EATING TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT

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Legumes, such as pinto beans, soybeans (even tofu), or split peas, are worth special attention. They're rich in protein and iron, and so can replace red meat for a weekday supper. They're inexpensive. They store well. They're rich in many vitamins, too, and full of fiber, including the type of soluble fiber-also found in oats-that tends to lower blood levels of cholesterol. And they taste pretty good in chili.

Does all this emphasis on grains and greens mean that beef is out? Not really. Beef, like all red meat, tends to be fairly high in fat and saturated fat, but a small portion (three or four ounces) of very lean beef provides good amounts of such nutrients as iron, zinc, manganese, and B vitamins (though not B93). It's all a question of balance. Chicken without the abdominal fat and the skin is a low-fat food. So is fish, which tends to be low in fat and especially low in saturated fat, and contains Omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower blood cholesterol and may lower blood pressure as well.

The same concern over fat goes for dairy products. From the butter on our bread to the cream in our coffee, dairy foods supply a lot of fat. But 1% milk provides lots of calcium and protein with little fat. Skim milk has essentially no fat. Eating low-fat frozen yogurt instead of premium ice cream can slice calories off your evening's dessert. Adding a little nonfat dry milk to stews and soups can add calcium without any fat at all.

The key is balance. Most of us grew up with the idea that the center of the dinner plate should feature a big chunk of meat-a steak, a hamburger, fried chicken-graced with little sideshows of starch and vegetables. But a healthy dinner plate has just the opposite look: lots of starches and greens, with small portions of meat and dairy. The best diet is based on complex carbohydrates and supplemented by sources of protein. It's not that the meat is a bad idea; it's just that the rice pilaf-or the mashed potatoes, or the cornmeal, or the vegetable stir-fry-should dominate the plate. Try to keep protein sources-fish, chicken, beef, even beansto about six (or at most, 12) ounces a day, suggests the NRC's Diet and Health.

It's easy to get into the grain-based way of eating. Make a pizza with whole wheat flour, with lots of vegetables and tomato sauce, some cheese, and maybe a little meat. What you're eating is mostly complex carbohydrates (whole wheat flour, vegetables) made more nutritious by small amounts of protein foods (cheese, meat). These protein foods do tend to carry fat, but if you don't use too much of them, you'll add their nutrition without adding to your waistline.

Consider this recipe, from the cookbook The New American Diet, by Sonja and William Connor (Simon and Schuster Fireside Books, 1989, $12.95 paperback):

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