priority. Preventive measures like washing your hands often can significantly lower your odds of getting sick. In fact, handwashing is such a powerful tool against germs that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared it to a “do-it-yourself vaccine.” Wash regularly with soap and water for about 20 seconds, especially when handling food, caring for someone sick, or after using the restroom.

Get your flu shot. The CDC recommends getting a yearly flu vaccine to protect yourself from flu viruses. Ideally, everyone 6 months and older should get one, especially anyone at high risk for flu complications due to underlying conditions or other factors.

Make overall wellness a way of life. Adopting healthy everyday habits means your body is in better condition to fight off potential attacks by germs and combat an illness more effectively if you do get sick. A well-balanced diet that includes moderate portions from each of the major food groups can help ensure you’re getting the nutrition and nutrients your body needs. Staying physically active can help promote a stronger immune system. Getting enough sleep and making sure you’re drinking enough water can also ensure your body is ready for whatever the season brings.

Stock up on necessary supplies. If you do get sick, the best place for you is at home, where you can nurse yourself back to health. That means having the essentials on hand, like over-the-counter medications to treat uncomfortable cold and flu symptoms. Be sure to check last year’s leftovers, as some may have expired. A shopping list to fight the common cold and flu symptoms should include pain relievers, fever reducers, decongestants, antihistamines, throat lozenges, and cough suppressants, as well as plenty of facial tissue, a working thermometer, humidifier, and more. Also, update your supply of hand sanitizer and disinfecting cleaners and sprays to protect family members in your home.

Relieve bothersome symptoms. When you’re under the weather, treating your symptoms gives you a reprieve and lets your body rest so you can get back to feeling better. A cough is a common cold symptom, and relieving chest congestion that causes you to cough frequently can make a big difference. An option like Mucinex Extended-Release Bi-Layer Tablets, with the No. 1 pharmacist-recommended expectorant, is clinically proven to relieve chest congestion and thin and loosen mucus to make your cough more productive for up to 12 hours. If symptoms persist, contact your health care professional.

Do your part to prevent the spreading of germs. If you do get sick, know you can take steps to protect those around you. Simple acts like covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and using your elbow if you don’t have a tissue can be effective in preventing the spread of germs. It’s also important to wash your hands well and keep a distance from others to help prevent the spread of your illness.

Find more advice for preventing illness and protecting yourself during this cough and cold season at Mucinex.com.

Fight Congestion Like a Pro

When you have a cough, you’ll try just about anything to feel better. Over-the-counter medications such as decongestants and some lifestyle habits can make a difference.

Nasal decongestants that include the ingredient phenylephrine or pseudoephedrine work by constricting blood vessels, which allows more air to pass freely through your nose. This leads to drier nasal tissues and less mucus draining down the back of your throat. Reducing postnasal drip means you’ll cough less often and experience less pain and soreness in your throat.

As decongestants constrict your blood vessels, other symptoms like sinus pressure and a stuffy nose also tend to improve. If you take a multi-symptom cough medicine, you can reap the benefits of a decongestant plus an expectorant to loosen mucus, a cough suppressant to minimize coughing and a pain reliever for any throat or sinus pain.

Lifestyle habits can also go a long way toward easing cough symptoms on their own or paired with medication.

• Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water or other fluids helps thin the mucus in your chest.
• Suck a lozenge. Let a lozenge dissolve in your mouth to soothe your throat and ease a tickling, dry cough.
• Use a humidifier. Dry air can worsen throat pain and coughing. A humidifier can help by moistening the air you breathe.
• Rest. Skimping on rest when you have a cough or cold can make healing harder. Allow yourself to relax and sleep as needed.

(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)

 

SOURCE:
Mucinex

5 Ways to Reduce Your Stress Levels

Stress is a part of life, and eliminating it is a fool’s errand. If you ever succeeded in eliminating all of stress, your life would be boring and you’d have removed yourself from anything meaningful.

That said … too much stress can be toxic. It can negatively affect our sleep, our health, our relationships, our happiness. If your stress levels are high on a regular basis, it’s like having a smoking habit — it will take its toll over time.

So how do we reduce stress levels to something manageable? I’m going to share some of the most important ways to shift stress in your life. They might not be new to you, but I strongly encourage you to view them as life-savers, and commit to putting them into practice.

1. Relaxed State of Being: In each moment, we can be constricted and tight, or relaxed and open. Which are you right now? Can you breathe deeper and allow yourself to relax and open? This state of relaxed being is always available to us, but we have to recognize when we’re in a constricted state, and take responsibility for bringing ourselves to the open state. It’s a practice, and the more you consciously put yourself into this state, the easier it becomes. Can you walk around more of the day in openness and this relaxed state of being?
2. Breathing Practice: When you’re stressed and feeling in a constricted state … take a moment to breathe deeper into your belly. When we’re constricted and stressed, our breathing is shallow (we’re in a fight-or-flight state). So breathing helps move your nervous system into a more relaxed state, as if you’re not in any danger (and you’re not, even if it feels like it a lot of the time). Practice this 5 times a day (or more) and you’ll see a huge difference in your stress levels.
3. Simplify and Prioritize: Our lives are filled with endless choices and commitments, and simplifying can be liberating. Take a step back and evaluate your responsibilities. What truly matters? Can you reduce your commitments, put things on the back burner, and let go of things so you have less on your plate? Find clarity between what’s essential and what’s merely adding to your stress. Learn to say no to tasks that don’t align with your priorities. Embrace the beauty of a simplified schedule, allowing space for spontaneity and relaxation. Then practice doing one thing at a time — letting go of everything else that’s calling for your attention. This single-tasking mode helps you to focus more, and worry less.
4. Nurture through Nature: Nature has an innate ability to soothe our minds and restore our spirits. Spending time outdoors, walking or otherwise being active each day, can have a profound impact on our stress levels. Disconnect from screens and immerse yourself in the natural world. Listen to the rustling of leaves, feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, and breathe in the fresh air.
5. Awe & Gratitude Practice: While you’re out in nature, let yourself open to a sense of something bigger. Stress levels are high when we’re too focused on the disaster we feel is in front of us, but when we open to a sense of the wider world, it lets some of that stress go. When we practice awe at the world around us, it helps us to open. When we remember what we have to be grateful for, we feel a sense of appreciation for life. These might sound trite, but I encourage you to take them on as a true practice — something you explore with a sense of discovery, to learn what the practice has to offer. It will change your life.

Remember, reducing stress is not about eliminating challenges from your life, but about changing your relationship with them. By integrating these practices into your day, you can build resilience and find beauty in the midst of chaos. Start small, be patient with yourself, and allow these habits to gradually transform your experience. As you embrace mindful breathing, simplify your life, and reconnect with nature, you’ll find that stress loses its grip, making way for a more serene and fulfilling existence.

What to Do When You’re Feeling Drained

Lately I’ve noticed a lot of people are feeling drained by life — the challenges they’re facing, their workloads, the anxiety of the world around them, and more. soon I’ll write a longer guide to how to get yourself to a place of renewed resilience … but for today, I’d like to share how I practice when I just don’t feel much of a capacity to do anything.

1. First, I notice that I just don’t have it today. I’d like to crush life and get a ton of crap done, but today isn’t the day. I’m drained, depleted.

2. Then I ask: “What do I need to do to take care of myself?” That might mean taking a nap, taking a day off, doing a lighter workload, skipping my workout for today, meditating, going for a walk, taking a bath, drinking a cup of tea, talking to a friend, listening to music, watching some trashy television, eating a little dark chocolate, giving myself love.

3. I like to empower the time off. That means, instead of feeling bad about it — I see it as a way to love myself and get myself back where I’d like to be.

I savor the rest time. Create the space, and experience it as delicious. Bask in the spaciousness, in the love.

4. Next, I ask: “Is there anything I’d like to do with my limited capacity?” If I’m drained, I might still have it in me to do a little. If I really want to exercise, I can go for a short walk, or an easy swim. If I have work that needs doing, maybe I can just do a little.

I can do a little, and do it slowly and easily. I don’t hve to push myself hard. I can breathe, and bring a sense of relaxation and ease to everything I do. Lower my expectations of myself, let go of whatever I think I should be doing, let go of any pressure. And just do things on Easy Mode.

5. Finally I ask: “What do I need to do to get myself to where I’d like to be?” Maybe it will take a day, a week, a month, or more, depending on what you’re facing in life. For me, it usually only takes a day or two, but I know people facing huge health challenges, and how long it’ll take them is completely unknown, except that we know they’re in for the long haul.

However long it takes, the question might still be worth asking — what do I need to do to get myself to where I’d like to be? Maybe I need to start sleeping better, start exercising more, start putting more whole foods high in fiber into my body. Maybe meditate, go for reflective walks, journal, get therapy or a coach, join a treatment program, go to a doctor.

Then I take the smallest step in that direction. With low energy, I can’t get it all done … but I can start. Whatever my capacity is to take a step in that direction is perfect — I don’t need to have a huge capacity to move towards self-care, self-love, and nourishment. I use whatever capacity is available to me.

Sometimes we just don’t have much. This might just be the perfect place to be today. That doesn’t mean we’ll be there tomorrow. But in this place of drained energy, can we still find beauty?

5 Steps to Sleep Better and Improve Heart Health

(Family Features) There’s more to maintaining a healthy heart than just eating right and exercising regularly. While these practices play an important role in both cardiovascular and overall health and well-being, getting a good night’s sleep is also key.

However, more than 1 in 3 adults in the United States are not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition to increasing the risk for cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, lack of sleep may also put people at risk of depression, cognitive decline, diabetes, and obesity.

“We know that people who get adequate sleep manage other health factors better as well, such as weight, blood sugar, and blood pressure,” said Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M., FAHA, past volunteer president of the American Heart Association and chair of the department of preventive medicine, the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Heart Research and professor of preventive medicine, medicine, and pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “The American Heart Association added sleep to the list of factors that support optimal cardiovascular health. We call these Life’s Essential 8, and they include: eating a healthy diet, not smoking or vaping, being physically active, and getting adequate sleep along with controlling your blood pressure and maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol and lipids, healthy blood sugar levels, and a healthy weight.”

Education about healthy heart habits from the American Heart Association is nationally supported by Elevance Health Foundation. Some practices to improve sleep health and impact heart health include:

Avoid Food and Beverage Close to Bedtime
To help reduce sleep disruptions caused by food, avoid late dinners and minimize fatty and spicy foods. Similarly, keep an eye on caffeine intake and avoid it later in the day.

Exercise Regularly
Physical activity can have a noticeable impact on overall health and wellness but can also make it easier to sleep at night. However, exercising too close to bedtime may hinder your body’s ability to settle; aim to have your workout complete at least four hours before bed.

Establish a Bedtime Routine
Getting a good night’s rest often requires getting into a routine. Start by setting an alarm to indicate it’s time to start winding down. Rather than heading straight to bed, create a to-do list for the following day and knock out a few small chores. Then consider implementing a calming activity like meditating, journaling, or reading (not on a tablet or smartphone) before drifting off to sleep. Also set an alarm to wake up each morning, even on weekends, and avoid hitting the snooze button.

Create a Comfortable Sleep Space
The ideal space for sleeping is dark, quiet, and a comfortable temperature, typically around 65 F depending on the individual. Use room-darkening curtains or a sleep mask to block light and ear plugs, a fan, or a white noise machine to help drown out distracting noises. Remember, using your bed only for sleep and sex can help establish a strong mental association between your bed and sleep.

Avoid Tech Before Bed
The bright light of televisions, computers, and smartphones can mess with your Circadian rhythm and keep you alert when you should be winding down. Try logging off electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime and use the “do not disturb” function to avoid waking up to your phone throughout the night. Better yet, charge devices away from your bed or in another room entirely.

Find more tips to create healthy sleep habits at Heart.org.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

SOURCE:
American Heart Association

What Women Need to Know About Stroke Risks

(Family Features) It may not be widely known that women face unique risk factors for stroke throughout their lifetime. Things like pregnancy, preeclampsia, and chronic stress can increase the risk for high blood pressure, a leading cause of stroke.

Cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death among women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 1 in 5 women will have a stroke. However, a large majority of strokes can be prevented.

Caring for yourself by understanding your risk factors can help reduce your risk for stroke and provide a better quality of life. Start managing your stroke risk with these tips from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association:

Monitor Your Blood Pressure
The first step you can take in reducing your risk for stroke is knowing your blood pressure and keeping it in a healthy range. High blood pressure is the No. 1 preventable cause of stroke, according to the American Heart Association.

The best way to know your blood pressure is to have it measured at least once per year by a healthcare professional and regularly monitor it at home then discuss the numbers with a doctor. For most people, normal blood pressure should be 120/80 mm HG or less.

In addition to properly monitoring blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, eating healthfully, and reducing or eliminating alcohol and tobacco usage can help control blood pressure. If you do develop high blood pressure, work with a healthcare professional on a plan to help manage it.

Plan for Pregnancy
In the United States, high blood pressure during pregnancy is becoming more common, according to the CDC, and medical conditions including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and blood clots during pregnancy all increase stroke risk during and immediately following a pregnancy.

Managing conditions like high blood pressure before getting pregnant helps keep you and your baby healthy during pregnancy and beyond. In addition, your health during and immediately after pregnancy can shape the lifelong health of you and your child. If you’re planning to become pregnant or are currently pregnant, it’s important to regularly monitor your blood pressure.

Take Care of Your Mental Health
Some stress is unavoidable but constant stress is not healthy. Chronic or constant stress may lead to high blood pressure and other unhealthy behavior choices, which can increase the risk for stroke.

Based on findings in a Stress in America 2020 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, the top sources of stress are money, work, family responsibilities, and health concerns. Managing your stress and blood pressure can improve your overall health and well-being. Reclaim control of your schedule and build in time to invest in your health. Find 10 minutes every day to do something for you, like listening to music, meditating, or going for a walk.

Learn the Warning Signs
A stroke can happen to anyone at any point in life. Immediate treatment may help minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death. Learn how to spot a stroke F.A.S.T:

• Face drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven?
• Arm weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• Speech difficulty – Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like “The sky is blue.”
• Time to call 911 – If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get to a hospital immediately. Check the time so you’ll know when the first symptoms appeared.

Talk to your doctor about ways to improve your well-being and help prevent stroke. Find more wellness tips at stroke.org.

 

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

 

SOURCE:
American Stroke Association

Being Balanced in Chaos

When we’re hit with uncertainty either suddenly or in large amounts, it can throw us off. We can get frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, or discouraged. This is normal and there’s nothing wrong with it. However, it’s my belief that we can train ourselves to stay more balanced when things get chaotic, and stay level-headed and calm, which allows us to become an oasis of sanity that others can rely on.

Let’s talk about how to train ourselves to stay more in balance when things get chaotic.

What Throws Us Off

When we get thrown off, it’s like the rug being pulled out from under us — it feels disconcerting, disorienting, and uncomfortable. We don’t like the feeling.

At the core of this rug-pulling is uncertainty. We feel uncertainty and an uncomfortable disorienting feeling when:

• Someone criticizes us
• Someone acts in a way that we don’t like
• We have a lot to do and we aren’t sure if we can do it all
• Things aren’t going the way we hoped
• We don’t succeed at something
• We’re struggling with something
• And so on

Basically, all the things that frustrate, overwhelm, stress, and discourage us, are things that cause uncertainty and the feeling of disorientation. We react in ways that are typical for us in particular: maybe you react in anger, maybe you start being harsh on yourself, maybe you shut down or hide.

The result is that we feel thrown off, and we can be super stressed or frustrated through a chaotic period in our lives.

How to Stay Balanced

In a sentence: be with everything in your experience, with an attitude of relaxed appreciation.

If you’re sitting outside on a beautiful day, you can be with that experience, and relax with it, fully appreciating it.

If you’re sitting in a rainstorm, you can be with that experience too, with relaxed appreciation.

If during your day you get thrown off and feel overwhelmed or frustrated, this isn’t a problem — be with that feeling, as you would with any experience. You can bring relaxed appreciation to the thunderstorm of your overwhelm or frustration.

If someone is criticizing you or acting in a way that would normally frustrate you, could you be with the experience of them doing that with relaxed appreciation?

If you’re stuck in traffic or plowing through messages, or in a long meeting, can you be with that experience with relaxed appreciation?

Try it now. Be with this moment fully, with relaxed appreciation. It’s always available to you — it’s wonder at the miracle of this moment. It’s a willingness to be with all experiences, no matter how pleasant or unpleasant, comfortable or uncertain.

It’s finding curiosity and love in each moment and finding true appreciation for all of life.

How to Train

This won’t come naturally to most of us. So we can train.

Here’s what I recommend:

1. Keep this practice front of mind with some kind of mantra or reminder. I like to write it out on a note that I see often, put it on my phone lock screen, and have a couple reminders pop up.
2. No matter what is going on, see if you can fully find a moment of relaxed appreciation and being with the experience.
3. When you feel some kind of emotion, be with that fully, and see if you can bring relaxed appreciation.
4. When you get thrown off of this practice, be full of the result of that.
5. Do a 2-minute review at the end of each day to see how it went. This will deepen your learning and help you remember to practice the next day.

That’s the training. What would it be like for you, to be more balanced when things get uncertain, chaotic, and messy? To be full with all of life, and to appreciate each moment for whatever it brings?

 Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/thoughtful-black-woman-with-notebook-and-dog-on-leather-sofa-

Photo Credit: Road Puddles Wet - Free photo on Pixabay

Photo Credit: Woman in Chair - Free photo on Pixabay

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”-

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Each year on the third Monday of January we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day and reflect on the work that still needs to be done for racial equality. This January 16, make the holiday more than just a day off and take time to reflect and take action on civil rights issues across the globe.

Support Brain Health: Simple ways to add to your wellness routine

(Family Features) When most people think of wellness, diet and exercise are the first things that come to mind. Brain health is another essential element of your overall wellness because it affects your quality of life in many ways.

Brain health is the foundation of your ability to live a productive and successful life by communicating and solving problems. It’s the driving force behind your daily function.

Give your brain extra support with these tips:

Stimulate Your Mind
Like any muscle, your brain needs exercise. Your workout equipment for your brain can include activities like puzzles, reading, learning an instrument, taking up a new hobby or learning a new language.

Focus on Brain-Supporting Foods
What you eat doesn’t just affect your physical health; it affects your brain health, too. One example is the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet, which is the result of more than 20 years of data collected by researchers at Rush University Medical Center and Harvard School of Public Health.

It follows the Mediterranean style of eating whole foods with minimal processing and emphasizes plant-based foods, including leafy greens, whole grains, and heart-healthy legumes along with some fish and smaller amounts of poultry. The MIND diet aims to build on these principles and emphasizes antioxidant-rich berries, dark leafy greens, and fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, or sardines.

A dish like Kale and Quinoa Bowl with Salmon reflects the MIND diet guidelines and is a delicious and smart way to support your brain with good nutrition.

“Fueling your brain starts with your plate,” said Melissa Halas, MA, RDN. “This tasty kale, quinoa and salmon recipe by Alton Brown has smart ingredients that match the MIND diet. Plus, the results are delicious. It’s so important to support your brain with the right nutrients.”

Sleep Well
While you catch up on your rest, your body is hard at work rejuvenating all your systems, and your brain is no exception. Getting plenty of sleep each night gives your brain time to repair itself so you wake feeling sharp and focused.

Add a Supplement to Your Daily Routine
Most people fall short of reaching recommended nutrient levels with their diets alone. Supplements can help fill the gap. An option like Neuriva Plus can help support the key indicators of brain health: reasoning (think and understand things in a logical way), focus (zoom in and filter out distractions), accuracy (react with greater speed and precision), memory (record and recall stored information), learning (retain new information) and concentration (concentrating on tasks for longer periods).*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Available in capsules and gummies, the Neuriva brain health supplements include naturally sourced ingredients like Neurofactor™ (coffee cherry extract) and plant-sourced phosphatidylserine (PS), as well as B vitamins to support brain health.

“I recently turned 60 and over the past couple of decades, I’ve been very focused on taking care of my health from the inside out – first with my food, and now taking action to support my brain health,” said Alton Brown, award-winning chef and food geek. “Neuriva fits perfectly into my holistic regimen, which for me, is just simple life practices, like exercising, eating a balanced diet and getting a good night’s sleep.”  

Manage Stress
Keeping your stress in check is good for your mental well-being, but it also affects your physical and cognitive health. Practicing yoga, meditation or listening to music are some ways to reduce stress while improving your cognitive function and performance.

Connect with Others
Personal interaction also sharpens your brain, as it encourages you to practice communication and other cognitive skills. You can protect and improve your brain health by creating and nurturing connections with friends and family.

Keep Moving
Your brain needs plenty of oxygen for good function. Physical activity burns calories and builds muscle while increasing oxygen flow and stimulating nerve cell growth.

For more ideas to support brain health and wellness, visit Neuriva.com and download the Neuriva Brain Gym app.

Kale and Quinoa Bowl with Salmon

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown on behalf of Neuriva
Servings: 4

Kale and Quinoa Bowl:

• 1 bunch lacinato or "dinosaur" kale, stems removed and cut into ribbons (about 4 ounces, stemmed)
• 1 bunch (1 1/2 ounces) flat leaf parsley, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lemon, zest and juice only
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
• 4 ounces firm feta cheese, divided
• 1cup (3 1/2 ounces) walnuts, toasted and lightly crushed, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups cooked white quinoa
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• freshly ground black pepper

Salmon:

• 2 skin-on salmon fillets (around 1-inch thick and 5 ounces each)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil

1. To make kale and quinoa bowls: In large bowl, toss kale, parsley and shallots with 2 tablespoons olive oil; set aside 10 minutes.
2. In bowl of food processor, puree remaining olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, yogurt, 2 ounces feta, 1/3 of the walnuts and salt.
3. Pour dressing over greens then fold in quinoa, remaining walnuts, cherries and remaining feta.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving with several grinds of black pepper.
5. To make salmon: Wrap fillets in paper towels then heat large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes.
6. When skillet is hot, season fillets with salt. Add oil to skillet and carefully tilt to evenly cover bottom. When oil shimmers, slide fillets in, skin-side down, pressing each fillet firmly down with spatula.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3 minutes then cover and cook 2 minutes.
8. Carefully flip fillets, cover and cook 1 minute, or until fillets reach desired doneness or internal temperature of at least 130 F** on thermometer inserted into centers.
   **The United States Department of Agriculture recommends a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. To serve, separate kale and quinoa mixture into four bowls. Slice each fillet in half and place on top of kale and quinoa.

Content courtesy of Neuriva

Photo courtesy of Getty Images (woman eating at laptop)
Photo courtesy of Getty Images (woman doing a puzzle)
Photo courtesy of Lynne Calamia (Kale and Quinoa Bowl with Salmon)

 

SOURCE:
Neuriva