Prevention

Okay, I admit it: Most days, I really don't want to cook. But I don't want to eat junk food either. And (just taking a wild guess here) I bet 99.9 percent of you feel the same now and then.

So, thank heaven. For the first time, there are brilliant solutions to this dilemma at your local supermarket in the form of new convenience foods that taste great, protect you from illness, and save you gobs of time. Any of my following favorites can upgrade your diet in 6 minutes or less!

Momentary Meat

Precooked Pot Roast: Ready in 6 Minutes

Low-fat cuts of beef such as pot roast need slow cooking (think hours!) to make them tender. But the precooked Thomas E. Wilson 1-lb beef pot roast (complete with juice) heats in its own container in the microwave in 6 minutes. Each 3-oz serving (size of a deck of cards) has only 3 g of fat and 1 g of saturated fat.

Your payoff: Tougher immunity. Each serving has 4 mg of hard-to-get zinc, nearly one-third of your Daily Value. Zinc is vital to the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.

Fully Precooked Bacon: Ready in 10 Seconds

Forget artificial "bacon" bits. Crumbled bacon adds incredible flavor to veggies. With fully precooked bacon, you can take just one slice, zap it for 10 seconds in the microwave, and boom—you've got crispy bacon to sprinkle on brussels sprouts, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Your payoff: You'll eat more veggies. Big veggie eaters have lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. One slice of Ready Crisp Fully-Cooked Bacon adds only 23 calories, 2 g of fat, and 90 mg of sodium.

Speedy Veggies

Canned Sliced Beets: Ready Instantly

Peeling and roasting beets takes more than an hour. Instead, open canned beets, and make Instant Borscht: In a food processor, puree a 14 1/2-oz can of sliced beets (drained), 1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth, 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Serve at room temp. Makes two 3/4-cup servings. Optional: Dollop with sour cream and chopped chives. Per serving: 71 cal, 0 g fat, 620 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

Your payoff: Antioxidants galore. Among veggies, beets are topped only by cooked spinach and kale in antioxidants per serving. Antioxidants help protect you against heart disease and cancer.

Cook-in-the-Bag Fresh Spinach: Ready in 3 Minutes

I am crazy about Ready Pac Spinach, because you microwave it right in the bag. Slit the top, microwave for 3 minutes, and get 1 1/2 cups of perfectly cooked, emerald green baby spinach leaves. Not even a pan to wash! Try 1/2 cup of cooked spinach plus 1 tablespoon of Parmesan. Only 43 calories and fabulous!

Your payoff: Eyesight that lasts. Spinach is the richest source of lutein, a natural compound that appears to protect your eyes from cataracts and retinal degeneration.

Fresh Matchstick Carrots: Ready in 4 Minutes

After you peel and slice them, carrots can take 10 minutes to cook, even in the microwave. But 1 cup of slender matchstick carrots zaps to tender in about 4 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of apricot jam to make them divine for about 90 calories total—and 5 g of fiber!

Your payoff: Breast cancer protection. Women whose diets are highest in beta-carotene have less breast cancer, and carrots are the richest source of beta-carotene.

 

Fast Fish and Beans

Salmon in a Pouch: Ready Instantly

Poached salmon for salads takes 10 minutes to cook, and then you need to chill it. Chicken of the Sea skinless, boneless salmon in a pouch—fresher tasting than canned—is ready as is. For a healthy switch, use salmon to replace the tuna in tuna salad: Mix one pouch of salmon (7.1 oz) with 1/4 cup of reduced-fat mayo, 1 cup of chopped cucumber, 1/4 cup of chopped onion, and 1/4 teaspoon of dried dillweed. Makes 2 scant cups.

Per 1/2-cup serving: 105 cal, 4 g fat, 458 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Your payoff: Less risk of stroke and fatal heart attack. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fat, a good fat that helps keep heartbeats from developing fatal arrhythmias.

Canned Chile Beans: Ready in 4 Minutes

No need to measure seasonings or sauce; they're already in the can with the beans. For Can't Wait Chili, mix a 15-oz can of chile beans (such as Kuner's Southwestern Chile Beans), a 14 1/2-oz can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, and 1 cup of precooked chicken (such as Perdue Short Cuts). Microwave for about 4 minutes until hot.

Makes 3 servings. Per serving: 229 cal, 4 g fat, 882 mg sodium, 8 g fiber

Your payoff: Alzheimer's protection. Beans are dense with the B vitamin folate, which tamps down blood levels of a substance called homocysteine. New research suggests that people with higher homocysteine levels are more likely to develop Alzheimer's. Folate fights colon cancer, heart attack, stroke, and birth defects too.

Treats To Go

Canned Sliced Pears: Ready Instantly

Okay, canned pears aren't new, but they're so useful when there are no ripe pears in the house. For a yummy dessert, try Chocolate Pears: Place 1/2 cup of drained canned pear sections (in light syrup) in a dish. Top with 1 tablespoon of Hershey's Syrup. Per serving: 130 cal, 0 g fat, 23 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

Your payoff: A big bite of fiber. Each 1/2-cup serving delivers 2 g of fiber toward your 25-g daily minimum. Studies repeatedly show that people who eat more fiber have fewer strokes and heart attacks.

Cold-Brewed Iced Tea Bags: Ready in 3 Minutes

A 16-oz bottle of sweetened iced tea has 200 calories. To get no-cal unsweetened iced tea, until now you've had to brew hot tea and chill, or steep tea in the fridge overnight. Enter Lipton Cold Brew tea bags, regular or decaf. Put one bag in a tall glass with 2 cups of cold water. Three minutes later, you have fresh no-cal iced tea! A packet of zero-calorie Splenda mellows the flavor.

Your payoff: A flavonoid infusion. In a Dutch study, people who drank about 1 1/2 cups of tea a day had half as many heart attacks as non-tea drinkers. Flavonoids in tea help stop blood clots, which trigger heart attacks.

Frozen Mango Chunks: Ready in 2 to 3 Minutes

Peeling and chopping a fresh mango takes, what, 5 minutes? That's assuming you have a ripe mango on hand. But frozen mango chunks, available in many supermarkets in 16-oz bags, are always ready. They thaw in the microwave in 2 to 3 minutes. Luscious dessert:

Top fat-free vanilla ice cream with 1/2 cup of frozen mango chunks and 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries (thawed in the microwave). This mango-raspberry combo is spectacular!

Your payoff: Cancer insurance. People who eat the most fruits and veggies have about half the risk of cancer, says the National Cancer Institute.