YOU on a Diet .....

[jezzie]

•All About YOU: Eat This First

If you're famished, eat a little fat before you sit down for a meal. Did we say fat?

Yes, but we're talking about the good kind. Eating some healthy fat 20 minutes before a meal can keep you from stuffing yourself. It fools your brain into thinking you're not as hungry as you thought. And your waist will reap the rewards. How does healthy fat do it?

About 70 calories of healthy fat just before you eat -- that's 6 walnuts, 12 almonds, or 20 peanuts -- can trick you into thinking you're full. Eating good fats stimulates the production of cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone that tells your brain you've had enough to eat and then keeps you feeling full by slowing the emptying of your stomach. (Bread dipped in this oil will also do it.)

So when you sit down for a meal, you'll eat for pleasure, not for hunger, and you'll be likely to eat less.

Slow It Down

Because the average person is finished eating long before his or her brain gets the fullness signal, you should eat slowly. Quickly downing your food won't give your satiety hormones time to kick in.

RealAge Benefit: Eating only healthful fat can make your RealAge 3.4 years younger.

[Sweeter-than-Splenda]

Just popping in to say "Hi!"

Very busy week again..have done fairly well eating wise.

After exercising on Tuesday I pulled something in my back and haven't went back to the gym the rest of the week! Have done some short walks, but nothing strenuous.

Hope everyone is doing well. Have a great weekend!

[jezzie]

•All About YOU: Some Fats Make You Hungrier

That fatty bacon cheeseburger may be loaded with calories, but at least it stomps out your hunger. Right?

Not necessarily. Compared to low-fat meals with the same number of calories, meals high in saturated fat will produce lower levels of leptin -- a hormone that turns off appetite. Here's how to get leptin levels up. (see below ?)

All fats, saturated and unsaturated, have 9 calories per gram. Because they provide equal amounts of energy, you'd think all fats satisfy your appetite in the same way. But they don't.

To get leptin levels up, you need to eat healthful unsaturated fats. You'll find them in nuts, seeds, olives, fish, avocados, and vegetable oils.

And while you're cutting back on hunger-amping sat fat, watch your alcohol intake, too. Alcohol also inhibits leptin.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a low-fat diet -- and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat -- can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups half decaf with evaporated milk
almnds

Breakfast:
slow-cooked oatmeal w/cinnamon, sf syrup
banana

Snack:
2 deviled egg halves
6 oz. soy milk

Lunch:
chili w/brown rice
salad w/olive oil and wine vinegar

Snack:
6 oz. 100% concord grape/cranberry juice

Dinner:
2 grilled cheese sandwiches on 7 grain w/flax bread

[jezzie]

•Jump Right In

If you tend to be very involved in your own diagnosis and treatment as a patient, you're probably on the fast track to good health.

Compared to women who think of their care as being completely in other people's hands, older women who were actively involved in their healthcare experiences exhibited fewer signs of heart disease in a study. Be engaged during appointments and take an active role in achieving desired health outcomes.

Researchers speculate that actively engaged patients in a recent study exhibited less evidence of heart disease because their attitudes about healthcare may translate into better personal health practices.

Taking responsibility for one's health may be a motivating factor when it comes to making healthy lifestyle choices. A recent study bolstered the evidence that people can improve their health and overall well-being by being involved in their own healthcare. Actively engaged patients tended to show less evidence of hardening of the arteries and arterial plaque buildup in the study.

Hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, begins in the layer of the blood vessel wall called the intima media complex. Healthcare providers can measure the thickness of the intima media using ultrasound. Intima media thickness (IMT) is a measure of arterial health and may help predict the occurrence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and coronary events, such as heart attack and stroke.

RealAge Benefit: Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger.

[jezzie]

•Vinegar Delight

Research suggests that a little bit of vinegar could have a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels.

In a study, ingesting a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before a high-carbohydrate meal was found to help dampen expected spikes in blood sugar levels from the meal. For a bit of vinegar's benefit, try starting off your next pasta meal with a salad splashed with red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Vinegar is no substitute for healthy eating habits or for proven methods of blood sugar control. The beneficial effects of vinegar on blood sugar levels may not apply to healthy individuals, and more research is needed to confirm its potential benefits for other populations.

In a recent study, ingesting 20 grams (approximately 2 tablespoons) of apple cider vinegar before eating a high-carbohydrate meal improved insulin resistance.

Study participants who experienced the blood sugar control benefits from vinegar were either diabetic or had insulin resistance syndrome. They followed the 20 grams of apple cider vinegar with a high-carbohydrate meal consisting of a white bagel, butter, and orange juice. After the high-carbohydrate meal, the acetic acid from the earlier serving of vinegar appeared to reduce blood sugar levels by 19 percent in people with diabetes and by 34 percent in people with insulin resistance. Acetic acid may help lower blood sugar levels by suppressing enzymes required to break down sugars, rresulting in slower absorption.

The best way to keep blood sugar levels steady is to eat a balanced diet, eat at regular intervals, and engage in a moderately strenuous program of physical activity. If you have diabetes or insulin resistance syndrome, follow your healthcare provider's advice.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

[jezzie]

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups half decaf with evaporated milk
almnds

Breakfast:
whole grain pasta w/sauce and parmesan
salad w/oil,vinegar

Snack:
6 oz. soy milk
2 bananas

Lunch:
scrambled eggs, cheese wrapped in WW tortilla

Snack:
4 oz. 100% concord grape/cranberry juice
peach

Dinner:
slow-cook oatmeal w/cinnamon
handful of cherries

[jezzie]

Stronger Body, Better Blood Sugar

A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes could change your life. We're talking pills or needle pokes, constant diet concerns, and higher-than-average health risks.

But you may be able to muscle a future like that aside. Just 12 weeks of regular resistance training can help improve the body's ability to manage blood sugar.

High blood sugar isn't good -- it could quickly put you on the path to type 2 diabetes. But keeping blood glucose from getting too high is harder when you get older, even if you're healthy.

Luckily, exercise is an excellent antidote. Both resistance training and cardio exercise can help. For weight training to benefit your blood sugar, though, you need to get an adequate amount of protein in your diet.

Already have diabetes? Weight training may benefit you, too. But check with your doctor before you pump iron.
.

[jezzie]

•The Skinny on Fat

Too much saturated fat in the diet appears to raise your risk of yet another health hazard: diabetes.

Saturated fats promote insulin sensitivity and the metabolic syndrome, conditions that increase your risk of diabetes, a study suggests. Keep tabs on both the quantity and quality of the fats you eat.

Choose mostly healthy fats, such as those in nuts, olive oil, and avocados, and limit total fat consumption to 30 percent of your daily calories.

Easy ways to get healthy fats into your diet are to serve salmon or tuna instead of red meat, dress salads with olive oil and vinegar, and add nuts to salads, cereals, and low-fat yogurt.

Salmon, tuna, olive oil, and nuts all contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated forms of fats, which are a much healthier choice than saturated fats and will help your body regulate insulin.

Saturated fats, found in red meat, butter, creamy salad dressings, and full-fat dairy, not only interfere with the body's ability to properly utilize insulin, but they also raise your LDL ("bad") cholesterol and promote heart disease.

RealAge Benefit: Eating a low-fat diet--and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat--can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.
.

[PrairieMystic]

Does any one have a good recipe for canned salmon? I'm just starting to integrate it into my meal plan but not crazy about salmon sandwiches so far. I found one for salmon patties which is pretty simple and tasty, but having a hard time finding other family oriented recipes for it.

[jezzie]

Prairie: I'll do a search for you and see what I can come up with for salmon.
I do the same things that I post in my menus. In cakes or baked in oil and vinegar


Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups half decaf with evaporated milk
almnds

Breakfast:
slow-cooked oatmeal w/cinnamon
banana

Snack:
plain yogurt with pineapple chunks added

Lunch: (Community Day)
hot dog
large hot pretzel

Snack: (Community Day)
french fries
Italian ice

Dinner:
None

[jezzie]

[jezzie]

Cheesy Salmon Loaf

1 can salmon
1 egg -- beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

How To Prepare: Combine all ingredients and put into greased breadpan. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

From our Recipe Room:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/recipe...8/cat/8/page/3

[PrairieMystic]

thanks jezzie..thats exactly what i was looking for.

[jezzie]

•Heard the Latest in Age-Fighting Nutrition?

Asking people to speak up -- or feeling compelled to pretend you heard something you didn't -- is not the way most people want to spend their retirement years.

But there may be something you can do to help slow the kind of hearing loss that comes with an accumulation of birthday candles and gray hairs: Take folic acid. Just how much do you need?

The Wonderful World of Aging Ears

There are many wonderful things about growing older, but losing your hearing isn't one of them. So it was good news when one study showed that a group of men and women between the ages of 50 and 70 helped put the brakes on hearing loss by taking 800 micrograms of folic acid daily for 3 years.

But there are two important caveats for these findings: The research took place in a country where foods are not regularly fortified with folic acid, and the benefit to hearing was observed with only low frequency sounds.

Folic acid helps lower homocysteine, a possible culprit in some kinds of hearing loss. (Initially, all the men and women in the study had elevated homocysteine levels.) It could also be that folic acid helps boost blood circulation to key ear structures involved in age-related hearing loss.

How Much Do You Need?

Fortunately, many products in the U.S. are fortified with folic acid, from breads to cereals to pasta, so you probably get at least a few hundred micrograms from your diet.

But it's likely you'll need a supplement to reach the RealAge Optimum dose of 700 micrograms per day. Just be sure to stay below 1,000 micrograms per day, especially if you're over 65; as you get older, folic acid could mask a vitamin B12 deficiency.

RealAge Benefit: Getting 700 micrograms of folate (folic acid) a day from your diet or a supplement can make your RealAge 0.8 years younger.

[jezzie]

Folate (Vitamin B9)

Benefits:
Folate (folic acid) reduces homocysteine levels, protects against arterial aging, and aids in cellular processes such as the production of red blood cells and genetic material. Pregnant women and people who have cancer, burns, or skin diseases may need a higher intake of the vitamin to maintain normal levels.

RealAge Optimum:
Aim to get about 700 micrograms (mcg) of folate per day. The average diet usually contains approximately 300 mcg per day, so choose a multivitamin with about 400 mcg of folate. Getting 700 mcg of folate per day can make your RealAge 0.8 years younger.

Good Sources:
Most pastas, breads, cereals, fruit juices, and grains produced in the U.S. are fortified with about 25 mcg of folate per serving. Check the label to be sure.

Asparagus, 1/2 cup
190 mcg
Artichokes, one large
150 mcg
Brussels sprouts, four large
130 mcg
Black-eyed peas, 1/2 cup
100 mcg
Sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup
80 mcg
Lima beans, fresh or frozen, 1/2 cup
75 mcg
Soybeans, 1/2 cup
70 mcg
Avocados, one half
60 mcg
Spinach, fresh or frozen, 1/2 cup
60 mcg
Broccoli, fresh or frozen, 1/2 cup
50 mcg
Banana, one medium
45 mcg
Oranges, one medium
40 mcg

[jezzie]

Double Sesame Salmon with Mango-Avocado Salsa

# 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot mango chutney, such as Crosse & Blackwell brand or large pieces of mango chopped
# 4 (5- to 6-ounce) salmon fillets with skin
# 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided into 1/2 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
# 1 tablespoon mixed white and black sesame seeds
# 1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar
# 1 cup diced ripe fresh mango
# 1/2 ripe medium avocado, diced
# 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preheat broiler. Spread 2 tablespoons chutney over skinless side of fish. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sesame seeds over fish, patting to coat. Place salmon on rack of broiler pan, skin side down. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until fish is opaque in the center. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 cup chutney with vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in mango, avocado, and cilantro. Serve salsa over fish. Serves 4.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving: 319 calories; 2.2 g saturated fat; 7.5 g polyunsaturated fat; 10.8 g monounsaturated fat; 25.7 g protein; 44.4 g carbohydrates; 4.0 g fiber

Recipe selected from Cooking the RealAge Way Copyright © 2004, Michael Roizen, M.D., and John La Puma, M.D. All rights reserved.

[jezzie]

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups half decaf with evaporated milk
almnds

Breakfast:
whole grain pasta w/sauce and parmesan
salad w/oil,vinegar

Snack:
apple
walnuts

Lunch:
hot peppers and strawberry jelly wrapped in WW tortilla
4 oz. grape/cranberry juice

Snack:
homemade pineapple/banana smoothie

Dinner:
slow-cook oatmeal w/cinnamon
apple

[jezzie]

Ratatouille Pasta

# 12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
# 1 dried ancho or pasilla chile pepper
# 3 cups diced (1/2-inch cubes) unpeeled eggplant (8 ounces)
# 2 teaspoons olive oil
# 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
# 1 yellow or red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
# 6 cloves garlic, sliced
# 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes, undrained, coarsely chopped
# 1 cup packed mesclun (mixed baby salad greens)
# 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or lemon thyme

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

Add the chile pepper; cook, turning occasionally until fragrant and toasted, about 2 minutes. When the chile pepper is cool enough to handle, discard its stem and set the seeds aside for a garnish. Chop the chile pepper. Add eggplant to hot skillet; cook until browned, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add oil, then chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and chile pepper. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce thickens.

Remove from heat; stir in salad greens. Salt to taste. Drain pasta; transfer to four serving plates. Top with sauce. Garnish with reserved chile pepper seeds and thyme. Serves 4.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving: 394 calories; 0.5 g saturated fat; 0.6 polyunsaturated fat; 1.8 monounsaturated fat; 6.4 g protein; 37.6 g carbohydrates; 5.6 g fiber

Recipe selected from Cooking the RealAge Way Copyright © 2004, Michael Roizen, M.D., and John La Puma, M.D. All rights reserved.

[jezzie]

Top Smile Savers and Spoilers

Somewhere in America, right now, a student's science fair project is demonstrating cola's ability to eat through tooth enamel. It's not pretty. But soda isn't the only food that does a number on your grin. Here are some of your smile's worst enemies -- and best friends.

The Enemies List

Soda, fruit juice, and sports drinks: They’re not only sugary but also acidic, and that creates a perfect home for the bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease -- especially if you tend to sip all day on one or another of these drinks. Acid-neutralizing saliva just can't keep up.

The realistic fix: Nobody's saying you have to go cold turkey, but for all-day swigging, choose water. Reserve the pick-me-ups for once-a-day use. And buy some straws -- sipping through them reduces the amount of time your teeth are exposed to a drink.

Sticky stuff: We're not just talking gooey caramels or fruit roll-ups. Bread, crackers, chips, sweet rolls, and other refined carbohydrates are nearly as likely as a Tootsie Roll to cling to teeth -- and they hang on for at least 20 minutes. Not good.

The realistic fix: Try to say no to sticky sweets and carbs when you can't brush afterward. Alternatively, slosh some water around in your mouth or chew a stick of sugarless gum that's sweetened with xylitol. The gum helps remove sticky food particles from your teeth, and xylitol curbs cavity causers and increases healthy saliva.

Your Smile’s Best Friends

Cheese, please: Eating a bit of cheddar (or whatever) at the end of a meal helps protect teeth. It stimulates the production of cleansing saliva, and the calcium in cheese helps harden teeth.

Crunchy things: Crisp apples, celery, and carrots are nature's little toothbrush alternatives. Not only do they help rid your mouth of food particles, but also their rough, fibrous texture actually scrubs away as you chew, slightly brightening your smile.

Have a cuppa: Drinking tea after eating can help destroy the germs that cause cavities, gum disease, and less-than-fresh breath. That goes for both green and black teas.

Shiitake mushrooms: These delicate, delicious flavor boosters contain lentinan, a plant substance that's anything but a lightweight: It fights both tooth plaque and the bacteria that live in it.
.

[jezzie]

A Good Reason to Look on the Bright Side

Anxious, angry, depressed? We all feel bad sometimes. But there's one very vocal objector: your heart.

People who often get swallowed up by these and other negative moods may have a higher risk of heart disease -- even if they're otherwise healthy. But you can turn any mood around with a few simple steps.

Social Stress, Troubled Ticker

Social anxiety may have the greatest impact on heart health. In a study of healthy older men, those who scored highest on a negative-emotion scale -- especially on social anxiety measures -- had the greatest incidence of heart disease 3 years later.

Build Yourself Up

If stress and anxiety have taken hold of you and won't let go, something really structured like cognitive-behavioral therapy -- alone or coupled with medication -- may help improve your sense of control and boost your confidence. Here are a couple more feel-good or feel-calm techniques:

* Controlled breathing
* Muscle relaxation

OT: Anxiety and Stress
.

[jezzie]

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups half decaf with evaporated milk
almnds

Breakfast:
whole grain pasta w/sauce and parmesan
salad w/oil,vinegar

Snack:
banana
walnuts

Lunch:
large salad w/tuna

Snack:
4 oz. Concord grape/cranberry 100% juice
2 servings of parmesan/garlic soy chips

Dinner:
scrambled eggs on whole wheat tortilla wrap
apple

[jezzie]

•All About YOU: How to Eat More and Weigh Less

Want to lose a few before the upcoming holiday? Fill up with fiber.

It's no news that boosting your fiber intake is good for your health. But boosting it at breakfast may be the key to staying lean, say RealAge doctors Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz.

In their book, YOU: On a Diet, they suggest putting fiber-rich foods like oatmeal, whole-grain toast, or a veggie-packed omelet on your morning menu to curb afternoon binging on Cheetos or cookies. That's because fiber acts like a speed bump in your gastrointestinal tract, slowing everything way down, so you stay fuller longer.

This is one way you can use your body chemistry, not willpower, to curb cravings and get to your ideal body size.

Believe it or not, enjoying a fiberful diet -- especially at breakfast -- can reduce your calorie intake for up to 18 hours a day. And it helps control blood sugar and lower insulin levels.

Although you should aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day, avoid adding it all at once or you'll produce more gas than a Saudi oil field, say the doctors.

Start with an additional 1 to 2 grams of dietary fiber -- the amount in a slice of whole-grain bread or 1/2 cup of green beans -- at and between meals and slowly increase from there.

RealAge Benefit: Eating 25 grams (make that 38 grams if you're a man under 50) of fiber per day makes your RealAge 2.5 years younger than eating 12 grams of fiber per day.

[LibbyLottie]

Hhi Everyone! I have had so much going on the past few weeks that I haven't participated here as much as I hope to. A new job, getting my flooded out basement - thanks to Hurricane Ivan - finally drywalled again, and being selected to serve on our county's Grand Jury....just a lot going on. But the GJ was yesterday and today, and will be over. Actually I LOVE it! I have been trying to eat the YOU way on work days for sure:

B: 1 whole egg, 2-3 whites, fried in nonfat spray
2 slices turkey bacon

s: V-8
Dannon low fat yogurt

l: Peanut butter on whole grain bread - one slice
apple sauce

S: almonds

Dinner is usually blown, but I will get on track with it this week.

Feel free to comment, critique or correct my menu.

Jezzie, thanks for all the time you take to make us smarter dieters. I for one really appreciate it! I wish more people would come over here for their sake.

Everyone have a great day!

Libby