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Calorie restriction diet: Healthy dinner recipes

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(CNN) -- Since the 1930s, researchers have known that a diet that was both nutritious and very low in calories could extend the life in lab rats and mice. It's still unknown whether it could have the same benefit for humans, but April Smith and Michael Rae follow a calorie restriction diet in the hopes that it will.

The couple sat down recently with Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a 639-calorie dinner of tilapia, asparagus, tomato salad and a MegaBrownie.

Here are their recipes.

Main course: Tilapia in white wine and lemon

Ingredients
200 g tilapia
3 oz white wine (35 percent of the wine calories cook off)
Lemon juice to taste
1 teaspoon flax oil

Instructions
In a shallow pan, simmer the wine and lemon juice for 30 minutes, which allows 35 percent of the wine's calories to evaporate. Add the tilapia filet and cook until fish is no longer pink.

If too much liquid cooks away, add water. The flavor will remain strong. Remove from heat and place on plate with 1 tsp. of flax oil.

Tri-color tomato salad
Ingredients
222 g tomatoes -- I used grape, yellow, and orange
5 g fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Dash freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Slice the tomatoes into small pieces, top with basil and olive oil, sprinkle with pepper.

Steamed asparagus
Ingredients
150 g asparagus
½ tsp. olive oil
1 lime slice
Dash freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Steam asparagus over boiling water or in microwave. Top with olive oil and a squeeze of lime juice. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Recipe: MegaBrownies

Combine the following ingredients in a mixing bowl:
500 g unsweetened Fair Trade cocoa powder
1 box Ener-G rice bran
3 C psyllium husk
1/3 C whole rye flour
6 T Brewer's yeast
4 scoops (20g per scoop/450 calories) chocolate-flavored whey protein powder
6 scoops (20g per scoop/440 calories) unflavored whey protein
1.5 T sodium-free baking powder
50g almonds
100g almond meal

In a blender mix the following ingredients:
4 omega-3 eggs (flax-fed preferred over fish oil or other DHA)
4 caps x 15mg (elemental) zinc
10 g NAC (N-acetylcysteine)
1 T + 1 tsp rum extract
1 T + 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 T pure sucralose + 1/4 tsp pure Neotame; or 1.5 T pure sucralose
6 cups skim milk
750 ml egg whites
470 g guava
320 g pumpkin (canned)
300 g endive
5 T High-Oleic Sunflower or olive oil
5 T Z-Trim

Pour batter into a 10x14 inch baking pan and bake for 50 minutes at 325ºF (350ºF if your oven runs cool). Cut the brownies into 24 equal pieces. Each 200g serving is 280 calories.

Serving instructions
Enjoy the brownie alone, or for an added reduced-calorie treat, as featured on CNN, serve as a parfait. To make the parfait, cut the brownie into four equal pieces. Take one quarter of the brownie and cut into thin slices. In a large wine or parfait glass, layer slices of the brownie with 150 grams of raw or organic frozen strawberries, 2 tablespoons of nonfat ricotta and melt slightly in the microwave. Top with 5 grams of hazelnuts and 1/2 teaspoon hazelnut oil.

Many of the ingredients for the MegaBrownie can be purchased at natural food stores or online.

Nutritional information
Each brownie is 280 calories per serving and has 10 percent of the Required Daily Allowance of every essential nutrient per 100 calories. The total meal, including the tilapia, tomato salad, steamed asparagus, one piece of the MegaBrownie, plus a 3 oz. glass of pinot noir is approximately 639 calories.

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