FitSugar

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:30:23 PDT

Mangia, mangia! Italian recipes minus the guilt, and all under 400 calories - Shape
21 marathons that will have you running into Fall - Active.com
Black rice: the super food of kings and queens - DailySpark
Easy ways to avoid wrist pain in your yoga practice - lululemon
You give us four weeks, and we'll give you a fab set of gams - Health
Straight from the mouths of doctors: forget BMI - Lemondrop

Julia Roberts on Eating Her Way Through Eat Pray Love

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:15:56 PDT

With the highly anticipated Eat Pray Love opening just weeks away, Julia Roberts is everywhere. And this is not a bad thing, BTW. BuzzSugar was lucky enough to catch up with the actress recently, and amongst other things, Julia talked about all the pasta and pizza she had to eat during filming. She told Buzz that she must have gained something like 11 pounds while filming in Italy, but "loved every pound." Julia is also on the cover of this week's Entertainment Weekly, where she talks more about food, but also about exercising and training for a half-marathon. Julia ran in the Santa to the Sea half-marathon last December with a time of 2:29:47.

Here are the EW interview highlights:

On gaining weight while filming: "Pizza was what I ate all day. By the time we left Rome, I was seven to 10 pounds heavier. I could've used a bigger pair of jeans when I went off to India!"
On training for a half-marathon while in India: "I trained a lot while I was doing the movie and it was so hot there. I think it was to my advantage that I had trained under such dire circumstances."
On exercising: "I must admit, I don't love exercise, but I do love how I feel afterward: accomplishment, clarity, energy, strength, joy. These are all things I give myself through working out, and I can feel it in everything I do."

Move Over Bethenny, There's a New "Skinny" Housewife in Town

FitSugar — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:00:05 PDT

Bethenny Frankel isn't the only housewife with a penchant for healthy entertaining. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice spent the weekend signing copies of her book, Skinny Italian ($12), at a bookstore in, of all places, New Jersey. Teresa, who's better known for flipping tables at dinner than serving it, shares all the classics - pesto and puttanesca sauces, veal piccata, and fettucine alfredo - but with a healthy twist.

I love Italian-American food but it's often carb-heavy with lots of cheese, butter, and beef. Teresa's recipes cut down on the fat but not flavor - there's less cheese, leaner meats, and a reduction of fats. Instead, flavors are boosted with herbs, garlic, olive oil, and peppers. Besides the recipes, Teresa offers lessons on making fresh pizza, canning your own tomatoes, and general cooking tips. Her mantra? "Eat spaghetti and still fit into your skinny jeans."

So, which "skinny" housewife's team are you on - Team Bethenny or Team Teresa?

Diet Dilemma: Dining Out and Ordering Healthy

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:50:43 PDT

San Francisco certainly seems like foodie central, and sometimes dining out seems like a competitive sport here in the Bay Area. But restaurant dining doesn't need to be fraught with difficulty if you're watching calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Here are some simple tips from The Mayo Clinic Diet to follow next time you find yourself searching a menu for healthy fare. Knowing what to look for and what to avoid will help you "savor the exotic" without worrying about your waistline or heart health.

Italian Food Break Down: Numbers to Know Before You Mangia!

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:00:00 PST

Who doesn't love a slice of cheese pizza, Lasagna or Anitpasto? And those Italian desserts like gelato or a cannoli - they're just so delicious, it's hard to hold back.

Each of these are based on a regular restaurant portion:

Antipasto Salad: 136 cals, 8g fat, 13g carbs
Bruschetta (1 piece with tomato and basil): 102 cals, 3g fat, 17g carbs
Chicken Cacciatore: 370 cals, 22g fat, 4g carbs
Capresse Salad: 154 cals, 11.8g fat, 4.2g carbs
Eggplant Parmigiana: 670 cals, 32g fat, 75g carbs
Fettuccine Alfredo: 780 cals, 55g fat, 53g carbs
Parmesan Garlic Bread: 259 cals, 13.4g fat, 29.2g carbs
Lasagna (meat): 400 cals, 17g fat, 36 cals
Lasagna (vegetable): 250 cals, 13g fat, 21g carbs
Manicotti (cheese and tomato): 230 cals, 14g fat, 18g carbs
Minestrone Soup: 260 cals, 6g fat, 28g carbs
Spinach and Mushroom Risotto: 219 cals, 5g fat, 37g carbs
Pizza (1 slice cheese): 222 cals, 5g fat, 35g carbs
Pizza (1 slice pepperoni): 249 cals, 7.5g fat, 35g carbs

Want to see the rest? Then

read more Ravioli: 300 cals, 12g fat, 30 carbs Spaghetti with tomato sauce: 540 cals, 13g fat, 105g carbs Spaghetti with meatsauce: 650 cals, 16g fat, 90g carbs Cheese Tortellini: 530 cals, 20g fat, 74g carbs Veal Parmigiana: 350 cals, 20g fat, 5g carbs Dessserts: Cannoli: 142 cals, 7.1g fat, 14.2g carbs Almond Biscotto: 110 cals, 2.5g fat, 21g carbs Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato: 241 cals, 16g fat, 24 carbs Raspberry Napoleon: 243 cals, 4g fat, 34g carbs Pasticiotti: 305 cals, 12.4g fat, 42.5g carbs Tiramisu: 310 cals, 15g fat, 39 carbs

Italian Dishes For Cozy Winter Meals

YumSugar — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:20:30 PST

If cooler temperatures leave you craving cozy comfort food, try cooking one of these delicious Italian dishes. We've got you covered with everything from fast and easy appetizers to entrées worthy of a dinner party.

The Secrets of the World's Healthiest Women

Health — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:45:10 PST

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

From pouring on the olive oil like the Greeks to slashing stress like the Scandinavians, what we
can learn from the happiest, slimmest, longest-living cultures around the globe.

The secret to a long, healthy life in America? According to longevity researchers, it may be to act like you live somewhere else.

It seems like every year another country's lifestyle is touted as the new magic bullet to cure us of obesity, heart disease, and premature death: for an unclogged heart, herd goats and down olive oil like a Mediterranean. Avoid breast cancer and live to 100 by dining on tofu, Japanese-style. Stay as happy as Norwegians by hunting elk and foraging for cowberries.

Health.com: Weight-Loss Secrets From Around the World

The places we're usually told to emulate are known as Blue Zones or Cold Spots. Blue Zones were pinpointed by explorer Dan Buettner and a team of longevity researchers and are described in his book The Blue Zones: Lessons For Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest. They're areas in Italy, Japan, Greece, California, and Costa Rica where the people have traditionally stayed healthy and active to age 100 or older.

Keep on reading for more great tips from around the globe.

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino

Camilla Salem — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:45:17 PST

Translated: spaghetti with garlic, oil, and chili pepper flakes.

This is the kind of meal that makes you stop and think that the simplest foods are often the most wonderful. With only a few ingredients that are staples in most pantries, you can create a beautiful, flavorful, heartwarming meal from scratch.

Spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino is a traditional Italian pasta dish. It's well loved by many because it's so easy and inexpensive to make. This is a perfect solution whenever you're in a bind. For example, if guests come over and you've got nothing to serve, they are certain to be wowed when you present them with this meal.

It packs quite a kick from the minced garlic and chili pepper flakes, and I highly suggest enjoying this dish with fellow garlic lovers. Keep on going for more.

Tori Spelling's Meaty Lasagna Recipe

Tori Spelling — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:48:32 PST

We're excited to bring you a new post from mother and actress Tori Spelling! Every other week, we're bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle advice from ediTORIal by Tori Spelling, which is Tori's daily blog about everything from food and fashion to parenting and relationships. This week, Tori shares her favorite lasagna recipe.

I've been making my lasagna recipe since my early 20s. When I moved into my first apartment at age 19, I decided to learn my way around a kitchen and started experimenting with my favorite cuisine, Italian. At first, more spaghetti landed on the ceiling than on the plate, but ultimately, I perfected my go to dish: T's Meaty Lasagna.

It became my good luck dish. I made it for my friends every time one of my TV movies premiered, which back then was a lot. Hey friends, come eat lasagna and watch me get stalked, killed, and shoot a bad pimp. Ahhh, those were the days! Nowadays, I make my lasagna for family and friends whenever we feel like a cozy home cooked meal. This Christmas / New Year’s, we went away to a house in the mountains. We didn't get any snow like expected, but I did make my lasagna dinner! Here's the recipe...

Disclaimer: I've never formally written this recipe down. It's all in my head. So I apologize if I've given it to anyone before and the measurements are slightly different.

Keep reading for Tori's recipes for lasagna, lasagna cupcakes, and garlic bread!

Do You Cook With Flat-Leaf or Curly Parsley?

Katie Sweeney — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 04:08:00 PDT

The other day I was at Whole Foods when I witnessed a very interesting conversation between a customer and one of the produce section's employees. She asked him where the parsley was, and when he pointed her toward the Italian flat-leaf parsley, she said, "That's not parsley!" I was surprised that she had never heard of Italian parsley. It, naturally, got me thinking about parsley preferences. I always cook with flat-leaf. How about you?