Hello, this is Monica Reinagle, the nutrition diva, here with your quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

I bet you have a slow cooker stashed somewhere in the back of a cabinet or on a

shelf in the basement. Maybe you got it as a wedding or a graduation present or

picked it up in a yard sale, and maybe like me you hardly ever think to use it.

Well today I have five healthy reasons for you to haul that neglected appliance out of hiding.

And now, on with our show.

Slow cookers are good for so much more than just heating up Swedish meatballs for your annual holiday party.

In fact, if you're trying to eat healthy, your slow cooker may be one of the most useful and underused tools you have. Reason number one, it's one of the

healthiest ways to cook meat. It's a sad but true fact that some of the most delicious ways to cook meat, such as grilling and flame broiling,

are also the least healthy. That delicious seared exterior comes with a cost. When we cook meat over high direct heat, the

protein and the fat in the meat interact with the heat to form several harmful

compounds. And this might be one of the reasons why people who eat a lot of meat have a higher risk of cancer and heart disease.

I've talked before about ways to reduce the formation of these are eating meat two or three times a day. Those who are eating meat, even grilled meat,

just two or three times a month, don't have an increased risk. But if you want to

eat meat more than once a week, it's time to make friends with your slow cooker.

The slow moist heat gently cooks meat without generating those harmful compounds.

And as a bonus, slow moist cooking is the best way to prepare inexpensive cuts of

meat turning tough cuts into fork tender bites. Now vegetarians I haven't

forgotten about you reason number two to get your slow cooker out is that it's one of the easiest ways to cook dried beans.

Beans and legumes are staple in my repertoire and I much prefer the flavor and the texture

when I start with dried beans rather than canned. And dried beans are also a lot

cheaper and they're easier to store. The only catch is that working with dried beans takes a few

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