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Attention lime lovers! I give you an authentic and flavorful recipe for guacamole that is sure to fulfill your lime cravings brought on by summer. This particular recipe is full of great health benefits, as every ingredient is fresh and healthy. The main ingredient, avocado, contains “good” monosaturated fats, as well as a carotenoid called Lutein and magnesium, as explained by revitaliseyourhealth.com. These are all important to include in your everyday diet. This kind of fat (also found in nuts, olives, and sunflower or sesame seeds) provided by the avocado “helps to fight many forms of cancer, including breast and prostate, and improves skin tone.”

Also included in this recipe is fresh lime juice, which “contains potassium and properties that strengthen the immune system,” and also helps to cleanse the blood and liver. The cilantro, then, “contains an abundance of antioxidants and relives bloating, urinary tract infections and indigestion.” Another relevant article that talks of the health benefits from these ingredients is the Q&A article in Martha Stewart’s Food Everyday magazine, “What are the ‘good’ fats and how can I get them into my diet?” Here the experts explain that “fat is a necessary part of the foods we eat – it makes us feel satiated, provides nutrients, and helps cushion our bones and organs.” So there you have it – all the reasons why you should eat guacamole!
 
 
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photo by Rachel Phillips
As the first day of spring approaches, many farmer’s market regulars anticipate the arrival of asparagus season. Well aware of the nutritional benefits this vegetable delivers, foodies embrace asparagus for the ease of preparing this figure-friendly dish. For those who don’t understand this excitement over asparagus, let me explain my love affair with this versatile green.  

Nutritionally, asparagus is high in vitamins A and C for good vision and radiant skin. It also contains vitamin B6, which many nutritionists boast as the heart saving vitamin. Outwardly, its stick-like shape is telling of its effect on your body. Because this vegetable is low in fat and calories, you can fill up on the stalks without gaining anything around the mid-section. The plant is also high in fiber, which contributes to weight loss because it keeps you fuller longer so you don’t need to snack as much.
 
If these facts haven’t enticed you, maybe when you learn that Michigan is one of the top producers of asparagus may. Not only does this mean easy accessibility at super markets, but it also makes for fresh stalks and less strain on college students’ budgets. 
 
 
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Midterms are beginning to roll around and everyone’s stress levels are higher than normal. It’s that time of the semester when everyone is tired, cranky, and looking for quickly-prepared meals and snacks to hold them over while they study. One easy trick to your daily nutritional intake is sure to take care of this issue.

There are an innumerable amount of benefits to eating a well-balanced meal first thing in the morning. According to nutrition.about.com, breakfast is the single most important meal of the day and is guaranteed to get you going on the right track for the rest of the day.

Eating a healthy breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism which will help you focus more intently on what the professor is saying, and your brain will respond better and retain more information. Coffee is great if you need to be alert for an early class, but if you don’t have any substance in your stomach to go along with that cup o’ joe, you’ll be doomed in class when you’re too jittery to focus on what the professor is saying. Drink a full glass of orange juice instead with your quick morning meal and take a daily vitamin. The orange juice will help absorb all those nutrients more efficiently. You will be more likely to eat healthily the rest of the day and will be less tempted to get the munchies or eat sugary and fatty snacks in between classes. 
 
 
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Eating out at a restaurant and trying to lose weight are often in conflict with one another.  Many restaurants use excessive amounts of olive oil or butter when preparing dishes, and portions are often double what they should be.  However, it is still possible to eat healthy at a restaurant, and I have included numerous tips that should help when dining out. 

First of all, I know it might be hard, but say no to the breadbasket!  By snacking on bread before your meal arrives, you take in unnecessary calories.  You also probably stimulate your hunger even more, as the bread has very little fiber and offers no protein or nutritional value.  Instead, it is better to eat a small fiber or protein rich snack before going out so you are not tempted to nosh on bread.  Some suggestions might be a medium size apple, a part-skim mozzarella cheese stick, 6 ounces nonfat yogurt, or reduced fat cream cheese with celery sticks. 

The next piece of advice I have is to order a small salad appetizer or vegetable based soup as both of these options are filling and low in calories.  Make sure to ask for oil and vinegar on the side, as many of the dressings offered in restaurants are often high in fat.  The appetizer helps to fill you up before your meal so you are not tempted to overeat.  If you are ordering a salad, make sure it is void of starchy vegetables like green peas, corn, beans, and lentils because these add calories to what should be a relatively low calorie appetizer.
 
 
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Good news for those with a sweet tooth: there is a natural alternative to sugar that tastes just as good and is better for you!  Many people don’t know that honey is a natural and unrefined sweetener with many added health benefits.  Studies show that honey increases blood antioxidants, promotes good cardiovascular health, and helps to lower LDL cholesterol.  Too much LDL cholesterol can result in a buildup of plaque in the arteries and lead to heart attack and stroke.  Honey is also easier to digest than refined sugar and has trace amounts of vitamins and minerals that make it more nutritious.

Additionally, honey is a suitable substitute for those individuals on medical diets who cannot digest refined sugar.  For instance, in The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, a diet designed for individuals who suffer from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, diverticulitis, cystic fibrosis and chronic diarrhea, refined sugar is banned completely.  Even if you do not need to eliminate refined sugar for medical reasons, beware of the problems it can cause.  Refined sugar is void of fiber, minerals, proteins, fats, and enzymes.
 
 
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With the abundance of coffee shops in Ann Arbor, it is hard to pass up the opportunity to stop for a caffeine pick me up before class or while on the way to the library.  What most students don’t realize though is that while stopping for that vanilla latte might give you a temporary boost of energy, it also sets you back a few hundred calories.  Empty calories offer no nutritional benefit, and a lot of the beverages offered at coffee shops fall into this category.

Starbucks “Nutrition by the Cup” pamphlet (available at any Starbucks location) offers some insight into the calorie content of popular beverages.  Most students would be surprised to find out that a grande nonfat vanilla latte from Starbucks packs close to 200 calories and offers little, if any, nutritional benefit.  And watch out for some standard classics.  The Starbucks signature hot chocolate is more caloric than one might think with a grande coming in at a whopping 410 calories and 12 grams of fat.  To get rid of the excess calories and fat, and to save a few dollars, you would be much better off making a hot chocolate at home.  For instance, there are only 120 calories in the standard Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix and even less if you opt for a diet or sugar free variety. 
 
 
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      Have you ever wondered why you gain weight when you work out? Usually, it’s not because you haven’t spent enough time lifting weights, running on the treadmill or using the elliptical machine. Simply put, muscle weighs more than fat. Although muscle is denser than fat, it takes up less space. Consequently, you may be losing inches around your waist and at the same time see the numbers gradually escalate, rather than dwindle, on your scale. Don’t worry it’s perfectly normal. 
 
 
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You can do it. Just say no. Even if you refer to your french fries as “pommes frites,” it doesn’t trivialize the lethal saturated and trans fats, which will undoubtedly clog your arteries. I know that every college student loves their fries, so I propose a solution: substitute sweet potatoes for (white) potatoes, and bake ‘em! Sweet potatoes are composed of complex carbohydrates and contain nearly twice the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A, almost half of the suggested intake for Vitamin C, and offer 4 times the RDA for beta carotene.


Also, baking instead of frying will save you a ton of calories. What could be better than that? Well, if you choose to consume the skin as well, your body will absorb more fiber than what a bowl of oatmeal provides.1 Now that’s just a bonus! It’s obvious why sweet potato “fries” have become all the rage—they don’t have to be deep-fried to be tasty:
 
 
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If you’re anything like me, I get extremely bored while reading a long article or a book for my classes – especially at the end of a long day. It’s not that what I’m reading is dull (usually), but I just can’t sit still without doing anything for hours on end.  So I usually resort to eating a snack while reading so I have something else to do and keep myself awake.
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For most, what you’re eating has nothing to do with solving this problem. The motion of moving your arm up and down from holding your book to the potato chips bag will most likely suffice. Rather than stuffing your face while doing homework (even though you probably just ate dinner), fill up a bowl with grapes, strawberries or even some Cheerios, instead. Your boredom is guaranteed to be cured and you won’t have to worry about going to bed with a stomach ache!

References:
  1. worldcommunitycookbook.org-grapes
  2. bookblogs-Sumana
 
 
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The consumption of wild salmon dates back to prehistoric times. Native American tribes depended on the species for survival, thousands of years ago. Today, salmon is often imported from Alaska, Scotland, Chile, or Canada. The main catch is that you could be buying farm-raised salmon (from Scotland, Chile, or Canada) over wild salmon (from Alaska). What’s the difference? For starters, the price: Farm-raised salmon is significantly less expensive than the wild version. Therefore, many restaurants and markets in the US are economizing by opting to import commercially farmed salmon. The price is attractive, but the bountiful benefits of wild salmon cannot be outshone.