5 easy ways to eat more fruits and veggies

Your goal is to fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Aim for a whole rainbow of colors, including dark green, red, orange, purple and white. Variety is vital to get all the different nutrients and their health benefits.

Make fruits and veggies the star of your daily diet with these ideas:

  1. Snack smart. Keep vegetables washed and cut in your refrigerator for quick snacks. Or reach for vegetables that require little preparation, such as baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen counter. Just be sure to limit your intake of dried fruits because they’re not as filling as whole fruits and they have a lot more calories in a smaller volume of food. For example, 1⁄4 cup of raisins has the same number of calories — about 100 — as almost 2 cups of grapes.
  2. Experiment with new combinations. Try mango or peach slices on whole-wheat toast with a little peanut butter and honey. Toss some mandarin orange or peach slices into a salad.
  3. Choose recipes that have vegetables or fruits as a main ingredient. Try pineapple-chicken stir-fry, tomato-basil pizza or vegetarian chili.
  4. Start your day with a fruit or vegetable. Sprinkle a handful of blueberries on your morning cereal or oatmeal. Saute red peppers, tomatoes or spinach into your scrambled eggs.
  5. Drink your fruits and vegetables. But don’t reach for prepared fruit juice! Instead, turn whole fruits and vegetables into a refreshing drink. Make a smoothie with plain low-fat yogurt and your favorite frozen fruits. Or puree together banana, berries, lemon, mint, ice and 2 cups of fresh raw baby spinach — this green concoction may look odd, but it tastes delicious!

 

As you can see from these suggestions, sneaking more fruits and veggies into your diet can be easy, convenient — and fun!

Surprise Dad with a healthy and tasty summer fruit gratin.

The dish utilizes summer stone fruits, such as nectarines, peaches and apricots. However, this flexible recipe can be adapted based on seasonal changes or your personal preferences, and you’ll still get the same tasty results. For extra creaminess and a punch of protein, add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top.

 

 

 

Ingredients
1 pounds cherries, pitted and halved
4 cups mixed stone fruit, such as nectarines, peaches and apricots, peeled, pitted and sliced
3 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
2 tablespoons raw sugar, turbinado or firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons walnut oil or canola oil

1 tablespoon dark honey

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine the cherries and stone fruits. Sprinkle with the flour and turbinado sugar and toss gently to mix.

To make the topping, in another bowl, combine the oats, almonds, flour, turbinado sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to blend. Stir in the oil and honey and mix until well blended.

Spread the fruit mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the oat-almond mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is lightly browned, 45-55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 224
Total fat: 8 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Sodium: 52 mg
Total carbohydrate: 38 g
Dietary fiber: 5 g
Protein: 4 g

8 solutions to healthy-eating roadblocks

Don’t like to cook? Can’t resist junk food? Use practical strategies to overcome your biggest healthy-eating challenges.

Life doesn’t follow a perfectly smooth course. You will inevitably run into obstacles on the journey to healthy eating. It’s how you respond that makes the difference. For long-term success, you’ll need strategies in place to solve problems as they arise. The first step is to identify and define potential roadblocks and brainstorm solutions. Identify the barriers most likely to get in your way and plan ahead how you’ll face those challenges.

Roadblock: “I don’t have time to make healthy meals.”

Healthy detours: If you use smart cooking strategies, creating a healthy meal doesn’t have to take too much time. Planning ahead is a great time-saver.

For example, shop for several meals at one time, or prepare foods over the weekend and then freeze meal-sized portions to reheat during the week. You can also keep it simple with a fresh salad and low-calorie dressing, a whole-grain roll and a piece of fruit, or a healthy sandwich, soup or entree from a deli or grocery store.

Roadblock: “I don’t like vegetables and fruits.”

Healthy detours: You don’t need to like all fresh vegetables and fruits. Just find some that you enjoy. Experiment by sampling produce you’ve never eaten before. Add fruits or veggies to your favorite recipes, or replace meat with vegetables when possible. Experiment with new ways to prepare produce, such as grilling pineapple or lightly cooking vegetables if you don’t like them raw.

Roadblock: “I don’t like to cook.”

Healthy detours: Not interested in becoming a gourmet chef? No problem. Many cookbooks offer recipes for quick and easy healthy meals. Or you can use creative shortcuts that don’t require a lot of cooking, such as prepackaged vegetables and lean meats. Also, remember that cooking is a skill: The more you practice, the better you will become.

Roadblock: “My family doesn’t like to try new things, and it’s too much work to make two different meals.”

Healthy detours: You’re right — you don’t want to fall into the trap of making the “good” food for the family and the “diet” food for yourself. So instead, ask for your family’s input — and help — on healthy foods they’d like to try, which may make them more willing to experiment.

Take it slow, and make a few small changes each week. You may be able to make some dishes healthier and tastier and your family won’t even realize it. If you have a favorite dish that you don’t want to abandon, prepare it with a different cooking method, such as baking rather than frying.

Roadblock: “I can’t resist junk food!”

Healthy detours: As you prepare your healthy-eating plan, ask yourself how you can fit the occasional treat into the plan without derailing your overall weight-loss efforts. If you give up all your favorite foods, you’ll feel deprived, which decreases your chances of successful weight management. Give yourself permission to eat them on occasion and in moderation. Find a happy medium for high-calorie foods. Could you take the kids out for ice-cream cones once a week or buy a small bag of chips for the Sunday-afternoon football game? That’s better than buying a gallon of ice cream for your freezer, where it causes constant temptation.

You can also try healthier versions of your favorite snack foods, such as baked, rather than regular, potato chips. In addition, eat healthy foods before having your treat. It can help you eat less of your favorite treats.

Roadblock: “When eating out, I like to eat large portions of my favorite foods, not something healthy.”

Healthy detours: It’s OK to occasionally have your favorite foods if you do it healthfully. For example, when at a restaurant, eat half of your favorite meal and save the other half for the next day. Or, if you know you’ll be eating extra calories, increase your exercise for the day. Explore ways to make your favorite dish healthier. If your meal contains a rich sauce, for instance, ask for it on the side so that you can control how much of it you eat. If you dine out often, however, it’s best to make healthy choices part of your routine. You don’t want a large indulgence to cancel out all your good efforts.

Roadblock: “I don’t eat breakfast because I’m not hungry in the morning.”

Healthy detours: Research shows that eating breakfast helps people better manage their weight, in part because it helps keep them from feeling ravenous and overeating later in the day. So, even if you’re not hungry, try to eat a little something in the morning. Start gradually by planning to have breakfast twice a week and then work toward eating breakfast every day. Keep foods on hand that you can take with you on busy days, such as apples, bananas, whole-grain bagels and yogurt in single-serving containers.

Roadblock: “Keeping food records — measuring food, keeping track and figuring out calories — takes too much work.”

Healthy detours: Losing weight does take time and effort. That will gradually lessen as you get used to knowing what serving sizes should look like and how many calories you should have each day. But, initially, keeping detailed records will help you work toward your main goal: reaching a healthy weight. Make these initial steps easier on yourself by keeping your food record and serving-sizes chart handy and logging your entries after each meal instead of at day’s end.

By Mayo Clinic Staff…

How to make a healthier turkey pesto melt

This recipe serves 4:

Serving size: 1/2 sandwich

  • Calories 265
  • Total fat 16 g
  • Saturated fat 3 g
  • Trans fat 0 g
  • Monounsaturated fat 5 g
  • Cholesterol 42 mg
  • Sodium 770 mg
  • Total carbohydrate 14 g
  • Dietary fiber 3 g
  • Total sugars 3 g
  • Protein 22 g

Ingredients

Pesto mayonnaise:

  1. 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  2. 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  3. 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
  4. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  6. 1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

Sandwiches:

  1. 4 slices whole-wheat bread
  2. 6 tablespoons pesto mayonnaise
  3. 8 ounces reduced-sodium sliced turkey
  4. 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  5. 4 slices tomato

Directions

To make the pesto spread, place basil leaves, pumpkin seeds, Parmesan, garlic and salt in a food processor. Process ingredients until they are well-blended and fairly smooth. Add mayonnaise and pulse until just blended. Set aside.

Heat oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil or cooking spray.

Coat one side of each slice of bread with cooking spray. Lay bread slices on baking sheet with coated side facing down. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of basil pesto mayo on each slice of bread. Place 1/4 cup mozzarella, 4 ounces of turkey and 2 slices of tomato on two of the bread slices. Top sandwich with the remaining two slices of bread.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until sandwich is warmed through and golden brown. Cut in half and serve.

 

 

Have refreshing lunch with a crisp Apple lettuce salad

Apple lettuce salad

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1 medium red apple, chopped
6 cups spring mix salad greens

Instructions

Mix the apple juice, lemon juice, oil, brown sugar, mustard and apple pie spice in a large salad bowl. Add the apple and toss to coat. Add the salad greens and toss to mix just before serving.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 80
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Total fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Monounsaturated fat: 2 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Sodium: 20 mg
Total carbohydrate: 13 g
Dietary fiber: 3 g
Sugars: 10 g
Protein: 1 g

A bowl of healthy minestrone on this rainy day…

Minestrone is a thick, hearty soup that usually contains vegetables, pasta, and peas or beans. This version uses unsalted chicken broth and fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes to limit the sodium content.

Number of servings

Serves 4

Ingredients

  1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  2. 1/2 cup chopped onion
  3. 1/3 cup chopped celery
  4. 1 carrot, diced
  5. 1 garlic clove, minced
  6. 4 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken broth
  7. 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  8. 1/2 cup chopped spinach
  9. 1 can (16 ounces or about 1 1/2 cups) canned chickpeas or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  10. 1/2 cup uncooked whole-grain small shell pasta
  11. 1 small zucchini, diced
  12. 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and continue cooking for another minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, spinach, beans and pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add zucchini. Cover and cook for 5 minutes more.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Ladle into individual bowls and serve immediately.

Serving size: About 2 cups

  • Total fat 5 g
  • Calories 213
  • Protein 10 g
  • Cholesterol 11 mg
  • Total carbohydrate 30 g
  • Dietary fiber 8 g
  • Monounsaturated fat 3 g
  • Saturated fat 1 g
  • Trans fat 0 g
  • Sodium 400 mg
  • Added sugars 0 g

Bon appetite…

Chicken and asparagus tossed with penne

Lets cook a healthy lunch together:

Number of servings

Serves 2

Ingredients

  1. 1 1/2 cups uncooked whole-grain penne pasta
  2. 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
  3. 6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
  4. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, no salt added, including juice
  6. 2 teaspoons dried basil or oregano
  7. 1 ounce soft goat cheese, crumbled
  8. 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Directions

Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender), 10 to 12 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly. Set aside.

In a pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the asparagus. Cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Spray a large nonstick frying pan with cooking spray. Add the chicken and garlic and saute over medium-high heat. Cook until the chicken is golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, including their juice, basil or oregano and simmer 1 minute more.

In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, steamed asparagus, chicken mixture and goat cheese. Toss gently to mix evenly.

To serve, divide the pasta mixture between 2 plates. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional analysis per serving

Serving size: About 2 1/2 cups total

  • Total carbohydrate 56 g
  • Dietary fiber 11 g
  • Sodium 276 mg
  • Saturated fat 3 g
  • Total fat 7 g
  • Trans fat 0 g
  • Cholesterol 63 mg
  • Protein 32 g
  • Monounsaturated fat 2 g
  • Calories 415
  • Added sugars 0 g

Diet soda DOUBLES the risk of diabetes

Many people have given up their favorite sugary drink for its diet alternative in hopes of losing weight and boosting their health. But according to a study at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, zero-calorie diet drinks can be just as bad as sugar-laden, calorie-loaded drinks, especially when it comes to weight gain and diabetes.

Researchers found that the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks, such as sodas, stimulate the appetite leading to weight gain. In addition, artificial sweeteners negatively impact the balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut, leading to glucose intolerance and triggering type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, while artificial sweeteners contain no actual sugar, they fool the pancreas into secreting insulin. Over time, these “false alarms” can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, and diabetes.

Since 55-60% of our body weight is made up of water, that’s what we should be drinking: just plain water. If you need to “jazz it up” a bit, add a squeeze of lemon but no sweetener (not even stevia). If you like your water chilled, that’s OK too.

 

Published December 11, 2017 by 

Beware of eating grapefruit with certain drugs

When taking certain medication, be sure to avoid eating grapefruit and drinking grapefruit juice. While grapefruit is delicious and has many health benefits, it can interact with some common medication, causing serious side effects. It doesn’t take much either, as one-half grapefruit or a single glass of grapefruit juice is enough to cause this. And the effect can last for several days.

Medications are processed in your liver and small intestine by a group of proteins called cytochromes. Cytochromes break down medications, thereby reducing their levels. Grapefruit, as well as Seville oranges, tangelos, pomelos, and Minneolas, contain naturally-occurring compounds called furanocoumarins. Furanocoumarins can disrupt the activity of cytochromes. By slowing down the breakdown of medicines, grapefruit can increase the levels of these medications in your blood, thereby increasing their side effects.

Here are 33 common medications that can interact with grapefruit:

Some cholesterol medications:

  • Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
  • Lovastatin (Mevacor)
  • Simvastatin (Zocor)
Certain blood pressure medications:
  • Felodipine
  • Nifedipine (Procardia)
  • Losartan (Cozaar)
  • Eplerenone (Inspra)
A few heart rhythm medications:
  • Amiodarone
  • Dronedarone (Multaq)
Some anti-infection medications:
  • Erythromycin
  • Rilpivirine and related HIV drugs
  • Primaquine and related antimalarial drugs
  • Albendazole
Several mood medications:
  • Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
  • Quetiapine (Seroquel)
  • Lurasidone (Latuda)
  • Ziprasidone (Geodon)
  • Buspirone (Buspar)
  • Diazepam (Valium)
  • Midazolam (Versed)
  • Triazolam (Halcion)
Certain blood thinners:
  • Apixaban (Eliquis)
  • Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
  • Clopidogrel (Plavix)
  • Ticagrelor (Brilinta)
  • Clopidogrel
Several pain medications:
  • Fentanyl
  • Oxycodone
  • Colchicine
A few erectile dysfunction and prostate medications:
  • Sildenafil (Viagra)
  • Tadalafil (Cialis)
  • Tamsulosin (Flomax)
  • Silodosin (Rapaflo)

 

Published December 4, 2017 by 

5 Genes That Make It Hard to Lose Weight, and What You Can Do To Combat Them

Do you ever feel like you exercise and eat well, but don’t see positive results? I feel you. I’ve been there! The problem may be with your genes. As scientists look into weight-loss genes, they have found that people with variations of certain genes are more prone to put on weight than others. I know, because I have nearly all of the bad variants! Thankfully, all is not lost: Small tweaks may make your genes work for you, rather than against you.

To date, scientists have discovered seventy-five gene alterations that increase the likelihood of obesity. These genes are usually involved in how the body breaks down food, stores fat, and sends signals to let you know you’re no longer hungry. Variations to these genes are known as polymorphisms.

As a result of genetic variation, two people could eat the same exact diet but put on vastly different amounts of weight. One theory is that people who gain more weight from eating the same amount of calories do so because it was once an evolutionary advantage. Thousands of years ago, food was often scarce, so being able to gain weight from very few calories could have meant the difference between life and death. Now, food is easy to come by. Still, these “thrifty-genes” persist in some people’s genomes.

Lifestyle Effects on Genes

The good news is that even if you have these genetic polymorphism, you can work to combat them with lifestyle practices.  This is because DNA sequences are not the only way that can alter gene expression, rather, epigenetics also plays a role – meaning your lifestyle affects how genes turn on or off.  Here is a list of the five key genes involved with weight gain, and some lifestyle habits that you can implement in order to combat their effects.

1) Food Intake: FTO

One of the most studied obesity genes is FTO (dubbed “Fatso”), which stands for Fat Mass and Obesity Associated. FTO seems to act as a “nutrient sensor,” affecting the amount of food a person wants to eat, and their hunger. Therefore, variations in the gene that encodes for FTO could affect the ability of FTO to regulate food intake and lower satiety. Scientists have found that people with certain variations in this gene have a higher BMI.

What to do?

Increased exercise could counteract the effects of the polymorphism of FTO. For example, the Amish have a high incidence of FTO—yet very few are obese. Why? Because each day, they labor on their farms for two hours or more. The hard physical labor keeps FTO from expressing obesity, making the Amish exemplify how an environmental trigger can modify gene expression. The good news is that you don’t necessarily need four hours of hard physical labor. Many of patients with this gene variant consistently exercise for 30 minutes, five days per week, and it keeps the gene turned off.

2) Fat metabolism: PPARG

Another gene affecting weight gain is the one that encodes for PPARG, a protein involved in fat metabolism. When activated, PPARG creates fat cells and helps with the uptake of dietary fats from your blood. Too much activation of PPARG can cause weight gain and increase the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Obese individuals have much higher amounts of this protein in their fat tissue. Individuals with no PPARG have less fat tissue in their limbs and gluteal area.  In addition, studies have shown that post-menopausal women who have a PPARG polymorphism gain more weight than those who don’t.

What to do?
When individuals with the PPARG polymorphism eat more unsaturated fats than saturated fats, they gain more fat tissue and have a higher BMI. By contrast, when they eat more saturated fats than unsaturated fats, the opposite is true—they are leaner. So here again we see how an environmental (meaning non-genetic) factor such as nutrition can trigger a gene and affect people’s weight.

3) Fat breakdown: ADRB2

The adrenergic beta-2 surface receptor gene (ADRB2) codes for a protein that plays an important role in the breakdown of fat. When the hormone epinephrine is released, it can bind to ADRB2 in order to increase energy by breaking down fat molecules. Certain variations are associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in women, a cluster of risk factors that herald a six-fold risk of diabetes mellitus and two-fold risk of cardiovascular disease. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome is higher in middle-aged women than middle-aged men, as well as greater cardiovascular risk. (As a side note, this gene also plays a role in asthma, and response to asthma inhalers.) While more research still needs to be performed to understand its exact mechanism, it seems this gene could be another promising target for understanding the link between genetics and weight gain.

What to do?   

I personally have the polymorphism of this gene, which gives me an increased risk of abdominal obesity. I have about double the difficulty with weight loss compared with people without this polymorphism because my fat mobilization and signal transduction for mobilizing fatty tissue is impaired. All the more reason to eat and exercise efficiently!

4) Efficient Functioning with Methylation (2 Genes): PGC1-alpha and Tfam

Methylation is a chemical process that helps your body to work optimally. Without a healthy rate of methylation, you are at risk for lower metabolism. Methylation is another example of an epigenetic effect in that it doesn’t alter its DNA sequence. Instead, it adds chemical groups to the genes PGC1-alpha and Tfam. In doing so, it changes the rate at which these genes are converted into protein and are involved in creating mitochondria, the powerhouse, energy-creating center of your cells. In these genes, methylation correlates with increased rates of obesity. 

What to do?

Environmental factors such as age, sex, race, exercise, and diet can all produce epigenetic effects and change the amount of methylation in your body. While you obviously don’t have control over your age, race, and gender, here again you can make sure to live a lifestyle of optimal eating and exercise in order to try to combat suboptimal methylation in your body.

You Have the Power

Your genes can make losing weight more difficult—but not impossible. While researchers are still working on understanding the relationship between nutrition and genetics, much is currently known about how other factors like hormones and the microbiome affect weight loss. By living a lifestyle which triggers your body to work best, you can make up for a less-than-ideal genotype.

 

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