FitSugar

Top Healthy Fast Food Breakfast Choices

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, but should you skip it if there is nothing but fast food joints on the horizon? Not so much. The good news is that Yahoo Food has done the dirty work for us and come up with the best fast food breakfast items at some of the most notorious fast food joints. You may be pleasantly surprised, so here are highlights on a few healthy fast food breakfast ideas:

McDonald's:

Fruit n' Yogurt Parfait with Granola: 160 calories, 2g fat (1g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 1g fiber, 4g protein
Snack Size Fruit and Walnut Salad: 210 calories, 8g fat (1.5g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium, 2g fiber, 4g protein

Starbucks:

Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta, and Egg Wrap: (It's a little high in fat but compensates with lots of fiber and protein.) 240 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated), 140mg cholesterol, 730mg sodium, 7g fiber, 13g protein
A Skinny Latte and a package of SB's dried fruit and nut mix: Latte (12-oz. "tall"): 90 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 0g fiber, 0g protein, Fruit/nut packet: 150 calories, 9g fat (1g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 100mg sodium, 2g fiber, 4g protein

There are more including choices from Jamba Juice and Dunkin' Donuts so read more.

Jamba Juice:

Any 16-oz. "Jamba Light" smoothie: 150-160 calories, 0-0.5g fat (0g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 210-220mg sodium, 2-3g fiber, 6g protein
Any 16-oz. "All Fruit" smoothie: 200-220 calories, 0-0.5g fat (0g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 5-20mg sodium, 4g fiber, 1-2g protein

Dunkin' Donuts: (Last resort only!)

Egg and Cheese English Muffin Sandwich: 280 calories, 9g fat (4.5g saturated), 140mg cholesterol, 1010mg sodium (yikes - that's why it's your last resort), 1g fiber, 15g protein
4 Powdered Cake doughnut holes: 260 calories, 15g fat, 7g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 2g fiber, 3g protein

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Jamba Juice Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Jamba Juice has made its way onto virtually every corner so that we can all feel the power of 100% fruit juice, but you may be feeling more than fruit juice here folks. These so called smoothies are heavily loaded with calories and sugar.

To see where your favorite Jamba concoction falls, read more

Flavor (Original)	Calories	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)	Overall Best/Worst Choice
Peanut Butter Moo'd	800	21	139	122	WORST
Orange Dream Machine	521	2.5	106	100
Aloha Pineapple	500	1.5	117	110
Strawberries Wild	450	0.5	105	92
Razz'N Red Tea	320	0	74	60
Peach Perfection	320	0.5	78	62
Berry Fulfilling	260	1	57	40	BEST

Favorite not listed? Check out Jamba Juice online for the full menu with nutritional information.

Fit's Tip: Go for the smallest size to reduce calorie and sugar intake. Or go the step further and get an extra cup and split a small with a friend. Also, the light drinks are much lower in calories but they contain a whole lot of unnatural stuff I can not pronounce to make the Lower Calorie Dairy Base, so if you're looking for something natural, this would not be the way to go.

Listeria Hysteria at Jamba Juice

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:10:50 -0800

Consumers in the U.S. Southwest are being warned that Jamba Juice Co. smoothies containing strawberries may be contaminated with the potentially deadly Listeria monocytogenes bacterium (commonly known just as Listeria), which can cause potentially deadly infections in children, the elderly and other people with weakened immune systems. It is also known to cause still births and miscarriages in pregnant women.

While there have been no reports of illness, the smoothie maker has stopped shipments from the supplier of the contaminated strawberries as well as removed all strawberries supplied by that company.

Açaí: Good For You and Hard to Pronounce

FitSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Often touted as the hot new superfood, açaí (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a delicious fruit harvested from palm trees in the Amazon. The boldly flavored berry tastes sort of like chocolate-covered cherries, and its health benefits are just as enticing. The pulp is packed with antioxidants - more than you get from blueberries, pomegranates, or red grapes - plus lots of fiber, amino acids, and heart-healthy fatty acids.

According to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, who calls açaí one of the top 10 superfoods, the antioxidants in this "energy fruit" help combat premature aging, while the "almost perfect essential amino acid complex" aids in muscle regeneration and the healthy fats help digestion. To find out how to get it in your diet, read more.

You can't just walk into a grocery store or even a farmers' market and buy açaí berries, but there are plenty of yummy methods for consuming this fruit. Most common are juices, such as those from Bossa Nova and Sambazon, which combine açaí with other fruits. The berries are also mixed into smoothies: Jamba Juice now offers an açaí blend, and Sambazon sells smoothie packs so you can make your own. At the Newsroom Cafe in LA not long ago, I devoured a delicious bowl of granola mixed with some sort of açaí-yogurt smoothie that was absolutely delicious. How about you? Have you tried açaí? If so, tell me about your experience with this super tasty superfood below.

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Do Liquid Calories Fill You Up as Much as Solid Calories?

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

In a time crunch, some of us may head to Jamba Juice for a smoothie lunch substitute. While you are certainly getting plenty of calories in your smoothie, is it filling you up like a solid lunch would?

A recent study says not so much. In fact the subjects who drank their test foods ended up eating more than those who did not drink their foods. Part of the reason could be that drinking your food does not cue signals that let our bodies feel full, such as sight, smell, chewing and pressure of food in the stomach.

I know a lot of you guys follow Slim Fast or will make (or buy) shakes to replace a meal but do you feel just as full as you would if you ate the solid equivalent?

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You Asked: Banana Smoothie

FitSugar — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Smoothies are such a great treat. Especially in the heat of summer. A Sugar user recently asked for a good smoothie recipe that doesn't contain berries since she is allergic.

I just found this recipe from Healthy Chef Alex. She is Mogan Spurlock's girlfriend - you might know him as the Super Size me guy and she is the "vegan girlfriend."

This recipe is tasty - everyone in my family loved it. It is definitely a healthy redo of the Peanut Butter Moo'd from Jamba Juice. Before you mock my bruised bananas, let me just say the more ripe the bananas the sweeter the smoothie. Once it is frozen fruit just doesn't taste as sweet, so put those overripe bananas to use.

Want to see the recipe? Then read more

Banana Smoothie
Adapted from Healthy Chef Alex Blog

2 frozen ripe bananas* (Peel them. Chop them. Freeze them. This way they are ready to go whenever you need them.)
2 cups non-fat milk**
2 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix until blended, about 2 minutes!

Notes:
*I microwave the frozen banana piece for about 20 seconds so they are easier to pureé.

**The original recipe was vegan and used chocolate soy milk (which I just never happen to have around the house), so I substituted non-fat milk and used unsweetened cocoa powder.

(Serves 2 normal people, or 1 very happy, hungry person)

Print recipe with images | without images

Diet Tip: Focus on What You Can Add

FitSugar — Wed, 02 May 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Diets often focus on what you have to eliminate: no carbs (you know that I think that is a bad idea), sugar (good to eliminate for a little bit), all food but cabbage (really bad idea). Instead of focusing on the plate being half empty, why not fill it up with foods you should be eating.

We all should be eating 5 to 7 servings of fruits and veggies, and some diet plans recommend trying to eat up to 13 servings a day. So focus on what you can and should add to your meals and snacks. Here are a few ideas of how to increase your intake of healthy foods.

Use veggies as chip substitutes. Carrots sticks, cucumber slices, jicama, celery and pea pods are great vehicles for hummus.
Add berries to your breakfast cereal. Strawberries are just coming into season so they should be less expensive. Blackberries are super high in antioxidants too.
Add extra veggies to your salads. Left over steamed green beans or broccoli can go right onto your greens.
Try vegetable purees instead of mashed potatoes. Celery root, cauliflower and squash are tasty substitutes for mashed potatoes.

Do I have more suggestions? I surely do, so read more

Use an apple or bosc pear instead of crackers for cheese or peanut butter.
Take a banana with you wherever you go. You don't need to pack it in anything especially since it naturally comes with a nice thick skin.
Add steamed veggies to pre-made soup.
Cut up some fruit for dessert, it is a great palate cleanser and light enough to not push you over the edge.
Snack on frozen grapes.
Make smoothies for breakfast or a snack and add lots of frozen fruit to the mix. Make your own since Jamba Juice is not really the best option.

Changing your lifestyle is all about attitude, so focus on the positive. In fact, we can all focus on eating more fruits and veggies.

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