Roasted vegetables with sesame seeds, grilled portabella and pepper panini, cilantro rice and beans with ancho chilies. You don’t need to be an everyday vegetarian to enjoy appealing vegetable dishes. But if you are, you may enjoy the benefits of plant-based eating—if you choose foods carefully. The chance of heart disease, high blood pressure, type
Need instant nutrition information? E-nutrition advice is just a few mouse clicks away. How do you know what’s trustworthy when search engines list legitimate and less reliable sites side-by-side? Media savvy doesn’t apply just to magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, and books. Exercise the same healthy skepticism you would with any resource. (See August 20, September
In the United States, about $36 per week per person is spent on groceries. Get the most nutrition for your dollars with nutrient-dense foods. Consider: two melons cost about the same as two 64-ounce bottles of soda; a large bag of chips, about the same as a bag of apples. Exercise supermarket savvy. Buy it
Ready to go wild with your meals? Enjoy the nutty flavor and good nutrition of wild rice. Combine 1 cup raw wild rice with 3 (or 4) cups water, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes; you’re done! Cooked wild rice can be refrigerated for about one week. Wild rice
Do you buy into food myths? Here are three true-or-false questions to test your thinking. Spicy foods cause ulcers. Sugar causes diabetes. Fasting cleans the body of toxins. All three statements are false. Surprised? Ulcers are caused by the Heliobactor pylori bacteria. Chilies and other spices promote mucus formation that helps protect the stomach lining.
Do you feel computer fatigue after a workday? For the tiny muscles that control your eyes as you view the screen and the big muscles that support your back as you sit, your body needs regular breaks from extended computer work. You need good lighting (no glare, good contrast), a chair that allows for good
What cereal is right for you? With more than a hundred varieties, you’ve got choices! Check for fiber. Pick higher-fiber cereals—with perhaps whole wheat, bran, or oats as the first ingredient. Check serving size, too. Breakfast cereals may contain a range from 0.5 to 10 fiber grams per ounce. Daily fiber goal? Age 50 or
Though not brought up in “polite” conversation, regular elimination signals your good health—now and later. Regular differs from person to person. For most folks, one or two soft, bulky stools daily is normal. It’s not surprising that health risks rise when elimination isn’t normal. The chances for hemorrhoids and diverticulosis go up as hard stools
“Leaning” toward health? If you eat meat, how about a pork dinner tonight? A 3-ounce cooked lean pork loin chop has about 170 calories and 65 grams of cholesterol. Compare that to 150 calories and 70 grams of cholesterol in 3 ounces of cooked, skinless chicken breast. To keep pork dishes lean and flavorful: Buy
With creativity you can it veggies anywhere into any meal—even dessert! Carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, rich in beta carotene, make great dessert ingredients; enjoy them in Southern-style pudding. Corn and zucchini appear in sweet breads; tofu, in cheesecake and frozen desserts; rhubarb in pie; even cucumber in a refreshing sorbet! For vegetables in your