Re: Yeah Eat your veggies Survivors

[Guest guest]

So don't weigh tomorrow, a...just drink lots of water and wait till Tuesday. You know you are eating healthy and that's what counts in the long run!

Joya

Today I am cooking corned beef and cabbage. So tomorrow catherine will be ahead of me for sure with all that salt in the corned beef.

a

[Guest guest]

Great veggie articles, Norma. And I am glad I read it because sometimes I feel guilty for eating too many vegetables. After reading this article I know I am on target. Thank God I like them.. Today I am cooking corned beef and cabbage. So tomorrow catherine will be ahead of me for sure with all that salt in the corned beef.

a

Yeah Eat your veggies Survivors

Make no mistake: Vegetables are essential to the Atkins programBy Colette Heimowitz, M.S., The Atkins CenterNo doubt certain friends have warned you that you're going to ruin yourhealth by following Dr. Atkins' teachings. According to many self-appointeddietitians, the Atkins plan restricts consumption of vegetables andtherefore promotes heart disease and cancer. Of course, most of thesefinger-wagging critics haven't bothered to read Dr. Atkins' books or learnthe principles behind his nutrition program. If they had, they'd know Atkinsfollowers actually eat more servings of vegetables at every phase of theprogram than most other Americans. In addition to protein and healthynatural fats, certain vegetables are the foundation of the Atkins way ofeating. Most of your allowable carbs will be in the form of vegetables. It's All in the Ratio Choose vegetables with a high Atkins Ratio to get the mostantioxidants per gram of carbohydrate. The following examples show howamounts vary widely: Garlic: 23.2 Leaf lettuce: 8.2 Kale: 6.5 Onion: 6.2 Iceberg lettuce: 5.8 Spinach: 5 Broccoli: 3.2 Red bell pepper: 2.5 Brussels sprouts: 2.3 Beets: 2.1 Cauliflower: 1.8 Eggplant: 1.6 Celery (raw): 1.5 Cabbage: 1.2 Green beans: 0.8 Cucumber (raw): 0.7 Carrots: 0.4 Corn: 0.3 Sweet potato: 0.15 White potato: 0.09Rather than promoting the standard dietary fiction that all vegetables areequally healthful and should be consumed in unlimited servings, Dr. Atkinshas dared to draw distinctions: A serving of spinach is better than aserving of peas; broccoli is more health-protective than potatoes.Because controlling carbs will stabilize blood sugar, most people on theAtkins program limit the amount of vegetables they eat. Eating too manyveggies, especially starchy ones such as beets, potatoes and carrots, canundermine your weight-loss and weight-maintenance efforts. To spend yourcarbohydrate grams wisely, choose vegetables that provide the mostantioxidant protection in combination with the fewest grams of carbs.During the Induction phase of the Atkins plan, you'll eat up to four cups ofcertain vegetables each day. As you gradually increase the amount ofallowable carbs during the Ongoing Weight Loss, Pre-Maintenance and LifetimeMaintenance phases, your veggie intake will continue to increase. Even asyour carb allowance increases, you'll still want to get the most nutrientbang for your carbohydrate buck.Where the Carbs AreNature dovetails with the Atkins plan beautifully: The vegetables densest innutrients happen to be those lowest in carbs. Starchy vegetables such ascorn, potatoes and parsnips essentially cede some of their antioxidantcapacity to "wasted space" occupied by sugar. They pack plenty of carbs, butlittle nutrition. Low-sugar veggies, such as salad greens and other leafygreens, are nutrient powerhouses, dense in fiber and antioxidants. That'swhy escarole, spinach, parsley, watercress, arugula and their dark-greencousins are considered Category 1 vegetables on the Atkins plan. These"A-List" veggies are definitely dietary bargains.In the Induction phase, you'll consume most of your vegetables raw insalads. The second category of valued vegetables includes slightlyhigher-carb (but still permissible) all-stars. Here's where you'll findkale, Swiss chard, cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables such as broccoliand Brussels sprouts, beta-carotene-rich peppers and pumpkin, andlycopene-dense tomatoes (which help protect against prostate cancer).These two categories of vegetables are an important and tasty part of theAtkins plan from Induction on. They're also the first foods you willincrease when you gradually add carbs as your weight loss progresses. Ratherthan spend, say, five extra carbs on a quarter of an apple, you could haveeight stalks of asparagus. Which do you think would make you feel fuller?Which would do more for your overall health?Sorting the CropWhen it comes to choosing vegetables, the most important criterion isantioxidant capacity. Antioxidants are the substances in vegetables thatprotect cells against the ravages of environmental pollution, stress,disease and aging. Eat more antioxidants and you'll stay healthier andyounger longer.Figuring out which veggies offer the most antioxidant protection per gram ofcarbohydrate can be tough. Luckily, Dr. Atkins has done the work for you.Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston studied theantioxidant capacity of common vegetables and assigned each vegetable anantioxidant score. Dr. Atkins took that score and divided it by the numberof grams of carbohydrates in the same size serving of each vegetable (andfruit) to compute what he calls the Atkins Ratio. The higher the ratio, themore antioxidant protection you get per gram of carbohydrate.Vegetables with high Atkins Ratios include kale (6.5), spinach (5) and leaflettuce (8.2). But when it comes to dietary bonanzas, garlic scores astunning 23.2 and onion gets 6.2. A white potato scores a dismal 0.009. Thismay sound like just a bunch of numbers but the impact is dramatic: Dine onbroccoli sautéed in olive oil and garlic and you're getting seriousnutrition. Eat a baked potato topped with margarine and you'll just getpudgier. Vegetable Picks Follow these guidelines: a.. You can have 2 to 3 cups of Category 1 vegetables, or salad, onthe Induction phase of the plan: Leafy greens such as Boston, romaine andother lettuces; arugula, endive, escarole, parsley, spinach and watercress;also bean sprouts, celery, cucumbers, mushrooms, peppers and radishes. a.. In addition you can have 1 to 2 cups of Category 2 vegetables:Asparagus, bamboo shoots, broccoli, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts,cabbage, cauliflower, collards, eggplant, jicama, kale, kohlrabi, leeks,mustard greens, okra, onions, plantains, pumpkin, scallions, shallots, snowpea pods, spaghetti squash, string or wax beans, Swiss chard, tomato,turnips, water chestnuts and zucchini. a.. Two special category vegetables you can also have include: Haas(California) avocado (1/2 per day) and olives (up to 10 per day). a.. Reintroduce these higher-carbohydrate vegetables in small amountswhen you are in the Maintenance phase of the plan: Beets, carrots, parsnips,peas, sweet potatoes, white potatoes and yams.Handle With CareSelecting the right vegetables is one part of the nutrition game. To reallywin big, follow these tips:a.. Consume veggies throughout the day instead of saving up your carballowance for a giant veggie splurge, which might produce a surge in yourblood sugar.a.. Eat vegetables with protein and fats, which slow the veggies' passagethrough your digestive system and minimize their impact on your blood sugar.You'll feel satisfied longer with a chef's salad than a green salad.a.. Don't drink your vegetables. Juicing removes the fiber, which helps youfeel full and maintain a healthy digestive system. Juicing also concentratessugars in veggies, which can spike your blood sugar.a.. Cook carefully. Most vegetables are most nutritious when brightlycolored and crisp-not overcooked. An exception to this rule is the tomato,because the cancer-fighting chemical lycopene becomes more bioavailable whenheat breaks down the cell walls.So go ahead and enjoy the rich diversity of vegetables you can eat on theAtkins plan. And tell those naysayer friends of yours that this is oneeating program that doesn't make you choose between a healthy body and ashapely physique. If you're willing to question conventional thinking, youcan have both!Colette Heimowitz, M.S., is director of clinical nutrition and research atThe Atkins Center. Assisting her in preparing this article were Goldstein, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.; Eva Katz, M.P.H., R.D.; and Aliceson Swigart,C.C.N.HELP FOR VEGGIE HATERSfrom lowcarblivingVegetables have long been touted as protectors against everything fromcancer to heart attacks. But no matter how much we hear about veggies'disease-fighting power, many of us just can't overcome our dislike ofvegetables enough to take advantage of the nutritional benefits theydeliver. In fact, studies show there is an entire group of people who aregenetically wired to scorn vegetables. Are you a veggie-hater? Read on tofind out what you're missing out on and what you can do to meet yournutritional requirements.According to studies by the American Dietetic Association, vegetablescontain compounds that combat cancer and heart disease and fiber that speedstoxins through the digestive tract before they can do harm. The AmericanInstitute for Cancer Research in Washington, DC, claims that cancerincidence could decrease by as much as 20% if all Americans got the fiveservings of vegetables a day recommended by the National Cancer Institute.The compounds that make veggies cancer-fighting powerhouses are calledphytochemicals. "We think there are thousands of phytochemicals, but only afraction of them have been discovered," says Polk, R.D., Director ofNutrition Education at the American Institute for Cancer Research.According to Polk, every family of vegetables has its own phytochemicalprofile. For example, the cruciferous family--which includes cabbage,cauliflower and broccoli--boasts indoles, while the allium family--with suchmembers as scallions, onions and garlic--provides allicin. Vegetablescontain so many still-undiscovered phytochemicals that no food supplement orvitamin can take the place of a variety of fresh vegetables in the diet.Veggies' superstar nutritional status is good news for health-consciousAmericans. But where does that leave those of us who think veggies arevile? People who don't like vegetables are often dismissed as picky eaters."Not liking vegetables has really been a burden," says Kate de Fuccio, anintern at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City who lives inSpinnerstown, PA. "People will literally tease me. It becomes a controlissue where people think they can 'fix' me and try to force vegetables onme."But there may be more to a dislike of veggies than pickiness. Recentresearch has uncovered a group of people called supertasters who have agenetic sensitivity to bitterness.Until the late 1970s, taste researchers divided people into tasters andnon-tasters depending on their ability to taste a chemical calledphenylthiocarbamide (PTC). Those who could taste PTC were called tasters,and those who couldn't, non-tasters. Then Bartoshuk, Ph.D., a tasteresearcher at the Yale University School of Medicine, began to test peoplefor sensitivity to a similar chemical, called 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP).Her research revealed a subset of tasters who were particularly sensitive tothe bitter flavor. She dubbed such people supertasters. Supertastersinherit the dominant form of a gene that governs sensitivity to bitternessand other flavors, while non-tasters have a recessive form of the gene.About 25% of the population are supertasters, 25% non-tasters, and the restregular tasters. Almost two-thirds of supertasters are women, and Asiansand Blacks tend to be more sensitive than Caucasians.As luck would have it, the phytochemicals that give vegetables their healthbenefits also happen to be--you guessed it--bitter. Does this mean thatsupertasters' acute sensitivity causes them to shun veggies? AdamDrewnowski, Ph.D., director of the nutrition program at the University ofMichigan at Ann Arbor, found that supertasters tend more than tasters andnon-tasters not to like grapefruit because of the bitter cancer-fightingcompound naringen. "The results showed that supertaster status does alterpreferences," says Drewnowski. "But whether they eat less grapefruit as aresult, we don't know. We don't know if a sensitivity to bitternesstranslates into changes in eating habits."If female supertasters are at greater risk for breast cancer, their tastebuds may give them extra protection against diabetes and heart disease.Studies of middle-age and elderly supertaster women show that they avoidhigh-fat milk products and sweets, and tend to be slimmer and have higherblood levels of "good" cholesterol than other women.Though broccoli has been the most notorious vegetable for supertasters eversince former U.S. President Bush publicly scorned the tree-likeveggie, there's no magic list of which veggies supertasters will have themost luck with. That's because individual supertasters can be sensitive todifferent compounds--so what one supertaster detests, another may adore. Infact, when scientists tried to plot out a chart of supertasters' veggieaversions, says Breslin, Ph.D., an Assistant Member at the MonellChemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, "It looked like a shotgun blastinstead of a clear pattern." "It's fascinating," adds Drewnowski. "Twopeople eat the exact same thing. One makes a sour expression--but the othersays, 'What's the big deal? I didn't taste anything.'"If you let the bitter taste of veggies keep you from your five a day, don'tdespair. We talked with nutritionists and taste researchers to find outwhat you can do to take the edge off your veggies so you can fit more ofthem into your diet.. Sometimes, Fat is GoodEspecially if it helps you eat more veggies. According to Breslin,some bitter compounds are lipophilic, meaning they readily dissolve in fat.So it's possible that putting a little fat in the form of a cheese sauce orcreamy salad dressing on vegetables will suppress the bitter taste. Thiscan be a boon to your health--as long as you don't overdose on the fattystuff.. Shake on Some SaltEver notice how your favorite chocolate recipe contains salt, or how saltedcantaloupe tastes sweeter? Breslin says that salt blocks bitter flavors,such as the naturally sharp flavor of chocolate, and acts as a filter thatlets more desirable flavors shine through. g your veggies with salt(again, with a light hand) may make them more palatable.. Take a Cue from the ItaliansAccording to a Wolfert, author of several books on Mediterranean cookingincluding Mediterranean Grains and Greens (Harper 1998), soakinggreens such as spinach or broccoli rabe in salt water overnight caneliminate the bitter flavors. "To someone who's super sensitive to bitterflavors it might not be enough," she warns. "But Mediterranean cooks havebeen doing it for years to dull bitterness in greens." She also suggestsboiling greens uncovered in large amounts of water-a trick that also worksto remove the gas from cabbage.. Sprinkle Them with Sugar (artificial sweetener)Last year the British Cancer Research Campaign, in conjunction with a majorfrozen-food chain, launched a new line of flavored foods--includingchocolate covered vegetables--in hopes of getting kids to eat their greens.Okay, chocolate-dipped veggies may be going a bit too far--but the ideabehind it is valid. If you find veggies too bitter, try going the Poppins route with recipes that call for a spoonful of sugar. (Editor'snote: Obviously LCL recommends using an artificial sweetener instead ofsugar to keep you going low carb.). Heat Them UpIf the bitterness of raw vegetables makes you skimp on greens, trymicrowaving, steaming or stir-frying them instead. The process of heatingthem up helps dull the bite. "The Chinese are sensitive to bitterness, butthey eat a lot of vegetables," says Adam Drewnowski. "How? They stir-frythem.". Hide Them AwayMaybe Mom had the right idea hiding veggies in the meatloaf. If you reallycan't stomach the taste of vegetables, the best thing might be to mask theirflavor with other foods. "You can chop vegetables up really small and hidethem in other things, such as a casserole or an omelet," suggests Polk. "Or try pureeing vegetables in soup. The flavors meld very nicely,and you won't taste the vegetables as much." Other ideas that takeadvantage of this principle: Try zucchini or carrot bread, grate carrotsinto hamburgers or tomato sauce, or toss bits of chopped vegetables intomacaroni or potato salad from the deli.You've tried all these suggestions, but still can't bear veggies? Takeheart. As vegetables' popularity grows, more types of veggies are becomingavailable in the local supermarket--some of which may be more palatable thanothers. If you don't like the tangy green bell pepper, you can try itssweeter red, yellow or orange counterparts. Have you ever tried celeriac?Or salsify? You may be pleasantly surprised.In fact, according to a Wolfert, veggies have been hybridized so they'renot as bitter as they used to be. "I never used to cook broccoli rabewithout first boiling or soaking it to get rid of the bitterness. But now Ican just sauté it and it tastes fine."Whatever you do, don't give up on the health benefits of veggies for good.As we grow older, our sense of taste tends to become duller--so thevegetable you find too bitter today might not seem so bad in a few years.By FormichelliPlease visit our homepage at http://members.xoom.com/AChallengersYou will find information, recipes, before and after pictures.To contact the list owner please send mail to lindag@...Visit our 2000 Train Tour Site - http://www.brunnet.net/k & l/web_site_train_tour/actraintour.htm

[Guest guest]

yes and it's not like I eat corned beef every week either. But I am already retaining from the pizza.

Re: Yeah Eat your veggies Survivors

So don't weigh tomorrow, a...just drink lots of water and wait till Tuesday. You know you are eating healthy and that's what counts in the long run!

Joya

Today I am cooking corned beef and cabbage. So tomorrow catherine will be ahead of me for sure with all that salt in the corned beef.

a

Please visit our homepage at http://members.xoom.com/AChallengersYou will find information, recipes, before and after pictures.To contact the list owner please send mail to lindag@...Visit our 2000 Train Tour Site - http://www.brunnet.net/k & l/web_site_train_tour/actraintour.htm

[Guest guest]

My mom always said to drink a glass of water between drinks and you would

not get a hangover...course I never follow Mom's advice

No Name HH

> Don't worry a it is only water so drink piles of water to flush you

out.

> Also good for hangovers but before you " Sleep it off " . Not referring to

> you of course.

> N

[Guest guest]

Don't worry a it is only water so drink piles of water to flush you out.

Also good for hangovers but before you " Sleep it off " . Not referring to

you of course.

N