About five years ago, I started this project of losing weight and getting healthy. I wanted my 50's to be my best years yet. I made a lot of changes in my diet, I joined a gym and went regularly and I made sure to walk and move every day. I've added some yoga, strength training and even little pilates to my regimen. So, I know I am a lot healthier than I was five years ago. Things are tighter and I'm stronger, and discovering my gluten intolerance and taking it out of my diet has banished all the chronic health conditions I had suffered. But....and I hate to admit that it bothers me.....I don't weigh any less than when I started. I have bounced up and down within the same five pounds since I began in earnest five years ago. I'm a dress size smaller, so the hard work I've done has changed my body for the better....but I'm still "obese". I'm doing all the right things. I have a healthy relationship with food. Cutting out the gluten has conditioned me to have no problem with doing without certain foods so it is easy for me to not eat junk food. I keep track and count calories and I exercise routinely.
So, I am hoping this time it will be different...that I'll finally be able to break through the five pound mark. It's not my goal to obsess about the number on the scale, but to get within a healthy weight that will get me out of the obese category. I know from all my research that as we age, extra weight hurts our heart and our joints. I'm carrying 40 extra pounds and if I don't get rid of that now, it will only get worse.
So, although I already eat lots of fruits and veggies, maybe I need to add more MUFAs to my diet!
What are MUFAs?MUFAs (pronounced moo-fah) are monounsaturated fatty acids, plant-based fats found in some of the world's most delicious foods--avocado, nuts and seeds, oils, olives, and dark chocolate! Studies show that these good-for-you fats enhance heart health and protect against chronic disease. And now the latest research shows that these dietary superstars may even target fat where it's hardest to lose--in your belly
Meet the MUFAs:
Oils
Pick your MUFA: Canola oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, pesto sauce, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil
Use them like this: Stir-fry with sesame, peanut, or canola oil; pan-fry in walnut or olive oil; cook with safflower, soybean, or sunflower oil; use flaxseed oil in salad dressings (flaxseed oil cannot be used for cooking)
One serving equals: 1 tablespoon
Recipe: Leafy Grilled Chicken Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Nuts and Seeds
Pick your MUFA: Almonds, Brazil nuts, natural peanut butter, dry-roasted cashews, dry-roasted peanuts, dry-roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts
Use them like this: Eat as a snack; sprinkle on a salad
One serving equals: 2 tablespoons
Dark Chocolate
Use them like this: Any way you crave!
One serving equals: 1/4 cup
Recipe: Chocolate Pudding with Bananas and Graham Crackers
Avocado
Pick your MUFA: Florida avocado, Hass avocado
Use them like this: Slice and serve with a salad or any entrée; mash with lime juice, salt and pepper and serve with chips; chop and fold into store-bought salsa
One serving equals: 1/4 cup
Recipe: Key West Chicken-Avocado Sandwich
Olives
Pick your MUFA: Black olives, black olive tapenade, green olives, green olive tapenade
Use them like this: Serve olives as a snack; sprinkle sliced olives on pizzas, salads, or pastas; spread tapenade on crackers or sandwiches
One serving equals: 10 large olives or 2 tablespoons of tapenade
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