Can Chewing Gum Help You Drop Pounds?

Reaching for a stick of gum to curb your cravings may do more harm than good: Chewing minty gum before a meal can actually set you up to make less nutritious food choices, according to a new study in the journal Eating Behaviors.

Researchers from the University at Buffalo wanted to know if there was any truth to the commonly held conception that chewing gum can reduce hunger and help you lose weight. In their first experiment, 44 participants each went through three sessions: One where they chewed minty gum, one where they chewed fruity gum, and one where they didn’t chew any gum. After each session, they filled out a survey and played games that rewarded them with either healthy or unhealthy foods (they were free to choose which game to play). On average, participants reported a decrease in hunger after chewing gum. The problem: After chewing the minty gum, they ate smaller quantities of the healthy foods—but still ate the same amount of junk foods as they had after chewing the fruity gum or no gum at all. So that stick of spearmint might curb your hunger, but it’ll also make you pick a bag of chips over an orange.

In the second experiment, 54 participants were given food diaries to keep for three weeks. For two of those weeks, they were told to chew gum before every single snack, meal, and drink they had (except for calorie-free drinks, like water or black coffee). One week they chewed Eclipse mint gum, and the other week they chewed Nutratrim mint gum, which is marketed as a diet supplement. Surprisingly, people ate fewer snacks or meals but consumed more calories per meal during both gum-chewing weeks. They also took in much fewer nutrients during those weeks, since they weren’t snacking on fruits and veggies as much. Overall, the total calories for each week stayed about the same, which pretty much debunks the chewing gum myth—not to mention the claims attached to the weight-loss gum.

The simple reason: Mint flavoring doesn’t mix well with most fruits and vegetables, says study co-author Christine Swoboda, now a PhD student at Ohio State University. Gum may help you cut down on snacking, but it can also prevent you from choosing healthy foods, says Swoboda. Plus, snacking isn’t exactly a sin—a handful of almonds or grapes throughout the day can give you extra nutrients and help keep you from overeating during meals.

The bottom line: Don’t rely on a stick of gum to help you lose weight. Instead, check out these ways to curb cravings and eat healthier:

Tempted to Eat Junk Food?

7 Ways to Stop Your Cravings for Junk Food

Healthy Foods That Satisfy Salt and Sugar Cravings

Tips to Curb Your Sweet Tooth and Other Cravings

Use Your Brain to Fight Cravings

Get Rid of Emotional Binging

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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How Your Wallet Can Help You Lose Weight

Trying to lose weight? Money can be a serious motivator: People who receive financial incentives are more likely to stick to weight-loss programs and tend to drop more pounds than people who try to slim down without them, according to a new Mayo Clinic study.

The study followed 100 people between the ages of 18 to 63 over a one-year period.  All of the participants had body mass indexes of 30 or higher, which is considered obese. They were given a goal of losing 4 pounds per month. Each participant was assigned to one of four different groups: two with financial incentives and two without.

Participants who met their monthly target goal got $ 20 each month, while those who didn’t had to cough up $ 20 that went into a pooled account. Participants in the incentive groups who completed the program were also entered into a lottery to win the pooled money.

Even though $ 20 a month isn’t a big payout, the groups’ results were drastically different. Sixty-two percent of the cash incentive groups completed the study, while just 26 percent of the other groups did. Those in the cash-driven groups also lost 9.08 pounds on average, compared to the other groups’ average weight loss of 2.34 pounds.

It wasn’t just participants getting money who were more likely to stick with the routine, either; those who paid cash penalties were also more likely to finish the program than those who received no financial incentive, according to the study.

“It’s human nature that we tend to make choices that provide immediate gratification,” says Steven Driver, MD, an internal medicine resident at the Mayo Clinic. “Financial incentives help by counteracting immediate rewards and promoting healthy behavior changes that we wish we would do more often.”

How can you use this news in your own life? Download GymPact, a free app that gives cash rewards for working out. You set how many days a week you’ll hit the gym and choose what you’re willing to pay if you don’t follow through (for example, you might sign up for five days a week, with $ 5 on the line each day). Every week, the money paid by non-exercisers who missed their workouts is divided and paid out to those who met their goals. You can’t cheat, either: GymPact keeps you honest by making you check into your gym via your smartphone each time you go.

For another option, visit HealthyWage, a website that gives you monetary rewards for your weight loss. You can join the site’s 10 Percent Challenge for a fee of $ 150, and if you lose at least 10 percent of your body weight over a six-month period, you’ll walk away with $ 300. Talk about a win-win!

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Body Reset Diet Slim down in 15 days! Expert Harley Pasternak offers a proven program to shed pounds without sacrificing health or convenience in The Body Reset. Order now!

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How Twitter Can Help You Lose Weight

Did you wake up early for your new spin class? Tweet about it! A new study from the University of South Carolina shows using Twitter as a support network can help people shed extra pounds.

Researchers looked at 96 obese men and women over a period of six months. In the main trial, they were divided into two groups: those who received informational podcasts about weight loss, and those who received the podcasts plus mobile apps for Twitter and tracking their nutrition and exercise along with other group members. After six months, both groups saw a 2.7 percent reduction in weight. However, when researchers looked specifically within the mobile group to examine how Twitter may have helped participants battle the bulge, they saw that every 10 posts to the social-media site resulted in a -0.5 percent weight loss.

Or, to put it simply: “Those who were engaged with Twitter lost more weight,” says lead researcher Brie Turner-McGrievy, Ph.D. Which makes sense, if you think about it from a social perspective. A group-based approach to weight loss can be helpful—the group provides a support network, and also helps keep everyone a bit more honest and motivated. “We were interested in finding a way to provide that group social support online during our intervention,” Turner-McGrievy says. “We chose Twitter because we wanted people to feel free to post multiple, brief messages each day, and have the choice to be anonymous.”

You can try using an online social network to keep you accountable for your health goals, too—no need to be a social media guru. Turner-McGrievy suggests the following:

Pinpoint Bloggers
Look up others tracking their own fitness journeys, and follow along. “I suggest first to search for weight loss bloggers online who also have a Twitter account,” says Turner-McGrievy. “Start by following them and then see who their users are. Follow the users you find who are similar to you.”

Interact
Don’t just watch others talk health; dive in. “Start tweeting!” Turner-McGrievy says. “Twitter is an amazing way to connect with other people who are also attempting to start an exercise, healthy-eating and weight-loss program.” Interaction is key. You want to feel like you’re in it together with other users, not like you’re alone on an island.

Update Your Status
No need to worry about making tweets witty or particularly newsworthy, Turner-McGrievy insists. “The posts to Twitter were mostly in the form of status updates, so just telling people that you went to the gym or stuck to your calorie goals for the day was helpful,” she says. “The nice thing about Twitter is it’s expected that you will post multiple times per day, and you can be fairly anonymous… Our study participants liked having the ability to be anonymous and not have to worry about a friend knowing they were trying to lose weight.”

Try Facebook
While Twitter’s anonymity is certainly great if you want it, Facebook may also work, especially if you can join a weight-loss group or have real-life friends getting fit along with you. “In a current weight loss trial we are conducting among women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, we are using private Facebook groups and have had good success with those,” Turner-McGrievy says.

photo: Spike Mafford/Photodisc/Thinkstock

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4 Ways Your Social Network Can Help You Lose Weight

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How Twitter Can Help You Lose Weight

Did you wake up early for your new spin class? Tweet about it! A new study from the University of South Carolina shows using Twitter as a support network can help people shed extra pounds.

Researchers looked at 96 obese men and women over a period of six months. In the main trial, they were divided into two groups: those who received informational podcasts about weight loss, and those who received the podcasts plus mobile apps for Twitter and tracking their nutrition and exercise along with other group members. After six months, both groups saw a 2.7 percent reduction in weight. However, when researchers looked specifically within the mobile group to examine how Twitter may have helped participants battle the bulge, they saw that every 10 posts to the social-media site resulted in a -0.5 percent weight loss.

Or, to put it simply: “Those who were engaged with Twitter lost more weight,” says lead researcher Brie Turner-McGrievy, Ph.D. Which makes sense, if you think about it from a social perspective. A group-based approach to weight loss can be helpful—the group provides a support network, and also helps keep everyone a bit more honest and motivated. “We were interested in finding a way to provide that group social support online during our intervention,” Turner-McGrievy says. “We chose Twitter because we wanted people to feel free to post multiple, brief messages each day, and have the choice to be anonymous.”

You can try using an online social network to keep you accountable for your health goals, too—no need to be a social media guru. Turner-McGrievy suggests the following:

Pinpoint Bloggers
Look up others tracking their own fitness journeys, and follow along. “I suggest first to search for weight loss bloggers online who also have a Twitter account,” says Turner-McGrievy. “Start by following them and then see who their users are. Follow the users you find who are similar to you.”

Interact
Don’t just watch others talk health; dive in. “Start tweeting!” Turner-McGrievy says. “Twitter is an amazing way to connect with other people who are also attempting to start an exercise, healthy-eating and weight-loss program.” Interaction is key. You want to feel like you’re in it together with other users, not like you’re alone on an island.

Update Your Status
No need to worry about making tweets witty or particularly newsworthy, Turner-McGrievy insists. “The posts to Twitter were mostly in the form of status updates, so just telling people that you went to the gym or stuck to your calorie goals for the day was helpful,” she says. “The nice thing about Twitter is it’s expected that you will post multiple times per day, and you can be fairly anonymous… Our study participants liked having the ability to be anonymous and not have to worry about a friend knowing they were trying to lose weight.”

Try Facebook
While Twitter’s anonymity is certainly great if you want it, Facebook may also work, especially if you can join a weight-loss group or have real-life friends getting fit along with you. “In a current weight loss trial we are conducting among women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, we are using private Facebook groups and have had good success with those,” Turner-McGrievy says.

photo: Spike Mafford/Photodisc/Thinkstock

More from WH:
Follow Women’s Health on Twitter!
How to Use Social Media to Land a Job
4 Ways Your Social Network Can Help You Lose Weight

Discover surprising walking tips, tricks, and techniques to melt fat fast and get a tighter, firmer butt with Walk Your Butt Off! Buy it now!

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Could Expensive Junk Food Help You Lose Weight?


The next time you’re grocery shopping, ask yourself this: Would you still be tempted to buy that box of cookies if it cost ten bucks instead of just three? Scientists say probably not. The more expensive sugary sodas and junk foods are, the less likely people are to buy them, according to a new study in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Researchers from the University of Auckland and University of Otago analyzed data from 32 different studies examining pricing models and food consumption. They found that raising the price of sodas by 10 percent is associated with a 1 to 24 percent decrease in the consumption of soda. Likewise, a 1 percent price hike in foods with saturated fat is associated with a 0.02 percent decrease in consumption of those foods. And even more promising: Turns out, lowering the price of fruits and vegetables by 10 percent could result in a 2 to 8 percent increase in consumption of produce.

In short: If it’s affordable, people will buy it—regardless of whether it helps or hurts their health. That’s why food companies price large items at a discount—they know it’ll drive sales, says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University and author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Unfortunately, healthy options tend to be much more expensive than junky items. “The Department of Commerce says the indexed price of fresh fruits and vegetables has gone up by about 40 percent since 1980 whereas the indexed price of sodas has declined by about 15 percent,” Nestle says. “That’s a big incentive to buy sodas.”

The good news is that you don’t need to be a member of the 1 percent to maintain a nutritious diet. These five meals are hearty, full of nutrients, and will cost you less than $ 28 altogether. See all the recipes, including chicken lettuce cups and curried chicken couscous.

Image: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Can Soda Help You Lose Weight?

If your goal is to lose weight, no one will tell you to drink more soda. But Pepsi Special, a new fiber-infused soda from Pepsi-Cola, has been marketed as being able to block fat and reduce hunger. And some nutritionists are calling foul.

The sugar-free beverage contains wheat dextrin, a starch fiber extracted from processed wheat. Fiber—the indigestible part of plants—has been shown to steady blood sugar and help you feel full for longer. Additionally, a 2006 study from the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Tokyo found that rats that ate both dextrin and fat absorbed less fat than rats fed only fat.

However, added fiber doesn’t necessarily have the same weight-loss benefits as fiber you can get from whole foods, says Joanne Slavin, PhD., professor of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. According to her research, eating or drinking items with added fiber doesn’t decrease hunger, food cravings, or consumption throughout the day. “Whole foods make people feel fuller than beverages of the same fiber content—even when fat, carbohydrate, and calorie content is the same,” she says.

Another point of concern: The downside of a mass-marketed fiber-infused soda outweighs any potential benefits. “Fortifying foods that aren’t nutritional can be dangerous,” Slavin says. “It leads people to think that unhealthy foods are good for them.”

And make no mistake: Sodas are not healthy, even when sugar-free and infused with fiber. Consumption of soft drinks has been linked to cancer, diabetes, kidney problems, and accelerated aging. And that’s not just the sugar-laden kind. According to a 2011 study from the University of Texas at San Antonio, people who drink two diet sodas a day have waist circumferences five times longer on average than those who abstain from the soda.

The good news is you don’t need to rely on fibrous sodas for your fiber fix. Try these whole foods, instead:

Whole Grains
Refined grains have been stripped down, so they don’t have as much fiber as whole. Wheat bran packs the most fiber (3.5 grams of fiber per serving) and is the best at halting hunger, Slavin says. Buy it whole to add to baked goods or sprinkle over soups, cereals or salads.

Beans and Legumes
A cup of black beans or lentils will score you more than half of your daily fiber needs. They’re also high in protein, which can further help keep hunger at bay.

Fruits and Veggies
While all fruits and vegetables are fiber-filled, cruciferous vegetables (think broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflowers) are your best bets when it comes to meeting your daily fiber goals. Just eat them raw (or minimally cooked) whenever possible, because heat can damage a plant’s fiber reserve and reduce its beneficial effects, Slavin says.

photo: Hemera/Thinkstock

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When Being Neurotic May Actually Help You

Turns out neuroticism isn’t all bad after all—it might be a sign that you’re in good health. People who are both neurotic and conscientious tend to have lower levels of a biomarker linked to inflammation-related conditions, like heart disease, arthritis, asthma, stroke, and some cancers, according to a new study from the University of Rochester Medical Center.

In the study, participants rated how accurately 26 adjectives matched their personalities. Each adjective related to one of the “Big 5” personality traits—neuroticism, extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. The researchers also periodically drew participants’ blood and tested for levels of the inflammation-related biomarker, Interleukin 6 (IL-6). People who showed signs of both neuroticism and conscientiousness had the lowest levels of IL-6.

It makes sense: personality traits tend to be associated with certain lifestyle behaviors that ultimately influence your health and well-being, says Nicholas Turiano, PhD, post-doctoral fellow in the URMC Department of Psychiatry and lead study author.

“People that are really neurotic—people that have a lot of anxiety—are going to self-medicate this anxiety,” Turiano says. Worst-case scenario: They binge eat, drink too much, and smoke—all of which can cause inflammation in the body. They also might not think of the long-term consequences of their unhealthy habits, he says. On the other hand, people with high levels of conscientiousness usually have better eating habits, like to exercise, and won’t abuse drugs or alcohol. And those who have high levels of both neuroticism and conscientiousness have different ways of dealing with stress, which can result in a “healthy neuroticism,” an anxiety that’s actually good for you.

“Healthy neuroticism is using your anxiety to not ruminate and get stuck in your problems,” says Turiano. “You’re so in-tune with what’s going on in your body—you have that much anxiety about your health—that you’re going to do something about it.” So though still neurotic, these people are able to think about the long-term consequences of their habits, which can lead to better decision-making, and a much healthier body.

Though neurotic symptoms and experiences vary by person, what makes them healthy (and even kind of useful), is if you have the self-discipline and high level of responsibility to actually do something about whatever’s stressing you out, according to Jon Belford, PhD, a psychologist based in New York City. So, for example, feeling anxious about things over which you have no control (like terrorism attacks or natural disasters) isn’t helpful or healthy. If, however, you freak out before a presentation at work, but take steps to prepare for it and make sure it goes off without a hitch, then it’s a healthy worry, he says.

Still, sometimes stress can get the better of you—where, even if you conceivably could control a situation’s outcome, you’re too stressed to take any necessary steps in the right direction. In those instances, here’s how to deal:

Breathe deeply. There’s a reason people tell you to take a deep breath. It’s a relaxation technique that can help keep you calm and clear your mind. (Here, more ways deep breathing can help your health.)

Give yourself a reality check. “Recognize the difference between the things you can change and the things you can’t,” says Belford. Also, if you’ve gone through a similar (or worse!) situation in the past, remind yourself that you got through it then, and can definitely get through it now.

Try to track your specific thoughts. “If you have been ruminating about a specific worry, or reacting to a certain thing for a long period of time, recognize that,” says Belford. Once you’re aware of what led to your anxiety, try to put steps together that will make the experience better in the future, he says.

Click here for more keep-your-cool tricks.

Image: Stockbyte/Thinkstock
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Can Breast-Feeding Help You Lose Baby Weight?

 
The conversation surrounding breast-feeding versus bottle-feeding usually pegs health benefits against convenience. A less common talking point? The reported pound-shedding effect of nursing your baby.

Model Alessandra Ambrosio, who had her second child in May, told US Weekly that she attributes her postpartum slim-down to Pilates, spinning, surfing, and…breast-feeding.

Then there’s celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, who had her second child four months ago and whose clients include lithe mamas Gwyneth Paltrow and Christy Turlington. Anderson recently told the Huffington Post that, when it comes to dropping baby weight, “My number one thing is that I’m a big breastfeeding advocate.” Of course, Anderson also advocates working out once your doctor gives you the green light.

So is breast-feeding the sure-fire way to fit back into your regular clothes? Yes and no. Research does support that breast-feeding can help new moms lose weight, says Tanya Zuckerbrot, M.S., R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet. But it’s not the only way to slim down—we’ll get to that in a minute. First, here’s a science primer.

Why Breast Feeding Can Make You Slimmer
“As far as a caloric burn, it is true that breast-feeding moms do burn 300-500 calories a day,” Zuckerbrot says. But your body requires energy (read: calories) to create breast milk, she says, so doctors typically recommend women eat a few hundred extra calories a day. If a breast-feeding woman loses weight rapidly, it’s usually because she’s not taking in any extra calories.

But Zuckerbrot says that nursing isn’t the golden ticket to a pre-baby body. “A lot of women say it helps with a lot of the weight up front, but the last 10 pounds, if you’re breast-feeding, are very hard to lose.”

The Weight-Gain Equation
What else will help you can help new moms slim down? Not gaining too much weight during pregnancy. Doctors recommend gaining only 25 to 30 pounds, she says, and after childbirth, moms will lose 15 pounds (the weight of the baby, placenta, blood, and fluids).

“It’s understandable for women who only gain those 25 pounds to be back in their skinny jeans two months later because you can lose 10 pounds in two months, whether you’re breast-feeding or not,” Zuckerbrot says.

It’s a lot harder to lose baby weight when women use pregnancy as an opportunity to think that they can eat whatever they want, she says. For instance, if an expectant mom gains 50 or 60 pounds, she’ll have 35 to 45 pounds to lose after childbirth. That’s a tall order—and a poor health choice.

“That weight was not beneficial to a healthy pregnancy,” Zuckerbrot says. “If anything, gaining too much weight could put you at risk for gestational diabetes, an extra large baby—which can lead to complications during delivery—and preeclampsia.”

The New Mommy Eating Plan
Whether you choose to feed your baby by breast or bottle, chances are that you’ll be desperate for energy and maybe you’ll be looking to drop some extra weight. The R.D.’s RX? A high-fiber, high-protein diet.

By combining those two nutrients in every meal, you’ll be using food to stabilize your blood sugar, which will also help stabilize your mood and give you consistent energy throughout the day, she says.

Protein is essential to satiety, plus it will ensure that if you’re losing weight, you’re not losing muscle mass to boot. Since fiber is indigestible, it adds bulk to foods but has no calories. So you can eat a lot of food (specifically, nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and feel full without taking in a lot of calories.  “If you’re feeling fuller longer, you’re doing less unnecessary snacking between meals and less overeating at the next meal,” Zuckerbrot says.

A note on water: Drinking plenty of water will also help you feel full, and it can help sidestep G.I. issues that might arise with eating a lot of fiber. Plus, breast milk is 50 percent water, so nursing moms need to make sure they’re not getting dehydrated.

Zuckerbrot provided these high-protein, high-fiber meal ideas. Enjoy!

Breakfast
• Parfait: Greek yogurt, high-fiber cereal (look for at least 8g of fiber per serving), cup of berries. (raspberries have 8g of fiber per cup, blueberries have 5)
• Omelet: Egg white omelet filled with your favorite veggies, topped with a little low-fat cheese, served with high-fiber English muffin, whole wheat toast, or high-fiber wrap

Lunch
• Soup: lentil soup with a whole-wheat roll, split pea soup with high-fiber crackers
• Sandwich: Whole grain bread with any lean protein (tuna salad, turkey, roast beef, grilled chicken, tofu)
• Salad: lettuce and vegetables with grilled shrimp, grilled chicken, or canned tuna

Snack (200 calories or less)
• 1 ounce of pistachios and an apple
• Yogurt parfait, if you didn’t eat it for breakfast
• Whole-wheat pita with tomato sauce and low-fat mozzarella
• Toast or crackers with peanut butter and sliced banana
• Pear with almond butter
• Cottage cheese with almonds and fruit
• Smoothie with tofu or yogurt, frozen berries, protein powder, ice

Dinner
Zuckerbrot recommends protein and vegetables—no carbs. “In the absence of carbohydrates is when your body burns fat for fuel,” she says, so shunning carbs at night will help with weight loss. “But for moms who are breast-feeding and the baby isn’t sleeping through the night, you might still want carbs at night so you have more energy.”

photo: Polka Dot/Thinkstock

 
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Help! What Do I Do With Pumpkin Seeds?

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E Links to other Time Inc. websitesGo to Health.comSweepstakesHealth NewsettersSubscribeHealthy & HappyNews & ViewsFamilyHome and TravelMind and BodyMoneySex and RelationshipsDiet & FitnessFitness • Cardio • Strength • YogaWeight Loss • Diets • Dieting TipsFood & RecipesEating • Cooking • Nutrition • Restaurants and Fast    FoodsRecipesBeauty & StyleBeauty • Skincare • Hair • Makeup • StyleCelebrity • Celebrity Tips • Celebrity HealthHealth A-ZAlzheimer’s DiseaseAsthmaBipolar DisorderBirth ControlBreast CancerChildhood VaccinesCholesterolChronic PainCold, Flu, and SinusCOPDCrohn’s DiseaseDepressionDiabetes (Type 2)FibromyalgiaGERDHeadaches & MigrainesIncontinenceMenopauseOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisRheumatoid ArthritisSexual HealthSleep DisordersUlcerative ColitisMore ConditionsMagazineCurrent IssueSubscribeTablet EditionArchiveGive a Gift SubscriptionCustomer ServiceMedia KitAge-Proof Your BonesHome >> Food & Recipes >> Eating >> Cooking >> Dig them out of your jack-o’-lantern or buy them in the store, just be sure to use them in these four delicious recipes. Comments: Add | Read wheat-bread-pumpkinCredit: Istockphoto

prev1 of 5nextAll about pepitas

Often called pepitas in grocery stores, pumpkin seeds are heavyweights in the nutrition department. One ounce of these nuts has 10% of your DRI of iron, 30% of your DRI of magnesium, and 25% of your DRI of zinc. Plus they have plenty of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Dig them out of your jack-o’-lantern or buy them in the store, just be sure to use them in these four delicious recipes.

Whole-Wheat Bread With Walnuts, Sesame, and Pumpkin Seeds

Get fiber and protein with a slice of this hearty bread. Low-fat yogurt and honey provide unrefined sweetness, while pumpkin and sesame seeds offer a grainy texture. Serve this hot out of the oven with a little bit of apple jam or orange marmalade.

Try this recipe: Whole-Wheat Bread With Walnuts, Sesame, and Pumpkin Seeds

Next: Spinach Salad With Cranberries and Pumpkin Seeds

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Help Team USA Athletes

team usa
With just 17 days until the opening ceremonies, the 2012 Olympic Games are fast approaching—and time is running out even faster for you to turn your Olympic anticipation into action and help out Team USA.

This year, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) launched the Raise Our Flag campaign, which gives Olympic supporters and fanatics alike the chance to literally be a part of the Games. By donating $ 12 to the initiative by Thursday, July 12, you’re contributing one stitch to the fabric of the American flag that will wave high and mighty during the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Unlike many other nations, the United States doesn’t offer direct federal funding to athletic programs such as the USOC. Because of this, the Olympic Committee must rely on television contracts, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations to generate revenue for the 750+ U.S. Olympians and Paralympians who will compete in London.

The donations provide the athletes with necessities like housing during the games, prepared meals, groceries, and training equipment (like boxing rings, weights, and wrestling mats). Every stitch is honored on the Donor’s Wall of the Team USA website and can be dedicated to a friend, family member, or athlete.

The Raise Our Flag campaign is a great way to show our athletes that we acknowledge their determination and we’re on their team—over every hurdle and across every court. Who knows, it could be your one stitch that determines whether Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh get a new practice volleyball or Allyson Felix gets a week’s worth of high-protein dinners to keep her lean and strong.

In addition to watching Olympic coverage from your couch, take the next step and become part of the journey to the 2012 London Olympics by donating a stitch through Raise Our Flag.

Raise Our Flag: By the Numbers
•  25,712 (and counting): The number of stitches that have already been purchased and sewn into the Team USA flag
• 308,544: The amount in dollars that has been donated in stitches
• 417: The largest single-donation contribution of stitches so far ($ 5,004)
• 40: The number of stitches needed to supply one athlete with a month of prepared meals
• 1,100: The number of stitches needed to provide one boxing ring
• 15: The number of stitches needed to supply one athlete with groceries for a month (just think about the 12,000 calories per day that Michael Phelps needs to consume in order to maintain his medal-winning physique!)
• 75: The number of stitches needed to supply one wrestling mat
• 1,600: The number of stitches needed for a full set of weights
• 125: The number of stitches that provide starting blocks for the USA swimming team (you’re welcome, Natalie Coughlin, and we salute you)

To donate, go to raiseourflag.teamusa.org!

photo: Photodisc/Thinkstock

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