FitSugar

Seafood Dilemma: Shrimp vs. Scallops

FitSugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:00:00 PDT

Move over boneless, skinless chicken breast, there are a couple other lean proteins taking over the plate: shrimp and scallops.

These jewels of the sea make for tasty entrees, as well as appetizers or salad toppings. Easy and quick to make, they're adaptable to almost any cooking method and can be grilled or sauteed, broiled or baked. How do they compare nutrition-wise? Find out when you

Healthy Recipe: Poached Salmon with Curried Yogurt Sauce

FitSugar — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:30:00 PDT

In this crazy heat, no one wants to turn on the oven. This salmon dish is easy to make, requires only one pan, and is cooked completely on the stove top. In other words, it is a perfect recipe for a hot Summer's day. This recipe called for a pound and a half of salmon. The wild salmon at my local fish market was beautiful but came with a very high price tag. I found a piece that was half the size the recipe originally called for and the extra meat wasn't missed. Serve this dish over brown rice for a complete meal. A crisp arugula salad makes a nice side as well.

To see the recipe just

Oysters: More Than Sexy

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:45:00 PDT

Oysters inspire no middle ground, you either love them or hate them. I fall in the former category and am always happy when oyster season comes around. Months that contain the letter "R" are the months of oyster season (that is September through April), so the season is upon us!

People gulp them raw hoping they are truly the aphrodisiac of legends, but some folks shy away from oysters because they think the mollusk is high in cholesterol. Well, truth be told they are a lean source of protein and they contain Omega-3 fatty acids. In fact 6 oysters contain one third of your RDI of the uber healthy fatty acid. Seems like a reason to split a dozen with your honey to me.

On the other hand, 6 oysters only contain about 55 milligrams of cholesterol, about 1/5 of the cholesterol found in an egg. So the effect on blood cholesterol caused by oysters is minimal at most. Plus they are high in the immune supporting mineral zinc, as well as B12, copper, iron and selenium,

Fit's Tip: You want to look for oysters that have tightly closed shells. They should smell like the sea and not at all sulfurous. Pregnant women, children and people with compromised immune systems should avoid eating raw oysters due to the potential of toxic bacteria that can lead to food poisoning.

And you, how do you feel about oysters? Do you like them raw? Do you prefer them on the BBQ. Tell me about it in the comment section below.

Source

Healthy Swaps: Best Choices For Protein-Rich Dairy

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:25:29 PST

Depending on how active you are and how much you weigh, a woman needs about 60 to 100 grams of protein a day, which is a pretty hefty amount. Protein helps build lean muscle and can also help with weight loss, so it's important to get enough each day. Dairy products are a great vegetarian source of this macronutrient, but some foods are richer in protein than others. Check out these healthy swaps to find out how to get more protein at every meal, including snacks.

Source: Thinkstock

Ditch the Dairy: Milk-Free Snacks That Pack a Protein Punch

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:29:22 PST

Dairy products aren't the only choices when it comes to high-protein snacks. If you're eating a diet minus milk, or you just want a low-cal snack that's high in protein, check out these 150-calorie snacks that don't contain a drop of dairy.

One serving of spicy roasted chickpeas (one fourth of this recipe: 134 calories, 5.6 grams protein
Twenty-one raw almonds: 146 calories, 5.4 grams protein
Six-ounce container of vanilla O'Soy Yogurt: 150 calories, seven grams protein
One slice whole-wheat bread (100 calories, four grams protein) smeared with half a tablespoon natural peanut butter (53 calories, two grams protein): 153 calories, six grams protein
Two Mini S'mores Luna Bars: 140 calories, eight grams protein

Keep reading for five more dairy-free snack ideas.

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.

4 Ways to Prep a Healthy Dinner Quickly

Leta Shy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:10:51 PST

Just one bad decision - like quieting your rumbling stomach with greasy takeout - can undo a day of healthy eating. If you've been sabotaging your diet because of unhealthy dinner decisions, use these tips to cook a healthy meal without sacrificing time.

Double the amount: Week already looking full? Make extra servings the next time you cook so you can have healthy leftovers for the rest of the week. If you're worried about overeating, separate the leftovers into single-serving containers.

Prep your veggies: Spend time at the beginning of the week washing, cleaning, and cutting veggies, so you always have salad ingredients or something to snack on. Having veggies cut will also encourage you to use them more in your cooking since you know you have them at the ready.

Keep unhealthy food out of the kitchen: When I'm hungry, I reach for the first snack I can find, which usually isn't nutritious and often comes in a bag. If you're the same, stocking the fridge with healthy snacks can help, but not if you're tempted by all the junk food in your pantry. Keep unhealthy foods out of the house or divide your snacks into smaller portions to avoid ravenously going through an entire bag of chips before you even make dinner.

Eat a balanced lunch and snack: A lunch full of fiber and protein from fresh veggies, fruits, and lean meats will keep you full throughout the afternoon much more than a carb bomb or a too-restrictive meal. Following lunch with a healthy snack can lessen the temptation to order takeout once you get home since you'll be feeling full and satisfied. Check out our healthy snack ideas to get started.

The Essential Habits of a Healthy Home Cook

Michele Foley — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:05:00 PST

Unless you know what you're doing, cooking at home can be as detrimental to your health as eating out. As far as your body is concerned, cooking with processed ingredients high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium might as well be like eating McDonald's. But becoming a healthy cook isn't as hard as you think. Here are some essential habits for healthy home cooks, starting from the moment you set foot in the grocery store to the second you put dinner on the table.

Shop the Right Way
Healthy cooking starts with strategic grocery shopping. Create a meal plan for the week and stock your cart with whole, fresh, and organic foods, lean proteins, and unrefined grains: an easy way to do this is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. When you do have to buy prepared foods, choose products with the fewest and simplest ingredients. Healthy grocery options can be expensive, but here are six ways to save money when shopping organic.

Fill Your Toolbox
If cooking from scratch seems daunting, arm yourself with a few healthy kitchen gadgets. From steamers to kitchen scales, these tools will help cut back on prep and cook time, reduce the amount of fat in your dishes, and even make calorie counting and portion control easier. Here are a few of our favorite healthy cooking gadgets.

Learn how to cook healthy at home after the break!

The Top Fat-Burning Foods

Health — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:10:08 PST

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

By Paige Greenfield

It's true: certain foods have a very high thermogenic effect, so you literally scorch calories as you chew. Other eats contain nutrients and compounds that stoke your metabolic fire. Feed your metabolism with these.

Whole Grains
Your body burns twice as many calories breaking down whole foods (especially those rich in fiber such as oatmeal and brown rice) than processed foods.

Health.com: Best Superfoods For Weight Loss

Lean Meats
Protein has a high thermogenic effect: you burn about 30 percent of the calories the food contains during digestion (so a 300-calorie chicken breast requires about 90 calories to break it down).

Low-Fat Dairy Products
Rich in calcium and vitamin D, these help preserve and build muscle mass - essential for maintaining a robust metabolism.

Health.com: Ditch Five Pounds Without Trying

Green Tea
Drinking four cups of green tea a day helped people shed more than six pounds in eight weeks, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports. Credit EGCG, a compound in the brew that temporarily speeds metabolism after sipping it. To up your intake, keep a jug of iced tea in the fridge.

Keep reading to see other foods that burn fat!

When It Comes to Weight Loss, Calories Count More Than Protein

Leta Shy — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:19:54 PST

There are tons of diets claiming that focusing on protein is the key to weight loss - either eating more or less of it can help you shed pounds fast. But a new study has found that weight loss may be less about how much protein you eat than how much you eat overall.

The study, released this week in JAMA, followed 25 participants closely for 10 to 12 weeks who all stayed in a hospital for monitoring. The volunteers were first fed a "weight-stabilizing diet" for up to four weeks, and then later fed a high-calorie diet about 1,000 calories over their previous meal plans. During the period they were overfed, the participants were split into three groups and put on either a low-protein, normal-protein, or high-protein diet.

Find out how much each group gained and why you shouldn't always focus on just protein intake after the break.

Serving Size: 6 ounces	Scallops	Shrimp
Calories	150	180
Protein (g)	28.5	34.6
Total Fat (g)	1.3	2.9
Sodium (mg)	274	252
Omega-3s (g)	.52	.58
Iron (mg)	.5	4.1