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I’m sure you have heard the benefits of adding various nuts to your diet. However, nuts get a bad rap for being high in fat, so many folks tend not to include them in their diet. New studies conducted by the FDA have now shown that the fat contained in nuts may be heart healthy. This is because the fat is mainly made up of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats - both of which are shown to lower levels of LDL or “bad cholesterol.”

All nuts are not created equal and there are several that fall under under the good fat category:

Almonds - one of my all time favorites, these contain vitamin E and also make for a great snack as they are known to make you feel more satisfied between meals.

Pecans - these have some of the highest levels of phytosterols which help protect against cardiovascular disease.

Pistachios - these are very yummy and are high in lutein which helps protect eyes against macular degeneration.

Walnuts - these contain a high level of the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. ALA is known to decrease inflammation. Walnuts are also known to increase HDL or “good cholesterol.”

Hazelnuts - these contain high levels of folate (B vitamin) as well as some calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Peanuts - the most common nut contains resveratrol which is known to protect against heart disease.

The nuts to avoid include macadamias, cashews, and Brazil nuts. They are high in saturated fats which we know isn’t good for the heart. Mixed nuts are also a no-no as many companies package them with extra oil and salt.

When you purchase nuts, the best way to get them is raw and you can typically find them in health food stores like Trader Joe’s.

image credit: sxc.hu

Eating clean at home is one thing because you are preparing your meals and know exactly what goes into them. Attempting to eat clean in restaurants is a whole other story. It is, in my opinion, much more challenging and way more tempting. Chances are you are not going to be dining alone so you have the peer pressure from your friends to “take one bite” or you may justify eating poorly because you hardly ever eat that way anymore. One bite can lead to disaster if you have been doing well with your eating. Your motivation levels may plummet and many people use it as an excuse to continue to eat poorly since they’ve already gave in.

Dining out does not have to be a make-it or break-it deal. If you go into the restaurant with the best intentions, a positive attitude, and a strong will, you can make the right decisions and pick the right food choices. You have to really know what you want for yourself in order to fight the temptation of what everyone else is eating. For example, today I am invited to a casino buffet (gasp!) with my family. I don’t want to say no because I love my family and spending time with them trumps anything I do in my life. I’ve decided that I can take this buffet on and I will not let it beat me! lol

Picking and choosing in a restaurant or buffet is really all about common sense. Use the same methods you use when shopping for your foods during the week. Here is how I plan to tackle this buffet today.

1. Load up on quality foods - let’s face it, a buffet typically means pigging out. Why else do most people go to an all you can eat buffet? This means I plan on doing my pigging out on quality foods like loading my plate full of greens, fruit, and vegetables.

2. Protein - just like I would stick to lean proteins during the week, I will do my best to find lean proteins at this buffet. It is possible to do so and if all else fails, most buffets do prepare some type of baked or steamed fish.

3. Say no to sauces - dressings and sauces will be a no-no for me. My salads will either be dry or I’ll use a light vinaigrette if available.

4. Fountain drinks - I am not a soda drinker so this isn’t a big deal. However, there are other beverages offered that are still full of sugar. I am sticking to water or tea.

5. Desserts - this is where it gets really tough. Buffets specialize in a huge assortment of desserts. You will find ice cream, pastries, and all sorts of stuff. If you pay attention, these buffets also serve up a huge variety of fresh fruits - and guess what, the line for fresh fruits is always short. So I plan on satisfying my sweet tooth with fruits instead.

If you make the right decisions when dining out, believe me, you will feel soooooo good about yourself after you have left the restaurant. You will have proven to yourself that you can do this, that you are the one in charge of your life, and your motivation will stay high.

Remember, eating clean is a lifestyle. Once you really get into it, it will become second nature and the fear of dining out will be a thing of the past.

When eating clean you may feel limited on what to use to add flavor to your foods. Mayo and ketchup contain fat and sugars, while many salad dressings are the same. There are a few spices you may not use on a regular basis that are not only flavorful but have health benefits as well. Here are several just to start off.

Ginger
This spice tastes great in almost everything. Often used in Asian cuisine, it can also be used in desserts or made into tea. Health benefits include reduction of joint pain as it contains polyphenols which are anti-inflammatory compounds.

Cinnamon
Another great spice to add to oatmeal, cereals, smoothies, or on top of fruit. Cinnamon is known for its cholesterol lowering benefits.

Red Chili Peppers
I’ve written about the benefits hot peppers before and if you like spice don’t be afraid to use it. Chili peppers contain capsaicin which is known to reduce osteoarthritis pain as well as causing a slight boost in metabolism.

Turmeric
Often used in rice dishes, this spice contains curcumin which is believed to reduce muscle soreness as well as protect the brain from Alzheimer’s.

Vanilla
This spice goes well with so many foods and contains antioxidants that may help reduce muscle soreness and fight off age related diseases.

Homemade Salsa
Salsa is so easy to make yourself. A basic recipe is onion, green peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, and lemon. Chop up all of the vegetables by hand or using a food processor. Add a dash of salt to taste and squeeze some lemon juice into the mix. You have a low calorie condiment to liven up any dish.

Lemon
Squeezing lemon over fish or chicken or even creating a salad dressing with it adds some extra flavor to your food. Lemons are known to help aid in digestion as well as helping to flush out toxins.

Personally I think eating clean alleviates some of the hassle of counting every calorie. Since you are not consuming junk, you knock out a ton of calories by default. There are still many people who do the calorie counting thing regardless and if you have ever counted calories, you understand how tedious and annoying it can become.

Luckily there are some cool programs online that take the hassle out of calorie counting and makes it actually kind of fun. The two I am going to talk about are both web based which is great for those of us who work in front of a computer most of the day. It makes logging our meals that much easier.

FitDay
www.fitday.com

I’ve used FitDay before and loved it. It has awesome reporting features that produce charts track your calories eaten and calories burned from your activity that you log throughout the day. It’s a really robust meal and fitness tracker and the best part is that it is free. The only downside - at least back when I used it, was that you have to manually enter the calories of certain food items but once you have them in there you’re good to go.

The Daily Plate
www.thedailyplate.com

I have not tried this site out so the information I am giving is second hand but reliable! My sister gave this program a try and she really liked the fact that when someone enters the calories for popular food items, everyone can share it. Unlike Fit Day where it is saved for each account. Like Fit Day, it is easy to use and has good reporting. She did mention that the reporting isn’t as nice as Fit Day but I think they offer more reporting features if you upgrade.

There are several other meal and fitness trackers on the web and you can do a quick search to find many of them. If you don’t care either way about counting calories but do like keeping a food journal, these web based programs can help if you’re not into carrying a notebook around.

image credit: stock.xchng

May’s Muscle & Fitness magazine had a good article on specific fruits and how they do the body good. Here is a quick rundown on the ones they mentioned.

Blueberries
1 cup = 84 calories, 1 g protein, 22 g carbs, 1 g fat, 4 g fiber

Health benefits:

• More antioxidants than most fruits
• Brain boosting effect

Cherries
1 cup = 87 calories, 2 g protein, 22 g carbs, 0 g fat, 3 g fiber

Health benefits:

• Contains antioxidant called anthocyanins (reduces inflammation)

Grapefruit
1 large = 106 calories, 2 g protein, 27 g carbs, 0 g fat, 4 g fiber

Health benefits:

• Keeps insulin levels steady
• Influences fat loss

Pomegranate
1/2 seeds only = 80 calories, 1 g protein, 18 g carbs, 1 g fat, 0 g fiber

Health benefits

• Antioxidants
• Enhance nitric oxide levels (dilates blood vessels)

Watermelon
1 slice = 86 calories, 2 g protein, 22 g carbs, 0 g fat, 1 g fiber

Health benefits

• Amino acid citruline which converts to arginine (produces nitric oxide)
• High in lycopene