Thanksgiving dessert recipes

If you don't like the idea of reading those articles about how not to gain weight during the holidays, then you just need to remember one simple thing: eat in moderation. It is OK to eat almost everything as long as you keep the overall calorie consumption during the day unchanged. If you still want to eat more calories, you can burn the extra calories by exercising more than usual.

And as I said about Thanksgiving side dishes, here is a nice video to try a slightly different set of dessert recipes.

Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez help fight childhood obesity

Despite the Hispanic paradox, it is a fact that Latin diet is unhealthy and something needs to be done about it. That is why we have supported the Latin Diet Pyramid. Now Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have done their part by highlighting the ING Run For Something Better program for Latino kids.

How to eat less?

It is human nature to eat whatever is in front of us. We do not like to waste food, and if we are eating at someone else's home, we might think that by not finishing our food on the plate, we might be indirectly telling the host that the food was not delicious. Then the worst offenders in making people eat more are the restaurants. The serving sizes keep growing each year and are much larger than they were in the past. (Related: How to eat healthy)

So how can you lose weight?

The arithmetic is simple. Fewer calories. That can be accomplished by eating less and by burning more through exercise. While one study found that just eating fewer calories is as effective as both diet and exercise, it makes perfect sense to also exercise, since working out has other benefits too.

A new study finds that if you measure your portion size and eat in plates that don't hold a lot of food, you will consume fewer calories and lose weight.

Please use the Latin Diet Pyramid

Despite the Hispanic paradox, most Hispanics eat those delicious but deadly Latin dishes. The result: obesity and diabetes are widespread among them. That is not the way things used to be. In fact, during my travels to small towns in Latin America, I found that the food was fresher, healthier, and delicious, without the calories. In other words, the Latin people are cooking the wrong way.

Lorena and I have come up with healthier versions of almost all Latin dishes, but a group Latino Nutritional Coalition has put together not only a new Latin Diet Pyramid but has also produced an excellent guide to healthy eating.

While sponsored by food companies, the guide also has some healthy recipes for traditional Latin dishes.

Yes, you can go once in a while to Rosa Mexicano type restaurants, but if you are trying to eat right and be fit, then you will need to make significant changes in your diet.

Please, if you are a Latin person, download the Camino Magico guide for yourself and forward this page to others who might learn something from this guide.

How to eat healthy?

As a followup to our article "How to be healthy," we also wanted to share more tips that come from AP9 At Home Rewards. We follow all of them, except the one on eating garlic. While we love the flavor and occasionally use it for most of our Italian dishes, the flavor is a bit too much later on during the day/night. So our tip for garlic: avoid it on warm days and when you know you will be intimate.

• Use olive oil. An essential ingredient of Mediterranean cuisine, olive oil contains polyphenols, the potent antioxidants that have been shown to help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The extra-virgin is the best kind.
• Switch to brown rice. The taste is great, and it's a whole grain, which makes it an excellent source of fiber. Brown rice is also rich in vitamins, manganese, selenium and magnesium, elements that help produce energy, improve the health of the nervous system, and help reduce the risk of colon cancer. It's a little bit chewy but you will soon acquire the taste.
  
• Cut down on salt. At least cut salt in half in your daily cooking. The easiest way to cut it is to reduce the foods that may have a lot of salts already added, for instance, potato chips. The taste will not change noticeably, and your body will thank you. You can replace salt with garlic or onion powder, flavored vinegar or your own mix of garlic, onion, paprika and parsley flakes.
• Add garlic. Raw, crushed garlic is the best, so try to use it as often as possible. Garlic is full of antioxidant properties, which benefit the cardiovascular system most. Recent studies have also shown some weight-control properties, if eaten frequently.
• Boil and steam. Both cooking methods maintain flavor, color, and nutrients. Other great and low-fat options are roasting, stir-frying, poaching and grilling. Keep in mind that extended heat and liquid can destroy valuable nutrients of the meals you are preparing.
• Eat more fatty fish. Yes, salmon, herring and sardines are full of omega-3 fatty acids, a highly neuroprotective component. Add fish to your meals at least once a week if you want to aid the communication between nerve cells, improve your learning and memory skills, and reduce your risk of Alzeihmer's disease. Since I don't like most fish (I can only eat tilapia), I take supplements.
  
• Eat more veggies. Whenever possible, add vegetables to your meals throughout the day. The recommended quantity is five portions a day. Add new vegetables to the traditional soups, salads, stews and casseroles you prepare, and add veggie juice to the grocery-shopping list.

The Hispanic Paradox

When we first read of the "Hispanic Paradox" in The New York Times, we were indeed intrigued. Our assumption was that all those delicious Latin dishes were deadly if not consumed less frequently and in small volumes.

Looks as if we were right. Maybe there is no Hispanic paradox; the way some smokers outlive healthy people, similarly, a few Latinas may also do better than most others. According to research conducted by Dr. John C. Teeters (University of Rochester), compared with white women, Hispanic women develop risk factors for heart disease (and cardiac arrest) about a decade earlier. Dr. Teeters emphasizes that these disparities are most likely caused by both genetics and lifestyle.

What can you do?

• Read how to be fit.
• Limit your consumption of those exotic Mexican dishes.
• If you are a Latina, head over to Lindisima.com and check out tips on diet, exercise, and weight loss.
• If you happen to know a Latina, do her a favor by telling her about this research. Forward this page or print it and pass on a copy to her.

How to be fit?

Like me. Well, I don't want to brag, but I am pretty fit. My BMI is 21.6 (desirable range is 18.5 to 24.9) is and waist to hip ratio is 0.86 (desired number is less than 0.9). My good cholesterol (HDL) is too high and my bad cholesterol is too low (LDL). I have not had to see a doctor for an illness for about 10 years (I am so tempted to cancel my health insurance). So I recently emailed my younger brother how to be fit; his cholesterol level was not acceptable. Here is what my daily diet and exercise program looks like:

Morning

• Drink a big glass of water on waking up
• Coffee
• Minimum 30 minutes of exercise (I love running fast, not walking, on the treadmill and some stretch exercises)
• Steel-cut, organic oatmeal, cooked in skim-milk and eaten with maple syrup/honey, prunes, and almonds (soaked overnight)
• Vitamins and supplements

Mid morning snack

• If I am hungry, I eat a fruit

Lunch

• Brown rice
• Vegetables (here is one recipe and then another one for soba noodles)
  
• Beans (I am trying to cut down my meat consumption but you can try chicken, fish, etc. but stay away from red meat)

Afternoon snack

• Fruits, sometimes with cottage cheese or with walnuts/pistachio
• Or smoothie (fruits, skim milk, and no sugar)

Dinner

• Whole grain bread
• Vegetables
• Dessert: Only rarely do I eat dessert but some of my favorites are fat-free versions of yoghurt or sorbet or plain milk. Occasionally, I might eat a piece of cake or ice-cream

Other tips

• Use only extra-virgin olive oil.
• Try not to eat out more than once a week and eat fast-food only if you will starve to death (when I travel, I always bring energy bars for those situations when you can't find good food)