FitSugar

Savory Snacks 100 Calorie Quiz

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Not only is it OK to have a snack attack every once in a while, but it's also healthy. Eating 100-calorie snacks between small meals can help regulate your metabolism. To test your low-calorie savory snacks knowledge, take my little quiz.

Source

Take the quiz

You Don't Have to Give Up M&M's in '08!

FitSugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0800

It's the New Year again, and you know what that means: time for New Year's resolutions. Here at FitSugar, we are going to be helping you out with all kinds of advice for sticking to those healthy promises, which is why I am so excited to tell you about M&M's® 100 Calorie Packs. Thanks to our friends at M&M's®, you can have real enjoyment with less guilt. M&M's® 100 Calorie Packs allow you to indulge in the candy-covered chocolate treats you love without breaking your resolutions. Available in the candy aisle, these products are identical in ingredients to their full sized counterparts. The trick is that they come in perfect portions that are just 100 calories per serving. So you really don't need to give up chocolate in order to stick to those resolutions. Pretty awesome, right?

Thank you to M&Ms® 100 Calorie Packs for sponsoring this post.

Element Bars: Build Your Own Energy Bar

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:30:22 -0700

Many FitSugar readers often enjoy an energy bar since they're great pre- or post-workout snacks. They tend to be under 200 calories, full of fiber and protein, and can satisfy that craving you have to eat something chewy. If you're getting tired of the ones you usually eat, why not make your own? Element Bars allows you to customize all the ingredients so you get the taste and consistency you want.

Build a bar by choosing:

Core (base): chewy, oaty, crispy, or datey
Fruits: apricots, blueberries cherries, cranberries, prunes, or raisins
Nuts: almonds, cashews, flaxseeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, soynuts, walnuts
Sweets: agave syrup, brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, chocolate chips, M&Ms, pumpkin spice
Boosts: whey protein, soy protein, immunity, omega-3, fiber

A box of 12 bars costs $36. Not only would it be fun to make your own to eat, but you can also get a friend a gift certificate, or get a bunch of boxes made for party favors.

Food Dye Brilliant Blue G Reduces Spinal Cord Injuries

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:15:52 -0700

It is not often you hear anyone singing the praises of a food additives, let alone food dye. Brilliant Blue G, the dye found in blue M&Ms and Gatorade, has a lot more going on than a super-awesome, old-school gangsta name: it might help to decrease the severity of spinal cord injuries.

When the spinal cord is injured, molecular changes occur at the injury site, making the initial injury considerably worse - the body sends healing cells to the site but they go overboard and attack healthy cells as well. When Brilliant Blue G was given intravenously to rats with spinal injuries, the blue dye inhibited the cellular attack that killed healthy cells. The rats were able to walk postinjury, although they retained a bit of a limp. The control group, which received no dye, never walked again. The one side effect is that the rats treated with blue dye turned blue for a while.

Administering Brilliant Blue G immediately after a spinal cord injury could have a dramatic impact on how accident victims are treated and recover. The group at University of Rochester that made this medical discovery are gearing up for clinical trials. The blue dye has already been approved for human consumption, since it's in Jell-O, candy, and drinks, so let's hope the research is funded quickly. It could transform lives.

Takahiro Takano, University of Rochester Medical Center

Healthy Eating Tip: Limit Your Added Sugar Intake to 40 Grams

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:45:00 -0700

I have a huge sweet tooth, so I can relate to your cravings for cookies, chocolate, and the like. The problem is, too much sugar can lead to weight gain, metabolic disorder (a precursor of type 2 diabetes and heart disease), and possibly even certain cancers. Added sugars should make up only six to 10 percent of your daily calories. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet that adds up to between 30 and 50 grams. I'm not talking about naturally occurring sugars in fruits and veggies though. I'm talking about foods made with white sugar, so keep your intake to about 40 grams. If you're a label reader, it can be hard to discern how much of the white stuff you're getting though, since all sugars are lumped under the "sugar" category. So the best thing to do is limit the amount of foods you eat that have sugar, brown sugar, or high fructose corn syrup in the list of ingredients.

To see how many grams of sugar are in some common sweet foods read more.

Food	Amount of Sugar
Slice of chocolate cake	30 g
1 oz. Dagoba organic dark chocolate	12 g
1 chocolate chip cookie	7 g
6 Oreo cookies	20 g
1 Starbucks chocolate hazelnut biscotti	10 g
1 Krispy Kreme glazed donut	13
20 plain M&Ms	9 g
1/2 cup serving of vanilla ice cream	21 g
10 oz. Coffee with 1 packet of sugar	2.8 g
12 oz. Coca Cola	39 g
12 oz. ginger ale	32.4 g
12 oz. Sprite	38 g

Source

10 Sources of Hidden Calories

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0800

If losing weight is on your mind, you've got to be conscious of how many calories you consume each day. Although the foods listed below are small amounts, if you add all those up, and they could be preventing you from reaching your goal weight.

One pat of butter on your toast: 36 calories.
One tablespoon ketchup with your fries: 15 calories.
One container of half and half in your coffee: 20 calories.
One teaspoon or one cube of sugar in your coffee: 9 calories.
One tablespoon mayonnaise on your sandwich: 100 calories.
One teaspoon each of oil and vinegar on your sandwich: 39 calories.
One cubic inch of feta cheese on your salad: 45 calories.
One tablespoon of grated Parmesan on your pasta: 22 calories.
One tablespoon of sour cream on your baked potato: 26 calories.
Handful of M&Ms (10 pieces) off your co-worker's desk: 34 calories.

You don't need to omit these foods from your diet, but just be aware that even small servings contain calories.

Source

Halloween Candy Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:00:19 -0700

What is it about Halloween candy that makes it so enticing? All those miniature, bite-size, chocolatey morsels in brightly colored packages are so hard to resist. To prevent myself from eating half a bag of treats, I like to wait to buy my candy until the day before Halloween, and I also give out candy I hate. But when my girls come home with their trick-or-treat bags, a few pieces can't hurt, right? Unfortunately, all those little bites add up, so just to give you an idea, I've put together this breakdown.

The calorie content in this chart is based on one piece of Halloween "snack" or "fun"-size candy, not the full-size servings found in the candy aisle. The good news is that on most bags of bulk candy, the serving size includes two to three pieces or packets of each, so there's nothing wrong with indulging in a few of your favorites.

1 treat size (fun size)	Calories	Fat (g)	Sugar (g)
Snickers	71	3.6	7.6
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup	88	5.2	8
Reese's Caramel Cup	100	5	11
Reese's Nutrageous	95	5.5	7.5

If you don't see the candy you crave, read more.

1 treat size (fun size)	Calories	Fat (g)	Sugar (g)
Milky Way	77	2.9	10.2
Butterfinger	85	3.5	8.5
Almond Joy	91	5.1	9.2
Milk Duds	40	2	6.3
M&Ms	90	4	11.5
Peanut M&Ms	93	4.7	9.1
Nestle Crunch	51.3	2.7	5.6
Peppermint Pattie	47	1	8.6
Kit Kat	73	3.7	.67
Dots	70	0	11
Skittles	80	.8	15
Jelly Belly Jellybeans	35	0	7
3 Musketeers	63.3	2	10
Milky Way Dark	81	3	11
Hershey's Bar	66.7	4	7.7
Take 5	105	5.5	9
100 Grand	95	4	11
Nerds	50	0	12
Whoppers	100	4	13
Mike & Ike	50	0	9
SweeTarts	10	0	2.4

Source

Is Dating or Marriage Worse For Your Waistline?

FitSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:30:33 -0700

Dating can be tough for many reasons, but especially if you're trying to watch your weight. The calories from all those drinks and dinners out can add up, and on top of that, dates can seriously cut into your gym time. But according to a recent story in Shape, living together or getting married may be even harder on the love handles.

Citing a recent study by the Obesity Society, Shape writes:

Women who were dating put on an average of 15 pounds over five years, those who were living with a romantic partner gained 18 pounds and the newly married packed on 24 pounds. You spend the most time with your loved one, so you're bound to be influenced by his eating habits, says Lauren Antonucci, M.S., R.D., director of New York City-based Nutrition Energy. This can lead to weight gain since women generally don't need as many calories as men.

I was initially surprised by this statistic, but now that I think about it, it makes sense. It's hard not to be influenced by your significant other. At least when you are dating, you have time alone to stick to your usual eating habits. Whether you're single or attached, Shape also has some great tips on controlling your eating habits while in a relationship, so check it out.

What about you? Do you think dating or coupledom is worse for your waistline?

Source

Anterior cruciate ligament repair - series

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:45:08 -0700

Back

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Normal anatomy

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a ligament in the center of the knee that prevents the shin bone (tibia) from moving forward on the thigh bone (femur).

Indications

If the ACL is torn, the knee joint may become unstable and affect the ability to perform work or athletic activities.

Procedure, part 1

ACL reconstruction is surgery to replace the torn ACL ligament. There are several choices of tissue to use for the new ligament, including an autograft (tissue from the patient’s own body) or an allograft (tissue from a cadaver). One of the most common autografts use part of the patellar tendon (the tendon in the front of the knee).

Procedure, part 2

The old ligament is removed using a shaver or other instruments. Bone tunnels are made to place the new ligament (patellar graft) in the knee at the site of the old ACL. Screws are commonly used to secure the graft in the bone tunnels, although other methods of fixation are used depending on the type of graft used.

Aftercare

At the end of the surgery, the incisions are closed, and a dressing is applied. ACL reconstruction is usually a very successful surgery. The majority of patients will have a stable knee that does not give way after ACL reconstruction.

Review Date: 9/15/2006

Reviewed By: Andrew L. Chen, M.D., M.S., Orthopedist, The Alpine Clinic, Littleton, NH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

A.D.A.M. Copyright

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-2009 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

adam.com

Source Doc: 3_100230

Rotator cuff repair - series

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:45:07 -0700

Back

Overview

Normal anatomy
Indications
Procedure
Aftercare

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Normal anatomy

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that form a cuff over the shoulder. These muscles and tendons hold the arm in its "ball and socket" joint and are involved in essentially all shoulder motions.

Indications

The role of the tendons is to hold the powerful shoulder muscles to the shoulder and arm bones. The tendons can be torn from overuse or injury.

Procedure

Either through an open incision or using small instruments through tiny incisions (arthroscopy), the tendon is repaired with sutures. If the tendon is separated from the bone, small rivets called suture anchors are used to attach the tendon back to the bone.

Aftercare

Surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff is usually very successful at relieving pain in the shoulder. The procedure is less predictable at returning strength to the shoulder. Recovery time often depends on the extent of the tear.

Review Date: 9/15/2006

Reviewed By: Andrew L. Chen, M.D., M.S., Orthopedist, The Alpine Clinic, Littleton, NH.Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M. Copyright

adam.com

Source Doc: 3_100229