FitSugar

Corn Oil vs. Canola Oil

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:30:00 PST

Since Hanukkah is coming up on Dec. 4, I thought it'd be a great idea to chat about oil. When you look on a shelf at the store, there are many kinds of oil to choose from, and I always thought that canola and corn oil were the same thing. I was way off.

Corn oil is made from the germ of corn. Canola oil is actually produced from rapeseed oil and was originally made in Canada. The word canola comes from "Canadian Oil, Low Acid." Some people think that canola oil is unhealthy because rapeseed oil contains high amounts of erucic acid, which is know to have harmful effects. Don't worry though, canola oil is now made from a new plant that is similar to the rapeseed plant, but has a much lower erucic acid content.

So how do they compare nutritionally? To see the chart

	Corn oil	Canola oil
Serving Size	1 Tbsp	1 Tbsp
Calories	120	120
Total Fat	14g	14g
Saturated Fat	2g	1g
Polyunsaturated Fat	8g	4g
Monounsaturated Fat	4g	9g
Sodium	0g	0g
Fiber	0g	0g
Sugars	0g	0g
Protein	0g	0g

As you can see, canola oil is so great because like olive oil, it's low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. This kind of fat is good to consume because it can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol. Another thing, corn oil contains more polyunsaturated fat than canola oil. This type of fat has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, but too much can lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. Fit's Tips: Canola oil is a great choice when it comes to baking and sautéing, because it has a high burn point, meaning it doesn't start smoking until it reaches 238°Celsius. Just for reference, olive oil's burn point is 190°Celsius.

A Reader Recipe: Pulled Turkey Chipotle Chili

Fit Community — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:46:28 PST

FitSugar reader For the Love of Fiber shared this turkey chili recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

After Thanksgiving, my good friend, a girl who literally didn't know how to boil water, sent me this recipe, using her turkey leftovers. I loved the idea of pulled turkey and her fiberlicious add-ins, so had to feature it.

See the recipe after the break!

15 Salty Snacks Under 150 Calories

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:34:00 PST

If you're craving something salty, don't reach for greasy potato chips. Here are 15 low-calorie healthy snacks that are sure to satisfy your salty desires.

Four-ounce snack-size container of low-fat cottage cheese: 81 calories, 459 mg of sodium
Salted cashews (16 nuts): 147 calories, 77 mg of sodium
One and a half cups of edamame in pods: 150 calories, 45 mg of sodium
Two and a half cups of oil-popped popcorn: 138 calories, 243 mg of sodium
A quarter of an avocado (80 calories, 4 mg of sodium) topped with one tablespoon salted sunflower seeds (47 calories, 33 mg of sodium): 127 calories, 37 mg of sodium

Continue reading to see 10 more salty snacks under 150 calories.

Healthy Nibbles For Holiday Snacking

Heather Dale — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:51:37 PST

It's inevitable that the snack table is one of the most popular socializing zones in the house during the holiday season. Due to their close proximity to the television, treat-filled coffee tables are prime targets for unconscious nibbling - and who doesn't like snacking while watching a sporting event or a favorite Christmas movie? This year, try removing the bowls of candies and chocolates and replacing them with healthier snack options. Here are some of my favorites that are just as tasty, and your guests won't even know the difference!

3 Easy Ways to Get More Key Nutrients

Shape — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:10:31 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health.

According to the most recent nutrition surveys, the majority of Americans fall short when it comes to hitting the recommended marks for the three most important food groups: fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Picture this: if you add up all the fruit and veggie servings the average American should have had over a lifetime that they did not eat, they would fill an entire football field. That’s a lot of missing nutrients!

If you tend to fall short of the targets, which are two daily servings of fruit, and three each for veggies and whole grains, start by focusing on adding one extra serving in each category per day. If you’re consistent, just these three changes can snowball into huge health benefits over time.

See how to get more nutrients in your diet after the break!

Yummy Yummy in My Tummy! Healthy Sweet Potato Corn Bread Recipe

LilSugar — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:16:15 PDT

Sweet potato goodness! Halloween is over and done with, and as Mama stores away the costumes, she's already planning for the next upcoming holiday - Thanksgiving! Corn bread is a favorite for most holiday feasts and since sweet potato is one of the most kid-friendly veggies around, a sweet potato corn bread sounds like a sure crowd-pleaser. What makes this recipe extra special is that it's vegan. No eggs are used in this recipe - and all-purpose flour is substituted for whole wheat flour, while vegetable oil is replaced with olive oil. It's a healthy side dish for kids of all ages!

Source: Gilda Mulero of Naturally Tasty

Keep reading for the healthy, kid-friendly recipe!

Trick or Treat: What's the Healthier Halloween Choice?

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:43:41 PDT

I'm not going to tell you not to eat Halloween candy this year, because we all are a little psyched for Snickers and Reese's! When you head to the office bowl or snag a treat from your kid's stash, it's nice to have a list of candy you know is slightly healthier either because it's trans-fat free or contains a little fiber or protein. Based on info from nutrition labels on bags of Halloween candy, check out the lists below to find out how to choose your fun-sized treats wisely.

If you're avoiding hydrogenated oils, go for:
Candy corn
Heath Bar
Hershey's Bar
Kit Kat
M&Ms
Peanut M&Ms
Peanut Butter M&Ms
Mounds
Mr. Goodbar
Nestle's Crunch
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
York Peppermint Patty

If you want a little bit of fiber, check out the fiber content in the candy below:
Peanut M&Ms: 0.5 grams
Mounds: 1 gram
Mr. Goodbar: 0.5 grams
Peanut Butter M&Ms: 0.5 grams
Snickers: 0.5 grams
Snickers Peanut Butter: 1 gram

Keep reading to find out which fun-sized treats offer protein and which are lowest in calories and sugar.

Healthy Substitutions For Baking

Susi May — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:11:09 PDT

Baking is a great way to beat the chilly weather that comes with the change of seasons. Weekends are a great time to make sweet things with my sweet things - my girls love baking too. When making treats, I do try to make substitutes with healthy ingredients when I think I will not be sacrificing the texture and flavor too much.

I found some substitutions at the American Heart Association, and I think they're great. Definitely worth giving a try if you are trying to reduce your intake of saturated fat, the kind which can increase your LDL cholesterol.

Feel like trying to bake a little healthier? Keep reading for substitution ideas

3 Vegetable Myths Busted

Prevention — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:32:09 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

White potatoes don't make you fat, carrots aren't made of sugar - and other myths about the produce you grew up on, dispelled
By Karen Ansel, RD

If the low-carb diet craze of the early 2000s left you believing that potatoes equal pounds and corn is no better than candy, it's time to wake up and taste the produce. Truth is, even vegetables you may think of as nutritional duds are packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, not to mention varied colors, flavors, and textures. If you've been avoiding these "produce outcasts," your diet — and health — are missing out. Here, we debunk the biggest myths about a few unfairly maligned vegetables — and provide easy and healthful ways to eat more of them.

Feed Your Family for $100 a Week

White Potatoes Make You Fat
One medium baked potato has only 161 calories, plus 4 g of filling fiber
Added bonus: Chilled, cooked potato is packed with resistant starch, a fibrous substance that could help you lose weight. (For more information on resistant starch, visit prevention.com/resistantstarch.) "If you keep portion sizes in check — no more than one medium potato in a given meal — and eat the fiber-rich skin, potatoes make a satisfying, low-cal, nutrient-rich side dish," says Michelle Dudash, RD, a Gilbert, AZ-based nutritionist. They also:

Fight disease
When scientists from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service tested more than 100 potato varieties, they discovered 60 different vitamins and phytochemicals. For starters, they found flavonoids (which are credited with improving heart health and protecting against lung and prostate cancers) including quercetin, which may boost immunity.

Help maintain healthy blood pressure
Potatoes are loaded with kukoa-mines, plant chemicals that help lower blood pressure, found the USDA researchers. In addition, one medium baked potato (including the skin) provides 20 percent of your daily potassium, a known hyper-tension fighter.

Try this: To make a fat-burning potato salad, boil new potatoes in water until cooked through. Cut into one 2-inch slices and then quarter. Toss with olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and chopped fresh parsley, and chill. Or for a hearty meal, skip the sour cream, butter, and cheese, and top a baked russet potato with vegetarian chili.

9 Eating Habits to Naturally Boost Your Health

Learn why you should be eating carrot and celery after the break.

Tips For Making a Scrumptious Salad

Katie Sweeney — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:43:05 PDT

When building salads, it's far too easy to get stuck in a rut. You know what works, buy the same ingredients, and inevitably eat green leaf lettuce with black olives, sliced tomatoes, and shredded carrots everyday. However, with a little creativity and an open mind at the grocery store, you can enjoy a fabulous variety of healthful and scrumptious salads on a regular basis. Since I've been making salads for lunch for the past couple of years, I'm sharing my secrets:

Think of the salad in textures. From crunchy to creamy to crispy, a good salad has an assortment of textures (and colors).
Use the season as inspiration. Incorporate produce that's at its peak now: tomatoes, okra, corn, and squash, and fruits like watermelon and figs.
On that note, don't be afraid of fruit. Berries, stone fruits, apples, citrus, melons, etc. are just as delicious in a salad as their veggie counterparts. Fruit can also provide a necessary sweetness to balance the salad.
If you have limited access to fresh, in-season fruits and veggies, turn to the canned aisle of the supermarket. Sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garbanzo and kidney beans, and canned tuna are some of my favorite salad ingredients.

For more recommendations and to share your salad suggestions in the comments, keep reading.