The Food and Drug Administration's announcement last week of a new qualified health claim for--drum roll, please--olive oil, helps confirm what many proponents of the Mediterranean diet have been saying all along: that olive oil is good for the heart. But before you start swigging olive oil from the bottle, read the fine print of the health claim in today's Lean Plate Club.
What's your favorite kind of olive oil? Tell us--and share your favorite way to use olive oil in cooking--in today's Lean Plate Club Web chat. Can't join live from 1 to 2 p.m. ET? No problem! Just leave comments, questions or tips ahead of time, and check back later to read the transcript. You can also e-mail me any time at [EMAIL PROTECTED].
Living Lean
Can you live lean in a high-fat world? A new study by Brown University weight loss researcher Rena Wing and her colleagues at the Miriam Hospital in Providence is asking that very question. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, Living Lean in a Toxic Environment, or LITE, is looking for successful losers (those who have lost at least 30 pounds, kept it off for five years and are currently at a stable weight within 10 pounds of their healthy weight). LITE also seeks people who are at a healthy weight and have never been overweight. Participation is brief and mostly requires completing questionnaires and wearing an accelerometer for a week. (This device measures activity, similar to a pedometer.) To sweeten the pot, there's a $50 payment for participants. For more information, call the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center at 401-793-8972.
And while you're at it, check out this advice from Miss Manners for those who have successfully lost weight.
What's for Dinner Tonight?
How about Artichoke and Tomato Pizza? A single slice clocks in at 227 calories with 7 grams of fat (just three of them saturated). The recipe comes from the American Heart Association's newly revised flagship cookbook.
Or maybe you'd prefer Sun-Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Chicken, which has about 200 calories per serving.
There's also Cinnamon Chicken and Couscous, ready in just 25 minutes. A hearty serving comes in at 445 calories.
And for dessert--rev up your taste buds here!--this chocolate creme brulee has just 200 calories per serving--much less than the usual recipe. It keeps calories down by using egg substitute, and offers a kick from fresh raspberries.
You might also want to try an old standby: pasta with tomato sauce. In the latest Food section, learn how to make your own sauce using canned tomatoes. By the way, tomato sauce happens to be rich in lycopene, which helps prevent prostate cancer).
Or maybe you'd like to try some mushrooms. The Food section offers advice on how to cook varieties from Chanterelles to Portobellos.
Autumn is prime time for red pears, which are terrific when paired with a little Laughing Cow Light cheese (or other low-fat cheese).
During a recent Web chat, we ran out of time before this question about Laughing Cow could be posted.
Fort Wayne, Ind.: I love Laughing Cow Light Cheese--on crackers, on celery sticks, etc. Does it count as any part of a milk serving, or is it just good-tasting, low-cal but not-doing-anything-good-for-me food?
Sally Squires: Au contraire! That Laughing Cow Light cheese has cheddar, Swiss and other cheeses along with whey protein, skim milk and more. Yes, the taste is great. There's only 35 calories per wedge, so even the whole wheel with eight servings won't set you back too much. (No, I'm not suggesting anyone does that.) A single wedge also provides 6 percent of your recommended daily calcium and 2 percent of vitamin A. Plus it only has 2 grams of fat, just 1 of them saturated. So by all means, enjoy! Regular Laughing Cow cheese is pretty good, too, nutritionally: It has 50 calories per wedge, 4 grams of fat, 2.5 grams saturated.) Want to expand beyond Laughing Cow? Jarlsberg has a light cheese, and I've recently tried some nonfat pasteurized American cheeses that were fine for making things like grilled cheese sandwiches.
What's your favorite way to enjoy cheese without going overboard on saturated fat? Tell us in today's Lean Plate Club Web chat. Can't join live? Leave your comments ahead of time.
Joy of Motion
Did you know that taking the stairs burns five times more calories than riding the elevator? Ever wondered how you could get more bang for your buck with physical activity? Then you'll want to check out the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's handy Web site on physical activity. (Your tax dollars at work.)
Learn the basics, from the talk test and measuring target heart rates to the more advanced Borg rating of physical exertion and metabolic equivalent levels, which will help you figure out how the intensity level of your physical activity.
There's even information on strength training for older adults.
In a recent Web chat, Lean Plate Club members shared some of their tips for fitting in more physical activity. How do you do it? Tell us in today's Web chat. Leave comments anytime. Or e-mail me at [EMAIL PROTECTED].
With a Little Help From Your Friends
We ran out of time before these could be posted in last week's Web chat. Please know that I read all your messages and respond personally to as many as time permits. Thanks to both LPCers for their suggestions.
Dallas, Tex.: Hi, Sally! I searched long and hard for a "standard" breakfast that I could pack for work every day, was quick to fix and--most importantly--would keep me satisfied until lunch. Eggs kept me satisfied, but I worried about eating them daily. Plus, they were not easy to fix and pack. My solution has been yogurt-based. I mix frozen blueberries with plain nonfat yogurt and a little Splenda. When I get to work, I top it with bran cereal for crunch. Hope this helps someone else. Breakfast has been my hardest meal to get under control.
Sally Squires: Great suggestions! Thanks. What's your favorite breakfast, LPCers? Tell us in today's chat. Or leave comments ahead of time.
Gaithersburg: For the poster who wondered if calcium would help her arthritic knees: I have osteoarthritis in both knees, and when I was at my heaviest, I had a tremendous time with stairs. What helped me was:
1. Weight loss--reduces strain on the knees. 2. Weight training--strengthens the muscles and connective tissue around the joint and actually protects the joint from excess force. 3. Probably most important--glucosamine and chondroitin. Even after my weight loss, and with weight training, my knees would ache. I ended up taking ibuprofen most days of the week. Several months after I started taking glucosamine, the aches went away. I now rarely take any painkillers for my knees, except after a very long bike ride. And my knees are pretty much symptom-free. I can bound up and down stairs with abandon, which is something I wasn't always able to do in my 20s! (I'm 52.) I do try to get adequate calcium, but I doubt it had much to do with my knee self-rehab.
Sally Squires: Emerging research continues to make glucosamine and chondroitin intriguing, although the final word is not in yet. Knees are certainly problem joints for a lot of people.
By the way, as dietary supplements, glucosamine and chondroitin can be sold with less scrutiny than drugs. But last week, the Food and Drug Administration announced some changes in the way dietary supplements are likely to be reviewed.
Want to learn more about your favorite dietary supplement? Do a search at IBIDS, a free electronic database run by the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institute of Health.
Niles, Ohio: I've been trying to use an online guide to monitor my food intake, but am having the hardest time with takeout food, which I tend to eat fairly frequently. Are there any good sources that detail the nutrition info for takeout? For instance, I ordered a small Chinese chicken and broccoli, served with rice, and six steamed meat dumplings. I ate this food over three meals. How can I accurately monitor my nutrition? Thanks!
Sally Squires:Center for Science in the Public Interest, a D.C.-based consumer group, regularly conducts samples and analyzes popular restaurant fare--and offers suggestions on how to eat out more healthfully. That's one way. You can also check our fast food calorie counter for popular chain restaurants. And a growing number of restaurants will also provide this information when asked. (Of course, that's hard for a lot of independent restaurants to do.) Best bet: stick with vegetable dishes that are lightly sauteed or steamed, not fried. Mostly, minimize portions.
Okay, LPCers: how do you eat out healthfully? Tell us your tips in today's Web chat, live from 1 to 2 p.m. ET. Or send in your suggestions or ask questions ahead of time.
