Post by Lisa on Sept 23, 2006 17:41:15 GMT 7
The ABC’s of Health
By Karen Asp
By Karen Asp
In a nutritionally sound world, trendy diets wouldn't exist. Women wouldn't judge food by numbers. And if dieticians had their say, the following foods would be on your plate. Why these? Think of eating like picking players for a baseball team. You wouldn't choose teammates who didn't offer you anything but the best. And that’s exactly the way you should approach food.
Let the alphabet be your diet guide to healthy, clean choices. Here are some foods that you should be “eating” on a regular basis:
Eggs
Eggs have long had a bad rap for their cholesterol content. While they are high in cholesterol, most studies have found no link between egg consumption and an increased risk of heart disease. “If you’re
already eating healthy, you can eat an egg a day and expect superior health,” says Katherine Tallmadge, author of Diet Simple (LifeLine Press, 2002). If you have cholesterol concerns, then skip the yolk, because that’s where the “offender” resides. But that also means you’ll be missing out on valuable nutrients, including choline, which aids in fetal brain development, and lutein, which fights eye and heart diseases as well as cancer. Sticking to only the whites does have its healthful benefits, though – no cholesterol and pure protein.
Chew on this: After your workout, replenish your muscles’ protein by eating one hard-boiled egg.
Avocado
Don’t let this fatty fruit scare you. Most of the fat found in avocados is the good kind – monounsaturated – which helps lower bad cholesterol. The fruit also offers fiber, folate, B vitamins, potassium, and magnesium. Just don’t go overboard with avocados because they contain about 300 calories each.
Chew on this: Instead of coating sandwiches with butter or mayonnaise, spread on mashed avocados.
Tea
Ditch that latte and start sipping caffeinated tea. Along with fighting bad breath, tea contains antioxidants that can inhibit certain cancers and reduce the risk of heart attacks. Tea can also boost bone health, and prevent cavities and gum decay. Studies indicate that all caffeinated tea has health benefits.
Sip on this: Drink a cup a day. To jazz up the taste of tea, add a splash of lemon or honey.
Italian cress
Eating Italian cress, also called arugula, can help prevent macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in America, says Cynthia Sass, a registered dietician, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and co-author of Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy (Marlowe & Company, 2004). Its dark green coloring indicates the presence of antioxidants, which can be cancer-fighters. The veggie also provides vitamins A and C.
Chew on this: Create a salad with Italian cress and oranges, or sauté cress with olive oil and garlic to serve as a side dish.
Nuts
Once crucified for their fat content, nuts are now a dieter’s best friend. So, too, is peanut butter. Nuts and peanut butter do contain fat (one ounce of pecans contains 19 grams of fat), but it's the heart-healthy monounsaturated variety. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who ate one- to two-ounce servings of nuts, five or more times a week, lowered their heart disease risk by up to 50 percent. Other studies indicate that moderate-fat diets that include nuts and peanut butter keep people feeling full and promote long-term weight loss.
Chew on this: Slather two tablesthingys of peanut butter on toasted wheat bread, or add a handful of nuts to vegetable sautés.
Garlic
Grab those breath mints and dig into this powerful food. Garlic boosts immunity and can help prevent certain diseases. The Iowa Women's Health study Study discovered that women who ate at least one serving of garlic a week lowered their risk of colon cancer by 35 percent. Garlic contains allicin, a phytochemical that can lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. “To retain allicin, which can be reduced by cooking, allow crushed garlic to stand 10 minutes before cooking,” Tallmadge says.
Chew on this: To make flavorful, “skinny” mashed potatoes, mash together crushed garlic, cooked potatoes, and chicken broth.
