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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2515 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Getting The Most From Your Health Care Benefits Avocados Score An “A” In Nutrition (NAPSA)—Registered dietitians help educate and encourage consumers to make the most out of their food choices, especially during March’s National Nutrition Month. One way to improve your overall diet is to put more produce on your plate, such as Hass avocados. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk for developing certain chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Fruits and vegetables tend to provide essential vitamins and minerals, and contain phytonutrients, as well as fiber. In addition, they are relatively l o w i n c a l ori e s fo r the nutrients they provide. Unfortunately, fewer than 30 percent of Americans meet the recommended minimum of two fruit servings per day. Hass avocados, which are considered a fruit, can be a tasty addition to meals and snacks, and can help consumers meet their recommended fruit servings. A one-ounce serving of avocado has 50 calories, and provides nearly 20 beneficial vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Additionally, the deliciously creamy avocado is virtually the only fruit that has monounsaturated fat. To help boost fruit consumption, add a few slices of avocado to sandwiches and salads. Or try this simple recipe that features Hass avocados and a number of other fruits and vegetables. Get more fruits and vegetables i n you r di et with delicious dishes like this salad with Hass avocados. Roasted Beet And Hass Avocado Salad With Orange Dressing Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Ingredients: 2 medium red beets 1 ⁄4 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1 ripe, fresh Hass avocado*, seeded, peeled and cut into quarters 1 bag mixed salad greens Orange Dressing (see make-ahead recipe below) Orange zest, for garnish Instructions: 1. Wash beets and trim off stems. 2. Place beets in a small pan and add two tablespoons of water. 3. Cover pan with foil and roast in a 350F oven for 50 minutes. 4. Check beets’ doneness by piercing with fork. Fork should go in easily with a little resistance. 5. Remove from oven. Cool. 6. Peel beets and cut into 1 ⁄4-inch chunks; set aside. 7. D i p a v o c a d o i n r i c e vinegar. 8. Divide greens among serving plates. Top each serving with an avocado quarter and spoon 1⁄4 of the chopped beets over each avocado. Drizzle dressing over all. Garnish with orange zest. Orange Dressing Ingredients: 1 ⁄4 cup fresh orange juice 2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar 1 ⁄2 tsp. orange zest 1 ⁄4 tsp. salt 1 ⁄8 tsp. black pepper Instructions: In small bowl, combine orange juice, vinegar, orange zest, salt and pepper. Whisk to blend. Tip: To make orange zest, use fine grater and grate off only orange color of skin. There also are zest tools that you scrape on orange skin to make zest. Per serving: 120 calories; 6 grams fat (1.5 grams sat fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 310 mg sodium; 15 grams carbohydrate; 6 grams fiber; 8 grams sugar; 2 grams protein * Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller- or larger-size avocados, adjust the quantity accordingly. For other delicious recipes featuring Hass avocados, visit the Hass Avocado Board’s Web site at avocadocentral.com. (NAPSA)—When it comes to staying healthy, seeking medical care sooner rather than later is usually the right prescription. To help, here are some tips on how to get the most from your health insurance for less. The tips are courtesy of the experts at Health Net, a leading source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses. • Switch to an HMO plan for greater cost predictability. Compared to PPOs, HMOs typically have no annual deductible and come with fixed-dollar copayments instead of percentage-based coinsurance. If you are eligible for Medicare, this would mean enrolling in a Medicare Advantage HMO plan. • Use medical professionals within your health plan’s network. Using out-of-network providers typically results in higher copayments—or sometimes no coverage at all. • Look for an HMO that provides “narrow networks” of health care providers. Some health plans offer smaller networks of cost-effective, quality providers in exchange for significant premium breaks. •Use preventive care benefits. Services like blood pressure and cholesterol checks, mammograms, Pap smears, PSA tests, diabetes and cancer screenings, and physicals can keep you from developing a preventable condition—or keep previously undetected conditions from getting worse. •Use a mail-order pharmacy p rogram. Many he alth plans offer both cost savings and convenience through mail-ord er delivery of maintenance medications. Some plans provide up to 90 days of mail-order meds for Many health plans offer both cost savings and convenience through mail-order delivery of maintenance medications. the same copayment as a 60-day supply from your local pharmacy. •Go generic and save. Generic drugs are often a lower-cost alternative to their brand-name counterparts and they work the same way, according to the Food and Drug Administration. •Take advantage of health coaching, health education, wellness benefits and other free tools and resources offered by your health plan. Health plans want to help their members be healthy. •Use discounts for healthrelated expenditures. Many health plans offer discounts on purchases of health-related products and services. Log on to your health plan’s Web site to see if discount programs are available. “Each health insurance plan is different,” said Jonathan Scheff, M.D., Health Net’s chief medical officer. “If you have any questions about how much it’s going to cost, it’s a good idea to check with your plan’s customer service department to determine how the plan will cover specific services and products.” To learn more, visit the Web site at www.healthnet.com.
