Eats « Weekly Gravy

Watching your cholesterol intake has gotten easier. Nutrition experts now agree that certain foods high in cholesterol, like shrimp and eggs, don’t have the impact on your blood cholesterol that was once thought. Even better, some foods can help lower your blood cholesterol level. Walnuts have healthy unsaturated fats that help lower LDL — that’s the unhealthy type of cholesterol. Almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios are good choices, too. Beans and oats have a magic bullet — soluble fiber, which helps flush cholesterol out of your system before it can do harm and also helps with digestive health. Enjoy hot or cold oat cereals and experiment with beans in place of meat. Avocados are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids and can help lower LDL. Mash a few tablespoons to spread on sandwiches instead of mayo and dip raw veggies rather than chips in fresh guacamole. Plant-based foods, in general, naturally contain sterols and stanols, substances that fight off cholesterol, another reason to boost your intake. Top sources include wheat germ and wheat bran, peanuts, almonds, sesame and olive oils, and Brussels sprouts. Studies have found that getting 2 to 3 grams a day can lower LDL up to 14%. Your overall diet plan can help lower cholesterol, too. Options include the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), also designed to lower blood pressure, and the… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Eating out can be stressful if you have a food allergy. Before you leave for the restaurant, you should read the menu, call ahead and speak to the manager, says the Food Allergy Research and Education organization. When at the restaurant, FARE suggests: Tell your waiter about your allergy. Ask what is in your dish and how it’s prepared. Keep the dish simple. Avoid fried foods. Be especially careful when ordering dessert.

Many packaged foods have the potential to give you vitamin overload, especially if you’re already taking a daily multivitamin. Here’s what you need to know. Manufacturers have been adding nutrients to foods for decades. In fact, it started nearly 100 years ago with the addition of iodine to salt. Vitamins and minerals are added to foods in two key ways. Foods and beverages can be “enriched.” This means putting back nutrients lost in processing, like the longstanding practice of adding B vitamins to packaged breads and cereals made with refined flours. Keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily make them as nutrient-dense as foods made with whole grains, because not every natural micronutrient lost in processing can be replaced. Foods and beverages can be “fortified.” This means adding one or more nutrients not normally found in the food in its natural state. Sometimes this is helpful — adding hard-to-get vitamin D to milk, adding calcium to non-dairy milks and orange juice for those who are lactose intolerant, and adding omega-3 fatty acids to eggs for people who don’t eat enough fatty fish. But some foods are fortified with levels of nutrients that exceed limits set by the Institute of Medicine. And sometimes they’re just not necessary for you. For instance, according to a University of Toronto study, the most common vitamins added to fortified waters… read on >

High in lycopene, low in calories, and rich in vitamins A and C, tomatoes are delicious fruits that can be turned into savory dishes. Try this simple fresh tomato sauce to make good use of this summer favorite. Fast Fresh Tomato Sauce 1-1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup white wine or water Quarter the tomatoes, remove the cores and chop them coarsely in a food processor. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic and chili flakes for extra spice. Cook 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, add the basil and bring to a simmer. Add the wine or water. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes until thickened. Toss with your favorite whole grain pasta and sprinkle with cheese, or use as a sauce for seafood or chicken. Yield: Enough for four servings Have too many tomatoes to turn into sauce right away? Here’s a simple trick that will allow you to enjoy summer’s bounty into the winter. First, to make it easy to peel off the skins, fill a large stockpot about three-quarters of the way to the top with water and bring to a boil. With a sharp paring knife, cut an “X” through the… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Any illness can reduce or eliminate your appetite. But if the illness is treatable, appetite should return after treatment, says MedlinePlus. MedlinePlus mentions potential causes of appetite loss: Emotions such as sadness, depression or grief. Serious illnesses such as cancer or HIV. Use of certain medications or street drugs. Hypothyroidism. Pregnancy. Aging. Contact a doctor if you are losing a lot of weight without trying, or if decreased appetite occurs along with other symptoms.

Shopping for a gift for a friend or loved one? Instead of wracking your brain over which sweater to buy, keep in mind that gifts for good health are always the right size. You can be extravagant with a gym membership or a state-of-the-art piece of home equipment, but there are also many choices that will fit even a frugal budget. For the gadget lover, there’s wearable technology, from activity trackers and smartwatches to heart-rate monitors and GPS tracking devices, the American College of Sports Medicine suggests. Or what about a new app that works with a smartphone? Many are free, but there’s often a bells-and-whistles version you can buy for just a few dollars. Consider a valued accessory for an activity that the recipient already enjoys, like a yoga mat or special yoga socks. You don’t have to be barefooted to feel grounded. Socks specially made for doing yoga provide the grip needed to hold poses and maintain balance during practice. Everyone can use better balance, making training items like a foam roller, balance board or stability ball great choices. Many come in fun colors. A powerful blender or juicer is great for making fast, high-energy breakfasts. But if an appliance isn’t in your budget, how about a reusable water bottle to carry their smoothie? And if food is on the gift list, skip… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Desserts don’t have to be off-limits for people who want to eat healthier, says Johns Hopkins University. When preparing desserts, choose baked-good recipes made with skim milk, low-fat cream cheese or yogurt. Using bananas and applesauce as add-ins can also cut down on unhealthy oils and fats. Additionally, the university recommends ensuring that your sweets contain lots of vitamins and fiber, to help avoid spikes in blood sugar.

Infants and young children with vitamin D deficiency may have a heightened risk for elevated blood pressure later in childhood and in their teens, a new study finds. Researchers followed 775 children in Boston from birth to age 18. Most were from low-income families in urban neighborhoods. Compared to children born with normal vitamin D levels, those born with low levels — less than 11 nanograms per millimeter (ng/ml) in cord blood — had a 60% higher risk of elevated systolic blood pressure (upper number in a reading) between ages 6 and 18. Systolic pressure, the upper number in a reading, is the force of your blood pushing against your arteries when your heart beats. Diastolic pressure measures force between beats. High systolic pressure increases heart disease risk even when diastolic pressure is controlled, the researchers noted. Kids with consistently low levels of vitamin D (less than 25 ng/ml) through early childhood had twice the risk of elevated systolic blood pressure between ages 3 and 18, the study found. However, the findings only reflect an association rather than a cause-and-effect link. The study was published July 1 in the journal Hypertension. “Currently, there are no recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to screen all pregnant women and young children for vitamin D levels,” lead author Dr. Guoying Wang said in a journal news release.… read on >

No matter how committed you are to eating healthier and/or losing weight, making drastic changes can be hard. A better approach is to make small shifts in the foods you eat every day, according to the U.S. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines. Here are 10 to aim for. To boost your diet efforts over time, try one a week. Shift from white bread to whole-wheat bread or a wrap. Shift from meat to seafood, or replace meat in recipes with beans and vegetables twice a week. Join the Meatless Monday bandwagon to gradually reduce the red meat — beef, lamb and pork as well as processed meats — in your diet. Shift from salted to unsalted nuts, and from regular canned soups and vegetables to low-sodium varieties. These are painless ways to reduce unnecessary salt. Shift from butter to olive oil, and from creamy dressings to vinaigrettes. This increases unsaturated fats in your diet while reducing saturated ones. Shift from whole milk to 2%, and then to 1% milk. Even though some studies have reported that full-fat dairy is not the health threat it was once thought to be, this shift will cut calories if you need help losing weight or maintaining a loss. Shift from cream-based pasta dishes to ones with red sauce. This also cuts saturated fat. Shift to roasted squash chunks from French fries.… read on >

Pickled vegetables are healthy and crunchy treats, and when you make them yourself, they’ll have great savory flavor with a lot less sodium than packaged varieties. Note that pickled foods are different from fermented foods, such as yogurt and kimchi. Pickling is soaking a food in a salty or acidic solution. Fermentation is the result of a reaction that occurs between a food’s own sugars and bacteria. Both are tasty and good for you. Firm veggies like radishes, green beans and fennel work best, because they won’t get mushy in the pickling liquid. Even if you’ve never been a radish fan, this recipe will turn you into one. Try them over Mexican dishes like black beans and rice, or nibble on them right out of the jar for a quick snack. Pickled Radishes With Orange Rind 1/2 cup white vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup cold water 2 2-inch strips orange rind 1 pound radishes, thinly sliced 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced Place vinegar, sugar, salt and cold water in a large saucepan. Mix well and add orange rind. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 30 seconds until the salt and sugar totally dissolve. Turn off the heat and add the radishes and red onion to the liquid. Let stand until the vegetables reach room temperature. Spoon… read on >