FULL-LIFE EATING GOAL: at least three snack-sized servings a week
Sprinkle chopped peanuts on your brown rice tonight Or spread a tablespoon of peanut butter on a slice of wholewheat toast for breakfast (top with banana slices for natural sweetness). In five big population studies, nut consumption cut heart risk by up to 35 percent. Peanuts pack an extra nutritional bonus that may explain why: they've got beta-sitosterol, which blocks cholesterol absorption and, in scientific studies, discouraged growth of tumours of the breast, colon and prostate.
Peanuts can also help you to feel full and satisfied for longer. Studies show that although they are high in fat and energy-dense, they actually boost energy utilisation so that peanut eaters weighed less than peanut avoiders.
Scatter sunflower seeds on top of muffins or hot cereal; add to a green salad Sunflower seeds also provided linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid your body cannot produce and must obtain from food. In studies, women who got the most had a 23 percent lower risk of heart disease. As the seed's fats turn rancid fast, store in the fridge, for up to three months, or in freezer for up to a year.
Munch 22 almonds tonight 'Bad' LDL levels dropped 6 percent and 'good' HDL levels rose 6 percent in a University of California study of people who ate almonds and used almond oil in place of half the regular fats in their diets.
Instead of a chocolate bar for a snack, carry nuts in a breath-mint box You need to wash it out first, but one of those little boxes is the perfect size to hold about 20 almonds - the perfect snack size - and it really couldn't be more portable.
Add a dusting of ground walnuts of flaxseed to your cereal, veg or salad every day Both contain impressive amounts of another beneficial omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid. Getting some into your diet is a good idea, nutritionists say; plenty of studies show that eating walnuts or flaxseed can help to cut heart disease risk.
Coat fish with sesame seeds before baking A portion of 35g packs 144mg of phytosterols - super-healthy chemicals that help to block cholesterol
absorption.
Munch 22 almonds tonight
Smart Ways
To Eat More Healthy Oils
FULL-LIFE EATING GOAL: 1 to 2 tablespoons a day
Flavour with olive oil one of the richest sources of monounsaturated fats, olive oil seems to cool the inflammation that leads to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and worsening arthritis. In one Spanish study of 755 Canary Islands women, those who had 9g a day were the least likely to get breast cancer.
Watch the calories, though. A tablespoon of olive oil - or virtually any oil - packs around 100 kilocalories, so use a light hand. Drizzle `1 to 2 teaspoons on veg such as squash, asparagus and green beans instead of butter. Buy an oil mister to use on your pans rather than an oil spray, which is heavier on the oil. Get only what you'll use in the next two months and store it in a cool, dark spot. Old olive oil goes rancid and tastes like soggy cardboard.
Splurge on extra-virgin This is the fruity, full-bodied good stuff to use in situations where taste is important, such as in salad dressings; it also has the most antioxidants. In a Spanish study comparing the effects of extra-virgin olive oil with olive oil that had of all of its antioxidant phenols filtered out, the arteries of people who had the extra-virgin oil expanded and contracted easily in response to changes in blood flow - a trait that cuts heart attack risk.
Make the most of speciality oils There are plenty of other oils that can boost your health and spice up your recipes, and an increasing selection is available in supermarkets as well as from healthhood shops. Try pumpkin seed oil, high in omega-3 and vitamin E and delicious drizzled on salads and cooked vegetables, or shaken with balsamic vinegar for a different salad dressing. Walnut oil is low in saturates, high in monounsaturates and contains a healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6. It has a strong nutty flavour, so use sparingly in salad dressings and when baking ,or lightly brush it onto
chicken or fish. Rapeseed oil is low in saturates, high in omega-3s and vitamin E, and has a high smoke point so can be used for frying. So can groundnut oil (also called peanut or arachis oil), which is high in healthy monounsaturates. Sesame oil, which is rich in omega-3s and monounsaturates, also contains powerful antioxidants called lignans, and cholesterol-busting phytosterols. It's especially good for oriental recipes and can be used in salads, cooking and sauces, and for low-temperature saute recipes, but avoid high-temperature frying.
Try grapeseed and linseed oil Grapeseed oil, also rich in healthy fats, is perfect for high-temperature cooking. Linseed oil, which breaks down in high heat, is best used at room temperature cooking. Linseed oil, which breaks down in high heat, is best used at room temperature as a salad dressing. Dress leafy greens by shaking up a smart vinaigrette with linseed oil, balsamic vinegar and your favourite herbs and spices. Then store the extra in the fridge: heat destroys the essential fatty acids in this fragile, light-tasting oil. Think oil's too much of a luxury on your salad? It's time to rethink fat-free dressing. New research shows that none of the cancer-fighting alpha or beta-carotene antioxidants found in salad greens are absorbed unless oils are present. ( You could add nuts or avocado instead.)
Olive oil is one of nature's greatest gifts: its extraordinary flavour is matched only by its healthiness
Choice 4 Eat Calcium-rich foods
Once, the equation for avoiding brittle bones was simple: get more calcium. After all, your bones do need it - and when your body doesn't have enough for other functions, it draws more from your skeleton. Lack of calcium contributes to osteoporosis, the brittle bone condition that underlies fractures sustained at some point in their lives by one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50. There are more than 200,000 osteoporotic fractures each year in the UK, and the consequences can be disastrous: half of all those who fracture a hip are never again able to live independently, and around a third die within a year.
Getting more calcium is important to help to prevent osteoporosis - but calcium is only part of the story. The best bone-protecting equation begins with adequate calcium but doesn't stop there. You also need vitamin D, magnesium and potassium resistance moves to build or maintain bone density.
According to the Food Standards Agency, an adult needs 700mg calcium a day. And calcium is important not just for your bones. There's plenty of evidence that getting enough can also help to control your blood pressure, lower your odds of developing a pre-diabetic condition called insulin resistance and even help to prevent memory loss and colon cancer. So try to get two to three servings of low-fat dairy foods a day as part of your diet. Combine that with the smaller amounts of calcium in other foods you eat, and you should be getting enough. It you don't eat dairy, add a calcium supplement daily or increase your intake of other calcium-containing foods, such as green leafy vegetables, soya beans, nuts, bread (fortified with calcium) and fish such as canned salmon, sardines and pilchards eaten with the bones.
CALCIUM SUPERFOODS: MILK AND BEYOND
Skimmed milk, low-fat cheese and fat-free yoghurt are among the richest sources of calcium on the shelf at your local supermarket. Each serving of one of these provides about 350mg of calcium along with the minerals and vitamins you need to absorb and use it. If you love milk, that's great news. It's just another reason to pour some over your morning cereal, end the day with a steaming mug of cocoa or enjoy cheese and whole-grain crackers for a midafternoon snack.
What if you don't like milk, though, or simply can't drink it? Some people feel bloated and uncomfortable after eating dairy foods, because their bodies are missing the enzyme needed to digest the milk sugar lactose. If you're lactose intolerant or just prefer not to consume much diary, we've got lots of calcium-rich alternatives, from leafy green salads to nuts to foritified soya milk and orange juice and even yoghurt.
It's true - many people whose systems are intolerant of milk can have yoghurt without any problem. Why? Enzymes in yoghurt convert milk sugars into a digestible form. So if milk makes you uncomfortable, yoghurt may be a good alternative.
Sprinkle chopped peanuts on your brown rice tonight Or spread a tablespoon of peanut butter on a slice of wholewheat toast for breakfast (top with banana slices for natural sweetness). In five big population studies, nut consumption cut heart risk by up to 35 percent. Peanuts pack an extra nutritional bonus that may explain why: they've got beta-sitosterol, which blocks cholesterol absorption and, in scientific studies, discouraged growth of tumours of the breast, colon and prostate.
Peanuts can also help you to feel full and satisfied for longer. Studies show that although they are high in fat and energy-dense, they actually boost energy utilisation so that peanut eaters weighed less than peanut avoiders.
Scatter sunflower seeds on top of muffins or hot cereal; add to a green salad Sunflower seeds also provided linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid your body cannot produce and must obtain from food. In studies, women who got the most had a 23 percent lower risk of heart disease. As the seed's fats turn rancid fast, store in the fridge, for up to three months, or in freezer for up to a year.
Munch 22 almonds tonight 'Bad' LDL levels dropped 6 percent and 'good' HDL levels rose 6 percent in a University of California study of people who ate almonds and used almond oil in place of half the regular fats in their diets.
Instead of a chocolate bar for a snack, carry nuts in a breath-mint box You need to wash it out first, but one of those little boxes is the perfect size to hold about 20 almonds - the perfect snack size - and it really couldn't be more portable.
Add a dusting of ground walnuts of flaxseed to your cereal, veg or salad every day Both contain impressive amounts of another beneficial omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid. Getting some into your diet is a good idea, nutritionists say; plenty of studies show that eating walnuts or flaxseed can help to cut heart disease risk.
Coat fish with sesame seeds before baking A portion of 35g packs 144mg of phytosterols - super-healthy chemicals that help to block cholesterol
Munch 22 almonds tonight
Smart Ways
To Eat More Healthy Oils
FULL-LIFE EATING GOAL: 1 to 2 tablespoons a day
Flavour with olive oil one of the richest sources of monounsaturated fats, olive oil seems to cool the inflammation that leads to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and worsening arthritis. In one Spanish study of 755 Canary Islands women, those who had 9g a day were the least likely to get breast cancer.
Watch the calories, though. A tablespoon of olive oil - or virtually any oil - packs around 100 kilocalories, so use a light hand. Drizzle `1 to 2 teaspoons on veg such as squash, asparagus and green beans instead of butter. Buy an oil mister to use on your pans rather than an oil spray, which is heavier on the oil. Get only what you'll use in the next two months and store it in a cool, dark spot. Old olive oil goes rancid and tastes like soggy cardboard.
Splurge on extra-virgin This is the fruity, full-bodied good stuff to use in situations where taste is important, such as in salad dressings; it also has the most antioxidants. In a Spanish study comparing the effects of extra-virgin olive oil with olive oil that had of all of its antioxidant phenols filtered out, the arteries of people who had the extra-virgin oil expanded and contracted easily in response to changes in blood flow - a trait that cuts heart attack risk.
Make the most of speciality oils There are plenty of other oils that can boost your health and spice up your recipes, and an increasing selection is available in supermarkets as well as from healthhood shops. Try pumpkin seed oil, high in omega-3 and vitamin E and delicious drizzled on salads and cooked vegetables, or shaken with balsamic vinegar for a different salad dressing. Walnut oil is low in saturates, high in monounsaturates and contains a healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6. It has a strong nutty flavour, so use sparingly in salad dressings and when baking ,or lightly brush it onto
chicken or fish. Rapeseed oil is low in saturates, high in omega-3s and vitamin E, and has a high smoke point so can be used for frying. So can groundnut oil (also called peanut or arachis oil), which is high in healthy monounsaturates. Sesame oil, which is rich in omega-3s and monounsaturates, also contains powerful antioxidants called lignans, and cholesterol-busting phytosterols. It's especially good for oriental recipes and can be used in salads, cooking and sauces, and for low-temperature saute recipes, but avoid high-temperature frying.
Try grapeseed and linseed oil Grapeseed oil, also rich in healthy fats, is perfect for high-temperature cooking. Linseed oil, which breaks down in high heat, is best used at room temperature cooking. Linseed oil, which breaks down in high heat, is best used at room temperature as a salad dressing. Dress leafy greens by shaking up a smart vinaigrette with linseed oil, balsamic vinegar and your favourite herbs and spices. Then store the extra in the fridge: heat destroys the essential fatty acids in this fragile, light-tasting oil. Think oil's too much of a luxury on your salad? It's time to rethink fat-free dressing. New research shows that none of the cancer-fighting alpha or beta-carotene antioxidants found in salad greens are absorbed unless oils are present. ( You could add nuts or avocado instead.)
Olive oil is one of nature's greatest gifts: its extraordinary flavour is matched only by its healthiness
Choice 4 Eat Calcium-rich foods
Once, the equation for avoiding brittle bones was simple: get more calcium. After all, your bones do need it - and when your body doesn't have enough for other functions, it draws more from your skeleton. Lack of calcium contributes to osteoporosis, the brittle bone condition that underlies fractures sustained at some point in their lives by one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50. There are more than 200,000 osteoporotic fractures each year in the UK, and the consequences can be disastrous: half of all those who fracture a hip are never again able to live independently, and around a third die within a year.
Getting more calcium is important to help to prevent osteoporosis - but calcium is only part of the story. The best bone-protecting equation begins with adequate calcium but doesn't stop there. You also need vitamin D, magnesium and potassium resistance moves to build or maintain bone density.
According to the Food Standards Agency, an adult needs 700mg calcium a day. And calcium is important not just for your bones. There's plenty of evidence that getting enough can also help to control your blood pressure, lower your odds of developing a pre-diabetic condition called insulin resistance and even help to prevent memory loss and colon cancer. So try to get two to three servings of low-fat dairy foods a day as part of your diet. Combine that with the smaller amounts of calcium in other foods you eat, and you should be getting enough. It you don't eat dairy, add a calcium supplement daily or increase your intake of other calcium-containing foods, such as green leafy vegetables, soya beans, nuts, bread (fortified with calcium) and fish such as canned salmon, sardines and pilchards eaten with the bones.
CALCIUM SUPERFOODS: MILK AND BEYOND
Skimmed milk, low-fat cheese and fat-free yoghurt are among the richest sources of calcium on the shelf at your local supermarket. Each serving of one of these provides about 350mg of calcium along with the minerals and vitamins you need to absorb and use it. If you love milk, that's great news. It's just another reason to pour some over your morning cereal, end the day with a steaming mug of cocoa or enjoy cheese and whole-grain crackers for a midafternoon snack.
What if you don't like milk, though, or simply can't drink it? Some people feel bloated and uncomfortable after eating dairy foods, because their bodies are missing the enzyme needed to digest the milk sugar lactose. If you're lactose intolerant or just prefer not to consume much diary, we've got lots of calcium-rich alternatives, from leafy green salads to nuts to foritified soya milk and orange juice and even yoghurt.
It's true - many people whose systems are intolerant of milk can have yoghurt without any problem. Why? Enzymes in yoghurt convert milk sugars into a digestible form. So if milk makes you uncomfortable, yoghurt may be a good alternative.
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