YOU: on a Diet ( 03/01/08 - 05/31/08 )

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The 3 Things You Need to Know About Soy

The claims are amazing -- soy does everything from lowering cholesterol and fighting cancer to thwarting brittle bones -- but scientists are still arguing.

Let 'em. Because if you're looking for a high-protein food that's low in saturated fat (this, of course, is where cheeseburgers and steaks flame out) soy's awesome.

And hey, if it turns out that all those other claims are true, jackpot! Plus, training your taste buds to love foods that thwart aging can make your "RealAge at least 3 years younger.

So here's all you need to know:

1. Drink up. Even die-hard carnivores -- not to mention the lactose intolerant and people who just don't care for dairy -- like soymilk. (The vanilla Silk brand gets them hooked.) Just make sure it's calcium fortified. A cup of fortified has 200–400 milligrams of calcium, or 20%-40% of your recommended dietary allowance.

2. Keep it simple. Heavy-duty processing isn't any better for soy than it is for whole grains. Choose basic Asian soy foods, such as tofu, tempeh, and miso, rather than highly processed soy sausages, frozen desserts, and energy bars. Otherwise, you're likely to find the label full of cholesterol, saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.

3. Think whole beans. Soybeans -- widely known as edamame (ed-a-mommy) -- give you the purest punch of the plant's phytochemicals, especially its isoflavones.

Many supermarkets now stock frozen soybeans (in and out of the pod), and some even have fresh ones.

Keeping frozen shelled beans on hand makes it easy to toss them into soups, salads, pasta, tortillas -- or this hummus recipe, made with soybeans instead of chickpeas.

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3 Simple Tips for Losing Weight

Go to sleep.
Getting enough sleep every night keeps you slim. Why? When your body doesn't get the 7 to 8 hours it needs every night, it doesn't get a full resupply of serotonin and dopamine, two feel-good brain chemicals it craves.

So it looks for ways to replenish them, and guess what immediately releases both in the body: sugary foods. That's why when you're tired you start craving sweets! So tuck yourself in early and stay slim.

Keep your hands full.
You'd think that sitting around playing video games, solitaire, or surfing Yahoo! would be a recipe for putting on pounds. Nope. When your fingers are flying, they're not knuckle-deep in a bowl of chips.

Now, that's not to say that endless hours on your duff are good for your waistline, but when you keep your hands and brain occupied, you're not automatically reaching for something to eat.

In fact, you're probably not even thinking about food. So the next time you start to open the fridge door, turn on the computer or pick up your knitting instead.

Pick and stick.
Yeah, sure, variety may be the spice of life. But it can also be the death of dieting. When you have a lot of choices for a meal, it's a lot easier to slip out of good eating habits and into buffet binges.

One way to avoid trouble is to eliminate choices for at least one meal a day.

Pick the meal you rush through most, and then automate it. For most people, that's lunch. Find a healthy lunch -- maybe salad with grilled chicken or a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread -- and have it for lunch every day. Every day. Yes, every day.

The less you think about food, the easier it is to control your appetite. And decreasing choices decreases temptations.

All three tips are from two weight-loss experts: RealAge superdocs Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, authors of the huge best-seller, YOU: On a Diet.

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Creative Marketing -- Don't Get Fooled

If you are thinking that one way to keep your diet wholesome is to focus on natural additives instead of artificial ones, think again.

Artificial additives are anything that doesn't come from spices, fruit or fruit juices, vegetables, edible yeast, herbs, bark, roots, and other natural sources. They are artificially produced using chemicals or synthetic compounds. Natural flavor, on the other hand, derives its taste-making power from all the aforementioned naturally occurring substances. For example, powder made from beets provides a natural food coloring.

But natural does not always mean safe. For example, some FDA-banned food additives come from plant sources. "Natural" is not a regulated food term. It has no legal meaning and can be misleading. The term might refer to the natural flavoring only.

Also, it's difficult to tell from product packaging which items contain only natural ingredients and which contain synthetic or artificial ingredients.

Planning Around Processed Foods

With so many variables and so many different additives serving different functions in processed foods, it might seem like an overwhelming task to decide which ones you feel are safe or appropriate to include in your own diet.

But processed foods are a fairly inevitable fact of life -- without some form of processing, many foods would spoil before consumers could buy them at the market. Eliminating processed foods from your diet is not a practical solution.

Minimizing your intake of unnecessary ingredients or highly processed, nutrition-poor foods is a good idea, however. Opt for fresh, whole foods when available.

Choose foods that have been minimally processed or foods that have undergone necessary or valuable processing, improving the nutritional status of the food or preserving it long enough so that you can benefit from it.

With this approach, you can minimize the potential negative aspects of certain processed foods while optimizing your intake of essential nutrients. RA

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Could This Salad Make You Stronger?

Sweet red peppers, sunflower seeds, and mango chunks atop a bed of spinach sure make for a yummy salad. But could it make you strong like Popeye, too?

According to research, it very well might. Especially if you're over 65. You see, each of those salad ingredients is rich in vitamin E. And seniors who get the most E test best on physical tasks, like how fast they can walk or how quickly they can get up out of a chair.

Why Your Body Needs It

The cells of your body can be damaged by certain by-products released during normal, everyday body functions. But vitamin E helps protect against that damage -- including damage to muscle cells. That may partly explain why not getting enough E puts physical function and strength at risk in seniors.

Should You Supplement?

The RealAge recommended dose of vitamin E is 400 international units per day. If you're not getting what you need from your food, consider adding a supplement.

3 More Reasons to Get Your "E"
E is not just a strength saver. Here’s what else it can do for you -- at any age:

* Boost your brain.
* Protect you from Parkinson's.
* Prevent atherosclerosis from getting worse.

RealAge Benefit: Taking vitamins C and E daily for their antioxidant and antiaging power can make your RealAge up to 1 year younger.

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Cranberry juice may fight viruses

Cranberry juice, which studies have shown may help disrupt bacterial infections of the urinary tract, may also work against gastrointestinal viruses.

Tests on animal viruses in lab dishes suggest the juice may help prevent viruses from infecting cells, the team at St. Francis College and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York found.

"Within the last five years, an increasingly large number of studies have suggested cranberry juice to be an effective commercial product for the reduction of urinary tract infections in women," Patrice Cohen of St. Francis, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

No studies have shown for sure that cranberry juice prevents any kind of infection, bacterial or viral. But some groups of researchers are testing the possibilities.

In a study funded partly by the Cranberry Institute and the Wisconsin Cranberry Board, the New York researchers treated intestinal monkey rotavirus SA-11 and a batch of goat viruses called reoviruses with a commercially available cranberry juice drink.

Electron microscope images showed no viral particles in the cells treated with cranberry juice, they told a meeting in Atlanta of the American Society for Microbiology.

"Our studies suggest a cranberry juice-induced antiviral effect upon selected intestinal animal viral disease-producing agents," Cohen said.

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Whole grains help deflate belly rolls
Study of obese adults also found reduced inflammation in blood vessels

Wed., Feb. 20, 2008

Cutting calories helps people lose weight, but doing so by filling up on whole grains may be particularly heart-healthy, new research suggests.

In a study of obese adults at risk of heart disease, researchers found that those who trimmed calories and increased their whole-grain intake shed more belly fat and lowered their blood levels of C-reactive protein or CRP.

CRP is a marker of chronic, low-level inflammation in the blood vessels, and both abdominal fat and CRP, in excess, are linked to heart attack and stroke.

Story continues here:
Whole grains help deflate belly rolls - Diet and nutrition - MSNBC.com

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All About YOU: Don’t Take the Fall

Young or old, spry or not -- all of us are going to take the occasional spill. (We know, sometimes it's like the ground just reached up and grabbed your toes!)

Whether you hit the pavement as a result is not about the initial misstep. It's about your ability to right yourself when you lose your balance. And we've got three tips for helping you wobble like a Weeble and not fall down.

3 Ways to Sure and Steady

* Choose dumbbells over weight machines. Dumbbells force you to balance the weights as well as lift them. Hint: Tap your balance muscles by doing lunges with weights in your hands.

* Make like a flamingo. Try doing whatever you're doing on one foot. It will help improve your proprioception -- your awareness of yourself in space -- which leads to better balance. Hint: Brush your teeth or crank out a few bicep curls with this method.

* Buy a ball. Adding stability-ball exercises to your workout routine tunes up your balance muscles, too. Hint: Try doing crunches, push-ups (hands on the floor and feet on the ball), or leg lifts with it.

RealAge Benefit: Strength training can make your RealAge 1 year younger.

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Common Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss

ROBERT B. SAPER, M.D., M.P.H., DAVID M. EISENBERG, M.D., and
RUSSELL S. PHILLIPS, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Over-the-counter dietary supplements to treat obesity appeal to many patients who desire a "magic bullet"
for weight loss.

Asking overweight patients about their use of weight-loss supplements and understanding the evidence for the efficacy, safety, and quality of these supplements are critical when counseling patients regarding weight loss.

A schema for whether physicians should recommend, caution, or discourage use of a particular weight-loss supplement is presented in this article. More than 50 individual dietary supplements and more than 125 commercial combination products are available for weight loss.

Currently, no weight-loss supplements meet criteria for recommended use.

Although evidence of modest weight loss secondary to ephedra-caffeine ingestion exists, potentially serious adverse effects have led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban the sale of these products.

Chromium is a popular weight-loss supplement, but its efficacy and long-term safety are uncertain.
Guar gum and chitosan appear to be ineffective; therefore, use of these products should be discouraged.

Because of insufficient or conflicting evidence regarding the efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid, ginseng, glucomannan, green tea, hydroxycitric acid, l-carnitine, psyllium, pyruvate, and St. John's wort in weight loss, physicians should caution patients about the use of these supplements and closely monitor those who choose to use these products.

(Am Fam Physician 2004;70:1731-38. Copyright© 2004 American Academy of Family Physicians.)

Common Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss - November 1, 2004 - American Family Physician

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Blood Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

It's great on french toast. It's lovely in apple pies, oatmeal, and eggnog. And now, it may be good for your blood sugar, too.

Give up? It's cinnamon. People with diabetes who eat three-eighths of a teaspoon a day enjoy better blood sugar levels after a little over a month. Here's what else will get your blood sugar under control.

It's In Your Blood

How does cinnamon work its magic? Researchers aren't sure yet. It's possible that something in cinnamon helps make insulin receptors more sensitive. But more research is needed before doctors recommend it as a mainstay of diabetes treatment. Still, there are lots of other ways to help stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep type 2 diabetes at bay.

True Diabetes Dashers

* Change the way you eat. A balanced, moderate diet is key to preventing and controlling the disease.
* Find your workout soul mate. Regular exercise helps improve your blood sugar profile.
* Trim -- just a little. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight could help lower your risk of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent! And maintaining a healthy weight helps control the disease if you already have it.

Did You Know?

To thwart diabetes, you don't have to give up bread. Just eat the right kind.

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.

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Up Your Nose with a Rubber Hose?

If nasal symptoms are driving you bonkers, a little nasal irrigation can soothe your schnoz.

It's easy. You don't need any special devices -- or a tiny garden hose! All you need is a little something you can buy at any drugstore . . .

Ode to Sinus Woes

Research confirms that a nasal saline rinse is a good (and cheap) way to ease chronic sinusitis and rhinitis symptoms. What you’ll need to buy: just a simple spray bottle of saline. In a recent study, that delivery method worked best. A spray bottle gently saturates the sinuses and the solution stays put quite well -- so the stuff can do its job. Simply squeeze the bottle and ahhhh

Self-Care for Stuffy and Sneezy

Here are some more tips for taming annoying springtime allergies:

* Check it. Your local pollen count, that is. If you know which pollens wreak havoc on your nose, and what time of day and year they're at their peak, you can plan your outdoor activities accordingly.
* Recirculate. In your house and car, close the windows and put your air conditioner or heater on the "recirculated air" setting.
* Swallow or spray. Try over-the-counter or prescription medication.

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

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Mondays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups two thirds decaf with soy and evap. milk
walnuts

Breakfast:
one fried egg
oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, buckwheat honey
Cara Cara orange

Pre-Lunch:
banana, small box of thin pretzels
grn. tea w/lemon, orange blossom honey

Lunch:
grilled swiss cheese on WW tortilla
5.5 oz. V-8 juice

Pre-Dinner:
organic plain yogurt with pineapple added
4 cheddar whole wheat Triscuits

Dinner:
baked salmon, green beans, Granny Smith apple
.

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Tuesdays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups two thirds decaf with soy and evap. milk
walnuts, banana

Breakfast:
1 egg
old fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon and buckwheat honey
Mineola orange

Pre-Lunch:
snflower seeds, grn. tea w/lemon, orange blossom honey

Lunch:
Healthy Harvest rotini in Classico hot sauce, parmesan

Pre-Dinner:
organic plain yogurt with sliced peaches
5.5 oz. V-8 juice

Dinner:
turkey breast, 1/2 of a sweet potato, spinach

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Wednesdays Menu

Pre-Breakfast:
2 cups two thirds decaf with soy and evap. milk
walnuts

Breakfast:
one fried egg
oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, buckwheat honey
Mineola orange

Pre-Lunch:
banana
6 Triscuits with 2% cheddar cheese

Lunch:
breaded summer squash casserole
(squash, corn, sweet potato, ww breadcrumbs)

Pre-Dinner:
organic plain yogurt with pineapple added
5.5 oz. V-8 juice

Dinner:
garlic, mushroom 'pizza' on whole wheat tortilla

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•Black and Blue

Some strange, dark things may be in your near future.

Like chokeberries. And elderberries. These little black- to blue-hued berry beauties pack one heck of an anthocyanin punch -- an even stronger one than blueberries do -- so you may be seeing more of them in products on grocery store shelves. (see below ?)

A Tricky Flavor Situation

Although chokeberries and elderberries are tops when it comes to anthocyanin content -- and they really ratchet up the diversity factor in your diet -- there is one challenge in coming up with uses for them: taste. Both berries are extremely astringent, and neither is edible raw.

Coming Soon?

Still, given their near superfood status, you may see them appearing more frequently in commercially prepared juices and other health-food products.

If you go the grow-it-yourself route, you can bake chokeberries (also called aronia berries) or elderberries in breads or cook them down with sugar to make jams or pies. You can also inquire about fresh berries at local farmers markets.

The take-away lesson here: Dark is good. It's true for chocolate and just about any berry variety.

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•Cram in More Cranberries

Bursting with flavor, dripping with color, and abounding in cancer-fighters -- the tiny cranberry has it all.

The bright red of the cranberry is a clue that it is jam-packed with flavonoids, including ones that appear to defend against cancer cell growth. So spread your turkey sandwiches with lots of tasty, fresh cranberry relish.

It's great on fish, in muffins, and as a salad topping, too!

Researchers testing a unique group of flavonoids -- anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and flavonol glycosides -- found that individually, each one prevented liver and breast cancer cells from multiplying.

When the three are combined, as they are in a cranberry, they may be even more effective in squelching cancer cell growth. In the lab, it's called synergy. In your mouth, it's called divine.

Enjoy plenty of fresh cranberries this season by making sauces, cobblers, muffins, and breads with them. When they are out of season, stock up on dried cranberries and add them to cereal, salads, and trail mix.

And cranberry juice with a splash of sparkling water is a terrific refresher. With every bite or sip, you'll be doing something positive for your health, and positively delicious.

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Add Support, Lose Inches

When it comes to weight control, does it feel as if it's YOU against the world? Add some other players to your team to help you win the losing game.

Sure, you need to be quarterback of your waist-loss team. But you're much more likely to succeed if there's someone to high-five you when you're doing well and to give you an encouraging squeeze when you're not.

That's why we strongly recommend finding a YOU partner -- be it a spouse, a friend, or a coworker -- someone you can talk with about reaching your goals, planning your meals, and getting past your mistakes!

Studies suggest that buddying up really works, especially when it comes to exercise.

More: Make a plan to touch base with your YOU buddy every day for 5 minutes to talk about what you ate, how fast and how far you walked, and what ups or downs you experienced.

Your buddy will be your sounding board and your comfort system as well as the person you're "accountable" to.

With accountability, you're more likely to make a permanent change. But you shouldn't be the only one relying on other people; try to find a support partner who needs you as much as you need him or her.

After all, the most satisfying experiences come not from the sixth scoopful of Haagen-Dazs but from sharing the knowledge and support that will help both of you reach your goals.

Reference: YOU: On a Diet. Roizen, M. F., Oz, M. C., New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

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What Your Colon Has to Say About Sweets

The next time your sweet tooth sends out peanut-butter-cookie signals, stave off the sugar rush and reach for a spoonful of all-natural peanut butter instead.

Why? Your colon will thank you. Ditching cookies and other sugar-laden refined carbs may mean less risk of colon cancer.

Ratchet Up the Risk

Research shows that eating a diet rife with sucrose (the stuff found in your sugar bowl and most candies and sweets) and other high-glycemic-index items can increase your risk of colon cancer.

But candies aren't the only place you'll find sucrose. Check the labels on salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, and condiments, too. (Ketchup has 4 grams per tablespoon!)

Better Choices

So, what should you eat instead to keep your colon happy and healthy? It's simple.

1. Go for whole grains. Study after study shows that more high-fiber whole grains equal better colon health.
2. Be picky about protein. Opt for fish, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, tofu, and legumes over processed meats and cold cuts -- which are linked to colon cancer.
3. Drink your milk -- or eat yogurt, if you prefer. The calcium and vitamin D in dairy products have a protective effect.

Did You Know?

Colonoscopies could prevent up to 80% of colon cancers in high-risk people.

RealAge Benefit: Learning to read labels and avoiding foods with saturated and trans fats, simple sugars, or processed grains as one of the first five ingredients can make your RealAge 3.6 years younger.

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Good Fat, Bad Fat: The Facts About Omega-3
Think all dietary fat is the same? Guess again
By Colette Bouchez

WebMD Feature Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

If you ask folks what food group they should avoid, most will probably answer "fats." While it's true that, in large amounts, some types of fat are bad for your health (not to mention your waistline), there are some we simply can't live without.

Among them are the omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods including walnuts, some fruits and vegetables, and coldwater fish such as herring, mackerel, sturgeon, and anchovies.

"It not only plays a vital role in the health of the membrane of every cell in our body, it also helps protect us from a number of key health threats," says Laurie Tansman, MS, RD, CDN, a nutritionist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

The benefits of omega-3s include reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke while helping to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joint pain and other rheumatoid problems, as well as certain skin ailments.

Some research has even shown that omega-3s can boost the immune system and help protect us from an array of illnesses including Alzheimer's disease.

Just how do omega-3s perform so many health "miracles" in people? One way, experts say, is by encouraging the production of body chemicals that help control inflammation -- in the joints, the bloodstream, and the tissues.

But even as important is their ability to reduce the negative impact of yet another essential type of fatty acid known as omega-6s. Found in foods such as eggs, poultry, cereals, vegetable oils, baked goods, and margarine, omega-6s are also considered essential. They support skin health, lower cholesterol, and help make our blood "sticky" so it is able to clot. But when omega-6s aren't balanced with sufficient amounts of omega-3s, problems can ensue.

"When blood is too 'sticky,' it promotes clot formation, and this can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke," says nutritionist Lona Sandon, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. But once you add omega-3s to the mix, the risk of heart problems goes down, she tells WebMD.

The latest research shows that the most promising health effects of essential fatty acids are achieved through a proper balance between omega-3s and omega-6s. The ratio to shoot for, experts say, is roughly 4 parts omega-3s to 1 part omega-6s.

Most of us, they say, come up dangerously short.

"The typical American diet has a ratio of around 20 to 1 -- 20 omega-6's to 1 omega-3 -- and that spells trouble," says Sandon, an assistant professor of nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. While reducing your intake of omega-6s can help, getting more omega-3s from food is an even better way to go

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Omega-3 fatty acids are not one single nutrient, but a collection of several, including eicosapentaenic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Both are found in greatest abundance in coldwater fish -- and that, say experts, is one reason so many of us are deficient.

Over the past several years, the Food and Drug Administration and other groups have issued warnings about mercury and other harmful chemicals found in fish. This has led many people to stop eating fish -- a big mistake, Tansman says.

"People have taken the whole FDA advisory out of context including who it's for, which is primarily pregnant women, and small children," she says. Moreover, Tansman says, even if you obey the FDA warnings in the strictest sense, the latest advisory says that up to 12 ounces of a variety of fish each week is safe for everyone. That amount, Tansman reminds us, is roughly half of what we need to get enough omega-3s.

"The recommendation [for omega-3s] is two servings of fish a week," Tansman says. "At 3 to 4 ounces per serving, that's well below the FDA's safe limit of 12 ounces per week."

According to the American Heart Association, those looking to protect their hearts should eat a variety of types of fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) at least twice a week. Those with heart disease should get 1 gram of omega-3s (containing both EPA and DHA) per day, preferably from fatty fish. About 1.5 ounces of fish contains 1 gram of omega-3s.

But even if you don't like fish (or choose not to eat it), you can still get what you need from dietary sources. WebMD Weight Loss Clinic "Recipe Doctor" Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, says one answer lies in plants rich in omega-3s -- particularly flaxseed.

"It's safe to say this is the most potent plant source of omega-3," says Magee, author of The Flax Cookbook. While flaxseed contains no EPA or DHA, Magee says, it's a rich source of another omega-3 known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body can use to make EPA and DHA.

Flaxseed is available in health food stores and many supermarkets, sold as whole seeds, ground seeds, or oil. Although flaxseed oil contains ALA, Magee says ground flaxseed is a much better choice because it also contains 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon, as well as healthy phytoestrogens.

Other sources of omega-3s include canola oil, broccoli, cantaloupe, kidney beans, spinach, grape leaves, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, and walnuts.

"About an ounce -- or one handful -- of walnuts have about 2.5 grams of omega-3s," says Sandon. "That's equal to about 3.5 ounces of salmon."

Besides getting more omega-3s, you can also help your heart by replacing some omega-6s from cooking oils with a third fatty acid known as omega-9 (oleonic acid). This is a monounsaturated fat found primarily in olive oil.

Though it is not considered "essential" (the body can make some omega-9), by substituting it for oils rich in omega-6s, you can help restore the balance between omega-3s and omega-6s, plus gain some additional health benefits.

"Factors found in olive oil can also help boost the good cholesterol, which can also help your heart," says Magee.

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Supplements vs. Foods

If you're thinking that maybe the easiest and most low-cal way to get omega-3s is with fish oil capsules, not so fast. Many nutritionists say it's a bad idea.

"There is something about whole food that when it goes into the body it's more than 90% absorbed, while [with] a supplement you absorb only about 50%," says Sandon.

Moreover, says Sandon, because the components of different foods work together, they may offer a more complete and balanced source of nutrients.

"It could be something more than just the omega-3s in fish that make it so healthy," says Sandon. "It could be the amino acids that provide benefits we are not going to see in fish-oil supplements alone."

And if you're thinking fish-oil capsules will help you avoid the contamination risks of fresh fish, think again.

Because supplements are not regulated in the U.S., Sandon says, some may contain concentrated amounts of the same toxins found in fresh fish. And because the oil is so concentrated, the supplements can also produce an unpleasant body odor.

Facts About Omega-3 Fats - WebMD

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How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight

Fruits and vegetables are part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan. There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight.

Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains and lean meats, nuts, and beans is a safe and healthy one.

Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases.

Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat less food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and vegetables in place of higher-calorie ingredients.

The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.