Low fat dairy, dark orange and dark green veggies contain vitamin A that helps to heal damaged tissue.

Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and plums contain antioxidants that protect cells and improve cell health. Veggies such as artichokes, beans and pecans are also high in antioxidants.

Salmon and flax seed contain omega-3 fatty acids which contribute to skin elasticity and strength.

Olive oils that are cold or expeller processed or extra virgin contain vitamin E that preserves collagen and prevents wrinkle formation.

Green tea exhibits anti-inflammatory properties that may prevent the risk of skin cancer.

Water is important in preventing dehydration and also preserving healthy skin.  Water flushes toxins out of the body that may cause skin breakouts.

Hass avocados and almonds are other healthy skin foods. While honey is a great ingredient to make your own honey beauty recipes!

Research assistance provided by Jessica Bennett

Disclosure: I am a nutrition spokesperson for the Hass Avocado Board, National Honey Board, and Almond Board of California.

Picture source

Many of us have never had a pomegranate, but for pomegranate lovers, and newcomers here are some fun facts I bet you didn’t know:

• The pomegranate is also known as a Granada in Spanish and a Grenade in French, probably because of the fact that it explodes like a grenade in your mouth exuding lots of juice from just one little seed ( grenades are small as well). Other names: Chinese Apple, Punic Apple, Granatapfel, Melograno, and Melagrana.
• The seeds are called Arils, each pomegranate contains up 800 arils! That’s a lot of juice.
• The taste of the juice depends on the ripeness, and can range from tangy/sour to sweet.
• The Pomegranate is native from Iran all the way to the Himalayas. It has been cultivated all through the Mediterranean since ancient times.
• As for the nutritional aspect, the pomegranate is excellent source of antioxidants which prevent hardening of the arteries, therefore reducing the risk of heart disease.
• Pomegranates are also an excellent source of B vitamins (Thiamin, Niacin and Riboflavin) which are also beneficial to heart health.

Sources: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html

http://www.juicing-for-health.com/pomegranate.html

Assistance provided by: Christina Wolfe

1. Smoothies. An easy way to load up on 3 or more servings of fruit at a time, smoothies are a great grab n’ go breakfast!  Try adding different combinations of your favorite fruits with a bit of plain Greek yogurt for a tasty protein boost.  Check out my daughter and I making her favorite smoothie together!
2. Get your greens. Try keeping a large green salad on the table at dinners and as a staple in your lunches to ensure an extra bit of veggies.  Add whatever veggies you and your family love, top it with a delicious salad dressing that’s lower in calories, and you’re all set.
3. Add in veggies. Every meal of the day can get a boost from an extra dose of veggies, but it’s great to boost your breakfast, since it’s usually low on the veggies.   Toss chopped veggies into your morning omelettes, mix in pumpkin or sweet potato to your oatmeal, or throw some fresh baby spinach into your smoothie!
4. Go for easily portable fruit. Bananas are perhaps the easiest, as they come in their own ‘package’, but can get bruised easily, so keep them at the top of your bag or purse.  Other great fruits for snacking on the go include apples, kiwis, and grapes.
5. Sip on soup. With the fall weather approaching, soups are a great way to pack in more veggies, especially if you make them yourself.  Try roasted butternut squash and apple soup, broccoli and potato soup, or sweet potato and corn chowder.  Potatoes are particularly useful, in that they can help thicken up soups without adding in any cream.
6. Dip ‘em. If you’re not looking forward to eating some chopped veggies as a snack, try buying a few of your favorite dips the next time you’re at the grocery store.  Hummus, made from chickpeas, is now widely available in a variety of flavors, including roasted garlic, red pepper, and sun-dried tomato.  You can also try a bean dip or spread, or simply your favorite nut butter.
7. Cook extra. When you’re making a big family meal, cook extra veggies so that you can have them available in the fridge for the next couple of days, making it easier to heat them up quickly for a snack.  If you’re firing up the BBQ, toss on some peppers, zucchini and onions to get that grilled flavor.  If you’ve already got the oven heated up, toss some potatoes, onions, and carrots on a baking sheet to get that delicious roasted flavor.
8. Add them to baked goods. If you’re a fan of baking your own homemade treats, you probably know how flexible some recipes are.  Most muffin, cookie, or bread recipes can accommodate an extra dose of veggies – think zucchini bread!  Be careful to choose a recipe that’s low in sugar and calories – you can swap applesauce and canned pumpkin in many cookie recipes to replace most of the fat.

What about you?  What are your tricks to increase your fruits and veggies?

Assistance provided by Megan Skinner

• Make the simple switches.  Traditional desserts have a lot of extra calories, fat and sugar added to them, but making a few simple substitutions can reduce these by quite a bit.   Try mashed bananas instead of oil, or whole-wheat flour instead of white flour.  Even Greek yogurt or canned pumpkin can be added to most dessert recipes!
• Find a way to include fruit.  Whether it’s apple slices baked with cinnamon atop frozen yogurt, roasted bananas with chopped nuts, or simply strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, fruit can always be part of a great dessert!  Make the focus on the fruit in the dessert, and you’ll end up eating less of the other high-calorie parts.

• Watch your portions. If you’re still stuck on your favorite desserts and refuse to give them up or make any recipe changes, you can still include them in your healthy diet.  The key is just to keep an eye on your portion sizes so that you don’t load up on too many calories at the end of your meal.  You can split restaurant desserts with family or friends, or even take half of it home to enjoy the next day!
• Swap milk chocolate for dark chocolate.  Let’s face it, we all love a nice chocolate dessert every now and again.  Why not make it the kind of chocolate known to have health benefits?  Dark chocolate is known to have antioxidant properties similar to that of red wine, while milk, white and other kinds of chocolate do not share this benefit.  As with all decadent treats, this doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want – try to keep it in moderation – but if you’re going to eat chocolate, make sure it’s the dark variety!

How do you include desserts as part of your healthy lifestyles?  I’d love to hear your tips – leave me a comment below and fill me in!

Assistance provided by Megan Skinner

Fun Facts about the “Other” Berry

• Not your average berry. Raspberries are packed with antioxidants. Studies have shown that their antioxidant levels may be as much as 10 times those of strawberries!
• Color your plate. Not just red, these little fruits can even come in shades such as purple and yellow!
• Nutritional benefits. Raspberries are plentiful in potassium, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.
• Nutritional plus. They are actually a wonderful source of dietary fiber. Half a pound of raspberries contains about 20 grams of fiber.
• Low cals. According to the USDA, a cup of raspberries contains about 60 calories.
• Freeze away. Raspberries can be frozen without losing a lot of their nutritional content, although their Vitamin C levels may be halved.
• Delicious cure. Raspberries are believed to alleviate many common annoying ailments such as inflammation, allergies, pain, and failing eyesight.

Assistance provided by Pam Majumdar

1. Toast that Grain! Some people who don’t normally like whole grain and whole wheat breads find themselves falling in love with them when toasted. Not only will you increase your fiber intake and up your metabolism, but you’ll also have a toasted, fresher sandwich!
2. Hungry for Hummus. Try swapping your mustard or mayo with hummus! Hummus is a thick spread made from mashed chickpeas and is packed with vitamins, minerals and protein. Chick peas are low in fat and the olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats = heart healthy!
3. Kick It Up a Knotch by adding chipotle spread or wasabi horseradish sauce into your sandwich. Remember: spicy foods increase your metabolism and give you that antioxidant kick!
4. Seasonings, Please. When the awesome sandwich maker asks if you want seasonings, say yes! You can always use dried herbs that are rich in antioxidants to help protect your body from free radicals aka: “the bad stuff.”
5. Salad Sandwich. Your leftover salad from last night is a great addition to your homemade sandwich for lunch today. Not only will you get and feel fuller longer, but your sandwich will be happier and so will your body.

Have you tried any of the above? What do you like to do to give your homemade sandwich that extra kick in nutrients and flavor?

Research provided by Monica Lobo, RD.

Besides enjoying eating and drinking fruits as they come, we can transform and incorporate them into decadent creations! Side dishes, appetizers, drinks, desserts, etc. They’re oh-so-colorful too!

1. Berry Good Smoothie: In a blender, combine 1 pitted nectarine, ¾ cup hulled strawberries, ¾ cup blueberries, 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder, and 1 cup crushed ice. Blend until smooth, pour into glass and serve!

2. Romaine and Fresh Strawberry Salad: Combine 2 cups romaine lettuce and 1/2 cup sliced strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry vinaigrette dressing and toss well. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cashews.

3. Cinnamon Rice with Apples: Combine ¾ cup uncooked white rice, 1.5 cup apple juice, 1 chopped and core apple, and 1/3 cup raisins. Season with cinnamon. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover for about 17 minutes. Lift lid, and see if rice is moist enough for your taste; if not, cook another couple minutes. Mix in fresh parsley. Serve immediately. You can pair the rice with a white meat main dish – complements each other really well!

4. Watermelon Fire and Ice Salsa: Combine in a large bowl 3 cups chopped watermelon, ½ cup chopped green bell pepper, 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tbsp chopped green onions, 1 tbsp chopped jalapeno pepper and ½ tsp garlic salt. Mix well and serve. The juicy watermelon replaces tomatoes in this salsa that’s simultaneously cool and spicy hot! Serve it with tortilla chips or use it as a topping for grilled chicken. Yum!!

5. Berries a la mode: Place 2 cup berries, such as raspberries, blueberries or strawberries, in a baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup low-fat granola. Bake at 350 F until fruit is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Top each serving with 1/2 cup fat-free vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy!

Do you have other yummy ways of incorporating fresh fruits into delicious creations?

Assistance provided by Rachel Yam

Since we were children, we viewed cherries as a bonus, a reward. (Remember asking “pretty please with a cherry on top?”) But there’s nothing extra about it; tart cherries should be an essential component of your diet. Plant compounds known as phenolics are abundant in tart cherries, giving the fruit valuable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

One of the primary phenolics is anthocyanin, which assists in the blocking of inflammation-cauing enzymes. The darker the cherry, the more anthocyanin it is believed to contain. Anthocyanin’s benefits are believed to extend to the reduction of conditions such as gout, arthritis, and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Although phenolics are present in sweet cherries as well, tart cherries are thought to contain greater amounts of the compound while also containing less sugars. Either way, both types of cherries are thought to have much greater concentrations of these kinds of phenolics than other fruits.

Cherries are always available, no matter the season, so why not give the tart cherry a try? They’re easy to add to cereals and oatmeals, salads, desserts, and even smoothies and juices. Look for frozen tart cherries in the frozen foods section of the grocery store and make one of my favorite smoothies.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie

1/2 cup tart cherries

1 cup 1 % organic milk

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Blend and enjoy this yummy treat!

Have you tried tart cherries?

Assistance provided by Pam Majumdar

The important thing to remember is that these benefits have been shown in dark chocolate only. But before you go and buy a cart-full of dark chocolate treats also keep in mind these benefits have been shown in moderate amounts of consumption. Limit yourself to around one or two ounces each day and you’ll be able to enjoy the health benefits without adding a significant amount of sugar, fat, and calories to your diet.

While you probably won’t need any help finding ways to incorporate this delicious food into your diet here are a few of my favorite ways to eat dark chocolate:
1. Grate it over your morning oatmeal, it’s a great way to add taste and liven up your breakfast!
2. Garnish a desert or fruit plate. Fruits that compliment chocolate particularly well include peaches, strawberries, apples, and plums.
3. Eat it how you see it. You don’t have to get creative with dark chocolate; it’s tasty all by its self!

Don’t feel guilty indulging in one of favorite foods! Just aim to eat in moderation with a smart nutritional game plan.

What is your favorite way to eat chocolate?

Research assistance provided by Robert Masterson.

Red= Lycopene
Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that works in neutralizing free radicals in the body. If free radicals are left in the body, they attack important tissues causing serious damage, and this damage may lead to cancer or other adverse health effects. In addition, lycopene is an anti-inflammatory and anti-toxin. A few sources of lycopene are: tomatoes, grapefruit, watermelon, and guava.

Green= Lutein
Lutein is another antioxidant and works to protect normal vision throughout life. Another benefit from lutein is skin protection from UV sun radiation. This radiation causes free radicals to form in the skin. Lutein is influential in stabilizing these free radicals to protect the skin from damage. Sources of luetin include: broccoli, kale, peas, and spinach.

Orange= Beta Carotene
Beta-carotene is a nutrient that prevents night blindness and skin disorders and protects against cancer by decreasing free radicals. Another interesting benefit from beta-carotene is in the formation of strong teeth and bones. You can get beta-carotene from carrots and sweet potatoes.

By filling your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables, you will be eating important phytochemicals and obtain important health benefits. Try to have at least two different colors from plant-based foods at each meal for optimal health outcomes!

Research assistance by Kaylee O’Connell.