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Tasty tidbits
There's no need to develop a taste for tofu and bean sprouts if you don't like them. Improve your diet by recognizing what you're already doing right. Anytime you add more vegetables to a meal, use less cheese, choose leaner meats, grab the whole-grain version of breads and go easy on the butter and oil, you're on the right track. So let's celebrate some of the dishes you might be enjoying already. Guacamole. Because the main ingredient is avocado, guacamole is a good source of heart-healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. And the list of nutrients in avocados includes fiber, potassium, vitamin E and folic acid. Of course, where there's fat, there's calories. One ounce of avocado, which is 2 tablespoons of it mashed, contains about 55 calories. A mix of chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeño added to avocado lowers the calories slightly and increases the fiber.
Talkin’ turkey ... and pie ... and potatoes ..
Perrecone is now the corporate client manager for Rockford CHIP, which teaches participants to make lifestyle and diet adjustments to lower high levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, heartburn and angina and to lessen depression. A self-proclaimed foodie, Perrecone experiments with soy-based products and tofu in her everyday and holiday meals, beyond what the CHIP program advocates. But you can start simple by following these recipe suggestions without making a trip to the health-food aisle at your local grocery store. Even better — there are 22 days until Thanksgiving, so experiment away: Increase fiber In place of part of the white flour called for in a recipe, use whole-wheat flour. Add wheat bran or wheat germ. Add more vegetables. Reduce fats Use water to saut, or spray oil instead of pouring oil.
Walnuts Protect Arteries From Fat
Oct. 9, 2006 -- A handful of walnuts protects your arteries from the shock of a high-fat meal, Spanish researchers find. The finding suggests that nuts are a more important part of the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet than olive oil. The Mediterranean diet is low in saturated fats but high in monosaturated fats, particularly olive oil. Heart health depends on healthy, flexible arteries. When you eat a high-fat meal, it temporarily stuns your arteries. They stiffen and become less able to expand in response to exercise. Over time, this repeated damage contributes to hardening of the arteries. But if you eat walnuts along with a fatty meal, the fat has much less of a short-term effect, find Emilio Ros, MD, PhD, and colleagues. Ros is director of the Lipid Clinic at Hospital Clnico, Barcelona, Spain, the central location for the study.
Less Flavors Could Equal Less Weight
We've all heard of low fat, low carb, and high protein diets, but one Yale doctor says it's having too many flavors in our meals that keeps us fat . He says cutting back on those flavors is the key to weight loss. Jonathan Link lost 20 pounds and lowered his cholesterol in the last year. He says it's because of the flavors he chooses. Jonathan says, "Now it's not a diet. It's the way that I eat. Its like a cookbook." Jonathan is a follower of the flavor point diet. Author and Yale professor, Doctor David Katz says too many flavors in one meal triggers your brain to want more food. Dr. Katz says, "When you're eating food that has that flavor - sugary foods, salty food - you turn on the appetite meters that respond to that flavor category.
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