Favorite clips

I recently raided my mom’s magazine rack, looking through all the goodies her favorite health magazines had to offer. Here are my favorite highlights from the assortment of articles I’ve found.

Dr. Andrew Weil in the December 2007 issue of Cooking Light says he loves chocolate, and it’s keeping him healthy. “In general, the more cocoa (in the chocolate), the more bitter the chocolate will taste. And the more bitter, the more heart-healthy flavonols you’re consuming,” said Weil.

If you’re looking to make soup, don’t leave out these seven great ingredients, Natural Health Magazine posted in their winter 2009 issue that beans, cabbage, carrots, leafy greens, onions, potatoes and turnips make up “The Magnificent Seven” ingredients to boost nutrition value in soups.

Confused about constant news with contradicting diet studies? Experience Life’s December 2007 issue confronted the misleading information. Rule #1 says look for randomized-controlled studies over correlation and cohort studies. Rule #2 is to scrutinize the source of the article. Be critical about the information and who is producing it and where their loyalties may lie. The article also advises to ask “how much do you resemble the people in the study?”, “was the change in the outcome important?”, “What’s the tone?”, and “What’s the sacrifice?”

Beat stress with these healthy alternatives, the December 2007 issue of Women’s Health promises. Nuts like almonds, pistachios and walnuts will boost your immune system, the smooth texture of avocados will reduce frantic feelings and calcium in skim milk will reduce muscle spasms and soothe tension. Among some of the other stress fighters are oatmeal, oranges, salmon and spinach.

Health magazine’s November 2007 edition gives tips to curb hunger quick. Eat some potatoes, they help you feel full longer, include smoothies in your diet, use temping smells to lure your hunger away and best of all, fix yourself a healthy snack you can feel confident about.