Do Dinner Better
6:30 P.M.: While preparing dinner, pour yourself a glass of wine
Admittedly, alcohol is a double-edged sword for women. Though it may modestly increase the risk of breast cancer, it definitely reduces the risk of heart disease, which is a bigger threat. What to do? "If you have no family history of breast cancer but do have a family history of heart disease or you just really enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, then by all means have a drink a day -- and get your mammograms routinely," Katz advises. But beware: More than three alcoholic drinks a day of any sort -- whether beer, wine, or hard liquor -- does increase your risk of breast cancer. Keep to one drink (12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, 1 1/2 ounces of 80-proof liquor); more than that may raise the risk of hypertension, liver damage, and obesity. Some researchers believe red wine, with the antioxidant resveratrol, is better than white. But you don't have to imbibe the fruit of the vine at all to get a long-term kick; the ethanol in any alcoholic beverage may increase "good" (HDL) cholesterol and reduce the risk of blood clots.
7:25 P.M.: Take a few deep breaths before dinner
"Before you eat, breathe," Douglas says. "Our eating tends to be mindless and disconnected from our bodies. If you take some breaths before you eat, you slow down the mind." That may lead to chewing your food more slowly and attentively and inhaling aromas, basically reining in the pace of eating so that you feel full before you have time to overeat. Studies show that eating slowly results not only in fewer calories consumed but also in greater satiety an hour later.
7:30 P.M.: Eat a healthy dinner, preferably with other people
Family dinners promote healthful eating patterns: more fruits, vegetables, fiber, dairy, vitamins, and minerals and fewer fried foods, saturated fats, trans fats, and sodas. And as long as you're dining with your family, have a heart-to-heart conversation about your quest to hold on to your health. Ask if they want to sign on too. Are they up for jogging, hiking, or rock-climbing together?
