What do backyard chickens and 11 Olympic medals have in common? Natalie Coughlin, that's what. The gold medalist and world champion is gearing up for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, while cultivating a healthy interest in all things food-related. From growing vegetables in her own backyard in Lafayette, CA to her highly effective method of kitchen organization, Natalie gives us the scoop on Read more

Some of the healthiest foods are high in calories, so it's important to learn the correct serving sizes before you go overboard. Can't resist extra guacamole? Love to munch on spoonfuls of nut butter? Check out the recommended portions and try to tweak your habits accordingly: Avocado: Sure, avocado is full of good-for-you fats, but you should stick to eating just half of the fruit (114 Read more

Protect yourself by learning what identity thieves are up to with this helpful Business Insider story. Food costs everywhere are soaring and even so-called budget foods are eating our wallet. Today, the US Department of Agriculture brought more bad news to consumers with its annual analysis of food cost increases. According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the USDA sees prices going up on, Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy! Most people you speak to these days are trying to stretch every dollar as far as possible — even the ones they spend buying apples and oranges. Food prices are expected to increase yet again this year, and food manufacturers are making portions smaller without reducing prices. Not surprisingly, a recent Rasmussen poll found Read more

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar! Have a healthy (and cheap) trip to the grocery store By Bari Nan Cohen, Prevention You walk into a grocery store expecting to buy only the items on your list, yet you leave with a cart full of extras you may not really need — and a considerably lighter wallet. An accident — or lapse in judgment? Actually, the Read more

I've never met a vegetarian (myself included) who hasn't been asked a hundred times, "Are you getting enough protein?" But this isn't the only thing vegetarians need to watch out for. Avoiding meat means you need to pay special attention to your diet to make sure you're getting other essential nutrients as well. You also need to be careful about overdoing it with meat alternatives and dairy Read more

If you read labels to steer clear from any sketchy sounding ingredients, you've probably come across xanthan gum in random items from ice cream to salad dressings, from toothpaste to gluten-free desserts. Xanthan gum sounds artificial, but what is it really, and why is it in so many products? Without getting too scientific, xanthan gum is a carbohydrate created through fermentation. The process Read more

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar! Rules to help you eat less junk and slim down naturally By Joe Kita, Prevention Back to the Basics Base your diet on Mother Nature's finest foods and the weight will come off Food used to be simple. You ate what you grew on the land or you bought from nearby farmers. Processed food was nothing more than canned, Read more

When deciding what to eat, there are countless camps to choose from: omnivores, vegans, vegetarians, and more (don't forget the g-frees!). With all the ways to eat, identifying with a certain label can be convenient for conveying the restrictions of your diet without having to list every single thing you can and can't eat. But what about modified diets like seagan? Lately we've been hearing this Read more