Posted by Janis Jibrin on Fri, Sep 11, 2009
Got a minute? Then you have time to make a major difference in your diet. These five quick and easy adjustments will help slim you down and infuse your diet with more vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients.
1. Say buh-bye to butter. Replace regular butter with peanut or almond butter. Nut butters contain the same amount of calories as margarine or butter, but they keep you feeling full longer. That may be because the creamy spread is high in protein; there is 4 g of the satiating nutrient per tablespoon. Plus, the healthy monounsaturated fats help protect your ticker. If you're in the mood for a butter-like spread, be sure to choose one that contains no partially hydrogenated oil, such as Smart Balance Buttery Spread, which carries the Best Life seal.
2. Choose whole over white. Opting for whole-grain products, such as bread, cereal and rice, over white will help you get your fiber fix for the day. Hitting the 25- to 35-grams-per-day goal for fiber will help keep you satisfied and reduce your risk for cancer, heart disease, constipation, and obesity.
3. Drink your vegetables. Don't have time to wash and chop? Six ounces of vegetable juice counts as one of your three or more daily vegetable servings. Ideally, you should use juice to fill just one of your veggie servings because the whole vegetable is much more filling for the calories.
4. Select a smarter cup. Coffee can weaken your bones, but drinking fat-free milk can help offset the risk, according to a study from the University of California at San Diego. So add some calcium to your cup by turning your coffee into café au lait or your espresso into a latte. Calcium- and vitamin D-enriched soymilk is also an excellent choice—soy has been linked to protection against heart disease. (Many flavors of Silk soymilk have the Best Life seal.)
5. Go for real fruit, not fruit juice. Fruit juice can cost you up to about 150 calories per 8-ounce cup. The real deal—a piece of whole fruit—will set you back only 60 calories. Plus, whole fruit contains fiber (there's 3 to 4 g in a medium orange or apple), whereas fruit juice has none. Note: Veggie juice, though lower in fiber than whole veggies, is still OK for one of your daily veggie servings because it's low in calories. In fact, it has half the calories of most fruit juices.
For more quick and easy healthy-eating tips, check out TheBestLife.com.
Posted by Sidra Forman on Thu, Aug 06, 2009
When I owned a restaurant, I did not use any butter or cream in any of the savory dishes. This was a decision based on the idea that if you found the best ingredients, you wouldn't need to mask any flavors or textures with heavy sauces. This decision was also based on the fact that I felt better eating moderate amounts of dairy and little to no butter and cream. Of course, this idea of moderation does not exclude enjoying a little ice cream with fresh fruit. But when it came to starters and entrées, I was much more into the purity of the ingredients.
The challenge when you try to cook this way is that you can't overcook meats or fish because there are no "sauces" to rehydrate dried-out protein. Also, starting out with excellent quality food, fresh herbs and spices, and other flavorful ingredients are a must. For instance, Basil Mashed Potatoes made with olive oil, fresh basil, potatoes from my local farmers market and no diary is one of my favorite dishes! You can taste each of the individual ingredients without the overpowering flavor of butter and cream.
Give it a try at your next meal—you'll not only save yourself calories and fat, but you'll get a truly flavorful dish.
For more healthy-cooking tips, check out TheBestLife.com.
Posted by Heather Jones on Wed, Jul 29, 2009
The battle between butter and margarine has been raging for years.
Butter is made from animal fat, so it contains high levels of "bad"
fat, also known as saturated fat. Margarine, on the other hand, is made
from vegetable oil and it's higher in "good" fat— polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated—than butter. However, some margarines contain
artery-clogging trans fat (also a bad fat), which are even worse for
you than the saturated fat found butter. That's because like saturated
fat, trans fat increases LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, and (unlike
saturated fat) it can also lower HDL, or the "good," protective
cholesterol.
Most companies have managed to take the trans fat
out of the tubs but not the sticks. Be sure to check the label;
companies are allowed to state 0 g trans fat on the nutrition facts
panel if the product has up to 0.49 g of trans per serving, so you also have to
examine the ingredient list as well. If you see "partially hydrogenated
oil," the source of trans fat in margarine, then put it back on the
shelf and buy a product without this oil, such as Smart Balance Buttery
Spread (which carries the Best Life seal). Some companies have also
started adding vegetable oil to their butter, creating a tasty and
spreadable alternative to butter with 45 percent less saturated fat.
And some even have "light" versions, which contain less saturated fat
and fewer calories.
Here's a ranking of spreads, from the healthiest to the least:
• First place: Trans-fat-free light tub margarines with no partially hydrogenated oil
• Second place: Light butter mixed with vegetable oil
• Third place: Regular butter or butter mixed with vegetable oil
• Loser: Stick margarines with trans fats
For more healthy-eating advice, check out TheBestLife.com.