Nutrition For Life

Large hot dog on bun (2-ounce hotdog, with ketchup)

1 bag of original Cracker Jacks

Which ballgame snack will satisfy hunger for fewer calories? Read more…

Heart disease is not a disease that only affects men. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), heart disease kills more than 500,000 women annually. In 2001, well over half of the people who died from heart disease were women.

Yet, “Women still think they cannot have coronary disease,” says Dr. Massimo Guisti of Cardiovascular Associates of Virginia, PC. “They are more afraid of ovarian or breast cancer, but coronary disease is the actually the leading cause of death in women.”

Heart disease often presents itself differently in women than it does in men. That includes the warning signs of a heart attack as well. In addition to the classic heart attack warning signs, such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath and pain in one or both arms, women may experience these less common signs:

* Atypical chest, stomach or abdominal pain.
* Nausea or dizziness without chest pain.
* Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing without chest pain.
* Unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue.
* Palpitations, cold sweat or paleness. Read more…

Makes 2 servings, about 1 cup filling each

TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes (not including pork marinating & grilling)

Smoky grilled onion and your favorite barbecue sauce transform grilled pork tenderloin into a hearty summer sandwich. If you’re concerned about sodium, be sure to choose a lower-sodium barbecue sauce. Read more…

Looking for new, inventive ways to improve your eating habits? Warm weather can help you create better nutritional habits. From longer days to seasonal produce, the next few months are a great time to make your diet reach new heights.

Breakfast
Even though it’s typically the smallest meal of the day, breakfast is the most important one because it sets the tone for the entire day. What you eat, or do not eat, will determine how much you eat for lunch, dinner and snacks. If you skip breakfast, you become more likely to binge at lunch and load up on unneeded calories. So how can the pleasant weather help with eating breakfast?

Set up a system with Mother Nature’s virtues as the backbone. Now that the sun is out and the temperature is nice when you wake up, eat breakfast outside every morning. Pick a place – your porch, deck or favorite chair – and take 10 to 15 minutes to eat and enjoy. No need for eggs, bacon and all the fixins; cereal with skim milk, a whole-wheat bagel with low-fat cream cheese or a fruit smoothie is all you need to start the day right. Read more…

Makes 4 servings

TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes
Forget the bread; next time you’re serving chicken (or seafood or tuna) salad for lunch, try mounding it in an avocado half instead. Read more…

Cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea are some of the common and uncomfortable symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Unfortunately, no one has yet discovered a specific cause for IBS, but there are many factors that are correlated with it. There are two main categories of risk factors that can contribute to IBS—those that you can’t change, and those that you can.

Uncontrollable Risk Factors
These variables are out of your control. Although you can’t do anything to change them, it’s important to know what has been associated with the development of IBS symptoms.

* Your gender. Women are at least twice as likely to experience IBS as men. Due to fluctuating levels of hormones, women are more likely to experience IBS symptoms during or around the time of their menstrual periods.
* Your family history. You are more likely to experience IBS if people in your family have/had the disorder.
* Your age. Younger to middle-aged adults are most likely to experience IBS. In fact, half of all people with IBS will first develop symptoms before they are 35 years old, with 90% of IBS sufferers developing symptoms before age 50.
* Your health history. Some experts believe that IBS may be caused by a bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract. But other health conditions that can cause IBS symptoms include: celiac disease (intolerance of gluten from grains), chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia (widespread bodily pain), and temporomandibular disorder (jaw pain and discomfort). Read more…

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
Try this light spinach dip made healthier with reduced-fat cream cheese, nonfat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese instead of full-fat cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream. It will save you a whopping 84 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving when compared to traditional versions. Serve it with pita chips and crunchy vegetables or spread it on a sandwich. Read more…

Lactose intolerance can make it difficult to eat a balanced diet. After all, how do you get the dairy and calcium you need when you experience gas, nausea, bloating, cramping and diarrhea whenever you try? By learning more about this problem, you can also learn how to work with it.

What is Lactose Intolerance?
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, which is the sugar found in milk. This happens when there is a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down milk sugar into simpler forms that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. When the milk sugar is NOT broken down and absorbed, additional water is drawn into the intestinal tract. There, the bacteria that are normally found in the intestine ferment the sugar.

Lactose intolerance is a matter of degree. Today, what is commonly called lactose intolerance is referred to as lactose maldigestion by health professionals. Only a small fraction of people with lactose maldigestion has true intolerance. Most lactose maldigesters are fine unless they eat more than a single serving of dairy products at one sitting. Many people with lower levels of lactase can actually drink up to at least one cup of milk with a meal without any problems. Sometimes intolerance to milk is only temporary. It can be brought on by certain medications or by illnesses, such as the flu. Read more…

Makes 4 servings, about 8 half shells each

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
Lean Canadian bacon, Parmesan cheese and an aromatic blend of chopped vegetables and herbs give our baked, stuffed clams so much flavor and crunch that you won’t even miss the 6 tablespoons of butter that typically goes into this classic appetizer. They make a fabulous starter for a dinner party or a light summer entree with a fresh salad Read more…

Basil: No other herb epitomizes the taste of summer like basil. Available in a number of varieties, this tender annual gives cooks attractive options to strew generously over tomato salads—try opal basil with maroon leaves, for instance. Thai basil’s anise tones enhance Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Dessert chefs will appreciate cinnamon basil and lemon basil, especially with peaches.

Cilantro: The pungent flavor and aroma of cilantro is popular in many ethnic cuisines, including Mexican and Vietnamese. The entire plant is edible: the dried seeds are sold whole or ground as coriander, the stems are as flavorful as the leaves and some Asian recipes even call for the roots. Heat can temper fresh cilantro’s flavor, so add it to a dish right before serving.

Lavender: Fresh or dried blossoms impart a delicate perfume to herb mixtures, such as herbes de Provence (for lamb, chicken and vegetables), or can infuse the milk destined for a custard or ice cream. Easy does it when using lavender—you want a subtle fragrance, not the memory of your grandmother’s attic. Dried lavender can be found in specialty and natural-foods stores. Read more…