Healthy happy you.
I eat avocados almost daily. I enjoy them thinly sliced on my salad, paired with salty sunflower seeds, or with creamy protein-rich cottage cheese. They also make a great sandwich topping in place of mayo. Here is yet another way you can incorporate the ever-versatile avocado into your culinary life. When baking, substitute half the amount of butter in your recipe for mashed avocado. It not only Read more
It's officially barbecuing season, and with this comes tons of burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, and beer. To avoid packing on the pounds this Summer, here are some ways to add a healthy spin to your barbecues. Go for homemade guacamole instead of creamy dips: Avocados offer the healthy fats your body needs, which is a much better option than the saturated fats found in dairy-based dips. If Read more
When you're craving something salty, crackers and pretzels are a popular choice, but they're not an option if you're avoiding gluten. You could buy pricey gluten-free alternatives, but they're not exactly the healthiest snacks. Here are three salty snacks you can prep ahead of time that are free of wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Gluten-Free Quinoa Pizza Bites Made with cooked quinoa, gooey Read more
As we all know, there's a right way and a wrong way to snack. It matters less whether you do it and more about why you snack. If you're hungry, snacking can help you stick to your diet overall, but if you're snacking for other reasons — you're bored or emotional, for example — snacking can be synonymous with diet sabotage. This is especially true when it comes to midmorning snacking. A Read more
If you're obsessed with reading labels, then you've probably come across the ingredient maltodextrin. Sounds like some type of sugar, but is it safe to eat? It'll settle your mind to know that this common additive is an easily digestible carbohydrate made from rice, corn, or potato starch (celiacs beware — it can also be derived from barley or wheat). It's made by cooking down the starch, and Read more
Get your daily fiber fix with this Southwestern quinoa salad recipe from FitSugar reader For the Love of Fiber. She shared it with us in our Healthy Recipe Group in the Fit Community. This salad takes quinoa to the next level, and has been known to turn quinoa haters into ambassadors. Learn how to make this recipe after the break! Read more
A spiral-cut ham seems right at home as the centerpiece of a hearty Easter meal. Of course, deliciously elegant substitutions exist, but why not have some fun with other kinds of cured or smoked pork? Ham, which comes from the hind thigh of the pig, is a cut revered internationally for its marbled fat content and complex flavors when cured, smoked, or cooked. So while picking up a prepared Read more
Greek yogurt is more than just a breakfast food; it also makes a healthy fat substitution in recipes. Skip oil, butter, and heavy cream, and bump up levels of calcium, protein, and probiotics with these easy swaps! Sour cream: Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt, and most people won't even be able to tell the difference. Use it on top of baked potatoes or serve alongside Mexican fare; you can Read more
If you're a Dr. Oz fan, you may have heard of the latest news in weight loss — raspberry ketone. The supplement, according to a weight-loss expert on The Dr. Oz Show, will help your body "think it's thin" and burn body fat in as little as five days of taking the supplement daily. Raspberry ketone pills are derived from raspberries, which are known for having metabolism-boosting properties. Read more
When you're in the mood for a crunchy snack, based on a recent study, you may want to reach for popcorn. This new study found that popcorn contains high levels of disease-fighting antioxidants — higher concentrations than those found in certain fruits and vegetables. Researchers found that popcorn contains disease-fighting polyphenols in the center, or the hull, of popped kernels. This latest Read more
