Healthy Ways to Indulge With Food

Updated June 17, 2013
Ways to enjoy and benefit from foods normally "off limits."
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Say cheese

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Need a good excuse to enjoy that Brie? The protein in all kinds of fromage buffers against the cavity—causing acids in plaque, and the calcium and phosphate help keep teeth strong. Have a nibble a day (a half-ounce has 57 calories).

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Wine when you dine

Get this: A little wine may help your liver function. According to research from the University of California, San Diego, people who drink a glass of red or white wine a day have lower levels of liver damage than nondrinkers. Just one more reason to enjoy 5 ounces of vino a day.

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Savor some chocolate

The dark kind, that is. Just an ounce a day helps regulate blood pressure and protect your heart due to its flavonols, which improve blood flow.

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Have a cheeseburger

It might help you—gasp!—lose weight. In an Australian study, women who ate low-calorie diets with lots of red meat and dairy lost more than those on carb-heavy diets with little meat (probably because meat and dairy are protein-rich, thus filling). Make your cheeseburger open-faced to keep carbs and calories in check.

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