YOU on a Diet ( 11/01/07 - 02/29/08 )

[jezzie]

A Good Reason to Get 4 Whole Grains

Want to keep your blood pressure below the 140/90 danger point? Get at least four servings of whole-grain foods a day.

Hypertension risk starts to drop with just one to two servings of whole grains daily, but getting four makes the greatest impact.

Whole-Grain Heroes

For maximum RealAge benefits -- younger arteries, better bowel function, lower cancer risk, etc. -- you'll need six servings of whole grains daily. Not consistently reaching that goal yet? Use four as a stepping stone and research shows you'll enjoy better blood pressure on your way to six.

4 in a Flash

It's easy to get four -- or more! -- whole grains into your day. Start early with a whole-grain cereal like shredded wheat. Then, use two slices of a whole-grain bread in your sandwich at lunch, air pop some popcorn for an afternoon snack, and have a scoop of brown rice with dinner.


RealAge 1.2 years younger if you are a man and 2.3 years younger if you are a woman.

[jezzie]

Date-Oat Muffins
Toasting the oats for this hearty muffin enhances their nutty flavor; orange zest contributes a citrus fragrance that plays well with the sweet dates.

Ingredients

* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
* 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
* 1 cup whole-wheat flour
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup whole flaxseeds, ground (see Ingredient notes)
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 each large eggs
* 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
* 3/4 cup buttermilk (see Tip)
* 1/2 cup orange juice
* 1/4 cup canola oil
* 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup chopped pitted dates

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Spread 1 cup oats and the walnuts, if using, in 2 separate small baking pans. Bake, stirring once or twice, until light golden and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes for the nuts and 8 to 10 minutes for the oats. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Meanwhile, whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, flaxseeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
4. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, orange juice, oil, orange zest and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Fold in dates, the toasted oats and nuts, if using. Scoop batter into the prepared muffin cups (they'll be quite full). Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons oats.
5. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

[jezzie]

RECIPE TIPS:

can use buttermilk powder in place of fresh buttermilk. Or make "sour milk": mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

Ingredient notes:

Flaxseeds are one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. They provide both soluble fiber, linked to reduced risk of heart disease, and insoluble fiber, which provides valuable roughage. Flaxseeds are perishable, so purchase whole seeds (instead of ground flaxmeal), store in the refrigerator and grind in a clean coffee grinder or dry blender just before using.

Look for packages of chopped pitted dates in the dried fruit section of your supermarket. Whole dates are sticky and cumbersome to chop.

[jezzie]

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (The DASH Diet)

What is hypertension?

Hypertension is the term for blood pressure that is consistently higher than normal. Blood pressure is the force of blood against artery walls as the heart pumps blood through the body. Blood pressure can be unhealthy if it is above 120/80. The higher your blood pressure, the greater the health risk.

High blood pressure can be controlled if you take these steps:

* Maintain a healthy weight.
* Be physically active.
* Follow a healthy eating plan, which includes foods lower in salt and sodium.
* If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

As noted in this list, diet affects high blood pressure. Following the DASH diet and reducing the amount of sodium in your diet will help lower your blood pressure. It will also help prevent high blood pressure.
What is the DASH diet?

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is a diet that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. The DASH diet also includes whole-grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts. It encourages fewer servings of red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages. It is rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber.
How do I get started on the DASH diet?

The DASH diet requires no special foods and has no hard-to-follow recipes. Start by seeing how DASH compares with your current eating habits.

The DASH eating plan shown is based on 2,000 calories a day. Your healthcare provider or a dietitian can help you determine how many calories a day you need. Most adults need somewhere between 1600 and 2800 calories a day. Serving sizes will vary between 1/2 cup and 1 1/4 cups. Check the product's nutrition label to determine serving sizes of particular products.


Number of Examples of
Food Group servings serving size
-------------------------------------------------------

Grains and 7 to 8 1 slice of bread,
grain products 1 cup ready-to-eat cold cereal
1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta,
or cereal

Vegetables 4 to 5 1 cup raw leafy vegetable
1/2 cup cooked vegetable
6 oz vegetable juice


Fruits 4 to 5 1 medium fruit
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or
canned fruit
6 oz fruit juice


Low-fat or 2 to 3 8 oz milk
fat-free 1 cup yogurt
dairy foods 1 1/2 ounces cheese

Lean meats,
poultry, 2 or fewer 3 ounces cooked lean meat,
or fish skinless poultry, or fish

Nuts, seeds, 1/3 cup or 1 1/2 oz nuts
and dry beans 4 to 5 per week 1 tablespoon or 1/2 oz seeds
1/2 cup cooked dry beans

Fats and oils 2 to 3 1 teaspoon soft margarine
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons light salad
dressing
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sweets 5 per week 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon jelly or jam
1/2 oz jelly beans
8 oz lemonade

.

[jezzie]

Make changes gradually. Here are some suggestions that might help:

* If you now eat 1 or 2 servings of vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
* If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
* Drink milk or water with lunch or dinner instead of soda, sugar-sweetened tea, or alcohol. Choose low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) dairy products to reduce how much saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories you eat. If you have trouble digesting dairy products, try taking lactase enzyme pills or drops (available at drugstores and groceries) with the dairy foods. Or buy lactose-free milk or milk with lactase enzyme added to it.
* Read food labels on margarines and salad dressings to choose products lowest in fat.
* If you now eat large portions of meat, cut back gradually--by a half or a third at each meal. Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (2 servings). Three to four ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
* Have 2 or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week. Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and beans in all meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains, and beans.
* Use fruits canned in their own juice. Fresh fruits require little or no preparation. Dried fruits are a good choice to carry with you or to have ready in the car.
* Try these snacks ideas: unsalted pretzels or nuts mixed with raisins, graham crackers, low-fat and fat-free yogurt and frozen yogurt, popcorn with no salt or butter added, and raw vegetables.
* Choose whole grain foods to get more nutrients, including minerals and fiber. For example, choose whole-wheat bread or whole-grain cereals.
* Use fresh, frozen, or no-salt-added canned vegetables.

Remember to also reduce the salt and sodium in your diet. Try to have no more than 2000 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, with a goal of further reducing the sodium to 1500 mg per day. Three important ways to reduce sodium are:

* Use reduced-sodium or no-salt-added food products.
* Use less salt when you prepare foods and do not add salt to your food at the table.
* Read fool labels. Aim for foods that are less than 5 percent of the daily value of sodium.

The DASH eating plan was not designed for weight loss. But it contains many lower calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. You can make it lower in calories by replacing higher calorie foods with more fruits and vegetables. Some ideas to increase fruits and vegetables and decrease calories include:

* Eat a medium apple instead of four shortbread cookies. You'll save 80 calories.
* Eat 1/4 cup of dried apricots instead of a 2-ounce bag of pork rinds. You'll save 230 calories.
* Have a hamburger that's 3 ounces instead of 6 ounces. Add a 1/2 cup serving of carrots and a 1/2 cup serving of spinach. You'll save more than 200 calories.
* Instead of 5 ounces of chicken, have a stir fry with 2 ounces of chicken and 1 and 1/2 cups of raw vegetables. Use a small amount of vegetable oil. You'll save 50 calories.
* Have a 1/2 cup serving of low-fat frozen yogurt instead of a 1 and 1/2 ounce milk chocolate bar. You'll save about 110 calories.
* Use low-fat or fat-free condiments, such as fat free salad dressings.
* Eat smaller portions--cut back gradually.
* Use food labels to compare fat content in packaged foods. Items marked low-fat or fat-free may be lower in fat without being lower in calories than their regular versions.
* Limit foods with lots of added sugar, such as pies, flavored yogurts, candy bars, ice cream, sherbet, regular soft drinks, and fruit drinks.
* Drink water or club soda instead of cola or other soda drinks.

[jezzie]

Good News for Bacon Lovers!

Although bacon's nearly carb-free status gained it 15 minutes of fame back when the Atkins diet was hot, no one with a health conscience can look at it today and see anything more than strips of saturated fat and salt.

But that doesn't mean we don't crave it! To assuage our longing for crispy, smoky bacon, we gave a lot of alternatives a taste test. Five made the cut with our die-hard bacon lovers. BLTs, anyone?!

THE REAL THING
2 strips = 80 calories, 8 g fat (3.5 g sat. fat), 300 mg sodium, 4 g protein
If you're going to indulge in gen-u-ine bacon, it's not so much the calories you'll regret. It's the hit of skin-aging, heart-threatening, well-salted, grease-dripping saturated fat.

THE WINNERS!

Morning Star Bacon Strips
2 strips = 60 calories, 4.5 g fat (.5 g sat. fat), 220 mg sodium, 2 g protein
Of all the veggie bacons we tried, this was the only one that made the grade with our testers. Not only do these soy-based strips smell like bacon as you fry them up, they taste surprisingly close to the real thing. And they cook up much crispier than you would expect, despite having almost no bad fat. Find them in your freezer section.

Trader Joe's Applewood-Smoked Turkey Bacon
2 strips = 60 calories, 2.5 g fat (0 g sat. fat), 250 mg sodium, 7 g protein
Surprisingly, turkey bacons don't fry up to nearly the same crispiness as the Morning Star strips. The texture is softer and chewier -- more like Canadian bacon -- but the taste is rich and smoky, and it nicely flavors an egg sandwich.

Wellshire Farms Uncured All Natural Turkey Bacon
2 strips = 40 calories, 1 g fat (0 g sat. fat), 360 mg sodium, 6 g protein
This all-natural brand tastes so hearty, it's hard to believe each strip -- and they're big -- contains only 20 calories and just a trace of fat. If you can live without the crunch of pork bacon, this one tastes the most indulgent while doing the least diet damage. Plus, there are no preservatives, antibiotics, or nitrates, though it's high on the sodium side.

THE RUNNERS-UP
Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Bacon
2 strips = 40 calories, 0 g fat (0 g sat. fat), 280 mg sodium, 6 g protein
Like the other turkey bacons, this extra-lean variety isn't a clone of the real thing, but if you think "chewy" rather than "crispy," the rich, smoked flavor will liven up a sandwich or spinach salad. And it's hard to knock 0 fat grams.

Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon
2 strips = 70 calories, 6 g fat (1 g sat. fat), 380 mg sodium, 4 g protein
This one comes closest to matching the true aroma and flavor of pork bacon (maybe it's all that salt). Tip: It cooks up super fast in the microwave, so if you're not careful, you’ll have bacon chips instead of strips. But don't toss them if that happens -- crumbled up, the bacon bits make a tasty topping for a salad or baked potato.


At RealAge, there's a reason we call saturated fat -- the artery-clogging kind that, appropriately, saturates meat and whole-milk dairy foods -- an aging fat: Avoiding it can make your RealAge more than 4 years younger!

[jezzie]

Top 5 Reasons Breakfast Is a Must for Kids

How many times have you heard "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? Here's why, in terms of small fry. Kids who eat breakfast:

1. Do better in school

2. Have fewer behavioral problems

3. Have better concentration, more energy, and better hand-eye coordination

4. Are more likely to meet their nutritional needs overall

5. Have an easier time maintaining a healthy weight

"Mornings can be hectic in any family, and getting kids -- much less adults -- to eat something can be a challenge. But just look at the payoffs!" says pediatrician Jennifer Trachtenberg, mom of three and proud author of her first book, the new, superuseful Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children.

"So if you can't make the morning meal happen at home, send kids off with healthy on-the-go breakfasts to eat on the way," says Dr. Jen. "The night before, have them help you fill plastic zipper bags with things like nuts, raisins, and Os cereal; orange slices; low-fat granola; cheese and crackers; sliced apple ‘sandwich cookies’ filled with peanut butter . . . or anything else reasonably healthy that you know they'll eat, whether it's ‘breakfast food' or not. A chicken sandwich on whole wheat? Fine." Just aim for three things:

1. Plenty of fiber and protein -- it will keep kids full and energized until lunch.

2. Minimal sugar -- too much can send energy soaring up, and then crashing down, before the morning's half over.

3. Some healthful fat, especially omega-3s -- turns out that kids who eat more of these fats do better on short-term memory tests (and they ace pop quizzes!) than kids who eat more saturated fat (think butter, bacon, sausage, pastries, full-fat milk and cheese).

One easy way to get good omega-3 fats into your kids: Sprinkle walnuts or almonds on their cereal.

Another: Hard-boil a batch of omega-3-enriched eggs, which are widely available. On a high-speed morning, give the kids (yourself, too) an egg and some whole-wheat crackers in a plastic zipper bag. You'll all be good to go till lunch.

There’s Nothing Old-Fashioned About Oatmeal

In fact, there's growing evidence that it may be an ideal way to start the school day. Kids who eat oatmeal for breakfast -- versus cold cereal, or nothing at all -- remember things better and pay more attention, which is handy for, say, studying math and geography.

One reason may be that oatmeal is digested slowly, supplying the brain with a steady stream of energy.

[jezzie]

Wednesdays Food

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups two thirds decaf with almnd and evap. milk
almnds

Breakfast:
1 fried egg
old fashioned oatmeal w/cinnamon, buckwheat honey
Mineola orange

Pre-Lunch:
wasabi edamame, walnut, snflower, pmpkin seed mixed

Lunch:
Healthy Harvest rotini in Classico hot sauce w/parmesan
red pepper/cucumber in ext virg olv oil & apple cider vinegar

Pre-Dinner:
organic plain yogurt w/crushed pineapple added
Yogi Egyptian Licorice tea w/ orange blossom honey

Dinner:
spicy rice and beans
5.5 oz can of V-8 juice

[jezzie]

Your Walking Pace Can Make You Younger

Blood pressure under control? Check. Cholesterol level okay? Check. Gait speed good? Umm . . . why does that matter, you ask?

Because gait speed may very well be another important "vital sign" -- like heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol level -- that helps predict how long you'll live.

Ready, Set, Go

Your gait speed is the speed at which you walk when you're really trying. Faster walkers may be more resilient and able to bounce back better from a health crisis. Which may explain why the zippy over-65 walkers in a recent study enjoyed lower mortality rates. The magic speed for staying young? At least 2.25 miles per hour for people 65 and older. So time yourself on a treadmill or around the track.

Contingency Plan for Slow Walkers

If you don't hit the 2-mile-per-hour mark, don't despair. Improving your gait speed boosts your longevity, too. Start by doing some interval training, where you intermittently pick up the pace for a short distance. Some strength training can help you walk better and stronger, too. Here's an easy strength workout that uses your body as a gym.

And start walking -- every day. Before you know it, you'll be covering more ground in a little less time.


RealAge Benefit: Exercising regularly can make your RealAge as much as 9 years younger.

[jezzie]

Farmed Fish Fed Cheap Food May Be Less Nutritious For Humans

ScienceDaily (Feb. 28, 2008) — When the diets of farmed fish are altered, the food we ingest also changes. For his doctorate, Sverre Ludvig Seierstad investigated the biological consequences of exchanging the fish oils commonly used in fish feed with vegetable oils. What consequences might this have on both fish and human health?

The main ingredients of fish feed have traditionally been of marine origin. For several reasons, including increased demand for and production of farmed fish, and climatic considerations, feed ingredients of marine origin are becoming both scarce and expensive. The fish farming industry therefore wishes to utilise alternative lipid (fat) sources in feed used for salmon farming.

Vegetable oils have been shown to stimulate the appetite and feed intake of fish, and to increase growth rate and carcase quality. This doctorate investigated some consequences of the use of these alternative fish oils in the feed on the health of both fish and humans.

Marine oils are rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), which have been shown to have beneficial effects on heart and circulatory system disease in man. Seierstad’s research focussed on the behaviour of marker substances for heart and blood vessel parameters, and for inflammation, in both salmon and humans.

The feeding trials with farmed salmon were carried out at Gildeskål and in Stavanger. Wild salmon, caught in Namsen (Lilleøen, Namsos), were used as a reference group.

During his studies, Sverre Seierstad investigated the development of thickenings in the wall of the cardiac arteries of Atlantic salmon at different stages of the fish’s life cycle and showed that the composition of fats in the feed had no effect on the development of constrictions in the cardiac arteries of farmed salmon.

In collaboration with Ullevål Hospital, heart patients with atherosclerosis (disease of the cardiac arteries) were placed on three different diets, using salmon meat containing varying amounts of fish oil and vegetable oil.

It was shown that the fat composition of the salmon meat affected the fatty acid profile of the patients’ blood and that the advantageous marine omega-3 fatty acids increased markedly in those patients that ate fish fed on feed containing pure fish oils. It was also shown that in these patients the levels of marker substances for heart and vessel disease were much better than in patients eating fish fed pure rapeseed oil.

Sverre Ludvig Seierstad defended his Dr. Med. Vet. thesis with the title “The effect on fish and human health of replacing marine oils by vegetable oils in feeds of Atlantic salmon”, at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science on February 15, 2008.

Farmed Fish Fed Cheap Food May Be Less Nutritious For Humans

[jezzie]

5 Reasons to Relish Tomatoes

You know that rhyme every kid learns how to finish: "An apple a day . . ." Make that “A tomato a day” -- it may be even better at keeping problems away. Although tomatoes have gotten a bit of rotten press lately as their role in reducing the risk of prostate cancer has hit the "lack of evidence" skids, there's still abundant reason to overindulge. Tomatoes are stellar sources of vitamins A and C, folate, potassium, fiber, and all kinds of protective antioxidants.

And organic tomatoes are even better -- when they're grown without chemicals, tomatoes contain much higher amounts of flavonoids, which have antioxidant, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Here are five healthy reasons to add tomatoes to breakfast omelets, lunch sandwiches, and dinner sauces and salads:

1. Lower your blood pressure. Try snacking on cherry tomatoes while driving your kid’s carpool or prepping for your Toastmasters speech. These fruits (yes, tomatoes are fruits, not veggies) may keep your blood pressure in check. In just 8 weeks, people with mild hypertension who got a daily "dose" of tomatoes saw their systolic blood pressures (the top number) drop a whopping 10 points on average, and their diastolic blood pressures (the bottom number) drop by 4 points.

2. Avoid colds and flu. When men who are deficient in carotenoids (like lycopene and beta carotene) drink tomato juice regularly, they bump up their ability to fend off bacteria and viruses. However, the immunity-boosting effects take a while to kick in. So if you start upping your T-juice intake today, you may stay a step ahead of sore throats and colds tomorrow.

3. Save your skin. Who knew this thin-skinned fruit would make a terrific natural sunscreen? But people who include lycopene-rich tomato paste in their diets for at least 10 weeks get much less intense sunburns when they're exposed to UV light -- another reason to enjoy all those tomato-sauced dishes that are staples of Mediterranean diets.

4. Control cholesterol. A tomato a day may keep artery and heart problems at bay. Four weeks of daily tomato munching can increase good HDL cholesterol by 15% while lowering artery-clogging LDL cholesterol.

5. Fight aging. Tomatoes are rich in two spectacular antiaging free-radical squelchers: lycopene and beta carotene. In some cells, these antioxidants reduce free-radical damage to DNA by 42%. Both youth-protecting nutrients are enhanced when tomatoes are heated or eaten with a little fat, like olive oil.

All of these tomato-triggered benefits can reduce your RealAge, but blood pressure is a particular biggie. Keep it low (115/76 or less) and you can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger!

[jezzie]

Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes and Feta
Dazzle your guests, and keep the kitchen cool, by baking pizza on the backyard grill. For convenience, this recipe uses prepared pizza dough, found in most supermarkets, and pesto from a jar.

Ingredients

* 1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat
* 1/2 cup prepared pesto
* 4 each ripe plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
* Freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. Meanwhile, place dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch round crust, about 1/4 inch thick. Place crusts on a floured baking sheet. Carry crusts and toppings out to the grill.
3. Lay crusts on grill (they won't stay perfectly round). Cover grill and cook until crusts are lightly puffed and undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
4. Using tongs, flip crusts. Immediately spread pesto over crusts. Top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with feta and pepper. Cover grill and cook until the undersides are lightly browned, about 3 minutes more. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately.

[jezzie]

Fresh Pomodoro Pasta, White Beans & Olives

Capture the flavor of vine-ripe tomatoes with this elegant yet ultra-quick fresh tomato sauce. Although it's an uncooked sauce, the beans are heated briefly in the olive oil and garlic just to flavor them.

Makes 4 servings

8 ounces whole-wheat pasta shells, tubetti, ziti or rigatoni
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pound ripe tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup sliced fresh basil
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beans and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are just heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add tomatoes, olives, basil, and pepper. Stir gently to combine. To serve, divide the pasta among 4 plates and top with sauce and cheese.

[jezzie]

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[jezzie]

Thursdays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups two thirds decaf with almnd and evap. milk
almnds

Breakfast:
1 fried egg
old fashioned oatmeal w/cinnamon, buckwheat honey
Cara Cara orange

Pre-Lunch:
wasabi edamame, walnut, snflower, pmpkin seed mixture
grn tea with orange blossom honey

Lunch:
Healthy Harvest rotini in Classico hot sauce w/parmesan
red pepper/cucumber in ext virg olv oil & apple cider vinegar

Pre-Dinner:
organic plain yogurt w/mandarin orange sections added
cranberry/Concord grape 100% juice

Dinner:
scrambled egg, cheddar, squirt of ketchup on WW tortilla
(lazy woman's dinner)
5.5 oz can of V-8 juice

[jezzie]

Kale with Apples & Mustard
Pork and chicken would be well-suited to this sweet-and-sour side dish.

Makes 4 servings, about 3/4 cup each

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1-1 1/2 pounds kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped (see Tip)
2/3 cup water
2 Granny Smith apples, sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
2 teaspoons Splenda brown sugar
Pinch of salt, or to taste

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute. Add water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in apples; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the kale, increase heat to high and boil, uncovered, until most of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 86 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 3 g fiber; 134 mg sodium.

TIP: Tip: A 1- to 1 1/2-pound bunch of kale yields 16 to 24 cups of chopped leaves. When preparing kale for these recipes, remove the tough ribs, chop or tear the kale as directed, then wash it--allowing some water to cling to the leaves. The moisture helps steam the kale during the first stages of cooking.

[jezzie]

Why are Drs. Roizen and Oz so focused on waist size, not weight?

Because pounds only tell you how hefty you are. They don't say a thing about how healthy you are.

Waist size does—belly fat is linked to multiple medical problems. So does body mass index, or BMI, a height/weight measure that estimates body fat. The healthier these numbers are, the healthier you are, especially in terms of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.


The More You Chew, the Smaller Your Pants?

Packing your sandwiches with lots of crunchy bits could be good news for your waist.

That's right. When your diet is stuffed with difficult-to-chew foods, you increase your odds of a littler middle. So stack lots of crunchy cabbage, cucumber slices, and sprouts in those wraps and subs.

Jaws of Lite

Soft, creamy foods may be a comfort, but the foods we're genetically designed for -- the hard and crunchy ones our ancestors thrived on -- are better for our health and waistlines, studies show. So give your jaw a little workout at each meal.

Crunchy and Nutritious

The benefits of "hard" diets probably have something to do with what is usually found in hearty, chewy, crunchy foods -- less fat and calories and more fiber. It's certainly true for chewy eggplant and mushrooms, hearty broccoli and cabbage, and crunchy apples, carrots, and leaf lettuces. And yes, raw is best!


RealAge Benefit: Training your taste buds to love foods that thwart aging can make your RealAge at least 3 years younger.

[jezzie]

3 Ways to Dress Your Veggies

Your veggies don't like to be naked. And what couture do they prefer? Try a little healthful-fat finery.

A bit of unsaturated fat can help your body better absorb the fat-soluble nutrients in your vegetables. Here are three different looks to try:

1. Skip the fat-free ranch dressing. Instead, toss your greens with an olive-oil-based dressing like balsamic vinaigrette.
2. Make your fat crunchy. Season peppers, corn, carrots, or squash with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and then top with slivered almonds or toasted sesame seeds.
3. Go Thai. Create this Spicy Peanut Sauce for dipping lightly steamed broccoli and cauliflower . . .

In a recent study, people who tossed their salads with a dressing that had some fat in it absorbed more carotenoids from the vegetables than the people who used a nonfat dressing.

Carotenoids are potent antioxidants found in brightly hued produce -- think red, orange, and yellow. But the small intestine needs a little fat to absorb these power nutrients. So do several other fat-soluble vitamins, including:

* Vitamin E (found in spinach and broccoli)
* Vitamin K (found in cabbage, cauliflower, and turnip greens)
* Vitamin D (found in some fish and in fortified dairy)

When you're dressing your veggies, remember the Brylcreem jingle: "A little dab'll do ya." You can nearly undo all the good in veggies by turning them into high-calorie, high-fat side dishes. So don't drown them in sauces and oils. Think lightweight summer ensembles -- a little dribble of olive oil on a sliced tomato or a smattering of chopped walnuts on your spinach salad. Or a bit of Thai peanut sauce on your steamed broccoli. Check out this spicy peanut sauce recipe below.


RealAge Benefit: Getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements can make your RealAge 6 years younger.

[jezzie]

Spicy Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons "lite" coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste

Whisk together peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl until smooth.

Per tablespoon: 50 calories; 4 g fat

[jezzie]

Fridays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups two thirds decaf with almnd and evap. milk
almnds

Breakfast:
1 fried egg
old fashioned oatmeal w/cinnamon, buckwheat honey
4 oz. cranberry/Concord grape 100% juice

Pre-Lunch:
raisins, snflower and pmpkin seed mix,

Lunch:
Healthy Harvest rotini in Classico hot sauce w/parmesan
red pepper/cucumber/yellow onion in ex virg olv oil & wne vineg

Pre-Dinner:
organic plain yogurt w/mandarin orange slices added
walnuts

Dinner:
baked salmon, brussel sprouts, 5.5 oz. V-8 juice, banana