Total Body Diet For Dummies

Chapter 5

Foods for Total Body Balance

In This Chapter

Homing in on beneficial food choices for your Total Body Diet plan

Understanding the three big nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats

Maximizing nutritional value on your plate while allowing small indulgences

Healthy foods can be medicinal — they can keep your body and mind in tip-top shape and actually increase the quality and quantity of your life. To the contrary, eating too many highly processed foods with a lot of added sugar, sodium, and solid fat can increase the risk of chronic diseases like obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than one-third of adults in the United States are obese. In a world where fast, convenient food is everywhere, this is not surprising. The good news is, you can make changes today in your eating and lifestyle that can make a significant health difference and lead to weight loss, as well as reduce the risk of diseases (or delay their progression) down the road.

It’s all about balancing your days to the best of your eating ability by adding healthy foods in, whenever you can. Most of the day, choose fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and fat-free and lowfat dairy. When you eat your favorite comfort foods, add a nutritional boost:

· Top pizza and pasta with vegetables or have a side salad with it.

· Mix onions, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and dry oats into ground beef for a nutrient-packed burger or meatloaf.

· Savor a piece of dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate (which has more sugar and saturated fat).

· Add sliced fruit like strawberries, peaches, or apples, and a dash of cinnamon to a scoop of lowfat plain yogurt.

In this chapter, I explain which foods are beneficial for total body wellness. I cover everything from what to stock in your pantry and fridge to how to inspect food labels for ingredients like added sugars, fats, and sodium.

Identifying the Primary Players: Carbs, Protein, and Fat

This question has been lurking for decades: What is the right balance of nutrients? Your body and mind function best when you give them a balance of the three macronutrients: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Because each of us has unique nutritional needs, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends a daily healthy range for each of the macronutrients for adults:

· Carbohydrates: 45 percent to 65 percent

· Protein: 10 percent to 35 percent

· Fat: 20 percent to 35 percent

Think about it, are you getting too many carbs and not enough protein or too much protein and not enough fat? Let’s delve more deeply into each of the macronutrients and see how to balance them every day in a healthful way.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates hold a special place in the diet as they are the main energy source for the brain and they provide glucose (blood sugar) to every cell in the body. Although carbohydrates come from a variety of foods that are good for you, as well as foods that are not so good for you, the whole group takes the heat by many commercial weight loss diet plans. Let’s set your path to total body wellness straight; you need carbs to live, breathe, think, work, and play. Carbs are important for living a quality life, but choosing the better-for-you carbs in the right quantities — most of the time — is the key.

Here’s a list of nutrient-dense carbs (which you should choose from daily):

· Fruits: Apples, bananas, berries, clementines, grapes, oranges, mangoes, and so on

· Vegetables: Artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green beans, mushrooms, spinach, and so on

· Beans and peas: Black beans, chickpeas or garbanzo beans, pinto beans, navy beans, Lima beans, cannellini beans, lentils, and so on

· Whole grains: Whole wheat bread and crackers, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, millet, farro, oatmeal, plain popcorn, and so on

· Fat-free and lowfat dairy: Skim and lowfat milk; Swiss, provolone, and part-skim mozzarella; plain lowfat yogurt

Less-healthy carbs, which you can eat occasionally, include the following:

· Baked goods with added sugar and solid fat (for example, cakes, cookies, some breads, muffins, doughnuts, croissants)

· Candy, lollipops, gummy candies

· Beverages with added sugar, like soft drinks, sweetened juice beverages, and sweetened tea and coffee drinks

· Chips (for example, potato chips, corn chips, tortilla chips)

· Crackers (for example, white flour crackers)

· Cheese and caramel popcorn

In the following sections, I walk you through the good kinds of carbohydrates in greater detail.

Whole-grain goodness

A whole grain contains 100 percent of the original kernel — all of the bran, germ, and endosperm — even if the grain has been processed, such as cracked, crushed, rolled, extruded, and/or cooked. Why are whole grains so good for you? Whole grains are jam-packed with dietary fiber, which may help reduce blood cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and obesity, as well as fend off constipation. Keep in mind, fiber-rich foods like whole grains can fill you up on fewer calories and may help with weight management. Whole grains contain numerous other vitamins and minerals, such as iron, B vitamins (folate, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin), magnesium, and selenium.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2010) recommends that at least half of your grains contain the whole grain as opposed to refined grains like white flour, de-germed cornmeal, white bread, and white rice. Are you getting at least three servings of whole grains every day? Studies show that over 40 percent of Americans never eat whole grains at all, according to the Whole Grains Council.

The following are all examples of a serving of whole grain:

· One slice of whole-grain bread

· 1 cup ready-to-eat whole grain cereal

· ½ cup cooked brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, or oatmeal

· One mini whole-grain bagel

· ½ cup cooked bulgur

· ½ whole-wheat English muffin

· 3 cups popped popcorn

· 1 small (6-inch) whole-grain tortilla

· 2 small (3-inch) whole-wheat pancakes

The amount of grains you need daily depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity. In other words, the more active you are, the more grains you may be able to eat and stay within your calorie allotment for the day.

Check labels for whole grains. If it says “whole wheat” on the front of the package, read the ingredient list. Look for the word whole before wheat or grain as the first ingredient listed to ensure that it’s a whole-grain product. If it says “enriched wheat,” it’s a refined-grain product (but B vitamins and iron are added back in, which is good). Fiber is not added back in, however, so it’s not a fiber-rich food. Many grain products are a mixture of whole and refined grains.

You can also check the label for a whole grains stamp (created by the Whole Grains Council) to signify that it’s a whole-grain product. There are two stamps: products marked with the 100% Whole Grain stamp contain a full serving of whole grains or 16 grams of whole grain per serving; those marked with the Whole Grain stamp contain a half serving of whole grains or 8 grams of whole grains per serving. Remember, for many people, the recommended amount of whole grains per day is a minimum of three servings or 48 grams of whole grains.

Not every whole-grain product contains the Whole Grains stamp. It’s a voluntary stamp for manufacturers to use at their discretion and own cost. So examining food labels carefully is the real sure-fire way to detect if a food is made from whole grains.

Pulses: Beans, lentils, and peas

Pulses are a type of legume or seeds that grow within pods. Beans and peas are the mature form of legumes. Examples are garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, split peas, and lentils.

Green peas and green lima beans are different and are grouped with starchy vegetables (such as corn and potatoes). Green (string) beans are considered non-starchy vegetables like onions, lettuce, celery, and cabbage.

Pulses offer distinct health benefits. The USDA Food Patterns classify them as both vegetables and protein food sources. Like other vegetables, pulses are an excellent source of fiber and contain plant-based nutrients like the B vitamin folate, as well as potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends frequent consumption of peas and beans because they offer plant-based health benefits, such as helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. Plus, they’re also great meat, poultry, and fish alternatives because they contain plant-based sources of protein, iron, and zinc. For vegetarians and vegans, a variety of plants are recommended because most beans and peas are not complete protein sources.

Look at your eating patterns to factor in where beans and peas can fit into your diet for total body balance. If you eat meat, poultry, and fish, you can count beans and peas as vegetables. In general, adults should eat 1½ to 2 cups of beans and peas per week. Look here to see your needs: www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables-amount.pdf.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian or you eat animal protein very seldom, you can count beans and peas as some of your protein source. In general, adults should eat 5 to 6½ ounces of protein per day. Look here to see your needs: www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/protein-foods-amount.pdf.

One serving of beans and peas consists of any of the following:

· ¼ cup of cooked beans, peas, refried beans, and baked beans counts as a 1-ounce equivalent of protein.

· 1 cup of cooked, whole or mashed beans and peas counts as 1 cup of vegetables.

Fantastic fruits

Who doesn’t love the sweetness of a ripe, juicy piece of fruit? Not only is fruit packed with water, but it’s jam-packed with antioxidants for cell health — from vitamin C in oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, limes, and lemons, to carotenoids like lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon, which may help aid in cancer defense (primarily prostate cancer in men), to fiber like pectin in apples, apricots, pears, plums, and citrus fruits, which helps alleviate diarrhea and constipation.

Your total body wellness relies on a daily dose of fruit. With the MyPlate recommendation to make half of your plate fruits and vegetables, it’s important to factor fruit in at meals and snacks. The goal for adults is 1½ to 2 cups of fruit every day. Fruit comes in all shapes and sizes, so Table 5-1 explains what constitutes one serving of some common fruits. For more, check out www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/fruits-foodgallery.html.

Table 5-1 Serving Sizes of Various Fruits

Type of Fruit	One Serving Equals …
Apple	One small apple (2½ inches in diameter) or 1 cup sliced
Banana	One large banana (8 to 9 inches long) or 1 cup sliced
Cantaloupe	1 cup diced or melon balls
Grapes	1 cup whole or cut up, approximately 32 seedless grapes
Grapefruit	1 cup sections or one medium (4-inch diameter) grapefruit
Peach	1 large (2¾-inch diameter) peach
Strawberries	8 large berries or 1 cup whole, halved, or sliced
Dried fruit	½ cup raisins, prunes, or apricots
100% fruit juice*	1 cup

* If you can, eat the whole fruit instead of drinking the juice — you’ll fill up on more fiber and chewing allows you to eat it more slowly and mindfully.

Fruit offers a whole host of culinary opportunities, whether fresh, frozen, canned (in its 100 percent fruit juice or water), cooked, or pureed. Here are some delicious ways to get fruit on your plate every day:

· Toss frozen berries into plain lowfat yogurt with ground flaxseed and a dash of cinnamon, and puree into a smoothie.

· Top a slice of whole-grain toast with sliced apples and peanut butter.

· Chop fresh mangos, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro to make a salsa.

· Cook fresh cranberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg with honey or agave nectar (a natural sweetener from the agave plant) to make a delicious cranberry sauce.

· Sprinkle raisins over a mixed green salad with sliced strawberries and avocado.

· Top cooked oatmeal with blueberries or raspberries with some chopped walnuts or pistachios.

If you can’t find organic fruit or it’s too pricey for your budget, buy the conventionally grown varieties and wash and scrub it — even the skins and rinds that you don’t eat — with a produce brush under cold, running tap water.

Valuable veggies

From dark, leafy greens to red, orange, and yellow hues, the vegetable family’s wide array of colors do your total body good. The plant compounds inherent in the flesh, skins, and stalks and stems, as well as the fiber, vitamins, and minerals in vegetables have shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease and various forms of cancer. A recent review of several studies in the British Journal of Nutrition found that beyond reduced risk of heart disease, regularly eating vegetables (and fruits) reduced the risk of several cancers — specifically in the digestive tract. So that’s all the more reason to get your veggies!

Eating vegetables can keep your waistline in check, too. They’re low-calorie and packed with nutrients and fiber that help you fill up on fewer calories. For example, a cup of raw, chopped broccoli contains a mere 30 calories, no saturated fat, little sodium, lots of vitamin C, as well as numerous plant compounds that may help to fend off certain cancers and heart disease and boost immunity.

Whether you eat them raw, frozen, canned, dried, or dehydrated, vegetables should top your Total Body Diet plan. Adults should aim for a minimum of 2 to 3 cups of vegetables a day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans classifies the different veggies into five subgroups: dark green, red and orange, beans and peas, starchy, and other vegetables.

A serving of vegetables is equal to 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice or 2 cups of raw leafy greens. Table 5-2 spells it out in greater detail.

Table 5-2 Serving Sizes of Various Vegetables

Type of Vegetable	One Serving Equals …
Dark green vegetables
Broccoli	1 cup
Greens (collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale)	1 cup
Raw leafy greens (spinach, romaine, watercress, dark green leafy lettuce, endive, escarole)	1 cup, cooked or 2 cups, raw
Red and orange vegetables
Carrots	1 cup, chopped, sliced raw, or cooked, or 12 baby carrots
Pumpkin	1 cup mashed, cooked
Red pepper	1 cup chopped, raw, or cooked
Tomatoes	1 cup chopped or sliced, raw, canned, or cooked
Tomato juice	1 cup
Sweet potato	1 large baked or 1 cup, sliced or mashed, cooked
Winter squash	1 cup, cubed, cooked
Beans and peas	1/4 cup, cooked
Starchy vegetables
Corn	1 cup or 1 large ear (8 to 9 inches long)
Green peas	1 cup, diced or mashed
White potatoes	1 medium (2½ to 3 inches diameter), boiled or baked
Other vegetables
Bean sprouts	1 cup, cooked
Cabbage, green	1 cup shredded, raw or cooked
Cauliflower	1 cup pieces or florets, cooked or raw
Celery	1 cup diced or sliced, cooked or raw, or 2 large stalks (11 to 12 inches)
Cucumbers	1 cup raw, sliced or chopped
Green or wax beans	1 cup cooked
Green peppers	1 cup chopped, raw or cooked
Lettuce, iceberg or head	2 cups raw, shredded or chopped
Mushrooms	1 cup, raw or cooked
Onions	1 cup chopped, raw or cooked
Summer squash or zucchini	1 cup cooked, sliced or diced

Get creative with vegetables in the kitchen in the following ways:

· Toss diced tomatoes, peppers, onions, and beans into a chili.

· Chop cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a tasty salad.

· Dice mushrooms, onions, and garlic and fold into eggs for an omelet.

· Puree pumpkin, onions, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a hearty soup.

· Bake a half acorn squash and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, honey, and cinnamon.

A dose of dairy

Dairy products are the main source of calcium in the American diet, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The key is choosing lowfat or fat-free options to decrease calories and saturated fat. Milk, cheese, and yogurt are all dairy foods that can benefit your total body wellness. Dairy foods contain protein, calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, which are beneficial nutrients.

Non-dairy soymilk fits into the dairy group because it’s calcium-fortified. Look for plain, unsweetened varieties of soymilk to decrease added sugars and empty calories.

For optimal health, get at least 3 cups a day of dairy foods. They’ve been linked to reduced risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and lower blood pressure. In addition, the calcium and vitamin D–fortified dairy foods like milk, some yogurts, and soymilk are great for building and maintaining bone mass; plus, the potassium in these foods is fantastic for helping to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.

Although cream cheese, sour cream, and butter are made from milk, they aren’t grouped with dairy foods as they contain very little to no calcium or other dairy-related nutritional benefits. Plus, they can contain a lot of saturated fat, which can pose a risk for heart disease.

How do you get your 3 cups of dairy a day? Aim for lowfat, reduced-fat, or fat-free varieties of the foods in Table 5-3.

Table 5-3 Serving Sizes of Various Dairy Foods

Dairy Food	One Serving Equals …
Lowfat or fat-free milk	1 cup
Lowfat or fat-free yogurt	1 cup (8 ounces)
Hard cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss, and mozzarella)	1½ ounces
Shredded cheese	1⁄3 cup
Ricotta cheese	½ cup
Cottage cheese	2 cups
Ice cream	1½ cups
Frozen yogurt	1 cup
Pudding made with milk	1 cup
Soymilk (calcium fortified)	1 cup

If you don’t eat dairy , take advantage of the many nondairy food options that can provide you with calcium:

· Calcium-fortified juices

· Calcium-fortified cereals and breads

· Canned fish like sardines and salmon with bones

· Soy products, such as tofu (made with calcium sulfate), tempeh, and soy yogurt

· Leafy greens like collards, turnip greens, kale, and bok choy

Adults should get 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium per day. It’s simple to decipher how much calcium you’re getting — just look at the food label. For example, if a cup of yogurt contains 30 percent calcium, just replace the percent sign with a zero, and you know it has 300 mg of calcium per cup.

Here are some ways to get dairy into your day:

· Cook up some oatmeal with fat-free milk and top with sliced fruit or berries.

· Enjoy a cup of plain, lowfat yogurt with berries and nuts on top.

· Pair a piece of whole-grain toast and nut butter with a glass of lowfat milk.

· Melt part-skim mozzarella cheese over broccoli spears for a tasty snack.

· Puree soymilk with assorted fruits and vegetables for a delicious smoothie.

Proteins

Protein has become the go-to nutrient these days. Although it’s important to eat enough protein, some adults need to increase their protein intake while others are already getting plenty. Meat, poultry, and eggs are the most commonly consumed protein sources, while seafood, beans, peas, soy products, nuts, and seeds are eaten in smaller amounts, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For total body wellness, eating a variety of lean protein sources is your best bet.

From plants to animals, protein fuels muscle as well as offers vital nutrients and health benefits. For example, eating nuts has been associated with a lower risk of death from all causes — cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases (like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease), and other causes — in a large study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, which looked at 120,852 men and women ages 55 to 69 years in the Netherlands over a ten-year period. In this study, the subjects who ate tree nuts (for example, pistachios, walnuts, and almonds) and peanuts on a daily basis showed a lower risk of death from these diseases.

How much protein should you eat every day? Like all foods, it depends on your age, sex, and activity levels, but in general adults need 5½ ounces to 6 ounces of protein foods per day. How can you reach your daily recommendations without missing out or not having enough?

In the following sections, I fill you in on the different types of protein and how the servings add up to a day’s worth of protein power.

Plant protein power

Plant foods are amazing — they can offer protein to power your total body for the better! Not only do plant proteins like beans, peas, nuts, seeds, soy foods (like tofu, tempeh, and edamame), and many vegetarian products offer oodles of protein, but they’re also low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber, as well as plant-based compounds that may help fend of inflammation and chronic diseases (like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease), and fill you up on fewer calories.

What does a serving of plant protein look like? Table 5-4 has the answers.

Table 5-4 Serving Sizes of Various Plant Proteins

Plant Protein	One Serving Equals …
Nuts and seeds	½ ounce
Nut butter	1 tablespoon
Beans, peas, soybeans	¼ cup
Tofu	¼ cup
Tempeh	1 ounce, cooked
Falafel patty	4 ounces
Hummus	2 tablespoons

If you’re a vegetarian, instead of adding high-fat cheeses for additional protein, use lowfat varieties of cheese, Greek yogurt (because it’s higher in protein than regular yogurt), milk, soymilk, and tofu.

Protein from land and sea

From red meat to poultry to pork to seafood, protein is highest in animal foods. Animal protein offers all the essential amino acids (building blocks of muscles and cells). On the downside, you need to choose your animal protein wisely because certain cuts of beef, pork, and the dark meat of chicken and turkey are high in saturated fat. Trim all visible fat and marbling in red meat or pork, and choose leaner cuts like loin cuts and breast meat.

For total body wellness, aim to keep your saturated fat intake to less than 10 percent of your total calories.

Seafood is unique in that it gives you plenty of good-quality protein, as well as beneficial, heart-healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which have been shown to keep your blood fats (lipids) like cholesterol and triglycerides in check. Plus, they have been linked to brain health and development, especially for infants and children, and may help to boost your mood and fend off depression. A recent review in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience reveals that low levels of EPA and DHA are linked to neurodegenerative disorders (especially DHA, because it has been shown to be the more beneficial for brain health).

Aim for at least 8 ounces of seafood per week to get the total body benefits. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies, herring, and trout are good sources of omega-3 fats. The recommended total amount of EPA and DHA is 500 mg total per day, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Position Paper: Dietary Fatty Acid for Healthy Adults. Avoid the high-mercury fish like shark, swordfish, tile fish, and king mackerel, especially for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and limit white tuna to 6 ounces per week.

An egg counts as one ounce of animal protein.

The right protein balance

Ideally, for total body wellness, you should balance your protein sources so that you aren’t just eating one type, but getting a mixture of good-quality lean sources. If you’re vegetarian, alternate your plant proteins. If you’re a meat-eater, mix in plants for a healthier, balanced approach.

Here’s how to balance the proteins in your day. Aim to get 5½ to 6 ounces or protein per day:

· Scramble an egg for breakfast. Have a turkey sandwich (with 3 to 4 ounces of turkey) with lettuce and tomato for lunch. Sauté ½ cup tofu with vegetables for dinner.

· Toss 7 chopped walnut halves into a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. Smear 2 tablespoons of hummus on a whole-grain wrap with vegetables for lunch. Grill 3 to 4 ounces of salmon with mixed vegetables for dinner.

· Toast whole-grain bread and spread with 1 tablespoon peanut butter for breakfast. Whip up a tuna salad (with 2 ounces of tuna) with diced cucumbers, shallots, and tomatoes for lunch. Bake a 3-ounce skinless chicken breast, and eat it with brown rice and broccoli for dinner.

Fats

Eating fat in small amounts is essential because every cell in your body is made of fat (a lipid layer). Just keep in mind that fat is the most calorically dense nutrient. Fat contains 9 calories per gram, whereas carbs and protein contain 4 calories per gram. So measure out fats to control calories, but still get the health benefits!

What are the better fats for your total body wellness? Limit the saturated (solid) fat like butter, fatty cuts of beef or pork, dark meat of chicken or turkey, and high-fat dairy products like whole milk and full-fat cheese because saturated fat has been shown to increase risk for heart disease.

On the other hand, for heart-healthy fats, choose unsaturated (liquid) fats like vegetable oils, such as olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and avocado oil. These oils contain both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which have proven beneficial for heart health and may help fend off inflammation in the body.

Oils

Vegetables oils have a health halo, but some are better than others as far as health properties. Steer clear of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which has hydrogen added to it to make it a solid, shelf-stable oil used in store-bought baked goods like cookies, cakes, muffins, and crackers. These foods most likely contain trans fats, which have been shown to pose a risk for heart disease because they’ve been shown to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol. Check the Nutrition Facts label and ingredients and avoid purchasing foods containing these types of oils and fats. Your heart will thank you with good health!

Cholesterol is only found in animal foods. Plant foods don’t contain cholesterol. Although, cholesterol in foods may not affect your blood cholesterol levels, you’ll get a lot of benefit from the unsaturated fat in plant foods like vegetable oils, avocado, nuts, and seeds. The Mediterranean diet containing these plant-based fats has been shown to be beneficial for fending off chronic disease like heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, as well as inflammation.

Just because oil is good for you, doesn’t mean you should dip bread liberally in olive oil at a restaurant or pour dressing over your mixed greens with reckless abandon. At 120 calories per tablespoon, oil should be drizzled cautiously and balanced with other fats into your daily meal plan to keep your waistline in check.

Table 5-5 shows how the calories add up in oils and foods that contain oils.

Table 5-5 Serving Sizes of Various Oils

Oils	Amount	Calories
Vegetable oil (canola, corn, cottonseed, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, sunflower)	1 tablespoon	120
Margarine, soft, without trans fats	1 tablespoon	100
Mayonnaise	1 tablespoon	100
Mayonnaise-type salad dressing	1 tablespoon	55
Italian dressing	2 tablespoons	85
Thousand Island dressing	2 tablespoons	120
Olives, canned	4 large	20
Avocado	½ medium	160
Peanut butter	1 tablespoon	190
Nuts (peanuts, mixed nuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds)	1 ounce	165 to 185

Source: www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/oils-counts.pdf

First-press extra-virgin olive oil is the least processed, anti-oxidant-rich variety. It’s made from virgin (young) olives, which are known to have superior taste. The first-press part means that the olive was crushed only one time with a press. Plus, during processing the oil is not heated to over 80 degrees, which preserves its heart-healthy, monounsaturated fatty acids. Look for this on the label, as well as an opaque bottle to avoid light exposure. Store in a cool, dark place to prevent the oil from going rancid.

Nuts, seeds, and nut butters

Nuts are good food. Whether you prefer tree nuts (like almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, or pecans) or legumes (like peanuts), they’re a great source of unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats have been shown to decrease the detrimental LDL (bad) cholesterol and possibly raise the HDL (good) cholesterol. Polyunsaturated fats have been shown to be beneficial for overall health, especially brain health.

A recent study in the journal from the Public Library of Science, PLOS One, showed that eating tree nuts and/or peanuts is beneficial for decreasing risk for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of metabolic risk factors characterized by high blood sugar, abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and low HDL (good) cholesterol and high LDL (bad) cholesterol. All the more reason to eat nuts — plus, they taste good!

Table 5-6 shows how the nuts stack up for healthy fats.

Table 5-6 Amount of Fat in Various Nuts

Nut (per Ounce)	Polyunsaturated Fats (grams)	Monounsaturated Fats (grams)
Almond nuts	3.5	9
Brazil nuts	7	7
Cashews	2	8
Hazelnuts	2	13
Macadamia nuts	0.5	17
Pecans	6	12
Pine nuts	10	5.5
Pistachios	4	7
Walnuts	13	2.5

Source: www.nuthealth.org

Walnuts are uniquely healthy nuts. They contain lots of polyunsaturated fat, including a plant-based omega-3 fat, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Seeds are also extremely healthy, offering beneficial omega-3 fats and ALA. For example, flaxseeds contain 1.6 grams of omega-3 fats per 1 ground tablespoon. (The fats in flaxseeds are better absorbed when the seed is ground versus whole.)

The recommended amount of ALA you should eat daily, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper Dietary Fatty Acids for Healthy Adults is 1.1 grams a day for women and 1.6 grams per day for men. Flaxseeds are one of the most popular seeds for heart health. It’s been studied extensively because the omega-3 fats in flaxseeds have been linked to heart health and may benefit cholesterol levels for the better.

Watch your portion sizes of nuts, nut butters, and seeds — they’re high-calorie foods. Opt for varieties without added sugar and salt. Check the Nutrition Facts label for the serving size — a small amount every day goes a long way toward heart health and disease prevention. Store nut products in the refrigerator because the fats can go bad rapidly in the presence of heat and light.

Fatty fruits: Avocado and coconut

Believe it or not, fruit can contain fat, too! One of the most popular fatty fruits is avocado. Avocados contain a ton of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and more potassium than bananas (which bodes well for your blood pressure). Plus, they’re jam-packed with fiber, which can help fill you up longer, as well as help to keep your cholesterol levels in check and your intestines in good working order.

One-half of an avocado is 130 calories, so eating smaller amounts goes a long way. Here are some creative ways to get some healthy fat from avocado every day:

· Spread one-fifth of a ripe avocado on a whole-grain wrap, add veggies, and roll.

· Dice a slice of avocado over a mixed greens salad.

· Halve an avocado and fill each half with crab salad.

· Mash a whole avocado and mix in diced tomato, onion, cilantro, fresh lime juice, and a dash of salt for a tasty guacamole you can enjoy with friends.

· Puree avocado with berries and a dollop of plain yogurt for a tasty smoothie.

Another fruit with fat: coconut. Coconut is everywhere right now — from coconut flour to coconut milk to coconut water to coconut oil. This tropical fruit’s fat is primarily saturated fat, which isn’t good for you from a heart health standpoint.

Due to its fat composition, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that you limit saturated fat to less than 10 percent of your total calories. Eating coconut products is not currently recommended according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper Dietary Fatty Acids for Healthy Adults.

Knowing What to Keep in Check

As much as the Total Body Diet is about adding healthy foods into your life, there are some foods that you should limit. Foods that are highly processed with too much salt, added sugar, and solid fat should not be eaten regularly. In this section, I look at foods and ingredients that should be limited because they aren’t doing your body any good or could be causing disease states to creep up.

Sugar

Sugar is in numerous foods and beverages. Naturally occurring sugars are found in milk products (from lactose) and fruits (from fructose), but the sugar that you want to be on the lookout for is sugar that’s added during processing, preparation, or at the table. Sugars found naturally in foods are part of the food’s total package of nutrients and other healthful components. Check ingredient lists on food labels for sugar added during processing as it can add up to extra calories.

Here are some common names that sugar goes by on food labels:

· Anhydrous dextrose

· Brown sugar

· Confectioner’s powdered sugar

· Corn syrup

· Corn syrup solids

· Dextrin

· Fructose

· High-fructose corn syrup

· Honey

· Invert sugar

· Lactose

· Malt syrup

· Maltose

· Maple syrup

· Molasses

· Nectar

· Raw sugar

· Sucrose

· Sugar

· White granulated sugar

You aren’t getting any nutritional value — just empty calories — from added sugar, so limit the candy, cookies, cakes, as well as sugary cereals, premarinated meats, and sugary beverages like smoothies, sugary sodas, gourmet coffee drinks, and lemonade.

Protein

Protein is the hot nutrient today. Just peruse the grocery store aisles and you’ll see protein-fortified cereals, breads, pasta, juices, smoothies, and nutrition bars. But with all this protein, you could be overdoing it. Dairy products, as well as nuts, seeds, beans, and peas, contribute protein to the diet, too. If you get too much protein, it’ll be stored as excess calories and may cause weight gain over time.

How do you know how much protein you should be eat every day? According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, in general, adults need between 46 and 56 grams of protein per day. You can track how much protein you’re eating daily at www.supertracker.usda.gov.

Fat

Fat is important to get daily, especially the better-for-you fats — the unsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat. Decreasing the saturated fat and replacing it with the better-for-you fat is a big bonus for decreasing heart disease risk. Keep in mind, though, that portion still counts — heart-healthy or not. A couple of tablespoons a day is all you need, so space them out throughout the day.

Watch for the liquid oils that are made solid through a process called hydrogenation. There are two types of hydrogenated oils: fully hydrogenated oils, which are firmer and do not contain unhealthy trans fats like the semi-soft, partially hydrogenated oils, used in shortening and soft margarine. Check food labels and avoid these fats as much as you can.

Salt

Salt is one of the world’s oldest seasonings. Table salt is two minerals — sodium and chloride — which are needed to balance fluids (water) in the body. Sodium is an important mineral and electrolyte that is necessary for total body wellness. A little bit goes a long way, though!

Highly processed, packaged foods like baked goods, crackers, chips, cereals, and processed meats, such as salami, hot dogs, and bacon, are loaded with salt. Preparing foods yourself or looking for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties can save you a lot of extra salt that your body does not need.

How much salt do you need every day? According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average adult, without high blood pressure, should aim to get no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. If you have high blood pressure or are at risk for it, are African American, have chronic kidney disease or diabetes, and are age 51 or older, drop your sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day.

Salt can add up fast, if you aren’t watching it. Here’s what a daily dose looks like :

· 2,300 mg of salt = 1 teaspoon

· 1,500 mg of salt = 2⁄3 teaspoon

A great way to decrease the salt, but increase flavor is to use herbs and spices. Plus, herbs and spices are salt-free, calorie-free, and offer a robust aromatic element. Look for salt-free seasoning blends, too. Here are some fun culinary tips for using herbs and spices in the kitchen:

· Toss fresh or dried basil and ginger into a vegetable omelet.

· Shake garlic powder (no garlic salt) into popped popcorn.

· Pop a sprig of fresh thyme into tomato soup or a chunky stew. Sprinkle dried thyme over pizza, scrambled eggs, or a tomato and cucumber salad.

· Sprinkle fresh rosemary leaves into diced sweet potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, paprika and a dash of salt for a deliciously aromatic side dish.

· Stir a cinnamon stick into your coffee or hot chocolate. Sprinkle ground cinnamon over whole-grain toast and peanut butter.