FitSugar

Food Review: Yakult Probiotic Drink

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:32:49 -0700

I first said "yeah" to Yakult because I love saying the word "Yakult." I also love probiotics to promote healthy digestion. Plus, this probiotic drink comes in cute little bottles about the size of a shot glass, so it seemed like a fun way to drink healthy.

Yakult isn't a yogurt; it's a "fermented dairy drink" first produced in Japan and contains live, probiotic cultures to help boost your immune system and the good bacteria in your tummy. Sold in packs of five, the 2.7-fluid-ounce bottles can be downed as drinks, but I also enjoyed it poured over cereal in place of milk. So how does it taste?

Which Would You Choose: Beverage Edition

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700

You can keep yourself hydrated with just about any liquid, but I find I drink plain old water more than any other beverage. It may be a zero calorie drink, but it doesn't really offer much nutritionally or taste wise either. That's why including other beverages in your diet is a good idea; they provide vitamins, calcium, antioxidants, and something we all feel we sometimes need - caffeine. To see how some common drinks compare nutritionally, take this quiz.

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Sugar Content and Beverages

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

In my recent post about Vitamin Water, a few of you commented that it's loaded with sugar. Just how much though, and how does it and other beverages' sugar contents compare? Take this quiz to find out.

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Do Liquid Calories Fill You Up as Much as Solid Calories?

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

In a time crunch, some of us may head to Jamba Juice for a smoothie lunch substitute. While you are certainly getting plenty of calories in your smoothie, is it filling you up like a solid lunch would?

A recent study says not so much. In fact the subjects who drank their test foods ended up eating more than those who did not drink their foods. Part of the reason could be that drinking your food does not cue signals that let our bodies feel full, such as sight, smell, chewing and pressure of food in the stomach.

I know a lot of you guys follow Slim Fast or will make (or buy) shakes to replace a meal but do you feel just as full as you would if you ate the solid equivalent?

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Signs of Dehydration

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:45:00 -0700

It's summer and it's hot out. Your body produces sweat to cool you off, so in order to make up for that lost fluid, you should be drinking more water. If you don't, you could be at risk for dehydration.

Our bodies are 2/3 water, so if a person gets dehydrated, it means the amount of water in her body has dropped below the level needed for normal body functioning. You can get dehydrated from a bad stomach bug (you lose a lot of fluid when you're constantly visiting the bathroom). Athletes and people who do a ton of physical exercise can risk dehydration if they sweat a lot and don't drink enough water as they workout. Being out in hot summer heat can also put you at risk.

Here are the signs of dehydration:

feeling dizzy or lightheaded
having a dry or sticky mouth and throat
producing less urine, or dark-colored urine

If you are suffering from these symptoms, drink water! When I say water, I don't mean sport drinks, Vitamin Water, soda, or juice. Your body is screaming for some good old H20. Dehydration can usually be treated by giving your body the water it needs. How much water do you need? Check out Fit's calculator to find out.

To prevent dehydration in the first place, drink water throughout your day. If you are planning on exercising, drink 8 oz 20-30 minutes beforehand.

Fit's Tips: Be weary of diets that encourage you to limit your fluid intake - if you don't drink anything, you'll be losing water weight, not body weight. That means when you go to drink a glass of water that your body needs, you'll "gain" that weight right back.

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"Cocaine" Pulled From Shelves

FitSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 03:00:00 -0700

The energy drink called Cocaine was pulled from shelves because of nationwide concerns about its name.

The FDA issued a warning letter last month to the distributer, Redux Beverages LLC of Las Vegas, saying that they were illegally marketing the drink as a "legal alternative" to the street drug and as a dietary supplement." On the company's website, the drink is advertised as “Speed in a Can,” “Liquid Cocaine” and “Cocaine - Instant Rush.”

The company argued that their energy drink has NO cocaine in it and nobody thinks it does. The drink provides a cocaine-like energy boost because it contains more caffeine than any other energy drink (and twice as much as coffee). The FDA is just concerned that although it's not actually "cocaine," the drink is glorifying the use of this illegal drug.

So the energy drink has been pulled from shelves until they come up with a new name for it (chances are low that they will name it Meth, but you never know). I guess we will just have to stick to Red Bull spiked with espresso.

Purely Good for You

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0800

Sometimes, we all need a little extra oomph when it comes to our fruit intake.

Pure Fruit Technologies has created exotic juice supplements that are extremely good for you! With flavors like Mango-Xan Antioxidant Recovery Formula, Seabuck-7 Rejuvenation Formula, Goji-Zen Longevity Formula and Gac-Chi Heart & Vision Formula, it's hard to believe that they would actually taste good. I've tried and tested and they do taste good (I was more shocked than anyone). Out of the four mixtures, my favorite was the Mango-Xan. A bit thicker than normal juice but definitely do-able. The best part is you just need a little (1 oz) of each supplement to reap the benefits. The mini's ($2.95 for 1.67 oz) are a great way to try them out first. Buy them here. (A case of 12 starts at $35.40) or you can go here to find a store near you that carries them.

Fit's Tip: Struggling to find a stocking stuffer for the health nut on your list? Pure Fruit Technologies has pre-packed gift sets like the 12 days of health ($34.95). Buy it here.

Food Review: Code Blue Recovery Drink

FitSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:30:47 -0800

I must admit I'm not big on special fitness drinks, especially recovery drinks. They're often full of extra calories, and I usually opt for water since most exercise physiologists believe you don't need to worry about replacing electrolytes, carbs, and protein unless you have been working out and sweating for more than an hour. I often think a lot of these drinks have added coloring and chemicals, so when I saw Code Blue marketed as an all natural post-workout drink I was curious to try it. I must admit, I liked its tropical flavor, and although it only has 40 calories per eight-ounce serving (the can contains 12 ounces, equal to one and a half servings) Code Blue does not have that artificial sweetener taste of many low-cal beverages.

To see how this drink is sweetened and if it is an unnatural color, just read more.

Looking at the ingredient list on the back of the Code Blue can, I can't say I felt like I was drinking something "natural." After water, the next three ingredients are: crystalline fructose, agave nectar, and malic acid, which adds tartness more than sweetness. Further down the list I found stevia leaf extract listed as well, which is a bit more natural. Code Blue contains the electrolytes potassium and sodium, but also contains the supplement milk thistle to help detox the liver (trainer Bob Harper believes in the treatment), and prickly pear extract to reduce inflammation.

The first time I tried Code Blue, I drank it straight from the can. You can imagine my surprise when I poured it into a glass and found the liquid to be a vibrant unnatural blue. Which prompts the question, what natural ingredient was used to color this drink and why even bother coloring it?

Ingredients: Filtered Purified Water, Crystalline Fructose, Agave Nectar, Malic Acid, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, D-Ribose, Fruit Juice (for color), Sustamine™ (L-Alanine L-Glutamine), Pectin, Inositol, Ascorbic Acid, Prickly Pear Extract (Opunitia ficus-indica), Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) Extract, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Stevia (Stevia Rebaudiana) Leaf Extractives, Soy Protein and Rice Flour, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), DL-alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Selenium Complexed with Amino Acids and Polypeptides, Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

I'm not really sold on the drink, but I'm not completely opposed to it either. I would certainly drink this over other recovery drinks, but more likely I will sip some water instead. Have you tried it?

This just in: The color comes from blueberries.

Blood Energy Potion: Cool or Not?

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:00:14 -0700

I consider myself a big fan of True Blood and Twilight, but I'm beginning to think the whole vampire craze has gone too far. I recently came across a blood energy drink and I've been creeped out ever since.

Blood Energy Potion ($6) is the same color and consistency of blood and it comes packaged in an IV bag. Besides an four-hour energy complex, it contains iron, protein, and electrolytes. It's suppose to mimic blood right down to its nutritional value.

This drink lets you play blood-thirsty vampire except you don't have to go out and kill anyone, and your blood is fruit punch flavored. I can't see myself sipping on synthetic blood, but it might be kind of hilarious to see someone drinking this at the gym. What do you think of this latest gimmick in energy drinks?

Is it OK to Drink Your Daily Amount of Fruits and Veggies?

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 04:00:00 -0700

A lot of us are short on time so the best option for getting our daily servings of fruit and veggies may seem to be drinking it (V8, for example). The problem is that new studies show that drinking your daily amount is not the best choice for your health.

A few reasons support this. First of all, most fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants in the skins and peels, which do not make it into juice. Furthermore, solid fruits and veggies also provide dietary fiber not found in juice. Bacteria in our colon break down soluble fiber, producing fatty acids that some studies suggest protects our colon against cancer.

What's more? Fruit and veggie drinks are often high in calories, but we don't often take this (or reduce our calorie intake for other foods) into consideration when drinking them. When we eat fiber-rich food such as fruits and vegetables, however, we tend to feel full and thus, eat fewer calories.

Fit's Tip: Since only one in four of us are getting our daily fruits and veggies, I would say that the juice is better than nothing every once in a while, but always try for the real thing first. How many fruits and veggies do you eat in a day? Take the poll.

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