Let the holidays begin! Or at least, let's kick off the fourth annual Lean Plate Club Holiday Challenge. Yep, it's that time of year again, when we vow to hold the line on holiday weight gain. (And no, for those of you new to the Lean Plate Club this has nothing to do with dieting or deprivation.) Learn more in today's Lean Plate Club. Look for additional information, including a weight chart, a poll, a message board and more at www.washingtonpost.com/leanplateclub.
Okay, so what are you doing to get ready for celebrating the upcoming holidays without undermining your healthy habits? Tell us from 1 to 2 p.m. ET in today's Lean Plate Club Web chat. Can't join live? No problem. Send in your holiday strategies or food finds ahead of time, and come back later to read the transcript.
Eat More Vitamin E
If you were troubled by last week's report about vitamin E dietary supplements, take up the slack by boosting vitamin E rich foods. Experts say again and again that food remains the best source of vitamins, minerals and other key nutrients, without the potential dangers. Most Americans get their vitamin E from high-calorie salad dressings, mayonnaise and oils. Better choices, according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Committee Report, are fortified, ready-to-eat cereals (also a source of whole grains); almonds, sunflower seeds, avocados, tomato paste, pine nuts, tomato sauce and peanut butter, sardines and herring. Oils rich in Vitamin E include sunflower, safflower, cottonseed and canola.
Food Find
Speaking of oil, last week's column and Web chat featured olive oil, which recently earned a qualified health claim from the Food and Drug Administration. A Lean Plate Club member, who had recently returned from a trip to Croatia, raved about Croatian olive oil and asked where to buy it in the United States. I called the Croatian Embassy, where I was kindly directed to Plava Laguna, 5900 N. Kings Highway in Alexandria. The store's phone number is 703-317-9133. Croatian olive oil runs about $14 per liter at Plava Laguna, whose owner says it can also be mailed to places outside the Washington region. The store is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
By the way, last week a Lean Plate Club member won one of the prizes awarded in each week's Web chat for noting that Goya extra virgin olive oil got high marks from Consumer Reports for being a good value.
And we ran out of time last week before this tip could be posted. Please know that I read all your postings and e-mails.
Washington, D.C.: We just came back after two weeks traveling in Turkey. The food was delicious and we ate very well, but we didn't gain weight at all. Yes, it's true that we walked a lot. Still, we didn't skimp on what we ate. There is truth to the wholesomeness of the Mediterranean diet. As for our favorite brand of olive oil, we prefer Colavita and Omaggio extra virgin cold press. They're available at very good prices at Sam's Club.
Sally Squires: Thanks for the tip. Sounds like you had a great trip. And you're right about the health benefits of the Mediterranean approach to eating. There's growing scientific evidence to support that.
Operation Big Fat Lie
That's the name of the Federal Trade Commission's nationwide initiative against six companies. See if any of them found familiar.
What's for Dinner Tonight?
How about Arroz con Pollo from Sandra Khannouchi, a nutritionist, trainer and wife of marathon world record holder Khalid Khannouchi.
There's also Pasta with Portabello Mushrooms, which clocks in at less than 500 calories per serving. Those mushrooms count toward your daily servings of veggies. And go ahead and make regular pasta if you don't like whole wheat. Turns out that it's a dehydrated food that doesn't raise blood sugar as much as you might think.
Buttternut Squash Casserole not only sounds tasty and easy to make but counts as a serving (or two!) of vegetables. Healing Seafood Stew is quick to fix and packs zinc and protein in just 223 calories per serving. (And while it calls for catfish, you can use any fish that you like.) Add a crusty bread with a little drizzle of olive oil, and maybe a tossed salad for a great meal. For dessert, you might want to make Raspberry Salad.
Have you ever wondered if marinating seafood in lime juice really cooks it? Robert Wolke provides the answer. And Kim O'Donnel has a video that will show you how to prepare Green Curry with Shrimp and Jasmine Rice.
Joy of Motion
Last week, Virginians joined the growing group of Americans getting healthier by moving more.
Keep in mind: The more calories you burn now, the more you'll have to spend on Thanksgiving dinner.
The popular, nationally franchised Curves offers 30-minute workouts for women. Runner's World magazine challenged a few exercise physiologists to come up with a similar 30-minute approach for runners.
One of this week's goals for the Holiday Challenge is to get your walking or running shoes in order, and make sure you have good workout clothes. The Runners World shoe finder may help.
And Natural Health magazine has some exercises to strengthen your back and shoulders.
In the "would this be a great way to burn some calories department," the Travel section features hiking on Maui. And the Sunday Source offers tips on playing racquetball--a fun way to burn a lot of calories.
With a Little Help From Your Friends
We ran out of time before this could be posted in last week's Web chat.
Oregon: You made my day! First, what you wrote about olive oil and its benefits confirmed what I had learned from other sources. My favorite recipe is a dressing I concocted: one tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, two tbsp. balsamic vinegar, and one half-cup tomato sauce. Mix well, and use generously on almost anything. Word of warning: no one else in my family likes it.
Second, I was very excited to read about the study by Brown University at Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI. I am currently a participant in the LITE Study because I have maintained weight loss for 13 years, and I know exactly what to do. I hope others from all over the country who have successfully lost weight and are keeping it off are participating. This is my first time on your Web site. Happy to be here!
Sally Squires: Welcome Oregon! Congratulations on those 30 pounds and thanks for the feedback on LITE--Living Lean in a Toxic Environment. Headed by Rena Wing, a co-founder of the National Weight Control Registry, 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.) Oh yeah, and to sweeten the pot, there's a $50 payment for those who participate. For more information, call the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, 401-793-8972.
