Food and Nutrition Tips #21

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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #20

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

Food and Nutrition Tips #19

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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #18

18. Read labels on muffins. A bran muffin may not even contain whole-wheat 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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #17

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 age related 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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #16

16. Keep coleslaw low-fat. It is usually more fat than it is cabbage, but you can make it low-fat. 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 one-cup serving has just 74 calories and almost no fat.

Food and Nutrition Tips #15

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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #14

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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #13

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 cholesterol-lowering unsaturated fats, folate and other B vitamins, heart-healthy 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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #12

12. To reduce the risks from grilled meats, pick low-fat 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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #11

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 cancer-causing 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 pan-fried, especially if it’s cooked until well done.

Food and Nutrition Tips #10

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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #9

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

Food and Nutrition Tips #8

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.

Food and Nutrition Tips #7

7. If you’re trying to lose weight, eat foods with high water content. Fruits and vegetables and dishes made with them (such as stews and smoothies), as well as soups, can help you cut down on calories and still feel satisfied.