Love those artichoke appetizers you get at restaurants but stop in your tracks when you see them on display at the store? Yes, artichokes look intimidating, but once you know the secret of artichoke prep, you’ll look for opportunities to prepare them at home. Artichokes, a plant in the thistle family, are one of the healthiest foods around, rich in fiber and great for gut health and immunity, along with weight loss thanks to their low calorie count. Artichokes are high in folate, a B vitamin, vitamin C and magnesium. All you need to prep artichokes are sharp knives and scissors or kitchen shears. Rinse the artichokes and trim off the stems with your knife. Next, use the scissors to cut off the tips of the outer leaves. Then cut the artichokes in half from bottom to tip. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out the chokes, the inedible prickly centers. That’s all there is to it. Now you’re ready to roast them. Zesty Roasted Artichokes 2 artichokes, such as globe, prepped as described above 2 tablespoons parsley, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place the artichoke halves on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment…  read on >

High blood pressure is a risk factor for many serious health threats, such as heart attack and stroke. The most recent guidelines from the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and other health organizations reflect research findings that lowering the threshold for high blood pressure and starting treatment earlier does a better job of preventing these complications. The guidelines stem in part from studies funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Results showed increased heart health benefits to having the top, or systolic, number below a reading of 120 mm Hg. The New Normal: What Your Blood Pressure Reading Means Normal blood pressure: Less than 120 and less than 80 mm Hg Elevated blood pressure: 120-129 and less than 80 mm Hg Hypertension stage 1: 130-139 or 80-89 mm Hg Hypertension stage 2: 140 or higher and/or 90 mm Hg or higher Another key guideline recommends starting treatment when readings reach 130/80 mm Hg rather than the old target of 140/90 mm Hg. For some people, treatment simply means making lifestyle changes with diet and exercise, while others will do better with medication, such as when, for example, they have a higher personal risk for heart disease. If you have other health conditions like kidney disease or diabetes, it may take more time and effort working with your doctor to find the…  read on >

Love the taste of hot wings, but looking for something healthier? If you’re a fan of this game day favorite, you’ll go wild over Buffalo cauliflower. Making the simple swap from chicken wings to cauliflower gets more veggies into your diet and adds a world of nutrition. Cauliflower is a superfood rich in a long list of nutrients from vitamin C to fiber. And because of its mild taste, cauliflower takes on the flavors of any sauce you dress it with. At first glance, wing sauce may seem sinful, but hot sauce is made with chilies, a healing superfood that contains the potent antioxidant capsaicin — that’s what tingles your tongue with spicy heat. It calls for less than a tablespoon of butter per serving, and if you can purchase grass-fed butter, you’ll not only get the richness, but also the extra omega-3 fatty acids it has compared to butter made from grain-fed cow’s milk. And when you’re shopping for the cauliflower, look for bright white florets with no black or dark spots, which indicate spoilage. Buffalo Cauliflower 1 head cauliflower 1 lemon 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup hot sauce 3 tablespoons butter, preferably grass-fed 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 scallions, thinly sliced Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Zest…  read on >

Thanks to a federal ban on trans fats — commonly listed on labels as partially hydrogenated oils — margarine makers have taken steps to remove them from their ingredients. Does this mean margarine is once again a better choice than butter? Not necessarily. That’s in part because some studies have given the saturated fat in butter a reprieve. No, you shouldn’t be drowning your veggies in it or eating buttery desserts every day, but used sparingly — a pat here and there — it’s unlikely to harm you. There are also light or whipped butters that add water or air to halve the amount of fat and calories in each serving while still delivering on taste. On the other hand, you might choose from soft margarines and other spreads that include nutrients called plant sterols and stanols, which help lower cholesterol for some people. Still, any such products that include palm oil and/or palm kernel oil will have saturated fat. And at 70 or 80 calories per tablespoon, those calories can add up. So compare the nutrition labels of all spreads you’re considering. Look not only at saturated fat and total fat calories, but also at the ingredients list to see if there’s any partially hydrogenated oil at all. Although this main source of trans fat has, by and large, been removed from foods, it…  read on >