FitSugar

Bagel Breakfast: Which Spread Should You Choose?

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:00:02 -0700

Bagels have gotten a bad reputation for being a dieter's nightmare, since one plain bagel contains 260 calories and 56 grams of carbs. But I believe a carb-free diet isn't the healthiest way to drop pounds and maintain a healthy weight, so I think it's more than OK to enjoy a warm, toasted bagel every so often. They're not all as unhealthy as everyone thinks, especially if you choose one made with whole wheat flour, whole grains, or seeds. It also depends on what spread you choose to smear on. Does butter contain more cholesterol than cream cheese? Which contains more calories, almond butter or peanut butter? To find out the answers and see the nutritional info for other bagel spreads, keep reading

Health Confessional: Share It and Move On

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Confessing my health and fitness slip-ups to you guys make me feel human again, especially after reading everyone else's confessions. I've got a new one to make . . .

I've purchased and gobbled down a various form of bagel for breakfast everyday for the past week. Now, I'm not talking about a mini-whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese on the side. I'm talking egg, sausage, and cheese on a huge NY style everything bagel - and I don't even usually like sausage! I seriously don't know what's come over me, especially since I am fully aware how many calories are in one bagel before all the tasty trimmings. Starting today I am going back to my usual oatmeal with fruit starter but I'm not going to lie, my naughty week of bagel sandwiches was amazing.

So there, I've confessed - hey, it happens right? Now it's your turn. Do you have anything you want to confess and get off your chest? It helps knowing that we all make mistakes and that life, and health, does indeed go on.

Source

Bagel For Breakfast: What Should You Put on Top?

FitSugar — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:00:00 -0800

Who doesn't love a soft and chewy bagel on the weekend? I don't care that they're full of carbs, since our bodies need them for energy. Plus I try to go for whole grain bagels anyway, so they're healthier than ones made with white flour. I also try to choose healthy spreads like low fat cream cheese and peanut butter, but sometimes I can't help but go for sugary jams and butter. Let's see how these bagel toppings compare.

Source

Take the quiz

Dunkin' Donuts Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:06:22 -0700

Okay, okay, we all know that Dunkin' Donuts is not the healthiest place in the world. Besides donuts, they do offer other choices. Let's take a peek and see how they measure up.

Food	Calories	Fat in grams	Cholesterol	Sodium in milligrams	Carbs in grams	Protein in grams
Plain bagel	320	2.5	0	650	62	12
Everything bagel	370	6	0	650	67	14
Multigrain bagel	380	6	0	650	68	14
Cinnamon Raisin bagel	330	3	0	430	65	10
2 oz Plain Cream Cheese	190	17	55	190	4	4
2 oz Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese	170	15	45	340	4	2
2 oz Lite Cream Cheese	120	9	30	280	5	4
Banana Walnut Muffin	540	25	65	520	69	10
Honey Bran Raisin Muffin	480	15	60	480	79	8
Cranberry Orange Muffin	440	17	65	480	66	8
Blueberry Muffin	470	17	60	500	73	8
Reduced Fat Blueberry Muffin	400	5	60	490	78	8

Well that wasn't so bad. Wait until we get to the breakfast sandwiches. You may go into cardiac arrest just reading this. Want to see? Then read more

Food	Calories	Fat in grams	Cholesterol	Sodium in milligrams	Carbs in grams	Protein in grams
Maple Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich	690	45	180	630	45	25
Bacon Egg Cheese Bagel Sandwich	540	18	200	1400	69	18
Sausage Egg Cheese Bagel Sandwich	660	35	225	1450	63	28
Egg Cheese Sandwich	470	15	190	1120	65	20
Egg Cheese English Muffin Sandwich	280	9	140	1010	34	15
Supreme Omelet on a Croissant	590	38	260	1040	42	21
Southwestern Chicken Panini	420	10	45	970	57	23
Meatball Panini	480	19	40	1180	56	22
Turkey Pesto Sandwich	530	23	65	1630	46	33
Vegetarian Sandwich	420	21	5	480	51	9
Caesar Salad	390	33	35	980	14	10
Chicken Caesar Salad	520	36	85	1520	16	34
Garden Salad	240	12	30	430	24	12
Mediterranean Salad	220	11	315	760	23	10
1 cup Broccoli Cheese Soup	180	13	40	71310	10	7
1 cup Chicken Noodle Soup	140	3.5	45	840	20	8
1 cup Clam Chowder Soup	230	11	30	990	20	10
1 cup Timberline Chili With Beans Soup	230	8	35	890	260	15

America runs on Dunkin'? I sure as hell hope not. Get this, Rachael Ray is now the spokesperson - let YumSugar know how you feel. She's going to lead the company into developing "better for you" food and beverage options. Way to go Rachael!

Calorie Wise: A typical bagel is equal to how many slices of bread?

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 13:15:17 -0800

Hopefully you're eating breakfast everyday, but are you making the right choices? Take this quiz to see if you know how many slices of bread are equal to one bagel, caloriewise.

Einstein Bros. Bagels Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Nutritionally speaking, the beloved bagel is unfortunately one of the worst breakfast foods around. However, sometimes you just need a bagel. For those in their time of need I have created this breakdown of Einstein Bros. Bagels, so you can at least make wise choices when you are there.

Item	Calories	Fat (g.)	Sat. Fat (g.)	Sodium (mg.)	Carbs (g.)	Sugar (g.)
Plain Bagel	290	1	0	530	62	6
Egg Bagel	340	3	1	510	69	5
Onion Bagel	290	1.5	0	510	62	6
Poppy Seed Bagel	350	2	0	680	75	5
Everything Bagel	340	2	0	820	74	3
Honey Wheat Bagel	300	1	0	510	64	10
Sesame Seed Bagel	310	3	0	530	62	6
Asiago Cheese Bagel	360	3	1.5	570	71	4
Sun-Dried Tomato Bagel	290	2	0	620	60	4
Cinnamon Raisin Bagel	320	1.5	0	510	70	14
Chopped Garlic Bagel	380	3	1	680	79	3
Spinach Florentine Bagel	410	7	4	620	72	5

That's just the bagels, so for the breakdown of the spreads, schmears, and extras read more

Item	Calories	Fat (g.)	Sat. Fat (g.)	Sodium (mg.)	Carbs (g.)	Sugar (g.)
Whipped Plain Cream Cheese (2 tbsp.)	70	7	4.5	65	1	1
Whipped Plain Cream Cheese, Reduced Fat (2 tbsp.)	60	5	3.5	85	2	1
Whipped Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese (2 tbsp.)	60	5	3.5	100	3	1
Whipped Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Cream Cheese (2 tbsp.)	60	5	3.5	100	2	1
Creamy Peanut Butter (2 tbsp.)	190	15	2	140	8	3
Strawberry Fruit Spread (2 tbsp.)	75	0	0	17	19	0
Egg	270	19	10	380	3	1
Bacon	100	7	3	300	1	1
Turkey Sausage	70	4	1	190	0	0
Cheddar Cheese	80	7	4.5	130	0	0

So on the off day that I'd actually eat a bagel, I'd most likely get a plain bagel with the whipped vegetable cream cheese for 350, which is pretty boring for 350 calories if you ask me. This is why I typically avoid bagels.

What's the Deal With: The Bagel Diet

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 09:04:52 -0800

Brent Buckman, attorney and former contestant on The Apprentice swears by his new diet: The Bagel Diet. Sounds rather ridiculous doesn't it? Well that is because it is. In a nutshell, this is the diet:

BREAKFAST: One Bagel toasted with light/low fat margarine and a glass of water.
LUNCH: One Bagel toasted with light/low fat margarine and a glass of water.
SNACK: One Bagel toasted with light/low fat margarine and a glass of water.
DINNER: One Bagel with 8 ounces of meat (lean hamburger meat, chicken, steak (none of them fried) or 97%, 98% or 99% fat free sliced deli chicken breast or sliced deli turkey breast).
TREATS: One meal or dessert once a week, which has lots of calories (such as, chicken fingers and cheese fries or pizza or cake or an ice cream sundae, etc).
EXERCISE: No exercise necessary.
Drink lots of water throughout the day.

This diet is not only boring, but lacks any kind of nutrition value -- Has this guy ever heard of a vegetable or fruit? Not to mention that it lacks incorporating any kind of physical activity. While it may have worked as a weight loss tool for Brent, I would not recommend this diet, not even to my worst enemy.

The Incredible, Edible Egg Now Helps With Weight Loss

FitSugar — Tue, 01 May 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Here's a reason to get up just a little bit earlier to fix yourself some eggs tomorrow...

A new study presented at Experimental Biology 2007 has found that eggs, when eaten for breakfast, can help a dieter lose weight. Even more than that, the study found that overweight women who ate two eggs for breakfast at least five days a week for 8 weeks (as part of a low-fat diet with a 1,000 calorie reduction): Lost 65 percent more weight, had 83 percent greater reductions in waist circumference and reported greater improvements in energy levels than their dieting counterparts who consumed a bagel breakfast of the same calories. Personally, I was sitting here saying well of course because a bagel has a whole lot more calories than an egg, however in the study, the egg and bagel breakfasts not only provided the same amount of calories, but also the same weight mass. Now I am convinced.

Fit's Tip: Worried that eggs will raise your cholesterol? Then think about switching to Omega-3 eggs.

Source

FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:50:01 -0700

Alicia Silverstone helps the planet by gardening naked.
You can satisfy your sweet tooth with snacks under 200 calories.
Tell me, what kind of stomach do you have?
Is diet soda healthier than regular? Read and learn.
Check out my September must haves. They'll help you stay fit as the seasons change.
With so many ways to top a bagel, how do you choose?
Drinking alcohol could motivate you to exercise.
Tone your shoulders with these simple moves.
Can you name the yoga pose?

Healthy Eating Tip: For Breakfast, Don't Forget the Protein

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Toasted bagels, blueberry muffins, and warm waffles with fruit are some of my favorite choices for breakfast. Although they're tasty, they don't offer much protein. This essential nutrient makes you feel full and gives you sustained energy. So after eating a breakfast that's low in protein, you'll end up feeling hungry and sluggish soon after, and are more likely to reach for an unhealthy pick-me-up before lunch. If weight-loss is your goal, or you just want to prevent unnecessary weight gain, a high-protein breakfast can help.

Since the average woman needs between 40 and 60 grams of protein a day (depending on your weight and activity level), eating 10 to 20 grams of protein per meal is a great way to make it happen. To see which high-protein foods I recommend keep reading