20 Foods that Detox Your Body & Mind

 

The connection between the body and the mind is a very real one, with the way your body feels playing a big part in how your brain functions and whether or not you experience a state of well-being. Keeping it free of toxins, free radicals, and other nasty things that can end up in our insides is essentially to maintaining a healthy life. You’ll notice that with many of these detox foods the road to purification goes through the liver, and getting it to full capacity can have several long-lasting benefits throughout the body.

Artichokes

Artichokes help the liver function at its best, which in turn will help your body purge itself of toxins and other things it doesn’t need to survive. It ups the liver’s production of bile, and since bile helps break down foods which helps your body use the nutrients inside them, an increase in bile production is typically a good thing.

Aside from all of the benefits to your liver, it’s also filled with fiber, protein, magnesium, folate, and potassium. It’s simply a good food to add to your diet in order to stay regular, stay healthy, and keep your liver happily doing its job.

Asparagus

Despite being a tasty veggie asparagus ranks highly on the detox-o-meter. Not only does it help to detoxify the body, it can help you wage the anti-aging battle, protect you from getting cancer, help your heart to stay healthy, and is a general anti-inflammatory food.

It’s also known to help with liver drainage, which might sound like a bad thing, but since the liver is responsible for filtering out the toxic materials in the food and drinks we consume, anything that backs up its drainage is not doing you any favors.

Avocados

Because of its fiber and antioxidant count this is a food that is making it onto more and more detox lists. At first many shied away from them because of they’re high in fat, but ever since the difference between good fats and bad fats become more commonly known, they are now getting the respect they deserve.

Don’t think that the guacamole you can add to your meal at a fast food restaurant for 50 cents more is going to do the detox trick. Opt for organic avocados and consume them without any other ingredients to get the full benefit of their healthy content.

Beets

You may only see beets when you order a Greek salad, but you should make a bigger effort to include them into your regular menu, and definitely pick some up if you’re going on a detox diet. There are so many different benefits to them, it’s easy to see why they are often mentioned as a super food.

When you’re detoxing they will help by making sure that the toxins you’re getting out actually make it out of your body. Many detox cleanses go wrong when toxins are reintroduced to the body because they don’t make it all the way out. Beets also help with free-radicals, making them an anti-cancer aid.

Broccoli

You’re probably sick of seeing broccoli show up all over the place whenever health food is mentioned. But that’s only because it packs a nutritional punch in a mini-tree shaped vegetable. Why does it belong on your detox food shopping list? It specifically works with the enzymes in your liver to turn toxins into something your body can eliminate easily.

If you’re stuck for ways on how to make broccoli taste better try changing up the way you cook it, or consider eating it raw. But don’t microwave it or it won’t have the same detox properties.

Cabbage

Don’t let the fad Cabbage Soup Detox Diet throw you off course with this helpful vegetable. Like most things that go viral this diet has some truth to it, but you don’t have to go to extremes. Cabbage helps your liver with the byproduct being lower cholesterol, so there is more than one reason to include this cruciferous vegetable.

In addition to cleansing your liver cabbage will also aid in helping you go to the bathroom, which in turn helps you expel the toxins, getting them out of your system so you can start fresh.

Dandelions

Happy liver, healthy life is the motto here, and dandelion root can help you on your quest to a healthy liver that does its daily duties. This plant is considered a weed by most lawn enthusiasts, but it has several healing properties for the liver, and therefore should not be overlooked when it comes time for detox.

Dandelion has been used to treat liver problems dating back hundreds of years, but you don’t have to wait until your liver is in dire straights to get the benefits. Strengthening an already healthy liver will still yield plenty of good results and makes it worth looking into dandelion on your quest for a cleanse.

Garlic

Many detox diets list garlic as a crucial piece of the puzzle. The reason is that garlic boosts up the immune system as well as helping out the liver. One good thing about garlic is that you can up your intake of it without having to worry if your body is going to get used to it or build up a resistance.

One other positive aspect is that it can help to add flavor to otherwise bland foods that you’ll be eating on your detox program. But if you don’t like the taste of garlic you can still get its benefits because it comes in supplement form.

Ginger

This is one root whose medicinal value dates back to ancient Chinese civilizations, and one that is still believed to offer many health benefits. Often used in a tea or other drink, you can add it to the meals you make as well. It is thought to help the liver function, and has some astringent properties.

Some detox diets ask you to chew on ginger root. You may also find that adding it to hot water makes the water taste better. Basically any way you can think of it get it into your system is going to be beneficial, especially if you’re suffering from a fatty liver caused by too much alcohol, or too many toxic foods and drinks.

Grapefruit

The fiber and the nutrient-rich juices in a grapefruit pack a nice detox punch and can really get your body into action as far as detoxing goes. It’s all about flooding the body with good things for it while helping it dislodge the bad things. The effects of grapefruit on weight loss are well-established, and one reason may be because of the way it makes the liver burn up fat.

The big takeaway on grapefruit is that it gets your liver fired up and ready for action, while infusing the rest of your organs with nutrient-laden fruit juice. It’s a winner when it comes to detox foods.

Green Tea

Green tea is often thought of as a great addition to any detox program because of its high antioxidant value. Antioxidants are helpful because they will help seek out and kill free radicals before they can do any damage. This is a great beverage to drink on a daily basis for this factor alone.

Getting into a healthy state of mind is a matter of feeling like you’re doing what’s best for your body. It can be something as simple as substituting green tea for colas, juices, and other teas so that you can actually be benefiting your body from a beverage instead of hurting it.

Kale

Dr. Oz includes kale in his 48 Hour Weekend Cleanse and recommends blending it up in a shake. However you choose to get it into your body, the benefits are that it contains plenty of nutrients, and also acts as a way to help flush out the kidneys, a set of organs that must be cleansed on any good detox effort.

This vegetable is so good for you that it is often recommended to patients that are following a doctor recommended diet when fighting kidney disease. It’s packed with so many antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties as well, not to mention all of the vitamins and minerals it contains.

Lemongrass

This is an herb that is used in Thailand and other parts of the world as a natural way to cleanse several organs at once. It not only helps the liver but also the kidneys, the bladder, and the entire digestive tract. Benefits of using it in your cooking, or drinking it as a tea include a better complexion, better circulation, and better digestion.

It is most often used as a tea in the world of detoxing, and there are several recipes you can try until you find one that suits your tastes best.

Lemons

Lemons and lemon juice are often mentioned when detoxing, and there’s even a few Lemon Detox Diets floating around out there. It’s simply a matter of adding lemon juice to water and drinking it. It’s supposed to flush toxins from your body. Some people add cayanne pepper and sweeten it with sugar, but sugar is not recommended if you’re trying to get a detoxifying effect from it.

It helps with your digestion and you can drink a cup of hot water with lemon added in order to prepare your digestive system for that day’s work.

Olive Oil

Some liver cleanses out there call for olive oil mixed with fruit juice in order to trigger your liver to expunge its gallstones. But aside from that olive oil should be your go-to oil for use in cooking when you’re trying to detox the body. That’s because it has a lot of healthy properties, and makes for a better choice of fat than most of your other options.

Just be sure not to cook with it at high heat. Use it as a salad dress to help things like dark leafy greens go down.

Seaweed

This probably doesn’t enter your menu unless it’s wrapped around a piece of sushi, but seaweed has a ton of nutrients and antioxidants in it. If you’re trying to get more detox foods into the body, don’t go for the nori they used to hold together a sushi roll, you’ll want to go with kelp instead to get the most out of it and avoid the salt that’s added to the dried nori.

The kelp is used in Asian cuisine and can often be found in soups. That’s a great way to have it when you’re detoxing, and it makes it so it’s easy to digest and tastes good too.

+ 4 Things to Avoid

Keep in mind that not one single detox food on this list is a magical one that you can focus all of your attention on to fully cleanse the body. Consider increasing your intake on as many as you can reasonably accommodate. Some might be hard to incorporate, either because you can’t find them locally or you can’t picture yourself adding them to your diet. Just do the best you can to come up with a detox plan that works for you and that you feel good about.

You may also like 28 Simple & Natural Ways to Detox Your Body.

 

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Increasing Testosterone Use Raises Safety Concerns

 

Too many men are getting testosterone for the wrong reasons

Sep 16, 2014 By Carina Storrs

Jason Raish

Doctors around the world have written a surprising number of prescriptions for testosterone treatment in recent years. Nearly 3 percent of American men aged 40 and older are thought to have received such scripts in 2011—three times the percentage in 2001. (If confirmed, the 2011 ratio could mean that perhaps two million older men in the U.S. have been given prescriptions for testosterone.) Originally intended for men who have difficulty producing sex hormones because of damage or disease in their testes or other parts of the endocrine system, testosterone replacement therapy has become increasingly popular with middle-aged and older men who do not have clear deficits but who nonetheless hope to lessen some of the symptoms of aging, including fatigue, muscle wasting and lack of sex drive.

In truth, no one knows whether the hormone can offer any of the health benefits that its proponents claim for aging males. Well-designed, placebo-controlled trials of the drug in men who do not meet the standard criteria for treatment have been scant in number, and their results have been inconsistent.

As testosterone therapy becomes more widespread, a growing number of medical experts worry that it has become too easy for men to get the hormone—whether from their own physicians or stand-alone “low T” clinics—and that many users could be putting themselves at risk for worse conditions than those they are trying to counteract.

Easy Access
Testosterone, as produced by the body, is a versatile hormone. In addition to maintaining sperm production, the molecule helps many tissues to grow: it increases muscle and bone mass, as well as the production of red blood cells—all of which are vital for energy and strength. Disease or injury in the testes or pituitary gland—a part of the brain that instructs the testes to produce testosterone—can hinder the body's ability to make the hormone. When testosterone levels dip too low, men can become depressed and lethargic, lose interest in sex, and lose some of their muscle and body hair.

While the potential risks associated with taking supplemental testosterone—particularly in otherwise healthy men—are not well studied, concern has focused on whether extra amounts of the hormone might damage the prostate, heart or brain. Many prostate tumors depend on testosterone to grow, so increasing the level found in the blood might nudge normal cells to become malignant or push malignant cells to become more aggressive. In addition, two recent studies found an increase in heart attacks and strokes among older men taking testosterone—which the authors speculated might occur if the drug increased clotting risk and drove up blood pressure. Earlier this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it is studying the matter to see whether stronger regulations are needed. In the meantime, the agency now requires all testosterone products to contain a warning label about the potential for blood clots.

As long as testosterone therapy was available only by injection, its use was largely limited to individuals with testicular injuries or other severe ailments. The treatment markedly improves mood and libido in men with these conditions, and the fda approved the drug for those situations. But fear of needles no doubt kept some men from seeking treatment.

Individuals were more willing to consider their options once pharmaceutical companies figured out how to deliver the drug more easily. A transdermal patch that delivered the medicine through the skin of the scrotum became available in 1993. (Subsequent patches could be applied to the arms, back and thighs.) But the number of men taking supplemental testosterone really began to soar in 2000, with the introduction of an even easier-to-use gel that could be rubbed on the shoulders, thighs or armpits.

Greater ease of use also led to an expansion in the number of conditions for which doctors considered testosterone therapy to be a plausible treatment in spite of any supportive data. Perhaps an extra dose of testosterone could be helpful for otherwise healthy men whose hormone levels had faded with age or because they were obese or suffered from diabetes? (It is unclear precisely why testosterone levels decline for certain individuals in these situations.) In addition, some men who did not have testicular injuries desired the sex hormone because they thought it would treat erectile dysfunction or boost their mood.

Blind Guides
Given the continuing uncertainty about the hormone, the Endocrine Society, an international organization of health care professionals focused on hormone research and endocrinology, advises doctors to perform two blood tests to confirm below-typical levels of testosterone and rule out other potential causes of their patients' symptoms before writing a prescription. Yet the most recent research suggests that between 25 and 40 percent of patients receiving testosterone replacement therapy never had a blood test to measure their testosterone before starting treatment.

Preliminary findings by Jacques Baillargeon, director of the epidemiology division in the department of preventive medicine and community health at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and his colleagues offer clues as to why so many men get testosterone prescriptions without the recommended blood work. According to their analyses of insurance claims databases, about 70 percent of men who have tried testosterone therapy did so after seeing a primary care physician, not a urologist or endocrinologist. Although Baillargeon will not speculate about why primary care physicians are more likely to write a prescription without first ordering a blood test, Glenn Cunningham, a professor of medicine and an endocrinologist at the Baylor College of Medicine, suggests that perhaps the generalists are less familiar with the Endocrine Society's guidelines.

Other sources of testosterone include increasingly common low T clinics, many of which require men to pay for prescriptions out of pocket, prompting Baillargeon to suspect “potentially inappropriate prescribing practices.”

The clinics say their staff are trained in hormone medicine and do the appropriate blood work, but such claims are hard to verify without a data trail from insurance filings. In addition, the clinics are not reviewed or regulated by medical organizations or government groups.

New Limits?
The troubling spread of testosterone therapy in men has parallels to the early use of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. Starting in the 1990s, a series of studies suggested that many women who took a combination of estrogen and progestin as they grew older would suffer less from heart disease. But by 2004, after researchers had completed two major parts of the Women's Health Initiative—which together formed a massive study of 27,347 women that compared treatment with a placebo in a scientifically rigorous way—doctors realized hormone therapy does more harm than good in most women over the long term.

The study initially prompted a dramatic drop in the number of women taking prescription hormones. Since then, however, a more nuanced view has come into focus: the proved benefit of relieving menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes is worth the risk for some women, provided they limit treatment to the first several years after menopause. “I think we are less naive” than before the Women's Health Initiative, says Bradley Anawalt, a University of Washington professor of medicine and chair of the Endocrine Society's Hormone Health Network. “We are recognizing there is never a simple answer, and we have to discover who benefits and who gets harmed.”

For testosterone, some of those answers may soon be forthcoming. Results from a series of scientific studies detailing exactly who might gain from testosterone therapy, and under what circumstances, are expected to be published starting later this year. The series started in 2009, when the U.S. government funded a team of researchers to recruit and study participants for the Testosterone Trial—a group of seven long-term studies of how testosterone therapy affects sexual activity, energy level, memory, heart and bone health, and the ability to walk a certain distance. The trial followed 788 men, aged 65 and older, whose testosterone levels in the blood were much lower than average. Half the men (the experimental group) applied a gel with testosterone to their shoulders, abdomen or upper arms each day for a year, and the other half (the control group) used a gel containing a placebo. Researchers also monitored prostate cancer risk, based on prostate-specific antigen levels and a rectal exam, and stroke risk, based on red blood cell levels during the treatment year and for at least a year afterward.

Studies of the risks of testosterone use would likely follow only if the data on benefits were promising. Health researchers often look first at benefits of a treatment because theses studies call for fewer test subjects than risk studies do. Even though such randomized placebo-controlled trials can take years to conduct, they offer the best hope for separating truth from wishful thinking.

Superfoods for weight loss

Weight Loss Toronto

 

 

 

Best 20 Superfoods For Weight Loss

 

After reading a fantastic article over at Self Magazine, I believe it’s time for a new slim-down mantra for everyone! ‘Eat more to weigh less’. This isn’t some late night infomercial pitch we should all run from! It’s all about the basics, the right foods help you drop pounds by revving your calorie burn and curbing cravings. The magazine consulted top experts for the best picks and asked leading chefs for easy, tasty ways to prepare them. Add these eats to your plate today and you’ll be slimmer and healthier in no time!

Steak

Beef has a rep as a diet buster, but eating it may help you peel off pounds. In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women on a diet that included red meat lost more weight than those eating equal calories but little beef. “The protein in steak helps you retain muscle mass during weight loss,” says study author Manny Noakes, Ph.D. Try to consume local organic beef; it’s healthier for you and the environment.

Eat more Grill or broil a 4-ounce serving of top round or sirloin; slice thinly to top a salad, or mix with veggies for fajitas.

Eggs

Dig in to eggs, yolks and all: They won’t harm your heart, but they can help you trim inches. Women on a low-calorie diet who ate an egg with toast and jelly each morning lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories but no eggs, a study from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge reports. “Egg protein is filling, so you eat less later in the day,” says David Grotto, R.D., author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life (Bantam).

Eat more Omelets and scrambles are obvious choices, but if you can’t cook before work, bake a frittata on Sunday; chill it and nuke slices for up to a week. An easy recipe: Vegetable Frittata.

Kale

Long sidelined as a lowly garnish, this green belongs center stage on your plate. One raw chopped cup contains 34 calories and about 1.3 grams of fiber, as well as a hearty helping of iron and calcium. But kale’s earthy flavor might take some getting used to. Spinach, another nutrient powerhouse, is a milder-tasting option.

Eat more Mix chopped raw kale into cooked black beans, says Jennifer Iserloh, founder of Skinny Chef Culinary Ventures, in New York City. Or slice kale into thin strips, sauté it with vegetable broth and top with orange slices. Make it a meal by tossing the mix with quinoa.

Oats

“Oatmeal has the highest satiety ranking of any food,” Grotto says. “Unlike many other carbohydrates, oats—even the instant kind—digest slowly, so they have little impact on your blood sugar.” All oats are healthful, but the steel-cut and rolled varieties (which are minimally processed) have up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, making them the most filling choice. Instant oats contain 3 to 4 grams per serving.

Eat more “Instead of using breadcrumbs, add oats to meat loaf—about 1 cup for a recipe that serves eight,” Iserloh recommends. Or try her recipe for turkey and oatmeal meatballs.

Lentils

Lentils are a bona fide belly flattener. “They’re high in protein and soluble fiber, two nutrients that stabilize blood sugar levels,” says Tanya Zuckerbrot, R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet (Putnam Adult). “Eating them helps prevent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat, especially in the abdominal area.”

Eat more There are many varieties of lentils, but red and yellow cook fastest (in about 15 to 20 minutes). Add cooked lentils to pasta sauce for a heartier dish, Zuckerbrot suggests. “Their mild flavor blends right in, and because they’re high in protein, you can skip meat altogether.”

Goji berries

These chewy, tart berries have a hunger-curbing edge over other fruit: 18 amino acids, which make them a surprising source of protein, says chef Sarah Krieger, R.D., spokeswoman in St. Petersburg, Florida, for the American Dietetic Association. (They also have more beta-carotene than carrots.) Snack on them midafternoon to stay satisfied until dinner. The calorie cost? Only 35 per tablespoon.

Eat more Mix 1/4 cup of the dried berries (from health food stores) with 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts for a nourishing trail mix. Or for dessert, pour 1/4 cup boiling water into a bowl with 2 tbsp dried berries; let sit 10 minutes. Drain, then spoon over 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt.

Wild salmon

Not only do fish fats keep your heart healthy, but they shrink your waist, too. “Omega-3 fatty acids improve insulin sensitivity—which helps build muscle and decrease belly fat,” Grotto explains. And the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. Opt for wild salmon; it may contain fewer pollutants.

Eat more You don’t need to do much to enhance salmon’s taste, says Sidra Forman, a chef and writer in Washington, D.C. “Simple is best. Season a fillet with salt and pepper, then cook it in a hot pan with 2 tsp oil for 1 to 3 minutes on each side.”

Apples

An apple a day can keep weight gain at bay, finds a study from Penn State University at University Park. People who chomped an apple before a pasta meal ate fewer calories overall than those who had a different snack. “Apples are high in fiber—4 to 5 grams each—which makes them filling,” says Susan Kraus, R.D., a clinical dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Plus, the antioxidants in apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat or an “apple shape.”

Eat more Apples are the ideal on-the-go low-calorie snack. For a pielike treat, chop up a medium apple and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Pop in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.

Buckwheat pasta

Swap plain noodles for this hearty variety; you’ll slip into your skinny jeans in no time. “Buckwheat is high in fiber and, unlike most carbs, contains protein,” Zuckerbrot says. “Those two nutrients make it very satiating, so it’s harder to overeat buckwheat pasta than the regular stuff.”

Eat more Cook this pasta as you do rice: Simmer it, covered, over low heat. For a light meal, toss cooked buckwheat pasta with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onions. Or make buckwheat crepes using our tasty recipe.

Blueberries

All berries are good for you, but those with a blue hue are among the best of the bunch. They have the highest antioxidant level of all commonly consumed fruit, according to research from the USDA Agriculture Research Service in Little Rock, Arkansas. They also deliver 3.6 grams of fiber per cup. “Fiber may actually prevent some of the fat you eat from being absorbed because fiber pulls fat through the digestive tract,” Zuckerbrot says.

Eat more Instead of topping your cereal with fruit, fill your bowl with blueberries, then sprinkle cereal on top and add milk or yogurt, Iserloh recommends.

Almond butter

Adding this spread may lower bread’s glycemic index (a measure of a food’s effect on blood sugar). A study from the University of Toronto found that people who ate almonds with white bread didn’t experience the same blood sugar surges as those who ate only the slice. “The higher blood sugar levels rise, the lower they fall; that dip leads to hunger, causing people to overeat,” says study author Cyril Kendall, Ph.D. “Furthermore, blood sugar changes cause the body to make insulin, which can increase abdominal fat.”

Eat more Try it for a change from peanut butter in sandwiches, or make a veggie dip: Mix 1 tbsp almond butter with 2 tbsp fat-free plain yogurt, Iserloh suggests. Or add a dollop to oatmeal for flavor and protein.

Pomegranates

The juice gets all the hype for being healthy, but pomegranate seeds deserve their own spotlight. In addition to being loaded with folate and disease-fighting antioxidants, they’re low in calories and high in fiber, so they satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your diet, Krieger says.

Eat more Pop the raw seeds on their own (many grocery stores sell them preshucked) as a snack at your desk. “Use them in salads instead of nuts,” Iserloh says. “They’re especially delicious on raw baby spinach with lemon–poppy seed dressing.” For another take on the seeds, use our easy recipe for sweet and spicy pomegranate salsa.

Chiles

One reason to spice up your meals: You’ll crank up your metabolism. “A compound in chiles called capsaicin has a thermogenic effect, meaning it causes the body to burn extra calories for 20 minutes after you eat the chiles,” Zuckerbrot explains. Plus, “you can’t gulp down spicy food,” she adds. “Eating slowly gives your brain time to register that your stomach is full, so you won’t overeat.”

Eat more Stuff chiles with cooked quinoa and marinara sauce, then roast them. To mellow a chile’s heat, grill it until it’s almost black, peel off charred skin and puree the flesh, Krieger says. Add the puree to pasta sauces for a one-alarm kick. Or stir red pepper flakes into any dish you enjoy.

Yogurt

Dietitians often refer to plain yogurt as the perfect food, and for good reason: With its trifecta of carbs, protein and fat, it can stave off hunger by keeping blood sugar levels steady. In a study from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, people on a low-calorie diet that included yogurt lost 61 percent more fat overall and 81 percent more belly fat than those on a similar plan but without yogurt.

Eat more “Use lowfat plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise in chicken or potato salad, or top a baked potato with a bit of yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice,” Krieger says. You’ll save 4.7 grams of fat per tablespoon. Look for Greek yogurt, which has more protein than other versions.

Quinoa

Curbing hunger is as easy as piling your plate with this whole grain. It packs both fiber (2.6 grams per 1/2 cup) and protein, a stellar nutrient combo that can keep you satisfied for hours, Krieger says.

Eat more Serve quinoa instead of rice with stir-fries, or try Krieger’s take on a scrumptious hot breakfast: Cook 1/2 cup quinoa in 2/3 cup water and 1/3 cup orange juice for 15 minutes. Top with 1 tbsp each of raisins and chopped walnuts.

Sardines

These tiny fish are the unsung stars of the sea. They are high in protein and loaded with omega-3s, which also help the body maintain muscle. And they’re low in mercury and high in calcium, making them a smart fish pick for pregnant women. If the flavor doesn’t appeal to you, “soak them in milk for an hour; it will remove any trace of fishiness,” Iserloh says.

Eat more “Use sardines in recipes you like that call for anchovies, including Caesar salad and stuffing,” Iserloh says. Or make a sardine melt: Toss whole sardines with chopped onions, fresh herbs and diced bell peppers. Put the mixture on top of a slice of pumpernickel or rye bread, cover with a slice of cheddar and broil.

Tarragon

You can use this herb, a staple in French cooking, in place of salt in marinades and salad dressings. Excess sodium causes your body to retain water, so using less salt can keep bloating at bay. Plus, tarragon lends a sweet, licoricelike flavor to bland foods. (Use the French version of the herb when possible; it’s sweeter than other varieties.)

Eat more Rub 2 tbsp dried tarragon on chicken before baking or grilling. Or make a tasty dip by mixing 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon into 4 oz lowfat plain yogurt and 1 tsp Dijon mustard, recommends Jacquelyn Buchanan, director of culinary development at Laura Chenel’s Chèvre, a fromagerie in Sonoma, California.

Parmesan

Drop that rubbery lowfat cheese and pick up the real stuff. Women who had one serving of whole milk or cheese daily were less likely to gain weight over time, a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds. Lowfat-dairy fans didn’t experience the same benefit. Whole dairy may have more conjugated linoleic acid, which might help your body burn fat. “Parmesan is so flavorful, it’s easy to stick to one serving,” Buchanan says.

Eat more “Grate Parmesan over roasted vegetables,” Buchanan offers. Or snack on a 1-ounce portion with an apple or a pear.

Avocado

Don’t let the fat content of an avocado (29 grams) scare you—that’s what makes it a top weight loss food, Kraus says. “The heart-healthy monounsaturated fat it contains increases satiety,” she says. And it’s terrific summer party food.

Eat more Add avocado to your sandwich instead of mayo for a creamy texture and a shot of flavor. Avocados do contain a lot of calories, so it’s best to watch your portions. One easy way to do it: Try Wholly Guacamole’s 100-calorie fresh guacamole packs ($3; grocery stores or WhollyGuac.com). They’re easy to pack in your lunch and pair with chopped vegetables.

Olive oil

Like avocados, olive oil has healthy fat that increases satiety, taming your appetite. But that’s hardly its only slimming feature. “Research shows it has anti-inflammatory properties,” Kraus says. Chronic inflammation in the body is linked to metabolic syndrome.

Eat more Drizzle your salad with olive oil and you’ll increase the antioxidant power of your veggies, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition notes. Or toss pasta with a few teaspoons of olive oil, fresh basil and sautéed garlic, Kraus suggests. Add this oil to your summer menus for a flatter tummy by fall.