Do you avoid fruits and vegetables that look less-than-perfect?

09 Monday Nov 2020

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You might want to change your tune. A review of 350 studies found produce marred with bumps, scars and dark patches is more nutritious than picture-perfect ones. Because when trees and plants are stressed by insects or disease, they produce more antioxidants as a defense mechanism. You’re more likely to find scarred fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets and smaller grocery chains. You might even save money, because some vendors cut prices on the ugliest specimens… which also have the most antioxidants.

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Are you trying to quit smoking?

10 Thursday Oct 2019

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Eat more fruits and vegetables! Researchers at the University of Buffalo polled 1,000 smokers every month for over a year. At the end of the study, those who ate the most produce were 3 times more likely to be tobacco-free – and to have avoided smoking for at least 30 days… compared to the people who ate the fewest fruits and vegetables. The researchers also found that smokers who consumed the most produce smoked fewer cigarettes per day, waited longer to smoke their first cigarette after waking, and were less dependent on nicotine. So why does eating healthy food help you quit? Because one healthy action often starts a chain reaction of healthy behavior. It gets you thinking in healthier ways – and you don’t want to ruin all your hard work, and blow it, by smoking.

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Cut your veggies into chunks!

17 Tuesday Sep 2019

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When you’re making a salad, soup, stir-fry, or casserole, cutting your veggies into big chunks not only takes less time – it can help you drop pounds. Chomping down on big pieces of vegetables requires more chewing and more effort to eat. That’ll slow down how quickly you eat and help you feel more satisfied. Put those two together and it translates to eating less food overall.

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Don’t get stressed-out… eat some hummus!

13 Wednesday Mar 2019

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Here’s a quick trick for reducing your stress hormones: Cut up some vegetables and dip them in hummus! UCLA researchers say the chickpeas in the Mediterranean dip contain one of the highest levels of polyphenols, an antioxidant that cuts down the production of stress hormones. The research showed that just a half-cup of hummus a day can cut our stress by at least 25% within 72 hours.

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Here’s a weird way to get your kids to eat their vegetables:

11 Tuesday Dec 2018

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Serve them with foods your kids hate even more! That’s the advice of researchers at Texas A&M. It sounds counter-intuitive, but after studying the foods that get tossed in the trash from the National School Lunch Program, researchers found that more vegetables are uneaten and thrown away on days when the entrée is really popular, like burgers, chicken nuggets and pasta. But when kids aren’t crazy about the entrée, like fish, fewer vegetables are tossed and more are eaten. It makes sense; it’s the lesser of two evils. If a kid really hates fish, that broccoli they think is so-so will taste a lot better by comparison.

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The trick to get your kid to eat their veggies!

24 Friday Aug 2018

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Want your child to eat healthy vegetables, like broccoli and carrots – instead of not-so-healthy ones, like French fries? Make their plate as colorful as possible. Research at Cornell University found that children find colorful foods highly appealing. And when they’re faced with a plate containing 7 different items, in 6 different colors – they’re more likely to at least try a little of everything.

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Here are a few tips to help you stick to a healthy-eating plan.

20 Friday Jul 2018

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They come from clinical psychologist Jean Kristeller, who wrote “The Joy of Half A Cookie.”

Dr. Kristeller says, first: Relish the first bite of anything delicious. The first bite is always the best. And taste buds get fatigued after just a few bites. So savor the first bite to eat more mindfully. You’ll enjoy the flavor more – and need less food to feel satisfied.

Next, don’t think about what you CAN’T have – focus on what you CAN. So, instead of thinking “I can’t have French fries.” Think: “I get to have these delicious, fresh vegetables!” That simple switch changes your mindset from deprivation to indulgence.

Finally, to get on a healthy eating plan, ditch anything “enriched” and just eat the real thing. Foods are only enriched when the nutrients are removed – or nonexistent – due to processing, and need to be added back in. So instead of eating foods enriched with vitamins – eat foods that are loaded with vitamins in their natural state.

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Here’s how to make it easier to stick to your New Year’s Resolution:

26 Tuesday Dec 2017

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Make proximity work in your favor. That advice comes from psychology professor Dr. Timothy Pychyl. Basically, when we can easily access something, we’re more likely to take action. So if your sneakers are by your bed, you’re more likely to put them on and go for a morning walk. Or if cut vegetables are the first thing you see when you open the fridge, you’re more likely to eat them. So, use the “proximity effect” to your advantage. It can boost your motivation.

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Some vegetables are better for us after they’ve been cooked.

01 Friday Dec 2017

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How do you know which ones? It’s mostly the red and orange ones… Like tomatoes and carrots. Food science professor Dr. Mary Ellen Camire says those vegetables have tough cell walls that can lock in all the good stuff, like vitamins and minerals. But cooking helps break down those walls so we can absorb the nutrients more easily. So, remember, red and orange vegetables are healthier when cooked.

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Want the mind of someone 11 years younger?

10 Monday Jul 2017

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Just eat two servings of leafy green vegetables a day. According to Rush University in Chicago, vegetables like spinach and kale are loaded with nutrients, like vitamin K, lutein and folate, which preserve memory and speed up thinking. And a study of older adults found those who ate 2 servings of leafy greens a day had the mental agility of someone 11 years younger.

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Tag Archives: vegetables

Do you avoid fruits and vegetables that look less-than-perfect?

Are you trying to quit smoking?

Cut your veggies into chunks!

Don’t get stressed-out… eat some hummus!

Here’s a weird way to get your kids to eat their vegetables:

The trick to get your kid to eat their veggies!

Here are a few tips to help you stick to a healthy-eating plan.

Here’s how to make it easier to stick to your New Year’s Resolution:

Some vegetables are better for us after they’ve been cooked.

Want the mind of someone 11 years younger?