Cheddar Bean Dip

This simple to make hot bean-and-cheese dip is great with tortilla chips or crispy wedges of pita bread and is sure to be a hit.

Ingredients:
• ½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise
• 2 cups (342 g) cooked pinto beans, drained and mashed
• 1 cup (115 g) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 4 ounces (115 g) chopped green chiles
• ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Preparation:
Stir all ingredients until well mixed. Spoon into a small ovenproof dish. Bake at 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4) for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: 12 servings

Each with: 32 g water; 153 calories (64% from fat, 14% from protein, 22% from carb); 5 g protein; 11 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 3 g monounsaturated fat; 4 g polyunsaturated fat; 8 g carb; 3 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 102 mg phosphorus; 97 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 159 mg sodium; 149 mg potassium; 149 IU vitamin A; 36 mg vitamin E; 3 mg vitamin C; 15 mg cholesterol

This Appetizers, Snacks and Legumes Recipes was published in '500 HIGH-FIBER RECIPES by "DICK LOGUE" - p35'

Other Fiber Sources

There are several other rather surprising sources of fiber. These aren’t where you’ll get the majority of your fiber, but if you can pick up a few grams while indulging in something you like, why not?

• Coffee—Coffee contains between 1 gram per serving for filtered coffee and up to almost 2 grams for instant coffee.
• Chocolate—An ounce of chocolate candy contains almost 2 grams of fiber.
• Spices—A teaspoon of spice may contain up to a gram of fiber. In addition, some spices like fennel, cayenne, cumin, and turmeric have been shown to improve digestion and reduce gas and bloating.

This Tip was published in '500 HIGH-FIBER RECIPES by "DICK LOGUE" - p31'

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds provide a surprising amount of fiber in a small serving. You should plan on several servings a week.

Here are some suggestions for including more nuts and seeds in your diet:

• Use them as snacks. Unlike snack items like chips, nuts provide a significant nutritional benefit. We’ve included a number of recipes for snack mixes and other ways to incorporate more nuts into your diet.
• Use them as toppings and additions. Nuts and seeds can be added to salads, used to top baked goods, and sprinkled over vegetables and casseroles.

The following shows the amount of fiber in an ounce of various nuts and seeds.
• Almonds—3 grams
• Pistachios—3 grams
• Peanut butter, chunky, 3 tablespoons—2 grams
• Sunflower seeds—2 grams
• Peanuts—2 grams
• Sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon—1 gram

This Tip was published in '500 HIGH-FIBER RECIPES by "DICK LOGUE" - p30'

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables offer a number of health benefits, and increased fiber is just one of them. The five-serving-a-day goal has been well established and publicized. That may seem like a lot, but when you start counting, you’ll find that it is not really that difficult to reach. They are a great food value when you are trying to lose weight, since they provide needed bulk while generally being low in calories.

In order to get the most fiber benefit from your fruits and vegetables, here are a few tips:

• Eat whole fruits and vegetables as much as possible. The skin contains many nutrients, as well as fiber. And the seeds in items like fresh tomatoes add fiber that’s missing in many processed tomato products.

• Choose fresh fruits and vegetables over frozen or canned if necessary, choose and frozen over canned. The more an item is processed, the more likely it is to have had the healthful nutrients and fiber removed and undesirable things like salt added.

• Don’t just think of salads. True, salads are a low-calorie, healthy addition to your diet. But they may not pack the fiber punch that other vegetable servings do. Lettuce, for example, is not one of the better sources of fiber, generally containing less than 1 gram per serving.

The following is the amount of fiber in a 1-cup serving of some common fruits and vegetables:
• Prunes—12 grams
• Avocado—10 grams
• Green peas—9 grams
• Raspberries—8 grams
• Pumpkin and winter squash—6 or 7 grams
• Collard greens—5 grams
• Potato, medium—5 grams
• Pear, medium—5 grams
• Apple, large—5 grams
• Corn—4 grams
• Green beans—4 grams
• Asparagus—4 grams
• Bell pepper—3 grams
• Strawberries—3 grams
• Banana—3 grams
• Cabbage—3 grams
• Eggplant—2 grams
• Broccoli—2 grams
• Peaches—2 grams
• Pineapple—2 grams

This Tip was published in '500 HIGH-FIBER RECIPES by "DICK LOGUE" - p28 To p29'

Whole Grains

Whole grains are a great source of fiber and one that’s easy to include in your diet. You should eat two or three servings of whole grains a day. Whole grains contribute to that full feeling that keeps you from overeating and have been shown to slow the absorption of sugar into the blood. They also contain many other minerals and nutrients that are removed from processed grains.

Here are some ways to increase the amount of whole grains in your diet:

• Use whole grain bread instead of white bread. This is a simple choice to make and an easy one. Today’s grocery stores offer an incredible variety of whole grain breads to choose from.

• Choose whole grain pastas and rice. This is a change that we’ve made in our diet fairly recently. I never really paid much attention to whole grain pasta, but now I find that I much prefer the flavor to the bland regular pasta. And I generally avoided brown rice because it took longer to cook, even though I preferred the flavor of it also. But now there are quick-cooking and microwaveable varieties of brown rice that make it as easy as white rice.

• Choose high-fiber cereals. A number of studies show that starting the day with a bowl of high-fiber cereal is one of the things that is most positively linked with weight loss.

• Consider alternative grains. Rather than just pasta or rice or potatoes, think about main dishes and side dishes that contain barley, bulgur, kasha, and other grains. You’ll find a number of recipes in this book that contain them.

Here is the amount of fiber in a cup of several kinds of whole grains:
• Whole wheat flour—18 grams
• Barley—13 grams
• Whole grain pasta—4 grams or more, depending on the brand
• Oats—4 grams
• Brown rice—3 grams

This Tip was published in '500 HIGH-FIBER RECIPES by "DICK LOGUE" - p26 To p27'

Legumes

Beans and other legumes are the poster child for high-fiber foods. A single serving can provide 15 grams or more of fiber. They also have been proven effective at keeping you from feeling hungry the longest and have been linked to reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer.

Of course, as I said, you probably won’t eat beans every day, but you should strive for two or three servings a week. And there are lots of ways to incorporate legumes into your diet. This book contains 70 recipes that feature just legumes and a number more where they are included as an ingredient along with other high-fiber foods.

Here are a few suggestions for including more legumes in your diet:

• Use legumes as snacks. There are a number of recipes here for bean dips, spreads, and other snack items. True, most of them only contain 2 or 3 grams of fiber, but combined with a high-fiber dipper like fresh vegetables or whole wheat pita chips, they can contribute quickly to your daily fiber goal.

• Add them into other recipes. Beans and chickpeas make a great addition to many soups, salads, and dishes like rice or grain side Add them into other recipes. Beans and chickpeas make a great addition to many soups, salads, and dishes like rice or grain side

• Think of different ways to use them in dishes. True, you can make chili or baked beans, but there are also things like burritos, split pea soup, and marinated bean salads.

Here are examples of the amount of fiber in a serving of a few common legumes:
• Navy beans—19 grams
• Split peas—16 grams
• Lentils—16 grams
• Black beans—15 grams
• Lima beans—13 grams
• Kidney beans—11 grams
• Black-eyed peas—9 gram

This Tip was published in '500 HIGH-FIBER RECIPES by "DICK LOGUE" - p24 To p25'

How Do I Add More Fiber to My Diet?

Now that we’ve looked at why adding more fiber to our diet is a good idea, let’s take a quick look at the how. It isn’t really as difficult as you might think. We’ll look at a few simple things you can do when you go to the grocery store and then some specific recommendations for different groups of foods that are high in fiber.

The first thing to do is to be aware of the fiber content of foods. Become a label reader. If you are just starting out, take an extra hour at the store reading nutrition labels and looking at the fiber content. There really are a lot of foods out there with fiber in them. Unlike when I first started on a low-sodium diet, you don’t have to make nearly everything from scratch. All you need to do is make smart choices. And the things you pick don’t all have to have huge amounts to help you get to your goal. Sure, a serving of beans might have 15 grams, but no one wants to eat beans every day. But you can get that same 15 grams from two or three servings of vegetables or any of a number of combinations.

get that same 15 grams from two or three servings of vegetables or any of a number of combinations.

• Puffed rice cereal—0 grams; shredded wheat—5 grams

• White bread (such as Wonder)—0 grams; light wheat bread (such as Wonder)—5 grams

• Regular pasta (such as Barilla)—2 grams; whole wheat pasta (such as Barilla)—6 grams

• White flour—0 grams; whole wheat pastry flour—3 grams

The great news about these choices is that you’ll find the higher-fiber choice also tastes better, has more flavor, and leaves you feeling more satisfied.

Even the kind of ice cream you choose can make a difference. Ben and Jerry’s Super Fudge Chunk has 2 grams of fiber!

And of course, you should be looking to add more foods from the following groups to your diet.

This Tip was published in '500 HIGH-FIBER RECIPES by "DICK LOGUE" - p22 To p23'

'Pecan-Stuffed Dates' Hot Appetizer

YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 30

Ingredients:
• One 8-ounce box pitted dates
• 30 pecan halves
• 10 to 12 slices bacon

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stuff each date with a pecan half. Cut each slice of bacon into 3 pieces. Wrap 1 piece around each stuffed date and secure with a toothpick. Bake until bacon is crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and serve.

This recipe was published in 'Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics: The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook and The Lady & Sons, Too!'

Specialty Omelet

Makes 3 To 4 Serving

Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ red or green bell pepper, diced(See Note)
• ½ onion, chopped
• 15 large black olives, sliced
• 6 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon parsley
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation:
In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the pepper, onion, and olives in olive oil until tender over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and set aside in a bowl. Mix the eggs, milk, and spices in another bowl. Pour this mixture into the heated skillet. When the egg begins to solidify around the outer edges, lift its edges and tilt pan to allow uncooked egg mixture to slide from top of the omelet to underneath. Continue cooking. Sprinkle vegetables and cheese over the top of the cooking egg mixture. When the top of omelet appears moist and not wet, lift one side of the omelet with a wide spatula and fold it over onto the opposite edge. Cook one more minute, covered. Remove from heat.

Serve with toast and bacon or sausage.

Note:
Filling for an omelet is entirely a matter of personal taste. Possible fillings include cooked sausage, sautéed mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, green onions, fresh chives, broccoli, and cauliflower.

This Breakfast recipe was published in 'The Book Lover's Cookbook by 'Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and Janet kay Jensen' - Ballantine Books'

Keith’s Asparagus

• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• 4 servings
• Cooking time: 15 to 18 minutes
• 38 calories per serving, 35% from fat

RealAge effect if eaten 12 times a year:
3.1 days younger. It’s so simple, it must make your RealAge younger because of that, too!

RealAge-effect ingredients:
Asparagus, olive oil (potassium, healthy fats, folic acid)

Ingredients:
• 1 pound asparagus, rinsed, dried, and trimmed
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• A pinch each thyme, oregano, basil, and black pepper
• Diced tomato (optional)

Preparation:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the asparagus in a 9×13-inch baking dish or a shallow 3-quart casserole with the olive oil, kosher salt, thyme, oregano, basil, and black pepper. Arrange asparagus in a single layer in the dish. Bake uncovered 12 to 13 minutes for thin asparagus or 15 to 18 minutes for thick asparagus, or until crisp-tender. Garnish with tomato, if desired.

Tip:
When adding the herbs, crush them between your fingers to increase their flavor.

Nutritional Analysis:
• Total fat (g) 1.5
• Sodium (mg)
• 5 Vitamin A (RE) 94
• Fat calories (kc)
• 13.3 Calcium (mg)
• 27 Beta-carotene (RE) 102
• Cholesterol (mg) 0
• Magnesium (mg) 22
• Vitamin C (mg) 31
• Saturated fat (g)
• 0.2 Zinc (mg)
• 0.5 Vitamin E (mg) 2.4
• Polyunsaturated fat (g) 0.3
• Selenium (mcg)
• 4 Thiamin B1 (mg) 0.1
• Monounsaturated fat (g) 0.8
• Potassium (mg)
• 352 Riboflavin B2 (mg) 0.1
• Fiber (g) 1.4
• Flavonoids (mg) 0
• Niacin B3 (mg) 1.2
• Carbohydrates (g) 5.0
• Lycopene (mg) 0
• Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.2
• Sugar (g) 1.8
• Fish (oz) 0
• Folic acid (mcg) 112
• Protein (g) 2.9
• Nuts (oz) 0
• Vitamin B12 (mcg) 0

This Side Dish Recipe was published in 'Cooking The RealAge Way, Turn Back Your Biological Clock with More Than 80 Delicious and Easy Recipes (MICHAEL F. ROIZEN, M.D. and JOHN LA PUMA, M.D.) - p174'