FitSugar

Diet Tip: Timely Breakfast

FitSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:30:00 PDT

By now I hope you all know that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. However, your early morning meal is like a good joke: timing is everything. It is important to eat breakfast early. Delaying your first meal of the day can begin the slow down process of your metabolism. You need to eat to stoke the fires or your metabolism.

If you tend to skip breakfast or wait until later in the morning to eat it, try setting your alarm 10 minutes earlier. Buy some healthy toaster waffles you can eat on the run. Hard boil some eggs the night before!

Ten extra morning minutes will give you enough time to make toast with almond butter and eat it. Or at least make and eat a bowl of Kashi cereal!

Source

The Right Way to Eat Breakfast For Weight Loss

Leta Shy — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:24:46 PDT

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because of so many reasons. But you need to make sure that you're doing it right. If you're trying to maintain or lose weight, here are some things to consider when enjoying your first meal of the day.

Eat it soon: Studies have found that eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, and not only that, it can help ensure that you don't feel so starved later, you make bad eating choices for lunch or dinner. To take advantage of your body's fat-burning potential, try to eat breakfast soon after waking up.

Go for filling: Stay away from foods that can lead to a midmorning crash. Instead, opt for meals that are full of slow-digesting nutrients to help keep you satisfied throughout the morning; high-fiber, high-protein breakfast options are a good choice for feeling full and energized. And make sure your breakfast doesn't have too much sugar in it - here are seven low-sugar, high-protein and fiber breakfast ideas that fit the bill.

Watch out for portions: A big breakfast can help fill you up, but you don't want to overdo it. Check out our handy chart of what servings sizes should look like, and keep calories in check with this list of the amount of calories in typical breakfasts.

Nighttime Fasting: A New Way to Lose Weight?

Shape — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:09:52 PDT

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.

If you couldn’t let anything cross your lips from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., but you were allowed to eat anything you wanted for eight hours a day and still lose weight, would you try it? That’s the apparent bottom line of a rat study published in the journal Cell Metabolism, which recently stirred up the weight loss pot.

Top 50 Summer Diet Foods for Weight Loss

Scientists put groups of mice on different diet regimens for 100 days. One group of rodents ate healthy food while animals in two of the groups chowed down on high-fat, high-calorie feed. Half of the junk food eaters were allowed to munch whenever they wanted to while the others only had access to feed for the eight hours they were most active. The conclusion: even though they ate a fatty diet, the mice who were forced to fast for 16 hours were almost as lean as those who ate the healthy fare. Interestingly, the round the clock junk food eaters became obese and developed health problems, even though they consumed about the same amount of fat and calories as the time-restricted junk food fed mice.

See if a nutritionist thinks nighttime fasting works after the break!

Healthy Dose Link Time: A Different Circuit Workout For Every Day of the Week

Michele Foley — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:14:32 PDT

17 boredom-busting circuit workouts to do anywhere - Peanut Butter Fingers
Editor tested and approved: the best sports bras on the market - Vital Juice
10 nutrient-filled cereals to start your day with - Daily Spark
A visit to the Reebok headquarters - Fit Bottomed Girls
Paula Deen drops 30 pounds; see what healthy swaps got her there - Fit Celeb
Have your bread and eat it too! 300-calorie healthy, carb-centric breakfasts - Fitness
Interval training is all the rage, but does it really work? Experts weigh in - Prevention
Bring sexy back, even after a long day's work - Health

Breakfast Ideas Under 30 Grams of Sugar

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:29:39 PDT

I don't know how people do it, munching on sugary doughnuts, chocolate-filled croissants, or crumb-covered muffins. If I started off my day with that much sugar, then I'd feel sluggish and cranky all morning. I fuel myself in the a.m. with low-sugar foods that are full of fiber and protein. If you need some low-sugar breakfast ideas, then these meals all contain fewer than 30 grams of sugar. They're sure to fill you up, satisfy your taste buds, and keep you going strong until lunch.

Source: Flickr User anasararojas and Flickr User ccharmon

Say Goodbye to the Bloat With These Healthy Asparagus Recipes

Michele Foley — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:19:20 PDT

If you're getting in shape for a big event like a wedding, or want to look your best for bikini season, what you eat makes all the difference. Besides helping with weight loss, the right foods can also minimize bloating. Here's where asparagus comes in: this Spring veggie encourages colon health and also stimulates the growth of probiotics in the body. From breakfast to dinner, help give your digestive system a little support with these healthy asparagus recipes.

Spring Veggie Frittata
Start your morning off with a asparagus-filled frittata. What's great is that you can make this recipe on a Sunday and portion it out to enjoy over the course of the week. Omit the cheese to keep the recipe flat-belly-friendly.

Marinated Mushroom and Asparagus Salad
Vegan and gluten-free, this salad puts you in asparagus heaven. Earthy enough to stand up on its own, it's also great when paired with tofu, fish, or chicken.

See what's for dinner after the break!

Easy Ways to Get More From Your Food Budget

LearnVest — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:15:48 PDT

Go the extra mile with your food budget with these tips from LearnVest.

For years, many people - my husband, mom, sister and even my son - told me to stop wasting so much food.

Throwing away half a piece of chicken here or a handful of grapes there never seemed like such a big deal to me. If I was full or no longer in the mood for that particular food, then I had no problem tossing it.

That is, until I experienced a bad case of sticker shock during a recent trip to the supermarket. The cost of bread, eggs, fish - basically everything I was purchasing - had increased. And, according to the USDA, we can expect prices to rise even higher this year.

As I forked over my money and left with only a handful of bags, I realized just how important it is for me to pay more attention to what I spend on food . . . and to confront how much of it I shove down the garbage disposal.

Unfortunately, I'm not the only one with wasteful ways. In 2010, 33 million tons of food was thrown away, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Obviously, wasted food means wasted money, but figuring out how to make your grocery budget go further can be a challenge.

To keep more food in your fridge (and more money in your pocket), try these expert tips.

1. Ward Against Freezer Burn

Those large bags or packages of frozen veggies or meat come in handy when you have a large family, but "each time you open a bag of frozen food, air gets in and will cause freezer burn within two to three weeks," says consumer saving expert Andrea Woroch. Freezer burn will dry out the meat and make it less tasty. Woroch suggests going small.

Read on for more.

Your Weekend Fit Tip: Start With a Healthy Breakfast

Leta Shy — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:43:52 PDT

Many of you will be celebrating someone you love (or being celebrated yourself) this weekend for Mother's Day. And when it comes to family gatherings, chances are you'll be in for a big feast. But no matter if you're going out for an indulgent brunch, lunch, or dinner, you can start the day off right with a healthy breakfast.

Starting the day with a small bowl of yogurt with fruit before brunch or a green juice before a stack of pancakes for breakfast ensures that you'll be getting many of your nutrients for the day right away, which can help you feel less guilty about any more-indulgent dishes you spring for later on. And it can also help you know when to stop once you've sat down to eat; if you have just a cup of yogurt before brunch, for example, you'll be more apt to feel satisfied sooner so you don't overeat during your big meal.

This weekend, start the day off right. If you're in the mood for a green juice, try one of these green juice and smoothie recipes.

Office Weight-Loss Tip: Set Up an Eating Schedule

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:21:07 PDT

Busy nine-to-fivers have schedules that don't leave much wiggle room for anything but work. Getting wrapped up in a project often leads to skipped snacks and meals. A growling stomach, headache, and fuzzy brain make you realize you should have eaten lunch an hour ago, and since you're famished, you reach for the first (and probably not-so-healthy) food you can get your hungry hands on. Prevent work weight gain and keep your productivity levels high by setting up a schedule for snacks and meals. After having breakfast at home, here's a basic schedule you can follow once you reach the office.

9:30: Morning snack
12:00: Lunch
3:30: Afternoon snack

Be sure to eat breakfast a couple hours before your morning snack and dinner a couple hours after your afternoon snack. Adjust the schedule to meet your needs and stick to it. (It may help to set up reminders on your computer or phone so you don't forget.) Before heading to work, prepare healthy snacks - like these 150-calorie DIY snack packs - and lunches -here are some tasty vegetarian sandwiches - so you can avoid grabbing greasy fast food or that homemade brownie your co-worker brought in. An eating schedule may seem a little too rigid (or like you're back in elementary school), but planning ahead is the best way to keep you on the healthy eating path.

Source: Flickr User SweetOnVeg

Ice, Ice Baby: Creative and Healthy Ways to Use Your Ice Tray in the Kitchen

Michele Foley — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:06:43 PDT

Eating healthy is no easy feat - it usually requires a little more time in both planning and preparation. But did you know that a simple ice tray can make healthy living a breeze? From smarter snacking to a good-for-you breakfast, keep reading for creative and healthy ways to use your everyday ice tray.

Smoothies
A smoothie makes a healthy on-the-go breakfast, but sometimes life is so hectic, there isn't even time to turn the blender on. Save yourself a daily mess by freezing a batch of your favorite smoothie to use at a later date. When you're ready to enjoy, let cubes defrost in a cup overnight and grab it on your way out the next day. We're loving this recipe for make-ahead coconut green smoothie cups. You can also save time by freezing yogurt in ice trays and portioning those cubes into baggies with frozen fruit - just dump the contents into the blender whenever you're in the mood for a smoothie.

Homemade Healthy Treats
Skip sugary store-bought popsicles and ice-cream treats and make your own at home. When using fresh fruit, like in this recipe for homemade berry-banana popsicles, you don't even need to add sugar. Add a little protein (and good bacteria mix) by using Greek yogurt, like in our recipe for Summer berry and yogurt ice-tray pops.

See more creative and healthy ways to use ice trays after the break!