Eat Right Flash!

These nutrition and fitness flashes from Self magazine are meant to keep you reaching for your goals while giving you a boost about all the things you are doing right!

1) Number crunching - There is more to weight loss than calculating your calories, recent studies show. Women who added apples or pears to their daily nutrition lost more pounds than those who added oat cookies, even though all three are about 200 calories, a study in the journal Appetite shows. Fruit has fewer calories per bite, so women munched on larger servings. This may have helped them eat less during the day.

2) Full factor - Spoon yogurt, don't sip it and you'll feel more satisfied, according to a study in the International Journal of Obesity. Thicker liquid-based foods are more satiating than their watery counterparts. So, opt for choices like low-fat Greek yogurt, which is more solid than most types.

3) Appetite turnoff - Feasting in front of the TV can lead to overeating after the credits roll, a study from the University of Birmingham in England shows. People who chewed and viewed during the day took in more calories than those who didn't, although all had identical lunches. Distracted diners may not recall how much they munched, making them likely to eat extra later.

4) Lookin' good! - A healthy nutrition plan could aid your eyes. People with the lowest amounts of antioxidants in their bloodstream were more prone to retinal deterioration, which can dull vision, an analysis of more than 4,000 people in the Archives of Opthalmology reports. A sight-saving salad with vitamin C from oranges, lutein from dark leafy greens and vitamin E from sunflower seeds is a great start.

Recipe Day!!

This one takes a little skill in the kitchen, but it sounds like a challenge you can handle...

Apple-Cinnamon Crepes

Servings: 2 servings of crepes

Ingredients:

2 whole eggs

6 ounces deli ham, diced fine

1/3 cup soy flour

1 cup 1-percent milk

1 red Delicious apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2/3 cup cooked oatmeal

2 2/3 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, soy flour and milk to form a batter. This amount of batter will make four crepes. Pour 1/2 teaspoon oil into a nonstick saute pan or crepe pan. When the oil is hot, add a quarter of the batter to pan. Cover pan with another saute or crepe pan. Cook on medium-high heat until bottom is set and crepe will move easily in pan. To turn crepe over, securely place second pan over first and turn pan over. The crepe will then be in the second saute pan. The second side of the crepe should cook for only a minute or so to color it. Transfer crepe to serving plate and repeat process to make three more crepes. (If you need more oil in the crepe pan, omit oil from crepe filling and use it for cooking the crepes.) Place apples, applesauce, oatmeal, 2/3 teaspoon oil, ham and cinnamon in another saute pan to form crepe filling. Using low heat, cook mixture until apples are tender. When ready, divide filling amount between the four crepes by placing it in a line along the center of each crepe. Fold over the sides to make a trifold. Serve immediately, two crepes per plate.