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For high protein with low fat, pile on the legumes.

Everyone knows that meat, eggs and nuts are high-protein foods but, unfortunately, they're also full of fat. What we need is a high-protein food that's low in fat. And it would be nice if it was high in fiber too.

Is there such a food? You bet there is. It's called beans. That's right--that fibrous favorite is also rich in nutrients, but low in fat. In fact, if you throw in some rice with your beans you may just have the perfect meal. Evidence indicates that a diet high in fiber and low in fat decreases the rate of cancer and heart disease. Beans perfectly fit these criteria, plus they help to lower cholesterol and correct digestive disorders. Beans are also rich in many vitamins and minerals, such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron and magnesium.

Canned beans are just as nutritious as dried beans but have less texture and are more expensive. They also have more salt and sugar. To rid canned beans of excess salt and sugar, rinse under cold water and drain.

Are you afraid of the intestinal gas that goes along with eating beans? Good news! Rinsing also reduces the intestinal gas that can accompany beans. To remove indigestible sugars that cause gas in dried beans, rinse and soak beans overnight. Add one-eighth teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water, but discard water before cooking.

To get more beans into your diet, add them to soups, snack on cooked beans sprinkled with Cajun spice, create a cold bean salad, or make a homemade bean dip. Use your imagination. Beans are not only nutritious, they're versatile as well!

Pumping Up your Iron

Is coffee jerking you around? Do you enjoy your morning jolt of caffeine? Are you first to the coffee pot during office breaks? If so, be aware that as little as one cup of coffee can decrease your body's ability to absorb iron within an hour before or after the iron is eaten--in food or supplement form.

Coffee interferes with the body's absorption of approximately 40% of non-heme iron, which is found in plant foods. Heme iron, which comes from meat, poultry and fish, isn't affected by coffee.

So how does your beloved liquid pick-me-up do its iron damage? Polyphenols in coffee bind to the iron and keep it from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Tea has the same effect. In fact, the blacker the coffee or tea, the more iron that is blocked. What can you do if you're a prisoner to your mug? Take a Vitamin C supplement. Vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron, which neutralizes iron loss through drinking coffee or tea.