Find out which healthy staples Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, author and host of the Dr. Oz Show, recommends plus get tips on how to save at checkout (100 Photos)
Jessica Smith on Apr 13, 2012 at 12:00AM
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P. Cade/The Image Bank/Getty Images a Jessica Smith on Mar 23, 2012 at 10:18AM |
Why It's a Must Have: Citrus fruits are a great source of vitamin C, says Palinski. “One German study found that vitamin C helps reduce stress levels and return blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol to normal levels after a stressful situation – which may help prevent chronic stress and decrease body fat storage in the abdomen.” Palinski recommends eating 2-4 servings of fruit (including at least one serving of a citrus fruit) per day to reap their nutritional benefits. And, if weight loss is your goal, you may want to focus on grapefruit -- one 2004 study conducted by the Nutrition and Metabolic Research Center at Scripps Clinic, found that subjects who ate half a grapefruit before each meal lost an average of 3.6 pounds over 12 weeks (some even lost more than 10 pounds), without making any other dietary changes. Get Dr. Oz’s Recipe for Cucumber Citrus Salsa
Budget Bonus: Skip fresh fruit when it’s out of season (in the US, citrus is typically in season from late fall and through winter) since fruits have to travel further during off-season, recommends Palinski. “In off-season, reach for canned citrus fruit in its own juice or flash frozen citrus.”
Recipes to Try:
Sweet and Spicy Orange Chicken
Lemon Dill Green Beans
