5 Red Foods to Eat for Your Heart

Mitzi Dulan

It's time again for the ultimate red month—February, known as American Heart Month, National Cherry Month, and for Valentine's Day. It's the perfect time to celebrate eating red for good health by making smart choices.

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5 Food Trends to Watch

Keri Gans

I just got back from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, the world's largest annual meeting of food and nutrition professionals. Registered dietitians (RDs), like myself, from all over the country (and even overseas) attend for up to four days of cutting-edge nutrition science research, educational presentations, lectures, debates, panel discussions, and culinary demonstrations.

My original plan was to write about my Expo discoveries, figuring I would find lots of new and exciting products to write about among the more than 350 food- and nutrition-related exhibitors. For many hours, I scoured the Expo floors looking for something new to jump out, until it hit me. I wasn't really going to find anything new, at least not new to me. As an RD who works with the media, I am always getting new research and information on products—long before those products hit supermarket shelves.

So, I decided instead to write about the food trends I observed. Here are four that I would like to see stick around, and a fifth that I'd like to see clarified:

1. Individual Serving Sizes

As the waistlines of Americans continue to expand, companies are manufacturing products that can be sold in individual serving sizes. Personally, I love this. My patients are taught to read nutrition facts labels, paying special attention to serving sizes. But the majority still have difficulty portioning out something that they are enjoying. However, a "100 calorie pack" of cookies with no nutritional benefit will never be as exciting to me as a "single serving" package of cheese, chocolate milk, or nuts.

2. Low Sodium

Ever since the government's 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended 1,500 milligrams of sodium as the daily cap for African-Americans, adults older than 51, and for individuals with high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, companies have been trying to lower the sodium in their products. I don't really see a downside to this effort, since most companies were probably using more than they needed to begin with.

3. Less Added Sugar

I'm happy to report that this trend is still going strong. However, as I always point out to my patients, there's a difference between added sugar and naturally occurring sugar, such as sugar from fruit or dairy products. That's why it's important to read the ingredients listed on the label to see where the sugar is coming from. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a new dried cranberry product is being introduced, with 50 percent less added sugar than its original variety. I am typically a much bigger fan of fresh versus dried fruits, because of the high sugar content, but now I may be able to go both ways.

4. Whole Grains

I will never get tired of new products, especially breads that are made from 100 percent whole grains, and I did see some companies making a strong effort here. There's so much research to support the benefits of eating whole grains, from lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease to decreasing diabetes. Whole grains that are high in fiber have been shown to help promote fullness and weight loss.

5. Natural Foods

"Natural" is probably one of the biggest buzzwords in the food arena today, yet the Food and Drug Administration has not officially defined it. At this time, the agency has not objected to any product using the term, as long as it doesn't include added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances. Here again, I tell my patients to read ingredient labels carefully, looking especially for words that they don't recognize or can't pronounce. In this scenario, I don't care if the label says "natural": Skip it.

Walking the Expo floor can be a lot of fun. Many RDs come home with bagfuls of products to try. I usually don't take anything home with me, probably because there's little room in my suitcase for anything but clothes and shoes.

I will continue watching for trends, without assuming that the consumer knows as much as I do.

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10 Fantastic Fall Veggies, and How to Cook Them

Rebecca Scritchfield

With the change in season comes new fall vegetables. From parsnips to pumpkin, these nutritious foods are just waiting to be added to our plates. My favorite way of preparing the fall harvest is simply roasting veggies in a bit of oil, salt, and pepper. Of course, you can get creative with bold herbs like rosemary or thyme if you would like.

Why Roast Vegetables?

Fall vegetables are practically begging to be roasted. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness and intensifies their flavors. Plus, the process of roasting completely transforms them, allowing for browning, carmelization, and crisping. The result is absolutely delicious vegetables. Compared to steaming, which just cooks the vegetables, roasting is worth the time.

Top Ten Fall Vegetables

These vegetables make my short list because they taste particularly good roasted, and they offer powerful vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Roast these on their own, or combine several together for a blended taste. Follow the steps below for my no-fail recipe for perfectly roasted fall veggies.

• Beets

• Broccoli

• Brussell sprouts

• Cabbage

• Carrots

• Cauliflower

• Eggplant

• Garlic

• Kale

• Squash

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Wash vegetables, and cut into bite-size pieces.

3. Place vegetables in a roasting pan or foil-lined, jelly-roll pan.

4. Gently coat the vegetables with oil—olive oil, canola oil, or corn oil. Start with a couple of tablespoons.

5. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

6. Spread out the vegetables to form one layer.

7. Place the pan in the oven, and roast 30-60 minutes until tender and browned. After about 20 minutes, check the vegetables and turn them. If they aren't browned after 60 minutes, place them in the broiler for a few minutes.

8. Remove from oven, and allow to cool.

Roasted vegetables taste wonderful as a side dish. You can also add them to sandwiches, salads, and soups. Consider adding shaved parmesan cheese or fresh herbs after roasting.

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Salad for Breakfast, 4 Ways

Melinda Johnson

Mama was right—breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies have repeatedly shown that breakfast eaters tend to be leaner, eat healthier overall diets, and tend to do better at morning mental tasks. The other mantra that Mama is famous for is equally correct—you need to eat more vegetables. In fact, most Americans don't even come close to the recommended amount of vegetables in their diet; while most adults need at least 2 and a half cups of vegetables each day, many of us struggle to get one measly cup on any given day. This is bad news for our health and probably our waistline. Eating more plant-based foods, including vegetables, is at the top of almost every health professional's advice list and may well be the most commonly given nutrition advice of all time.

Enter the breakfast salad. Adding vegetables to breakfast simply does not happen in many American kitchens, but vegetables are a morning staple for many other cultures. In Turkey, a typical breakfast might be a dish of tomatoes, green peppers, olive oil, and eggs. In Japan, vegetables are often served as a side dish with breakfast. Fava beans dressed with lemon and olive oil are served all over Cairo as a common breakfast food.

If you want to make Mama happy and eat your breakfast and your vegetables, why not experiment with a breakfast salad? Here are four ways to introduce the salad into your morning meal:

Sweet and Crunchy: Breakfast is the one meal of the day in which many people prefer something sweet. If this is your preference, there are plenty of options to get in a salad that satisfies your morning sweet tooth. Start with a bed of spinach, which pairs very well with sweets, and sprinkle in some fresh berries or even some dried fruit. Throw in some cinnamon toast croutons (to make these, simply cube some day-old bread, spray them with non-stick vegetable oil, toss them in a bag with some cinnamon and sugar, and bake for 10 minutes in the oven). Add some slivered almonds or sunflower seeds, and then drizzle your salad with nonfat, plain Greek yogurt mixed with a touch of honey.

South of the border: For a bit of spice in the morning, turn your taco salad into a breakfast salad! Registered Dietitian Lori Sullivan from Hartford, Connecticut frequently prescribes this type of breakfast for her clients to help them get in more veggies. Start with a whole-grain tortilla shell (corn tortillas count!), fill it with mixed, shredded greens and other veggies, low-fat cheese, black beans, and plenty of fresh salsa. To add more protein, and to make it seem more like breakfast, top it with a poached egg.

Fresh and Creamy: For a creamy, satisfying breakfast salad that's a snap to throw together, have on hand some grape tomatoes, shelled edamame, avocado, low-fat baby mozzarella balls, and balsamic vinegar. Toss the ingredients together, and experiment with adding in some sliced cucumber and fresh mint or basil, for variety.

Sauteed: If you're craving something warm on a cold morning, try a sautéed salad. This is what Sharon Palmer, registered dietitian and author of The Plant-Powered Diet, frequently does for her own breakfast. Sharon recommends using olive oil and herbs to crisply sauté Mediterranean veggies, such as eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and garlic, and serve with arugula, avocado, tomatoes, and a side of whole-grain toast. "It's delicious for a lazy Saturday morning breakfast," she suggests.

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8 Beauty Emergency Bailouts

In Pictures: 7 Beauty Remedies Made from Household Items

Quick: You've just been invited to the White House for dinner tomorrow, but your nails are a wreck, your skin is dull, and you have a pimple the size of a planet! What do you do? Below, experts weigh in on recovering from typical beauty misfortunes quickly and healthfully so you can look and feel your best every day—and, especially, when a special occasion arises.

Here's what to do if:

You wake up with a pimple so big it has its own zip code. Do not—we repeat—do not pop it. "You can cause more damage with your fingers and fingernails with the pressure of squeezing out the contents than you can by simply letting it go through its natural process," says Dawn Davis, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Plus, she adds, popping a zit makes it more likely to become infected. The best thing to do is wash your face with a mild soap, and apply an oil-free moisturizer, she says. "You can also apply a damp, warm compress for a few minutes to try to open up the pore on its own to help expedite its own evacuation," she says. Afterward, Davis recommends treating the pimple with an over-the-counter acne product that contains benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Need to cover the spot fast? Go for a hypoallergenic concealer.

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