Avocados – High in fiber and packed with monounsaturated fats that can improve cholesterol, avocados are also rich in potassium, folate, and vitamins A, C and E. Enjoy avocados with a salad, taco or atop a whole wheat cracker or crisp bread.

Squash – From acorn to spaghetti, winter squash comes in many delicious and colorful varieties. Squash is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, folate, potassium, fiber and vitamin A. Try it baked, boiled or as the base for soups and pies.

Apples - From turkey stuffing to salads, apples are the stars of good autumn eating. Also high in fiber (average of 4 grams) and potassium, apples contain more quercetin per serviing than any other fruit. Quercitin is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that can prevent cell, tissue and blood vessel damage.

Cranberries - At their peak between October and December, cranberries are great sources of vitamin C, fiber, manganese, and vitamin K. Tart, tangy and sweet, cranberries are used to treat and prevent urinary tract infections and according to recent studies, may lower cholesterol and blood pressure, promote oral health, and prevent cancer and heart disease.

Related Articles:

• Celebrate Fall at Home
• Stay Healthy During Flu Season

Beets – Known for their reddish-purple color, beets also grow in white, golden or rainbow varieties. Whether served raw on a salad or roasted with other vegetables, beets add beautiful color and powerful nutrients including folate, potassium, manganese, vitamin C and iron to any meal.

Pumpkin - Near synonymous with the fall, pumpkins were celebrated by Native Americans for their medicinal and nutritional properties. The star attractions at many fall festivals, pumpkins with their rich orange color, are loaded with vitamin A and beta-carotene, which may prevent blindness, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Sweet Potato – Sweet potatoes are packed with powerful nutrients and antioxidants that lower “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure, improves circulation, stabilizes blood sugar, lowers insulin resistance and may even aid weight loss. Try them mashed, baked or in a pie.

Sources: World’s Healthiest Foods; USDA

Image: fromthelbc, flickr

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be time for a lifestyle makeover, says author and fitness coach Bridgette Collins. Bridgette started MAC Fitness (Making-A-Commitment to Fitness) in 2002 to educate, coach, and motivate individuals who struggle with implementing healthier lifestyle habits.

During our interview, Bridgette shared her thoughts on the importance of taking steps today to start living the life you deserve.

What are the three areas that a woman should look at when considering a lifestyle makeover.
Today’s woman wants to live a life that’s fun and exciting, simplified, healthy, and offers a sense of purpose. A lifestyle makeover occurs when you strategically plan, pursue, and achieve the lifestyle that suits your desires as they relate to your mind, body and soul. For example:

• Your Mind – the way you think about your life, career, relationships, and purpose
• Your Body – the choices you make relative to exercising and eating better
• Your Soul – the way you feel and believe about your whole being

Is a lifestyle makeover something I could do myself or do I need the help of a lifestyle coach or personal trainer?
A lifestyle or fitness coach can propel you forward beyond the point of uncertainty or the point where you tend to get stuck. If you want to implement healthier lifestyle habits, but don’t know where to start, a fitness coach may be your best option. A coach will help you figure out a strategy for developing, implementing and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Your coach will design a program (how to eat healthier and how to incorporate fitness activities into your daily routine) that suits your lifestyle and allows you to make positive behavioral changes. His/her role can be expanded to include adjusting your program when the roadblocks and detours of life affect your progress.

You write about choice, faith, determination, and perseverance playing an important role in living a healthy life? Please explain.
Knowing that poor lifestyle choices will eventually evolve into health concerns like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, it’s important that women realize the one thing they have to their advantage is the power of choice. Taking responsibility for your actions and learning that faith, determination, and perseverance are necessary for rearranging your priorities and embracing healthier habits.

What are three of the biggest challenges that your female clients face when trying to make healthy lifestyle changes? What’s your advice for overcoming those challenges?
The “Biggest Challenges” are:

1. Challenge One – Balancing obligations, ambitions, and values surrounding their faith, family, career, finances, and relationships;
2. Challenge Two – Eating the right foods, prepared the right way, in the right quantity, and at the right time; and
3. Challenge Three – Finding or blocking out time to exercise (time management).

My advice to women is to make their health and fitness a priority. Evaluate all the things vying for your attention, weed out those things that add no value, prioritize those things that are essential (faith, health, family, etc.), and explore your options for making small, healthy changes. For example, if you’re a breakfast skipper, try to incorporate breakfast into your daily morning routine. That’s a small change that could easily include a slice of whole grain toast, a piece of fruit, and a low-fat dairy product.

The one thing you have to your advantage is the power of choice. You choose whether you eat breakfast or not. You choose whether you’ll exercise for 30 minutes, three to five times a week. You choose whether you’ll eat an orange or a slice of pie. The power of choice is yours.

Bridgette Collins’ new book, Destined to Live Healthier: Mind, Body and Soul – www.destinedtolivehealthier.com, will be available the end of August 2008.

The study, commissioned by Northwestern Mutual in partnership with LLuminari, a network of women’s health experts, found that women who take control of their finances are healthier and happier than women who don’t.

Women who proactively manage their finances are significantly more likely to report that they are happy, confident, hopeful and in excellent to very good health. They’re also are less likely to report feeling worried, regretful, conflicted, disappointed and depressed.

According to the study, nearly three-quarters of women place a high importance on financial security, compared to 62% of men, but only 14% of women report feeling financially prepared, and are less satisfied than men with the progress they’re making toward meeting their financial goals.

The study also identified the financial habits of women who feel the most financially secure and the least stressed. The seven habits are:

1. Have a financial plan
2. Have short-term and long-term financial goals
3. Take active steps to achieve your financial goals
4. Take steps to protect your family from financial misfortune
5. Pay off credit cards every month and have good credit standing
6. Spend within your budgets
7. Work with a financial professional.

For more information about the study and a quiz on healthy financial habits: www.sevenfinancialhabits.com

Do you have financial habits that add to your stress or make life easier? Share your thoughts and tips in the comment section below. Best comment this month wins a free book.

Michelle Obama, the wife of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, has a career of her own. A Harvard law school graduate and vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Michelle plans to remain “mom-in-chief” to her two daughters should the family make it to the White House.

Often referred to as “the closer”—Michelle, 44, has a way of connecting with audiences that can turn skeptics into believers. But how does she squeeze in a workout or quiet time between campaigning? Well, that’s the question many have been asking. Every woman needs time for herself and her health, so I culled the web for Michelle Obama’s answers on how she stays healthy, finds balance and stays grounded amidst the whirlwind campaign season.

On Her Personal Health Philosophy
“I talk a lot on the campaign trail about the importance of mental, physical and spiritual health. We as women have a lot on our plates - we’re always juggling. Every woman I know, regardless of race, education, income, background, is struggling every day to keep her head above water. We’ve been told we can have it all, but lose ourselves in the process. We need to put ourselves higher on our own to do lists. I know that’s hard for so many, so we also need to ensure we give women and families the resources they need to not only survive, but thrive.” WebMD, February 2008

On Setting Priorities
“My first job in all honesty is going to continue to be mom-in-chief,” Michelle Obama said in the September edition of Ebony magazine, hitting the newsstands on August 12. “Making sure that in this transition, which will be even more of a transition for the girls… that they are settled and that they know they will continue to be the center of our universe.” In the interview, Michelle talks about work-life balance, being married to Barack Obama, her workout routine, and the fashion sense that landed her on the top of Vanity Fair’s best-dressed list.

On Working Out
Momlogic asked Michelle Obama about her toned arms and workout routine. “I go to the gym three times a week — as often as I can, really. I work with a fabulous trainer for about an hour each session. We do a lot of cardio and weight training. For me, exercise is more than just physical — it’s therapeutic.”

On Finding Help and Support
Speaking to a group of Women for Obama in Chicago, Michelle Obama spoke about the demands of motherhood. “I joke about our challenges. But Barack and I know that we are lucky. We are some of the lucky ones because we have resources and support to help us get through. And I am particularly lucky because I have my mom. This is the woman who keeps me grounded, who stays at home with my girls and make sure that they’re okay.”

Are You on the List?

Like this article? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more articles and tips like this. Sign up and stay up-to-date on Heart and Style’s health news, tips, events and giveaways.

On Relaxing and Having Fun
“We have just some of the most wonderful times when we visit Barack’s grandmother in Hawaii. Those are always wonderful times, warm weather, a time to be together and laugh, when everybody’s relaxed, no schedules, no nothing, just a lot of good fun together,” she said in a February U.S. News and World Reports interview.

On Black Women’s Health
In a July interview with the St. Louis American, Michelle Obama touched on black women’s increased risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. “Usually, we as black women deal with our issues when they are at a crisis point. So we need to move beyond that way of thinking about our health. But you can’t do it, if you don’t have access to health care.”

image: Getty Images

Unaware of the signs of a heart attack, many women often delay seeking medical care. But time is the best weapon when you’re having a heart attack. The sooner you can get treated, the better chance that you’ll survive.

A heart attack can occur when the blood supply to the heart muscle is cut off. When cells in the heart do not receive enough oxygen they begin to die. The more time that passes without treatment to restore blood flow, the greater the damage to the heart.

Having high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol, smoking, and having had a previous heart attack, stroke, or diabetes can increase your chances of having a heart attack. There is still a misperception, even among doctors, that heart attacks are not common in women. But heart disaease–the leading cause of heart attacks–kills more women than men each year. It’s important that you and your loved ones recognize the signs and insist on proper treatment and care if you suspect you’re having a heart attack. Your chances of survival are a lot higher if you receive emergency treatment as soon as possible.

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

If you think you’re having a heart attack, act immediately by calling 9–1–1. While you wait for the ambulance to arrive, chew and swallow an aspirin. You should also stop all activity and try to remain calm.

As with men, a woman’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are also more likely to report “nontraditional” signs including fatigue, dizziness, abdominal discomfort, shortness of breath and back or jaw pain.

Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.

Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. This can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort. But it also can occur before chest discomfort.

Fatigue. Unusual or unexplained fatigue.

Other symptoms. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat or feeling nausea, light–headedness, upset stomach or vomiting. Sleep disturbance is also commonly reported.

It’s important to remember that these symptoms may come and go. Heart attacks can progress slowly and the signs many present a few days, weeks or even months before an actual heart attack occurs.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health

This 96-page hardcover cookbook includes favorites from the first two issues of Healthy Soul Food Recipes magazine cookbooks. From soups to desserts, it features 50 tasty and healthful recipes that follow the American Heart Association’s dietary recommendations. Easy-to-make favorites include Chicken Soup with Mustard Greens and Tomatoes, Carrot-Pineapple Salad with Golden Raisins, Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken and Rich and Creamy Mac and Cheese.

The Best of Healthy Soul Food Recipes was created for soul food fans so they can enjoy tasty foods that can help reduce their risk for stroke and heart disease. The cookbook includes information about stroke risk factors, a personal risk assessment tool and recommendations for stroke prevention.

The cookbook is dedicated to the memory of Yolanda King, who was the first national Ambassador of the American Stroke Association’s Power To End Stroke, an aggressive education and awareness program for African Americans. Knowing about stroke is particularly important for African Americans because they have double the risk of having a first stroke compared to Caucasians. The cookbook is available for $12.99 at www.ShopPower.org.

Tempted? Try this spicy oven-fried chicken receipe from the cookbook:

Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken

Serves 4; 3 ounces chicken per serving

Vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup fat-free or low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup cornflake crumbs
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt-free extra-spicy seasoning blend
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 ounces each), all visible fat discarded

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.

Pour the buttermilk into a pie pan or shallow bowl.

In a large airtight plastic bag, combine the remaining ingredients except the chicken.
Set the pie pan, plastic bag, and baking pan in a row, assembly-line fashion. Put a piece of chicken in the buttermilk and turn to cover completely. Put the chicken in the plastic bag and shake to coat. Place the chicken in the baking pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Lightly spray the tops of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the coating is crisp.

Nutrients per Serving
Calories 195
Total Fat 1.5 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 66 mg
Sodium 264 mg
Carbohydrates 16 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 28 g

Dietary Exchanges
1 starch
3 very lean meat
This recipe is reprinted with permission from The Best of Healthy Soul Food Recipes, Copyright © 2008 by the American Heart Association. Published by Publications International, Ltd. Available at ShopPower.org.

Quick Facts about the Study 

• Conducted over a two year period with 322 moderately obese Israelis
• Eighty-six (86%) of the participants were men – it is unknown how the results apply to women. Men have more muscle mass and generally less fat than women.
• Low-Carb diet in study was “based” on Atkins diet. Contrary to recommendations typically associated with Atkins, the low-carb group was encouraged to look for vegetarian sources of protein and fat and to avoid trans fat.
• Low-fat diet and Mediterranean diet – women were restricted to 1500 calories/day, men restricted to 1800 calories/day
• Study was partially funded by  Atkins Research Foundation

 
In the study, the Mediterranean diet group (moderate fat, restricted calories) ate the most dietary fiber and as a result, experienced more favorable glucose and insulin levels. In previous studies, the Mediterranean diet has been praised for its heart health benefits, emphasizing vegetables, nuts and poultry and fish over red meat. The low-carb group (non-restricted calories) consumed the least amount of carbohydrates and largest amounts of fat, protein and cholesterol, yet saw the greatest improvement in HDL (good) cholesterol. This finding shakes the now conventional wisdom about the effects of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet.

The scientific evidence from multiple studies point to diets high in saturated and trans fat as major contributor to the development of heart disease and stroke. Writing in a Newsweek column, Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D., who has researched and written extensively on the benefits of a low-fat diet, cautions against taking the results of the study as reason to run out and start loading up on fat.

“Your body makes HDL to remove excessive cholesterol from your blood and tissues. Not everything that raises HDL is good for you. For example, if you increase the amount of fat and cholesterol in your diet (e.g. an Atkins diet), you may increase your HDL because your body is trying to get rid of the extra fat and cholesterol by increasing HDL.”

Related Articles

• How to Double Your Weight Loss
• Find Your Motivation to Lose Weight

Dr. Ornish also takes issue with the low-fat diet followed in the study. Based on the American Heart Association guidelines at the time, the low-fat diet in the study aimed for 30% of calories from fat, 10% of calories from saturated fat and an intake of 300 mg of cholesterol per day. “The one [low-fat diet] used in the NEJM study was not very low in fat. It was based on the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, which I have long criticized as not being enough of a change in diet to show much benefit.

However the AHA, in a statement about the study, notes that the low-fat diet used in the study was based on recommendations issued in 2000 and that the Mediterranean diet followed in the study reflects the organizations current guidelines issued in 2006. “A range of 25-35 % for total fat consumption is suggested for most people, not just those trying to lose weight.” The AHA’s current guidelines also calls for less than 7% of calories from saturated fats and less than 1% of trans fat to be consumed daily.

So how do you make sense of all these guidelines and percentages? The bottom line is that if you need to lose weight, you have options. Despite the never-ending quest for the “best diet,” the consensus is that whether you are looking for dietary options to help with weight loss or to support your overall healthy lifestyle, foods high in saturated and trans fat should be avoided while vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats such as those from fish, nuts and olive oil are encouraged. Whether it’s called Mediterranean, AHA or by some other name, these basic guidelines form the foundation of a healthy and sensible nutritional plan that can be maintained for a lifetime.

Keeping a food diary can double your weight loss according to a new study from Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research. “The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost,” said lead author Jack Hollis Ph.D., a researcher at Kaiser’s research center in Portland, Ore. “Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories.”

A food diary provides both a record of what you’re consuming and a way to hold yourself accountable. Looking at what you’ve eaten over the course of a day or whole week can pinpoint areas where you need to cut back or improve. But the diary can also help you track your progress and successes. Seeing your progress in written form can be a powerful motivator and incentive to continue your weight loss efforts.

Related:

Find Your Motivation to Lose Weight

“Journaling felt weird at first — I had a hard time even remembering what I had eaten by the end of each day — but after just one month of telling all to my food diary, I had dropped five pounds,” said Anita Hamiliton, writing in her Time Magazine blog. Anita wasn’t part of the Kaiser study, but found keeping a food diary “worked like a charm” when “sheer willpower and daily exercise had failed.”

Participants in the Kaiser study also turned their food diaries in at weekly support meetings, followed the heart healthy DASH diet which promotes lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat or non-fat dairy, and exercised for at least 30 minutes each day. The study was one of the few trials to include a large percentage of African American participants. African Americans have a hightler risk of overweight, diabetes and heart disease.

You don’t have to be a part of a formal weight loss program to benefit from keeping a food diary. Scribbling down what you eat on a Post-it note, sending yourself an email tallying each meal are also good ways to track what you eat, researchers say. There are a number of websites that allow you to create your own food diaries, such as myfooddiary.com or thedailyplate.com.

Do you keep a food diary? What did you eat today? Leave  your response in the comments section below.

The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the Athens Medical School in Greece, shows that drinking tea improves blood flow and expands arteries, making it easier for the heart to pump blood.In the study, blood flow was measured after volunteers drank green tea, caffeine or hot water. Consuming green tea had an immediate short term effect (within 30 minutes) of improving the function of cells that line the circulatory system.

With its high flavonoid content, green tea has been previously shown to offer cancer-fighting and cardiovascular benefits. The same antioxidants found in red wine and dark chocolate, flavonoids are found in certain plant foods and can lower cholesterol, prevent inflammation and protect arteries from hardening.

While black tea also offers health benefits, green tea comes highly recommended as it is made from unfermented tea leaves and undergoes less processing. Green tea is also lower in caffeine and has higher antioxidant properties.

image credit: Green for Tea by Alexia

As you consider your summer style options, remember it’s never to late to start making healthier choices. Regardless of your goals for summer fashion and beach wear, staying healthy is an all year affair. But with 23 days until the official start of summer, we thought you might need a little inspiration.  Kristine Louis, former Heart and Style Big Rewards Health Coach, personal trainer and owner of My Body My Way Fitness Studio , offers 16 simple strategies to help you prepare for a healthy and vibrant summer season.

1. First things first, commit to the activities outlined on this list.
2. Tell a trusted friend that you are committing to the activites on this list and provide him/her with an update every week on your progress.
3. Encourage that same friend, if they are open to joining you, to committing to this list as well. (Having a workout or health buddy will increase your odds of success).
4. Find a piece of clothing that you would like to fit into by summer and hang it up where you can see it everyday.
5. Try on that article of clothing once per week to see how you are progressing.
6. Do some form of cardiovascular exercise for 30 minutes Mondays thru Saturdays, resting on Sundays.  Cardiovascular exercise is anything that gets your heart rate up.  For example:  brisk walking; jogging; swimming; playing a sport.
7. Do a total body exercise program 3 days a week either M,W,F or T,TH,S.
8. Increase your water consumption by 8 ounces (1 glass) every other day until you are drinking ½ your bodyweight in water, then maintain that amount.
9. Take a multivitamin everyday.
10. Eat three small meals consisting of a lean protein, a high fiber starchy carbohydrate, and vegetables, along with two snacks consisiting of fruit or a meal replacement bar or shake.
11. Read 10 pages of a motivational or inspirational book that will give you a bigger vision of yourself.
12. Take the stairs whenever possible instead of the elevator.
13. Park in spaces that are further away from entrances to get a few more steps in everywhere you go.  Besides, these spaces are the easiest to find.
14. Walk with a purpose to all your destinations to kick up the calorie burn.
15. Keep a journal of these activities to help you with accountability. 
16. Celebrate in advance the fact that it takes 21 days to establish a habit and for the next 23 days you will be creating the momentum that will take you to, and through, a healthier summer.

June 21st  is the first day of summer, what will you do in the next 23 days?