FitSugar

Eat by Numbers

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:30:00 PDT

Need a simple number, one through 100, to tell you how to eat? Well the good folks at Griffin Prevention Research Center, part of Yale University, created an algorithm to rank the “overall nutritional quality" of food. The equation factors in vitamin content, macronutrient composition, nutritional density, and other nutritional properties. The Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI) will begin appearing on foods at many grocery stores soon. To see how 11 foods ranked, click the orange start button.

Source

Exclusive! Proactiv Names Jurnee Smollett Its Newest Spokesperson

Jaime Richards — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:00:00 PDT

You might remember her as Michelle Tanner's feisty friend Denise on Full House or as hard-working high school student Jess Merriweather in Friday Night Lights, and now actress, singer, and activist Jurnee Smollett has landed a new role: Proactiv's newest spokesperson. Jurnee, who has battled acne since she was 10 years old, admits she tried just about everything, from facial treatments to doctors appointments to peels, before she had the consistent success she has found with Proactiv.

"It goes back to a few months before I was getting married," she explains. "I was shooting Friday Night Lights in Austin, [and with] the humidity, the great Texas food, the hormones, and the stress of me planning the wedding, my skin was freaking out." Although frustrated, Jurnee felt her complexion issues added a realistic element to her character. "I kept telling myself, "'I'm playing a 16-year-old high student. It's OK; high school students break out,'" she reveals. "But no one wants to break out, whether you're a teenager or not!" See the rest of Jurnee's story now.

From the Community: Dr. Oz’s Top 10 Healthy Eating Musts

Fit Community — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:51:55 PDT

FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV posted these healthy eating tips from Dr. Oz in our 10 Pounds Down! community group.

In honor of National Nutrition month, we asked Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, author, and host of the Dr. Oz Show, to share with us his top 10 musts when it comes to eating for better health, weight loss, and overall wellness. We were surprised to learn a few of these!

1) Eat this #1 cancer-fighting, cleansing produce item

What ranks at the head of the class when it comes to the produce department? "Broccoli is the best produce option, because it cleanses the liver and helps to fight cancer," says Dr. Oz.

2) Stay in shape by eating these

Think you’ll stay slim by just sticking to salads and fat-free foods? Think again! "Nuts are the number-one food for staying in shape," says Dr. Oz.

3) Don’t just cut calories to drop lbs.

"Losing weight isn’t all about cutting calories. The brain looks for nutrients, not calories," says Dr. Oz. Yet another reason to focus on whole, unprocessed foods to help speed up weight loss!

See the rest of the tips after the break

9 Signs You’ve Got a Bad Boss

LearnVest — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:15:42 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We wish we could mandate that all bosses go to boss school. Or that the ones who did get management training absorbed everything they were taught.

Fact is, there are a lot of bad bosses running amok out there, and most don’t even know that they’re the bane of your existence.

But the good news is, if you’re stuck under the thumb of a less-than-stellar superior, there are strategies for managing her particular strain of craziness.

Related: Learn How to Manage Your Boss

For expert advice, we spoke to Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s connection director and author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules Into Career Success, and Leigh Steere, cofounder of Managing People Better, LLC, a research endeavor that studies differences in management styles.

Here are nine signs your superior may not be, well, superior - and what do about it.

1. She’s Insulting

Feedback is a necessary food group in the office place. A good boss will explain why you didn’t meet expectations, as well as the changes she’d like to see next time. But then there’s the other breed: the manager who puts down your work . . . without supplying constructive criticism. Or worse. We’ve all been subjected to “yellers” in our time.

How to Manage Her: If she’s not forthcoming about why she’s not happy with you, you can take steps to prevent being berated. When you get an assignment, ask, “So what I’m hearing you want me to do is . . . ?” and be sure you’re clear on the instructions before you start. If she still lights into you and you don’t know what you did to deserve it, take a deep breath and ask. You might want to wait until her tirade is over and her mood improves, but a well-timed “I’d like to understand where I fell short, so it doesn’t happen again. Can you explain what you’d like me to do differently next time?” can work wonders.

Read on for more.

Find Out Who Will Play a Young Carrie Bradshaw

Allie Merriam — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:08:38 PST

AnnaSophia Robb got the role of a young Carrie Bradshaw, the role Sarah Jessica Parker made famous - HuffPost Entertainment
Angelina Jolie runs errands without showing any leg - People
What do Jean Dujardin and Ian Somerhalder have in common? - Lainey Gossip
Check out how good Katy Perry looks in Interview - TooFab
Megan Fox says she wants two or three kids with Brian Austin Green - Us Weekly
Stacy Keibler, Tina Fey, Kelly Osbourne - and the foods their Oscars hair resembled! - The Daily Beast
One celeb who was really pissed about Sacha Baron Cohen's prank - BuzzFeed
Are these the top 10 hottest royals? - The Frisky
The worst-ranked best picture nominees ever - Rotten Tomatoes
Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson bonded over their babies - Wonderwall
What's next for Uggie the dog? - Lifeline Live
Find out what Julia Louis-Dreyfus is up to these days - Zap2It
Did Jennifer and Cameron have girl drama at the Vanity Fair party? - Celebitchy

Chrome Niko: Serious Bag For Serious Business

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:30:05 PST

The holidays are a perfect time to get cozy with your camera. The lights, the food, the weather, all of it makes for an awesome shot at a moment's notice. And if you need a bag that's going to stand the test of time, there's none better than the Chrome Niko Camera Bag ($95) to do the job. Chrome was kind enough to send me this bag to test out, and so far, I don't want to give it up. At first glance the Niko may not seem so "female-friendly," but on the contrary, it has no problem fitting smaller frames, and best of all, it's not too bulky.

Made of tough military grade nylon, this bag can take a beating and come out the other side looking shiny and new. Cyclists and bikers will love the Niko since it's lightweight and compact, but offers amazing protection for your gear thanks to its padded interior and water-resistant zippers. The signature Chrome seat-belt chest strap offers a satisfying click when closed (which also doubles as a bottle opener for those beer-fueled hikes), and the waist straps help it stay snugly in place. I have worried that someone (or something) will accidentally hit the center closure and send my gear falling to the ground, which is a scary thought if you're toting an expensive camera. I will say that ladies with a larger chest may not find this bag desirable. The padded chest strap is wide, so it could cause an unpleasant and uncomfortable "separation of the girls" if you know what I mean.

See who I think the Niko is perfect for, and the one thing I wished it came with after the break.

5 Ways to Save Money While Staying Healthy and Fit

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:12:19 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Fancy home gym equipment, organic food and a wardrobe of the latest fitness apparel can be pricey, but consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch says that doesn't have to be the case. "As a young girl, I tagged along with my mom on shopping trips and learned that you don't have to spend a lot to look good," she explains.

Woroch herself ranks health as one of her top priorities (besides helping others save money), and loves bike riding, hiking, running, swimming and skiing-"anything and everything that gets me moving."

So we asked Woroch to share her insider intel about how we all can keep our wallets happy while staying fit and looking and feeling great.

1. Subscribe. Group coupon emails offer deals for more than clothes shopping and restaurant meals! "Sites like LivingSocial and Dealery often offer discounts for health clubs, fitness studios and outdoor activities at up to 70 percent off," Woroch says. Another plus? There’s no long-term commitment, so if you like, you can just continue trying new things based on what is offering a coupon!

2. Take advantage of free trials. "Request free or deeply discounted trial memberships from various gyms and fitness studios you're thinking about joining," Woroch suggests. This way you can find your favorite before getting locked in with a location that may not be your favorite.

3. Use technology. Online coupon sites like RetailMeNot and SmartSource offer a wide variety of discounts for online or in-store shopping at grocery, fitness specialty stores and more. Combine coupons you find online for stores like Whole Foods with what’s on special when you get to the store to score even bigger savings.

Check out these Coupon Sherpa sites for printable coupons at common retailers:

For two more great tips keep reading.

Husband Lives on Wife's Breast Milk. Why? Because It's Delicious.

Yahoo Shine — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:32:20 PDT

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Yahoo! Shine:

Man can not live on bread alone. Breast milk, maybe. A blogger named Curtis is going to find out, as he embarks on a diet consisting only of his wife's breast milk.

"Much more hungry yesterday, 104 ounces consumed, roughly 3120 calories," he writes on his blog Don't Have a Cow Curtis, where he and his wife, Kate, are tracking his daily diet. (Update: Curtis's site has been taken down.) Curtis came up with the unique meal plan after the birth of his child nine months ago left his wife with an excess of frozen breast milk. They tried donating their stock but milk-bank regulations and shipping fees prevented it. Besides, Curtis actually likes breast milk.

"I see nothing disgusting or wrong with drinking my own species milk (especially that of my wife), it is nothing more than a healthy meal," he writes. He also says it's a handy digestive aid and is much easier on his stomach than cow's milk. But how does it taste?

Should You Skip Sleep to Fit in a Workout?

Shape — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:33:26 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. Shape turned to personal trainer and strength coach Joe Dowdell for the answer!

Q. What's more important: getting enough sleep or fitting in an early-morning or late-night workout?

A. To change your body composition in the least amount of time, cleaning up your diet and getting seven to eight hours of quality sleep are both essential. Sleep is extremely important for body composition and helps the body and brain restore and rejuvenate in many different ways. Plus, sleep (or the lack thereof) affects important hormonal activity tied to appetite and therefore has a direct impact on your ability to lose weight (i.e. body fat).

One study published online at the Public Library of Science shows how sleep is connected to eating habits and weight gain. The December 2004 study found that people who slept less than seven to eight hours a night ate significantly more and weighed more than those who slept longer. What's more, the more sleep deprived the person was, the more they ate and the greater their weight gain. These results can be directly attributed to two key appetite-regulating hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin (a hormone secreted by our fat cells) and ghrelin (a hormone secreted in our stomachs) work like a checks and balances system in the body and control your feelings of fullness and hunger. When you don't get enough sleep, your leptin levels drop and your ghrelin levels rise. In other words, you're more likely to crave sugary, high-carb foods (thanks to higher levels of Ghrelin) that have the potential to sabotage your diet. The growth hormone - which is extremely important for tissue repair, body fat reduction, and healthy immune function - also gets released during sleep.

Now you can see why getting quality sleep is just as important as your workout routine and nutrition. In fact, I would rank sleep and diet as more important than exercise, especially if fat loss (i.e. getting a lean, toned body) is your primary goal.

Guess How Much the Average Google Employee Makes?

Emily Co — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:52:43 PDT

We all know that the tech industry doles out big bucks for their engineers and developers, but did you know that Google leads the pack in having the highest paid employees? Further, Google has constantly been rated as one of the top five companies to work for in Fortune rankings.

It's no wonder its workers are satisfied; not only do they get high pay, but they also get free food at Google's lavish cafeterias, have access to gyms and exercise classes at work, and get free laundry, too.

Try your hand and guess how much the average mid-career Google worker makes!

Take the Quiz