Avocados

                                  YUM! Shrimp, avocados, mango and couscous.

I used to avoid avocados like the plague because of the fat content. But the more I read about this fruit, the more I understand that it should become part of my diet. Avocados are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, potassium, vitamin E, fiber, folate, and vitamin B6 -- all important components of a healthy diet.

So eat avocados I do. Added to my salad, they impart a creaminess impossible to find in any other food. Actually, it is kind of decadent.

I prefer Haas avocados, the ones with the pebbly green skin that turns almost black as it ripens. For me, they have more flavor than the green, smooth-skinned Fuerte. In my market, avocados have become so popular, there is a section reserved for those that are ripe and ready to eat. If not ripe, bring it home to ripen for a few days at room temperature. Unripe avocados lack flavor -- plus they are hard. You really want to eat them ripe.

Ripe avocados will yield a little to pressure. If they form a dent when gently squeezed, it has past its prime and is best left at the store.

Once ripe, they will keep a few days in the fridge.

To pit, slice lengthwise and twist it gently to seperate the two halves. I learned the next step from my California cousins, who have avocado trees growing the their backyards: Pierce the pit with the tip of a sharp knife and it will pop right out. If you are not using the whole avocado, squeeze lemon over the exposed flesh, wrap with plastic, and store in the refrigerator.

And now for an amazing recipe, which stars one of my favorite foods, shrimp. It's from the California Advocao Commission.

COUSCOUS WITH SHRIMP, AVOCADO AND MANGO

• 24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. seafood grill seasoning
• Olive oil, optional
• 2 cups water
• 1 (10-oz.) box plain couscous
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes, see Note
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on diagonal
• 1 cup cooked edamame (shelled soybeans)

Mango-Lime Dressing

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch cubes
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2  cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. ground white pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro leaves

1. Toss shrimp with seasoning. Barbecue or sauté in olive oil for about 3 minutes, turning over once. Remove to plate; set aside.
2. In a 2-quart pan, bring water to a boil. Stir in couscous, oil and salt. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. In a bowl, combine avocado and lemon juice; set aside.
4. Remove lid from pan and fluff couscous; cool. Pour couscous into a large mixing bowl. Add avocado, mango, onions and edamame.
5. Pour dressing over salad, as needed. Toss to coat.
6. Serve onto plates and top with cooked shrimp.

Dressing:
1. In a food processor, add mango, juice, oil, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper and cumin. Purée, using the pulse button; set aside.
2. Mix mint and cilantro into dressing immediately before using.

Note: Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

Makes 8 servings, per serving: calories 270; total fat 16g (sat 2g,  trans 0g, poly 2g, Mono 1 g); cholesterol 30mg; sodium 560mg; total carbohydrates 25g; dietary Ffber 5g; protein 9g

Hunger or craving: You decide

I've been thinking a lot about hunger recently. When I start thinking about food, the first thing I do now is to drink a large glass of water. If I am still hungry after drinking the water, then I know it's time to eat.

But I found this information on the South Beach Diet web sit -- a definition of hunger vs. craving -- and I think it's too good not to pass on. It actually made real sense to me, especially the part about snacks. A few months back. I decided to take snacks out of my diet, and although I had success for a few weeks, I soon found myself thinking about food -- a lot. It began to overtake other thoughts, and that's when I knew I had to put snacks back into my eating plan -- but only if I was hungry. Most days I am.

Optimum time between meals is four hours. So if I eat breakfast at 6, that means by 10 a.m., 11 a.m. at the latest, I should be eating lunch. Dinner would be at 2 or 3. Of course that's impossible. But at 10 a.m., if I snack on food, I can easily make it until 1 p.m. to eat lunch. A snack about 4, and dinner at 7 completes my eating for the day. It also regulates my blood sugar, which means my cravings are gone. But on the days that I don't follow this schedule, I think about these definitions. They put things into perspective.

When It’s Hunger
Hunger is the feeling you get when you experience a normal and gradual drop in blood sugar about four or five hours after a meal. It's your body's way of telling you that eating is overdue. Hunger signals can come from your stomach (growls, pangs or a hollow feeling), or your brain (which may include feeling headachy or fatigued).

Adequately satisfy your hunger with the right foods, such as lean protein and plenty of vegetables at every meal. Another way to ward off hunger is to enjoy a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Studies show that it takes relatively few calories to prevent cravings but many more to satisfy them once they occur. "The quality of calories in your satisfying meals and snacks, along with a dessert that contains protein, should help keep your hunger at bay," says Dr. Arthur Agatston, creator of the South Beach Diet. "We encourage you to eat until you’re full and snack before you get hungry." South Beach recommends turkey roll-ups, reduced-fat cheese, celery sticks with hummus or fresh fruit. I love Laughing Cow cheese wedges (35 calorie each) spread on celery ribs. Really yummy and filling.

When It’s a Craving
Cravings happen within a couple of hours of your last meal. "Cravings can be caused by exaggerated spikes and dips in blood sugar that occur after you eat highly processed carbohydrates -- white bread, cake or other highly refined baked goods, white rice or white pasta. These foods are digested so quickly that they cause an almost immediate rise in blood sugar followed by a rapid dip soon after," says Dr. Agatston. It's this drop in blood-sugar levels that causes a craving.

In addition, the sight and smell of food can produce cravings. When this happens, the South Beach Diet says to employ the "Three-Bite Rule." Simply take three bites of something you’re craving that you normally wouldn’t allow yourself to indulge in, such as a decadent dessert, and then put it aside for a few minutes. South Beach says that most likely you won’t come back to it, that just a few bites is enough to satisfy.

My problem: If I am really craving something, three bites will never happen. More power to you if you can make limit yourself to three bites.

Forming a fitness habit

I love the title of this post, because that's how we should all view exercise, not as a chore, but as a fitness habit, something we do because we want to.

I wish I could say I came up with this headline, but the credit goes to Weight Watchers. It was this week's meeting theme, and it got me to really think about my love/hate relationship with exercise.

Weight Watchers makes this point: A long walk or a Zumba class is a good thing, but the real payoff comes with developing an active lifestyle. For years, I have been jealous of my two oldest kids, who make exercise a part of each day. For Caitlin, it's a long walk pushing a stroller with two kids and two Golden Retrievers for miles, up and down the hills of her town. She will also hit the gym at 5 a.m. for intense cardio and weights. For Tim, it's a daily run and time at the gym. Their days are not complete unless they spend a part of it engaged in exercise.

So here are some tips from Weight Watchers to make exercise part of your life. Most importantly: Take it one step at a time.
* Find a workout partner, who can add fun, encouragement and good advice. I did that on August 1, when I signed a contract -- yes, we wrote it out -- with my friend Ann to do at least 30 minutes of exercise five days each week. We meet four of those days and power walk on Fairfield's beach or the Trumbull mall, depending on time constraints and the weather.
* Listen to an MP3 player or watch television while you're exercising if you can.
* Keep your eye on the prize. Focus on how good you feel and how you are helping yourself, body and mind.

But how do you make exercise stick?

According to Weight Watchers, No. 1 is finding something you love to do. For me, that mission has finally been accomplished. Walking with Ann is not like exercise. We gab so much, before we know it, 45 minutes have passed and we've logged three miles. Certainly our pace does not set any records, but it gets our hearts pumping and our faces rosy with color.

I also discovered yoga, and the past few weeks have found the time to fit in five classes -- sometimes six -- each week. Yoga for me is not a chore. It is something I do to still my mind and stretch my body. I really cannot imagine living my life without it.

And the best thing of all: I feel terrific, sleep better, and am so much more focused than I have ever been in the past. I schedule my walks and yoga, and work the rest of my appointments around those times.

And I am no longer jealous of my kids. Thank God: I finally get it!

Yesterday, I learned yet another reason to follow the Mediterranean diet — it helps fight depression. By nature, I am a half-full-glass person, but as the days of driving to and from work in the dark quickly approach, a diet that calms and keeps life in balance is appealing.

The latest study is from Spain, was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry journal, and tracked 11,000 people. Those who followed the Mediterranean diet — a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish and olive oil — enjoyed a 30 percent reduction in the risk of depression. What the study did not take into account was the environment of the people studied — a sunny climate with long days — so the study might be a bit flawed.  

But even taking that into account, there is no downside to following this way of eating. Past studies have said it reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, asthma and cancer. Doctors Roizen and Oz, in their bestseller, "You on a Diet," said that those who follow a Mediterranean-like diet naturally ate foods that keep them sated: more fiber; higher amounts of good-for-you Omega 3 fats such as olives, fish and nuts; and more than double their previous consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The doctors write in the book: "The 'good-for-YOU-foods-group' (those following the Mediterranean diet), ate the foods we recommend in the YOU Diet, didn't obsess about calories, and enabled their bodies to do what they're supposed to do: regulate the chemicals that are responsible for hunger and for satiety."

Definitely worth a try — on my quest for waist management!

Mediterranean Fish with Tomatoes, Oranges and Olives

This is an old recipe of mine, one I haven't thought about for years. But it is lovely, and perfect for a weekday night, when time is at a premium. Although this recipe calls for a thick-cut white fish, such as halibut, grouper, mahi-mahi or monkfish, any white fish works, so buy whatever is on sale and looks freshest. When buying fish, please give it the sniff test. If it smells too fishy or ammonia-like, leave it at the market. Fish should smell like the sea. If you use a thinner-cut fish, such as sole or snapper, cut the baking time.

The perfect way to cook fish is the flawless Canadian Cooking Method. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Measure your fish at the thickest part. For each inch of fish, cook 10 minutes. And yes — you need to take fractions into account. No rounding up or down. So if the fish is 1/2-inch thick, it cooks for 5 minutes. Fish continues to cook after it leaves the heat, so if you cook it until it looks done, you'll be eating overcooked fish. If the fish is more than a 1/2-inch thick, turn the fish halfway through cooking.

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 14.5-oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, well drained, and cut into dice

8 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. freshly grated orange zest

1 Tblsp. freshly squeezed orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. thick-cut fillets, such as halibut, grouper, mahi-mahi, monkfish, or thinner-cut fillets, such as flounder, sole or snapper

• Preheat the over to 450 degrees. 
  
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion slices and saute, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add the wine and garlic and saute until the garlic is a bit soft but not brown.
• Stir in the tomatoes, olives, oregano, zest and orange juice. Taste; add salt and pepper to taste.
• Portion the fish into four servings. Place in a baking dish. Cover with the tomato/olive/orange mixture.
• Bake, uncovered, following the Canadian Cooking Method, directions precede

P.S. Thank you to my four followers  — Bill, Jeannie, Elise and Heather. You will never know how much I appreciate your support! One of the columns I did for years at The Advocate and Greenwich Time was Recipe Exchange, so if anyone wants to share a recipe, please feel free to do so. The more voices involved, the better the blog.