SELF Exclusive: Perfect Final Four Party Food

Doesn't it just seem like every time you think you have your diet on track another eating occasion comes along? First, it's the Super Bowl, then Valentine's Day, Easter and now the Final Four. So what's a girl who's trying to eat healthy to do? Make gooey, cheesy snacks -- lightened up, of course. We teamed up with the chefs behind Smart Ones and created a fun, waistline-friendly, game-day recipe: Pizza Roll-Ups. And since they're crafted using Smart Ones Thin Crust Pizzas (You know, the frozen kind!), you can have 'em ready to go in a snap. Score!

INGREDIENTS:

3 Smart Ones Thin Crust Cheese Pizza1 cup tomato sauce1 Tbsp Grated Parmesan cheeseCooking Spray

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Remove the crisping tray from each pizza and microwave each for approximately 1 minute on microwave safe plates. You want the pizza to be thawed, but not fully cooked.Once all the pizzas have been microwaved, using a pizza cutter, cut each pizza into 1" strips. You should be able to get about 6 strips per pizza.Roll each pizza strip and place upright into a greased baking dish.Pour tomato sauce on top of the pizza rolls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling.Serve and enjoy!

Makes 6 servings (3 roll-ups per serving)

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Image Credit: Courtesy of Smart Ones

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New Method May Help Pinpoint Woman's Final Menstrual Period

Title: New Method May Help Pinpoint Woman's Final Menstrual Period
Category: Health News
Created: 3/26/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/26/2013 12:00:00 AM

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New Method May Help Pinpoint Woman's Final Menstrual Period

Doctors could use information to start preventive treatment for bone loss, researcher says

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- A new formula to predict a woman's final menstrual period could help menopausal women fight bone loss and reduce their heart disease risk, a new study reports.

The formula is based on the changing levels of two hormones: estradiol, which is found in the ovaries; and follicle-stimulating hormone, which is present in the brain and gives instructions to the ovaries.

Estradiol levels fall and follicle-stimulating hormone levels rise as women go through menopause, the University of California, Los Angeles, researchers explained in a news release from the Endocrine Society.

Currently, doctors monitor women's menstrual bleeding patterns to determine the menopause transition phase. However, this phase is an imprecise indicator of when the final menstrual period will occur, according to the authors of the study published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"We need a better way to answer women's questions about when to expect the final menstrual period," lead author Dr. Gail Greendale, of UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, said in the news release.

"If further research bears out our approach, it could be the first step to developing web-based calculators and other tools women can use to estimate where they are in the menopause transition and how far away their final period is," she added.

The ability to predict a woman's final menstrual period could prove important for their health, the researchers suggest. In the year before the final menstrual period, women experience accelerated bone loss and increased heart disease risk, the study authors said.

"For example, some researchers have proposed that an intervention begun one or two years before the final menstrual period would greatly decrease future fracture risk by preventing the very rapid bone loss that occurs in the few years before and few years after the final menses," Greendale said. "But before ideas such as this can be tested, we need to accurately predict where a woman is in her timeline to menopause."

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