BELLE VM BELLE VM MAY2014 | Page 29

THIS & THAT

COSMO & DINNER?

(212 Calories per 4-Ounce Serving)

A better choice: Raspberry-infused vodka with club soda, a splash of cranberry and a lime (115 calories)

A little vodka, a little Cointreau, some cranberry juice—you may as well be sipping a pack of liquefied fruit chews.

And the more splashes of juice and shots of alcohol you add, the higher the calories climb. This still doesn't mean that you need to give up your favorite cocktail.

If you opt for this lower-calorie version of your signature drink, you could even have two of them. Experts also suggests acting like a mixologist and experimenting with different fruit-infused vodkas and amounts of lime or lemon juice (both very low in calories).

Here are some of the benefits of adding onions and tomatoes to your salad. According to the experts onions it’s not just flavour that onions add to a meal – they’re also packed with nutrients that have many health-promoting benefits. In particular, they’re bursting with phytonutrients – naturally-occurring plant chemicals – that appear to do everything from helping to keep our hearts healthy and lowering the risk of cancer to helping ease the pain associated with arthritis.

On the other hand the tomato has been referred to as a "functional food," a food that goes beyond providing just basic nutrition, additionally preventing chronic disease and delivering other health benefits, due to beneficial phytochemicals such as lycopene. Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamins A and C and folic acid. Tomatoes contain a wide array of beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, including alpha-lipoic acid, lycopene, choline, folic acid, beta-carotene and lutein.

Red peppers are a good source of the carotenoid called lycopene, which is earning a reputation for helping to prevent prostate cancer as well as cancer of the bladder, cervix, and pancreas. Peppers come in a beautiful array of colors and shapes. They add flavor, color, and crunch to many low-calorie dishes. Did you know red peppers are a good source of the carotenoid called lycopene, which is earning a reputation for helping to prevent prostate cancer as well as cancer of the bladder, cervix, and pancreas. All peppers are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, but red peppers are simply bursting with them. Antioxidant vitamins A and C help to prevent cell damage, cancer, and diseases related to aging, and they support immune function. They also reduce inflammation like that found in arthritis and asthma. Vitamin K promotes proper blood clotting, strengthens bones, and helps protect cells from oxidative damage.