Ever tried whole-wheat pasta? Today’s Health-e-Recipe for Confetti Macaroni and Bean Salad is a great opportunity.

Now carried by most grocery stores, all or part whole-wheat pastas give you more health benefits than plain white pastas. The texture and taste of whole-wheat pasta is different from regular pasta, so try out various brands.

Since Americans eat a lot of pasta, choosing the whole-wheat kind can help you get the 3 daily servings of whole grains recommended for good health. Whole grains such as whole wheat have more dietary fiber to keep your digestive system working well and to add a few more cancer-fighting phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals to your diet. If you are gluten-intolerant, try substituting 3 cups of cooked barley, bulgur or brown rice for the pasta. Also whole grains, they blend beautifully with the other ingredients in this recipe.

You can find more recipes for healthy whole grains from AICR’s Test Kitchen. Or get a free download of the newly updated Beans and Whole Grains brochure from AICR’s New American Plate series. Click here to subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipe.

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This year’s vegetable season may be nearing its end, but there’s still plenty of ways to add those fresh, cancer-fighting foods to your meals. One popular way is through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms. A recent USDA survey found over 12,500 CSA farms.

CSA farms are a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm where growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. The advantages to signing up for a program like this are fairly straightforward: You get fresh food and know where that food comes from; you’re exposed to new types of vegetables/fruits, and you can try new ways of cooking them. Also, some CSA farms offer a customer visit at least once during the farming season. This way, farmers get to meet who their food goes to and build a relationship with their buyers.

For ideas on ways to cook up or enjoy your box of produce, take a look at the New American Plate. To find a CSA farm near you, check out Local Harvest for listings.

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Think of it as “calories per bite.”

Foods that are high in fat and/or sugar tend to be packed tightly with calories. In such cases, looks can be deceiving — even relatively small amounts might contribute more calories to your daily intake than you’ve bargained for.

Other foods whose “bulk” is provided by things like fiber or water — like many plant foods — are low in calorie density.  You can eat more of these foods, because each bite packs less of a caloric wallop.

Sounds simple, no?  It’s really all you need to know to get started making meals that are lower in overall caloric density – meals that maximize flavor, variety and cancer protection while helping lose — or maintain — weight.

That’s why calorie density is such an important part of AICR’s message.  It’s the science behind our New American Plate approach to eating for a healthy weight  and healthy life, and it’s something we think about as we develop recipes in the AICR Test Kitchen.

Our brochure, More Food, Fewer Calories is full of ideas for making calorie density work for you.

And this section of the AICR website also contains lots of practical tips.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be making an in-depth background paper on the subject of calorie density available to members of our Health Professionals and Educators eCommunity.  We provide these papers to help HPs stay informed on the latest science and help them “bottom line” the research into practical advice for patients and clients.

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With our easy to follow gift-giving guide, your holiday shopping will be done in no time.  Find the friend(s) or relative(s) described below, follow the link and you’ll be set. Then – relax and enjoy the holiday season!

The Chocoholic:  Make a batch of Chocolate-Dipped Fruit or Three-Way Hot Cocoa Mix; package attractively and attach the fun health facts from our website.

The Aspiring Chef:  The New American Plate Cookbook from AICR with 200 delicious and healthy recipes and luscious illustrations.

The Practical Organizer:  AICR 2010 Calendar.  Fun illustrations with healthy tips and mouth-watering, monthly recipes.

Nieces, Nephews, Grandchildren: Kids Coloring Recipe Book. Fun with healthy food – a great stocking-stuffer.

For a loved one who is a cancer survivor: “A Dietitian’s Cancer Story” by Diana Dyer, MS, RD offers information and inspiration for recovery and healing.  Or a donation to AICR in their name can be a way to honor their courage and hope.

Enjoy your healthy holiday shopping!

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It’s not often we hear that holiday foods have actually decreased in calories over the years. But, according to Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab analysis of traditional Thanksgiving recipes, some of our favorites are a bit leaner today than in the 1950s.

Green beans with almonds, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie recipes each weighed in at an average of 102 calories less. Dinner rolls increased by 26 calories; corn and candied carrots remained the same. The analysis compared recipes from Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks, the 1956 vs. the 2006 editions.

According to the researchers, a Thanksgiving dinner with those eight sides plus a drumstick is 2,057 calories today compared to 2,539 in 1956.

The catch is that the serving sizes have to be the same. With our larger plates and portion up-sizing, we may not see those calorie savings according to Brian Wansink, Ph.D., Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.

AICR’s Bottom Line: Enjoy your favorite turkey day foods, but remember that moderate portions mean more days of delicious leftovers!

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