Managing Your Weight With Fruits & Vegetables

There are many different ways to lose or maintain a healthy weight using fruits and vegetables as part of a well-balanced and healthy eating plan.  Using more fruits and vegetables along with whole grains, chicken, turkey, fish, nuts, and beans are safe and healthy choices. Helping control your weight is not the only benefit of eating more fruits and vegetables. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of cancer and other chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body uses.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to eat less food. You can create lower-calorie versions of some of your favorite dishes by substituting low-calorie fruits and vegetables in place of higher-calorie ingredients. The water and fiber in fruits and vegetables will add volume to your dishes, so you can eat the same amount of food with fewer calories. Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and are filling.

How to cut calories, simply and easily, and eat fruits and vegetables throughout your day:

Breakfast:  Starting Your Day the Right Way

Oatmeal is always a great way to start your day. Adding nuts and fruit will help keep you full throughout the day.  Substitute some spinach, onions, or mushrooms for one of the eggs or half of the cheese in your morning omelet. The vegetables will add volume and flavor to the dish with fewer calories than the egg or cheese.
Cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. You can still eat a full bowl, but with fewer calories.

Lighten Up Your Lunch

Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. The new version will fill you up with fewer calories than the original.
Add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won’t miss those extra calories.

Dinner

Add in 1 cup of chopped vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, squash, onions, or peppers, while removing 1 cup of the rice or pasta in your favorite dish. The dish with the vegetables will be just as satisfying but have fewer calories than the same amount of the original version.
Take a good look at your dinner plate. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate. If they do not, replace some of the meat, cheese, white pasta, or rice with legumes, steamed broccoli, asparagus, greens, or another favorite vegetable. This will reduce the total calories in your meal without reducing the amount of food you eat. BUT remember to use a normal- or small-size plate — not a platter. The total number of calories that you eat counts, even if a good proportion of them come from fruits and vegetables.

Whole Foods or Supplements?

Nutrients should come primarily from foods. Foods such as fruits and vegetables contain not only the vitamins and minerals that are often found in supplements, but also other naturally occurring substances that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Read More

 People with gum disease (gingivitis) are almost twice as likely as people with healthy gums to have heart disease

 It was once thought that bleeding gums only meant you were about to have fewer teeth than a barroom brawler. Today, we know that tooth loss is only part of the problem.

The common denominator may be inflammation. Bleeding gums indicate that your immune system knows there’s trouble in your gums. This inflammation sets up a reaction that damages things including the lining of your arteries. That makes it easier for plaque to cling to and narrow artery walls, impeding blood flow to and from your heart. The best preventive is an electric toothbrush (it removes more debris from your teeth than a manual brush) and a lifetime supply of dental floss — that you use daily. Reducing the depth of gum pockets and decreasing gum bleeding read more

Crisp pears are tossed with Cheddar cheese and pecans in this delicious salad. For an Italian twist, try a good Parmesan with some toasted pine nuts or to go British use crumbled Stilton and toasted walnuts.

6 servings, 1 cup each
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

NUTRITION PROFILE
Diabetes appropriate | Low calorie | Low carbohydrate | Low cholesterol | Low sodium | High calcium | High fiber | Gluten free |

INGREDIENTS
4 stalks celery, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons cider, pear, raspberry or other fruit vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ripe pears, preferably red Bartlett or Anjou, diced
1 cup finely diced white Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (see Tip)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 large leaves butterhead or other lettuce

PREPARATION
Soak celery in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
Whisk vinegar, honey and salt in a large bowl until blended. Add pears; gently stir to coat. Add the celery, cheese and pecans; stir to combine. Season with pepper. Divide the lettuce leaves among 6 plates and top with a portion of salad. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

TIPS & NOTES
Make Ahead Tip: Prepare salad without pecans up to 2 hours ahead. Stir in pecans just before serving.
Tip: To toast chopped pecans, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

NUTRITION
Per serving: 215 calories; 13 g fat ( 5 g sat , 4 g mono ); 20 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber; 240 mg sodium; 219 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (15% daily value)

Carbohydrate Servings: 1