Let's Do It Healthy

April 1, 2005

Everyone overindulges from time to time, but emotional eating triggered by stressful situations leads you away from healthy eating habits. If a stressful work day has you reaching into the cupboard, go for a brisk walk, call a friend, journal, or take a long hot bath. Find an alternate behavior that works for you and practice, practice, practice.

Stuck in an exercise rut? Just because you have a regimen, it doesn't have to be routine. The more different kinds of activity you do, the greater the odds you'll find a way to exercise and not get bored. Switching between exercises may also reduce the risk of injuries from repeated stress on the same parts of the body. And, variety means that regardless of changing seasons, locales, availability of exercise buddies, etc., you're more likely always to find a way to keep exercising.

If you throw away an orange peel, you're discarding material that could guard your health. Zest - the grated citrus skin - is rich in health-protective limonene. To grate zest, start with organic fruit, since the skin of non-organic citrus may contain pesticides. Press a piece of wax paper or baking parchment over the grater's smallest holes. Scrub the fruit and rub the rind over the paper-covered grater. When you've finished grating, carefully remove the paper, scrape off the zest and add it to vegetable dishes, tomato sauce and desserts.

Adding just 6 grams of soluble fiber to your daily diet -- one large orange and a cup of strawberries would do it -- reduces harmful LDL cholesterol an average of 10 - 20%. Oatmeal's soluble fiber is especially efficient at lowering high LDL cholesterol. Another tip to lower total cholesterol: Eat 25 grams of soy protein a day, which you'll get from 2 heaping tablespoons of soy powder, or 2 cups of low-fat soymilk and 4 ounces of firm tofu.