FitSugar

Love It or Hate It? Vintage-Inspired Eat Signs

CasaSugar — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:31:00 PDT

Flea market or vintage-inspired café signs like the Sundance Catalog's "Eat" Sign ($45) seem to be all the rage in shelter magazines these days. This one in particular is handmade by an Amish craftsman from sheet steel with a rusted, weathered paint finish, which gives it an interesting look. But it's just not my style to spell things out on my walls - even considering how much I love typography. How about you? Would you like to hang a retro café sign in your home?

How Many Times a Day Do You Eat?

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:30:00 PDT

I grew up eating three meals a day, but now that I'm much more active, exercising regularly and keeping up with my two girls, I need to refuel more often. So eating four or five smaller meals each day works much better for me. What about you? I'm wondering . . .

Source

Get in Gear: A Camping Stove is a MUST!

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 02:00:00 PDT

Just because you are "roughing it" in the woods with your tent and sleeping bag does NOT mean you must be stuck eating only trail mix. Having a camping stove is a necessity when campground camping. I definitely wouldn't truck this stove around while backpacking, but if you're driving to your campsite, you can pack whatever you want.

This Coleman 2-Burner Propane Stove has double burners so you can boil your pasta and sauté veggies at the same time. One 16.4 oz cylinder or fuel will last over an hour with both burners on high, so you'll have plenty of time to make a fabulous meal.

Want to hear more about it? Then

read more Worried about wind blowing dirt into your food or blowing out your flame? This stove comes with two folding WindBlock™ shields. You can also flip these shields down so they act as shelves to hold cooking utensils and spices. It's easy to clean and comes with a durable metal case to protect your stove. And the best part is that it's fairly inexpensive - you can order one from Rei.com for only $46.00. That's quite a deal considering eating healthy on your camping trip is so important. Fit's Tips: Looking for some ideas on what to cook on your Coleman Stove? Just think about what you like to make on your regular stove and do some slight adjustments. You can cook just about anything, as long as it doesn't take too long. Save time by prepping meals ahead of time. Pre-cut veggies and pre-measure ingredients, and then store your food in a cooler. Then when you're ready to eat, cooking a healthy meal will be a cinch. Source

Make the Most of Your Metabolism

FitSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 02:00:00 PDT

Most of what controls your metabolism is not under your control, some folks have fast metabolisms and others have slow ones. Also, as we age our metabolism slows down. Scientists have estimated that metabolism slows about 5 percent per decade, beginning at age 40 as we lose muscle mass and increase body fat. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so when you lose muscle mass your caloric needs decrease. Luckily you are not completely at the mercy of your genetics - There are a few things you can do to keep your metabolism up.

Basically, metabolism is the total of all body processes that burn calories - your basal metabolic rate (calories burned by simply being alive) plus your activity factor since we all know that exercise burns calories.

The basal metabolic rate includes the energy we need for body processes, including digestion. About 10 percent of our calories are used to process the food we eat. This phenomenon, known as the thermic effect of food, is influenced by how much, how often and what we eat. In addition, food can directly affect metabolism by altering the way the body functions, which changes the amount of energy it needs.

According to Joy Bauer, nutritionist and author of the book Food Cures, there are ways to maximize your metabolism. Curious to know what they are? Then

Eat at least 1,000 calories per day (I would say 1,200 calories, myself). Although it is generally true that eating a low-calorie diet will help you take off weight, if you eat too few calories, your metabolism will get slower and slower as it tries to conserve energy. As your metabolism crashes, the weight you take off will most likely creep back on over time. Plus, you'll be more likely to binge on junk food if you reduce your calories by too much.
Eat every four to five hours. A regular meal schedule helps keep your body working to digest and absorb foods. Between breakfast and bed, aim to eat a meal or snack every four to five hours. Try to eat breakfast within 90 minutes of rising - People who regularly eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to control their weight. If you wait to eat until you're ravenous, you're more likely to overeat later in the day. Also, breakfast helps fire up your metabolism after a full night on a slow simmer.
Eat protein with every meal. All foods contribute to the thermic effect, which means that all foods – carbohydrates, fats and proteins – help to give metabolism a gentle nudge higher when we eat them, but protein has the greatest thermic effect of all. In addition, protein can increase metabolism by helping to maintain and build muscle mass.

Source

5 Staples of a Mediterranean Diet

Leta Shy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:08:45 PST

There are already many proven benefits to following a Mediterranean diet, and now we can add another one: a new study of the dietary habits of about 1,000 people found that the high levels of monounsaturated fats found in a Mediterranean diet may help your smarts by protecting against small vessel damage in your brain. That benefit may help slow cognitive decline as well as prevent strokes.

Past studies have found that following a Mediterranean diet can help lower the risk of heart and eye complications, control your weight, and help you live longer, so there are more than a few good reasons to eat like you live overseas. Read on for five staples of the Mediterranean diet you should be eating.

Sources: Thinkstock, Flickr Users bochalla and Gustty

The Magic of Mushroom Sandwiches

OnSugar Blog — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:09:29 PST

These mushroom sandwiches via Between the Bread look so enticing, don't they? Makes us wonder why every deli board doesn't have a "mushroom sandwiches" section.

For most of my life, I hated mushrooms, and when I turned the corner into mushroom conversion, I became somewhat obsessed. Lately, 'shrooms have been my go-to sandwich filling if I'm not feeling particularly meaty. The earthy, salty taste and the substantial presence feel so decadent, especially when melted with cheese.

First we have a mushroom panini from DeLessio Market, smushed into cheesy service with zucchini and onions. Like many mushroom paninis, this suffered from a slight slipperiness, but that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing.

Check out her other mushroom sandwich encounters when you keep reading.

Healthy Dose Link Time: How to Get Sleep If You Share Your Bed With a Snorer

Susi May — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:16:54 PST

How to catch Zs if your partner is a snorer or blanket hog - HuffPost Healthy Living
Reasons the Nike+ Fuel Band might be worth the hype - Blisstree
Easy dinner ideas, all under 400 calories - Health
Booty-blasting workout to whip your backside into shape - Fitnessista
How to start a love affair with fitness - Shape
Kate Upton's Sports Illustrated cover may have been Photoshopped, but how much? - The Stir
How your healthy eating might be making you fat - Prevention

Eat Cake For Breakfast and Lose Weight, Study Says

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:21:52 PST

If your insatiable sweet tooth is preventing you from losing weight, findings from a recent study may be just the thing to help you slim down. Researchers found those who ate a large breakfast that included something sweet lost weight and were able to keep off more pounds than those who ate a small breakfast.

A group of 193 obese adults (not a huge study) were split into two groups. One ate a large, 600-calorie breakfast that included a sweet item such as a cookie, cake, or doughnut. The other group ate a 300-calorie breakfast with no dessert. Both groups ate the same amount of calories daily: 1,600 for men and 1,400 for women.

Keep reading to find out more details about cake and weight loss.

A French Toast Strata Is a Savory-Sweet Morning Treat

Sara Yoo — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:02:28 PST

Weekend brunch is one meal that I typically prefer to eat out. Beyond the fact that I get my Bellini served to me in an actual champagne flute, it's also such a hassle to pull together something even mildly elegant when I roll out of bed late on a Sunday morning. A hassle, that is, until I met the breakfast strata.

The casserole of breakfast fare, the strata layers your favorite early-bird foods in one delightful dish. Normally, it includes eggs, bread, some kind of cured meat, and often a sautéed leafy green for a savory hangover fix. But this weekend, I also had a hankering for something sweet and came across this French toast strata recipe that calls upon soft challah bread, maple syrup, milk, and eggs, punctuated by surprise ingredient chicken sausage. It's a light, fluffy take on the breakfast sweet that's like no French toast I've ever tasted.

And the best part is that you can do all the prep work the night before, so all that's left to do when you stumble out of bed is preheat, bake, and eat. Which leaves ample time to pour your own Bellini. Read on for the recipe.

8 Recipes For a Rainy Day

Camilla Salem — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:27:39 PST

Don't let the rain get you down; instead, channel all of that energy into some culinary projects and challenges. We've got eight ideas for recipes to make while it's coming down outside. Some of them may take a bit of extra effort, but it will be worth it when you can cuddle up in front of a good movie with some delicious eats.