FitSugar

Become a Spice Girl, For Your Health

FitSugar — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 09:00:00 PDT

Me, I like it hot. You name it, I'll sprinkle a little hot sauce on it. I just like the taste (and the heat) but adding spice to your food can curb hunger, strengthen muscles, boost your brainpower and improve mood.

Here's why:

Staying slender: A study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that when women added 2 teaspoons of dried red pepper on their food, they consumed fewer calories and fat in later meals. Give your diet a light start; splash hot sauce on your morning omelet.
Becoming stronger: The curcumin that turns turmeric yellow also helps reduce inflammation and aids muscle repair after heavy exercise, researchers at the University of South Carolina at Columbia say. Enjoy the Indian spice for a few days before a big workout (try stirring it in a cup of lowfat cottage cheese and sliced fruit) to speed recovery.
Keeping sharp: Curcumin also sweeps out plaque deposits in your brain, which may help stave off Alzheimer’s disease, research from the University of California at Los Angeles suggests. For a savory meal, dust curry spices over rice and beans.
Getting happy: Capsaicin (the compound that gives chiles their kick) triggers pain receptors in the mouth, in turn signaling your brain to release feel-good endorphins, according to scientists at the State University of New York at Buffalo. That chemical surge not only helps dull the pepper’s bite, but it also betters your mood. Next time you need a quick lift, toss red pepper flakes or some diced chile peppers into your salad or bowl of chilled soup. Now that’s cool!

Source

4 Additions For the Perfect Trail Mix

Leta Shy — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:00:56 PDT

A good trail mix can be the perfect snack; no matter what you're craving, whether it's salty or sweet, a few handfuls can keep you satisfied and full. But there's a right way and a wrong way to make trail mix if you want it to be good for your body. Here are four additions to make your trail mix tasty and healthy.

Chocolate: Eat chocolate - lose weight? That's what some people are saying, now that a new study found that people who eat chocolate regularly (at least twice a week) tend to weigh less than people who don't indulge on a regular basis. It may be because polyphenols in chocolate increase metabolism, or it may just be that people who eat small amounts of chocolate regularly curb cravings so they don't indulge in an unhealthier dessert. Either way, we already know that dark chocolate has other heart-healthy benefits, so add a few pieces to your trail mix if you're craving something sweet.
Superfruit: Add a dash of antioxidants by including dried superfruits in your trail mix. Dried fruit packs a punch when it comes to disease-fighting compounds. Goldenberries, for example, are a good dose of vitamin A, which is crucial for healthy eyes, skin, and teeth and may help improve organ function. Dried goji berries or cranberries are another good option for their health benefits, which include better immune and urinary system functioning and disease-fighting. Make sure to look for varieties containing no added sugar.

Read on for more healthy trail mix additions.

Get Smart About Soy

Health — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:48:14 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

There are so many ways to get this good-for-you protein into your daily diet. Here's how to do it - and why you absolutely should.

By Sally Kuzemchak, RD

If you bypass tofu at salad bars, skip the meatless dishes at Chinese restaurants, and avoid edamame when you're out for sushi, well, it's time to give soy-based foods a second look. "Whole soy foods are a great substitute for meat," says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Their healthy protein content makes them a good option even if you're not one of the growing number of people going "flexitarian" or opting to eat less meat.

Here's your guide to making this legume a regular and great-tasting part of your diet.

Soy 101
All soy products are made from soybeans, mostly grown here in the United States. You can buy whole soybeans dried or canned, or in the produce section or freezer aisle as edamame, the common name for soybeans picked before they're fully mature. (Edamame can be purchased either in pods or shelled.)

Health.com: The 10 best foods for your heart

Beyond whole beans, soy takes on a number of different guises. Roasted soybeans are sold as soy nuts or ground into soy nut butter. Soybeans can be soaked in water, cooked, and filtered to make soy milk and soy yogurt. Adding a coagulant to soy milk curdles it, producing tofu, which ranges in texture from "silken" (very soft) to "extra firm," depending on how much liquid is removed.

Soybeans can also be fermented into a paste called miso (the base for miso soup) or a cake or patty called tempeh, which is often used in place of meat in sandwiches or grilled and eaten on its own. Finally, soy can be found in many packaged foods - such as frozen meatless burgers, cereals, and energy bars - often in the form of "soy protein isolate," meaning it's mostly the protein from soybeans you're getting.

Keep reading for more on soy.

Healthy Sugar and Salt Substitutes: Spice It Up!

Heather Dale — Fri, 13 May 2011 11:39:24 PDT

If something you are eating (or drinking) needs a bit of a kick, don't turn to salt or sugar to do the trick, try adding some spices! Spices are not only lower in calories, but also offer a long list of health benefits including curbing hunger, strengthening muscles, boosting your brainpower, and improving your mood.

A simple way to spice up your life is to start with your daily cuppa joe. Instead of sugar, you can use spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, or a pumpkin spice mixture to help add some flair to your coffee. Research has shown that cinnamon can temper the blood sugar surge that follows a sweet treat, so get creative and add some cinnamon to your meals! Use it in fresh fruit salads, yogurt, or even this cucumber salad.

When it comes to really pungent cayenne, you can experiment by adding it to pasta dishes or sauces to give them a kick. The active ingredient in cayenne spice - capsicum - is said to be able to kill cancer cells without harming healthy ones and help with digestion and gas, so be adventurous when mixing it into dishes.

Learn about more spices that are good for you.

5 Tasty Things to Do With Almonds

Camilla Salem — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:00:17 PST

I have a newfound appreciation for all things almond these days. I really appreciate the texture and the flavor (not to mention the health benefits) that this oblong nut brings to recipes. On its own, it stands out as a superb snack or appetizer, but it can also add some serious crunch factor to seemingly mundane dishes. Here are five ways to eat up the almonds sitting in your pantry.

Toss up raw, unsalted almonds with salt, black pepper, olive oil, and your favorite herbs and spices and roast them at 375° Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes for a savory snack.
Toast almonds in a pan over medium-high heat to get maximum flavor, then add them into any salad.
Keep a bag of sliced almonds in your freezer and add them to your morning oatmeal or sprinkle over pancakes for extra crunch and flavor.
Make your own almond milk, dry the leftover solids, and use them in baked goods!
If you're looking for a truly homemade challenge, grind them into a meal and use them in French macarons.

What's your favorite way to enjoy almonds?

Source: Flickr User mynameisharsha

Adventures in Ingredients: Indian Bitter Melon

Camilla Salem — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:10:57 PST

To me, Berkeley Bowl is a sacred place worthy of a weekly pilgrimage. Perhaps the ultimate food-lover's grocery store, this massive Berkeley, CA, food emporium carries a huge selection of goods from around the world, and at great prices. I consider it a must stop for friends visiting the Bay Area, so why not share my adventures?

The most remarkable part of the store is probably the produce, which is clearly labeled to identify where each item comes from. The international and bulk sections offer never-ending inspiration, the meats and seafoods offer countless options and price points, and I always find myself mesmerized by fruits and vegetables from around the world that I've never seen before.

Case in point: Indian bitter melon. I grabbed five or six of these a week ago in an effort to learn about new exotic foods. Knowing nothing at all, I selected these purely based on the fact that they seemed sort of reptilian and would be fun to photograph. As the days went on (and as the bitter melon sat in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator), I became more hesitant, not sure what I was thinking.

Finally, I braved up, opened my computer, and did a little research. As it turns out, Indian bitter melon, or karela, is a commonly cooked vegetable in Indian cuisine. It's described all over the Internet as an "acquired taste," and apparently soaking it in salt water helps to remove some of the bitterness. I found recipes for stuffing and sautéing with various spices. The health benefits of this strange vegetable are plentiful, particularly in managing diabetes, and typically, I can convince myself to like anything if it's good for me.

To find out what I did with these and what I thought of them, keep reading.

Could Changing Your Mood Be as Easy as Changing What You Eat?

Allure — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:08:25 PST

We're excited to present this story from our friends at Allure:

Turns out eating well won't just make you feel better in some abstract, "brown rice is healthy so I'll feel virtuous if I eat it" kind of a way. A diet that is specifically designed to reduce inflammation may boost your mood. Recently, inflammation has been implicated in nearly every physical woe, from blemishes to the biggies like heart disease and Alzheimer's. Here at Allure, we've reported on how anti-inflammatories benefit the skin: topical antioxidants, and certain foods and supplements may all reduce acne, signs of aging, and skin cancer. Now Dr. Andrew Weil, health guru and author of the new book, Spontaneous Happiness, argues that eating certain foods won't just make us look better; it could actually keep the blues away. "It looks as if depression is another manifestation of inflammation," says Weil. He outlines a diet that will suppress harmful inflammation throughout your body when you keep reading.

4 Surprising Diet Disasters

Prevention — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:15:23 PDT

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

The surprising ways you turn healthy foods into diet disasters
By Nancy Rones, Prevention

1. Your marinades pack a big fat punch
You're wise to choose skinless grilled chicken, but be careful with condiments. Barbecue sauce is filled with sugar, which equals calories (about 94 per 1/4 cup).

The healthy move
Ditch the high-sugar sauce and instead spice up chicken by marinating it with cayenne red-pepper sauce, or mix hot sauce with some fat-free yogurt and smear it on your sandwich for buffalo-inspired flavor. Another way to punch up the taste and nutrient power of grilled chicken sandwiches and turkey burgers: Try a topping of homemade slaw. Bagged shredded cabbage makes a convenient base; toss it with flavored vinegar or fat-free mayo and a little mustard. At 11 calories per 1/2 cup, raw cabbage offers filling fiber and vitamins such as C and B6, and as a cruciferous veggie, it contains cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Swap These Foods to Lose Weight Fast!

2. Your coffee is anything but "regular"
Sipping coffee or tea plain isn't the problem. In fact, both beverages have been linked to a number of health benefits, including a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry also suggests that drinking coffee may reduce your chances of type 2 diabetes. But major calories and saturated fat come with added ingredients such as sugary syrups, honey, whipped cream, and whole milk (1 percent and percent aren't much better). For about the same 450 calories in a large Iced Mocha Raspberry Latte at Dunkin' Donuts, for instance, you can eat two slices of Pizza Hut's hand-tossed pepperoni pizza. And while honey may seem like a natural, healthier alternative to sugar, the fact is it has 21 calories per teaspoon versus sugar's 16.

The healthy move
For a low-cal, lower-fat drink that feels like a sweet treat, choose coffee beans in tempting flavors such as chocolate almond, hazelnut, or white chocolate, rather than using syrupy mix-ins after brewing, and lighten your coffee with fat-free milk. Teas, too, come in sweet vanilla, berry, and tropical fruit blends. And whether you use Splenda, sugar, or honey in your beverages, limit yourself to about a teaspoon.

Sneaky Names of Sugar on Your Food Labels

Make sure you're not committing the other two disaster when you read more!

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:40:59 PDT

Budget Bride: 6 Exercise Tips to Keep You and Your Wallet in Shape

Emily Co — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:05:14 PDT

Wanting to look extra special on your big day is a no-brainer. Many brides start on their fitness routine right when they start planning for their wedding. Dana LaRue from The Broke-Ass Bride says it's important to exercise, eat healthy, and sleep well during wedding prep because it "will keep wedding stress at a minimum and help you manage what stress does worm its way in much more effectively." Here's some savvy advice from Dana on how to be a buff bride on the cheap:

Online Deals: "Group-buying sites like Groupon, SocialBuy, LivingSocial, PopSugar City, and more are popping up nearly daily - and most feature a large amount of fitness packages at steep discounts. It's a great way to affordably try new workouts and let variety keep your fitness spice alive!"
Great Outdoors: "Get outside! Taking long walks with your partner while discussing the more banal details of wedding planning is a great way to sneak in some fitness and reconnection with nature while checking a few items of your to-do list."
Lifelong Routine: "Don't just regard prewedding fitness as a way to look good one one day in one dress. Think of it as setting yourself up for the "in health" part of your vows. Committing your life to your mate can also mean committing to taking good care of yourself so you're a better partner, and so that you have many, many years ahead to enjoy life together. Viewing it as more of a lifestyle change than a prewedding diet will help you keep perspective and be more forgiving of small missteps along the way."
Healthy Wedding Gifts: "Registries are no longer just for kitchen gadgets and linens. Register for exercise equipment or a gaming platform like the Wii or Kinect that also have fitness applications, and reap the rewards in fun as well as fitness!"

Read on for the rest of the tips.