FitSugar

Fittingly Mad: "Functional" Junk Foods

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:00:39 -0700

Companies are always coming up with new ways to entice customers to buy their products. Recently, a whole line of functional foods has evolved - regular foods that are enhanced with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. These products sound really healthy, so the average consumer sees "Now With Added Fiber" or "Packed With Vitamin A" on the package and places it to the cart without even looking at the label. If they did peek, they would be appalled to see that these products are often just junk food disguised as healthy food. Many of these products contain loads sugar, corn syrup, sodium, and the dreaded trans fat.

Food companies are preying on lazy consumers who see buzz words like "antioxidants," "fiber," and "omega-3s," which make us think we're not getting enough, so we feel compelled to buy these products. The truth is, if you eat a healthy diet full of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins, you don't need all these enhanced foods. You get enough of what you need from your diet alone. If you're worried about making your quota of certain nutrients, then opt for eating a food that naturally contains what you're missing, instead of foods that are artificially enriched.

Maramor Dark Chocolate With Omega-3s: Try It or Pass It By?

FitSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Multifunctional foods are all the rage, like cholesterol-reducing milk, which is good for your heart and your bones. I just read about a new chocolate fortified with omega-3 fatty acids, the fat that is beneficial to your health but lacking in most American's daily diet. Maramor Dark Chocolate is high in antioxidants, but one square also supplies 105 milligrams blend of omega-3 fats with only 50 calories. Sold!

Then I read in Self that you should freeze the chocolate to diminish the fish taste. Mentally, I put this chocolate back on the shelf. I think I will stick with my fish-oil supplement and let my chocolate be just chocolate.

If you want to Maramor-fortified chocolate, you can find this multitasking food at GNC. A box of 30 squares will cost you about $15.

What about you . . .

One Shot That’s Worth Giving A Shot: Promise Activ SuperShot

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Functional foods take on cholesterol...

Unilever has 150 clinical studies showing that two grams of plant sterols a day can lead to a 15% reduction in cholesterol backing up its new Promise Activ SuperShot Yogurt. Plant sterols are found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and vegetable. These three-ounce yogurt-based drinks aim to give you a daily shot of 70 calories and omega-3s and 2 grams of plant sterols, which could lower your cholesterol by about 10% (if you have one per day).

The SuperShots should hit grocery stores this June (retailing for about $3.99 per four-pack), so keep an eye out. I can't wait to try them!

Are Functional Foods Worth the Extra Cash?

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:00:00 -0700

A lot of us (including me, guilty as charged) are shelling out extra cash for so called functional foods.

Functional food are foods that do more than just feed your hunger, they offer the promise of allowing you to be more regular, get full with extra antioxidants or drop your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. New studies are finding that these foods may not be worth the extra cash (about a third more per serving extra), if you're already getting a healthy diet rich in fiber.

From yogurt to water to margarine, we're seeing lots of foods labeled to have supposed benefits from things like probiotics to antioxidants. As a consumer it is hard to identify between what we need, what we think we need and what we want. The outcome is simple: If you want to spend the extra money on these functional foods, it certainly won't hurt anything but your wallet. However, if you are eating a diet full of fruits, veggies and dietary fibers (your basic healthy diet) you don't necessarily need to shell out the extra cash.

Food Review: Yo-Plus Digestive Health by Yoplait

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 -0700

I love yogurt and am fascinated by functional foods. Now I know probiotics might be trendy, but this healthy bacteria seems to benefit many people with digestive issues.

I was curious to try Yo-Plus by Yoplait ($3.50 / 4 pack). No only does it contain Yoplait's Optibalance bacteria mixture, this yogurt has added fiber in the form of inulin as well as vitamins A and D. Yoplait claims that the added fiber helps keep the good bacteria happy, and don't we all really want plentiful and happy bacteria living in our guts.

To see how this yogurt tastes and how it compares with Acitiva by Dannon, just read more.

Yogurt 4 oz.	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Cholesterol (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)	Calcium %	Fiber (g)
Dannon Activia	110	2	5	17	4	15	0
Yoplait Yo-Plus	110	1.5	10	16	4	15	3

Since I have a healthy fear of sweets, I was delighted that this vanilla yogurt didn't overwhelm my palate with sweetness. The texture was fine, too, nice and smooth even with the added fiber. I don't really suffer from excessive bloating or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), so I cannot speak to the health claims of "natural regulation." I do appreciate getting three grams of extra fiber in my diet, but am used to yogurt being made with milk and active cultures, aka bacteria. This yogurt contains among other ingredients: modified corn starch, whey protein concentrate, kosher gelatin, and tricalcium phosphate. Not that these ingredients are necessarily bad, but I think of yogurt as a simple, unprocessed food. But I guess to make a food multitask on such a high level you have to add a few things.

If you have the time, you can print a coupon to save $1 when you buy a four pack of the Yo-Plus. You have to load the "coupon printer" in order to print. If you use a Mac, I found it easier to print when using Safari as my browser.

What's the Diff: Omega-3s vs. Omega-6s

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:10 -0800

Omegas are all the buzz right now, and it seems like everywhere you turn, new foods are being enhanced with this essential fatty acid, or labeled as an excellent source. What people don't know is that there are different types of omegas, and eating too much of one kind can actually be harmful to your body.

Omega-3s are found in flax seeds, walnuts, cod liver oil, and fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, albacore tuna, and salmon. Fish are the best sources because they are high in two particular fatty acids that are crucial to good health, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).

Then there are omega-6s. These fats are found in eggs, nuts, chicken, and vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, and sunflower oil. Omega-6s are high in LA (linoleic acid), which is converted by the body into GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), and then further broken down to AA (arachidonic acid).

Do you know which type of omega fatty acid we should be eating more of? To find out, keep reading

Love Your Liver

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 10:45:00 -0800

There must be 50 ways to love your liver, but to truly love something you have to know what it is all about. Right?

Well, what impresses me most about the liver is not that it is the largest internal organ of the body, but that it performs over 5,000 functions. A small list includes balancing your cholesterol, storing vitamins, activating hormones, and metabolizing fat into glucose to give your body energy. It also acts as a filter to remove toxins (harmful substances) and waste products from the blood. Check this out - a healthy liver filters blood at a rate of about 1.5 quarts per minute. That's 540 gallons of blood a day and more than 13 million gallons over a lifetime! Wow.

The liver continues to function even with considerable damage, but that doesn't mean it is doing all of its jobs well. Signs of poor function include: tiredness, dark circles under the eyes, poor digestion and dull skin.

If your holiday season started out with a partying bang and lots of alcohol and fatty foods, you might want to do something nice for your largest organ. Want to know what foods help your liver out, then read more

Bitter food like broccoli, dandelion greens, cabbage and brussels sprouts have a cleansing effect on the liver.
In multiple studies, artichokes have been proven to promote liver health.
The spices turmeric, cinnamon and licorice are beneficial to the liver.

Of course it helps to avoid: saturated fats, refined sugar and alcohol (limit yourself to two drinks a day). Drinking plenty of water is always a good idea.

Another Reason to Eat Carbs: Boost Your Mood

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:00:56 -0800

The majority of Fit readers call themselves carb queens, and Winter can make those carbohydrate cravings even more intense. But have no fear: scientists are finding even more reasons not to avoid this essential food group.

A recent study of more than 100 obese and overweight adults in Australia found that dieting put people in a better mood; a drop in pounds led to increased satisfaction. But for people on low-carb diets, the mood boost didn't last.

The study group was split, with half the subjects on a lowfat diet and the other half low-carbing it. Interestingly, folks in both groups lost the same amount of weight on average, about 30 pounds. But after a year, the low-carb dieters also lost the positive mood effects, while the low-fat dieters did not. Here's more from the study.

What's the Deal With Function Water?

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

It amazes me how many different variations there are on the water theme. There's tap water, filtered water, bottled water, sparkling water, Vitaminwater, Fruitwater, Fruit2O, and now Function Water. The bottle says it's "vapor distilled water + electrolytes." Vapor distilling removes all impurities, so supposedly it makes this water taste better than ordinary water (my mouth couldn't tell the difference). Then they add electrolytes to keep your cells operating well. Where have I heard this before? Oh, right. This is the exact same thing a bottle of Smartwater says. This Function Water even attempts a similar quirky sense of humor: They compare the impulses in your body's cells to impulse-buying that "sale-rack polyester jumpsuit you'll never wear but had to have." It makes it difficult for me to take this water seriously.

Fit's Tips: You should know that your body doesn't need to replenish lost electrolytes after a normal 30-minute workout, but it does need to hydrate. Regular water will do the trick after a half hour of exercise. If you're training for a race or sport and are exercising a ton, then this electrolyte-infused water may be worth the extra dough. At least it isn't infused with sugar.

Test Your Memory

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:00:04 -0700

When thinking about diet, it's easy to overlook the brain. But like your heart, the brain needs a healthy diet to function properly. Starving it or feeding it the wrong types of things can lead to memory loss, depression, and a host of brain diseases like Alzheimer's. Do you know what foods make for a happy brain? Take my quiz to find out . . .

Take the quiz