Follow These Tips To Improve Your Health
1. Remove the skin from chicken: this can cut the fat content by three quarters and the calories by half. Choose the breast instead of the thigh: skinless dark meat has twice as much fat as skinless light meat.
2. Cultivate a taste for buttermilk. It actually contains no butter and usually has very little fat: most buttermilk today is made from nonfat or lowfat (1%) milk. Not just a refreshing beverage, buttermilk is also useful in cooking.
3. Handle ground meats carefully. They are more perishable—and also more likely to cause food poisoning—than other meats. Once ground, the meat has a larger surface area than whole cuts, making it an easier target for bacteria.
4. When your mouth is “on fire” from hot pepper, one way to cool it off is to drink milk (a spoonful of yogurt will also help). Hot pepper’s burning component is capsaicin, which binds to your taste buds. Casein, the principal protein in milk, helps wipe away the fiery compound.
5. Speed up the ripening of most fruits by keeping them in a paper bag for a few days: this traps the ethylene gas produced by the fruit. Apples give off lots of ethylene, so you can speed the ripening of other fruits by placing half an apple in the bag with them; the apple, however, will turn mushy.
6. Try evaporated nonfat milk as a lowfat, lowcalorie substitute in recipes calling for cream. A halfcup of cream has 400 calories, almost all from fat, while evaporated skim milk has about 100 and only a trace of fat.
7. When preparing lean beef, reduce normal cooking time by 20%, since it cooks faster and becomes tough when overcooked. Don’t be fooled by the redness: lean pieces cooked to a medium degree may still look rare.
8. A glass of nearly any orange juice will supply at least the daily RDA for vitamin C. Freshly
squeezed juice usually has the most vitamin C, followed by frozen and canned (which retain their
vitamin C for months), then by chilled cartons and unrefrigerated “drink boxes.” Always check
the “sell before” date. The fresher the juice, the more C.
9. Drink vegetable juice—but don’t expect it to replace whole vegetables in your diet. Vegetable juices are fairly rich in vitamins and minerals but low in calories. For instance, 6
ounces typically contains about 60% of the RDA for vitamin C and nearly half the suggested
daily intake of beta carotene. But vegetable juices provide little fiber (about a gram in 6 ounces). Commercial varieties tend to have lots of sodium.
10. Eat at least three servings of whole grains a day to reduce your risk of heart disease,
stroke, and Type 2 diabetes. These foods include wholegrain cereals and breads, oats, and
brown rice.
11. Try to avoid charred grilled meats. Cooked over high heat, fat drips onto the heating
element (coals, wood, gas flames, electric coils), forming potentially cancercausing chemicals
that are deposited on the meat by the rising smoke. Such substances form whenever meat is
charred; this also occurs to some extent when meat is broiled or panfried, especially if it’s
cooked until well done.
12. To reduce the risks from grilled meats, pick lowfat cuts, and trim all visible fat. Wrap
meat in foil to protect it from the smoke. Don’t place the meat directly over the heat source (push
the coals to the sides of the grill once they are hot). Place aluminum foil or a metal pan between
the meat and the coals to catch the dripping fat. And scrape off charred parts from the cooked
meat.
13. Eat nuts. Many studies have now found that people who regularly eat nuts, especially
walnuts or almonds, cut their risk of heart disease by as much as half. Nuts are rich in
cholesterollowering unsaturated fats, folate and other B vitamins, hearthealthy minerals, vitamin E, arginine (an amino acid that helps relax blood vessels), fiber, and phytochemicals. The trick is to eat nuts in place of other foods. Since they have 160 to 190 calories per ounce, it
is easy to gain weight if you simply add nuts to your daily fare.
14. For a juice that’s high in iron, choose prune juice. One cup provides 30% of the RDA for
men, 17% of that for women. Prune juice is also rich in potassium.
15. Highly nutritious foods are often low in cost. Among them are bananas, carrots, potatoes, wholewheat flour, and dried beans—the sort of high fiber foods that nutritionists now
recommend. They also tend to come with minimal packaging—an environmental plus.
16. Keep coleslaw lowfat. It is usually more fat than it is cabbage, but you can make it lowfat.
Instead of mayonnaise, try a dressing made of H cup plain nonfat yogurt, 3 tablespoons apple
juice, and 2 tablespoons vinegar. That’s enough for 1H pounds of shredded cabbage with 2 cups of shredded carrots, 2 shredded celery
stalks, B cup raisins, and 1 diced apple. Each onecup serving has just 74 calories and almost no
fat.
17. Consume enough vitamin D. Working with calcium, this vitamin helps keep bones strong.
In addition, many studies have looked at its potential to reduce the risk of everything from some
common cancers and multiple sclerosis to diabetes, hypertension, and agerelated muscle
weakness, especially in the lower legs. The RDA is 200 to 600 IU of vitamin D a day, but 800 to
1,000 IU is a better target for everyone. Most people need to take supplements to meet this
goal.
18. Read labels on muffins. A bran muffin may not even contain wholewheat flour and may
have excessive amounts of eggs, butter, and oil, as well as sugar, honey, and other sweeteners. Some have more than 20 grams of fat—as much as a Big Mac—and more than 500 calories.
19. If you’re susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs), try cranberry juice. A study at
Harvard showed that women who drank 10 ounces of cranberry juice cocktail daily significantly
reduced infection rates over a six month period. The researchers noted that cranberry juice
should be used as an adjunct to medical treatment—not a substitute for it. If a UTI is serious
enough to cause symptoms, it requires medical attention.
20. If you have frequent headaches, look at what you eat. Foods and beverages may play a role
in some headaches, especially migraines. Most of the suspects, such as chocolate, ripe cheeses, and freshly baked yeast products, contain a naturally occurring chemical called tyramine, which
may constrict or dilate blood vessels in the brain.
21. Keep bacteria out of your food. Wash your hands before starting to prepare any meal. Between steps, wash all equipment that comes in contact with food—especially raw meats—
including the cutting board and countertop. Don’t let cooked or refrigerated foods sit around at
room temperature. Reheat foods to at least 165° F. to be sure that any harmful microorganisms
are destroyed. Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, in cold running water, or in a microwave
oven.
22. Microwaving tends to destroy fewer vitamins than conventional cooking methods. To get the
most from microwaving, add as little water as possible to the food: a teaspoonful may be
enough to prevent burning. Always cover foods while microwaving; this reduces cooking time
and thus nutrient loss.
23. To get the most nutrients from your baked potato, eat the potato skin. Ounce for ounce,
the skin has far more fiber, iron, potassium, and B vitamins than the flesh. The only reason to
avoid the skin is if the potato has a greenish tinge. That’s chlorophyll, a sign that the potato has
been exposed to too much light after harvest. It’s also an indication that solanine (a naturally
occurring toxin) may be present in increased amounts, especially in the skin. This might
cause cramps and diarrhea.
24. Try barley. It is the best source of beta glucan, a soluble fiber known to lower cholesterol. It
also contains another soluble fiber called pectin, along with iron, selenium, zinc, and some B
vitamins. Look for hulled barley, which retains its nutrient and fiberrich bran. Though its bran
has been removed, pearled barley is still a good source of beta glucan.
25. Highfiber foods can help you lose a little weight. Not only are they filling and nutritious, but their fiber reduces the number of calories your body absorbs from the meal. A USDA study
found that women who double their daily fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams absorb about 90 fewer
calories a day from fat and protein, on average; men going from 18 to 36 grams of fiber absorb
about 130 fewer calories. Nutritionists recommend at least 20 to 30 grams of fiber daily.
26. When you buy salt, choose iodized. Iodine is essential for proper thyroid functioning and for
mental development. Iodine was once lacking in the American diet, especially in the Great Lakes
region, where deficiency diseases such as goiter (enlarged thyroid) were once common. The
introduction of iodized salt in 1922 did much to correct this. There’s no need to take iodine
supplements.
27. Check out broccoli. It’s a powerhouse of nutrition. One cup of chopped broccoli supplies
the daily requirement of vitamin C, plus beta carotene (and other carotenoids), niacin, calcium,
thiamin, vitamin E, and 25% of your daily fiber needs. Not only that, but other substances in
broccoli, such as sulforaphane, may also protect against cancer. All this for only 30 calories. And
don’t forget other cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, mustard
greens, and Brussels sprouts.
28. Rounding out the top 10 nutrition allstars among fruits and vegetables, along with
broccoli and kale, are cantaloupe, carrots, mangoes, pumpkin, red bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, and sweet potato.
29. To get less mercury from canned tuna, choose chunk light tuna instead of albacore (solid
white) this is especially important for pregnant women and children. Albacore has, on average,
about four times more mercury than chunk light, and some cans of albacore exceed the
maximum mercury levels set for women of childbearing age. Most light tuna, which actually is
darker than albacore, comes from smaller varieties, and smaller fish tend to have less mercury.
30. To ward off strokes, eat more fruits. A large Danish study found that people who ate the
most fruit had a 40% lower risk of ischemic stroke, the most common type, compared to those
who ate little fruit. Citrus fruits were most protective. The likely protective elements in these
foods are vitamin C and flavonoid pigments, plus an array of other antioxidants and
phytochemicals.
31. Add onions and garlic to your tomato sauce. Such allium vegetables, which also include
leeks and scallions, may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men who eat them frequently. Scallions seem to be the most protective.
32. Eat magnesiumrich foods: they may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a
Swedish study. Good sources of magnesium include nuts, beans, some fish, whole grains, spinach and other leafy greens, and dark chocolate.
33. When cooking hamburgers, don’t judge doneness by the color inside. Burgers that look
brown in the center may not be cooked through and thus may be unsafe to eat. Cook burgers to
an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).
34. Choose dark salad greens. Romaine lettuce, for instance, not only has six times as much
vitamin C and eight times as much beta carotene as iceberg lettuce, but also has more than twice
as much folate, a B vitamin that is especially important for women of childbearing age. Spinach, watercress, arugula, and chicory are other nutritious salad greens.
35. Reconsider canned corn. The heat processing used to prepare canned corn actually boosts
levels of antioxidants and other healthful phytochemicals in sweet corn. Heating corn, whether
on the cob or in the can, has a similar effect. The same is true of carrots and tomatoes: processing
and cooking make carotenoids in them, notably beta carotene and lycopene, more readily
available.
36. To reduce the calories and saturated fat in your hamburger, substitute beans (such as
mashed black beans) or grains (such as cooked bulgur or rice) for some of the chopped meat. The
beans and grains are not just extenders: they also enhance the flavor and boost the fiber content.
37. Here’s a highfiber alternative to tomato or cream sauces on pasta: toss the cooked pasta
with canned or homemade lentil or other bean soup. This is a quick version of the nutritious
pastaandbean dishes popular in Italy. Or purée the soup before adding it to the pasta.
38. Don’t microwave an egg in its shell, not even to reheat a hardboiled egg. Pressure can
build up inside, causing the egg to explode in the oven—or even worse, after you take it out, in
which case it can cause burns and serious eye injury.
39. Opt for 1% or nonfat milk. Lowfat milks are not created equal. A cup of 2% milk contains
5 grams of fat and thus derives 35% of its calories from fat. A cup of 1% milk contains less than
3 grams of fat and gets 22% of its calories from fat. Whole milk contains about 3.5% fat by
weight, yet this fat supplies 50% of its calories. Nonfat milk, of course, has virtually no fat, and
contains just as much calcium as whole milk.
40. Eat walnuts and flaxseed. They reduce levels of Creactive protein (a marker for
inflammation associated with heart disease) in the body, as well as LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and
triglycerides. These foods are rich in an omega3 fat called alphalinolenic acid; canola oil is
another source. Studies have shown that alphalinolenic acid (as well as the other omega3s in
fish) helps reduce the risk of heart disease.
41. Add a sprinkling of poppy seeds to your green salad to give it a rich, nutty flavor. One
teaspoon of poppy seeds has only 15 calories, healthy fats, and even some calcium and iron.
42. Use canned pumpkin: it’s as nutritious as fresh, and that’s very nutritious. A half cup has
more beta carotene than a standard supplement (15,000 IU), plus a good amount of fiber, iron, and other minerals, but just 40 calories. Besides pies, you can use canned pumpkin in soups, pancakes, bread, muffins, and cookies. Or try mixing it into applesauce or plain lowfat yogurt, along with some sugar or honey.
43. Keep garlicinoil combinations refrigerated, whether commercial or homemade. Garlic
can pick up the bacterium that causes botulism from the soil. Immersing the garlic in oil gives
the spores the oxygenfree environment they need to germinate, if left at room temperature. The
resulting toxin cannot be detected by taste or smell. Be equally careful with flavored oils
containing herbs.
44. Try frozen fruits and vegetables as tasty, nutritious snacks. Frozen bananas, strawberries, and blueberries are delicious, and kids who won’t eat cooked peas may like them straight from
the freezer.
45. If you find that nonfat milk tastes watery, add a tablespoon or two of nonfat dried milk to
each cup. This will help make the milk thicker and richer tasting, and also boost the calcium and
protein content.
46. Choose a roast beef sandwich instead of a hamburger at fastfood restaurants. Roast beef
usually contains less saturated fat and fewer calories.
47. When shopping for wholegrain, highfiber bread, read the label carefully. Unless the
label lists whole wheat or another whole grain as the first ingredient, it’s mostly refined white
flour. The following terms or phrases usually mean little on a bread label: multigrain; made with
3 natural brans; wheatberry; cracked wheat; wheat (simply white flour); stone ground (not an
issue); oatmeal (usually not much); rye (ditto); sprouted wheat; unbleached (but still refined
flour); or unbromated (not treated with potassium bromate—but not necessarily whole grain). Commercial rye and pumpernickel usually contain mostly white flour.
48. Compare labels on packaged deli meats. A oneounce slice of turkey breast is almost fatfree—0.2 grams of fat in about 35 calories. Turkey bologna, on the other hand, contains 55
calories and 4 grams of fat in a oneounce slice, which means that more than 60% its calories
come from fat. One ounce of lean ham (labeled “95% fatfree” by weight) gets about onethird of
its 37 calories from 1.4 grams of fat. In contrast, regular ham is 11% fat by weight, so about half
the 52 calories in a oneounce slice come from its 3 grams of fat.
49. If you like sausage but not its extremely high fat content, try one of the meatless sausage
products available in healthfood stores and specialty shops. These are made from vegetables, beans, grains, and aromatic herbs and spices. Besides breakfast fare, the lowfat, nocholesterol “sausage” can be used in casseroles, pasta dishes, stuffing, or pizza. Check the label—not all vegetarian products are low
in fat and calories.
50. Gradually increase the amount of highfiber foods you eat. Don’t give up on fiberrich
grains and produce if they give you gas or cause bloating. Fiber’s health benefits are many,
including a reduced risk of colon cancer and constipation. Also, try a variety of fiberrich foods
until you find some that do not cause digestive problems. And it’s important to drink plenty of
water when increasing your fiber intake.
51. If you’re going to keep fresh spinach for more than a few days, you’re better off buying
frozen. That’s because spinach loses nutrients rapidly after picking, even when refrigerated.
52. Choose colorful peppers. Ounce for ounce, green peppers have three times as much vitamin
C as oranges. And red and yellow peppers have twice as much vitamin C as green ones: a
whopping 170 milligrams in 3 ounces. Green peppers also supply some beta carotene, but the
amount increases greatly as a pepper matures and turns red or yellow.
53. Don’t rinse packaged domestic rice: it’s unnecessary and it washes away some of the
vitamins and minerals added to enrich it. Possible exceptions: rice purchased in bulk from open
bins and some imported rices.
54. If you take calcium supplements, stick with plain old calcium carbonate, the type found in
some antacids—it’s by far the cheapest. All types of calcium supplements contain the amount
promised on the label and all dissolve reliably in lab tests. Take calcium carbonate with food.
Another good option: calcium citrate.
55. Don’t take more than 500 milligrams of calcium supplements at a time. Split larger doses
and take half later in the day to enhance absorption and reduce the risk of constipation.
56. When reading menus, watch out for these terms, which are giveaways to highcalorie, fatty
foods: creamed, crispy, breaded, à la king, croquettes, carbonara, parmigiana, meunière, tempura,
fritters, fritto, Alfredo, au gratin, au beurre, batterdipped, bearnaise, béchamel, and hollandaise.
57. Don’t assume that “natural” sodas containing fruit juice are lower in calories than
regular sodas. Sometimes they actually have more calories—and only a modest amount of added
nutrients. If you’re trying to cut calories, stick with plain or flavored seltzers, or mix them with
juice.
58. Try lowfat or fatfree tub margarines. Typically, lowfat tub margarine has only 2 grams
of fat and just 20 calories per tablespoon, and nearly no heart damaging trans fat. Standard stick
margarine has 11 grams of fat and 100 calories per tablespoon, plus lots of trans fat.
59. Don’t think that dryroasted nuts are significantly lower in calories than regular roasted
nuts. Because nuts are so high in fat to begin with, roasting them in oil (read: frying) hardly
makes a difference. Roasted nuts absorb little oil anyway.
60. To increase the amount of iron your body absorbs from vegetarian foods, consume foods
and drinks rich in vitamin C (such as orange, grapefruit, or tomato juice) with your meals.
61. Choose condiments wisely. Ketchup and prepared mustard are lowcalorie, lowfat flavor
boosters only 15 calories per tablespoon—but they’re high in sodium, with 150 to 180
milligrams per tablespoon. Make sodiumfree mustard by mixing mustard powder with water,
vinegar, or milk. Prepared horseradish has half the calories and onetenth the sodium of mustard
or ketchup.
62. If you’re trying to lose weight, keep a daily food and activity diary. You don’t have to
track every calorie eaten or burned—just the act of writing down what you generally eat and how
much you exercise can motivate you.
63. Make lowercalorie tortilla chips by baking fresh tortillas at 400° F. for8 to 10 minutes, or
until crisp. You can cut them into triangles before baking, or break them into chips afterward.
64. To preserve vitamin C, store orange juice in a tightly closed container at 40° F. or below.
Whole, unpeeled oranges, however, hardly lose any vitamin C over time, since no oxygen comes
in contact with the edible part. Even in a day or two of sweltering weather, an orange would lose
less than 10% of its C. If you keep the fruit cool, it would dry out or rot before it lost a
significant amount of vitamin C.
65. Don’t fear coffee. It has been blamed for everything from high blood pressure to pancreatic
cancer, but in nearly every instance early research linking coffee or caffeine to health problems
has been refuted by better subsequent studies. The pendulum has swung so far that some
researchers now suggest that coffee may actually have health benefits.
66. Instead of putting a large pot of hot food directly in the refrigerator or leaving it out to
cool off, place it in a deep pan of cold water (ice cubes will speed things up). Water is effective
at removing heat. Once the food has cooled substantially, it can be refrigerated. One advantage
of this method is that the hot food won’t raise the temperature of the refrigerator.
67. Try a new fruit or vegetable every month, or every week. From the mundane to the
exotic—from parsnips and artichokes to mangos and guavas—there are lots of choices, especially in farmers’ markets and stores geared for various ethnic cuisines. This will help you
meet the nineadayminimum recommendation and will boost your intake of antioxidants and
other substances that may lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.
68. Avoid fried eggplant. It soaks up oil quickly, like a sponge—more than any other vegetable,
even more than French fries. Try grilling, broiling, baking, steaming, or braising it instead of
frying.
69. Follow these guidelines for cooking eggs. You need not cook eggs to the hard and rubbery
stage. Boiling an egg in its shell at 140° for 3H minutes should kill virtually all bacteria.
Scrambled eggs and omelets are fine if cooked just past the runny, moist stage (they should be
set, but don’t have to be rock hard). If you’re frying eggs, “over easy” is best: fry them for about
3 minutes on one side, then about 1 minute on the other.
70. Eat sweet potatoes. Despite their sweet taste, they have about the same number of calories
per ounce as white potatoes. A 3Hounce baked sweet potato contains three times the
recommended daily amount of beta carotene, half theRDA for vitamin C, and just 100 calories.
71. Avoid the typical package of ground poultry, which usually contains skin and too much
fat. Look for ground turkey breast; it should be labeled 96 to 98% fatfree (by weight).
72. Try veggie burgers. They’re served in many restaurants, and you’ll find them in frozen,
refrigerated, or mix form in the grocery store. Veggie burgers may be primarily soy and/or may
contain any combination of mushrooms, onions, peppers, rice, oats, barley, bulgur (cracked
wheat), rye, gluten (wheat protein), beans, spices, and egg whites. In a restaurant, ask the waiter
what’s in the veggie burger and how it’s cooked. Some veggie burgers are almost fatfree, but
some are high in fat, especially if nuts or cheese are major ingredients.
73. Eat beans and other legumes. Beans, lentils, and dried peas are all good sources of soluble
fiber, which, if consumed regularly, may help lower blood cholesterol levels.
74. Cook with fresh herbs. They contain powerful antioxidant compounds, according to a
USDA analysis. Herbs that scored highest by far were oregano and marjoram—just a tablespoon
or two of the chopped herbs would supply significant amounts of antioxidants. Fresh herbs are
more potent (in flavor and antioxidant power) than their dried counterparts, and culinary herbs in
general have more antioxidant potential than medicinal ones, such as ginkgo.
75. To boost your calcium, eat sardines. When eaten with their small edible bones, three small
fish (one ounce each) supply 370 milligrams of calcium, more than a cup of milk. Canned
salmon, also eaten with its bones, supplies nearly as much calcium.
76. Try pink or red grapefruit. Ounce for ounce, the pink variety has more than 40 times more
beta carotene than white grapefruit. And the darker the pulp, the more lycopene. This carotenoid,
also plentiful in tomatoes, may help lower the risk of certain cancers.
77. Don’t blindly trust those plastic popup timers on poultry. They work fairly well, but
doublecheck the results. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. The
temperature should reach 185°, and the leg should move easily. Juices should run clear from
breast meat. Most labels also suggest that you time your bird: multiply the weight (in pounds) by
20 minutes—or more for a stuffed bird. Cook it that long even if the popper pops earlier or
never pops at all.
78. Don’t believe rumors about the artificial sweetener aspartame, claiming that it causes
everything from multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and brain tumors to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
disease, headaches, and blindness. Aspartame has been more intensively studied than almost any
other food additive. The FDA, American Medical Association, and World Health Organization
have concluded that it is safe. Aspartame’s only proven danger is for people with
phenylketonuria, an uncommon genetic disorder—the labels warn about this.
79. Weigh your bagel. Many freshbaked bagels now weigh six or seven ounces and pack 500
calories or more. Plain bagels, like any plain bread, have 70 to 80 calories per ounce.
80. Eat canned salmon it’s an easy way to get lots of heart healthy omega3 fatty acids and, if
you eat the soft bones, calcium. But if you want wild salmon, check the label. Until recently, nearly all canned salmon was wildcaught, which has fewer contaminants than farmed. But more
companies are now using farmed. Alaskan salmon is usually wild, and the label will say “wild.”
If it’s called “Atlantic salmon,” it is farmed.
81. Limit your intake of vitamin A, since it can weaken your bones. A study found that
consuming more than 6,600 IU of vitamin A from food or supplements increased the risk of
fractures. The main problem is supplements: don’t take a separate A pill, and check how much is
in your multivitamin. And check the labels on highly fortified breakfast cereals. Beta carotene,
which the body converts to vitamin A, is safe for your bones.
82. To keep dried peas and beans from causing flatulence, discard the soaking water, and
don’t consume the cooking water. This eliminates more than half of the indigestible
carbohydrates that cause gas.
83. Don’t stuff a turkey hours before cooking it. Stuff the bird only when you’re ready to put
it in the oven. If you refrigerate a large stuffed turkey for later cooking, the stuffing may not chill
fast enough. Because any stuffing (bread or rice) is starchy, it provides an environment bacteria
can thrive in. Cooking the stuffing separately is easier and safer. And don’t let the bird sit around
after dinner. Always remove the stuffing from the cavity and refrigerate separately.
84. Don’t assume that a wine cooler is “light.” It isn’t: a 12ounce bottle has more alcohol than
a 12ounce can of beer, 5ounce glass of wine, or ounce of liquor. It also contains 150 to 300
calories.
85. It’s okay to eat an egg with a blood spot. That does not indicate that an egg has been
fertilized or is old. Most eggs with blood spots are removed during the grading process, but they
are safe to eat.
86. Don’t shy away from shellfish. Many types notably crab, scallops, mussels, clams, and
lobster are actually slightly lower in cholesterol than chicken or beef. Even though shrimp and
crayfish have about twice as much cholesterol as meat, they contain much less fat, and their fat is
largely unsaturated and includes hearthealthy omega3 fatty acids.
87. Drink the leftover milk from your breakfast cereal bowl. A significant amount of the
vitamins added to fortify most cereals winds up in the milk, so it’s especially nutritious.
88. Try carrot juice. A cup has as much beta carotene and vitamin C as three medium carrots. Unfortunately, it has less fiber than one carrot.
89. Don’t think that fruitonly preserves are healthier. Most jams and jellies are about half
fruit, half added sugar. Fruitonly preserves are usually sweetened with fruit juice concentrate,
which is mostly fructose and has as many calories as table sugar and no nutritional advantage.
90. Cook in castiron pots to increase the iron in foods cooked in them. The more acidic the
ingredients (such as tomatoes) and the longer you cook them, the more iron ends up in the
finished dish.
91. It’s safe to refrigerate meat or poultry in store wrapping. Actually, by not rewrapping it
you may reduce the health risks, since every time you handle raw meat you increase the chance
of bacterial contamination.
92. Don’t shy away from olives. They are high in fat, but the fat is mostly monounsaturated and
thus hearthealthy. An ounce of pitted olives (about four “jumbo”) averages only 30 calories and
3 grams of fat. Olives also supply some calcium, fiber, vitamin E, and healthful phytochemicals, such as phenols and lignans. The main drawback is sodium, about 200 milligrams per ounce— but you can rinse off some of this.
93. Look for lean cuts of pork. Many cuts are about onethird leaner than they were 25 years
ago. The leanest is pork tenderloin, which has just 4 grams of fat and 135 calories in a welltrimmed 3ounce cooked serving.
94. Eat that parsley. Fresh parsley contains relatively high amounts of beta carotene and
vitamin C. But you have to eat about seven sprigs of it to get 10% of the RDA for these nutrients, so try parsley as a salad green, not just as a garnish.
95. Marinate meat only in the refrigerator. Don’t put cooked meat or poultry back into an
uncooked marinade, and don’t serve the used marinade as a table sauce unless you heat it to a
boil for at least one minute. The used marinade may have been contaminated by bacteria from
the raw meat.
96. Skip the bacon and cheese. A bacon cheeseburger averages 250 more calories than a plain
hamburger—plus a good deal more saturated fat and cholesterol.
97. When shopping for onions, look for stronger tasting varieties. The strong taste and smell
come from antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, which may reduce the risk of cancer and
other diseases. Western Yellow, New York Bold, and Northern Red onions are highest in
polyphenols. Shallots, though milder in flavor, also rank high.
98. Steam instead of boiling. Mineral loss is usually twice as great in boiled vegetables as in
steamed ones.
99. When you eat yogurt or cottage cheese, don’t discard the whey—the watery part that
separates out and sits on top. It contains B vitamins and minerals but almost no fat. Stir the whey
back into the yogurt or cheese.
100. Watch out for Japanese ramen (wheat noodles), packaged as an instant soup “lunchinamug.” They are very high in fat because they are usually dried by deepfrying in lard
or palm oil. Another drawback is the high sodium content of the accompanying seasoning
packet.
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