FitSugar

Living La Vida Low Sugar: Cereal

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 05:50:37 PDT

Sugar, in some form or another, seems to be added to so many foods these days, from tomato sauce to canned veggies, with breakfast cereals being some of the worst offenders. Here are my top three faves that contain hardly any of the sweet stuff per serving.

Uncle Sam: A blend of toasted whole grain wheat flakes and flaxseed, this hearty breakfast cereal is filling and high in fiber - 10 grams per 3/4 cup serving. It does contain a bit of barley malt, but one serving of Uncle Sam contains less than one gram of sugar. I have come to love the taste of this cereal and appreciate the dose of omega-3s the flax seeds offer.
Ezekiel 4:9 Flax Cereal: Made of a blend of grains and sprouted legumes, this cereal is filling and flavorful. Best heated up with warm milk, soy milk, or juice, a half-cup serving of the Ezekiel cereal contains zero grams of sugar. This breakfast cereal does contain a bit of malted barley.
Crispy Brown Rice: Erewhorn makes this brown rice version of the ever-popular Rice Krispies that has less than one gram of sugar per sugar even though organic brown rice syrup makes the ingredient list. This gluten-free cereal is also free of fiber, but my kids love it. I appreciate the 110 calories per one cup serving.

Flaxseeds: More Than Omega-3s

FitSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 PDT

Flaxseeds are not taking any flack. Even though the omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseeds might not be as easy for your body to utilize as the omega-3s from fish and fish oil, there are still plenty of reasons to eat flaxseeds.

There are a couple of reasons that this little seed can help with weight loss and one big reason is fiber. Flaxseeds are a good mix of insoluble and soluble fiber, which combined help to aid digestion and contribute to a sensation of fullness post meal. If you prefer flaxseed oil, it ranks highest on the satiety scale as well and it promotes fat burning not fat storage.

To check out the health reasons to eat flax just

The health reasons to add flax to your diet are quite convincing as well. Flaxseeds contain lingans, a phytoestrogen (hormone-like chemicals found in plants) that have been shown to lower the risk of developing hormone-related cancers like breast and prostate cancer. Flaxseeds also help lower the dangerous LDL cholesterol and may help lower blood pressure, two risk factors for heart disease. Not to mention that 50 grams of flaxseed have been shown to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics by 30 percent.

My suggestions for adding flax to your diet are simple. Add ground flaxseeds (I use an extra coffee grinder) to oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit, or smoothie. I like to use flax oil in salad dressing or instead of butter on whole grain toast. How do you work flaxseeds into your diet? Share with us in the comment section below.

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Not So Fishy Sources of Omega-3s

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:45:04 PDT

I could talk your ear off about omega-3 fatty acids, but hopefully you know by now that they are super beneficial to the body. They increase HDL (good cholesterol), decrease triglycerides, prevent irregular heart beats, and prevent blood clot formation. Omega-3s are the fats you should love because they also reduce inflammation throughout the body.

Last week when I posted about which fish are both high in omega-3s and low in mercury, I received a lot of comments from folks that just don't like eating fish. So here is a list of foods high in omega-3s.

Flax seed and Flax seed oil: Uncle Sam breakfast cereal contains whole flax seeds and it is high in fiber, which means there are multiple reasons to eat it for breakfast. Flax seed oil can be used in salad dressing or on toast as a butter alternative. Calorie wise you get the most bang for your buck with flax seeds - 95 calories of flax seeds provide over 100 percent of the Daily Recommended Intake of omega-3s.
Walnuts: Raw walnuts are a great treat, tossed into a green salad or your morning oatmeal. 2 ounces of walnuts contain 5.2 grams of omega-3s. Plus you can use walnut oil - it is great in salad dressing or on toast.
Soybeans - 1 cup of cooked soybeans contains just over 1 gram of omega-3s. While that is not a lot, I say every little bit counts. Cook up some for your dinner veggie tonight...they are also great to munch on while you're cooking.

Canola oil also contains omega 3s and can be used at high temperatures so it is great for baking and cooking.

Fit's Tip: The current dietary recommendation is to eat 7 - 11 grams of omega-3s a day. So plan your meals and snacks ahead of time so you can eat all you need of this fat. Remember, just because it is a good thing doesn't mean you should go overboard. Fat is still fat, even if it is good for you.

That's Nutty

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 17:30:00 PST

Nuts! Fish!? Seeds?!? Omega 3s can cause some culinary confusion. If you're looking to get more of them in your diet here's a few simple ways:

Walnut Oil: I use this in salad dressings regularly using equal parts walnut oil to olive oil. Then I add a little white wine vinegar and some Dijon mustard. Plus, I throw some toasted walnuts onto the salad. Be sure to refrigerate your oil after you open it.
Flax seeds: My favorite way to sneak flax seeds into my diet is Uncle Sam Cereal. It is simply toasted whole wheat flakes and flax seeds. Taste wise the cereal would benefit with some added fresh fruit. Plus my kids love it, which I love since the cereal hardly has any sugar in it!
Canola Oil: Canola oil is great to cook with and is the best oil when making a stir fry. It tastes much lighter than olive oil which makes it suitable for baking as well.
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Going Vegan Could Mean Missing These Key Nutrients

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:41:38 PDT

Not eating animal products means a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and although it can also be used to lose weight, it's important not to skip out on valuable nutrients that often come from meat and dairy.

Vitamin B12
Most women need 2.4 mcg of this vitamin each day. It's essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system as well as healthy blood cells. Found mostly in poultry, beef, fish, and dairy products, this B vitamin has vegan sources as well including fortified cereals, fortified soy milk, kale, spinach, and nutritional yeast.

Iron
The RDI of iron for women is 18 mg, and while animal products contain iron, there are tons of vegan foods high in this mineral as well. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, which is why an iron deficiency often causes fatigue. Be sure to include fortified cereal, fortified soy milk, beans such as garbanzos and lentils, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and peanuts in your vegan diet.

Keep reading to find out what other nutrients vegan diets might be missing.

A Reader Recipe: Flax and Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread

Fit Community — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:17:55 PDT

Reader For The Love Of Fiber gave a healthy makeover to classic Irish soda bread. She shared her recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

A new generation of Irish Soda Bread just in time for St. Patty's Day. It’s versatile as a breakfast bread with a schmear of grass-fed butter and your favorite cup ‘o tea, or as a nice addition to a body-warming soup. Or corned beef and cabbage, if you want to get totally authentic.

See the recipe after the break!

A Reader Recipe: Veggie Pulp Crackers

Fit Community — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:31:05 PST

If you're a juicer, you'll want to read this veggie pulp cracker recipe from pure2raw, who posted it in our Healthy Recipe group.

Do you enjoy freshly made juice, but never know what to do with the leftover pulp? We have an easy cracker recipe that only requires three ingredients. The pulp crackers can be made in the oven or dehydrator.

Read on for the recipe.

A Reader Recipe: Maple Nut Butter Granola

Fit Community — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:05:11 PST

Cut back on oil and make your own granola! FitSugar reader TheFitCookie shared this recipe for homemade granola in our Healthy Recipe group - a perfect way to start the morning.

Here is an easy and healthy recipe for granola. Best of all, this recipe is allergy-friendly and very affordable! You can even change up the ingredients to make it your own!

Learn how to make the granola after the break!

A Reader Recipe: Cereal Banana Bread

Fit Community — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:28:03 PST

OnSugar blogger Sophie's Sweeties has a healthy banana bread recipe that cuts calories by using Kashi cereal, apple sauce, and yogurt.

My mom used to eat a slice of homemade banana bread every morning for breakfast. She would make 10 loaves at a time and freeze them until the last loaf was purely a delicious memory. She made a few loaves with chocolate chips, some with walnuts, and a couple were made plain for my picky brother. No matter the preference, I think everyone would agree that my banana bread is a healthy alternative to my mom's famous staple.

Get the recipe after the break!

Molly Sims's Approach to Preventing Stretch Marks Is Internal

LilSugar — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:04:22 PST

While your odds of developing stretch marks during pregnancy are (for the most part) left to fate outside of your control, Molly Sims is following a diet rich in good-for-you fatty acids to improve her odds of avoiding them. Molly is a follower of Lori Bregman's Rooted For Life program, a holistic approach to pregnancy and motherhood. Today on her blog, the 4-month pregnant mama-to-be shared some of her menu highlights, which include:

Fish, olive, coconut, canola, hempseed, and flaxseed oils
Hemp, flax, sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds
Almond and nut butters
Salmon and cod
Avocados
Split peas
Lentils
Collard Greens

Other celeb moms who have shared their secrets to avoiding the dreaded stretch marks include Ali Landry, who's a devoted user of (and spokesperson for) Palmer's Cocoa Butter, and Victoria Beckham, who favored the pricey Elemis Japanese Camellia Oil last year.

Do you think that stretch marks are best treated from the inside or out? Do you have any other great tips and tricks for avoiding the battle scars of pregnancy?