Eat This Spring 2016

8/19/2019 Eat This Spring 2016

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Special Flatten-Your-Belly Issue

Your recipe:Sausage Lasagn

360 calories,11 g fat,

810 mg sodium

Early Spring 20

350-Calorie

COMFORTFOODSAwesome10-MinuteMeals!

179MARTOODWAPS

36GETSLIMSNACKS

55FAST& HEALTHYDINNERS

275BESTEVERCOOKING,WEIGHTLOSS,& NUTRITIONSECRETS

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SPECIAL!

FLATTEN-YOUR-BELLY ISSUE!

One chicken breast,seven amazing meals, pg.88

Ma e your own w nterwonderland, pg. 54

350-CalorieComfortFoods 94Eat up and slim down with Mom-worthy recipeslike Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, Turkey Meat Loaf,and even a flat-belly Mac & Cheese!

179SmartFoodSwaps 20Lose hundreds of calories from your baked goods(you’ll never miss them!), and find the best burgers,sandwiches, enchiladas, pastas, and appetizers at yourfavorite restaurants. Plus! Four ways to make quinoa awesome; howto turn any slice of bread healthier; and plenty of

pizza and pasta dishes that help flatten your belly.

36Get-SlimSnacks 17Discover the best new grocery foods of 2016 and thehealthiest foods for a satisfying country breakfast.

55Fast&HealthyDinners 44For the family that wants food on the table NOW, wepresent the absolute best 10-minute meals ever created!

Drop2Sizesin2Weeks! 58The incredible new program to strip away belly fatfrom celebrity trainer Mark Langowski and the Editorsof Eat This, Not That!

275BestCooking,Weight-Loss&NutritionSecrets—Ever! 5The best-ever mind trick for weight loss, how to burnoff your next meal (before you even eat it); why greentomatoes give you abs; an easy way to get your kids to eathealthy; and the best breakfast for your brain.

Contents

EATTHIS.COM 1


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THE NODIET WEIGHT LOSS SOLUTION

Discoverthousandsofsimpleswaps,easyrecipes, and

delicious weight-loss solutions with Eat This, Not That! e-books.

Available in all formats.

Coauthor, President, and Chief Executive OfficerDAVID ZINCZENKO

Coauthor MATT GOULDING

Chief Creative Officer STEPHEN PERRINE

Design Director GEORGE KARABOTSOS

Chief Digital Officer SEAN BUMGARNER

Chief Strategy Officer JON HAMMOND

Director of Editorial Operations MICHAEL FREIDSON

Marketing Director JOHN PHELAN

Designer LAURA WHITE

Researcher DANA LEIGH SMITH

Social Media Director DANIEL McCARTER

Photo Director/Producer TARA LONG

Cover Photo JASON VARNEY, Food Styling: CARRIE PURCELL

Copy Editor DARA STEWART

Digital Designer LINH LE

Technical Advisor DANIEL COHEN

Chief Financial Officer RAY JOBST

Executive Assistant CHARLENE LUTZ

Contributing Editors SARA LYNN CAUCHON, KELLY CHOI,

MARIA MENOUNOS, ADAM ROSANTE

Meredith Special Interest Media

Group Editorial Leader DOUG KOUMA

Project Manager WATERBURY PUBLICATIONS, INC.

ADVERTISINGAssociate Publisher, Marketing STACY SHAPIRO FELDMAN [email protected]

FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION

Business Director JANICE CROATSenior Business Manager JENNA BATES

Visit eatthis.com for hundreds of delicious recipes and food swaps,

all researched by the Eat This, Not That! team.

If you have comments or questions about the editorial material in this publication,

write to the editors of Eat This, Not That! , Galvanized, 2 Park Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016.

Send e-mail to [email protected].

2 EAT THIS, NOT THAT!

EAT THIS, NOT THAT!

BOARD ofADVISORSTap the minds of the

world’s top expertsObesity andPreventive MedicineDavid L. Katz, M.D., MPHDirector of the Yale PreventionResearch Center and president of theAmerican College of LifestyleMedicine. Dr. Katz’s most recentbook is Disease Proof .

@DrDavidKatz

Obstetrics andWomen’s HealthJennifer Ashton, M.D., FACODPresident and founder of HygeiaGynecology and ABC News SeniorMedical Contributor.

@DrJAshton

Integrative MedicineTasneem Bhatia, M.D.Founder and director of the Atlanta

Center for Holistic and IntegrativeMedicine, and fellow at the ArizonaCenter for Integrative Medicine of theUniversity of Arizona. Dr. Bhatia isauthor of The 21-Day Belly Fix .

@DrTazMD

Food SciencesBrian Wansink, Ph.D.Professor and director of the Food& Brand Lab at Cornell University andauthor of Slim by Design and

Mindless Eating .@BrianWansink

NutritionHeidi Skolnik, M.S., CDN,FACSMNutritionist for the Women’s SportsMedicine Center at the Hospitalfor Special Surgery and founder ofNutrition Conditioning.

@HeidiSkolnik


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EATTHIS.COM 3

Green & Healthy 44Unleash the metabolism-boosting power offour simple foods and one lifesaving drink thatwill guide you through a year of perfect nutrition.

21 Ways to Havethe Best Winter Ever 54How to eat like a Viking, sled like a Finn,build a snowman like an engineer, and more.

The Most Influential Peoplein Food 70What do comedian John Oliver, CaliforniaGovernor Jerry Brown, and 16-year-old food whizFlynn McGarry all have in common? They’re amongthe folks who will change the way you eat in 2016.

Editor’s Letter 4

Starters 10 Drink! We taste them, test them, and reveal thebest hot chocolates for a delicious après ski warm up.Cook! 10 flat-belly kitchen habits, 100 caloriesyou’ll never miss, and more.Shop! The best new comfort foods and the Eat This,Not That! meat counter decoder Dine! Don’t order another meal until you readour Flat-Belly Restaurant Survival Guide Energize! 7 perfect metabolism foods, and how torev up your fat burners while you sleep. Live! 5 resolutions you shouldn’t make this year.

Answer This! 42Is it better to lose weight fast or slow? How do

I eat just one cookie? Is menopause a death sentencefor my figure? And more burning concerns, solved!

Tips & Hints 117How to make your own pizza dough, select theright cut of beef, whip up a buttery pastry, and more.

I’ll Have What She’s Having 120Country music superstar Carrie Underwood gained a healthy 30 pounds to give birth to herfirst child, then returned to form in no time.Discover her slim-down secrets and the specialveggie sandwich that fuels her through the day.

How to makea brownie intoa weight-lossweapon, pg. 14

Best &worst

burgers,pg. 30

Beyoncé’s planfor your tastebuds, pg. 70

Buy these,lose weight,pg. 20


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Read This!LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Decide to WinThis year, I have the perfect New Year’s resolution:Don’t make any resolutions.

Making a resolution is like playing David to your own inner Goliath—except without any stones in your slingshot. In fact, a 2015 study fromthe University of Scranton found that only 8 percent of us actually stickto our New Year’s resolutions in the long run.

That’s why, this year, you’re going to try something different. Instead

of making a resolution, you’re going to make a decision. You’re goingto decide to make this winter a blast—your leanest, healthiest, mostdelicious season ever, and the start to the best year of your life. And EatThis, Not That! has the plan—several plans, actually—to make thatseemingly impossible dream come true.

Why a decision, instead of a resolution? Because resolutions are thingsyou have to keep adhering to. By their very etymology, they require youto have “resolve.” And you may have resolve today, but are you goingto have resolve on a Wednesday night three weeks from now when yourbrain, body and soul are crying out for comfort food and couch time? No.Using willpower to fend off food cravings and fatigue is like using apointy stick to fend off the Navy SEALs.

But what if you didn’t have to stick to a resolution, because you’vealready decided on your course of action? Play out these two sentencesin your mind:

“I’ve made a resolution to stop snacking before bed.”“I’ve decided to stop snacking before bed.”Hear the difference? The first turns you into a deer in the headlights,

trying to stand firm against oncoming temptation. The second puts yousafely on the other side. You’ve already decided.

Eat This, Not That! has been helping people stick to their decision tolose weight, eat great, and improve their lives in myriad ways for nearly adecade. And in 2016, we’re making it even easier. You’ll be able to accessus in more ways than ever before: Not only are we continuing to grow

EatThis.com as well as our suite of apps, books, and newsletters, but thismonth, we’re launching our first fully integrated program, Eat This,Not That! for Abs. It may be the fastest and most effective weight-lossprogram ever created. (You’ll find a sneak preview of it on page 58.)

All you have to do is decide to turn the page.

—David Zinczenko,Founder and CEO of Eat This, Not That!

Learn the weight-loss secrets, kitchen hacks and quick & healthy recipes that5 million people discover every month at EatThis.com.


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Breakthroughs Groundbreaking Food and Nutrition Solutions for Every Part of Your Life

c

e

si

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MIND OVERZIPPER:Telling yourself you’re notoverweight maybe the mostpositive way toslim down.


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MySugarLeftMeSadResearchers ana-lyzed data frommore than 90,000

women ages 50and older whotook part in theNational Instituteof Health’s Wom-en’s Health Initia-tive ObservationalStudy. They foundthat a high-GIdiet—meaningone filled withadded sugars and

refined carbohy-drates—increasedthe risk of depres-sion by 22 percent.A higher con-sumption of dairy,high-fiber foods,fruit, and vegeta-bles was associ-ated with a lowerrisk of developingdepression.

NowheretoRun

Amount by which food cravings can be cut afterplaying Tetrison yourphone for three minutes, according to a Universityof Plymouth study.

FeatheringYourNestMen: If you want

to know how tofertilize an egg,take a lesson from achicken. Research-ers at Harvardfound that couplesundergoing IVFtreatment had a13 percent highersuccess rate whenthe father-to-begot more of hismeat intake from

poultry rather thanbeef. The totalamount of meatconsumed didn’tseem to matter, butwhere that meatcame from did.

Get YourSkinny

Genes OnScientists maysoon have a way ofmanipulating yourgenes to makeyou less fatty andmore muscular.Researchers at theUniversity ofBritish Columbiain Canada recentlylooked at a partic-

ular family ofproteins that aremore commonin the fat tissueof obese patients.The scientistsfound that in mice,they could silencea gene for theseproteins, resultingin dramatic fatreduction.

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Breakthroughs NUTRITION

“I’ll just run an extra 10 minutes onthe treadmill tomorrow.” How oftenhave you told yourself that aftergrabbing that third slice of pizza?Unfortunately, it doesn’t really worklike that: In a meta-analysis of33 studies over 25 years, researchersfound that diet was more thanthree times as important in weightmanagement than exercise. A better

play: Exercise before your food fest,so more of those calories go to yourmuscles, not your belly.


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EATTHIS.COM 7

The smartest swap inthe supermarket?Toss any cooking oilsor baked goods madewith soybeans. In miceat least, a diet high insoybean oil causedeven more obesity anddiabetes than a diethighinsugar, accordingto a recent study at theUniversity of California,Riverside. In the study,mice were fed two

different unhealthydiets. Those that werefed diets high in sugargained weight, butmice fed diets withhigh levels soybean oilgainedalmost 25percentmoreabdominalfat.

Oil’s

NotWell

Don’tShopWhenYou’reSadIn a recent study,researchers askedhalf of their partic-ipants to writeabout a fight withsomeone close tothem in as muchdetail as possible.Then, participantswere asked to tastetest potato chips.The researchers

found that thosewho had just com-pleted the depress-ing exercise ratedthe chips moreenjoyable, and con-sumed a largerportion, than thecontrol group.

Keep

PushingthePeasEven if the kidsobject, keep bring-ing those veggieshome. A new studypublished in the

journal Appetitefound that thosewho were repeat-edly exposed to

healthy foods as akid were morelikelytoenjoythemin adulthood—

even if they dis-liked those foodsin childhood.Those who were

never forced to eathealthy foods askids were less like-ly to want to eatthem as adults.

RippedGreenTomatoesWe may havefinally figured out

Sylvester Stallone’ssecret.The 69-year-old muscle manmight be spendingless time at the gymand more time atthe fruit stand—at

least according torecent Universityof Iowa findings.Researchers dis-

covered that com-pounds found ingreen tomato skinsand apple peelsturn off the pro-tein responsiblefor the age-relatedloss of musclemass. Animals fedthese two com-pounds increasedtheir muscle massby 10 percent.

And their musclestrength increasedby 30 percent,putting theirstrength on parwith young adultmice.

Breakthroughs SUPERMARKET

123%Increase in the number of farmers’ markets

since 2004.


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RESTAURANTBreakthroughs

Happy asa ClamNext time you’re

feeling down,the best medicinemight be a reser-vation at yourlocal sushi bar.Fish eaters have a17% lower risk of depression thantheir non-fish-eating counter-parts, according toresearchers fromthe Medical Col-

lege of QingdaoUniversity inShandong China.

QualityoverQuantityWhile it’s easierthan ever to knowhow many calories

are in your order,where those calo-ries come from maymatter a lot morethan their total,according to the

journal Open Heart.Scientists estimatethat replacing low-cal foods with twoservings of fatty,high-calorie nuts

a week could save90,000 lives inthe U.S. every year.Instead of countingcalories, ask your

The very best way to lose weight isto order the small. So say researchersat the University of Cambridge,whose review of 61 studies providesthe “most conclusive evidence todate” that portion size affects how

much we unwittingly eat. The teamalso said smaller plates, glasses,and cutlery helped people eat less.

Weight Loss on Tapas

100Percent of eggs served at Burger King that

will come from cage-free hens by 2017.Number of eggs laid in the U.S last year,

not counting Rick Perry’s presidential campaign.

server to point youto foods that aremade with healthyfats like olive,

canola, coconut,or peanut oil, aswell as nuts, seeds,and avocado.

From Worstto FirstOrdering yourchild’s meal to thetable first maylead to her eatinghealthier food. A

study in the Jour-nal of the Academyof Nutrition and

Dietetics foundthat kids ate 11.8percent fewervegetables when

they had less than25 minutes to eat;kids with longermealtimes atemore and better.Getting a healthymeal in front ofthem fast—and

letting them sitwith it—mightend those restau-rant-based battlesonce and for all.


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EATTHIS.COM 9

Breakthroughs

ServeSteakAND

PotatoesLow-carb Paleodiets may beundoing our intel-lectual evolution.In a new studyin The Quarterly

Review of Biology,researchers arguethat starchy carbsplayed a key role

in the acceleratedexpansion of thehuman brain overthe past million

years. They claimthat the humanbrain uses up to

60 percent of thebody’s blood glu-cose, and that onceman learned tocook—unlockingthe nutrients instarches like pota-toes and makingthem more bio-available—it trig-gered evolutionarychanges that not

only allowed us todigest carbs better,but increased thesize of our brainsas well.

GreaseYourPalmKeep a jar of coco-nut oil next toyour stove and useit as your go-to forwhatever you’recooking. A studyof men in the

journal Pharmacol-ogy found thatthose who con-sumed 2 table-spoons of coconut

oil a day shranktheir waists byan average of more than 1 incha month. Use

coconut oil almostanyplace you’d usebutter—for eggs

or stir-fries,healthier pancakes,or even in baking.

TheBlueandtheGrayMatterTop your morningcereal with blue-berries and you

may one day bebeating yourgreat-grandchil-dren in chess. Along-term study in

the Annals of Neurology found

the rate of cogni-tive decline byas much as 2.5years by the timeyou hit your 70s.The best betfor your kitchen:frozen, wildblueberries, whichare higher innutrients and, in

the end, cheaperthan the freshversions, becausethey won’t gobad on you.

PlasticNotFantastic

Plastic plates and cups are essential for anyfamily with children—or just clumsy adults.But switching from plastic plates and bowls tostainless steel could reduce the amount of aharmful substance called melamine in people’sbodies. In the journal Environmental Science &Technology, researchers measured levels of thisplastic in people’s urine, then asked them to

eat their meals from stainless-steel tableware.The melamine levels in their urine decreased byas much as 92 percent. Although the FDA claimsthat melamine does not leach out of dishware,this study calls that assumption into question.

The next time you whip up a delicious flourless chocolate cake, substitute half of thebaking soda in the recipe for baking powder. A study in the Journal of Food Science foundthat using a combination of the soda and powder could retain more than 85 percentof the cocoa’s heart-protective flavonols, which are otherwise lost in the baking process.

KITCHEN HACK of the MONTH


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STARTERS

Drink This!


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EATTHIS.COM 11

COCOA PUFFERS:Bundle up! We tested the tastiest

hot chocolates for winter.


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STARTERS Drink!

Our blind taste test reveals the best hot chocolate mixesto sip this winter

In theory, the idea of drinking hot, creamy, meltedchocolate seems almost too good to be true.

Sadly, it often is. Most of the mixes in the grocerystore are far too sweet for adults, and few deliver realchocolatey goodness, unless you’re talking about thepowdery lumps collected at the bottom of the mug.

So we decided we’d embark on a quest to findthe perfect cup of hot chocolate. After all, if you’re

going to blow half a day’s sugar on one drink, youwant to be sure it’s worth every last sip. To find outwhich cocoa mixes are the best of the bunch, wecreated a blind taste test of 14 cocoa mixes, mostdesigned to be brewed with warm milk, and a fewmade with water. Our testers rated each drink foraroma, consistency and overall flavor. In the end, wefound them: the best hot cocoa mixes in America!

#11

40 calories5gfiber/0gsugar

None of our testers couldget on board with thisunsweetened spicedcacao powder. One sippersaid the drink tasted like“a combination of sand,crayons, and cocoa.”

#10

260 calories3 g fiber / 16g sugar

It might have a fancyname, but our testersfound this cocoa’s flavorrather plain. “It tasteslike milk mixed withchocolate sauce,” notedone person.

#7

100 calories


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“an adult beverage” thanits contenders, thanks toits “amazing velvetyconsistency.”

Like Water forChocolate

The best water-basedcocoa mixes

Most high-end chocolatemixes require milk, buthere are three top brandsdesigned to mix withhot water.

#3 365 EverydayValue Organic HotCocoa RichChocolate Flavor

Mix (4.1/10)110 calories


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10 Flat-BellyKitchenHabitsNo-hassle ways to slimdown your meals—without skipping the foods you love

In any relationship, it’s the little things that mattermost: the thoughtful gestures, the thank-you notes,

the reciprocal kindness. And that’s true when itcomes to your relationship with your belly as well.You can make the big pronouncements—promise

to go the gym every day or swear to eat nothing butkohlrabi for lunch—but big promises often don’tlead anywhere. It’s the little day-in, day-out habitsthat determine whether you and your belly will havea mutually energizing rapport, or one marred bydisappointment, intractable flabbiness, and generalfrustration.

And nowhere is that more true than in the kitchen.You don’t need a 10-week course in fat-free cooking;

STARTERS Coo !you need these 10 simplekitchen hacks that willstrip away just enoughextra fat, sodium, and

calories to put you andyour belly back on thebest of terms.

#1Undress forSuccessWhat are you dressingyour salad with? Mostcommercial salad dress-

ings are like the Emperor’snew clothes—there’s nothere there. An olive-oil-and-vinegar dressing,also known as vinaigrette,requires just two self-explanatory ingredients.But bottled versions arereally water-and-sugardressings. WishboneBruschetta Italian Vinai-grette, for example, lists

water as its first ingredi-ent, followed by soybeanoil and sugar. Less than 2percent of the bottle isolive oil. Save money andpounds by making yourown and keeping it onhand:

⅓ cup raw apple cidervinegar

⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoons Dijon mustard

a drizzle of honey and somesalt and pepper

Combine in a mason jarand shake until well-blended. One studyamong prediabeticsfound the addition of 2tablespoons of applecider vinegar to a high-carb meal reduced thesubsequent rise in bloodsugar by 34 percent.

#2Trim Down

Your TacosHomemade tacos area fast, cheap, and univer-sally popular way toanswer the dinner bell.But there’s an easy trickto making them evenleaner. After browningthe meat in the skillet—but before seasoning it—transfer it to a strainerand rinse it under hot

water. Doing so helpswash away excess fatclinging to your dinner,which will help save youtime on the treadmill—without altering thetaste of your meal. Itdoesn’t get much betterthan that!

#3Swap Salt forPepperIf you thought worryingabout salt was just forpeople with high bloodpressure, think again!A high-sodium diet canactually lead to weightgain, according to a studyfrom the University of

California. Researchersput two groups of peopleon high-calorie diets, butone group also ate a lot ofsalt. After just five days,the high-sodium grouphad gained an additionalpound more than thelow-sodium group. Theresearchers believe thatconsuming excess saltincreases the body’s pro-

SLIM-DOWN ROUTINES:Follow these daily habits

to make weight-lossautomatic.


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EATTHIS.COM 15

STRING THEORY: Al dente pasta createsmore calorie burn than

fully cooked noodles.

duction of insulin,a hormone that convertssugar into fat. Luckily,the solution is a simpleone: Cut the amount ofsalt you use to season ameal in half, and doubleyour black pepper

instead. The seasoningcontains a powerfulcompound called piper-ine that may actuallyward off the formation ofnew fat cells, which canhelp you lose body fatand lower your choles-terol levels.

#4Don’t Score a Bin NutritionIf your kitchen counteris littered with vitaminbottles, you might bedoing more to harm yourbelly than to help it.Increased levels of Bvitamins have long beenassociated with a higherprevalence of obesity

and diabetes. If you’re

more comfortable takinga daily multivitamin,it’s probably fine, butotherwise, look to get Bvitamins from leafygreens and lean meats.

#5Make YourPasta Al DenteCarb lovers, rejoice!Simply taking your pastaoff the stove a few min-utes early and enjoyingthe noodles al dente cankeep you fuller longer,which can make sayingno to dessert that much

easier. How does it work?Hot water breaks downstarch molecule bonds,which makes it easier forthe body to convert carbsinto blood sugar—nota good thing! That leadsto a rapid absorptionof calories and a subse-quent crash, leaving youstarving just a few hourslater. Al dente pasta,

on the other hand, keeps

glucose levels on an even

keel, warding off diet-derailing dips in energy.

#6Get ChunkyThe smaller you chopyour vegetables, the moresurface area there is toabsorb fat during thecooking process. (For this

same reason, steak friesare always a healthierchoice than French fries.)To cut back on grease,chop veggies at least ahalf inch thick, then patthem dry. This helps cre-ate a crust that blocks fatfrom being absorbed bythe produce. To save evenmore calories, use an oilspray rather than pouring

from the bottle.

#7Get Greens onthe InsideSure, a side of steamedbroccoli or roasted Brus-sels sprouts is a low-cal,nutrient-rich addition to

any meal, but sneaking

them into your maincourse can boost theirhealth benefits evenfurther. According to PennState researchers, thosewho consume maindishes that incorporatevegetables (such as stir-fries) consume 350 fewercalories daily than thosewho eat their produce as

a side dish. The likelyreason: Veggies bulk upmain dishes and addbelly-filling fiber, whichhelp you feel satisfiedand take in fewer calo-ries. Add shredded orchopped carrots, peppers,mushrooms, or zucchinito burgers, casseroles,meat loaf, chili, rice, andpasta dishes to reap the

benefits.

#8Boost FiberWhile You BakeFiber-rich foods such asflax meal or chia seedscan slip effortlessly intoalmost any baked good

SLICK MOVE:Trim down yourtacos with a quickfat-cutting trick.


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Onehundred calories.That’s the amount in a single

slice of wheat bread, two tablespoons of mayo, orthree measly Twizzlers. But it’s all the calories youneed to cut from your daily life to lose an extraseven pounds this year, according to a study in the Lancet. In fact, cutting just 10 extra calories a daywill result in a 20-pound weight loss over 30 years,the study showed.

But we like bread, mayo, and, yes, even Twizzlerson occasion. And we’d miss those things if we gavethem up. Still, there are plenty of ways to lose100 calories or more from your daily routine, simplestrategies that will cut out the junk in ways you’ll

hardly notice. Here are some simple tricks andtactics that can leave you looking slimmer—andyou’ll never even know what you missed.

100CaloriesYou’llNeverMissSimple kitchen tricks thatwill strip awaypounds, without sacrificing flavor

(try them in pancakesas well). Research showsthat increasing dietaryfiber up to 30 grams aday can help decreasevisceral (belly) fat aseffectively as following

a standard diet. Youcan also swap in fiber-rich alternatives such asbeans and unsweetenedapplesauce in placeof oil or butter in yourhomemade desserts.If brownies are yourgo-to, blend 15 ouncesof black beans and 1 cupof water together in ablender and then com-bine with a package of

organic brownie mix(and the other ingredi-ents the mix calls for).Bake in a greased bakingdish for 25 minutes on350 degrees F.

If you’re a cookie andcake lover, substitute acup of applesauce forevery ¼ cup of butter oroil in your recipe andthen bake according to

the directions. This swapcan nix up to 1,825 calo-ries from your recipe!

#9Go the ParfaitWayYou can avoid mindless-ly overeating by adding

visual cues to yourmeals, according to arecent study. Research-ers gave one set of stu-dents a bowl of yellowchips, while anothergroup had their servingslayered with red chips.Students who had seg-mented snacks ate 50percent less than thosewith a uniform bowl.Try it at home with lay-

ered dips and parfaits.

#10Clear the DecksA recent study at CornellUniversity analyzed200 kitchens and foundthat people who keep

junk food such as sodaand cookies on their

counters weighed 13 to22 pounds more thanthose who didn’t.

HECK OF A JOB, BROWNIE! Adding flax to your bakeddesserts can help you stripaway belly fat.

Cook!

SAVEɕɖɘCALORIESUse Cast IronA well-seasoned cast-iron pan will allow youto cook with less oil,which means fewer cal-

ories. Where you mightneed two tablespoonsof oil for a stainless steelpan, you’ll need only onetablespoon of oil withcast iron pan, savingyou 119 calories if you’reusing olive oil, 124calories if you’re usingcanola oil, and 117calories if you’re usingcoconut oil.

SAVEɕɔɔCALORIESTweak YourBeefFour ounces of 70/30ground beef has 375 cal-

ories, while 4 ouncesof ground beef that’s 93percent lean has only165. That saves morethan 200 calories rightthere. But if you like thetaste of a fattier burger,you can add some of fatback in by mixing inyogurt or even an eggand you’ll still be savingyourself 100 calories.



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EATTHIS.COM 17

SAVEɕɖɔCALORIESDrain withPaper TowelsLet oil-cooked foods reston a paper towel after

cooking. For every gramof fat soaked up by thepaper towel, you’ll save9 calories. And yes, thatmeans you can go aheadand dab your pizza witha paper towel to removeexcess fat. It’s estimatedthat you’ll save 4.5 gramsof fat per slice. Eat threeslices, and that’s 120calories saved.

SAVEɕɕɘ CALORIESUse Egg Whitesto BakeOne large egg has 72calories, but the eggwhite has only 17 calories.When you’re baking,substitute two whites forevery whole egg to strip

away calories you won’tmiss. For example, if arecipe calls for three eggs(216 calories), use six eggwhites and save yourself114 calories.

SAVEɕɗə CALORIESCool Your SoupWhether you make

your own broth or buy it,cool your soups, broths,and gravies in the refrig-erator overnight beforeyou eat them. This wayyou can skim off the fatthat solidifies on the top,cutting calories. (You canalso store canned soupin the fridge to makethis process even moreconvenient.) For every

at least six times a week

eat about 100 fewer calo-ries at restaurants whenthey do eat out thanthose who don’t cook athome as often.

SAVEɗɜɕ CALORIESReplace SomeButter

You can replace butter(or margarine or oil) withapple butter or unsweet-ened applesauce whenbaking. But, seriously,there is no substitutefor butter. So to do thiswithout missing thebuttery flavor, substituteapplesauce for a quarterof the butter. If a recipecalls for a cup of butter,

tablespoon of fat you

skim off, you save your-self 135 calories!

SAVEɕɝɘ CALORIESShrink the SugarWhen a recipe calls fora cup of sugar, use ¾ cup.This works for almostevery recipe. You’ll save194 calories and you

won’t miss the sugar all.

SAVEɕɗɛ CALORIESDrop the MenuAmazingly, simply cook-ing at home saves you 137calories a day, accordingto researchers at JohnsHopkins University. Andpeople who cook at home

SOUPER DUPER:He’ll never know

you saved him135 calories!

use ¾ cup of butter and

a ¼ cup of applesauce.One quarter cup of butteris 407 calories; ¼ cup ofun- sweetened apple-sauce is 26 calories. Thissimple swap will save you381 calories, and yourbaked goods will still bebuttery and delicious.

SAVEəɘɖ CALORIES

Broil, Don’tPanfryA broiled 3-ounce sirloinsteak is 139 calories.The same steak panfriedis 681 calories. Please,do yourself a favor andbroil your meats—Samegreat taste, hundreds ofcalories less.


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4 Simple Ways

toMake QuinoaAwesomeTurn this bland, beige superfood intoa tasty treat you’ll be craving every night

Quinoa. Even Beyoncé doesn’t manage her publicimage as brilliantly as this trendy superfood. Buteven those of us who love Queen Bey can get a littletired of the same song playing over and over again.

And we’re pretty tired of hearing about why weshould eat quinoa, too.But still, in a world of superfoods, quinoa stands

alone. It’s one of the very few plants that provide acomplete source of protein—meaning your body canconvert it directly into muscle. It’s also high in theamino acid lysine, which helps you burn fat andmaintain healthy skin. And a study in the journal Food Chemistry found quinoa has high levels of beta-ine, a chemical that revs your metabolism and shutsdown the genes that encourage belly fat storage.Here’s how to make the supergrain really sing.

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As a Smoothie:

Toasty

MapleSmoothie 2 Tbsp raw quinoa

avocado

cup plain yogurt

2 Tbsp maple syrup

cup frozen blueberries

O Rinse quinoa and transferto a sauté pan on mediumheat. Whisk the quinoa

around the pan until itstarts popping andreleases a nutty aromaand the grains turn brown.

You can cover the pan soyou don’t lose too manyas they pop!

O Put avocado, yogurt,maple syrup, andblueberries in blenderand blend until smooth.

O Pour into serving glass andtop with toasted quinoa.

As a Breakfast Cereal:

Quaker Quinoa 1 cup quinoa

2 cups organic apple juice

cup finely choppedwalnuts

1 cup organic berries

dash cinnamon 3 fresh mint leaves,

chopped

O In a medium saucepanover high heat, bring thequinoa and juice to a boil.Lower the heat to simmer,cover, and cook for 15 min-utes or until the quinoa istranslucent. Remove fromthe heat, still covered, andallow to rest for 2 minutes.

O Spoon into a serving bowl.Stir in the nuts, berries,

cinnamon, and mint.

As a Salad:

Keen-Whaaa?Salad 1 bunch asparagus, woody

ends removed

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup cooked green lentils

cup chopped sun-driedtomatoes

cup store-bought pesto

1 Tbsp apple cidervinaigrette

O Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.

O Drizzle the asparaguswith olive oil and seasonwith salt and pepper.Place in the oven and cook

until gently browned andsoftened, about 10 to 12minutes, depending on thethickness of the asparagus.Chop into bite-size pieces.

O In a large mixing bowl,combine the quinoa withthe lentils, asparagus,and sun-dried tomatoes.Mix together the pestoand vinaigrette, then add itto the bowl of quinoa.Toss to combine.

As a Dessert:

Baked Applesstuffed withQuinoa 1 cup cooked quinoa

1 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp of cinnamon

tsp ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp butter

4 firm red apples(Fuji, Red Delicious, Gala)

O Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

O Combine quinoa, maplesyrup, brown sugar, cinna-mon, and nutmeg in a bowl.

O Halve apples from stem tobottom and scoop out thecore and seeds. Fill apple

halves with quinoa mixture,and top each with a table-spoon of butter. Placein baking dish and pour cup of boiling water in thebottom of baking dish. Covertightly with foil and bake45 minutes. Uncover apples,and bake 15 minutes untilapples are soft and topsbegin to crisp.

O Top with creme fraiche orvanilla ice cream.

The Rules of Quinoa Cookery

1Always rinse quinoa before cooking to remove thebitter-tasting coating. Whisk it around in a cold-water bath

until the soapy residue comes off the grain, then put quinoain a sieve and rinse clean.

2Use a 1:2 ratio of quinoa to liquid and simmer on low,covered, for 15 minutes.

3To bring out a nuttier flavor, you can lightly toast the quinoaafter rinsing, but before boiling, by whisking it around in a

pan over medium heat until it starts to pop like corn.


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TheNewComfortFoods21 of the best new supermarket treats for chasing away the winter blues

The bleak midwinter is upon us. The ground is gray,the trees are bare, and the sun is lying low on thehorizon. Half the people you know are just gettingover the flu, and the other half are just coming downwith it. Is it any wonder that all you can think aboutis sun, sand, surf, and…meat loaf?

Or maybe it’s some other traditional comfort food:chicken soup, mashed potatoes, or pancakes withsyrup. Or it could be something completely outside

the traditional comfort zone: sushi, kimchi, guaca-mole, or a tongue sandwich. In fact, in a recent studyat the University of Buffalo (where they know some-thing about cold and isolation), researchers foundthat we choose the foods that comfort us based noton the food itself, but on our relationship with theperson we first remember preparing it. Whether it’sMom’s goulash or Dad’s beef chili or Grandma’shaggis (assuming Grandma was from Scotland), thefood is less important than the memories it evokes.

And it works: Studies show that foods we identifyin our own lives as “comfort food” can help us cope

with feelings of rejection or isolation. Problemis, comfort foods often take a long time to prepare(especially that haggis), and when we’re feeling down,we want relief fast. So we surveyed the latest super-market offerings, and discovered these convenient,easy-to-make, mood-boosting comfort foods.

Kashi OvernightMuesli

Wouldn’t it be greatif Mom came to yourhouse while you wereasleep, cooked youbreakfast, and then leftbefore she was struck

by the urge to critiqueyour parenting skills?Kashi is doing its best tocreate that experience,cashing in on the “over-night oats” trend with itsnew line of OvernightMuesli. Simply soak it inalmond milk while yousleep, and it’s ready bymorning. Made withwhole oats, rye, barley,

chia seeds, and pumpkinseeds, this is a whole-grain festival in a cup.

240 calories10g fat (1.5 g saturated)65 mg sodium8 g fiber6 g sugar8 g protein

Nate’sMediterraneanBites

Next time you feel awful,have a falafel. Portableand available in fourflavors (kale, garlic pesto,Southwestern, and sweet

potato), Nate’s frozensnacks can be quicklyheated in the oven orthawed and served atroom temperature for ahigh-fiber treat.

285 calories8 g fat (1 g saturated)470 mg sodium6 g fiber5 g sugar16 g protein

GrainfulSteel Cut Sides

Bored with brown rice?Us too. That’s whywe were psyched by thearrival of Grainful’s

STARTERS Shop!


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collection of side dishesmade from steel-cut oatsand seasonings. It’s theultimate whole-grainaccompaniment to yourfavorite chicken or meatdish.


Dang OnionChips

We fell in love withDang’s Coconut Chipswhen they first hit

stores, and now the com-pany is back with ahealthy play on onionrings. The treats come inSea Salt, Salt-n-Pepper,Chipotle Garlic andApplewood BBQ. Snackon them right out of thebag or use as a toppingfor salads or soups.

150 calories8 g fat (3 g saturated),

90 mg sodium,4 g fiber,6 g sugar,1 g protein

Duncan HinesPerfect SizeMini Cakes

The problem withDuncan Hines cakes isn’tthe sugary indulgence;

it’s that we can’t resisthitting the fridge atmidnight for a leftoverslice. Now the companyhas empowered us withbuilt-in portion control,with kits for cakes thatserve two to four people.Thanks, Duncan Hines,for recognizing thatwe’re mere pawns toyour chocolate majesty.


CooksimpleCowboy Chili

Homemade chili is greaton a cold winter after-noon, as long as you’re

willing to spend thewhole day waiting for itto cook down. For cow-boys who want to rustleup something faster, thischili can be ready in min-utes with the addition ofbeef or turkey, or eaten

without the extrameat—you’ll still get ahefty helping of protein,thanks to red and blackbeans and quinoa.

140 calories1.5 g fat (0 g saturated)

300 mg sodium6 g fiber5 g sugar7 g protein

Bob’s Red MillGluten-FreeOatmeal Cups

Most instant oatmealsare packed with sugarand creepy additives.Bob’s Red Mill now offers

an all-natural productthat’s light on sugar, withoats, apple pieces, andcinnamon, plus theadded nutritional boostof flax and chia seeds.


Campbell’sSouthwest StyleChicken Broth &Noodle Soup Mix

Now you can seek solacefrom a crappy day at

work without evenhaving to leave the office.Campbell’s has partneredwith Keurig to createK-Cups of the ultimatecomfort food, chickensoup. You empty thesoup mix into your cup,then heat the brothin your office coffeemachine. Chasing awaya cold while slaving awayat the office just got

easier.

70 calories1 g fat (0.5 g saturated)750 mg sodium0 g fiber2 g sugar4 g protein

McCormickSlow CookerSauce

Now it’s easier thanever to have a hot mealwaiting on the tablewhen you get home—even if nobody’s beenhome to cook it.


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McCormick has madeperfectly flavoredslow-cooker meals sim-ple with recipes such asBBQ Pulled Pork, PotRoast, Hearty Beef Stew,and more, so you don’t

need a special familyrecipe to create a specialfamily meal.

10 calories0 g fat440 mg sodium0 g fiber0 g sugar0 g protein

Enjoy LifeBrownie Mix

Wheat-free, dairy-free,nut-free, soy-free:How exactly did EnjoyLife manage this? Yetthe brand has created abrownie mix that tastes

just like the ones youused to bake with Mom.The secret is brown riceflour and teff. This is nohealth food: The firstingredient is sugar. But

if you’re looking toindulge while cuttingdown on dairy andgluten, this is a greatlow-cal option.


PeregCouscous withCranberries

When you’re cravingthe comfort of carbs butwould love to actually

pack in some real nutri-tion at the same time,check out the new offer-ing from Pereg. This sidedish will cozy up to yourmains and deliver anantioxidant boost fromcranberries, almonds,and currants.

210 calories4.5 g fat (0 g saturated)10 mg sodium6 g fiber

12 g sugar6 g protein

Trader Joe’sUncured BaconGanache Bar

A chocolate bar lacedwith bacon that earnsthe mantle of “healthfood”? Almost: This isa 70% cacao dark-

chocolate treat studdedwith uncured bacon(meaning no harmfuladded nitrates) andalderwood-smokedsalt, then coated in

chocolate ganache. Thereare worse ways to makeyour taste buds explode.

220 calories12 g fat (8 g saturated)65 mg sodium3 g fiber14 g sugar

2 g protein

Ancient HarvestGluten Free Lentil& QuinoaSupergrain Pasta

Most gluten-free“quinoa” pasta uses cornor rice to round out thetexture, but AncientHarvest powers up its

product with greenlentil flour. The result isa ridiculously powerfullow-carb pasta that packsseven times as muchfiber and 14 times asmuch protein as sugar.


Splendid SpoonPumpkin-PearHempseed

To warm your belly onthe inside while you meltaway the outside, this

addition to SplendidSpoon’s soup cleanseuses hempseeds to addtexture and proteinwithout fat or calories.The bright orange colorwill bring a little sun-shine to your dreary mid-winter meal.

70 calories1.5 g fat (0 g saturated)170 mg sodium2 g fiber

6 g sugar2 g protein

Follow YourHeart Parmesan“Cheese”

Available in grated,shredded, or wedge, thisfaux cheese gives vegansthe honest Italian flavorthey’ve been missing all

these years. Soft cheeseshave been easy to comeby in this category, but


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this is a promising forayinto hard cheesesubstitutes.

15 calories1 g fat (0 g saturated)50 mg sodium0 g fiber0 g sugar

0 g protein

Healthy ChoiceGrilled Chicken &Broccoli Alfredo

Creamy alfredo istraditionally the fattiestof pasta dishes, butHealthy Choice has a lineon a convenience-foodversion that keeps the

fat down and the flavorup, and delivers a belly-melting 27 grams of protein for fewer than200 calories.


Alexia CrispyRosemary Frieswith Sea Salt

Prefried in canola oil,Alexia’s latest offeringdelivers heart-healthymonounsaturated fats inFrench-fry form that

ChobaniPumpkin HarvestCrisp Flip

This yogurt delivers12 grams of protein perserving and a flavor that

could pass for pumpkinpie, thanks to the sneakyinclusion of pie-crustpieces and glazed pump-kin seeds.


SargentoBalanced Breaks

Several years back,Starbucks discovered itcould charge massivesums for a simple box ofcheese, fruit, and nuts.Now you can get thesame on-the-go proteinpunch from the moreaffordable SargentoBalanced Breaks. The

portable packets comein a variety of cheddarswith a selection of nutsand fruits such ascashews, almonds,raisins, and cranberries.


looks and tastes just likethe sides at your favoritegourmet burger place,but with far fewer calo-ries and far less sodium.It’s just the latest in agreat line of side dishes.

120 calories4 g fat (0.5 g saturated)360 mg sodium2 g fiber>1 g sugar1 g protein

Fiber OneInstant Pudding

How did Fiber Onepack 24 percent of yourdaily fiber requirement

into a pudding? We’renot sure, but at just40 calories per serving,these desserts are lessof an indulgence andmore like a nutritionalsupplement.

40 calories0 g fat180 mg sodium6 g fiber0 g sugar3 g protein

Van’s FoodsCreamy Herb &Garlic Pasta

Gluten-free pasta canbe a little hard to cook—the difference between

too hard and too limpsometimes seems likemere seconds. To helpyou keep your eye on theball, Van’s eliminatesthe need to make a sauceat the same time byoffering a variety ofprepackaged flavors,and puts dinner on thetable in just 10 minutes.We love how the redlentil flour gives this

pasta a hefty dose ofprotein.



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Shop!

Country BreakfastBreakdownFuel yourself and your family for a big day in the snowwith the ultimate healthy morning meal

The notion of a “country breakfast”

evokes farm tables laden withbiscuits and syrup and stacks ofsausages and bacon filling theair with the scent of salty,smoky goodness while thefamily, still in their flannel pjs,gathers around for a leisurelycup of coffee.

But it also evokes a lessappealing image—of greasy

plates and giant bellies strainingagainst the drawstrings of those

pajamas. So how can you build a

stick-to-your-ribs breakfast fit

for a lumberjack, without settingthe whole family up to feel likethe losers in a log-rolling contest?We threw back an extra cup of

joe and hit the stores early to pullthe leanest, healthiest swaps soyou can build a healthy breakfastworth lingering over. Combinethese foods with a helping ofscrambled eggs for a monster break-fast that will cost you less thanhalf the calories you’d consume

down at Mel’s Diner.

the opposite effect on thelife of your ticker. Eachof Mary B’s ButtermilkBiscuits carries 3 gramsper biscuit (the AmericanHeart Association rec-ommends no more than2 grams per person per

day!). Subbing in Thom-as’ “nooks and crannies”will not only save youfrom the dangers of transfats, but will also spareyou about 90 calories.Smear some butter andmashed blackberrieson those babies to ampup the flavor and add a hitof sweetness, withoutthe heart-stopping fat.

. Instead of Conventional Hash Browns…

Eat This!Mr. Dell’sAll Natural ShreddedHash Browns

60 calories0 g fat0 mg sodium12 g carbs1 g fiber0 g sugar2 g protein

Would you rather spendan extra 45 minutessleeping or wake up andstart shredding potatoes?We know which option

we’d go with. Thoughopting for a packagedvariety is a time-savingmove, not just any pack-age of potatoes will dowhen it comes to weightloss and better health.A number of popular

brands in the supermarketare laden with artificialdyes and palm oil, whichincreases inflammationand obesity risk. Ouradvice: Stick with Mr.Dell’s straightforwardhash browns. They’remade solely of potatoes,the perfect canvas for allof your favorite herbs,spices and add-ins.

. Instead of Biscuits...

Eat This!Thomas’ Light Multi-Grain English Muffins

110 calories1 g fat (0 saturated)160 mg sodium8 g fiber1 g sugar5 g protein

Making biscuits fromscratch can take forever,and the majority of pack-aged varieties are stillmade with trans fats,a synthetic shorteningthat extends the life ofbaked goods but has


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. Instead ofHomemadeWaffles…

EatThis!

Nature’s PathAncientGrainsFrozen Waffles

180 calories6 g fat (1g saturated)330 mg sodium5 g fiber2 g sugar4 g protein

As a rule, waffles arelower in sugar than pan-cakes. Even so, just one7-inch homemade wafflemade with traditional

ingredients such aseggs, flour, milk, oil,sugar, and vanilla, hasabout 220 calories and aquarter of the day’s fat.Save calories and time infront of the stove by dig-ging into these store-

bought waffles instead.They pack 30 grams of whole grains per servingand are made withsuperfood ingredientssuch as quinoa, millet,and amaranth, a glu-ten-free fiber-packedsuper grain. To takethese store-bought waf-fles to the next level,serve them with a spread

of healthy toppingssuch as antioxidant-richberries, natural peanutbutter and slices of banana, or a mixture of sliced and butter-sau-téed apples, cinnamon,and chopped pecans.

. Instead of SmokedSausage…

Eat This!

Applegate NaturalsNatural ClassicPork BreakfastSausage

170 calories14 g fat (5 g saturated)

390 mg sodium0 g fiber0 g sugar10 g protein

Made with humanelyraised animals andminimal ingredients,Applegate’s links deliver

a solid protein-to-fatratio. Conventionalsmoked sausages carrymore fat, less protein,and some scary ingredi-ents: monosodiumglutamate (MSG) andsodium nitrite, a colorfixer added to meat tomake it look fresh.

INTO THE WOODS:Set your morningmetabalism ablazewith this countrifiedbreakfast plan.


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. InsteadofGrits…

Eat This!

Evoke Gluten-FreeMuesli Morning Zen,cup

160 calories5 g fat (0 saturated)0 mg sodium5 g fiber5 g sugar

6 g protein

Grits, comprised of white rice, butter, saltand milk, are the nutri-tional equivalent of theArabian peninsula: aharsh wasteland floatingin oil. Evoke’s low-cal,high-protein Muesli, onthe other hand, is builtwith fiber-rich oats,

vitamin-packed raisinsand cranberries, fat-incinerating almondsand pumpkin seeds, andomega-3-rich flax.

. Insteadof YourGo-To Muffin…

Eat This!VitaTopsWild Blueberry


On average, large com-mercially prepared

muffins have 521 caloriesand 22 grams of waist-widening fat—andhome-made varieties don’t faremuch better. Ironically,if you want toavoidgetting a muffin top,switching to Vita-TopsWild Blueberry MuffinTops is your best bet.

. Instead of ConventionalSyrups...

Eat This!

Maple GroveDark AmberMaple Syrup

100 calories0 g fat

2.5 mg sodium0 g fiber26.5 g sugar0 g protein

Famous syrup brandslike Aunt Jemimaand Mrs. Butterworthare made with twoingredients we’re con-stantly telling readers to

avoid: high fructosecorn syrup and caramelcoloring. The best syrupfor your waistline is aGrade A Medium Amberpure maple syrup likethe Maple Grove varietyshown here. Since theflavor is so concentrated,a little goes a long way,saving you calories andsugar.


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Counter IntelligenceWe decoded the most common claims in the meat aisle,so you’ll know exactly what you’re cooking for dinner

Life used to be a lotsimpler. And so, too, waseating meat.

Back when our grand-parents were young—back before “carbon foot-prints”; before 1,097channels of basic cable

seemed quaint andold-fashioned; beforelibrarians, accountants,and middle-age checkoutclerks sported “edgy” tat-toos on their backsides—grilling a hamburger wasa pretty simple task. Youwent to the meat counter,bought some groundchuck, brought it home,and threw it on the grill.

Just add ketchup.Nowadays, however,

it seems like just makingourselves burgers involvestense negotiation amongscientific, ethical, andnutritional philosophies.Do we get the 95 percentlean, or the 85 percentlean? Is it grass fed, freerange, and organic, orwas this cow raised in

the livestock equivalentof Alcatraz? (And exactlyhow many cows wentinto making that burgerin the first place?) Andshould we make a turkeyburger, or maybe a bisonburger, or even a veggieburger instead?

All that confusion istoo bad, because meat isperhaps our best source

of protein, the nutrientessential for buildinghealthy bones and muscle,providing the body withlong-burning energy.Protein is made of aminoacids, which can be splitinto two types: essential

and nonessential. A lotof foods, from broccoliand pasta to potatoes,include some of theseamino acids. But the bestforms of protein includeall nine essential aminoacids that your bodycan’t produce naturally,compounds it needs tomaintain muscles and

battle fat. Beef, pork,and poultry—as well asseafood, dairy, eggs, nuts,quinoa, and oats—arethe best sources.

But too much of thewrong kinds of meat canwreak havoc on our bel-

lies, our blood pressures,and our poor, hardwork-ing arteries. Processedmeats in particular—stufflike ham, sausage, pep-peroni, and other thingsthat you might apply tothe top of a pizza or theinterior of a hero—areusually packed with morelard than an appro-

priations bill. So know-ing what you’re buying—and making sure you getyour money’s worth—isimportant. Here are someof the most important—and commonly abused—terms in the industry.

ChickenTHE CLAIM: “Air chilled”

THE TRUTH: Standardpractice for chicken pro-cessing includes dunkingthe birds in a frigid bathto keep bacteria at a

Shop!


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minimum. Air chillingskips the cold-watertreatment in favor ofplacing chickens in cool-ing chambers. Manufac-turers have proclaimedits cleansing superiority,but some studies do

not support the theory.Both air chilling andimmersion are compara-ble at reducing bacteriabefore packaging. Flavor,however, may indeedbe superior, as the slowchilling can yield amore tender, less water-saturated chicken.

THE CLAIM:

“Raised withoutantibiotics”

THE TRUTH: Unlike thebeef industry, big chickenproducers have begunto curtail the use of anti-biotics in recent years,addressing concerns that

bacteria dangerous tohumans could be devel-oping drug resistance.Still, Tyson, Perdue, andothers have been unableto wean their birdsentirely off antibiotics,so this claim is worth

something. A coupleextra bucks a pound?That’s for you to decide.

THE CLAIM:

“No retained water”

THE TRUTH: When im-mersed in their cold-waterbaths after slaughter,poultry can absorb up to8 percent of their bodyweight, diluting taste and

nutrition. On top ofadded water, conventionalpoultry can be “enhanced”with salt. The USDAhas ignored petitions toconsider salt a foodadditive; in turn, somemanufacturers have jacked

up the sodium contentof their chickens.

THE CLAIM:

“Organic”

THE TRUTH: The organicchicken industry has

grown wildly in recentyears. Big Agriculture hasseen the potential profitboon of charging an aver-age of 100 percent morefor organic chickens, andthey have secured thecoveted (and often pricey)USDA stamp for whatsome activists argue areless-than-reputable prac-tices. Look for two certifi-cation stamps—the Sec-

retary of Agriculture sealand the USDA Organicseal—confirming that theanimals were fed organicfeed and had access topasture. (The chicken onthe previous page wasconventionally raised.)

THE CLAIM:

“Free range”

THE TRUTH: If the claimconjures images ofhealthy birds roamingfreely about rolling hills,feasting on nature’sdelicacies, think again.

Technically, free-rangechickens must haveaccess to the outdoorsfor at least 51 percent oftheir lives, but the USDA,which approves eachmanufacturer’s “freerange” claim on a case-by-case basis, does notstrictly define “outdoors.”The term could meananything from idyllicopen acreage to a puny

pen. Guess which is truefor the majority of free-range chickens availablein supermarkets?

BeefTHE CLAIM:

“No antibioticsadministered”

THE TRUTH: Crowdedfeedlots are breedinggrounds for bacteria, ill-ness, and disease, whichis one reason why mostbeef cattle are pumpedfull of antibiotics. Theother reason: corn. Cows’stomachs are designedto digest grass, but withcheap, subsidized cornin high supply, most

cows in this country liveon a diet consisting of 75percent corn, 10 percentroughage, and 15 percentanimal by-products.To fight off the ulcers,heartburn, and poten-tially fatal liver abscessescaused by this diet, thebeef industry turns toantibiotics. It’s bad notonly for the cow, but also



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for you: Corn-fed beefis nearly twice as fatty asgrass-fed beef and haslower concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids.So beef that’s been raisedwithout antibiotics isbeef that’s healthier on

your plate.

THE CLAIM:

“No growth stimulantsor added hormones”

The Truth: A good thing,to be sure, and decidedlyrare in the world ofindustrial beef. Abouttwo-thirds of cows in theUnited States are treatedwith growth hormones

to speed growth andultimately maximizeprofit. While the USDAhas deemed growth hor-mones safe for cattle andthe humans who con-sume them, the EuropeanUnion (EU) isn’t quiteso sure. Over the years,researchers have raisedconcern over possiblelinks between growth

hormones and issues likeearly puberty in girls,lower sperm count inmen, and breast cancer,but the jury is still outon the final effects. TheEU prohibits the use of growth hormones in theraising of cattle and hasbanned hormone-injectedbeef since 1988.

THE CLAIM:“All natural**Minimally processed.Contains no artificialingredients”

THE TRUTH: You’ll seethe word “natural” all overmeat packaging, bothbeef and poultry. Themeat industry becamevery fond of the term

“natural”with the risingpopularity of organicfoods. Producers of non-organic foods worried

that consumers wouldassume that convention-al meat would translateinto “chemical ridden,”which spurred almostall meat manufacturersto emblazon their prod-ucts with the phrase“all natural.” It’s easyenough, since the USDAdoesn’t carefully regulatethe term—making it

all but meaningless tothe consumer.

THE CLAIM:

“USDA choice beef”

THE TRUTH: Not allsteaks taste the same.The USDA grades beefbased on marbling andthe age of the animal,which affect the qualityof your sizzling steak.The higher the degree ofmarbling—which is tosay, the fattier—the

more tender and flavor-ful (and caloric) themeat. You’ll probablynever see a lower grade

than Select at thesupermarket, which isleaner than Prime andChoice grades, respec-tively the highest andsecond-highest grades.Pricey Prime is a raresupermarket find, too,considering just 2 percentof all beef is gradedPrime and most of thatgoes to restaurants.

TheHealthiestMeatintheMarketNot all meat was created equal.From the lean, meanbison sirloin toaheavily marbled dry-aged rib eye, the protein spectrum is populated by a vastarray of characters that vary greatly in considerations both culinary andnutritional. To simplifymatters a bit, we’ve put everymajor cut of beef, pork,poultry, and alternative meats through a rigorousequation to assess its core

nutritional value. Thecriteria?Westarted with protein-to-fat ratio; becauseall the calories in your steak or your chicken breastwill comefromone orthe other, you want tochoosecutsbased onashigha protein-to-fat ratio aspossible.Next, we considered thedensityof 10 essential nutrients commonlyfound inproteins, fromvitaminsB6 and B12 tozinc. We rounded out theequation by factoring in saturated fat concentrationsandcholesterol levels.The result is a chart that lets you compare chicken breastwithduck leg,porterhousewithpork chops, and ultimately allowsyou to indulge yourcarnivorous side with a littlemore strategy.

MEAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SCORE

CHICKEN

Lightmeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.38Darkmeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.99Giblets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.97

TURKEY

Lightmeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.34Darkmeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.55Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.71

OSTRICH

Top loin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.09Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.64

BISON

Top sirloin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.75Grass fed, ground. . . . 4.63

MEAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SCORE

BEEF

Kidney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.79Liver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.22Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.82Round. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.91Flank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.73Top loin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.25Grass fed, ground. . . . .4.13T-bone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.92Top sirloin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.90Ground90% lean . . . . .3.87Tongue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.77Porterhouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.75Brisket, whole. . . . . . . . . . . . .3.71Rib eye,small end .. . 3.60Tenderloin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.45Ground80% lean . . . . 3.38Rib roast, whole . . . . . . . 3.20

MEAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SCORE

PORK

Tenderloin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.90Top loin/loin chops .. . 5.92Center loin/center rib. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.39

Sirloin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.13Ribs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.72Spareribs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.09Bladechops/roast . . . .4.02Ham,whole. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.24Bacon (cured) . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.03

DUCK

Domesticated........... 5.22

LAMB

Sirloin chops,Australian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.95Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.1


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TheFlat-BellyRestaurantSurvival GuideWhether you’re eating out or ordering in,these simple rules will keep your diet on track

The next time a waitress hands

you a restaurant menu, she mightas well be handing you a contractthat says, “I give total control ofmy body to Olive Garden/RedRobin/Woody’s Sports Bar/Al’sGreasorama. “ Because once youdecide to trust a food service

establishment to determine what

goes into your body, you’ve cededcontrol. And that’s not good.

That’s because what restaurantswant to send you home with atthe end of the meal is a belly thatfeels full and satisfied—but theywant to do it as cheaply as

possible. And real food costsmoney. So the more cheap-but-filling stuff they can stick in

there—refined carbs, blended oils,and salt—the heftier their bottomline grows. And the heftier ourbottoms grow. To help you avoidthe worst restaurant pitfalls andget back on the path to health,we’ve created this simple cheatsheet that will help you navigatesome of the most popular typesof restaurants in the country.

AT THE BURGERJOINTNo food has taken more hits toits once-healthy reputation thanthe hamburger. Made at homeon the grill or grill pan, a burger,bun included, shouldn’t cost

WorstBurgerJointBurger:SONIC

Not That!

SuperSonic Double Cheeseburger with Mayo

1,240 calories76 g fat (32g saturated, 3.5 g trans)1,580 mg sodium

Ridiculous on every level. But having nearlytwo days’ worth of trans fats each makes mostSuperSonic burgers off-limits.

Eat This Instead!

Jr. Chili Cheeseburger

410 calories24 g fat (9 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)

730 mg sodium

The beans from the chili add a little extra folate andfiber and helps this meal hit 20 grams of protein.

While it’s still got trans fats, it’s a mere 1/7th of whatyou’ll find in some of Sonic’s offerings.

STARTERS Dine!


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EATTHIS.COM 31

you more than 400 calories, andmakes a great, protein-packedlunch or dinner.

But most restaurants treatburgers like Thanksgiving Dayfloats—inflating them, smotheringthem with excess, and paradingthem around to be gawked at.

(In the 1950s, the standard burgerwas one-third the size it is today,according to the CDC.) The result:Steak ’N Shake’s 7x7 Steakburger,a late-night extravaganza of sevenpatties and seven slices of Ameri-can cheese with 4,490 milligramsof sodium (as much as you’dfind in 12 servings of Pop SecretHomestyle popcorn). To enjoy aburger without a hit to your buns,keep these tips in mind:

WATCH THE SODIUM. It’s noteasy keeping your sodium at therecommended 2,300 milligramsper day, especially when places likeChili’s don’t sell a single burgerfor less than 3,200 milligrams. Yeta recent study in England found

that for every additional 1,000milligrams a day that you eat, yourrisk of obesity increases by 25percent. While you might thinkthat fat is the problem with fancyburgers, it’s actually salt: Baconand cheese both add sodium.

GO FAST FOOD—AND KEEP IT

SIMPLE. In most cases, BurgerKing, McDonald’s, and their ilkwill offer healthier burgers thando sit-down chains. But manyfast-food joints are chasing the“gourmet” burgers of places likeApplebee’s, which is how BurgerKing’s 290-calorie BaconCheeseburger morphs into the810-calorie A.1. Ultimate BaconCheeseburger.

KETCHUP TO NUTRITION.

Tomatoes are rich in a nutrientcalled lycopene (a known cancerfighter that appears in red fruitsand vegetables), which is why thered stuff is a valuable add-on. At home, choose organic, low-

sugar brands like Trader Joe’s orGreen Way.

SPLIT THE FRIES. It’s hard toresist them, so either order a smallor kid’s size version, or splitan adult-size portion with yourpartner.

AT THE ITALIANRESTAURANTItalian restaurants are the savinggrace of nutritionally dysfunction-al families. Meat lovers can gettheir meatballs, vegetarians canenjoy their eggplant parmigiana,the kids can slurp buttered pastaand not make too many facesat the table. And with its olive oils

and salads and fish, Italian foodoffers the healthy eater plenty ofeasy options. Unless…

Unless you’ve fallen into theclutches of some of America’s“Italian” chain restaurants, whereonce-unassailable Mediterranean

Worst ItalianMeal:ROMANO’SMACARONIGRILL

Not That!

Mama’s Trio

2,040 calories127 g fat (53 g saturated)4,160 mg sodium20 g sugar

The saturated fat content of the Three Tenors.A combo of Parmesan, lasagna, Bolognese andcannelloni, it’s cheese on meat and meat oncheese wrapped in a noodle coffin.

Eat This Instead!

Spaghetti Verdi

640 calories36 g fat (9 g saturated)

590 mg sodium

A new arrival on the lunch menu, this sensible dishkeeps the sodium and calories low so you’ll

avoid the 3 pm slumber party most carb-heavymeals can cause.


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cuisine has undergone a fat infu-sion, rendering it unrecognizableto Italian grandmothers the worldover. Take, for example, OliveGarden’s Lasagna Fritta, an appe-tizer that sounds like it wasdreamed up during a bong binge bythose guys on Workaholics: “Dude,

imagine if you took hunks oflasagna, dipped them in batter, andthrew them in a deep fryer.” It’s aneasy way to start your meal withmore than half a day’s worth ofcalories and 1,650 milligrams ofsodium—before your entrée evenarrives. To keep yourself fromgetting entangled in an evil webof Frankenpasta, use these tipsat your favorite Italian spot.

ENJOY YOUR NOODLES.

Researchers at MIT found thatcutting out carbs like pastareduces levels of the happinesshormone serotonin, a chemicalthat also regulates appetite.So go ahead and use your noodle,but be careful how you use it.

DO NO HARM WITH PARM.

American restaurants use “parmi-giana” as a catchall for anythingthey’ve buried in oil and cheese.If you like eggplant or chickenwith sauce and cheese, do this:Ask for the base served grilled,then get a side of marinara sauce

and some grated Parmesan.You’ll get the same effect, with-out all the worrisome grease.

GO WHOLE GRAIN. Many restau-rants will now substitute whole-grain pasta; at home, make it yourregular go-to for an extra hit offiber and magnesium. A 2008Italian study found that whole-wheat pasta, with its low glycemicindex and high fiber content,could protect against diabetes.

MAKE A PESTO OF YOURSELF.

Sadly, most Italian restaurantspack their marinara sauce withsugar—something Mama Leoniwould have never done. You canbadger the waiter about it, or you

can opt for pesto, with its healthycombination of olive oil, pine nuts,herbs, and Parmesan cheese.

BRUSH OFF THE BRUSCHETTA.

The Italian version of chips andsalsa, bruschetta is fine for astarter, as long as you’re sharing.

An order will come toddling inwith 600 calories or more.

MAKE GELATO YOUR MOTTO.

If ice cream is in your immediatefuture, opt for the Italian version.Gelato is made with milk insteadof heavy cream, making it lighterthan much of what you’ll get inthe freezer section.

AT THE

SANDWICH SHOPWhile breakfast and dinner can befixed and eaten at home, for mostof us, lunch is whatever’s availablefrom the nearest takeout placewithin walking distance of the

WorstSandwichShopSandwich:PANERABREAD

Not That!

Sierra Turkey Sandwich onAsiago Cheese Focaccia

740 calories27 g fat

A celebration of belly-bloating sodium.

Eat This Instead!

Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT onSourdough (half) and Caesar Salad with

Caesar Dressing (half)

A half sandwich with a half salad lets you controlyour carb and sodium intake.


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EATTHIS.COM 33

office. And sandwich shops arethe obvious solutions to ourlunchtime conundrums.

But while every sandwichstarts with the blank canvas oftwo slices of bread, it takes only afew ill-advised additions to steeryour lunch from nutritional

masterpiece to paint-by-numberscatastrophe. Here’s what to thinkabout when you’re ordering asandwich:

UNWRAP IT. Because they’rethin, we think of wraps as healthierthan bread. But because they’reoften made pliable with fat, manywraps can pack 300 calories beforeyou even fill them, and many areloaded with trans fats.

ERR ON THE COLD SIDE. Thanksto sauces, melted cheese and lotsof greasy meat, hot sandwiches areusually higher in fat and caloriesthan cold sandwiches. Meatballsubs and pulled pork are amongthe fattiest sandwiches out there.

BEWARE THE CURED MEATS.

Focus on fresh chicken, turkey,and roast beef, and avoid pro-cessed meats like salami, peppero-ni, and bologna, which are packedwith nitrates and sodium. Oneexception: A BLT is usually a solidgo-to because it gives you a decent

hit of protein and some fiberand vitamins from the produce.

STRIKE OUT THE BATTER.

If the meat in your sandwich isbattered and fried, you can counton it costing you calories andfat—often trans fats. Look forgrilled sandwiches instead.

AT THE CHINESE

RESTAURANTEver since Italy co-opted theirnoodle invention, slapped somemeatballs on top, and stole allthe pasta glory, China has beendrawing the short chopstick. Butit wasn’t until Chinese food

immigrated to America thatsomething truly horrible happened:China’s naturally healthy, high-nutrient, flavorful cuisine gotloaded up with so much fat, sugar,and monosodium glutamate thatwe even had to come up with aname for the crappy way you feel

sometimes after eating it: ChineseRestaurant Syndrome.And the rise of the all-you-

can-eat Chinese buffet has onlymade things worse. A study by theUSDA Human Nutrition ResearchCenter on Aging found theconcoctions served up at Chineserestaurants average more than1,400 calories. That’s nearly theamount of calories an adultwoman should eat in a day, anddoesn’t even include dessert.

And that’s too bad, becauseChinese food is loaded with vege-tables, protein, and fiber. You justneed to know how to eat aroundthe pitfalls so your fortune cookiedoesn’t read “For God’s sake,don’t eat this cookie!”

WorstChineseRestaurantAppetizer:P.F.CHANG’S

Not That!

Orange Ginger Edamame

440 calories

don’t need this: While edamame is notoriously dousedwith sea salt, the orange ginger salt used for this dishhas more than double the sodium count of the regularedamame.

Eat This Instead!

Jicama Lobster Tacos

400 calories35 g fat (11 saturated)

750 mg sodium

This small plate is a nice dose of protein (12 g)to start your meal.


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DROP THE EGG DROP. The cal-ories tend to be low, but the sodiumlevels in egg drop soups tend tovary from high to horrific, withsome topping 7,000 milligramsper serving. Wonton soups tend tobe far lower in belly-bloating sodi-um with only a few more calories.

DON’T DUCK THE DUCK. Wetend to think of duck as very fatty,but in authentic Chinese cooking,the recipe for Peking duck requiresthe chef to rend most of thefat from the bird, leaving it with anutritional profile that’s closerto turkey.

AVOID THE MEIN LINE. Noodledishes like lo mein and chowmein are cooked in the wok right

alongside the meat and vegetables.That’s bad, because to keepthe noodles from sticking, thechef needs to pour in plenty ofoil. A full order will typically top1,000 calories. The same holdstrue for fried rice; look for disheswhere the carbs are separate.

AT THE MEXICANRESTAURANTYou’ve heard of Montezuma’srevenge? It originally referred tostomach problems that people gotwhile traveling in Mexico, suppos-

edly the price that Old Worldtypes paid for Cortez’s defeat ofthe Aztecs. But Montezuma, wise-guy warrior, might have had biggerideas: specifically, letting healthybean, rice, and vegetable-basedMexican cuisine get all screwed upby American restaurants.

Most Mexican food today isreally just a bastardization of aonce-nutritious diet, loaded upwith cheese and meat and tossedinto a deep fryer. The result: Every

time you buy a bigger belt, anancient Aztec laughs. Here’s howto beat the Mexican standoff.

GO FOR THE TACO. When eating ata Mexican restaurant, you’re usu-ally better off ordering a taco rath-er than a burrito. Most burritos

hover around the 1,000 caloriemark, but you can find plenty oftacos out there for 300 calories.

GUAC, SI; SOUR CREAM, NO.

Guacamole is loaded with calories,but they come from heart-healthymonounsaturated fats, which will

help flatten your belly.

THAT’S NOT-CHO APPETIZER!

Nachos are some of the highest-calorie foods on every menu outthere. Eat with caution—andabout three of your friends.

LET GO OF THE TORTILLA.

Remember, if you’re eating chipsor nachos beforehand, you’realready eating plenty of tortilla.So consider ordering a grilled steak

or fish entrée that doesn’t comewrapped in yet more carbs.

PLAY THE MAGICAL FRUIT.

Eating more beans can help youlose more belly fat, accordingto research in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

WorstMexicanMeal:ONTHEBORDER

Not That!

Dos XX Fish Tacos (3)

2,030 calories134 g fat (27 g saturated)3,830 mg sodium

“I don’t always eat fish tacos, but when I do,I don’t make it Dos XX.”

Eat This Instead!

Seasoned Ground Beef Enchiladas (2)with Chile Con Carne

500 calories28g fat (12 g saturated)

1,220 mg sodium

A solid protein option with a hit of fiber too.


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Energize

7 Perfect Metabolism FoodsMelt flab and feel great with these fat-burning superfoodsthat will recharge your batteries in no time

EATTHIS.COM 35

Wouldn’t it be great if your metabolism hadan ON button, one you could crank up any timeyou wanted to burn more fat, find more focus,or add some juice to your energy levels?

Well, it does. It’s called your thyroid. Andhow well this little gland functions can deter-mine whether you’re a high-energy fat-burningmachine, or a couch-surfing bundle of blah.

The metabolism master control is an un-assuming butterfly-shaped gland in your neckthat secretes all-important hormones thatcontrol major bodily functions, including howyou digest food and use energy. When yourthyroid slows down, everything slows down;


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that means fatigue,weight gain, and eventrouble thinking quicklyand clearly. Many thingscan put you at risk for asluggish thyroid, some ofwhich are out of yourcontrol, like family his-

tory. If you suspect yourfatigue levels and weightgain aren’t quite normal,discuss it with your doc-tor. But in the meantime,you can max out yourmetabolism by feedingyour thyroid the foods itneeds to stay in peakcondition.

Maximum

MetabolismFood #1:YOGURTYogurt is naturally richin vitamin D, and notgetting enough of thenutrient puts you ata higher risk of obesityand thyroid diseases,research suggests. Morethan 90 percent of

people with Hashimoto’s,an autoimmune diseasethat’s the most commoncause of hypothyroidism,are deficient in D,according to one studypublished in the Interna-tional Journal of HealthSciences. Researchers saythe sunshine vitamin’simmunity-boosting andanti-inflammatory

properties protect thethyroid from damage. Inaddition to vitamin D,yogurt is also rich inprobiotics that researchsuggests may helpbalance good bacteriain the gut that can bethrown off by thyroiddisturbances, leading tofatigue, inflammation,and weight gain.

MaximumMetabolismFood #2:SUSHI ROLLSIodine is to your thyroidwhat a bassline is to a

funk song: without it,there’s no dancing. Andsince our bodies can’tmake this mineral, wetypically get it as anadditive to food, particu-larly table salt. But asmore and more of uscut back on sodium, orswitch to unfortified seasalt, iodine deficiency isbecoming more of a con-cern. Fortunately, there

are other dietary sourcesof iodine, and seaweed isone of the best. Just twotablespoons of brownseaweed, or a few rolls ofsushi every week, willmeet your needs. And asyou nosh on your noriyou’ll be blasting fat:Scientists at NewcastleUniversity recentlydiscovered that a com-

pound in seaweed calledalginate helps fat passthrough the gutundigested.

MaximumMetabolismFood #3:GRAPEFRUITImagine trying to do

your job while the guy inthe office next to youblasts Metallica all daylong. You’d find it prettyhard to get anythingdone, right? Well, thesame thing happens toyour thyroid when it’sexposed to heavy metals—not the musical kind,but the kind that showsup in food. That’s

because heavy metals,mercury in particular, arechemically similar toiodine—an element thethyroid needs and readilyabsorbs. When metalslike mercury take theplace of iodine at binding

sites, thyroid hormoneproduction grinds to ahalt. The good news isyou can detoxify natural-ly with fruits that arerich in pectin—a gelatin-like fiber that sticks totoxic compounds in theblood and flushes themout of the body throughthe urine. In fact, citruspectin can increase theamount of mercury you

excrete by 50 percentwithin 24 hours of takinga pectin supplement,according to one study.Four pieces of wholefruit a day is all you needto reap the benefits—andyou should be aiming forthat number anyways.Most of the pectin incitrus fruits are found inthe pith and peel, so

whole sections of grape-fruits and oranges, aswell as whole apples andpeaches, are your bestsources.

MaximumMetabolismFood #4:BRAZIL NUTS

Selenium. No, it’s not aLatina pop star. It’s theall-essential “on” switchto proper thyroid func-tion—converting T4hormone into active T3.The essential mineralalso protects the glandfrom inflammatorybyproducts of thyroidhormone production.Many people who have

a sluggish thyroid orthyroid diseases exhibitdeficiencies in selenium,and studies show thatboosting your intake canhelp. Selenium supple-mentation of 80 micro-grams per day—about

what you’ll find in justone Brazil nut—helpedto reduce antithyroidantibodies in patientswith autoimmunethyroiditis (inflamma-tion of the gland thatcan make it sluggish ifleft untreated), onestudy showed.

Maximum

MetabolismFood #5:STEAKIf your thyroid were aman, he’d be a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy.That’s because animalprotein is brimming inamino acids, particularlytyrosine—the buildingblock of thyroid hor-

mone, and of dopamine—both of which regulateweight management.A lack of tyrosine in thediet may lead to anunderactive thyroid, anda deficiency in dopamineis associated with foodcravings and weight gain.You can also find tyro-sine in dairy, poultry andleafy greens.

MaximumMetabolismFood #6:OYSTERSShuck one for yourmetabolism. Oysters areone of the best dietarysources of zinc, a miner-al that’s critical, and


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EATTHIS.COM 37

complementary, to ahealthy thyroid. In fact,the body needs enoughzinc to activate produc-tion of thyroid hormone.And, in turn, we needenough thyroid hormoneto absorb zinc. Any way

you look at it, deficien-cies are likely to result ina sluggish metabolism,and supplementing withthe mineral has beenshown to get weight lossback on track. One studyfound that obese peoplewho consumed 30 milli-grams of zinc per day—the equivalent of justsix raw oysters—hadimproved body mass

indices, lost weight, andshowed improvementsin blood cholesterollevels. Get shucking!

MaximumMetabolismFood #7:RAINBOWTROUT

There are plenty of fishin the sea, but there’splenty of mercury in thesea as well. Rainbowtrout, on the other hand,tends to be very low inthyroid-harming pollut-ants, and very high inmetabolism-boostingomega-3 fatty acids.Most cases of underac-

tive thyroid are due toinflammation of thegland, and the fatty acidsin trout help your bodyfight inflammation natu-rally. The fishy fat mayalso signal thyroid cellsin the liver to burn morefat, a recent study pub-lished in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry suggests.

5 OvernightMetabolism BoostersWake up hotter tomorrow with these nocturnal calorie burners

You may have tried every trick in the book to burn calories during the day, from

a hard-core diet plan and a serious exercise regime to one of those treadmill desksat work. But are you still frittering away seven hours or so of submaximal calorieburn? A recent study at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, found that thosewho simply went to bed earlier, thereby cutting their waking calorie-eating hoursfrom 14 to 11, lost 3.5 percent of their body fat in just six weeks. And that’s not theonly way to maximize your downtime. Use these clues to lose while you snooze.

1. Throw Out theNight-LightExposure to light at night doesn’t just interrupt your chances of a great

night’s sleep, it may also result inweight gain according to a new studypublished in the American Journal ofEpidemiology. Study subjects who sleptin the darkest rooms were 21 percentless likely to be obese than thosesleeping in the lightest rooms.

2. Let in the ColdA study published in the journal Diabetes sug-

gests that turningdown the heat inwinter may enhancethe effectiveness ofour stores of brownfat—a type of cellthat keeps youwarm by helping youburn through the fatstored in your belly.Participants spent a fewweeks sleeping in bedroomswith varying temperatures: aneutral 75 degrees, a cool 66 degrees,and a balmy 81 degrees. After fourweeks of sleeping at 66 degrees, thesubjects had almost doubled theirvolumes of brown fat. (And yes, thatmeans they lost belly fat.)

3. Boost Before BedHaving a protein shake before hittingthe sack may boost your metabolism,

according to one Florida State Univer-sity study. Researchers found that menwho consumed an evening snack thatincluded 30 grams of protein had ahigher resting metabolic rate the next

morning than those who ate nothing.

4. Eat MoreWhole Grains“Serotonin converts to melatonin inyour stage-3 REM sleep, and serotoninis sourced from whole-grain complexcarbohydrates,” says Cat Smiley, owner

of the weight-loss retreatWhistler Fitness Vaca-

tions. About 20 grams

of insoluble fiberis important toenable you tosleep, so aim toeat that daily, andyou’ll ensureyou can convert

enough serotoninto sleep well.

5. Take a Hot

Shower“A hot shower can increase the levelof oxytocin—a ‘love’ hormone releasedby y

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