Experts have redefined the role of fat in healthy eating, but before you grab a chunk of cheese or another pat of butter, understand the differences between the various types of fat in your diet. For decades, guidelines recommended limiting total dietary fat to no more than 30% of daily calories, and then to a range of 20% to 35% of calories. The thinking was this would lower saturated fat and cholesterol intake, both of which were thought to increase heart disease risk. But many people restricted all types of fat, including healthy ones, like the unsaturated fats found in nuts, vegetable oils and fish. What’s more, packaged food manufacturers rushed to replace fat with unhealthy processed carbohydrates like sugar and refined grains. But research analyzing observational studies and clinical trials has found that replacing saturated fat with the refined carbohydrates found in so-called low-fat processed foods doesn’t lower heart disease risk. On the other hand, choosing polyunsaturated fats for either saturated fat or carbohydrates does. Polyunsaturated fats include both plant and marine sources of unsaturated fats, such as olive oil and fatty fish. This is true even when calories from these sources account for 35% or more of the daily diet. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee now suggests optimizing healthy fats and avoiding low-fat or even non-fat products that have high levels of refined… read on >
All Eats:
Healthy, Delicious Cooking With Summer’s Peaches, Plums
Sweet plums and peaches are great on their own, a good source of potassium and a sweet low-cal snack with only 40 calories each. But you can also use them as the foundation of dishes perfect for summer entertaining. When it comes to picking out the best stone fruit, look for firm, unblemished skins — no scratches or bruises. If they’re firm to the touch, let them rest on a countertop or windowsill or in a basket for four to five days until ripe. If you love fruit pies, but not their calorie overload, fruit crisps are a great swap. They’re lower in calories because they have only a streusel topping, no pie crust. This also makes them easier to prepare. Stone Fruit Crisp 4 plums, halved, pitted and thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or cinnamon 1/2 pint raspberries For the streusel: 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup rolled oats Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the plum slices in a large bowl along with the lemon juice, vanilla and ground black pepper (for a spicy kick) or cinnamon (for a sweet kick). Toss well. Arrange plums in an 8-inch square baking dish, overlapping them slightly, and then sprinkle with the… read on >
Wake Up Your Breakfast With Delicious Whole Grains
If you’re looking to change up that sugary bowl of cold cereal, quinoa and amaranth are nutritious alternatives. These tiny grains (they’re actually seeds) make excellent and hearty breakfasts, and are rich in iron, protein and magnesium along with many other vital nutrients. Cinnamon is the ideal spice to boost the flavor of these hearty grains. Quinoa comes in red, white and black varieties, and any will work for this recipe. Check the package first to see if you need to rinse it, although most brands come pre-washed. To rinse, place quinoa in a fine mesh colander, rinse under cold water and then proceed with the recipe. Morning Quinoa 1 cup quinoa 2 cups water 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons butter, preferably grass-fed 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 large strawberries Place the quinoa in a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through and tender. Stir in the cinnamon, butter and vanilla extract. Garnish with strawberries and serve. Yield: 2 servings Amaranth is traditionally popped like corn kernels and is equally delicious as a hot cereal. Hot Chocolate Amaranth Porridge 3/4 cup amaranth 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 2-1/4 cups water 1 tablespoon honey 1 banana, sliced 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Place the amaranth and cocoa powder in a large saucepan… read on >
Timing Is Everything When It Comes to Calorie Intake
If you skip or skimp on breakfast, grab a quick lunch and then load up at dinner, your food intake is likely out of sync with your body’s needs. Not getting calories when you really need them (hint: during the day) could be why you’re having a hard time shedding pounds or finding the energy to exercise. Here’s how to rebalance your calorie intake. One approach, recommended by sports fitness dietitian Nancy Clark, is to divide your daily intake into four equal meals — breakfast, lunch, a second lunch eaten midafternoon, and dinner — with the calories for the second lunch coming from the ones you’re probably taking in during late-night snacking. This keeps your body fueled throughout the day so you have the energy you need when you need it. Front loading calories also seems to speed weight loss, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity. Researchers from the University of Murcia, in Spain, tracked 420 participants on a 20-week weight-loss program. All followed a Mediterranean lifestyle with lunch being the main meal of the day. Half were “early” lunch eaters, eating before 3 p.m., and half ate later. Over the study, the early lunch eaters lost significantly more weight than those who ate later (and who also tended to skip or eat less at breakfast than the early lunchers), even… read on >
Would You Like a Lizard With That Salad?
Imagine this: You open a bag of fresh salad greens and out pops a lizard. Or worse. Unfortunately, that scenario is more common than many might think. Researchers analyzed online news between 2003 and 2018 and found 40 articles about U.S. consumers discovering live, dead or severed parts of animals in their produce. More than half of the cases involved frogs, but lizards, snakes, mice, birds and even a bat were found in salad greens, green beans or mixed vegetables. Ten of the animals — nine frogs and one lizard — were found alive. In three-quarters of the cases, the produce was conventionally grown, not organic. “It was implied over and over in these articles: If you buy organic, getting a frog is par for the course, essentially,” said study author Daniel Hughes, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois. “If that was true, we should have seen the opposite of what we found. We did not take into account market-share differences between conventional and organic produce, but this result ran contrary to common opinion,” Hughes said in a university news release. Only one of the incidents — a dead bat found in a package of salad greens in Florida in 2017 — led to a recall, according to the study published on July 20 in the journal… read on >
More Evidence Fried Food Ups Heart Disease, Stroke Risk
Check out the menus at any county fair — corn dogs, fried Oreos, even fried butter — and you’ll quickly see that Americans love fried foods. But yet another study suggests that it’s time to put that corn dog down. The study found that eating fried foods increased the risk of heart attack and stroke. And the more fried foods you eat, the greater your risk. People who ate fried foods one to three times a week had a 7% higher risk of heart attack and stroke compared to those who ate fried foods less than once a week. For those who ate fried foods daily, the risk jumped to 14% higher. Registered dietitian Dana Angelo White said she wasn’t shocked by the findings, because this isn’t the first study to report a connection between fried foods and poor health outcomes. “Eating small amounts of something fried isn’t the end of the world, but the more you eat of fried foods, the worse it is for you,” explained White, who wasn’t involved with the study. She’s an associate professor at Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Conn. Frying foods is a common method of cooking in the United States, the study said. Yet previous research has linked fried foods to chronic illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, heart failure, obesity and high blood pressure. A study released… read on >
Sugary Sodas, Juices Tied to Higher Cancer Risk
It’s long been known that sugary drinks help people pack on unwanted pounds. But new research suggests that sweetened sodas, sports drinks and even 100% fruit juice might raise your risk for some cancers. The study couldn’t prove cause and effect, but it found that drinking as little as 3 to 4 ounces of sugary drinks each day was tied to an 18% rise in overall risk for cancer. Among women, a similar consumption level was tied to a 22% rise in breast cancer risk, the French research team found. A spokesperson for the American Cancer Society (ACS) said the findings should give consumers pause, because obesity is a known risk factor for cancer. “A lot of the research on sugar-sweetened drinks and cancer has been tied to obesity,” noted Colleen Doyle, managing director of nutrition and physical activity at the ACS. “Across the board, it’s a good idea to reduce any sugar-sweetened beverage,” she advised. The new study was led by Mathilde Touvier, research director of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Paris. Her team collected data on more than 100,000 French men and women, average age 42, who took part in a national study. The participants answered questions about how much of 3,300 different foods and beverages they consumed each day, and were followed for up to nine years (from 2009 to 2018).… read on >
A Healthy Twist on a Classic Eggplant Recipe
Eggplant is a high-fiber food that will leave you feeling satisfied and well-nourished. Most people think of the classic purple-colored vegetable, but eggplant comes in many varieties, colors and even shapes. All are perfect for a lighter take on a classic eggplant dish that your whole family will love. One secret to making this Italian standard healthier is using a skillet technique to cook the eggplant. This limits the amount of oil it will absorb. The slices won’t be greasy, and the dish will have fewer calories. Lighter Eggplant Parmesan 1 1-pound eggplant, sliced into half-inch rounds 1/4 teaspoon salt Non-stick cooking spray 1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta 1 egg 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced 2 cups fresh or jarred marinara sauce, divided 2 cups grated part-skim mozzarella, divided 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt. Set in a colander for 30 minutes to release some of the vegetable’s moisture. Rinse and pat the slices dry. Coat a large, heavy skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Place the pan over medium heat and add a few of the eggplant slices. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook two to three minutes until the slices brown. Lightly spray the tops of the slices with cooking spray and flip them. Cook another two to three minutes, until browned.… read on >
Health Tip: Foods With Lactose
(HealthDay News) — Intolerance to lactose, if present at all, varies from person to person, the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says. For many, symptoms can be avoided by reducing the amount of lactose consumed in dairy foods or beverages. But first you have to know that lactose is in the food you’re about to eat or drink. The agency mentions these ingredient “buzzwords” that indicate the presence of lactose: Milk. Lactose. Whey. Curds. Milk by-products. Dry milk solids. Nonfat dry milk powder.
Make the Most of Summer’s Sweet Treat: Delicious Corn
Sweet corn is an irresistible summer veggie and a good source of fiber. Ideally, you want to eat it as soon as possible after it’s picked, but you can store corn for up to one week — keep the husks on and refrigerate in produce bags. There’s nothing quite like biting into fresh corn on the cob, but you can turn this “fruit” of summer from side dish into a main dish. For a do-ahead time saver, prep the corn in advance: Discard the husks, cut off the kernels with a serrated knife, and store the shucked kernels in an airtight container until ready to use. Corn pairs well with superfoods like beans and greens, and lends a naturally sweet taste to recipes like this delicious take on falafel. Corn & Chickpea Falafel 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed 2 cups corn kernels 1 cup parsley 4 scallions 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons tahini paste 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 8 cups baby greens Place the chickpeas in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, and then transfer to a bowl. Fold in the corn kernels. Chop the parsley and scallions, and add to the bowl. Add in the flour and baking powder. Mix well until a heavy, thick and wet mixture forms, and then stir in… read on >