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Breakfast Ideas to Keep You Full Until Lunch

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:50:08 PST

Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Eating a morning meal not only helps you think more clearly, but studies show that regular breakfasts can help you maintain a healthy weight. I've rounded up a handful of ideas for morning meals, combining whole grains and protein, which will keep your energy levels up and your hunger at bay.

Source: Thinkstock

15 Ways to Annoy Your Boss

SavvySugar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:11:08 PST

Whether you're hoping to get ahead at work or just trying to build healthy relationships, it's important to understand how your boss works - what she appreciates, what she respects, and what she can't stand. Create a strong connection with your manager and avoid irritating her by steering clear of these 15 ways to annoy your boss:

Arrive late, coffee in hand. If you waltz into the office 20 minutes late, clutching a Starbucks cup, chances are it's not going to be well-received. If you're running short on time, skip the coffee shop and head to the office coffeemaker instead.
Dress inappropriately. Your boss doesn't want to feel like your parent, so she won't be thrilled if she has to regularly address your workwear. Keep things professional and remember to err on the conservative side.
Regularly bring up your accomplishments. Patting your own back is fine every once in a while, but high-fiving yourself for every little victory is sure to frustrate both your co-workers and your boss. Save the boasting for your year-end review and always note your successes with a purpose - as in, say, while negotiating salary.
Say you'll "try" instead of you "will." When you're asked to finish something, that means you're expected to finish it. Form your responses carefully, as even small tweaks can have a huge effect. Instead of saying, "I'll try to get to that," nod and assure your boss by saying, "No problem, I will get to that as soon as I've finished this."
Ask personal questions. Your boss will offer personal information as she sees fit, so refrain from asking anything too intimate. Small talk is fine, of course, but remember to maintain professional boundaries during conversation.
Tattle on other employees. Most information finds its way through the grapevine, so chances are your boss will find out about any significant scandals from someone else. Nobody likes the office tattler - and telling your boss someone else's secrets would say more about your character than theirs, anyway.
Reply to all her tweets. You may be Facebook friends, but that doesn't mean you need to "like" every status or comment on every one of her pictures. Keep the interactions minimal so that you don't aggravate her with hourly notifications that say you've commented on five more of her Instagram photos.

Keep reading for more ways to annoy your boss.

How to Add More Veggies to Your Lunch

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:02:26 PST

Adding more vegetables to your lunch routine will give you great midday nourishment and an extra punch of energy to carry you through the afternoon slump. We've already shared some surprising ways to sneak vegetables into your breakfast, so here are three more tips to amp up your daily veggie intake:

Upgrade your sandwich. You may not consider some of your favorite vegetables sandwich-friendly, but test your taste buds and experiment. Think about tossing cooked beets, a layer of hummus, sprouts, or artichoke hearts between the bread. Wary about mixing textures? Add some simple crunch with sliced onions.

Keep reading for more vegetable lunch ideas.

5 Ways You Unintentionally Stress Yourself Out (and How to Relax)

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:27:05 PST

Every time you experience stress, pressure is put on the adrenal glands, which then pump adrenaline into your bloodstream. The thing is, constant stress can lead to problems like chronic fatigue, weight gain, weakened immunity, and a shorter lifespan. The good thing is that the majority of life's daily stresses can be reduced with proper awareness, practice, and discipline. See what little things you are doing every day that unintentionally stress your body out, and find out how you can relax in these moments.

Running late to work: If you hit the snooze button every day, chances are you are scrambling to make up lost time. Hurrying through breakfast or skipping out on it altogether wreaks havoc on your digestive system and blood sugar levels. Rushing to get out the door can leave you frazzled, messy, and forgetful, especially when it comes to the important things like keys, your wallet, or umbrella.

How to relax: The night before, put out everything you need for the following day; keep the most important items near the front door. If you are consistently 15 minutes late every morning, set your alarm back the same amount of time. Make sure to sit down for breakfast, allowing yourself 30 minutes to eat. Try these recipes for make-ahead breakfasts.

Stressful thinking: Sometimes our thoughts make the world a more stressful place than it is. What is actually a manageable list of tasks can seem unconquerable to the mind. When the noggin starts churning, it's hard to step back and look at the full picture.

How to relax: If you find yourself caught in a stressful thought, pay attention to your facial expressions and breathing. Relax your face, close your eyes, and take a long full inhale. Bring yourself back to reality and the present moment and create a plan, mapping out your steps and timeline for completion.

Find out other three stresses and how to avoid them.

4 Don'ts For Your Next Breakfast

Leta Shy — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:16:35 PST

When it comes to meals, breakfast is the champ. Instead of grabbing a muffin at the coffee shop to fuel your day, give the mealtime the attention it deserves. Here are four don'ts for the most important meal of the day.

Don't skip it: Eating breakfast helps jump-start your metabolism after it slows down during your sleep. Not only that, but eating breakfast is an important tool in maintaining weight loss. So don't wait until lunch to nosh; eat a filling, healthy meal early in the day to keep your energy up, brain on, and weight loss goals in check.

Don't delay: The best time to eat breakfast is within an hour of waking up, so don't delay! Unless, of course, you are working out first, in which case you should make sure you fuel up with a pre-workout snack before you go (read our tips for choosing a pre-workout snack here). Afterward, be sure to eat a protein- and carbohydrate-filled breakfast 30 minutes to two hours after a workout in order to fuel your body the right way.

Read on for more breakfast don'ts.

How to Make a Healthier Stack of Flapjacks

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:26:52 PDT

Whether you whip up pancakes during the week or save them for a big family brunch on the weekend, a stack of pancakes covered in maple syrup and melted butter isn't exactly the most nutritious breakfast you can sink your fork into. Usually made with white flour and sugar, traditional pancakes don't offer much in the way of nutrients. If you're a fan of flapjacks, here's how you can make them healthier while also adding bold and unique flavors.

Make homemade batter: Traditional pancake mixes like Bisquick are made with enriched white flour and partially hydrogenated soybean oil; they may be easy, but they're not exactly good for you. It only takes five minutes to mix up your own pancake recipe, and using whole wheat flour makes for added nutrition. Try this recipe for whole wheat cinnamon pancakes.
Mash in baked sweet potato: To replace some of the fat and sugar in your recipe, use mashed baked sweet potato. For a recipe that makes 12 pancakes and calls for one and a third cups of buttermilk and one tablespoon of brown sugar, I use about half a cup of mashed sweet potato and half a cup of buttermilk, and omit the sugar altogether. It not only gave my stack a warm, golden hue, but the texture was also more moist and they tasted a tad sweeter.

Keep on reading to hear other ways to make your pancakes healthier.

Why a Little Hunger Can Be Healthy

Shape — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:03:43 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.

With my clients, and in general, I like to focus on the positive, such as what to eat rather than what not to eat and what to do rather than what not to do. But after spending time with my clients, they often tell me, I didn't know what I was doing wrong before; now I get it. I'm always happy to hear that, because it means they're not just following my advice, they're understanding the logic behind my recommendations. That's key because when you're in the dark, you'll just unknowingly perpetuate the patterns that work against you. That said, one of the most common missteps I see that keeps people from getting results is being afraid to get hungry.

Intense hunger, when you can't concentrate, you're irritable, and you want to shove the first thing you see into your mouth, doesn't feel good. But mild to moderate hunger is normal, and it's something you should be experiencing about four times a day. It's a signal that your metabolism is in gear, that you've used up or burned off the previous meal and that it's time to refuel for the hours ahead.

Learn how to create the best eating schedule for yourself after the break!

Pump Up the Nutrition of Quinoa: Add These Foods

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:02:38 PDT

Bursting with protein - eight grams for one cup of cooked - quinoa is a super grain. High in folate and magnesium, this fluffy, easily digested grain also provides five grams in one cup.

Just like mildly flavored tofu, quinoa absorbs the flavors around it, so it pairs well with just about anything. Although super healthy on its own, here are some ways you can up the nutritional value while adding interesting flavor and texture.

Before cooking, mix dry quinoa with another grain such as millet, barley, or Arborio rice. The result is a very different taste and texture, plus you get the added nutritional goodness of the other whole grain.
Cook quinoa with miso to add a bit of extra protein and a burst of essential B12. Just mix miso paste into the cooking water before adding uncooked grain.

If you love quinoa, keep reading for others ways to make it even healthier.

From the Community: 8 Easy Ways to Rev Up Metabolism

Fit Community — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:15:14 PDT

Looking for ways to speed up your metabolism and shed a few pounds this Summer? FitSugar reader eNutritionist has eight suggestions on how you can do just that; she shared this post in our Diet and Fitness Tips community group.

Whether you're trying to lose weight, or you just want to maintain a sleek physique for the Summer, boosting your metabolism is an effective way to burn extra calories. In this article I have put together a few diet and exercise tips to rev up your metabolism, so you can burn fat faster and look fabulous in the sunshine!

Power breakfasts - Always eat a healthy breakfast. After going 10-12 hours overnight without food, your energy reserves are low so your body, and perhaps more importantly, your brain, needs fuel. When you skip breakfast your metabolism slows to conserve energy and this can actually make it more difficult to maintain weight. Many studies have shown that people who regularly eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight than people who don't; they're also more inclined to eat less during the course of the day. Like any other meal, a balanced breakfast should include foods from each of the major food groups: some protein, a reasonable amount of complex carbohydrates, and a little fat. These three nutrients will help stave off hunger pangs and keep blood sugar levels balanced until lunch. It's also a good time to get at least two servings of fruit. For instance, one small glass of fruit juice or a sliced banana and some raisins sprinkled over your cereal. If you can tick off two servings at breakfast you are providing your body with a good boost of vitamins and minerals and are well on target to reaching your "five a day."
Eat little and often - As strange as it may sound, eating frequently can actually help you lose weight. This is because our bodies can burn calories from digesting and absorbing food. Grazing on small, regular snacks throughout the day can help keep your metabolic rate elevated for up to two to three hours after eating. Ideally, snacks should be spaced around your breakfast, lunch and dinner to help balance blood sugars and sustain energy levels. Healthy snacking options include a handful of plain nuts and seeds, natural yogurt with mixed fruit, raw vegetable sticks with hummus, a slice of rye bread topped with low fat cottage cheese, or rice cakes with almond butter. Aim to have two to three small healthy snacks a day at two to three hour intervals for a calorie burning boost.

See even more tips after the break!

10 Eating Tips For Avoiding the Freshman 15

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:55:11 PDT

Going away to school can be dangerous on the waistline. The dorm dining hall is like a giant, all-you-can-eat buffet. And let's be real, the food choices at most campuses are not healthy. On top of that, many students don't have access to a kitchen, and will ultimately eat all of their meals out. It's no wonder most of us gain some weight when going off to college, though the infamous "freshman 15" is really more like 10 pounds. And don't be fooled - weight gain isn't reserved to first-year students only. The eating habits you develop during your first year away can stay with you through college and beyond.

Whether you're eating in a dining hall or cooking for yourself in your first apartment, a few simple strategies can help you avoid that first-year college weight gain. Here are my tips for eating healthy while you're away at school.

Don't skip meals, especially breakfast. Starting with a filling breakfast helps steady your metabolism throughout the day. Here are five ideas for quick but healthy starts.
Drink lots of water. At the dining hall, during lectures, throughout cram sessions, whenever! Skip the soda and carry a water bottle that you can refill throughout the day to prevent constipation and bloating.
Include at least three food groups in every meal. When choosing from the endless dining hall bounty, make an effort to get plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, and calcium - not just pizza and chicken fingers. And the more color on your plate, the better.

For the rest of my top 10 healthy eating tips,