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New Country of Origin Food Label Law

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

I like eating seasonally and locally, but I am a realist too. I know much of the food we all eat comes from outside the US. Remember the tomato and hot pepper salmonella scare? Food regulations vary from country to country and many are not as strict as ones in the US, which can pose some health risks. Now a new food label law comes into effect that will require companies to state where certain products such as meat, produce, and other products came from. Now you'll be able to tell if the foods you buy are imported or not, and from which countries they were produced.

The country of origin labeling requirement has been years in the making, and now that it's here, the law is a little confusing since not all foods are covered under the new regulations. Certain foods that are processed such as roasted peanuts, breaded chicken, and bacon are excluded from this law, as are bags of mixed lettuce. Retailers have six months from now to learn and implement the new labeling rules, so you should begin seeing labels in stores relatively soon. This mandatory labeling could help sell products since many people will appreciate knowing their apples came from a local farm. The food origin labels might also discourage people from buying products from unsafe sources, such as with the recent issues in China. The thing is though, consumers have a right to know where their food was grown or packaged. I'm in full support of this law and look forward to the day when the government requires all food retailers to state where their foods come from. What do you think? Are you happy about this new law or not really phased by it? Will these new labels affect how you shop?

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7 Steps to a Healthier Sandwich

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:04 -0800

Whether it's the recession or our increasing need for simplicity, sandwiches are having a moment. They're one of my favorite easy lunches and very healthy if you make them right. But it's important not to get stuck in an unhealthy or unimaginative sandwich rut.

Some healthy-sandwich strategies are obvious: avoid fried foods and super-oily sauces, opt for whole-grain bread instead of sliced white. But that's only the beginning. For my seven tips on making sandwiches that are both delicious and nutritious, read more.

Open it up! An open-faced sandwich made with one slice of wheat bread instead of two can save around 70 calories.
Go green. In place of empty iceberg lettuce, opt for iron-rich greens like spinach or romaine. Try pressing a cup of raw spinach into a hot panini.
Load up on veggies. Sneaking veggies into sandwiches is a great way to get your five a day. Think beyond tomatoes and add everything from roasted beets to cucumbers to carrots.
And don't forget fruit! Similarly, you can increase your fruit intake through your sandwiches. I suggest sliced apples and cheese or figs and nut butter.
Hold the mayo. I'm sure you know this, but here's a reminder: mustard is a much better choice. One ounce of yellow mustard has just 19 calories and one gram of fat, while the same amount of mayo packs 210 calories and 21 grams of fat.
Speaking of mayo, try swapping it out for nonfat yogurt to make a healthier tuna or chicken salad.
Don't say cheese. Rather than eliminating the creamy texture of cheese, replace it with sliced avocado. One ounce has just 45 calories and loads of healthy fat.

Smarter Eats: Gwyneth Reminds Us to Get a Healthy Dose of D

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:30:31 -0800

Gwyneth Paltrow's dishing out some healthy advice on GOOP this week - get your daily dose of vitamin D. The super-fit star points to Dr. Frank Lipman's healthy tips for getting our fair share of the vital D, who reminds us that, especially this time of year -when we head into the colder season and see less sunlight - it's even more important to supplement our diets with the vitamin, and avoid a vitamin D deficiency.

If you're wondering why it's so important, just remember that vitamin D was first recognized for its importance in maintaining healthy calcium levels for our bones. According to Dr. Lipman, it's now becoming increasingly apparent that we've underestimated the value of the vitamin, and a lack of it has been associated with obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and breast cancer - to name a few.

Since we rely on the sun to generate the most reliable way of getting vitamin D, it's a good idea to up your intake of foods that can naturally deliver the goods - try fortified milk in your cereal, dried shitake mushrooms with your stir fry or salad, and wild fatty fish, like salmon and halibut. Just be aware that only 10 percent of your vitamin D intake can come from food, so to really eat smarter and healthier, it might just be a good idea to supplement with the active form of the vitamin, D3. Be sure to read all of Dr. Lipman's great tips, and until we see some sunlight this Spring, make sure you're getting your daily dose with fortified foods.

With Teen Obesity, Inactivity Is Only Part of the Problem

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:32:46 -0800

I panic every time I see another "exercise doesn't work!" story - until I read between the lines and learn once again that exercise is a good thing. On the heels of its conversation-starting cover story on the exercise "myth," Time is tackling a new study of teen obesity that claims inactivity is only partly to blame for heavier kids.

Obesity rates in teenagers have triple between 1976 and 2004, with lack of exercise the suspected culprit. But a new report published in Obesity Reviews says that physical activity levels among teens have actually stayed fairly steady. So does that mean that exercise doesn't matter? Hardly, so read more.

Unfortunately, this latest study only looked at activity levels, not eating habits, and the participants were self-reporting on their own habits, which can lead to unreliable data. These figures merely suggest that the increase in teen obesity can't be explained away by teens' lack of exercise, according to Dr. Youfa Wang, the lead author of the study. Here's more:

So does this mean that exercise isn't important in controlling weight? As tempting as that conclusion might be, Wang and other health experts say that's not exactly what the new data show. . . . While exercise may not contribute directly to weight loss, it is critical for maintaining a healthy weight, since it helps calibrate the balance between energy taken in and energy burned off. "The data is too gross, and too general, to assume that [exercise doesn't count]," warns Dr. Janet Walberg Rankin, a professor in the department of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech. "We need to have a dual approach to weight involving both activity and diet. I would hate for people to take away from this study that activity has nothing to do with weight."

Phew! Thanks, doc. I also hope that's not what people take away from this study. In fact, to me, it says the opposite. If teen obesity is going up because teens have increased their calorie intake without increasing their activity levels, then that seems to say pretty clearly that exercise does make a difference. Do you agree?

Are You a Snacker?

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0800

It wasn't until I had kids that I realized the importance of between meal snacks for keeping the crankies at bay. These days I have fully embraced snacks as part of my food plan, and since my snacks are similar to what I feed my girls, I am eating healthy foods. Most days I have a snack between breakfast and lunch - a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts, or both. I also eat something between lunch and dinner - I have to or else cooking a well-balanced dinner is out of the question because I am starving. What about you?

Try a "Tropical" Yam For Your Pre-Workout Snack

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:17 -0700

It could be the orange color just makes me happy, but yams are one of my favorite foods. They're one of Autumn's tasty delights.

This tuber is packed with potassium and magnesium - two important minerals you lose through sweating. Aside from replenishing electrolytes, yams are easy to digest making them a perfect pre-workout snack. High in complex carbs, yams fuel you up as well as prep you for a sweaty workout or a long run. Poke a small yam with a fork a couple of times, microwave it until soft, slice it open, and voila you have a snack. They're great post-workout too. Do you love yams? Have a recipe that features them? Please post it in the Healthy Recipe group and I will be sure to try it.

What I buy at my grocery store is labeled a yam - a jewel yam, garnet yam, or a tropical yam. It is in fact, biologically speaking a moist fleshed sweet potato. I was raised in the States and unfortunately, and incorrectly, here we refer to them as yams. I will watch my yam and my sweet potatoes from now on.

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Alanis Morissette Marathoning For Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Many celebs have laced up their sneaks and finished marathons, including Will Ferrell, Mario Lopez, Oprah, David Lee Roth, and Katie Holmes. Now you can add Alanis Morissette to that list. She's planning on running this Sunday, Oct. 11, in the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon, in Lassen National Forest in northern California.

Alanis is running to raise money for the National Eating Disorders Association, since she knows firsthand what it feels like to struggle with anorexia and bulimia. Alanis began running about a year ago after seeing her assistant Leah running "like a gazelle" while on tour. This singer-songwriter feels that running this marathon is allowing her to use her body as an instrument and raise awareness about an important and personal issue. She knew she couldn't get through the many hours of grueling training unless there was a higher purpose and explains, "I wanted to offer this run to anyone who has had a fraught relationship with their food, their body and their heart and soul."

To find out if training triggered unhealthy eating disorder behaviors, read more.

Alanis said that marathon training did trigger some eating disorder type behaviors, but she knew there was no way she could undereat and maintain the high level of energy needed in order to run. So training for this marathon actually helped her find balance in how she fueled herself. This amazing singer was also aware of not exercising obsessively. She has an order of priorities now: Sleep first. Food second. Run third. Alanis said, "I don't have the first two nailed, I can't run. So it incentivized me to nurture the first two. When I run healthfully I feel empowered and kind. When I run obsessively I feel nervous, stressed out and disassociated."

Have any of you ever walked, biked, or run for a cause? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

Don't Fear the MUFA

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:00:06 -0700

After years of being treated with disdain, dietary fat has slowly been making its way off the nutritional black list. Now that omega-3 fatty acid is almost a household word, it is time to embrace the MUFAs - monounsaturated fatty acids. A diet rich in this type of fat has been found to reduce abdominal fat better than a diet high in carbs - even without exercise. In fact, this is the cornerstone of Prevention's Flat Belly Diet.

If you're dieting, don't fear the MUFAs; while they might not be the magic bullet for belly fat (even if you incorporate them into your diet, you still need to keep a watch on your caloric intake and exercise), they do make dieting easier. Full of fat-soluble vitamins, MUFAs are satisfying to eat and help you feel full and satiated, nipping in the bud two common complaints of dieters: boredom and hunger.

To learn where you can find the almost-mythic fatty acid, keep on reading.

Is Christina Hendricks Losing Her Curves?

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:15:00 -0700

Wearing a gorgeous L'Wren Scott dress, Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks showed off her glowing skin and new, slimmer figure at this year's Emmy Awards. Hendricks, who plays the curvy secretary Joan Holloway on the popular series, is said to be dieting for her upcoming nuptials to Geoffrey Arrend.

At an Emmy afterparty, costar January Jones commented that she hopes Hendricks holds onto her signature curves. I think most of you will agree that Hendricks looks amazing as is, but getting in shape before the big day is almost a rite of passage for new brides.

Jones won't have to worry though - Hendricks recently told Self that she is more than content with the way she looks: "My healthiest habit is keeping positive about my body at whatever stage it is - being confident and celebrating who I am at the moment."

To learn how she's tweaking her diet and exercise program, just read more.

The actress went on to describe her diet and says she makes food choices based on seasonality, sticking to high-energy proteins and setting limits on her carb intake. As for her fitness regimen, she and her fiancé meet with a trainer three times a week for a strength and cardio workout: "It's amazing how quick an hour can go by when you work out with someone you love."

I love the approach Hendricks is taking towards her health - it's balanced and, most important, she seems really happy. What do you think: are you worried like Jones that she'll lose her curvy figure?

Today Is World Vegetarian Day!

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:46 -0700

Grab your broccoli and tofu because today, Oct. 1, is World Vegetarian Day. It kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month: 31 days devoted to celebrating this plant-based diet and teaching others about its benefits.

If you ever contemplated going vegetarian, here are some things you may want to consider. Ditching meat from your diet can help:

Reduce your risk of heart disease, strokes, and certain cancers since vegetarians tend to consume less cholesterol and saturated fat.
Promote weight loss since a healthy vegetarian diet is mostly made up of low-calorie fruits and veggies.
Promote regularity since a sensible vegetarian diet is chock full of fiber.

There are more reasons to eat a plant-based diet, so keep on reading.