Sticking with a diet starts with having a plan that maps out meals and snacks based on foods that help you feel full longer. After all, if you feel satisfied, you’ll be less likely to rummage through your kitchen cabinets looking for treats. But sometimes cravings can get the better of you. You might be tempted by the whiff of a bakery as you walk to work, want something sweet to cheer you up when you’re down, or just reach for food because you’re bored. The answer is to create a strategy for dealing with a craving as soon as you feel one coming on. Pick a time when you’re not hungry (perhaps right after a meal) to plan how you’ll cope with a craving. Write down actions that you can take that fit with your lifestyle. This way, you’ll enjoy the alternative course of action rather than feeling like you’re punishing yourself. Your “best” action might be doing a crossword, picking up a crochet project or turning on dance music. What if you feel a craving this very second? Here are four things you can do right now: Phone a friend. Sometimes calling in reinforcements can keep you on track or simply divert your attention from food. Try to find nonfood topics of conversation, and chat until the craving passes. Drink a tall glass…  read on >

When you want to create a festive celebration without a fat and calorie overload, a seafood-based salad is the perfect choice. To step up the extravagance, make it with crabmeat. Crab is high in vitamin B12 and is a delicious, lean protein to pair with fresh greens. If you’re buying pre-packaged crabmeat, check it for any bits of shell, then give it a rinse under cold running water and set it aside to drain before using. You can also buy king crab legs at your fish counter and easily pick the meat out of the shells yourself after steaming them. Another special ingredient in this salad is low-calorie hearts of palm, the tender center of a plant typically found in Costa Rica. It gives this salad an exotic spin and a zesty flavor. You can find hearts of palm in cans or glass jars at most markets. Both parts of this recipe can be made in advance. Drizzle on the dressing just before serving to avoid making the greens soggy. Citrusy Crab Salad For the salad: 4 cups baby spinach, rinsed and drained 4 hearts of palm stalks, rinsed, drained and sliced into discs 6 ounces crabmeat, picked over, rinsed and drained 1 avocado, thinly sliced For the dressing: 1 navel orange 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4…  read on >

Smoothies make for a fast and filling breakfast or snack, but the bloom is off the rose when it comes to their health profile. Turns out that many store-bought smoothies are hidden havens for a crazy amount of calories, many coming not only from the natural sugar in the fruit but also from added sweeteners. Fortunately, you can take control of what goes into your smoothie when you make it at home and even amp up its nutrients. Most smoothies overdo the fruit. One way to cut back but still get fruity flavor is by using fruit that is less sweet, like berries, for example. They’re also among the fruits highest in antioxidants and other micronutrients. Blueberries are particularly beneficial for your brain, blood sugar control and eye health. Fresh or frozen, they are equally nutritious. Blueberries also pair well with greens, and that’s where you can really ramp up a smoothie’s nutrition. By adding spinach, for instance, you’ll get vitamins A and C, fiber and iron. A key smoothie ingredient is Greek yogurt, which adds protein along with creaminess. Yogurt also contains helpful probiotic bacteria that balance the flora in your gut. Another superfood addition is chia seeds. They’re high in fiber, protein and good-quality fat, all of which will help you to feel full longer and give you energy throughout your morning. Just…  read on >

Zesty ginger is more than just a great way to dress up your favorite recipes. It contains a potent immunity booster — its active compound gingerol is an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compound. Ginger is also a source of vitamin C and the minerals potassium and magnesium. Ginger root is inexpensive and easy to find in the produce aisle of your local grocery store. Look for a piece that’s firm and smooth. It may have many nubs, but they shouldn’t be shriveled. The skin should be a light brown and fairly smooth. Ginger keeps well for up to a few weeks in the produce bin of your fridge. Keep it wrapped in a paper towel and change the towel whenever it gets damp. Many people peel ginger with a spoon, scraping off the skin with an edge. But a veggie peeler works too and may be faster. When a recipe calls for minced ginger, after peeling, make horizontal slices and then cut each slice into matchsticks and cut the match sticks into tiny pieces. For grated ginger, you could use a mini food processor or, even better, a microplane — just run one trimmed end of a piece of ginger across the metal mesh and let the ginger and its juice fall into a bowl. Ginger is perfect for jazzing up salad dressings and marinades and…  read on >

Tighter high blood pressure guidelines for children might better spot those at risk for heart disease in adulthood, a new study suggests. Compared to 2004 guidelines, the updated 2017 guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics increased the number of children considered to have high blood pressure. But it wasn’t known if the new guidelines would help predict children who were at higher risk for premature heart disease. “We concluded that compared with children with normal blood pressure, those reclassified as having elevated or high blood pressure were more likely to develop adult high blood pressure, thickening of the heart muscle wall and the metabolic syndrome — all risk factors for heart disease,” said senior study author Dr. Lydia Bazzano. She is an associate professor of epidemiology at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in New Orleans. For the study, her team tracked data from the Bogalusa Heart Study, which enrolled nearly 4,000 participants at ages 3 to 18, and has followed them for 36 years. The researchers found that 11% of participants were identified as having high blood pressure using the 2017 guidelines, compared with 7% under the 2004 guidelines. In addition, the findings showed that 19% of those with high blood pressure under the 2017 guidelines developed thickening of the heart muscle during the follow-up period, compared with 12% of…  read on >

Asparagus is a great spring vegetable that can be a tasty side dish or the starring ingredient in a main course like risotto. And it’s more than just delicious — asparagus is great for digestive health, too. It’s a prebiotic food, meaning it feeds the helpful bacteria that live in your gut. These good bacteria are responsible for everything from signaling your immune system and keeping digestion in check to producing vital B vitamins. When shopping for asparagus, look for spears that are free of blemishes and dry spots, and tips that are closed and firm. Use asparagus promptly — it can spoil quickly. Miso asparagus is an easy side dish that can also be enjoyed as a main dish when served over salad or with sliced chicken. Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans. It’s a probiotic food, which has similar health benefits. Though it has a high salt content, it’s typically used in small amounts. Find it at health food and Asian food stores as well as in the Asian food aisle of large supermarkets. Miso Asparagus 1 pound green asparagus, trimmed 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon miso paste 1 tablespoon ginger, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons water Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Heat the sesame oil, and then add the asparagus. Cook, covered, 4 to 5…  read on >

As if you needed any more proof that fruits, vegetables and whole grains are good for you, a new study finds they may cut your chances of heart failure by 41%. Conversely, the so-called Southern diet, which focuses on meats, fried and processed foods and lots of sweet tea, was tied to a 72% increased risk of heart failure. “Eat more plants, limit red and processed meat,” said lead researcher Dr. Kyla Lara, a cardiology fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Lara cautioned that this study cannot prove different diets cause or prevent heart failure, only that they are linked. Nearly 6 million American adults suffer from heart failure, and that number is expected to rise with the aging population. The condition occurs when the heart does not pump blood sufficiently to meet the body’s needs. Steps to prevent heart failure include not smoking, keeping blood pressure under control, maintaining a healthy weight and eating healthy foods. Getting people to eat healthier requires that they be educated about the benefits of plant-based diets and have access to low-cost healthy foods, Lara said. “Animal meat is not necessary for a nutritious diet, in terms of health promotion and quality of life,” she said. “Now is the time to get on board with a plant-based diet — it’s going to be the future of health.”…  read on >