With our health, it's the little decisions that make a big difference over time.

A new study finds that the little decision of choosing olive, canola or corn oil over butter or margarine can help prevent chronic disease.

The study, published in the BMC Med on April 15, 2021, followed more than 521,000 participants, ages 50-71 years, from the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Researchers tracked cooking oil and fat consumption using a validated food frequency questionnaire and tracked mortality.

Over 16 years, 129,328 deaths were documented. Intakes of butter and margarine were associated with higher total mortality, while intakes of canola and olive oil were related to lower total mortality. Butter consumption was positively associated with cancer mortality.

The researchers found substituting corn oil, canola oil or olive oil for equal amounts of butter and margarine was related to lower all-cause mortality and mortality from certain causes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, respiratory disease and Alzheimer's disease.

It's amazing that a simple switch from solid fats to liquid can make such a difference. It's a seemingly small step to saute a chicken breast or roast vegetables in oil instead of butter.

Make those small changes and your heart will thank you.

Q and A

Q: When it comes to gardening, spring is the season for those cool-loving crops like lettuce, spinach, carrots and radishes. But what can you do with radishes, and are they good for you?

A: Radishes come in quite the variety: spicy to mild, small to long, round to straight, red to white to multicolored. A half-cup of sliced, raw radishes contains around 10 calories, 2 grams carbohydrates and 1 gram fiber. While radishes do not contain much protein, fat or sodium, they do have vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, folate, potassium and calcium. Radishes store best in the refrigerator for one to two weeks, but they don't freeze well due to their high-water content, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Try pickling them, or just slicing, dicing, shredding and eating. You can also saute them. (See recipe below.)

RECIPE

Have you ever tasted a cooked radish? Here's a recipe to try from the University of Illinois Extension. It's a quick, easy, healthy side dish to celebrate spring's flavors.

SAUTEED RADISHES

Servings: 4

1 tablespoon olive, corn or canola oil

1 to 2 bunches radishes (about 1 pound with tops), trimmed and each cut into quarters or halves if small

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

Heat oil in nonstick 12-inch skillet over low-medium heat. Add radishes, salt and pepper to skillet. Cook 14-15 minutes or until radishes are fork-tender and lightly browned. Remove skillet from heat. Toss radishes with dill, and transfer to serving bowl.

Per serving: 45 calories; 1 gram protein; 4 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fat; 2 grams dietary fiber.

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Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.