FitSugar

Have You Ever Taken a Dietary Supplement to Lose Weight?

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:34:47 PDT

Losing weight is no easy task. It takes time to find the right combination of willpower, diet, and exercise to work for yourself, so it's no wonder that there's no end to products that promise to help you out. Anything from Snooki-endorsed Zantrex to tasteless, calorie-less fiber that fills your belly without adding calories are currently on the market touting fast results for dropping pounds.

Taking dietary supplements carries certain risks. For one, they aren't FDA-approved and can contain unsafe ingredients, and for another, you could just be wasting your money on buying expensive pills that aren't effective (one of the main ingredients in Zantrex, for example, is just lots of caffeine). Have you ever tried them?

Nutrition Myths: Fact or Fiction

FitSugar — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 04:37:51 PDT

When it comes to nutrition, do you know your facts from fiction? Take this quiz and see.

Source: Flickr User stevendepolo

Take the Quiz

5 Tips For Raising a Child on a Vegan Diet

LilSugar — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 07:04:44 PDT

As moms, we all know how hard it can be to get tots to eat their veggies and fruits. Let's be honest - sometimes it can be a nightmare! A nutritious, balanced diet can be a difficult thing to achieve for a child, especially when other kids at school or on the playground are allowed to eat everything they're not! Raising a child on a vegan diet - like vegan advocate and new mama Alicia Silverstone plans to do - poses some additional hurdles. We asked Ashley Koff, RD - Emily Deschanel's dietitian and the author of Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged ($17) - to give us her top five tips for raising a child on a vegan diet. Check them out!

All About Sprouts

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:15:14 PDT

Many people associate sprouts with those stringy, wormy-looking mung bean sprouts in stir-fry dishes. Otherwise, you might think of the bitter alfalfa sprouts used to fill sandwiches. Did you know that sprouting extends to a wide variety of grains, beans, and nuts, and sprouting these food items can tremendously increase nutrition and digestibility? While fairly recent salmonella and E. coli outbreaks have deterred people from eating sprouts, with proper hygienic conditions, you can reap the benefits of sprouts by easily growing them in your own home or buy cooked products with sprouted ingredients.

Sprouting grains, beans, and nuts neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which make digestion and nutrient absorption a difficult process for your body. However, with moist and warm conditions, these hard-shelled seeds, grains, and beans begin to soften, open up, and become phytonutrient-rich. As a result, the sprouting stage of growth makes these foods easily digestible, lower on the glycemic index, and nutrient-packed, having increased levels of vitamins and antioxidants. In addition, sprouted grains and legumes require shorter cooking times, because the tough exterior shell has already broken down during the soaking process.

Calories in One Gram of Protein: How Major Sources Compare

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:49:53 PDT

If dropping pounds is your plan, then you no doubt have calories on the brain. Check out the chart below to find out which sources of protein contain the fewest calories. It might be just the tidbit of info to help shave calories off your meals so you reach your goal weight faster.

Source of Protein	Calories per gram of protein
Ground beef	6.5
Chicken breast	4.2
Roasted turkey	4.5
Salmon	9.3
Tilapia	4.9
Ham	10
Bacon	14.8
Skim milk	10.5
Two percent milk	15.1
Plain soymilk	14.3

Keep on reading to see the calorie count for other common sources of protein.

Do You Cook Now That You Have Kids?

LilSugar — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:31:40 PDT

Decades ago, women were expected to be masters of domestic trades - like cooking and baking. Many women today don't know how to cook or choose not to on a regular basis. Then they have children and their lil ones arouse an awareness of health and nutrition that may have been dormant pre-baby. Moms want their kids to be healthy, eat right and exercise. And a growing number of studies show that healthy eating habits start at home.

Did you learn how to cook after you became a mom? Do you eat more meals at home now that you have children? Share your thoughts on children's nutrition and your favorite kid-friendly recipes in the comments below.

What to Eat (and When) Before Working Out

Michele Foley — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:02:57 PDT

When it comes to working out, you always want to make sure you have ample energy. However eating too close to vigorous exercise is a recipe for discomfort, but heading to the gym hungry isn't ideal either - something I learned during a recent session with my Crunch trainer, Tim Rich. Not being adequately fueled led to a weak-feeling workout and unusually sore muscles the next day. Wanting to maximize the potential of my training sessions, I turned to nutritionist Heidi Skolnik, MS, CDN, FACSM, and author of Nutrient Timing for Peak Performance to find out what to eat, and when, before heading to the gym. Keep reading to see the simple guidelines that Heidi suggests.

How to Deal With Cravings to Addictive Foods

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:29:24 PDT

We've all seesawed between depriving ourselves then binging on cravings, usually because we crave things that we know we should avoid. According to Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D., founder of The Natural Gourmet Institute and prominent author and lecturer on natural health and holistic medicine, we should listen to some cravings. They are the body's signal to search for nutrients it needs to operate properly. However, we often crave addictive foods and substances that are nonessential (and often harmful) to our body.

People who experience a food addiction indulge in stimulants such as sugar, white flour, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. Giving them up can lead to withdrawal symptoms like unpleasant headaches, intense cravings, depression, and anxiety. One bite can instantaneously alleviate these symptoms while propelling the body to pig out. Remember, easily ridding yourself of the symptoms won't reverse the addiction. Dr. Colbin says the first four days of a cleanse are the hardest, but the cravings will diminish with patience and time.

Let's take a look at the biggest culprit. We all know that white sugar is detrimental to our heath, but here's why sugar should be hard to swallow. In her book Food and Healing, Dr. Colbin explains, "To metabolize refined sugar, the body draws out the missing companion nutrients (needed as catalysts in the digestive process) from other sources." The "other sources" can be additional foods eaten during the meal, or else your body strips the micronutrients from its own tissues. Dr. Colbin warns that to digest sugar, "We lose B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, [and] iron . . . from our own reserves." This is obviously a body's last resort, and the body will try to flash a hunger signal first to search for foods with essential nutrients. Instead of bulking up on unnecessary calories to find the right food to satisfy your munchies, Dr. Colbin has mapped out an easy-to-use chart.

To learn how to deal with your cravings, click here.

Do Ads For Veggies Make You Want to Buy Them?

Leta Shy — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:50:31 PDT

Avocados have starred on The Biggest Loser, baby carrots got a junk food-esque makeover, and now, potatoes may be the next vegetable to be in the spotlight.

Following the news that all forms of potatoes play a big role in weight gain, the Idaho Potato Association wants to let us know that there are, in fact, benefits to eating the tuber. New commercials will start airing soon to let us know the role potatoes play in heart health. In fact, potatoes contain high amounts of potassium, which studies have shown may help lower blood pressure and is essential for regulating heart beat.

Are you ever swayed by marketing messages about the benefits of vegetables, or do you arm yourself with nutrition information another way?

Calories in Summery Smoothies

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:34:23 PDT

It's a hot and humid Summer day and you head to your local smoothie joint for a cool, refreshing smoothie. It's made with mostly all-natural fruit, ice, and a little dairy, so what could be bad? That tall glass of thick, fruity goodness might taste like it's good for you, but the amount of calories you're consuming will most definitely stop you midslurp. Check out the breakdown below and see how your favorite smoothie stands.

Keep in mind that these calculations are based on 16-ounce servings, and many places serve up your smoothie in a much taller cup, which means even more calories and carbs consumed.

Smoothie (16 oz. serving)	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Jamba Juice Banana Berry	270	1	64	3	57	3
Jamba Juice Aloha Pineapple	290	1	67	3	63	5
Jamba Juice Strawberry Surf Rider	300	1	72	2	64	2
Jamba Juice Apple 'n Greens	220	1	50	6	40	5

Not seeing your favorite smoothie? Keep reading to see the nutritional info for smoothies found at Starbucks, McDonald's, and Jack in the Box.