Deck head

H3

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

DON'T FALL FOR THESE LABEL TRICKS

Enlarge Photo

www.jupiterimages.com/unlimited

When it comes to salad, dark greens and bright veggies are the best choices.

The benefits of 100 per cent whole grains are piling up faster than endorsement offers in Michael Phelps' inbox. And so are the number of products touting whole grains on their labels. The trouble? Labels don't always present an accurate picture of what's inside, and the product that appears to be good for you on the label might have all the nutritional goodness of a gum wrapper. Why you want whole grains: They contain the bran and the germ of the grain; those have more nutrients than the endosperm you get with refined or enriched grains. They're absorbed more slowly than foods made from enriched or bleached flour, so they raise glucose and insulin levels less and keep you feeling fuller longer. A diet rich in whole grains might also help steer you around cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and even gum disease, not to mention the pain of having to buy bigger pants. But not all foods that tout whole grain or whole wheat provide it in the healthiest form. You want the grain to have all of its original components. Here are a few fake-out label words to watch for: Made with whole grains: It may have a pinch of whole grains, but unless it's 100 per cent, you won't reap most of the potential benefits. Multigrain: This tells you nothing about whether the grains are whole or refined. Even if you're getting 38 different grains, that isn't much good if they are all refined. Whole grain: If the label doesn't say "100 per cent whole grain," it may have many grain blends. Bad words to see paired with "flour": enriched, bleached, unbleached, semolina, durum and rice. What it should say: "100 per cent whole grain" or "100 per cent whole wheat."

GOT FAT? GET THIS

If you're shaped like an apple, you need to eat more oranges. And papayas, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli and other foods that are high in vitamin C. Apple-shaped people - meaning people who carry extra pounds around their middle - are at higher risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes than people who look more like pears (carrying extra weight in their hips and thighs). All of the health issues that threaten apples drain the body's stores of vitamin C, because it's called into action to fight the cellular damage (oxidation) that comes with these problems. The thicker you are around the middle, the more accelerated oxidation tends to be ... and the more C you use up. The best solution for reducing this damage is (you knew this was coming) to lose weight, especially around your middle. And a doubly smart way to lose it is by upping your intake of C-rich foods: munching on bell peppers instead of chips; finishing off dinner with a perfect papaya instead of a miniscule dish of some not-so-satisfying low-fat ice cream. What's not to love about filling up on great food that not only may help protect your body from excessive cell damage, but tastes great and might also protect your body from excessive belt tightness?

STOP KNEE PAIN WITHOUT SURGERY

The tricky thing about pain is that, like your car keys and the remote, it's not always where you think it is. Pain in the front of your knee, for instance, might be a result of what's happening (or not) in your hip. Here's how it works: Knees aren't just bony knobs that punctuate the middle of your leg. Each is a complex hinge that moves in only one direction: backward. As long as all the structures that make up the knee joint are stable, you don't even think about everything that's going on there. But let any part of the surrounding leg - the thighbone or shin bone, the tendons and muscles that surround the knee, or the shock-absorbing cartilage in the joint - shift out of place, and your knees will let you know about it. Weak hip muscles - especially if they leave you unbalanced (say, weak in the front but strong in the back) - may be all it takes to trigger that shift. Another example: weaknesses in the outer (abductor) or inner (adductor) muscles of your hips and at the top of your legs can allow your knee to rotate too far, which makes you yell... well... let's just stick with "ouch." Fortunately, six weeks of alternate-day exercises that strengthened and stretched the hips helped ease the complaints from people's knees. Of course, weak hip muscles are just one possible cause of knee pain. If you're hurting when you walk, jump, squat or sit for a while, see your doctor for an evaluation right away.

BUILD A BETTER SALAD: BOOST THE FLAVOUR, BUMP THE JUNK

Salad bars can be diet salvation or junk-food minefields. Here's how to get from one end to the other and come out healthy and happy every time. 1. Go dark on greens: Build a vitamin-packed foundation with spinach and romaine leaves (you'll get all of your daily vitamin K, more than half of your eye-protecting lutein and xeaxanthin, plus some folate and vitamin C). Skip: iceberg lettuce, unless you just want it for the crunch - it has far fewer nutrients than dark greens. 2. Go bright on veggies: Carrots, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and beets give you more fiber, minerals and vitamins than their paler companions, like cucumbers. Bright veggies are also rich in antioxidants, which turn on your own antioxidant factories. Skip: anything doused in mayo or an indefinable dressing. 3. Choose lean protein: Chickpeas, kidney beans, egg whites and quinoa (KEEN-wah - a small, light grain) are nifty sources of protein. Skip: three-bean salad - it's typically awash in omega-6-laden corn oil (you want omega-3 oils, not omega-6 ones) - and cottage cheese, unless it's labeled low-fat. 4. Add healthy crunch: Sprinkle on a tablespoon of walnuts or sunflower seeds - both are rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fats, which help you absorb the nutrients in all those veggies. Skip: croutons, which are often high in sodium, calories and trans fats. 5. Dress for success: Swirl on about 1 teaspoon of heart-healthy canola oil (olive oil is second choice), a splash of vinegar, a grating of pepper, and toss, toss, toss. It's the secret to a perfect salad: It distributes the flavours and lets you use minimal dressing to maximum effect. Skip: ready-made dressings, which either are packed with fat or - if they're low-fat or fat-free - loaded with salt, sugar syrups and other iffy additives.

TRY THIS WITH YOUR WINE TONIGHT

Tonight at dinner, think in reverse. Instead of selecting a wine that complements your meal, plan what food you'll have with your wine. Pairing foods high in vitamin B-6 with your favourite vintage may help you defeat one of the leading cancers. The thing about wine or any other form of alcohol is that women who drink more than two glasses per week tend to have lower levels of vitamin B-6. That's not great, because a large study found that women who ate the most B-6-rich foods were 34 per cent less likely to develop colon cancer during the next seven to 10 years than women who consumed the lowest amounts. Your body needs B-6 to synthesize DNA, red blood cells and the brain chemical serotonin, among other things. Lack of this vitamin may cause irritability and depression. So, what should you order with your pinot? Chicken (skinless, of course), turkey (no skin here, either) and tomato paste are rich in B-6, and also conveniently work well with red or white wines. To help keep colon cancer at bay (not to mention breast, prostate, lymphoma and ovarian cancers), tell your buddies to partake of vitamin D. Get 1,000 IU per day; 1,200 if you're over age 60.