The 75% Rule

75% Rule is an easy way of portion control without counting calories and depriving yourself. When you serve yourself a serving of whatever you are going to eat, divide the amount in four and discard one fourth (or save for another meal)! That way you have decreased the size of the portion that you are going to eat and you saved yourself from consuming anywhere from 100 to 250 extra calories!

Food Sources of Vitamin E

Food Sources of Vitamin E - ranked by milligrams of vitamin E per standard amount; also calories in the standard amount. (All provide ≥ 10% of RDA for vitamin E for adults, which is 15 mg a-tocopherol [AT]/day.)

Food, Standard Amount , AT (mg) , Calories

Fortified ready-to-eat cereals, ~1 oz , 1.6-12.8 AT (mg), 90-107 calories
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted, 1 oz , 7.4 AT (mg), 165 calories
Almonds, 1 oz , 7.3 AT (mg), 164 calories
Sunflower oil, high linoleic, 1 Tbsp AT (mg), 5.6 , 120 calories
Cottonseed oil, 1 Tbsp , 4.8 AT (mg), 120 calories
Safflower oil, high oleic, 1 Tbsp , 4.6 , 120 calories
Hazelnuts (filberts), 1 oz , 4.3 AT (mg), 178 calories
Mixed nuts, dry roasted, 1 oz , 3.1 AT (mg), 168 calories
Turnip greens, frozen, cooked, ½ cup , 2.9 AT (mg), 24 calories
Tomato paste, ¼ cup , 2.8 AT (mg), 54 calories
Pine nuts, 1 oz , 2.6 AT (mg), 191 calories
Peanut butter, 2 Tbsp , 2.5 AT (mg), 192 calories
Tomato puree, ½ cup , 2.5 AT (mg), 48 calories
Tomato sauce, ½ cup , 2.5 AT (mg), 39 calories
Canola oil, 1 Tbsp , 2.4 AT (mg), 124 calories
Wheat germ, toasted, plain, 2 Tbsp , 2.3 AT (mg), 54 calories
Peanuts, 1 oz , 2.2 AT (mg), 166 calories
Avocado, raw, ½ avocado , 2.1 AT (mg), 161 calories
Carrot juice, canned, ¾ cup , 2.1 AT (mg), 71 calories
Peanut oil, 1 Tbsp , 2.1 AT (mg), 119 calories
Corn oil, 1 Tbsp , 1.9 , 120 calories
Olive oil, 1 Tbsp , 1.9 AT (mg), 119 calories
Spinach, cooked, ½ cup , 1.9 AT (mg), 21 calories
Dandelion greens, cooked, ½ cup , 1.8 AT (mg), 18 calories
Sardine, Atlantic, in oil, drained, 3 oz , 1.7 AT (mg), 177 calories
Blue crab, cooked/canned, 3 oz , 1.6 AT (mg), 84 calories
Brazil nuts, 1 oz , 1.6 AT (mg), 186 calories
Herring, Atlantic, pickled, 3 oz , 1.5 AT (mg), 222 calories


Source: Nutrient values from Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17. Foods are from ARS single nutrient reports, sorted in descending order by nutrient content in terms of common household measures. Food items and weights in the single nutrient reports are adapted from those in 2002 revision of USDA Home and Garden Bulletin No. 72, Nutritive Value of Foods. Mixed dishes and multiple preparations of the same food item have been omitted from this table.

Do the Risks of Eating Fish Outweigh the Benefits?

A recent study done by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that the benefits of eating a modest amount of fish per week - about 3 ounces of farmed salmon or 6 ounces of mackerel - reduced the risk of death from coronary disease by 36%. Also, in their review, they found that the intake of fish or fish oil reduces total mortality - death from any causes -- by 17%. In recent years, concerns have been raised about chemicals found in fish from environmental pollutants, including mercury, PCBs, and dioxins; which has led to some confusion.

The nutritional benefit of eating fish (finfish or shellfish) is derived from the fact that fish is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. The two principal types of omega-3 fatty acids are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which are found in fish. The body can produce EPA and DHA from another essential fatty acid, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), found in flaxseed oil, canola oil, soy oil, and walnut oil. The only problem is that this conversion only occurs to a limited extent.

The importance of the omega-3 fatty acids lies in the fact that they have a number of heart-healthy effects, including reducing triglyceride levels, raising the levels of HDL (good cholesterol), reducing levels of homocysteine, and reducing blood pressure.
'Overall, for major health outcomes among adults, the benefits of eating fish greatly outweigh the risks,' said Dariush Mozaffarian, lead author of the study and an instructor in epidemiology at HSPH and in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. 'Somehow this evidence has been lost on the public.'

Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 18 th, 2006 issue.