Article: High-starch potatoes (like russets and most sweet potatoes, including the jewel yam) are highly absorbent with a light, fluffy texture. Medium-starch or all-purpose potatoes (such as Yukon Gold, red gold, white, blue, and purple potatoes) have more moisture than high-starch potatoes and are less likely to fall apart. Potatoes should feel firm and heavy. Look out for green spots, wrinkles, sprouts, blemishes and soft spots--these are signs of a bad or bitter potato. If you are using potatoes you already have at home and discover a green spot, make sure you chop it off an discard it. The green parts of a potato are mildly poisonous and will upset your stomach. Store your potatoes in a cool, dry space. Try not to store them anywhere too cold (like the refrigerator), as the starches will begin turning into sugar, which will alter the taste. Potatoes grow in the dirt and, though they are rinsed before you buy them, dirt may still be hiding in the little dimples (or "eyes") on the potato. Don't scrub so hard that the skin begins to peel off. Be gentle with your potato. Even organic foods are treated with pesticides, so be on the safe side and make sure you're washing all your organic produce, too. You don't need to use a special solution of veggie wash to clean the potato--running water should do the job. This will give you six wedges per potato. Try to cut the wedges into equal sizes so they all bake at the same rate. If you have a mixture of thick and thin wedges, the thin ones may burn while you wait for the thick wedges to bake all the way through. Six wedges per-potato should give you a thick, but not too thick, slice. If wedges are any thicker, they may be crispy and gold on the outside, but completely underdone inside. If you are not baking the potato wedges right away (if you have to prep the rest of your meal or wait for the oven to preheat), put them in a bowl of cold water with a squirt of lemon juice or vinegar. This will prevent discoloration. Don't let the potatoes soak in the bowl for longer than two hours--the potatoes will absorb the water and may begin to lose some of their vitamins. You may peel the potatoes before slicing if you don't want to eat the skin, but they may not hold their shape as well when you bake them. The skins are more vitamin-rich than the flesh, so the potato would lose some of its nutritional value without it. The oil will help the spices stick to the potatoes. Make sure the spices and oil are distributed evenly and your wedges are fully coated. Make sure your hands are clean before handling the food. If you want to add additional flavors--like minced garlic, chopped rosemary leaves, spicy cumin, or thyme--add it to the bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Choose a firm, high or medium starch potato. Scrub the potatoes with cool water and a vegetable brush. Cut the potato in half lengthwise, then cut those halves into thirds. Put sliced potatoes, salt, pepper, and oil in a large bowl and toss with your hands.
Article: Stress can significantly impact your sleep, as well as your health overall. While lowering the amount of stress in your life is not always possible, try to reframe the stress to make it more manageable. Breathing exercises, connecting with other people, and time management can all help reduce stress. This can be a fairly cost-effective method, assuming you don't have to give up a source of income in order to lower your stress. Working to reframe your stressful thoughts can also help lower the stress in your life. For instance, instead of saying to yourself "I only got 6 hours of work done today," say "I am proud that I got 6 hours of work done, and I accomplished a lot in that time." While there are strategies for dealing with stress on your own, if anxiety or depression are impacting your life in detrimental ways, including interrupting your sleep, you may need to see a mental health professional. They can teach you techniques that you will be able to use long term and help you decide if you need medication. While this is often not the cheapest method of dealing with sleep problems, it can be cost effective if it helps you address the root of the problem rather than just dealing with the symptoms. Frequent urination, trouble breathing, and chronic pain can all negatively impact your sleep. Your doctor may be able to recommend some home treatment as well as focus on treating the underlying issues that are causing you to have sleep issues. If you have a chronic condition that is affecting your sleep, the costs can vary widely, depending on the condition, the severity, and the treatment plan. Medications can often have side effects that affect your sleep. If it is a medicine you take long term, be sure to see a doctor to see what you might do, such as adjusting the dosage, changing the time you take it, or trying some other home remedies to alleviate the side effects. Again, assuming that you don't have to change from a less expensive medicine to a more expensive medicine, this may be a cost-effective strategy for dealing with sleep problems. Aging will affect the sleep cycle, and it might be necessary to make adjustments to your lifestyle to help with sleeplessness or other sleep issues. Talking to a doctor will help you make the right decisions for your body, your lifestyle, and your overall health. There are support groups available for many common sleep problems, including sleep apnea and insomnia. A support group can help reassure you that you are not alone and help you find resources you may not have known about. Sharing common experiences can also lead to less anxiety, and may help with sleep as well. This can be an inexpensive way to deal with sleep issues, as support groups are often free to attend.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Work to address or lower stress in your life. Address anxiety or depression. Talk to your doctor about chronic medical conditions. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your current medications. Talk to your doctor about the effects of aging. Find a support group.
Article: Calming classical music or jazz has been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure and decrease stress hormones. There is evidence to suggest that, in therapeutic situations, music can be more effective at prompting relaxation than verbal stimuli (which is distracting) because music is processed primarily in the non-verbal sections of our brains. . Aromatherapy utilizes essential oils derived from various herbs, fruits, bark, and flowers. In doing so, aromatherapy can positively affect mood and emotions by making a connection between your olfactory senses and the limbic system in your brain. Lavender and lemon are two of the most popular oils used for relaxation and stress relief. Check online or talk to an aromatherapy specialist to determine which additional scents or blends might work for you. In an aromatherapeutic massage, the essential oil is placed in "carrier oil"an unscented or lightly scented oilthat is safe for skin application. As the massage oil is heated through the friction of the massage, the aroma of the essential oil fills the air. Aromatherapy burners can be purchased and placed in any room in the house. Some are plugged into outlets, while others fit around the tops of lamp light bulbs. The heat from the bulb releases the calming essential oil scent into the room. Restorative yoga poses, such as the child's pose or the corpse pose, may ease stress by helping to focus on the breath and promoting total physical relaxation. Power poses such as the eagle pose help ease stress by focusing the practitioner on balance while stretching tight shoulders and backs. Dancing is another great way to release those endorphins and calm your nerves. Dance has many health benefits, including better physical fitness and increased memory (think about all those ballet positions!), but is also valuable as a social activity. Whether you are learning in a class or dancing with a partner, you are interacting socially, and endorphins and good mood tend to be shared among social dancers.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Listen to some music. Use aromatherapy to help you relax. Try yoga. Try dancing by yourself or with a partner.