Month: December 2016

You may have heard the term “negative calorie” food and wondered how that could be possible. Can a food have fewer than zero calories? Well, actually it can’t, but the term is used to describe foods that take more energy for our bodies to digest than the energy they provide us. For example, a stalk of celery has about 8-10 calories, but our body needs to use more calories than that to digest it.

Because of this, many people say that negative calorie foods like celery can help you lose weight. While there is some debate about this theory, most so-called “negative calorie foods” are very healthy for you for other reasons too, so eating plenty of them as part of your diet is certainly beneficial.

Negative Calorie Vegetables:

Asparagus

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Celery

Chicory

Dandelion

Hot Chili Peppers

Cucumber

Garlic

Green Beans

Lettuce

Onions

Pickles (but they are high in salt!)

Radish

Spinach

Tomatoes (technically a fruit, but listed here since most people think of it as a vegetable)

Turnip

Watercress

Zucchini

 

Negative Calorie Fruits:

Apple

Apricots

Blueberries

Cantaloupe

Cranberry

Grapefruit

Honeydew

Lemon

Lime

Mango

Orange

Papaya

Peach

Pineapple

Quince

Raspberry

Strawberry

Tangerines

Turnips

Watermelon

 

Negative Calorie Proteins:

Abalone Clams

Bass

Catfish

Crab

Flounder

Mussels

Shrimp

 

Ways to Incorporate Negative Calorie Foods into Your Diet

Adding these foods to your diet is fairly simple. Make sure to keep plenty of your favorites on hand and consider the following:

• Make soups with vegetable-based stock.
• Instead of sautéing vegetables in oil, steam them. Add pepper, a little garlic and serve.
• Grab a watermelon or orange as a snack instead of oily potato chips.
• Instead of a soda, squeeze some lemon or lime into a tall glass of ice water.
• Choose lean meats for your main course or a negative calorie protein and instead of a starchy potato or rice, include plenty of negative calorie vegetables on the side.
• Serve a negative calorie fruit salad for dessert, instead of cake or ice cream.
• Instead of mashed potatoes, try mashed cauliflower. It’s delicious.
• Prepare more green salads and for a treat top with raspberries or strawberries.
• Add more seafood to your diet and the negative calorie options mentioned above make a great start.
• Use your favorite seasonings for seafood, instead of garlic butter. Whether it’s garlic, Cajun or Old Bay Spice, eliminating the butter goes a long way.

 

But do be warned, a diet consisting solely of negative calorie foods is not healthy, so simply make them a part of your balanced diet. The more fruits, vegetables and lean proteins you add to your diet, the healthier you’ll feel and maybe you’ll even trim that waistline.

According to the American Diabetic Association, most Americans don’t get enough fiber in their diets. The daily recommended intake is 20-30 grams each day, but if you’re like many others, you may only get about half that.

Everyone says you should get more fiber in your diet, but how? And more importantly, why do we need fiber?

Fiber is known to help in the prevention of cancers, heart disease and even diabetes. It can also help in weight regulation, reduce cholesterol and constipation. In short, it’s an important part of a healthy diet and long life.

Fiber is found only in plant-based foods and because many diets are focused on meats and refined carbohydrates, it’s no wonder that many diets lack it. While not all plant-based foods are equal in their fiber content, here are some foods high in dietary fiber:

• Apples, pears, bananas and raspberries.
• Bran cereal, whether it’s oat, wheat, rice or corn
• Oats, flax seeds
• Lentils; navy, white, kidney and black beans.
• Cocoa powder and dark chocolate
• Almonds, pistachios and pecans
• Avocado, kale, peas, winter squash and many other vegetables

Of course, it’s easy to say which foods are high in fiber, but how can you make sure that your diet is rich in fiber? Here are some approaches that might help:

• If you enjoy breakfast cereals, focus on bran cereals or grab yourself a nice comforting bowl of oatmeal.
• Add bran and flax seeds to baked goods like muffins, loaves and even cakes.
• Flax seed is also easily and discretely added to smoothies, yogurt and even soups.
• Oats can also be added to cookies, muffins and other baked goods.
• Juicing removes the fiber from the fruit. Make a point of eating fresh, whole fruits regularly.
• Fill your plate with vegetables before adding proteins and other carbohydrates.
• Speaking of carbohydrates, focus on unrefined carbs and forgo the refined flour and rice.
• Go meatless and eat more beans. They’re delicious and good for you.
• Eat more salad and fewer French fries. Pre-cut salad ingredients and keep them in your fridge for easy access.
• Keep a well-stocked veggie plate in your fridge at all times. You’re more likely to grab it if it’s all ready for you.
• Keep skins on vegetables, where possible. The most fiber is often found near the skin.
• Nuts are a satisfying snack that gives you a nutrition boost.
• Instead of sugary desserts, try a fruit salad to satisfy a sweet tooth
• Enjoy a little dark chocolate now and then. You deserve it.
• Read the label. When it comes to packaged foods, find the one with the most dietary fiber and nutritional value for you.

While it isn’t usually necessary to count the grams of your dietary fiber intake, focus on increasing the amount of unrefined plant-based foods in your diet. More plant-based foods not only means increased fiber, but more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, so indulge to your heart’s content.

If you’re looking for a way to create more heart healthy lunches, there’s good news. Being heart smart and enjoying delicious foods go hand in hand. As an added benefit, you’ll feel and look great too.

Here are 5 ideas for your heart healthy lunches:

• Spinach Salad with Chicken and Blueberries: Instead of a heavy lunch, try a wonderfully filling entrée salad. While you can use any type of lettuce in your salad and still be heart-smart, consider using spinach as your main greenery. Nutrient-rich spinach is high in folate and is proven to prevent heart attacks.  Add your favorite vegetables and a lean protein like a skinless chicken breast. Top with slivered almonds or walnuts and blueberries. Almonds and walnuts control blood lipids, while blueberries are full of antioxidants, all of which are important to your heart health.

 

• Roasted Veggie Wrap Sandwich: Take a whole-wheat tortilla and fill it with cooked brown rice and roasted vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and add a little light dressing of your choice.  Roasted vegetables like sweet red peppers, asparagus and broccoli are great choices. Red peppers have plenty of antioxidants and folic acid to promote heart health. Asparagus is rich in potassium, folic acid and soluble fiber, all of which are good for your heart. Broccoli packs a lot of nutrition and also is high in sulforaphane, which can help prevent clogged arteries. The addition of brown rice can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure; so eat up!

• Grilled or Poached Salmon: You can’t go wrong with salmon. It’s rich in omega-3s, which can dramatically reduce the risk of heart attack when eaten regularly. You can grill or poach salmon and serve it with a nice fruit salsa. Add a colorful green salad on the side and you’ve got yourself a delicious lunch.

• Tuna Salad Sandwich: While tuna is not as rich in omega-3s as salmon, it is still a very important source. Make your salad with yogurt instead of mayonnaise, mustard and finely chopped celery. Use whole wheat bread to boost your daily whole grain servings, which can help prevent heart attack. Top your sandwich with sliced tomatoes, which can help regulate blood lipids.

• Veggie Chili: A classic comfort food, when made with vegetable ingredients, chili is a very heart healthy lunch. Kidney beans are low in fat, high in soluble fiber and have omega-3 fatty acids. Use fresh tomatoes to make your sauce and load it up with vegetables.

 

If you’re ever unsure of what heart healthy accompaniment can go with your lunch, you’ll never go wrong with a vegetable plate with a yogurt-based dip. Load up with plenty of carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and any of your favorite vegetables.

Overall, keep your meals simple. There’s no need to worry about which vegetable has more health benefits than the other. Simply eating a variety of vegetables, whole grains and incorporating fish into your diet will place you on the road to a heart healthy lifestyle.

It’s true, the words healthy and holidays don’t always go together. While most people do indulge a little, it’s not necessary to go off the deep end to have a great time this holiday season. To keep your waistline from expanding to Santa-proportions, use these tips to keep you on track throughout the holidays.

It can be challenging when you attend that potluck lunch or dinner at Aunt Janice’s. It’s only polite to try everything, right? Stick with that approach and you’ll be headed down the slippery slope to horizontal expansion. You can still enjoy yourself without offending anyone. Here’s how:

• Choose smaller portions. You don’t need a mountain of mashed potatoes with a cup of gravy. Simply choose to eat less of each food and give your stomach time to settle before attempting to get any seconds.

• Use a smaller plate. Dinner plates are often larger than we need, and an appetizer plate fits all the nutrition required. While you may not want to try this at Aunt Janice’s dinner table, it’s great practice at your own home or when surveying a buffet table.

• Put more vegetables on your plate. You can’t go wrong with vegetables, but avoid adding butter and other sauces. Just a little pepper to bring out the natural flavor is all you need.

• Plan ahead. If you know you’re going to have a big potluck lunch at work, plan a light and healthy dinner. Or if dinner is going to be an indulgent event, choose a nice big salad with a little bit of whole wheat bread for lunch.

• If you receive treats, share them. If you’re at work, put them out on your desk and invite your co-workers to help themselves. If your home looks like a Hershey’s factory, consider donating your extras to the food bank.

• Reduce the sugar. Obviously, too much sugar is not good for you, but the consumption of sugar can lead to cravings for more sugar, creating a vicious cycle for your diet during the holidays.

• Reduce your alcohol consumption. Not only does it add extra calories, it loosens your inhibitions and can lead you to make poor food choices.

• Bring a healthy contribution. If you’re bringing something to a party, there is no rule that it has to be an indulgent sweet or savory treat. Try a fruit salad, healthy pasta dish or other healthy item.

• Steam your vegetables. When preparing your own meals or contributing to a potluck, steam your vegetables and add seasonings, instead of cooking in oil or adding unnecessary fat.

As you can see, there’s still plenty of room to enjoy food, friends and family this holiday season. Just curb your portions, choose healthier options and indulge a little now and then.

Cooking is a skill that is passed on from generation to generation. Unfortunately, many of those cooking approaches aren’t always in line with what we know now about eating more healthfully. Here are some simple strategies you can apply to your favorite meals to give them a healthier twist.

• Invest in some quality non-stick cookware. When you use quality non-stick surfaces, you can greatly reduce or even eliminate the oil required for cooking. For example, with a good non-stick griddle, no oil is necessary when making pancakes. Not only is that healthier, but pancakes without the grease taste so much better.

• Do less frying and more baking, steaming, poaching and grilling. Instead of fried chicken, coat and bake it instead. Instead of French fries, slice some potatoes; place them on a baking sheet and bake until golden.

• Choose leaner cuts of meat and trim fat before cooking. If you’re cooking with chicken, consider removing the skin first. Because this can dry out the chicken, you can cook with the skin on, but remove it before serving. However, realize that cooking with the skin on increases the fat and cholesterol of your finished product.

• Go meatless at least once a week. Not every meal needs to have meat. Try beans, tofu or just a nice meatless pasta. Very few meat-eating Americans are at risk of protein deficiency, so don’t worry about missing protein in a single meal.

• Eat fish at least once a week. Fish is a high quality protein that is generally low in fat. Many fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids and are a good source of minerals, making them a healthy choice that promotes heart health.

• Reduce the refined ingredients you cook with. Choose whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose white flour. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of canned. Instead of refined sugars like white sugar and corn syrup, choose sweeteners like unrefined honey or maple syrup.

• Cooking sprays are often touted as a healthy alternative to cooking with oils, but aerosol cans are probably not your healthiest choice. You can purchase spray pumps specifically for oil and use that instead.

• Instead of reaching for the butter or other unhealthy flavorings, experiment with herbs, spices and other flavors. Herbs and spices have vitamins, minerals and some even have antioxidants. Plus, they are fat-free and a healthy way to add a little something to your favorite foods.

• Reduce sodium by waiting to add salt after food is cooked, and only when it’s necessary. Avoid canned and other prepared ingredients in your food. Use fresh wherever possible.

 

If this list is full of changes you need to be making in your cooking, take it one step at a time. Choose one tip and make it a goal each week. Every little step toward healthier cooking and eating counts.

We all know cooking at home is a healthier choice over choosing the drive-thru or dining out. However, it’s important to remember that recipes are created simply for their texture and flavor, but don’t always take health into consideration. To make it easier for you to cook more healthfully, here are a few tips that you can use on a variety of recipes.

• For many recipes it’s easy to simply reduce the amount of fat or oil used to make cooking easier. Non-stick cookware means you need little or no fat when cooking on the stovetop. Greasing baking dishes is often unnecessary as well, but you may have to experiment a little.

• For fats and oils used for baking cakes and muffins, you can often substitute them with apple puree. For cookies, aim to replace about ½ the oil with puree. You can even aim for a more healthful impact by using highly nutritious sweet potato puree as a fat and oil substitute.

 

• If a recipe calls for saturated fats like butter or even lard, replace it with vegetable or olive oil. Of course, this won’t always work in recipes that call for creaming of butter. In those cases, you might try margarine or simply reduce the amount of butter.

• In baking, you can usually replace 1 egg with 2 egg yolks for the same desired result, but with less cholesterol.

• Try replacing at least half the white flour in a recipe with whole wheat. Many recipes will work with a complete replacement, so experiment a little. Your health is at stake.

• Many sweet recipes are sweeter than they need to be. Don’t be shy about reducing the sugars. Definitely do this where sweeteners are often added after cooking. For example, there is no reason pancake or waffle batter needs a lot of sugar when syrup, fruit and other sweet items are added afterwards.

• To salt or not to salt? In savory foods, salt is usually not necessary. For baked goods, while many may say otherwise, it’s not always necessary either. One exception is baked goods using yeast. Salt slows down the rising process and produces better texture, so it is likely necessary, but you can try reducing the amount of salt used.

• Try lower fat dairy products in your recipes. Instead of heavy cream, use half and half. Instead of whole or 2% milk, try skim. The same goes for sour cream, yogurt and cheeses. Just make sure to read the label for quality ingredients as lower quality products tend to add undesirable ingredients and chemicals to make their low fat varieties more palatable.

 

Overall, it’s important to try things out. The more you rework recipes and learn from your successes and even the failures, the easier it becomes to modify recipes on the fly.