FitSugar

Do You Eat Low-Fat Treats?

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:47:19 PDT

By the 1990s, being on a low-fat diet was all the rage: for every full-fat product available, there seemed to be a low-fat alternative. Low-fat branding meant that all those forbidden foods like ice cream and cookies could now be enjoyed without guilt. While the low-fat push worked for some, it caused others to simply eat more than they normally would, making their calorie and sugar intake shoot through the roof.

While I tend to only buy whole, natural foods, I do buy low-fat and nonfat dairy products (except for cheese). But I stay away from sweets and savory treats that are branded "low-fat." I'd rather have a naturally sweet or salty treat, or enjoy a smaller serving of a full-fat sweet. Part of me is worried that I'll overindulge; plus I just don't think low-fat cookies taste as good. How about you?

Mediterranean Diet and Low-Carb Diet Neck and Neck

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 PDT

When it comes to dieting, we all want to know what is most effective. A new study performed in Israel found that a low-carb Atkins like diet and the Mediterranean diet outperformed the low-fat diet. The study lasted two years, considerably longer than previous studies, and the weight loss period was limited to 6 months with a maintenance period of 18 months – I think the maintenance period is truly where a diet's success can be measured.

To see what the different dieters ate, just

Here's a breakdown of what randomly assigned 322 moderately obese participants ate:

Low-Fat: Based on the American Heart Association guidelines, women ate 1,500 calories a day and men ate 1,800. Only 30 percent of daily calories came from fat, and dietary cholesterol was restricted to 300 mg – an egg has about 210 mg. Meals were built around low-fat grains, veggies, beans and fruit.
Low-Carb: Based on the Atkins plan, calories were not restricted but the daily intake of carbs was limited to 20 grams of carbs a day, for the first two months, but increased to 120 grams for the remainder of the study – a half cup of cooked white rice contains about 30 grams of carbs. Participants were to obtain fat and protein mostly from vegetarian sources and avoid trans fat.
Mediterranean: Based on Harvard Medical School's Walter Millet's dietary suggestions, women ate 1,500 calories a day and men ate 1,800 calories. Only 35 percent of the calories were to come from fat, mostly in the form of olive oil and nuts. The meals were high in veggies, but low in red meat. Beef and lamb were replaced with fish and chicken.

The results were pretty interesting. On average, those following the low-carb diet lost 10.3 pounds and the average weight loss for the Mediterranean diet was 10 pounds even. The low-fat diet average weight loss was 6.5 pounds. Interestingly enough, the women following the Mediterranean diet lost 13 pounds compared to the women on the low-fat diet who only lost one pound. All the diets show other health benefits as well, with an increase in healthy cholesterol in the low-carb diet and a decrease in blood sugar levels in the Mediterranean diet.

The bottom line is that all the diets offer benefits and there is not a one size fits all approach to dieting. If counting calories doesn't work for you a low-carb option might be best for you, but if limiting carbs is beyond measure for you then go Mediterranean. The trick is to pick a diet, or should I say lifestyle, that you can follow for the long term.

Have you followed any of these diets? Tell us how it worked for you in the comment section below.

Source

Not So Fast! 3 Tips For Reading Food Labels

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:31:43 PDT

Eating a healthy diet often means spending time reading food labels at the grocery store. The next time you hit the market, follow these important tips to ensure you're not missing something.

Look at more than calories: When it comes to losing weight, you've probably grown accustomed to checking the calorie counts, but remember that this number isn't everything. Many healthy foods (like quinoa) tend to be higher in calories; likewise, a food that's low in calories may contain a lot of sodium or saturated fat. Read through every part of the label to get the full picture, and then make the decision if you're going to eat it.
Compare apples to apples: You have two boxes of crackers in your hands and quickly see that one contains 220 calories per serving, while the other is only 140. Before you choose the box with fewer calories, double-check to make sure you're comparing equal serving sizes. Also take a look to see how the nutritional content compares.
Read, and reread: There are certain foods you feel confident placing in your cart because you've previously read through the labels. Play it safe by checking the label again every month, just to make sure the company hasn't changed or added ingredients without you knowing; the whole-grain pretzels I used to buy are now sadly made with enriched flour.

3 Ways Going Vegan Helps You Lose Weight, 3 Ways It Makes You Gain

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:24:16 PDT

Celebs like Alicia Silverstone, Alanis Morissette, and Olivia Wilde all benefit from a vegan diet - now add actress Mischa Barton to the list. The 26-year-old actress showed off her slim and healthy figure on the set of Oasis singer Noel Gallagher's new music video. Mischa told Us Weekly, "I've been running like three miles a day," and added she also loves juice cleanses and vegan food.

Vegan diets are becoming more associated with weight loss these days, and while omitting animal-derived products like meat, dairy, and eggs can help achieve weight loss, going vegan doesn't instantly drop pounds from the scale. Check out how ditching animal products from your diet can help you lose weight, but how it can also cause you to gain.

How a Vegan Diet Encourages Weight Loss

Hamburgers, hot dogs, steak, sausages, barbecue chicken, ribs - meat tends to be high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and waist-expanding calories. In comparison, meat-free alternatives like tofu, veggie burgers, tempeh, and seitan are much lower in calories, but still high in protein, making them diet-friendly foods.
Butter, whole milk, and cheese are also high on the caloric scale, and if you're ditching them, that means skipping out on a slice at the pizzeria down the street and saying no to a cone at the local ice cream parlor. Of course there are still plenty of vegan alternatives to dairy products, but as long as you're not overindulging in them, you'll most likely still lose weight.
Going vegan encourages eating a primarily plant-based diet, which includes tons of veggies like kale, carrots, broccoli, and spinach. They're low in calories and high in fiber, so they make you feel full without busting the calorie bank. And since your hunger is satiated, you'll end up consuming less calories throughout the day.

Keep reading to find out how a vegan diet can lead to weight gain.

Make a Healthy Grilled Cheese Sandwich With These Simple Tweaks

Michele Foley — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:01:39 PDT

Happy National Grilled Cheese Day! Just because you're following a healthy diet doesn't mean you have to skip out on this classic sandwich. Check out these tips on how to make a healthier grilled cheese.

Start with the right bread: For many of us, grilled cheese meant a slice of American cheese melted between squishy white bread. Now that we're all grown up, skip overly processed white bread for a whole-grain variety instead. You'll wind up with more fiber, vitamins, and essential nutrients like magnesium and zinc.
Not all cheeses are the same: When you're concerned about your weight, cheese can seem like an off-limits food. Although cheese may deliver in fats, it's also a great source of bone-building calcium and protein. When building your sandwich, it's OK to indulge in a full-fat variety, but use a smaller serving - a little goes a long way when it comes to flavorful varieties like Asiago or Parmesan. If you're worried about cholesterol, look for low-fat or reduced-fat varieties, or choose goat cheese. Compared to cow milk cheese, goat milk cheese contains less fat, less cholesterol, and fewer calories. Whatever you do, steer clear of oily, processed American slices.
Don't stop at cheese: Unless you're a grilled-cheese purist, a sandwich is a great way to sneak fresh veggies into your diet. When making a grilled cheese, consider adding things like red peppers, tomatoes, or arugula. Fruit also works really well when paired with cheese; consider adding some apple or pear slices to your next concoction. Check out this recipe for roasted red pepper, portobello, and smoked gouda grilled cheese.
Hold the butter: Your sandwich does not need to be slathered in saturated fats, so skip the butter. Instead, try making your grilled cheese on a sandwich press, or lightly spray a sauté pan with your choice of cooking oil.

4 Cruciferous Veggie Recipes to Improve Breast Cancer Survival

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:54:42 PDT

While we know that crunchy, cruciferous veggies pack a big punch of vitamins and flavor, a recent study shows that they are also fantastic medicine for breast cancer survivors. The women with the highest daily intake of cruciferous vegetables had a 62 percent reduced risk of breast cancer mortality and 35 percent reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence. If you're not acquainted with cruciferous veggies, have no fear. Here are a few delicious seasonal recipes to get a heaping help into your diet.

Bok choy is fat-free, low in calories, and loaded in vitamins K and C. The calcium and potassium-rich cruciferous cabbage is beautifully highlighted in this healthy breakfast recipe for bok choy hash with poached eggs.

YumSugar's video recipe for broccoli romanesco is a simple and beautiful dish that will help you get your fill of this funky - even prehistoric-looking! - vegetable, rich in vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, and fiber.

Keep reading for two more healthy cruciferous veggie recipes.

The Truth About 5 Confusing Foods

Prevention — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:26:43 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Even the most nutrition-savvy women can get lost in the headlines. Here's what you really need to know.

By Sharon Liao, Prevention

You heard that eggs can be high in cholesterol, so you dutifully switched to whole grains for breakfast. Next, you swapped out red meat for fish - only to later learn that fish can contain dangerous levels of mercury . . . and eggs may not harm your heart after all. "With all of the different reports and headlines, it’s no wonder that many people get confused," says Angela Ginn, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and owner of Real Talk Real Food in Baltimore, MD. To help you make sense of these and other health head-scratchers, we consulted our experts and sifted through the research. Here, the new bottom line on a few "health" foods.

1. Potatoes
This starchy veggie has a bad rap among dieters, but that’s because people tend to consume it in the form of greasy french fries, chips, and buttery mashed potatoes, says Melissa Joy Dobbins, RD, of NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, IL. "When prepared the right way, potatoes are a nutritious food," she says. One medium potato, for instance, delivers five grams of fiber and nearly 20 percent of your daily quota for heart-healthy potassium.

Bottom line: Skip the fried versions and opt for baked or boiled potatoes. For an even healthier option, choose vitamin A-rich sweet potatoes or purple potatoes, which can help lower blood pressure.

Ten Healthy Ways to Splurge

2. Cheese
Hold the cheese? There’s no need if you eat it in moderation. A one-ounce serving delivers 20 percent of all the bone-building calcium that you need in a day, as well as plenty of protein and phosphorus. "The problem is that many people eat much more than one serving in one sitting," explains Sharon Richter, RD, a dietitian in New York City. And at 100 to 125 calories per ounce, that can add up.

Learn how to keep cheese, eggs, and beer in your diet after the break.

Going Vegan Could Mean Missing These Key Nutrients

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:41:38 PDT

Not eating animal products means a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and although it can also be used to lose weight, it's important not to skip out on valuable nutrients that often come from meat and dairy.

Vitamin B12
Most women need 2.4 mcg of this vitamin each day. It's essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system as well as healthy blood cells. Found mostly in poultry, beef, fish, and dairy products, this B vitamin has vegan sources as well including fortified cereals, fortified soy milk, kale, spinach, and nutritional yeast.

Iron
The RDI of iron for women is 18 mg, and while animal products contain iron, there are tons of vegan foods high in this mineral as well. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, which helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, which is why an iron deficiency often causes fatigue. Be sure to include fortified cereal, fortified soy milk, beans such as garbanzos and lentils, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and peanuts in your vegan diet.

Keep reading to find out what other nutrients vegan diets might be missing.

Happy 26th Birthday Lady Gaga - How the Singer Keeps Healthy

Michele Foley — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:07:53 PDT

Lady Gaga turns 26 today, and to celebrate, we're taking a look at how the singer stays fit - I mean, look at those abs! - while living such a demanding lifestyle. While Gaga isn't without controversy (she's admitted to occasional drug and alcohol use), she remains extremely focused when it comes to her diet and fitness regimen.

She keeps a consistent workout schedule: Without fail, Gaga maintains the fitness regimen created for her by trainer Harley Pasternak. Even while touring, she works out five times a week for at least 25 minutes each day. The secret to Lady Gaga's killer abs? Lots of crunches. Harley starts her on a basic crunch and modifies that into reverse crunches, ending with a double crunch. If you want to get abs like the birthday girl, check out Lady Gaga's favorite ab exercises. When you've finished the ab routine, watch this video of Harley as he takes you through Gaga's butt workout.
She keeps a healthy diet: Besides following Harley's fitness routine, Gaga also subscribes to his 5 Factor Diet, which says to eat five times a day (two meals and three snacks) of foods falling into these five categories: lean protein, low-glycemic carbs, healthy fats, fiber, and a sugar-free beverage. The diet also allows for one cheat day a week. Some of Gaga's favorite foods to munch on are salsa with grain chips, tofu, turkey slices, hummus, and coconut water. Tonight, make yourself a Gaga-approved meal: check out Harley's recipe for five-spice halibut.
She believes in the healing power of yoga: A longtime yogini, Gaga even makes a habit to practice at local studios wherever her travels take her (Bikram and hot power yoga are her styles of choice). She has said, "Yoga makes me feel like I can do anything," and has called her longtime NYC-based teacher Tricia Donegan an inspiration, saying " . . . yoga heals me and so do you."

Source: Terry Richardson, Getty, Twitter

Happy 47th Birthday, Sarah Jessica Parker - See SJP's Fit Philosophy

Michele Foley — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 09:30:17 PDT

Birthday girl Sarah Jessica Parker, who turns 47 today, is a shining example of how to stay fit and fab well into your 40s! Keep reading to see how Sarah Jessica stays healthy, toned, and sane under the pressure of being a busy actress and devoted mother of three.

Fitness as a priority: You don't get arms like Sarah Jessica's from lifting three-pound weights. Next to Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica has some of the strongest guns in the business, sculpted by her daily personal training sessions and regular yoga classes. Sarah Jessica told Good Housekeeping, "I do like feeling fit and healthy. When you're young, you can run around and not really care about what shape you're in because you wake up every day feeling OK. But now that I'm older, I need to do more for myself." Want arms like Sarah Jessica? Check out this push-up variation that Sarah Jessica learned from trainer Marc Santa Maria.
She doesn't deprive herself: Sarah Jessica does not hide the fact that she loves food, and counts pasta, bacon, and cheese as some of her favorite indulgences. Like Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica lives to eat and makes up for it with her regular fitness routine. It's not a total junk-food fest, however, as she's also followed the Hamptons Diet of lean meats, healthy fats, and low carbs during those times that she's needed to drop a few pounds.
Being active isn't just about working out: We've all seen the photos - Sarah Jessica Parker walks everywhere! Whether she is picking up the kids from school or running errands, she prefers to hit the pavement rather than rely on a car to get her everywhere. And when distances are too far, she's also been known to hop on a bike to get her where she needs to go. Besides being a moderate-calorie burner, walking can help elevate your mood and ease digestion and is also a great way to catch up with a friend. It can also act as the gateway drug to running: check out this eight-week plan to go from walking to running in no time!