Calories

What's the best way to lose weight - load up on proteins and cut carbohydrates? Keep the good carbs and just trim fats? Or build "healthful" fats into your diet? Scientists now say it doesn't matter as long as you consume fewer calories. A new study in The New England Journal of Medicine tested four different diets and found that participants lost similar amounts of weight on each of them. In the extensive two-year study, investigators randomly assigned more than 800 overweight participants to follow one of four heart-healthy diets, each emphasizing a different combination of carbohydrates, protein and fat. All replaced saturated with unsaturated fat and emphasized whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Thinking of taking a nice evening stroll to "walk off" your Thanksgiving dinner? Plan to be gone for more than six hours. That's how long it would take a person who weighs 155 pounds to burn the roughly 1,650 calories eaten in a typical Turkey Day feast - and that's without going back for seconds. Here's a breakdown by dish: Turkey (115 calories in 3 slices) and gravy (178 calories in 1/2 cup) = 293 calories = 71 minutes of walking Mashed potatoes = 111 calories in 1/2 cup = 14 minutes of racquetball Stuffing = 198 calories in 1/2 cup = 21 minutes of biking Green beans = 18 calories = 2 minutes of ice skating or 2 minutes of racquetball Green bean casserole = 110 calories in 2/3 cup = 13 minutes of ice skating Sweet potatoes, candied = 192 calories in 1/2 cup = 16 minutes of swimming Dinner roll = 115 calories = 14 minutes of tennis Cranberry sauce = 105 calories in 1/4 cup = 9 minutes of jumping rope Pumpkin pie = 367 calories in 1 slice = 45 minutes of jogging Glass of wine = 142 calories in 1 glass (7 ounces)

?Hip-hop gave [Don] Imus the language. He wouldn?t have known what a ?ho? was if it weren?t for rap records.? T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, author of ?Pimps Up, Ho?s Down: Hip Hop?s Hold on Young Black Women? Article, PG 4A Up Next Sunday Design with DNA It's the stuff of murder trials and paternity suits, but DNA is inspiration for art and jewelry, too. You can have a painting made of your DNA or stuff it in a locket. IN MODERN LIFE Wednesday Swimming in calories For the latest Make Over My Meal, we're redesigning breakfast for a Roland Park family with two sons who need enough calories and nutrients to sustain them through their early-morning swimming practices.

They're the hottest chicks around.In seductively synthetic colors like Day-Glo yellow, blue and pink, the sugar-coated, chick-like blobs known as Marshmallow Peeps have nested in Easter baskets for almost 60 years.And for the past four years, the campy confections -- made by Bethlehem, Pa.-based candy manufacturer Just Born -- have been one of the top-selling nonchocolate Easter candies in the United States, according to company spokeswoman Rose Craig. To meet demand, Just Born expects to produce more than 600 million Peeps this season during the chick crush from mid-February through Easter, she says.

If your children think dessert is the reason to eat a meal or that appetizing means anything advertised on television, then the revised "Taming of the C.A.N.D.Y. Monster" (Book Peddlers, 1999) by Vicki Lansky is the resource for you.The book, which first was published 20 years ago, offers practical hints and uncomplicated recipes for the pickiest eaters. Try Angel's Delight for less than 200 calories a serving. Take an angel food cake (store-bought or homemade), top with frozen whipped topping (regular or light)

America's interest in the Mediterranean diet in recent years makes olives a hot food trend. Just check out the aisles and deli sections of local supermarkets.Alongside the old standbys, the black Mission olives and green Manzanilla, more and more varieties are lining grocery shelves. Many stores have even added olive bars to their deli sections.Olives are available year-round, and with about 10 types of olives in supermarket olive bars, customers can pick and choose varieties to try without having to purchase a whole jar. When possible, taste olives before you buy them.

Imagine indulging in a softly ripened Camembert instead of creme brulee, a blue-veined Stilton instead of apple pie or a creamy goat cheese instead of chocolate mousse. xx Forget traditional gooey sweets for dessert. This is the year to say "cheese."The after-dinner cheese course, long considered a European tradition, is making a comeback on the American dinner table. Even the 1998 Zagat Restaurant Survey includes a first-time listing of where to go for the best cheese trays."Cheese is returning.

Skip that second helping of turkey. Forget the mashed potatoes and gravy, and don't even think about the cheesecake.Not to spare your waste line -- but to save your brain.University of Kentucky researchers reported this past week the first evidence suggesting that lowering daily caloric intake might provide a hedge against several age- related brain disorders, including Alzheimer's disease.Scientists proved years ago that reducing food intake increases life span in rats and mice, although such benefits haven't yet been demonstrated in larger animals.

You might think that limiting your dinner entrees to 300 calories will leave you decidedly hungry and quite possibly depressed. But how about a grilled sirloin salad? Just 215 calories.Every day we get calls and letters from readers requesting recipes that Eating Well has published over the years -- recipes that are both low in fat and calories. So here we've collected our top entrees at 300 calories or less.Spice-Crusted Chicken With Citrus SalsaMakes 4 servingsSALSA:2 navel oranges1/2 small red onion, finely chopped2 tablespoons fresh lime juice2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced1 small clove garlic, mincedsalt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteCHICKEN:1 tablespoon ground coriander1 tablespoon ground cumin1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper1 teaspoon kosher salt4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total)

* Item: Lloyd's Barbeque Sauce with Shredded Pork* Servings per package: 16* Cost: $7.79* Preparation time: 8-10 minutes to heat the full, 2-pound tub on the stove, 6-8 minutes in the microwave.* Review: If you like a barbecue sauce with bite, this is a winner. Lloyd's, a St. Paul, Minn., restaurant supplier, has combined lean shreds of pork with a tangy vinegar-and-tomato barbecue sauce. This entree comes fully cooked in a resealable tub, heats nicely ++ on the stove or in the microwave, and is low-fat to boot (90 calories per quarter-cup serving, 20 calories from fat)

For a country in which about 200 million people are overweight or obese, scientists have discouraging news: Even those who maintain a healthy weight probably should be eating less. Evidence has been mounting that the practice of caloric restriction - essentially, going on a permanent diet - greatly reduces the risk of age-related diseases and even postpones death. It has been shown to extend the lives of yeast, worms, flies, spiders, fish, mice and rats. Now, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and released today, many of the same benefits have been demonstrated in primates, the best evidence yet that caloric restriction would help people.

What's the best way to lose weight - load up on proteins and cut carbohydrates? Keep the good carbs and just trim fats? Or build "healthful" fats into your diet? Scientists now say it doesn't matter as long as you consume fewer calories. A new study in The New England Journal of Medicine tested four different diets and found that participants lost similar amounts of weight on each of them. In the extensive two-year study, investigators randomly assigned more than 800 overweight participants to follow one of four heart-healthy diets, each emphasizing a different combination of carbohydrates, protein and fat. All replaced saturated with unsaturated fat and emphasized whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

To cut calories on your eggnog, consider taking the "egg" out - and going for the vegan version. Half a cup of Silk Soymilk Natural Nog has fewer than half the calories of Southern Comfort Vanilla Spice Egg Nog, and also saves you 7 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat and 15 grams carbohydrate. (That's before you add any hooch.) Kate Shatzkin Southern Comfort Vanilla Spice Egg Nog Per serving ( 1/2 cup) 220 calories 5 grams protein 9 grams fat 5 grams saturated fat 30 grams carbohydrate 0 grams fiber 65 milligrams cholesterol 100 milligrams sodium Silk Soymilk Natural Nog Per serving ( 1/2 cup)

Hungry for fish at P.F. Chang's China Bistro? The Hot Fish, with crispy catfish slices in a Szechwan sauce, sounds fun, but its calorie and fat counts are steep. If you choose the Oolong Marinated Sea Bass instead, you'll save a whopping 817 calories and 59 grams of fat, including 11 grams of saturated fat, along with 71 grams carbohydrate. Hot Fish Per serving: 1,338 calories 60 grams protein 71 grams fat 14 grams saturated fat 111 grams carbohydrate 8 grams fiber Oolong Marinated Sea Bass Per serving: 521 calories 64 grams protein 12 grams fat 3 grams saturated fat 40 grams carbohydrate 3 grams fiber Nutritional analysis and photos from P.F. Chang's China Bistro.

Briana CaBell didn't need a physician to tell her she had to do something about her diet. An admitted carb-fats-salt junkie who's been overweight as long as she can remember, CaBell has known for years that she needed to mend her food ways, to stop thinking of salty, deep-fried onion rings as a vegetable staple and, especially, curb her fast-food intake. The 30-year-old single Laurel resident said the time constraints of working two jobs, plus sharing a small catering business with her mother, squeezing in college courses and maintaining a schedule of church activities keep her on the run from before dawn to late in the evening.

The 21st century has many problems, but a shortage of information is not one of them. Trying to avoid being endlessly barraged with facts is like trying to stay dry in a hurricane. But no matter. One government body after another has the idea that some people need more information, and it will be supplied or else. The targets of this campaign are restaurants. New York City has a new law commanding chain outlets to post the calorie count of every item on menus and menu boards. The legislatures in New York and California are considering state laws to require even more extensive disclosures.

It can take more than a commitment to eat right these days. It can also take some research before you head to the grocery. Is there a difference between "low fat" and "fat free"? Is "natural" the same as "organic"? Is "whole wheat" the same as "100 percent whole grain"? The short answer: Words matter. The government specifically defines some labels but not others, the food industry makes up some of its own rules, and consumers are left to make sense of it all. The consequences can be significant.

Are you hosting or going to a Super Bowl party this year? Should you "pass" on the pork rinds, call a "flag" on the fried foods and "run" past the potato chips? These are some questions people might face during the game. Is it possible to avoid all temptations? Probably not, but you can make a few smart choices to help reduce the caloric load andstill enjoy yourself. Here are a few helpful hints to stay on track: Aim for 30 percent. Most people do not think about eating fruits and vegetables at Super Bowl parties, but finding ways to sneak in a few and making them about 30 percent of your intake can help your waistline.

Thinking of taking a nice evening stroll to "walk off" your Thanksgiving dinner? Plan to be gone for more than six hours. That's how long it would take a person who weighs 155 pounds to burn the roughly 1,650 calories eaten in a typical Turkey Day feast - and that's without going back for seconds. Here's a breakdown by dish: Turkey (115 calories in 3 slices) and gravy (178 calories in 1/2 cup) = 293 calories = 71 minutes of walking Mashed potatoes = 111 calories in 1/2 cup = 14 minutes of racquetball Stuffing = 198 calories in 1/2 cup = 21 minutes of biking Green beans = 18 calories = 2 minutes of ice skating or 2 minutes of racquetball Green bean casserole = 110 calories in 2/3 cup = 13 minutes of ice skating Sweet potatoes, candied = 192 calories in 1/2 cup = 16 minutes of swimming Dinner roll = 115 calories = 14 minutes of tennis Cranberry sauce = 105 calories in 1/4 cup = 9 minutes of jumping rope Pumpkin pie = 367 calories in 1 slice = 45 minutes of jogging Glass of wine = 142 calories in 1 glass (7 ounces)

President Bush likes his books and his bike. The leader of the free world was recently quoted as saying he likes to burn at least 1,000 calories during his daily workout. And he has a reading race going with former adviser Karl Rove to see who can log the most books in a year. Rove told Rush Limbaugh that when Bush fell behind, 110 to 94, the president said it was because he was busy being the leader of the free world. My question is this: How does the leader of the free world have time for daily two-hour workouts and to read 100 books?