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Never Too Late for a Fresh Start

by Brick ONeil

heart.jpgSo you spent your youth smoking, eating doughnuts, or keeping the couch warm. Don’t despair.

There are four simple steps middle-aged people can take to lower the risk of death in the ensuing four years by 40 percent — even if they haven’t been a health superstar to date.

Live the Good Life
Make these modest changes to start undoing all the unhealthy things you did before:
Eat more than five servings of fruit and vegetables daily.

Walk at least 2.5 hours a week.

Shave your BMI to under 30; 24.9 is ideal.

Quit smoking.

All Four Is Best
Try to take all four changes to heart — it’s your best shot at lowering your risk of heart disease. But tackling even one or two items will still have an impact on your longevity.

To help you stave cravings, A High-Calorie Snack That’s OK for Your Waist

If you love nuts as much as a backyard squirrel does, but you’re caught up by your calorie-counting conscience, relax. And read on . . .

Peanuts may be one high-calorie treat that doesn’t do serious damage to your weight or your waistline.

Say Hi to Mr. Peanut
In a recent small study where people were given a daily snack of peanuts, researchers were surprised to find that no one’s weight changed significantly after many weeks, despite the extra calories. Why? Seems peanuts fill you up (thanks to the fiber, protein, and healthy monounsaturated fats) but the fat and calories in the nuts aren’t completely absorbed by your gut. Now, if only Girl Scout cookies worked the same way.

Lost in Digestion
More good news about peanuts: We may burn off the fats in them better than we burn off the fats in potato chips or cookies. Our bodies break down the monounsaturated fats in peanuts and convert them into energy more easily than saturated fats.

So go ahead — unleash your inner squirrel. Just limit your daily dips in the peanut dish to 1-ounce servings (about 30 peanuts). They’re not made of air, after all.

Browse Encouraging Health for more tips.


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