THE EVERYTHING

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mantesh

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THE

EVERYTHING

_®

GUIDE TO NUTRITION

All you need to keep you — and your family — healthy

Nicole Cormier, RD, LDN

Mantesh

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This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

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This book contains material adapted and abridged from: The Everything^® Cooking for Kids Cookbook; The Everything^® Diabetes Cookbook; The Everything^® Family Nutrition Book; The Everything^® Food Allergy Cookbook; The Everything^® Guide to Being

Vegetarian; The Everything^® Guide to Macrobiotics; The Everything^® Healthy College Cookbook; The Everything^® Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook; The Everything^® Low-fat, High Flavor Cookbook; The Everything^® Nutrition Book; The Everything^® Organic Cooking for Baby and Toddler Book; The Everything^® Raw Food Recipe Book; The Everything^® Superfoods Book; The

Everything^® Vegan Cookbook; The Everything^® Vegetarian Cookbook.

ISBN 10: 1-4405-1030-X ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-1030-4

eISBN 10: 1-4405-1159-4 eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-1159-2 Printed in the United States of America.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cormier, Nicole.

The everything guide to nutrition / Nicole Cormier.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4405-1030-4 (alk. paper) 1. Nutrition. 2. Health. 3. Food habits. I. Title.

RA784.C595 2011 613.2 — dc22 2010039142

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

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The information in this book should not be used for diagnosing or treating any health problem. Not all diet and exercise plans suit everyone. You should always consult a trained medical professional before starting a diet, taking any form of medication, or embarking on any fitness or weight-training program. The author and publisher disclaim any liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of this book.

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For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

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THE EVERYTHING® GUIDE TO NUTRITION

Dear Reader,

Throughout my professional and personal experience in health and wellness, I have discovered that simple changes in diet and lifestyle can have a tremendous impact. But determining how to make those changes can be overwhelming, and nutritional guidance can be extremely valuable. It's not an all-or-nothing situation when it comes to finding your body's balance. A few shifts in food choices and behavior can help you increase your energy levels, control your hunger, and manage your health.

Life presents challenges. Busy schedules, providing meals, and enjoying a social life can make it difficult to think of eating for energy. After seeing many of my clients get overwhelmed with meal plans, food shopping, label reading, and recipes during their quest for wellness, it became clear that they needed simple tools to guide them through their journey. Many people have an idea of how to make better food choices, but with more than 15,000 new food products being introduced into our food supply every year — and the marketing gimmicks that go along with them — frustration and confusion can result. Additionally, every day we hear about new fad diets that sidetrack us and prevent us from learning more about basic nutrition.

I hope this book will give you an abundance of ideas about what to eat that is delicious, easy to make, and provides the energy you need. You'll learn small changes you can apply every day to improve your life. It's time to let go of all those negative connections to food and rebuild an incredible and manageable experience for your health.

Yours in good health,

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Welcome to the EVERYTHING® Series!

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Dedicated to my family and friends who have supported my projects, workshops, and career over the years

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Acknowledgments

I would like to give a special thanks to all the clients and patients I've had the opportunity to work with during the past five years. You've truly inspired me to continue my career as a registered dietitian and nutrition counselor. I am so grateful to have been a part of each of your journeys toward a healthier lifestyle.

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Top 10 Reasons Why Understanding Basic Nutrition Can Improve Your Life

1. Basic nutrition focuses on regulating blood sugars, which is important in managing your energy levels, hunger, and weight.

2. Consuming nutrient-dense unprocessed foods without added solid fats, sugars, starches, or sodium can improve and prevent chronic diseases.

3. Lifestyle changes alone can decrease, or even eliminate, the need for several medications related to cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diabetes, and depression, resulting in fewer side effects.

4. Many lifestyle changes modify contributors to cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and obesity. Therefore, changing your life can certainly save your life.

5. Eating foods such as beans and quinoa, two “superfoods” that provide both protein and fiber, can help you regulate your blood sugars, hunger, and energy levels.

6. Fats can prevent vitamin deficiencies and create satiety in your life. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats from nuts, oils, avocados, and olives are essential for absorbing fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

7. Many processed foods cause your pancreas to work more than twice as hard as it should. Today, about 18 million Americans have diabetes and 41 million are pre-diabetic.

8. The average American consumes 6,000–18,000 mg of sodium per day, which can result in high blood pressure, heart disease, fluid retention, and stroke.

9. Despite government labeling requirements, food companies use multiple and sometimes confusing schemes to attract consumers to their products.

10. Fiber sustains a healthy digestive system; however, isolated fiber (the fiber food manufactures add to foods that would otherwise not contain fiber) is not equivalent to whole fiber.

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Introduction

WE ARE WHAT WE eat. The old saying still holds true today for busy people trying to find balance in their overworked, overstressed lives. Many of us have little time to manage meals, energy levels, and a lifestyle path toward whole health. The idea of basic nutrition and eating for energy seems to have become an inconvenient thought in our everyday lives. Perhaps we feel overwhelmed by the abundance of foods available to us, the quick-fix diets calling our names, or the confusion between true energy sources that increase our performance and random spikes in our blood sugars that cause us to crave more sugar.

It is easy to understand why the rate of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke has increased so rapidly in recent decades when you consider that some of the most common foods consumed in the United States are processed with added solid fats, sugars, starches, and sodium. In most cases, micronutrients that were lost during processing are added or replaced later. You may be thinking:

Why in the world would we go through so much trouble to break down our foods from their natural states, then enrich them with nutrients that may be less absorbable by the time they are in our digestive systems, especially when these foods are contributing to the rise in obesity and chronic illnesses? It makes sense that we will have poor health if we eat foods with poor nutritional value.

According to the National Cancer Institute, 90–95 percent of Americans exceed the recommended consumption of refined grains, which are defined as a grain product that lacks the bran, germ, or endosperm. Therefore, they provide little nutrition. These foods are culprits that entice us in the most convenient ways: in fast-food drive-thrus, vending machines, and packages that can stay on supermarket shelves for long periods of time.

If you read every piece of information on a product's Nutrition Fact Label and are still confused as to whether or not it is a good food choice, you may realize how inferior products are slipping past even discerning consumers. The Nutrition Labeling laws have changed several times over the years, allowing marketing departments to give consumers a run for their money. Many new products that reach supermarket shelves each year are non — nutrient-dense foods, which have few natural micronutrients and lots of “empty calories.”

The Everything^® Guide to Nutrition is about eating real, whole, delicious food, but it goes beyond just handing over a meal plan. People have a desperate need to understand basic nutrition to help them feel their best, mentally and physically. Focusing on lifestyle changes instead of following a specific diet is the ticket to achieving optimal health, decreasing your risk of illness, increasing your energy level, improving your quality of life and wellbeing, and reducing your medications.

Multiple factors block us from transitioning into a healthier population. One solution may be to restructure our food choices from the ground up, consuming fewer processed foods. As you read this book, keep an open mind about new foods that are waiting to support your health in many ways. The support they offer will give you a new appreciation of and positive relationship with foods that provide your body with the energy it needs to perform. This book is about understanding how to eat for energy and live mindfully, instead of just following a trend.

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CHAPTER 1 Healthy Measures

A healthy lifestyle isn't a one-size-fits-all affair. Each person needs to discover what practices are right for him or her and incorporate them into everyday life in order to achieve long-term success. No matter what outcomes you desire — weight loss, more energy, lower cholesterol, or a healthier digestive system — finding your own starting point is a crucial part of beginning your personal journey to wellness. It's time to let go of fad diets and take the wheel. You have the ability to assess where you're at and where you want to go, and now you'll learn how to get there.

Dietary Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) first created the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 1980. Revisions are made every five years and can be accessed at www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/history.htm. These guidelines were designed to teach people what to eat to stay healthy. They reflect the most up-to-date and sound nutritional information known about healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. The guidelines provide nutrition advice about choosing and preparing foods, as well as about living an active lifestyle that will help promote health and prevent disease. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans apply to all healthy Americans over the age of two. They focus on health promotion and risk reduction, and also form the basis of federal food, nutrition education, and information programs. The guidelines include specific recommendations that carry three basic messages: aim for fitness, build a healthy base, and choose sensibly. They provide these key recommendations for the general public:

Choose a variety of foods from the basic food groups that are nutrient dense.

Limit saturated fats and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, sodium, and alcohol consumption.

Balance caloric intake with calories expended through physical activity to manage a healthy weight.

Aim for at least thirty minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per day on most days of the week to promote physical health, optimal body weight, and mental health.

Consume a variety of at least 2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables per day.

Consume 3 ounces or more (depending on your goals) of whole grains per day.

Use low-fat or nonfat dairy products as a protein source. Consume about 3 cups per day.

Saturated fats should make up less than 10 percent of daily calories.

Trans fats should be consumed in as limited quantities as possible.

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Cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams per day.

Most fats should come from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated sources such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Keep calories from fat between 20 and 35 percent of daily calories.

Choose lean proteins from beans, nuts, seeds, dairy products, fish, eggs, poultry, pork, and red meat.

Eat high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains several times per day.

Consume small amounts of added sugars or other sweeteners.

Consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.

Limit alcoholic beverages to one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less per day for men. This recommendation does not apply to people who cannot restrict alcohol intake,

pregnant or lactating women, children and adolescents, persons on medications that could

interact with alcohol, or those with any specific medical condition that might be exacerbated by alcohol consumption.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines focus on eating a healthy, plant-based diet, developing a positive relationship with food, and being a cautious and mindful eater. Eat foods, not just nutrients, and savor your food as well as the process of cooking it. The guidelines also emphasize prevention and kid- specific awareness, the value of eating seafood outweighing the risks, and nourishing your body no matter what you weigh.

Assessing Your Weight

When evaluating your weight, you need to consider various factors. Body weight should not be the only method used in assessing your weight and health. Body weight alone does not convey how much body fat you have or where it is stored — the strongest predictors of health risk. It is important to know how much of your weight is body fat, where that body fat is located, and whether you already have health problems related to your weight. A number of assessment methods can be used to determine whether a person is at a healthy weight. Some of these are based on height and weight, others are based on measurements of body fat. The general idea is to determine whether your weight puts you at risk for health problems so you can take action if necessary.

To properly weigh yourself, weigh on the same scale each time you weigh in. Use a beam balance scale, not a spring scale, whenever possible. Be sure the scale is periodically calibrated for accuracy. Wear lightweight clothing, and do not wear shoes. For consistency, try to weigh yourself at the same time of day each time (morning is best).

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Your body shape can be used in assessing your weight. Where you store body fat can be an indication of a healthy weight and health status. Are you an “apple” shape, storing excess body fat in the stomach area and around the waist? An apple shape can put you at higher risk for health problems such as early heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Are you a

“pear” shape, storing excess body fat below the waist, in the hips, buttocks, and thighs? A pear shape does not appear to be as harmful to a person's health as an apple shape.

If you cannot tell by looking at your body in the mirror whether you are an apple or a pear shape, you can figure your waist-to-hip ratio. Follow these steps to figure out your waist-to-hip ratio.

1. Use a ninety-six-inch tape measure.

2. Stand relaxed. Measure your waist at its smallest point without sucking in your stomach.

3. Measure your hips at the largest part of your buttocks and hips.

4. Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.

5. If this number is nearly or more than 1.0, you would be considered an apple shape.

6. If this number is considerably less than 1.0, you would be considered a pear shape.

Where Does Your Waist-To-Hip Measurement Fall?

Health Risk Men Women

High Risk >1.0 >0.85 Moderately High Risk 0.90–1.0 0.80–0.85 Low Risk <0.90 <0.80

Weighing Your Risk

Carrying around extra weight every day can be a heavy burden and a health risk. Every system in the body needs to work harder to cope with that weight. Being overweight is defined as having an excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. Being obese specifically refers to having an excess amount of body fat. Bodybuilders or athletes with a lot of muscle can be overweight without being obese. Obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories than she burns.

As dangerous as it is to carry around extra weight, being underweight is associated with a higher mortality rate. Being underweight can lead to the malfunctioning of many important body functions. It can also result in a loss of energy and an increased susceptibility to injury, infection, and illness. The causes of being over- or underweight can be complex, and they differ among individuals. Genetics, environment, social, behavioral, and psychological reasons can all be factors in an abnormal body weight. You may not be able to change some of these factors, but one you can change is your lifestyle

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habits.

The Health Hazards of Obesity

Losing just 5 to 10 percent of excess body weight can help to reduce your risk for health problems related to your weight. A small loss in body weight can help lower blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), triglyceride levels, and blood sugar. Lifestyle change is the healthiest and most permanent method of losing weight and decreasing the risk of serious health problems. Combining a healthy diet with increased physical activity and behavior modification is the most successful strategy for weight loss and healthy weight maintenance.

Obesity can generate stress, both physically and emotionally. It can lead to feelings of low self- esteem as well as social seclusion. Since 1985, obesity has been recognized as a chronic disease. It is the second leading cause of preventable death, surpassed only by cigarette smoking. Physical health problems related to obesity include heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, stroke, gallbladder disease, liver disease, osteoarthritis, gout, pulmonary problems, and certain types of cancer.

Your Ideal Weight

Our country as a whole is overweight. The American lifestyle has evolved into a sedentary pattern, with many people engaging in virtually no physical activity. Most Americans drive to work and sit at computers, then drive home and sit in front of their televisions. Kids get driven to school, where they sit all day, until they come home and sit at their computers, TVs, or video games.

Meanwhile the supermarkets are packed with cheap, good-tasting, highcalorie foods. Coffee shops wait at every corner to give us a boost of artificial energy in the form of caffeine and sugar. The fast- food companies are conveniently located in our markets, shopping malls, and airports. They even supply our schools with lunches. It's no wonder a majority of Americans are overweight.

The technology of underdeveloped countries is not at our level, but neither is their rate of obesity.

When people from those parts of the world immigrate to the West, their rate of weight gain quickly catches up to ours.

How did people get so fat in the first place?

The human body was designed to enjoy and consume as much highcalorie food as possible. Humans are built to store extra calories in pockets of fat until needed during winter or a time of famine. Unfortunately, human physiology has not compensated for technological advances.

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Consequences of Being Overweight

Overweight people run higher risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, infertility, stroke, diabetes, and numerous forms of cancer. Obesity is about to pass tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death.

Regardless of how your weight compares to a table or chart, you know if you and your family need to pay more attention to nutrition. An ideal weight is one that you can maintain, that allows you to be active, enables you to have energy throughout the day, and lets you sleep at night. What works for some does not necessarily work for all. You are an individual, and it's your unique lifestyle that determines your overall weight and health.

Where do you and your family fit in to this scenario? Are you physically active? Are you at a healthy weight? There are specific measurements you can make to determine exactly where you stand (see Appendix B), but you probably have a pretty good idea already.

Battle of the Bulge

If you determine that you need to lose weight, there is only one way to do it. You must burn more calories than you consume. There are dozens of diet plans, programs, pills, and shakes vying for your dollar. But the only healthy way to lose those excess pounds is by controlling portion sizes, understanding which foods your body needs, and incorporating exercise into your daily routine.

Cutting calories takes attention, and burning them takes effort. There's no getting around it.

You can lose about a pound a week if you eliminate or burn 500 calories a day. To help you gauge this, an 8-ounce container of low-fat, plain yogurt has about 150 calories. People who run regularly burn about 100 calories per mile. Eat less, exercise more. Sounds simple enough, right?

What Are Calories?

To understand how to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, you need to start with your calorie needs. It is possible to manage your weight by balancing the calories you eat and the physical activities you choose. Calories measure the amount of energy in foods. Your body relies on calories to keep you alive and functioning.

How many calories do nutrients provide?

Carbohydrates, protein, and fat are the only three nutrients that provide calories in food. Fat provides nine calories per gram, carbohydrates provide four calories per

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gram, and protein provides four calories per gram.

Three nutrients in foods provide calories, or energy: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. These nutrients are released from food during the digestive process, and then absorbed into the bloodstream and converted to glucose or blood sugar. Glucose is your body's main source of energy.

Your Body's Calorie Needs

Your body constantly needs calories, or energy, to maintain its basic functions. Having a general idea of your body's total calorie needs can help you to maintain, lose, or gain weight. Everyone's caloric needs differ, depending on factors such as age, gender, size, body composition, basal metabolic rate, and physical activity.

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate at which your body burns calories when at rest. It is the level of energy your body needs to keep your normal body processes going, such as heartbeat, breathing, body temperature, and transmitting messages to your brain. Your BMR uses up 60 percent of your body's total energy needs.

Estimating Your Calorie Needs

There are different methods for estimating caloric needs for individuals. Though just an estimate, the BMR can give you a general idea of how many calories your body needs. Whether you are overweight, at your healthy weight, or underweight, it is important to know how many calories you should be consuming for good health and to reach or maintain a healthy weight. The following simple equation can help you easily estimate your caloric needs:

1. Figure your BMR by multiplying your healthy weight (in pounds) by 10 for women and 11 for men. If you are overweight, use the average weight within the range given on the BMI in Appendix B. Using your actual weight, if you are overweight, will overestimate your calorie needs.

2. Figure your calorie needs for physical activity. Multiply your BMR, from step 1, by the percentage that matches your activity level: sedentary, 20 percent; light activity, 30 percent;

moderate activity, 40 percent; very active, 50 percent.

3. Add calories needed for digestion and absorption of nutrients in your body. Add your calories for BMR, from step 1, and your calories for physical activity, from step 2, then multiply the total by 10 percent.

4. Total your calorie needs by adding the calories from each step.

Serving Sizes

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The Food Group Pyramid provides a suggested range of the number of servings you should eat each day from each food group. The number of servings and the size of the servings you eat comprise your daily caloric intake.

If you are a vegetarian, you can still make the Food Guide Pyramid work for you. A vegetarian who completely avoids meat, poultry, and fish can choose alternate foods from the meat group. Some of these alternate choices include peanut butter, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers, and soy milk.

Use peanut butter and nuts sparingly because they tend to be high in fat.

Keep in mind that serving sizes are only approximations. If you do not have any idea of what a serving size should look like, it would be a good idea to start measuring your foods. Once you have an idea of what a serving should look like, it will be easier to eye your portion sizes in the future.

For mixed foods, such as pizza, do your best to estimate the food group servings contained in the food. For example, a slice of pizza can be counted as the grain group for the crust, the milk group for the cheese, and the vegetable group for the tomato sauce. Toppings such as Canadian bacon or pepperoni would count as a meat. Mushrooms would count in the vegetable group.

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CHAPTER 2 The Ideal Diet

The word “diet” has been used tirelessly over the years, in most cases meaning a regimen of eating to reduce weight. This approach has mostly created short-term success in reaching weight-loss goals.

But without a solid foundation, temporary behavior changes dissolve relatively quickly and dieters fall back into old patterns. Perhaps, looking at “diet” as habitual nourishment could create a more positive environment for long-term changes. Knowing what you should be eating, instead of what you shouldn't, and understanding how eating an ideal diet would improve your life will boost your momentum.

Balance

Life balance involves a combination of body balance, work balance, family balance, and social balance. Body balance itself has several parts that are necessary to make it achievable. To fuel your metabolism and motivate yourself to participate in daily activities you need to manage your daily food intake, balancing your calories in and your calories out. You also need balance among the food groups you consume at each meal, the time between meals, and the rate at which digestion occurs.

Ninety-five percent of calories should come from vegetables and fruits, protein, whole grains, and healthy fats. The remaining 5 percent can come from food that has less nutritional value. This creates a balance of your caloric distribution throughout the day.

If you understand basic nutrition, you can achieve optimal health by managing your blood sugars, energy levels, and hunger throughout the day. One way to do this is by eating a small meal or snack every three to four hours.

Most meals should be divided so that more than half of your plate contains vegetables and/or fruit and the remainder a lean protein and whole grain. A protein and a fiber should be present at each meal.

These combinations make it possible for you to physically feel full and experience satiety. They work together to slow your digestion and prevent your blood sugar from increasing or falling dramatically.

Learning to put these combinations together at each meal and most snacks will help keep blood sugars at a balanced level, which will reduce hunger. It will also prevent you from feeling cranky, sleepy, and starving.

Superfoods

Superfoods are particular types of food that contain high amounts of phytonutrients, necessary for the proper functioning of the body. Individually, they provide important health benefits, but taken as a whole they become a major defense against the ravages of free radicals, environmental toxins, and heavy-metal contamination. You can find numerous articles on the benefits of foods considered to be

“super,” and it seems everyone has their favorites. Twenty foods are almost unanimously found on all the superfood lists. They are:

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1. Apples (fight free radicals)

2. Blueberries (most antioxidants ever) 3. Broccoli (helps prevent cancer) 4. Quinoa (the mother grain)

5. Dark chocolate (loves your heart) 6. Sea vegetables (full of minerals) 7. Garlic (nature's antibiotic)

8. Avocados (full of good fat) 9. Parsley (the blood cleanser)

10. Wild salmon (keeps your skin young) 11. Beans (lower cholesterol)

12. Kale (powerhouse of nutrients) 13. Green tea (liquid antioxidants) 14. Pumpkin seeds (help the prostate) 15. Microplants (full of nutrients) 16. Oats (the wonder grain)

17. Sweet potatoes (rich in vitamin A) 18. Walnuts (provide essential fatty acids) 19. Yogurt (replants your intestines)

20. Fermented foods (essential digestive aids)

The Familiar and Not-So-Familiar

The majority of these superfoods should not appear unusual; as a matter of fact, most of you probably eat them on a regular basis. Take apples for instance, a favorite snack loaded with antioxidants that can be eaten plain, with a smear of nut butter, or in an apple crumb pie. Blueberries, on any list of

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favorites, are low in fat and high in fiber and easy to use in smoothies or smothered in another superfood, probiotic-rich yogurt. Perfect for your digestive system, a plain, tart yogurt can be puréed with the powerful cruciferous super vegetable, broccoli, to make a healthy soup or vegetable dip.

Quinoa may be new to you, coming only recently to the United States from the mountains of Peru, but its high protein content makes it a must-have on your shopping list. Can't live without chocolate? Go ahead and enjoy a bite of decadence — the darker the healthier.

Land and Sea Vegetables

This superfoods list would not be complete without both land and sea vegetables. The oceans provide an amazing storehouse of mineral-rich foods to rival the most nutrient-dense land produce: dulse, arame, hijiki, and kombu are proving themselves to be effective in weight-loss studies and in preventing osteoporosis. Try pairing them with garlic, known for centuries to be a cure-all for whatever might ail you.

South of the border they know how to appreciate the healthy fats in avocado. These are the “good”

fats you want to include in your diet, and when you balance them with a few sprigs of blood-cleansing parsley, everything flows along nicely. Add wild salmon to the menu and you have the ideal source of omega-3 fatty acids, essential fats your body needs for clear beautiful skin, shiny hair, and a well- functioning brain. Beans, a vegetarian source of protein, provide nutrients and fiber. You'll find a wide variety to choose from, including kidney, pinto, cannelli, butter, adzuki, soybeans, black-eyed peas, and lima. Kale is a powerful cancer-fighting vegetable, easy to prepare, and delicious with sautéed garlic.

Rounding Out the Top Twenty

You can sip your antioxidants in green tea and support your prostate and bones with a handful of pumpkin seeds for a snack. If you prefer, add the tea and seeds to a blender with mineral-rich chlorella, spirulina, blue-green algae, or wheat-grass juice, some frozen blueberries, and sweetener of choice for a quick and healthy smoothie.

Wondering what to eat for breakfast? Look no further than a bowl of “the mother of all grains,” whole oats cooked overnight in the slow cooker and served warm the next morning with a few tablespoons of walnuts. For lunch, a powerhouse salad of cooked sweet potatoes, high in vitamin A, along with cooked kale, topped with toasted walnuts, and tossed with an apple cider vinaigrette allows for easy digestion and assimilation of nutrients.

Benefits of a Healthy Diet

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Eating well optimizes your body's ability to perform. It improves your physical endurance so you can easily handle everyday tasks. Food affects your mental acuity, emotional outlook, personality, and overall sense of wellbeing, too. A healthy diet provides energy to function optimally, as well as protection from chronic disease.

Specific Health Benefits

A healthy diet will minimize your risk of acquiring many of the chronic diseases currently plaguing our nation. Cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers can all be connected in part to poor diets and failure to maintain healthy weight. Good nutrition improves the overall function of all aspects of the human body, from the way your blood flows to your ability to sleep.

Personal Benefits

On a personal level, taking control of your health through diet is empowering. And if you are in control of your family's diet, the undertaking takes on even greater meaning. There is no better gift you can give your family than the gift of a healthy lifestyle. Developing healthy habits gives them an edge that will last a lifetime.

Healthy Variety

A nutritious diet does not have to be a boring diet. In fact, the healthiest diets are constantly evolving, as you try and add new foods with new combinations of nutrients. Once you have a clear understanding of what your body needs, you'll derive a great deal of pleasure from experimentation and research.

Getting the Kids on Board

Teaching nutrition to kids is easy if you start from scratch, but not everyone has that luxury. Most parents tend to raise their kids as they were raised, and unfortunately not everyone was brought up by nutritionists. Interrupting the sugary soda and crunchy salty snack habits of older kids can be challenging.

When children are small and spend most of their time at home, it is easier to provide only natural, healthy foods. But the minute their care goes into the hands of someone else, be it day care, preschool, or Grandma, health-conscious parents need to go into double-overtime nutrition watch. Once refined sugars and flours are introduced to your child, the battle begins. Sweets are powerful things in the world of child care, and their use as rewards has lifelong implications. To avoid this scenario, insist on maintaining control over your child's diet.

If you are already battling the junk food wars, there are ways to turn the onslaught around. These strategies may take time, but they do work. Bringing kids into the process of planning, shopping, and cooking is the first step.

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What's in It for Them?

Just like adults, kids like to see both sides and weigh the good and the bad. Even with young children,

“because I said so” is not always effective. You'll get better results if kids can see an upside to the changes you want them to make.

More than 60 percent of children eat too much fat. Less than 20 percent get enough vegetables in their diet. With an average of two trips to the drive-thru each week, it's no wonder. Even so-called “healthy” fast-food choices have hidden fat and sugar in dressings, breads, condiments, sodas, sides, and desserts.

Using outside influences is a great tactic. Find healthy role models for your children. Athletes are obvious choices, but local coaches, dance instructors, and scout leaders also have healthy role model potential. Take a look at your child's activities and start pointing out the healthy active people in their lives.

Finally, give them incentive. It could be having more energy, increased strength for soccer, or better chances at cheerleading tryouts. Both kids and adults need incentive to do new, hard things. It may take some time because for children, unlike adults, a healthy future is not always incentive enough.

They do not necessarily see the potential for illness and disease. They are invincible in their own minds, so these goals are less meaningful. Help them find something tangible to work toward that is health- or activity-related. It may require finding them a new hobby or sport, but it's worth the effort.

The payoff is a lifelong healthy lifestyle for your children.

Make Kids Part of the Process

Give kids the power of knowledge. Explain the dietary guidelines, and use this knowledge to plan a menu together. Make a shopping list, and take kids with you to the market. Teach them to read the labels and compare nutrients. Give them choices, within parameters, and make them responsible for monitoring their own diets. Most importantly, teach them how to cook. Even very young children can watch and help out in the kitchen, where they'll pick up important knowledge and skills.

From time to time you may need to let actions speak louder than words. A tummy ache can be a powerful tool. Firsthand experience, including real physical results from poor choices, often works better than any incentive or role model. It will give you both a reference point from which to continue the work of daily nutrition.

Most importantly, as a parent, you must never give in. Regardless of how much control you allow kids, you are still in charge. Don't slip into the fast-and-easy. It is your job to show them what a healthy lifestyle is. Being strict and vigilant in the early years will pay off with healthy active teens

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and adults.

Small Changes Can Lead to Huge Successes

The stress of trying to get your child to eat makes mealtime difficult for the child as well as the parent. The goal is to make every meal an adventure instead of a battle, which sometimes requires thinking outside of the box. Think creatively or even like a child, and eventually mealtime will become fun and enjoyable again.

Remember the ABCs to restricted eaters:

Avoid letting your child think, “if I don't like it, Mom or Dad will make me something different.”

Be consistent with the guidelines you choose to put in place.

Construct a positive, calm environment during mealtimes.

The “I Don't Like It” Protocol:

Start small. Try putting new things on your child's plate, even if it's just five peas.

If kids try X, Y, and Z, then they can have something they like.

However, don't make the mistake of giving them their absolute favorite food. For example, if they like peanut butter and jelly, but love chicken nuggets, give them the PB & J.

Make sure you're only cooking one dinner for the family. You didn't open a catering service. You should be satisfied that you are providing a complete nutritious meal that will promote health and growth.

If food items are not tried, place the meal in refrigerator. Offer the meal one last time around 7:00 P.M., before bedtime. Don't cook a new meal. Missing one meal will not cause kids any harm — they will be fine until breakfast.

Focus on one meal. The best meal to focus on is usually dinner. You don't have to implement new rules every night at the beginning. Gradually work in these rules/behavior changes on specific nights.

Have your child sign a contract to promise to try the new foods you introduce (at least one full bite).

As a general rule, you have to try a food fifteen times before your mouth decides if it likes it or not. So, give it a chance.

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The Ideal Pantry

An ideal pantry should be well organized, enabling you to easily choose a lean protein, a fiber source, and flavorful ingredients in a matter of two minutes to put together a delicious, complete meal. The first step in setting up an efficient pantry is taking a trip to the grocery store, farmer's market, and so on. You may refer to the information in Chapter 17 to ensure your list is nutritionally complete. If your shopping list is balanced, your shopping cart will be balanced, and your pantry will be balanced.

Be prepared for those days of last-minute ordeals that can cause your routine or plan to go astray.

Make sure to have a variety of frozen vegetables, cans of beans, quick-cooking grains such as couscous, and frozen entrées such as Kashi, Lean Cuisine, and Amy's Organic on hand. Then, if necessary, preparing a meal in minutes becomes relatively easy. You could simply heat an entire frozen bag of vegetables and a frozen entrée to have a complete meal ready in minutes. Keep other proteins available such as frozen shrimp, individual chicken breasts, turkey burgers, chicken sausages, fish fillets, and marinated tofu.

Each pantry should contain whole grains such as quinoa, whole-wheat couscous, millet, bulgur, brown rice, whole-grain breads, cereals, and whole-wheat pasta. Because foods come packaged in a variety of ways it is often difficult to accurately define the correct portion. You may want to create a snack basket with snack baggies filled with the appropriate portions of oat bran pretzels, nuts, soy crisps, and so on.

Be sure to keep measuring cups handy to scoop cereals and other grains. It's always a great idea to use measuring cups as serving utensils, so you know how much you're eating. Proteins can be measured with a small kitchen scale to monitor portion sizes. Personal preferences can create chaos in pantries if communication is not practiced. If there are specific nutritional needs or preferences among household members, be sure there are designated areas for these specific food choices.

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CHAPTER 3 The Power of Protein

Protein is one of the macronutrients and most important sources of calories to be consumed at each meal, including snacks. Its power to slow digestion and regulate blood sugars, hunger, and energy levels can improve your productivity and performance — and you won't need to take so many coffee breaks. This is especially true during that afternoon drop, when many of us reach for a quick fix of processed foods or “empty calories.” Luckily, we have plenty of protein sources from plants, animals, and dairy products to save us from malnutrition and help us reach our potential.

The Role of Protein in a Healthy Diet

Protein builds and maintains muscles, organs, connective tissues, skin, bones, teeth, blood, and your DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). It helps the body heal when it is sick, wounded, or depleted. Without protein, even mild exercise would weaken you to the point of exhaustion.

Protein contributes to the formation of enzymes. Almost all reactions that occur in the body, such as digestion, require enzymes. Enzymes are catalysts to these reactions, increasing the rate at which they occur.

There is protein in your blood, called antibodies. They serve as your body's immune responders.

They bind with and fight foreign invaders, such as bacteria or toxins. Protein is found in hormones, your body's chemical messengers. Hormones help regulate the body's activities, maintaining balance or homeostasis.

Amino Acids

Protein is composed of twenty amino acids. These acids link together in chains to form the variety of proteins your body needs. The length and shape of the chain determines the protein's structure. Of the twenty amino acids, eleven of them are made by your body. These eleven acids are called nonessential because you do not need to consume them. The remaining nine amino acids are called essential, and it is important that you eat these every day. Getting all nine essential amino acids is not hard, especially if you eat meat. Animal foods (which include meat, eggs, and dairy products) contain the largest concentration of protein. Animal protein is considered complete, because it contains all nine essential amino acids.

Eating complementary protein means consuming both beans and grains every day. The beans can be pinto, kidney, black, lentils, garbanzo, split peas, or peanuts. Grains

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should be whole, including brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, bread, crackers, or tortillas. Sesame seeds also complement the protein of beans.

Plant foods also contain proteins, but few plants contain complete protein. This is one of the challenges of vegetarianism, because to stay healthy you must consume enough foods with the right mixture of amino acids. It sounds complicated, but grains, nuts, and legumes contain the proteins that are not found in other plants, so adding a variety of these to your diet does the trick.

Plant foods eaten in combination to create complete protein are called complementary proteins. When these foods are eaten over the course of a day, protein intake is complete. Protein derived from complementary plant proteins is considered a healthy alternative, and by many people, a superior one.

Eating such combinations of plant foods not only completes the protein, but also provides other nutrients vital to good health as well, most notably fiber, vitamins, and minerals. And most plants do all that without saturated fat.

Cooking Protein

Cooked protein is also referred to as denatured. When denatured, protein changes its structure and stops functioning. In denaturation, the amino acids loosen, recoil, and tighten, which changes the appearance, texture, and flavor of the protein. If you watch an egg being cooked, you can see the denaturation happen within a minute or two as the albumen turns white.

Cooking protein does not necessarily require heat. Acid will denature protein, as it does in the Latin American dish ceviche, in which seafood is marinated in lime. Salt is used to cook protein in cured meats, such as ham, sausages, and salt cod. Pickled meats combine acid and salt for a double- whammy cooking method. Even agitation can denature protein, as in the whipping of eggs. In this case prolonged agitation changes the egg's structure, making it safe to eat. Meringue demonstrates this effect on the egg white, while yolks and whole eggs get this treatment in mayonnaise and emulsified salad dressings, such as those used in Caesar salad.

Denaturation of protein doesn't happen only in the kitchen. You saw it during your last visit to the beach. The waves break onto the sand, the tide rolls in and out, and that motion denatures the proteins in the seawater, creating sea foam.

Choosing Your Protein

People in the United States overconsume animal protein. To stay healthy and rebuild muscle, the average adult needs only five to six ounces of complete protein each day. But a typical American diet consists of bacon and eggs for breakfast, a meat-filled sandwich for lunch, and a dinner featuring meat as its focus. A healthy family needs a healthy diet of lean protein in moderation. Animal proteins are

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higher in fat, particularly saturated fat, which in turn makes them high in cholesterol. Plant foods, however, contain no cholesterol, less fat (in the form of plant oil), and lots of fiber.

Eating too little protein is not healthy, but neither is eating too much. Overeating protein does not build extra muscle. The protein your body does not utilize is stored as fat.

Meat

Meat is a common generic term meaning flesh, but to chefs it refers specifically to the flesh of four- legged domesticated animals. This includes mainly beef, lamb, and pork. Lamb is becoming popular in America, and pork is gaining in popularity as a lean meat option. But by far, the favorite meat in the United States is beef.

Historically, the cow's size made it more valuable as a draft animal than a source of food. The logistics of slaughtering such a large animal were daunting. Salting was the main method of preserving meat, and this method was not very sophisticated. So, unless there was a real crowd to feed, lamb was a more popular choice. But modern Americans love what cows offer. The cow's meat, milk, and hide easily make it the world's most important domesticated animal.

Choosing Beef

Beef and veal are readily available in modern supermarkets, and for the most part, quality is high.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grades meat for consumption based on muscle- to-bone and fat-to-muscle ratios. Beef grades, from best to worse, are prime, choice, and select.

Lesser grades, used mainly for processed meat products, include standard, commercial, and utility.

Grades are stamped in purple on the outer carcass of the animal, and are usually prominently advertised by retailers, especially when the grade is high.

Beef cows are taken to market when they are between eighteen and twenty-four months of age. Before that time the cow is considered veal. Veal is a male dairy cow between sixteen and eighteen months of age. Veal grades, from best to worse, are prime, choice, good, standard, and utility.

The Disadvantages of Meat

Meat is generally considered a high-fat protein choice. Usually fat means flavor. In today's world people appreciate, and even expect, a high level of flavor in their meat, despite full knowledge that saturated fat contributes to coronary artery disease and elevated cholesterol levels.

Lean cuts are available, but even if you cannot see the fat marbled throughout a particular cut, the saturated fat is still present within the muscle cells. When meat is heated, the fat melts and penetrates the muscle. So even if you do not eat the visible fat on a steak, you are consuming saturated fat.

This appetite for fatty beef has drastically changed the landscape of modern agriculture. Today cattle are bred and raised to provide the most meat with the least cost. According to the USDA, the average

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American consumes sixty-seven pounds of beef every year.

A wild cow would naturally consume fiber-rich plants that are unsuitable for human consumption.

Today, cows compete with humans for food, consuming grain grown on valuable fertile soil. In the United States, half of the water and 80 percent of the grain harvested goes to feed livestock.

Poultry

Poultry is a term used to describe domesticated birds raised for food. In the United States this means mainly chicken and turkey. Game hens are another form of poultry that can be found in some supermarkets. Duck, although common in Europe and Asia, appears more often on restaurant menus than in your average American grocery store.

Most supermarkets offer organic, free-range, and natural birds. Freerange chickens have more flavor because they are allowed to exercise a bit more. Natural birds contain nothing synthetic, no preservatives or artificial flavoring or colorings, but standards permit antibiotics and hormone use.

Organic birds are fed grains that have not been exposed to chemicals and pesticides. They may not be treated with antibiotics or drugs, and must be allowed to go outside and exercise.

Whenever possible, buy free-range, organic poultry. Common chickens are raised with profit, not health, in mind. They must be fed antibiotics to fend off disease. They are given growth hormones, which, coupled with lack of exercise, makes them so fat they cannot move. In addition, the food they are fed is grown with artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides.

Kosher chickens are organic and free-range, and are processed under the strict supervision of a rabbi.

They are also soaked in salty brine, which gives them a unique flavor.

When shopping for chickens, frugal cooks know that whole chickens are always less expensive than cut-up parts. But unless you possess good butchering skills, it can be worth paying a little more. Keep in mind that chicken fat occurs in and around the skin, which is easy to remove.

Seafood

Seafood is the most abundant source of protein on earth. Consider all the varieties, around the world, and it's an immense category of food. Narrowed down to its basic parts, the world of seafood is easy to navigate. Seafood is a name given to all marine animals caught or raised for food. This includes both fresh and saltwater species. People tend to condense them all into a general category of fish, but there are many subcategories.

Fish Groups

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Fish is first divided into two basic types: finfish and shellfish. There are two kinds of finfish: flat fish and round fish. The flat fish, which include flounder, halibut, and sole, skim along the bottom of the sea. Round fish (which only appear round if they are swimming straight toward you) are found in both freshwater and saltwater. Freshwater fish have much smaller bones than their larger, oceangoing cousins. Shellfish are also separated into two categories: mollusks, such as mussels and clams, and crustaceans, which include crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp.

Choosing Fish

If you are lucky enough to live near the sea, you will likely have an abundance of fish at your market.

Further inland, your fish selection may be more limited. Luckily, frozen fish today are of very high quality, as they are flash-frozen on board the ship that caught them.

When buying frozen fish, be sure it is free of ice, which is a sign that it has been defrosted and refrozen. The fish should have a natural shape, with only a light coating of frost. Defrost frozen fish slowly, twenty-four to thirtysix hours in the refrigerator is best. Place defrosting fish in a colander or perforated pan to separate the runoff juices. Smaller pieces can be cooked frozen.

When buying fresh fish, be sure that all you smell is fresh, oceany fish. If the smell is off-putting, don't buy it. When you get the fish home, store it in the fridge loosely covered with paper, preferably in a perforated pan to allow juices to drain away. If you plan to store the fish longer than two to three days, it should be frozen.

Eggs

The nutritional value of eggs cannot be denied. They are loaded with protein and are, as such, used as a measure for other proteins. What's more, they contain almost every essential vitamin and mineral humans need.

Egg yolks contain a high percentage of cholesterol, and people watching their cholesterol should avoid them. But normal, healthy, active humans can, and should, benefit from the incredible egg.

Choosing Your Eggs

When possible, look for organic eggs from free-range chickens. They are regulated to a certain extent by the USDA. No antibiotics or hormones are allowed, and the birds are provided with access to the outdoors. Eggs have a tremendous shelf life. By the time they get to your grocer, they are usually one or two weeks old. They will last in your fridge another three weeks. The shell, which is very porous, allows odor and moisture to pass through. Over time, the yolk and white become thinner. Thicker, fresher egg whites and yolks are preferable for recipes that require the eggs to be whipped.

Beans

The general term bean encompasses several plants and usually refers to the legume, a large plant seed

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found within long pods from the plant family Fabaceae. Soybeans, peas, lentils, and kidney beans are examples of legumes. When the seeds are dried, they are referred to as pulses. Many beans are only sold in dry form, although some, such as the pea, come both dried and fresh.

Beans are an excellent source of low-fat protein, containing more than twice the amount of protein as grain. You can buy beans in dried or canned form. Dried beans take longer to cook, and must first undergo a long soaking process to tenderize them. Canned beans are readily available, which makes it easy to add beans into your everyday diet. Most supermarkets stock such common beans as adzuki, black, broad bean, cannellini, chickpeas, fava, garbanzo, kidney, lentil, lima, mung, navy, pea, pinto, runner, soy, and white.

Nuts

Botanically, a nut is a fruit with one seed. The wall of the seed becomes very hard, and the meat of the seed stays very loose within. Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and chestnuts fall into this category.

However, in the world of cuisine there are other nuts that do not fit the definition. Peanuts are legumes, the pine nut is a seed from a pine tree, a macadamia nut is a kernel, and the Brazil nut is found inside a fruit capsule.

Nuts have a high oil content and can easily become rancid if stored improperly. Heat and light increase rancidity, so refrigeration is best for long-term storage. Flavor is greatly altered, and generally improved, by heat. Toasting nuts in an oven yields the best results. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast at 350°F for 10–15 minutes, until they become fragrant.

Recipes

Lemon Sesame Tuna

Poached Chicken with Pears and Herbs Gingered Tofu and Bok Choy Stir-Fry Crab Cakes with Sesame Crust

Salmon Cakes with Mango Salsa Grilled Fish and Spinach Packets Asian-Style Fish Cakes

Venison with Dried Cranberry Vinegar Sauce Beautiful Black-Eyed Pea Burgers

Moroccan Lamb Stew

Salmon with Lemon, Capers, and Rosemary

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Hawaiian-Style Mahi-Mahi Balsamic Chicken and Spinach Mango Duck Breast

Raw Sushi Nori Rolls Almond Garlic Pâté

Lemon Sesame Tuna

Tuna is delicious as an appetizer when it's cut into cubes and marinated in a lemon mixture.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 1tablespoon sesame oil

2 green onions, minced 2 (1/3-pound) tuna filets

¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted

1. In shallow bowl, combine lemon juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions and mix well.

Cut the tuna into 1″ cubes and add to the marinade; toss to coat and let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange the fish in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until fish is just opaque, about 5–7 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately with toothpicks.

PER SERVING Calories: 73 • Fat: 4.8 g • Protein: 6.6 g • Sodium:78 mg • Carbohydrates: 1.2 g • Fiber: 0.65 g

Poached Chicken with Pears and Herbs

Pears pair well with all poultry. Try this dish for a quick dinner or double the recipe for company.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 2

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored, and cut in chunks

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2 shallots, minced

½ cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon rosemary, dried, or 1 tablespoon fresh

1 teaspoon thyme, dried, or 1 tablespoon fresh 2½ pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless Salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare the poaching liquid by mixing the first five ingredients and bringing to a boil in a saucepan.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Serve with pears on top of each piece.

PER SERVING Calories: 307 • Fat: 9 g • Protein: 41 g • Sodium:2 mg • Carbohydrates: 15 g • Fiber: 2 g

Gingered Tofu and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Dark, leafy bok choy is a highly nutritious vegetable that can be found in well-stocked groceries.

Keep an eye out for light-green baby bok choy, which is a bit more tender but carries a similar flavor.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 3 3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, well pressed 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 head bok choy or 3–4 small baby bok choys

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

1. Whisk together soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, and ginger in a shallow pan. Cut tofu into cubes,

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and marinate for at least 1 hour. Drain, reserving marinade.

2. In a large skillet, sauté tofu in olive oil for 3–4 minutes.

3. Stir in reserved marinade, bok choy, and sugar.

4. Cook, stirring, for 3–4 more minutes, or until bok choy is done.

5. Drizzle with sesame oil and serve over rice.

PER SERVING Calories: 243 • Fat: 18 g • Protein: 19 g • Sodium:732 mg • Carbohydrates: 8 g • Fiber: 4 g

Crab Cakes with Sesame Crust

Remember to pick through the crabmeat and remove any cartilage or bits of shell that can be left behind during processing.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 5 1 pound (16 ounces) lump crabmeat 1 egg

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 small scallion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon dry sherry

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 6 tablespoons mayonnaise

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste (optional) Old Bay Seasoning to taste (optional)

¼ cup lightly toasted sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, mix together the crab, egg, ginger, scallion, sherry, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and the seasonings, if using.

2. Form the mixture into 10 equal cakes. Spread the sesame seeds over a sheet pan and dip both sides of the cakes to coat them. Arrange the crab cakes on a baking sheet treated with nonstick spray. Typical baking time is 8–10 minutes (depending on how thick you make the cakes).

THE EVERYTHING

THE

EVERYTHING

GUIDE TO NUTRITION

All you need to keep you — and your family — healthy

Nicole Cormier, RD, LDN

THE EVERYTHING® GUIDE TO NUTRITION

Welcome to the EVERYTHING® Series!

Contents

Acknowledgments

Top 10 Reasons Why Understanding Basic Nutrition Can Improve Your Life

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 Healthy Measures

Dietary Guidelines

Assessing Your Weight

Weighing Your Risk

The Health Hazards of Obesity

Your Ideal Weight

Consequences of Being Overweight

Battle of the Bulge

What Are Calories?

Your Body's Calorie Needs

Estimating Your Calorie Needs

Serving Sizes

CHAPTER 2 The Ideal Diet

Balance

Superfoods

The Familiar and Not-So-Familiar

Land and Sea Vegetables

Rounding Out the Top Twenty

Benefits of a Healthy Diet

Specific Health Benefits

Personal Benefits

Healthy Variety

Getting the Kids on Board

What's in It for Them?

Make Kids Part of the Process

Small Changes Can Lead to Huge Successes

The Ideal Pantry

CHAPTER 3 The Power of Protein

The Role of Protein in a Healthy Diet

Amino Acids

Cooking Protein

Choosing Your Protein

Meat

Choosing Beef

The Disadvantages of Meat

Poultry

Seafood

Fish Groups

Choosing Fish

Eggs

Choosing Your Eggs

Beans

Nuts

Recipes

Lemon Sesame Tuna

Poached Chicken with Pears and Herbs

Gingered Tofu and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Crab Cakes with Sesame Crust