Calories And Fat

If you really love your Valentine, don't give her an enormous box of fancy candies. The most thoughtful gift may be a small - make that 1 ounce - piece of dark chocolate, says Lawrence Cheskin, associate professor of medicine and human nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and director of the gastroenterology division at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Chocolate, used by the Aztecs as an aphrodisiac, has been called "the food of gods" for centuries. In recent years, it has been shown to offer some health benefits.

AS THE DAYS get cooler and shorter it's time for the ultimate comfort foods -- soup. This thick creamy soup uses sweet potatoes and white potatoes for a rich, hearty flavor. Best of all, it's low in calories and fat.Two Potato Soup4 cups chicken stock or broth1 tablespoon olive oil4 cups leeks, white part only, carefully washed and chopped1 teaspoon garlic, minced1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper2 cups white potatoes, cut into 1/2 -inch dice2 cups sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 -inch dice1 teaspoon curry powder1/2 teaspoon garlic powderPinch turmeric to taste1 tablespoon lemon juiceFinely chopped red, green and yellow peppers for garnishHeat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat.

French Silk Chocolate Pie is one of the world's ultimate chocolate indulgences. However, the dreamy dessert has a bad side: It's loaded with fat and calories.Our recipe here has about half the calories and fat of the original.Lighter Chocolate Silk PieMakes 8 servingsCRUST:11 whole graham crackers2 tablespoons granulated sugar1 egg whiteFILLING:1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese1 cup powdered sugar1 whole egg2 egg whites1 (2-ounce) square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled1 teaspoon vanilla1/3 cup heavy whipping cream1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts or almondsHeat the oven to 350. In a food processor or blender, grind graham crackers into fine crumbs.

Tuna Noodle Casserole is a comforting family classic. This made-over version from a new EatingWell cookbook shaves calories and fat and speeds preparation. As a one-pot meal, it also fit our budget for a family of four, with some left over for another night. shopping list Egg noodles: $1.36 Olive oil: 17 cents Onion: 50 cents Mushrooms: $2.29 Wine: $1.28 Flour: 8 cents Milk: 52 cents Tuna: $2 Peas: 64 cents Cheese: $1.74 Bread crumbs: 40 cents From the pantry: salt, pepper TOTAL: $10.98* Note: Prices are calculated based on the amounts used in the recipe.

If you celebrated the long holiday weekend by overindulging, you're probably looking for some low-fat summer meals to help "balance out" the calories and fat.That could mean a week of dry and dusty punishment food. Or, if you're clever with spices and seasonings, it could mean delicious fare that keeps the coals glowing into the coming week. For starters, try turkey burgers. The folks from Shady Brook note the average American consumes 5 pounds of fat each year from hamburgers alone.By replacing ground beef with ground turkey breast, you can reduce your yearly fat intake by 4 1/2 pounds!

Taco Salad Night," the meal that I grew up looking forward to once a week, is a quick and easy way to get nutritious food on the table fast. It also allows the kids to have fun creating their own plates. My mom used to put each ingredient in its own bowl, and we would make our own dinners choosing from bowls we searched for while spinning the Lazy Susan. Tips To core a head of lettuce, pound the base of the core against the sink or countertop once or twice until you feel it loosen. The core will pull out easily.

Baby, it's cold outside, very cold. And when you come inside, you want something warming, and you want it right away. This dish almost could be called "snow-shovel soup" in honor of its warming properties after that hated winter task, but it's not quite a soup, nor quite a pasta dish. The broth gets added near the end, and it's just enough to float the stars of the dish: the sausage, greens and other vegetables. All you need add is a good crusty bread. For dessert, a bit of a downscale guilty pleasure after the healthful- ness of the main dish: canned cling peaches in heavy syrup (light syrup only saves you about 20 calories, so who are we kidding?

Love to snack -- but need to watch your intake of calories and fat? Plain popping corn contains no cholesterol, sugar, artificial additives or preservatives.Popcorn has a lot going for it.The U.S. Department of Agriculture says one cup of plain popcorn popped in a hot air popper contains only 23 calories. The American Dental Association recommends plain popcorn as a sugar-free snack alternative.The American Dietetic Association includes popcorn as a preferable bread exchange on weight-control diets.

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post to The Baltimore Sun's health blog Picture of Health (baltimoresun.com/pictureofhealth), which is reprinted here. This week, Emily Rice, dietetic intern, weighs in on picnic foods. The weather is warming up, and for many of us this means heading outdoors to enjoy all the spring and summer have to offer. Sunshine, fresh fruits and vegetables, and friends make for the perfect picnic; however, many of us struggle with picnic temptations.

If you're looking for a meaty fish dinner, nothing compares with a thick fish steak. A generously cut fish steak can be cooked on the grill, in the broiler or on top of the stove.Fish steaks offer the satisfying mouth-feel of beef at a fraction of the calories and fat. But even within the fish category, you'll see a wide range in fat content. Albacore tuna is highest, and halibut is lowest among the popular fish choices for steak cuts. You'll notice the difference when you take a bite.Tuna, salmon and swordfish have a sweet taste that does have a hint of fish oil in it. (Relax.