This recipe from healthy chef Anthony Stewart at the Pritikin Longevity Center combines broccoli stems, lemon juice, tomato and herbs and spices for a surprisingly creamy, flavorful dip.

 Ingredients

• 1 ½  cups cooked broccoli stems, tough outer layers peeled off
• 1 ½  tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• ¼  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon garlic powder
• ½  tomato, diced
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1 canned green chili, chopped

Directions

1. In a food processor, blend the broccoli stems with the lemon juice, cumin, and garlic powder until completely smooth.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well by hand, but do not blend.
3. Chill before serving for best flavor.

While we like the idea of eating fruit when we travel, the actual execution leaves something to be desired. Fragile fruits like apples, pears and bananas easily end up covered in brown spots due to the hustle and bustle of airport security.

Instead, get your fix by stocking up on dried fruits — most grocery stores carry the classics like raisins and apricots, but stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods offer a host of additional options, such as mangos, blueberries and strawberries. Or you can make your own dried fruit at home.

When it comes to snacks that pack a protein punch, you can’t go wrong with trail mix. Gone are the days with just one or two options — now there’s a mix no matter what you crave. We’re loving the flavor-packed Wasabi Wow! trail mix from Trader Joe’s, which includes peanuts, almonds, cranberries and wasabi peas. For convenience, leave the big bag at home and just take what you need in a resealable sandwich bag.

Individually wrapped granola bars are just about as easy as travel snacking can get. But be careful — although a lot of granola bars taste great, they’re often packed with sugar. Try one of the many varieties offered by Nature Valley or Fiber One — you’ll get the energy you need but without a sugar overload.

Waisted effort

You’re determined to exercise, eat right and have plenty of room in those jeans again, but those carrot and cucumber sticks and apple slices are just not cutting it on their own. Too boring. Maybe just some caramel for those apple slices — after all, it’s still fruit and only just a couple of tablespoons, right?

Well, the bad news is that even just a few tablespoons of yummy but fattening dip will make a beeline for your waist, while all the effort you put into chopping up fruits and veggies and saying no to the extra large mocha cappuccino with whipped cream goes to waste. The good news is that you can prepare low-calorie dips to make your healthy snacks more enjoyable, exciting and palatable.

Photo: LindseyIsham.com

Healthy spinach dip

This healthy spinach dip recipe from LindseyIsham.com substitutes cottage cheese for sour cream for results that are not only creamy but also more satisfying. The cottage cheese gives this dip a boost of protein that is sure to satisfy your hunger and give you more control over your portions.

Healthy creamy kale dip

Photo: FitSugar.com

This healthy creamy kale dip recipe from FitSugar is a bit more involved, but it’s an excellent substitute for cheesy spinach and artichoke dip, which is indeed delicious but super high in calories. You will need to cook the kale with a few other ingredients and then break out the blender or food processor, but it’s savory, delicious and easy on your waistline — not to mention ideal for parties. Your guests will never know they aren’t actually being bad.

Skinny peanut butter yogurt dip

Photo: SkinnyMs.com

This recipe from SkinnyMs.com says it all in the name — skinny peanut butter yogurt dip. Ideal for dipping sliced apples, strawberries or bananas. The star ingredient here, not surprisingly, is Greek yogurt, which has truly revolutionized things in the kitchen. Just a half a cup mixed well with 1/4 cup of organic crunchy peanut butter will make you feel like you’re indulging when you’re actually helping yourself achieve your weight-loss goals.

When in need of healthy sustenance, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests grabbing a 200- to 300-calorie snack. Air-popped popcorn with 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese — or a dusting of cinnamon — is one quick and healthy snack solution.

No access to a microwave? No problem. Go veggie like Heather Brecke. A triathlon junkie and on-and-off office employee for more than 11 years, Heather suggests pre-packing edamame, celery, carrots and other easy grab-and-go veggies.

If you skimped on lunch, cut a whole pita into triangles and bring along a container with two tablespoons of hummus. Or, brown-bag a mini whole-grain sandwich with one slice of turkey, one slice of cheese and a small amount of mustard.

If a sweet tooth bombards you prior to your power presentation, try satiating it with a power sweet. Coachville Life and Fitness Coach Lorraine Esposito suggests stashing a supply of Kashi Go Lean Crunchy Peanut Butter Bars in your desk. “They’re delicious, have 9 grams of protein and only about 170 calories,” Esposito says.

Trail mix comprised of a small handful of almonds and a ¼ cup of raisins and sunflower seeds is another sweet desk-stash treat. Or, for those privy to a break room or mini-fridge, bring a yogurt parfait made of 6 ounces of fat-free yogurt with ½ cup berries and ¼ cup granola.

• Yet another European horse meat incident: This time it was found in Ikea meatballs. [Foodista]

• Some of us are more likely to catch a cold than others. For those unfortunate souls, here’s one possible reason why. [Time Healthland]

• Brogert. Because regular yogurt isn’t quite manly enough. [Gothamist]

• A new survey finds that families who are struggling to afford quality food are sending their kids to school with cold chips or biscuits in their lunchbox. [FoodBev]

• Ever wonder what the best and worst snack choices are at the movies? Wonder no more. [CNN]

• Kids with food allergies are showing impaired growth because of their restricted diets. [Everyday Health]

• The best way to avoid getting sick? It’s as easy as not touching your face. [Women’s Health]

• “Damnit Jim, I’m a doctor, not a cook.” Or maybe both. Apparently, doctors who cook give better nutrition advice. [Los Angeles Times]

• Here’s an uplifting story about how we’re getting screwed by the healthcare system. [Time Magazine]

• Apparently there’s a serious bias against cyclists in Massachusetts — many believe they should ride on the sidewalks (WHAT?!) — and this could be affecting jurors’ judgment in cases involving traffic accidents. [Boston Globe]

• A “bloodless” operation? Sign us up. [New York Times]

• New study shows that millennials are the most stressed out generation.  [Huffington Post]

• The biggest food-related news of the week (besides the growing horse meat scandal): the Mediterranean diet significantly reduced rates of heart attacks and strokes, as compared to a low-fat diet. [Atlantic]

• An incredible 87% of red snapper and 84% of canned “white” tuna was found to be mislabeled, according to a new study. [Mother Jones]

• Vegetarians interested in vegetarians? There’s a dating site for that. [U.S. News & World Report]

A recent National Restaurant Association survey showed that 2-out-of-5 Americans want healthy food for the big game, so we’ve collected the tastiest recipes — whether they’re twists on Super Bowl party classics or new additions — for you to whip up this weekend.

Asparagus guacamole
Hear us out: Avocados are nutritious and delicious, but they’re unfortunately high in calories and fat (even if it’s the “good” kind). And if you’re anything like us, it’s tough to control your portions when it comes to guac. Try this asparagus twist on guacamole from Food.com for a low-calorie, low-fat substitute that’s packed with healthy benefits: dietary fiber; protein; vitamins A, C, E and K; thiamin; riboflavin; and niacin, among others. Click here for the recipe.

Vegan chili
Don’t turn up your nose, carnivores. We guarantee you’ll want seconds of this healthy substitute for beef chili, provided by our own Gail Hoffer. With black beans, white beans, kidney beans and lentils, this chili recipe is packed with vitamins and minerals. Among them: dietary fiber, folate, protein, vitamin C, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, copper and manganese. Click here for the recipe.

Lightened seven-layer taco dip
Believe it or not, it is possible to give this old favorite a healthy makeover. Cheap Healthy Good trims the fat (and the cost) with inexpensive fat-free ingredients and includes detailed calorie info, as well as price per serving, for all of its ingredients. Click here for the recipe.

Pizza quinoa polenta
Forget traditional pizza dough. Fit Sugar thought up something better: polenta! With protein and potassium, polenta is a nutritious complement to the tomato and mozzarella on these mini-pizza hors d’oeuvres. Click here for the recipe.

Warm spinach-artichoke dip
Spinach and artichokes are to dips what peanut butter and jelly are to sandwiches — only more nutritious. Health.com’s perfect party dip will have you wondering why you ever ate those store-bought cans of French onion dip. Instead of regular potato chips for dipping, use Tostitos’ Multigrain Scoops (great for dipping!) or baked potato chips. Click here for the recipe.

Fruit kebabs
If you’re going to have chips and dip, you gotta have some sweet to counteract the salty. For a healthier alternative to candy or sweets, try these fruit kebabs, courtesy of our own Allison Cerra.

Choose your assorted fruits. (Allison recommends 3/4 cup of each kind and suggests using seedless grapes, strawberries, honeydew, melon or cantaloupe, pineapple or kiwi if it’s in season.) All fruit should be sliced into cubes and places on skewers. Dip the skewers into skim milk or orange juice, or use a pastry brush to coat with milk or OJ.

On a separate plate, roll in shredded coconut. Chill for 30 minutes. Serves eight to 10 people. Note: If you’re not a coconut person, substitute the milk/OJ and coconut by using nonfat yogurt as a dipping option, or add cubes of cheese for a kick of calcium!

Chicken sausage, sweet onion and fennel pizza
If you grumbled about the mini-polenta pizzas: 1) Shame on you! That recipe is amazing! 2) We have a backup plan for you that includes regular pizza crust. As Cooking Light explains, this recipe uses enough sausage and cheese to guarantee satisfaction while keeping calories, sodium and saturated fat in check. Our only suggested change to this recipe: Use a whole-wheat pizza crust instead. Click here for the recipe.

Baba ghanoush
Move over, hummus. Williams-Sonoma’s baba ghanoush is our new favorite Middle Eastern dip and one of our favorite ways to enjoy eggplant. Its low-calorie, low-fat ingredients make it a diet-friendly snack, and the eggplant is a great source of dietary fiber. Buy some whole-wheat pita for dipping. Click here for the recipe.

Kale chips
We can’t rave about these enough. Not only are they surprisingly tasty (I know they look a little scary), but they also are one of the least expensive green veggies out there and are a great source of dietary fiber; vitamins A, C, K and B6; calcium; potassium; copper; and manganese.

To make: Spray 1 cup of kale (fresh trim stems, dried thoroughly) with 5 sprays of olive-oil cooking spray, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Spread onto a cookie sheet in an even single layer, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until it begins to brown and crisp. Sidenote for those looking to keep their eats on the cheap: Kale is one of the most inexpensive green veggies out there.

Baked buffalo wings
It’s time you learned the truth: Buffalo wings don’t need to be fried to be finger-lickin’ good. Alton Brown’s Food Network recipe steams and bakes the chicken to avoid extra fat. Don’t forget the celery and low-fat Blue cheese dressing! Click here for the recipe.

Quinoa tabbouleh
If you haven’t jumped on the quinoa bandwagon yet, it’s about time you did. Quinoa contains more protein and fewer carbs than wheat, rye, rice and oats, and it’s packed with fiber. We’re not even going to list the vitamins and minerals in parsley because they would take up a full paragraph’s worth of space. If you’re looking for a nutritious party snack, add this tabbouleh to your menu. Just try to keep the olive oil to a minimum. Click here for the recipe.

1. Superfoods are better than other healthy foods.
Americans are suckers for magical solutions — whether they be in the form of pharmaceuticals, fad diets, medical procedures or even foods. And the people marketing your food are well aware of that, which is probably how the term “superfood” came into existence.

No federal agency or food regulating organization actually has defined the term “superfood,” and its use on packaging and advertising is completely unregulated. The America Dietetic Association states that there are three major problems with superfood claims:

• There aren’t different “superfood” labels for foods that are nutrient-rich due to additives added during processing versus foods that are naturally full of nutrients;
• Sometimes these so-called superfoods can also be loaded with sugar, saturated fat or sodium; and
• Some foods might have an immense amount of nutrients, but those nutrients might not be completely metabolized by the body.

Rather than dish out excessive grocery money for “superfoods,” the ADA recommends eating a “super diet” (cheesy, we know) by following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on a daily basis, which you can find here. As Cooking Light explains, “Grapes, cherries, blueberries and wine offer the same antioxidants as acai for a lot less dough.”

To learn more about the superfood myth, click here.

2. We need to take a daily multivitamin to be healthy.
We all know vitamins and minerals are good for us, and many Americans are convinced it’s necessary to take a daily multivitamin to ensure they’re getting enough nutrients to keep their bodies healthy. But this might not be the case. An in-depth Psychology Today article explained that studies have surprisingly shown little to no benefit from taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement on a daily basis. It didn’t improve longevity, reduce the risk of heart disease or cancer, or improve memory or other cognitive functions.

In fact, two studies released last year showed that high doses of vitamins and supplements can actually be detrimental to your health. One study indicated an association between multivitamin and supplement use and an increased risk of death (except with calcium), and the other study showed an increased risk of cancer for men taking vitamin E supplements, selenium supplements or both.

While some individuals do need certain supplements due to particular deficiencies associated with various health conditions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website that most people can usually get all of their necessary vitamins from their diet. Instead of spending your money on a monthly bottle of pills, go to the farmers market and buy some nutritious produce.

3. Egg yolks raise blood cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease.
Eggs have long suffered from a bad reputation for increasing one’s risk of heart disease, as well as raising cholesterol levels. Yes, it’s true that eggs are high in cholesterol — the average large egg contains about 212 mg. But it’s a myth that it significantly increases your blood cholesterol since, for most people, only a small amount of a food’s cholesterol actually passes into the blood. Saturated and trans fats do much more damage to cholesterol levels than the occasional healthy omelet.

As far as heart disease is concerned, unless you have diabetes, moderate egg consumption won’t affect your heart health. Research has shown that eating up to one egg a day does not increase heart disease risk in healthy people. It’s important to note, however, that studies have shown that eating one or more eggs a day is associated with an increased risk of heart disease in diabetics.

4. Red meat leads to high cholesterol and heart disease.
Many people have a beef with red meat because they believe it raises one’s “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. If you only eat rib eyes and fatty ground beef, then yes, your arteries aren’t going appreciate it.

But a study in January showed that, contrary to popular belief, red meat can be part of a healthy, low-cholesterol diet if people would just choose the leaner cuts. In fact, the study’s results showed that it’s possible to lower cholesterol levels even with lean beef included in the diet. Just keep in mind that even if it’s lean, you still have to eat in moderation — about one to two 3-oz. to 4-oz. servings per day.

To find out what cuts are the leanest, click here.

5. You have to drink eight glasses of water a day.
One nutrition myth our society really can’t seem to shake is that the human body requires eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and hydrated. Heinz Valtin, a retired professor of physiology from Dartmouth Medical School, told Scientific American magazine that this just isn’t true and would really only apply to people with such health concerns as kidney stones or a susceptibility to urinary tract infections.

A glass of pure, clear water isn’t the only way to hydrate. We also obtain a good amount of H2O from our food, including fruits and vegetables, as well as other beverages, such as coffee, tea, milk, soda and juice. In 2004, the Food and Nutrition Board, which may have originally been responsible for the eight-glasses-a-day myth, revisited the issue and stated that “the vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide.”

6. Red wine is the only alcohol with health benefits.
Just because you’d rather an IPA (or a Chardonnay) than a Pinot Noir doesn’t mean you’re not getting any nutritional benefits. It’s true that too much beer will give you a beer belly, but if you drink in moderation, beer can supply you with folic acid, iron, niacin, silicon, fiber, riboflavin and antioxidants — plus B vitamins and folates, which wine doesn’t have.  Additionally, beer consumption has been linked to positive effects on bone, mental and heart health; blood clot prevention; diabetes prevention; and longevity. Click here to learn more.

And if you prefer a refreshing glass of cold, white wine in the summer, you’re not necessarily missing out on any health benefits. Studies are mixed; some have shown that red wine contains more resveratrol, flavonoids, antioxidants and tannins than white wine, but a New York Times article stated that there aren’t enough studies out there to conclude that red wine has more positive health outcomes. Click here to learn about more wine myths.

7. Vegetables are healthier raw than cooked.
Raw food fanatics constantly claim vegetables lose critical nutrients when you cook them. The truth is that while cooking veggies can potentially destroy their vitamin C, it can have the opposite effect on many vitamins. For example, cooking tomatoes boosts their amount of lycopene — an antioxidant that strict raw foodists are low on, according to a 2008 study. According to Scientific American, cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and other vegetables also contain more antioxidants — like carotenoids and ferulic acid — than their raw equivalents.

The other claim you’ve probably heard — we noticed someoned use this in the documentary “Food Matters” just the other day — is that raw foods preserve specific enzymes that are essential to digestion; when you cook the food, those enzymes are destroyed. Here’s the thing: “Those enzymes are made for the survival of plants,” Brenda Davis — a registered dietitian and co-author of “Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets” — was quoted saying by Eating Well. “For human health, they are not essential.”

8. Some foods (like celery) have “negative calories.”
We admit it: We ate tons of peanut butter on celery sticks in college, thinking that somehow the vegetable reduced the amount of calories in that delicious spoonful of Skippy. While not everyone was such a sucker for the myth of negative calories, most people have heard of that magical concept whereby the body burns more calories digesting a certain food than it absorbs from it. Celery is mostly water and fiber, so it seemed to make sense to a 19-year-old girl petrified of the freshman 15.

The truth is that even if there is such a thing as a negative-calorie food, that negative number would be so miniscule it just wouldn’t make a difference. According to Livestrong, the calories required by your body to digest and process food equate to a very small percentage of the calories you eat. Foods frequently thought of as having negative calories — such as celery, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower and zucchini — might be healthy, low-calorie additions to your diet, but eating them won’t burn off calories.

9. Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.
The myth of “eat late, gain weight” has hung around forever, and plenty of people still cut off their food consumption at 8 p.m. for fear it will ruin their diet. It turns out your body doesn’t care if it’s 8 a.m., noon or midnight; it’s still going to digest your food in the same way and absorb the same amount of calories from that food. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, “The time of day isn’t what affects how your body uses calories. It’s the overall number of calories you eat and the calories burned over the course of 24 hours that affects your weight.”

That said, there is an unusual phenomenon associated with late eating that can affect your weight: Research published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that food eaten in the evening tends to feel less satiating than when eaten at other times of the day. Because of this, we tend to eat more when we eat later in the day.

In conclusion, if you want a late-night snack or prefer later dinners, feel free — as long as you haven’t already consumed your recommended daily amount of calories.

10. High-fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar.
High-fructose corn syrup has gained a reputation as one of the villains in the processed food industry because of its association with obesity. A sweetener made from corn, HFCS is sweeter and cheaper than sucrose, which is why you’ll find it in plenty of non-diet soft drinks, cereals, candy and sweets, condiments, baked goods, salad dressings and other food products.

Dr. David Katz of Yale University believes that the main problem is eating too many sweet foods — whether they contain high-fructose corn syrup or pure sugar. “While there is some legitimate debate about the importance of differences in the metabolism of pure fructose, and table sugar, or sucrose, there is no good reason to differentiate high-fructose corn syrup from table sugar.”

Before you light up the comment section, we know: Just last month, the Food and Drug Administration rejected the Corn Refiners Association’s request to rename HFCS “corn sugar.” This is because of its syrup form; the FDA said it defines sugar as a solid, dried and crystallized food, not a syrup. The FDA also said back in 2008 that “we would not object to the use of the term ‘natural’ on a product containing HFCS produced by the manufacturing process.”

In the past decade, when experts noted that obesity was skyrocketing, they pointed the finger at HFCS since Americans had also increased their consumption of it. They theorized that our bodies were metabolizing it differently than other forms of sugar and that it was raising the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. However, most experts now regard HFCS to be no different than other forms of sugar and blame the controversy on the fact that too much sugar in general had started being added to too many foods at the same time HFCS was introduced.

And whether you plan on it or not, you most likely grab a snack at some point during the day: Around 100% of Americans report snacking — maybe the only thing we as a country can all agree on! Make yours count by keeping it small, around 100 to 200 calories, but packed with filling fiber or protein, like these healthy picks that have something for whatever taste you’re craving:

Salty:
Enjoy 3 ½ cups of air-popped popcorn for only 100 calories.

Sweet:
Try strawberries on a log: Spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on a celery stalk, and top with half a cup of sliced strawberries for a sweet treat with less sugar.

Creamy:
Give chips and dip a run for its money. Try dipping 1 cup of baby carrots into a simple tzatziki sauce. Simply mix half a cup of plain yogurt, half of a chopped cucumber and 1 teaspoon of dill for a snack around 200 calories.

Cool:
For a refreshing snack in the final days of summer, try slathering two small wedges of spreadable cheese on a sliced cucumber for around 150 calories.

Crunchy:
Try making your own pita chips — you can control the amount of oil and salt, making them healthier than the store-bought brands. Preheat the oven to 350. Cut four pitas into eight wedges each and arrange on a baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of whatever herbs you like (Italian seasoning, for example) and bake for six to 10 minutes. Enjoy eight chips for 120 calories.

Entina was founded by Valentina Rudokas, a health specialist who has worked extensively with professional athletes, Olympians and other individuals interested in promoting their overall well-being. And while a diet of natural and organic products was always important for her, being diagnosed with cervical and ovarian cancer in 2001 — and undergoing the subsequent treatments — made eating well all the more important.

Inspired by her desire to regain strength, Rudokas began experimenting with her own recipes and developed a line of organic, gourmet snack crackers. Varieties include caraway, cinnamon and chocolate, all made with such wholesome ingredients as sunflower seeds, flax, amaranth and rye flour. Entina is currently working on such flavors as vanilla lemon, paprika dill and ginger.

Rudokas has now been cancer-free for a decade and credits an organic, natural and preservative-free diet for her success.