FitSugar

5 Juicing Machines Worth Buying

Heather Dale — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:48:11 PDT

Many people are setting up juice bars in the comfort of their own kitchens. Sure, juicers are pricey, but once you invest in one, you can take your favorite fruits and vegetables and instantly make a healthy fresh juice blend. Juice extracted from a juicing machine can provide you with an abundance of nutritional goodness including vitamins, potassium, and magnesium - but which juicers are worth the money? Here are five of my favorites!

Source: Flickr User mathiasbaert

Olympic Sponsors Responsible for Human Rights Violations?

LibertySugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:00:00 PDT

Pro-Tibet groups are joining together to call out the corporate sponsors of the Beijing Olympics. The groups say that unless the companies use their influence to pressure China, they are complicit in a humanitarian disaster.

Twelve global sponsors, including Coca Cola, General Electric, McDonald's, Visa, Johnson & Johnson and Omega have paid a combined $80 million for the four year exclusive sponsorship deal. Activists explain that together these companies have a GDP equal to Canada's, the world's eighth largest economy. Thus, they can wield a lot of influence.

Do you expect sponsors to get involved in global politics, considering they work with governments, employ lobbying firms, and maintain international presences?

Are human rights more than politics, therefore giving everyone an obligation to pressure China, including corporations and consumers? Or, should the sponsors be commended for supporting the Olympic movement, which would be impossible without them?

Source

Omega Chocolate Truffles

FitSugar — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:30:00 PST

Always forgetting to take your supplements? Me too. But it's a rare day when I forget dessert.

Now you can kill two birds with one stone. Flora makes Bija Omega Truffles, which are made with a rich blend of premium organic ingredients and 8 grams of omega-3 & omega-6 fatty acids (the good ones).

There is increasing evidence that chocolate contains surprising amounts of minerals, potent antioxidants and other phytonutrients. And adding healthy fats to your diet can help reduce your cholesterol and your risk of coronary disease.

Dessert that's good for you? Count me in. They're available in three mouthwatering flavors: Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut, and White Maple.

Each package comes with four truffles so you can really indulge and feel good doing it. Look for them in the cooler at your favorite natural food store.

Add Nutritional Goodness the Easy Way: 8 Recipes Made With Flax

Michele Foley — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:07:42 PST

There are many reasons to eat flaxseed: they're full of omega-3s and fiber and help promote healthy digestion, to name a few. Besides sprinkling flaxseed over a salad or cereal, it's also really easy to incorporate them into recipes. The best part is, flaxseeds don't really change how a recipe tastes, so no one will guess they just got a megadose of nutrition.

A Reader Recipe: Chunky Cherry-Chocolate Granola Bites

Fit Community — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:28:09 PST

FitSugar reader JuicyNoelle came up with this special cookie for Valentine's Day; she posted the recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

Tied with a festive pink ribbon and a little love, I’m hoping these cookies will be perfect for Valentine's Day. The whole-grain oats, nuts, and cherries in these cookies add heartiness, while the melted dark-chocolate chunks deliver bursts of richness. The chia seeds pack a nutty punch, and they are rich in fiber and omega-3s, too - perfect for supporting vibrant hair and skin during these cold weeks of February.

Learn more about the recipe after the break!

A Doctor Dishes: Which "Superfoods" Are Worth the Cost?

LearnVest — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Most people you speak to these days are trying to stretch every dollar as far as possible - even the ones they spend buying apples and oranges.

Food prices are expected to increase yet again this year, and food manufacturers are making portions smaller without reducing prices. Not surprisingly, a recent Rasmussen poll found that 93 percent of adults report paying more for groceries now than they did a year ago.

So how can we supercharge our grocery dollars and get them to do overtime for us?

Yes, some foods are obviously a better nutritional deal than others (think apples vs. potato chips), but there’s another class of foods that blows the rest of the field away in terms of nutrients and health-protecting qualities: superfoods.

Superfoods can help prevent diabetes and heart disease, repair damage to your body’s cells, and more. But before you go piling them into your cart, know that some superfoods are better nutritional bargains than others. As a doctor and a mom, I’ve sleuthed out which ones are worth the extra cost in terms of their long-term health benefits. Below is the scoop on which ones may help you age better, ward off cancer, and more.

What to Know Before Buying Superfoods

Before we dive into what to buy, there are a few important things to remember about consuming these foods:

Eating foods fresh and in their natural state, especially fruits and vegetables (rather than in pill or powder supplement form), usually allows us to absorb the greatest amount of their nutrients. The way a superfood is processed or cooked can significantly lower its antioxidant content.
If the superfood can’t be eaten fresh, look for easy and appetizing recipes containing it. No matter how “super” a superfood may be, if you don’t know how to cook it, you’ll probably let it go to waste.

Are Superfoods "Good Buys" If I’m Shopping on a Budget?

Read on to find out.

Feel-Full Quick Tricks

Health — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:49:40 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Health.com

It's not just what you eat that can make you more satisfied - it's how you eat, too. Try these tips to feel fuller longer.

H2O some more
Drink two eight-ounce glasses (16 ounces total) of water before each meal. It will fill up your stomach and trim up to 60 calories per meal.

Health.com: Which Foods Burn the Most Fat?

Flavor of the day
Use vinegar (or vinaigrette) and cinnamon for flavor whenever possible. These two ingredients can help regulate blood sugars after meals and help you feel full longer after eating, according to a study from the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, in Zurich, Switzerland.

Keep reading for quick feel-full tricks.

The Secrets of the World's Healthiest Women

Health — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:45:10 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

From pouring on the olive oil like the Greeks to slashing stress like the Scandinavians, what we
can learn from the happiest, slimmest, longest-living cultures around the globe.

The secret to a long, healthy life in America? According to longevity researchers, it may be to act like you live somewhere else.

It seems like every year another country's lifestyle is touted as the new magic bullet to cure us of obesity, heart disease, and premature death: for an unclogged heart, herd goats and down olive oil like a Mediterranean. Avoid breast cancer and live to 100 by dining on tofu, Japanese-style. Stay as happy as Norwegians by hunting elk and foraging for cowberries.

Health.com: Weight-Loss Secrets From Around the World

The places we're usually told to emulate are known as Blue Zones or Cold Spots. Blue Zones were pinpointed by explorer Dan Buettner and a team of longevity researchers and are described in his book The Blue Zones: Lessons For Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest. They're areas in Italy, Japan, Greece, California, and Costa Rica where the people have traditionally stayed healthy and active to age 100 or older.

Keep on reading for more great tips from around the globe.

Warm Up With a Healthier Bowl of Oatmeal

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:13:41 PST

In celebration of National Oatmeal Month (I know, I had no idea January was devoted to this whole grain either!), here are some tips on how to whip up a healthy bowl of this whole grain.

To increase the fiber and protein: Choose rolled oats over quick oats. They'll take slightly longer to cook, but a half-cup serving offers five grams of fiber and seven grams of protein - the quick oats only offer four grams of fiber and five grams of protein.

To increase the protein: After your oats have cooked, stir in a tablespoon of almond butter, peanut butter, or half a cup of plain Greek yogurt.

To increase the fiber: Cut up some dried apricots, throw in some fresh or frozen berries, or toss in some diced fresh pear or mango. Chia seeds are also bursting with fiber - one tablespoon has over five grams.

To get your fill of omega-3s: Sprinkle on one tablespoon of ground flaxseed. It offers 1.6 grams of omega-3s (1.1 is the recommended amount per day).

To decrease the amount of sugar: Instead of adding maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey to your bowl, sweeten your breakfast with unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, or pureed strawberries.

Source: Flickr User norwichnuts

How to Eat During a (Real) Blackout

Susannah Chen — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:01:41 PST

Have you clicked around the Internet today? It's overrun with site blackouts, with everyone from Wikipedia to Reddit completely shut down in protest of SOPA and PIPA.

All of this blackout talk has us thinking about what we'd eat during an IRL blackout. When it comes to natural disasters, it's best to prepare for the worst, then hope for the best. This includes food and drink! For seven shelf-stable provisions that I recommend you have on hand, keep on reading.