EAT Vegetables!

It is well known that the more vegetables you include in your diet, the less susceptible you are to practically every major disease.

Why? Because vegetables are rich in antioxidants and nutrients which are thought to prevent sickness and disease coming to our cells and they also promote healthy cell growth.

Vegetables need to be the centerpiece of our diets. Their amazing nutritional power gives us great health and helps our body cells rejuvenate themselves. It’s been suggested that we eat mostly vegetables, less meat, fish or poultry and some whole grains for better health.

Vegetables, by themselves are naturally low in fat and calories and we need to lay off the cream sauces, margarine, or dips to keep them that way,

Still a veggie skeptic? I hope to convert you with these strategies to help you harness their amazing nutritional power:

Here are some strategies from tennis pro, Martina Navratilova to help you get the most out of your vegetables.

1-Set a goal for the number of veggie servings you will eat daily. Start gradually at the lower range of two servings a day, or try to eat at least one fresh vegetable a day.

2-Go green. The greener the leaf, or the veggie, the more anti-aging compounds it contains. So aim to enjoy one mixed salad a day.

3-Color your plate. Colorful veggies are proven fighters of aging, cancer, and heart disease, because they contain a boatload of nutrients. Try to include several servings of yellow, red, orange, and purple vegetables in your meals each week.

4-Drink your veggies. Juicing is the easiest way to “eat your veggies.” As I do, try to have at least one tall glass of fresh juice daily. If you do not have a juicer, stock organic vegetable juices, and mix them up.

5-Do not fear starchy vegetables. Instead, charge-up your batteries with healthy carbs. Include the following in your weekly diet: corn, potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes, and yams.

6-Season your foods with chopped garlic or onion. They may make your breath lousy for awhile, but these foods are packed with flavor and health-building, disease-fighting phytochemicals.

7-Try a new vegetable every week. Step out of your comfort zone, try a new veggie, and experiment with how to cook it. Did you know, for example, that you can substitute spaghetti squash or julienned zucchini for pasta and never know the difference?

8-Set a veggie goal. You might, for example, aim to include at least two vegetables with lunch and dinner. Then step it up: Double your portion of vegetables at lunch or dinner.

9-Eat vegetables raw whenever possible. Generally, raw produce is healthier. In one interesting study, blood levels of vitamins A and E rose significantly in people who ate raw fruits and vegetables for just one week. One exception to the “raw rule”: When cooked, carrots yield more nutrients.

10-Cook veggies for the shortest amount of time possible. Short-term microwaving, steaming, stir-frying, grilling, and other such quick-cooking methods preserve the greatest amount of nutrients. By contrast, prolonged exposure to heat, water, and air destroys vitamins in vegetables.

11-Veg-up your favorite foods. Sneak veggies into soups and stews. If you love pizza, order one topped with vegetables.

Veggies are probably the best fuel you can put in your body, when you get right down to it. Try a few of my suggestions, and your body will thank you for it.

Latin light

Ingrid Hoffmann, host of the Food Network’s Simply Delicioso, says maintaining her weight is easy: She just eats what she cooks!

By LYNNE PALAZZI
Recipes by INGRID HOFFMANN

A funny thing happens to women who come to work for Food Network star Ingrid Hoffmann: They lose weight. A lot of weight. “They don’t go on a diet,” says Hoffmann, the Miami-based host of the Latin cooking show Simply Delicioso. “They eat what I cook—avocados, mangoes, organic chicken—and the weight comes off.”

Fresh food fix
When you work long hours in close quarters—as Hoffmann and her staff do, often getting up at 4 a.m. to prepare food for an 8 a.m. shoot—you get to know the eating habits of your co-workers pretty well. “When I see them making bad choices, or not eating at all, I say ‘Come on, you gotta eat something now.’ Then I feed them whatever I’m cooking—arroz con pollo, fish tacos, plantains,” says 43-year-old Hoffmann. (Click here for her delicious Arroz con Pollo recipe.) For Claudia Uribe Chang, who had trouble losing post-pregnancy pounds, that meant easing up on fatty, sugary foods. “Ingrid didn’t tell me what she was up to,” Chang recalls. “She just got me eating her whole, fresh foods and I dropped 35 pounds!”

Latin lessons
If you’re wondering how someone can eat tacos, rice, and plantains all day and lose weight, Hoffmann has the answer. “Latin food is good for you: It’s mostly grains, fruits, garlic, and tubers,” she says. In Colombia and Curaçao, where she grew up in the ’70s (she’s a self-proclaimed “mutt,” part Argentinean, Bolivian, Colombian, Peruvian, and German), the beans, greens, fruits, and spices the family ate were grown locally—sometimes in their own backyard. In addition, Hoffmann notes, in Latin America people eat portions half the size of those we eat in the U.S., and the biggest meal of the day is usually lunch—plus, they don't skip meals. So when Hoffmann noticed another assistant, Delia Leon, not eating for long stretches of time, she suggested Leon wear a timer set to go off every two or three hours. “When you forget to eat—or refuse to eat—for seven hours you get ravenous and lose your ability to eat smart,” Hoffmann claims. “Once Delia started eating every few hours, she lost 50 pounds.”

Easy does it
With her first cookbook, Simply Delicioso (Clarkson-Potter, 2008), Hoffmann is spreading the word about healthy Latin food—and how easy it is to cook. She reinforces that notion with her TV motto, “If I can do it, you can do it.” “I’m not a trained chef—I learned to cook from my mom, who was a caterer. I was always the kid wandering into the kitchen and poking my fingers into things. For me, it’s about inspiring people to take that half hour to make a great-tasting, healthy home-cooked meal.”

Healthy hair secrets

Nurture your scalp with our troubleshooting guide—and you’ll be rewarded with strong, luscious locks.

By CAROL STRALEY

Beautiful hair is possible. You may not believe that when your head itches too often, you regularly find flakes on your shoulders, or your hair is dull and thinning, but it’s true. The secret is to start with your scalp—if it’s healthy your hair will be, too.

Since the scalp is often overlooked, most of us don’t know how to care for it. To help, we created this guide for every type (dry, thinning, fl aky, and oily). Once you determine your problem, follow our tips and try our effective home remedies—and enjoy healthier, silkier hair.

dry scalp
Problem: Dry, moisture-sapped skin surrounding hair follicles.

Symptoms: Tight-feeling or itchy scalp when the humidity drops; small flakes of dry skin that land on the shoulders.

Massage Rx: Mix 10 drops of a moisturizing pure essential oil such as lavender or sandalwood with 1 ounce of sweet almond or jojoba oil. For sensitive scalps, use straight jojoba oil, says Marc Zollicoffer, Aveda global spa educator. Massage for 5 minutes before showering.

“To nourish a dry scalp, take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement
like fish oil.” —Holly Lucille, N.D., R.N., a naturopathic physician
at Healing From Within Health Care in Los Angeles, Calif.
DIY exfoliating recipe: Try one of these recipes from Mario Russo, owner of Salon Mario Russo in Boston, Mass., and Stowe, Vt.

FOR NORMAL TO COARSE HAIR:
1. After shampooing, massage 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the scalp, and onto your hair from roots to ends.
2. Wrap head with plastic wrap or a damp towel heated in the microwave to trap the oil and let it soak in. Wait at least 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the length of your hair.
3. Rinse out thoroughly and follow with conditioner.
4. Repeat once a week if hair is coarse; once a month is sufficient if hair is normal.

FOR FINE HAIR:
1. Heat ½ cup of apple cider vinegar.
2. Let it cool a bit, but while it’s still warm, gently massage it into your scalp. The acid in apple cider vinegar helps restore the scalp’s pH balance.
3. Cover your head with a towel or shower cap.
4. After 30 to 40 minutes, rinse with plain water.

Products to try: Before shampooing, use a pre-wash treatment such as AUROMÈRE PRE-SHAMPOO CONDITIONER ($9; herbspro.com), formulated according to Ayurveda, India’s ancient healing tradition. Then, try a soothing shampoo and conditioner combo like NATURE’S GATE TEA TREE & BLUE CYPRESS SOOTHING SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER FOR FLAKY, DRY SCALP ($8 each; natures-gate.com) or AVEENO NOURISH+ SOOTHE SHAMPOO with lavender and peppermint ($6.50; at drugstores). Once a week, hydrate hair and scalp with a treatment like AUBREY ORGANICS BLUE GREEN ALGAE HAIR RESCUE CONDITIONING MASK ($14; aubrey-organics.com).

Green Living

Revitalize your home

Clear out clutter and bad energy! Usher in health, prosperity & joy with our easy Feng Shui decorating tips.

By ELIZABETH BARKER

If you are looking to re-energize your health, finances, or love life, start by redecorating your home. According to the Chinese art of feng shui, the qi, or life force, of your house feeds your energy and affects your wellness. And when it’s blocked—by clutter or poor placement of furniture, for example—you may be thwarted in your attempts to improve your relationships or professional pursuits, says Joey Yap, author of Joey Yap’s Pure Feng Shui (Cico, 2008). “People come to me wanting more prosperity, creativity, and romance,” says Jayme Barrett, author of Feng Shui Your Life (Sterling, 2003).

A rejuvenating, nurturing home environment is one in which the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water are in balance. You can achieve this without major renovations; simply follow our guide to begin transforming your home today.

feng shui your LIVING ROOM
Clear clutter. Cull your bookshelves often. “Keep only the books that inspire you,” says Barrett. “Holding onto everything just depletes your energy.” Leaving space on your shelves can also open you up to new ideas. And make sure your floors are clear; if they’re cluttered, they’ll drag the room’s energy downward.
Decorate mindfully. “Surround yourself with objects that symbolize your passions—this acknowledges and energizes what makes you special,” says Barrett. Choose lively décor that’s important to you—like mementos from travel, says Barrett.
Experiment with color. Whether you paint a wall or add accents like throw pillows, blankets, and vases, use color to balance the room. Orange helps energize; blue can soothe; purple and gold help attract wealth; green can bring better health; and red stimulates passion and prosperity, says Ariel Joseph Towne, a feng shui consultant based in Los Angeles.
Rearrange the seats. Ideally, the sofa should be up against a solid wall, which gives a sense of stability, says Towne. “Another option is to set up a table with plants behind the sofa,” suggests Barrett. Or arrange your seating in a circle or square shape to encourage conversation and community. Make your living room even more inviting by positioning some furniture to face the entrance.
Avoid recessed lighting. An abundance of natural light helps brighten your spirits. Artificial lighting can also lift your energy, as long as it’s directed toward the ceiling. “Recessed or overhead lighting generates downward, oppressive energy,” says Barrett. “Try wall sconces instead.

►SHE TRIED IT! Deborah Shadovitz, a Macintosh consultant in Los Angeles, had a hard time confi ning her work to her home office. “My books and papers encroached on other spaces, but decluttering seemed so daunting,” she says. In the living room, Shadovitz decided to arrange her chairs in a circle, which encouraged guests to sit and socialize. Once her living room became a destination for entertainment, Shadovitz was inspired to organize her home. “Without the clutter, my house feels so fresh and welcoming.”

Sun-smart advice

Protect your skin this summer with our expert-backed tips.

The basic rules of skin cancer prevention never change: apply with a broad-spectrum sunscreen (it blocks both UVA and UVB rays) daily, check for suspicious moles every three months (see skincancer.org for a list of warning signs), and go for annual screenings with a dermatologist. Newer research also suggests maintaining a healthy weight, staying fit, and eating a variety of antioxidant-rich foods, like colorful fruits and veggies. Here, three experts weigh in with tips for extra skincare protection:

Be alert for skin cancer if you’re at risk for breast or ovarian cancer.
Large genetic studies have found that people with the BRCA2 gene mutation, which ups your risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, are two and a half times more likely to develop melanoma.
TIP: If a close relative (parent, grandparent, or sibling) has had breast or ovarian cancer or melanoma, see a dermatologist every six months to a year and practice safe sun strategies.
—Lynn Schuchter, M.D., oncologist, Abramson Cancer Center, the University of Pennsylvania

Check your whole body, even under your toenails.
Basal and squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common types of skin cancer, tend to form on the head, face, neck, hands, and arms, which get the greatest sun exposure. Melanoma most often occurs in places where you’ve been sunburned, but it can show up anywhere on the body, including under fingernails and toenails. (This is especially true for dark-skinned people, including African Americans.)
TIP: Don’t ignore any part of your body when looking for suspicious moles or spots, and do not hesitate to see a dermatologist or doctor if you have any concerns, even if you have a darker skin tone. Although dark-skinned people have lower rates of skin cancer, they’re also more likely to die from the condition since they tend to delay medical care and only discover a problem once the skin cancer has progressed.
—Vilma Cokkinides, Ph.D., program director, Risk Factor Surveillance, American Cancer Society

Wear sunscreen if you sit by a window or in a car for extended periods.
Standard windows block UVB rays, but UVA light wafts in freely. TIP: Avoid sitting by window glass for more than an hour a day whether it’s sunny or not. If you do, wear sunscreen and a long-sleeved top to protect your arms and shoulders. Consider replacing the clear glass windows of your car with reflective glass, which blocks more than 75 percent of UV rays.
—Henry W. Lim, M.D., F.A.A.D., vice president, the American Academy of Dermatology

FDA-approved stevia is touted as natural — but is it better than artificial?

Coca-Cola has added the new FDA-approved sweetener stevia to its Odwalla beverages. But despite its billing as a natural sweetener, it's not a risk-free solution for dieters, nutritionists say.

By Bridget Murray Law

msnbc.com contributor

updated 9:07 a.m. ET April 17, 2009

Is stevia, an extract 300 times more potent than sugar, the no-fat, no-calorie "natural" sweetener that soda and juice lovers have been thirsting for?

Since the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of rebaudioside A (Reb A) as a general purpose sweetener in December, major beverage marketers have been rushing new stevia-infused drinks into stores. Coca-Cola is using the stevia-derived sweetener Truvia in two of its Odwalla juice drinks and in the new Sprite Green. PepsiCo added its version of stevia to Sobe Lifewater drinks and has launched a new Tropicana orange juice, Trop50, containing 50 percent less sugar and calories.

The sweetener, which manufacturers claim is natural because it’s derived from the leaf of a South American shrub, has been used for years as a commercial sweetener in Japan and other Asian countries। It’s too soon to know whether American consumers will lap up its slightly licorice-y flavor, but nutritionists are already weighing in with their own verdict: Stevia is no risk-free holy grail for dieters.

Certainly, there's plenty to worry about when it comes to how many calories we guzzle each day. A recent study by researchers at Louisiana State University's School of Public Health found that liquid calories are a bigger problem than food when it comes to weight gain, and that sugar-sweetened beverages are the main culprit. What's worse, Americans consume an average of 20 teaspoons of added sugars a day, about twice as much as recommended, according to government reports.

But so far, there’s nothing to distinguish stevia from other sugar substitutes on the market, despite its boast about being natural, nutrition experts say. Stevia may have no calories, but you shouldn't make it a regular dietary staple, says New York City-based nutritionist Keri Gans, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

“Given our nation’s problem with obesity, stevia and other artificial sweeteners have a place for people who consume more calories than they should from sweets,” says Gans. “But artificial sweeteners should not take over your diet because that means you’re eating way too many processed foods.”

Back to nature?
Marketers counter that that stevia is as natural as sugar, despite a “purification” process that modifies the plant extract.

“Truvia is still all natural,” says Coca-Cola spokesman Ray Crockett. “It’s the same process cane sugar goes through.”

The new stevia extract is the only widely marketed sugar substitute derived from a shrub. Other commonly used sweeteners aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal) and saccharin were developed artificially in labs. Sucralose (Splenda) is derived from sugar but is processed with chlorinated chemicals.

Just as cancer concerns have dogged the artificial sweeteners aspartame and saccharin, some researchers worry about stevia. In fact, the FDA rejected stevia petitions in the 1990s after research linked the plant with infertility in rats and cancer in the lab. The agency says the currently marketed reformulation, Reb A, is “generally recognized as safe.”

Chemistry researcher John Pezzuto isn’t convinced. He cites a study he conducted that suggests a certain strain of stevia can mutate DNA, a possible cancer risk.

“Given that there’s the potential for a mutagenic response, why take the risk with stevia?” asks Pezzuto, dean of the University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy. “I will not be consuming any myself.”

owever, another researcher, genetic toxicologist David Brusick dismisses Pezzuto’s findings.

“That was an in vitro test, done out of the mainstream of tests,” says Brusick, an independent consultant formerly with biopharmaceutical drug development company Covance Laboratories in Vienna, Va. “Studies in animals and people have found no such mutagenic effects.”

Brusick reached his conclusions after reviewing studies for the FDA’s stevia approval. Stevia-associated companies had hired him to conduct the evaluation.

Sticky problem with sweeteners
While nothing's been proved as far as cancer risks, there's a more immediate catch when it comes to stevia. Critics wonder whether it may also stoke hunger, just like other artificial sweeteners.

Studies indicate that consuming something with a sweet taste primes the body for a calorie delivery that doesn’t happen. As a result eaters seek more sweets to satisfy the body's cravings. Recent research also found that sucralose may alter people’s gut bugs in ways that promote weight gain.

None of these metabolic questions have yet been explored with stevia, according to experts.

While rats only develop such problems after ingesting large quantities of these sweeteners, it's not unexpected that at least some people would overindulge with with stevia-sweetened products, notes Orlando-based nutritionist Tara Gidus, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.