FitSugar

Is Mayonnaise a Magnet for Salmonella?

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:00:00 -0700

There are bound to be barbecues a plenty this Fourth of July weekend. With this tainted tomato scare, I for one definitely have salmonella on my mind. I typically associate mayo with food poisoning, since people tend to leave this condiment, and the food it's added to, out for long periods of time.

I was relieved to read in the NY Times recently that mayo doesn't really deserve this bad rap. Since most commercialized mayo is made with vinegar or other ingredients that make it acidic, it's actually less likely to spoil. Phew! According to a study published in the Journal of Food Protection, mayo added to foods may even help to prevent food poisoning. The reason mayo may become contaminated is if it's not properly stored, if it's mixed with low-acid foods like seafood or chicken, or if the mayo is homemade.

Fit's Tips: If you plan on hitting a BBQ this weekend (or any other weekend for that matter), be sure the mayo hasn't been left out. Also, check the ingredients. Hellmann's, Best Foods, Miracle Whip, and Kraft all contain vinegar, so they're a better choice than homemade mayo when it comes to spoilage. Steer clear of pasta and potato salads containing mayonnaise that have been left out for more than two hours. If it's above 90° F, then one hour is the limit.

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Scary Recipe Ingredients to Look Out for

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Butter has a bad reputation in the cooking world but the truth is that there are many other cooking ingredients that are just as unhealthy for us as butter. It's scary that many of us don't even bat an eye at when tossing them into our recipes.

To see the scariest recipe ingredients to watch for, just read more

WebMD has compiled a list of the scariest ingredients, healthwise, for your recipes that you should keep an eye out for when you're cooking this holiday season (and beyond):

Ingredient	Common Serving	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
Mayonnaise	1/4 cup	396	44	6.5
Bacon grease	2 T	250	28	13
Heavy whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	205	22	14
Puff pastry	2 ounces	312	22	3
Cheese (like cheddar)	2 ounces	228	19	12
Light whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	174	18.5	11.5
Sausage, cooked	2 ounces	209	18	6.1
Bacon	4 strips	150	13	4
Butter	1 T	102	12	7.2
Sour cream	1/4 cup	123	12	7.5
Cheddar cheese, 1 oz	1/4 cup	115	9.4	6
Pie crust, 9-inch deep dish	1/8 slice	115	8	2
Half-and-half	1/4 cup	79	7	4.3

Me, I always scan a recipe for any of these ingredients and if it has 'em, I typically skip it. If I am feeling creative, I'll work with the recipe figuring out ways to cut out the unhealthy stuff. For example, I'll use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. What do you do? Share the ways you cut out the unhealthy stuff in the comments section below.

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BBQ Condiment Breakdown

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Condiments are so much more than ketchup and mustard.

By definition, a condiment is "a substance applied to food in the form of a sauce, powder, spread, or similar, to enhance or improve the flavor. Condiments are typically smeared with knives, squirted, or spooned onto other foods."

With that in mind, let's see how these flavor enhancers compare nutritionally. Want to see? Then read more

2 Tbsp	Calories	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Sugars (g)	Protein (g)
Heinz Ketchup	30	0	380	8	0	8	0
Heinz Organic Ketchup	40	0	380	10	0	8	0
Yellow Mustard	6	.4	112	.8	.4	.2	.4
Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard and Country Mustard	10	0	240	0	0	0	0
Beaver Honey Mustard	30	0	90	4	0	4	0
Mayonnaise	200	22	170	0	0	0	0
Bread and Butter Pickles (1 slice)	6	0	54	1.5	.1	.7	.1
Sweet Pickle Relish	39	.1	243	10.5	.3	4.8	.1
Frank's Red Hot (1 tsp)	0	0	200	0	0	0	0

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Healthy Recipe: Waldorf Salad

FitSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:47:41 -0700

Early Fall is a wonderful and tasty time. Summer produce is still abundant and Fall's early harvest is available too. One of my favorite veggies, celery spans the two seasons beautifully. Last night for dinner I made a simple Waldorf salad that pairs crisp celery with crisp apples, merging Fall and Summer into one healthy, refreshing salad.

I replaced the traditional mayonnaise with nonfat yogurt, making the dish even healthier. It was a hit with the entire family - even my young daughters liked it. To see the recipe, keep on reading.

Are You Eating Too Much Cholesterol?

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:00:30 -0700

I was vegan for a short time in college, and was shocked when I had my cholesterol tested and found it was high. I wasn't even eating cholesterol! The thing is, your liver makes cholesterol and it's actually essential for your body to function normally. Cholesterol is also found in food and appropriately called dietary cholesterol. Since your body produces enough, you don't need to worry about getting any from diet. What you do need to worry about is getting too much.

A healthy person with healthy cholesterol levels can safely consume 300 milligrams a day. If your levels are high, aim for less than 200 mg a day. Are you eating too much? Find out how much cholesterol is in your favorite foods when you read more.

Food	Cholesterol (mg)
1 Hard-Boiled Egg	212
1 cup Skim Milk	5
1 cup Lowfat Milk (1%)	15
1 cup Lowfat Milk (2%)	20
1 cup Whole Milk	34
1 oz. Cheddar Cheese (1 slice)	29
1/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese	20
2 tbsp. Cream Cheese	26
2 tbsp. Butter	61
5.3 oz. Fage Total Classic Greek Yogurt	35
5.3 oz. Fage Total With Honey	20
6 oz. Chobani No-Fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt	0
6 oz. Stonyfield farms Organic Low-Fat Vanilla Yogurt	7
1/3 Pound Hamburger Patty	90
5 inch Hot Dog	24
4 oz. Filet Mignon	75
4 oz. Organic Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast	70
4 oz. Tilapia	55
3 oz. Salmon	85
2 tbsp. Mayonnaise	8
3 oz. Sour Cream	11
1/2 cup Chocolate Ice Cream	120
1/2 cup Chocolate Ice Cream	115
9 Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses	5

High cholesterol levels in the blood can put you at risk for heart disease. So answer these two questions for me: have you had your cholesterol levels tested, and are you getting too much?

7 Food Safety Tips For the Fourth of July

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:35:18 -0700

Fourth of July is all fun and games - until someone gets food poisoning! OK, while that may not be your biggest concern this holiday, don't forget food safety when making salads and moving meat from the kitchen to the 'cue. Here are a few important rules to remember.

Clean your plates. If you transport raw meat to the grill on a platter, be sure to wash the platter before plating up the cooked meat or swap out a clean one.
Keep separate cutting boards. Don't use the same cutting board for raw meat that you do for other foods, and be sure to wash rigorously anything that comes into contact with the raw stuff.
Take the temperature. Use a meat thermometer to determine when you meat is cooked: the FDA recommends a temp of 160°F for ground beef and 165°F for poultry.

For tips regarding the nonmeat part of the meal, read more.

Wash the produce. Even if you're grilling the veggies, be sure to rinse them thoroughly and give potatoes and root veggies a scrub with a brush.
Opt for loose lettuce. Avoid potentially contaminated bagged produce and go for heads of lettuce instead. Better yet, discard the outermost layers before washing.
Mind the mayo. Don't leave mayonnaise-based salads like potato salad out for more than two hours or, if it's above 90°F, an hour.
Put it away. Refrigerate any leftovers within two hours of eating.

Healthy Sandwich: Skip Mayo and Use Avocado

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

A sandwich sounds like a healthy meal, but if yours isn't a real sandwich without a thick layer of mayonnaise, then you're looking at added cholesterol and calories you could do without. So the next time you make or order a sammy, spread a quarter of a ripe avocado on your bread instead of mayo. As you can see from the chart below, you'll end up with plenty of flavor and less calories, cholesterol, saturated fat, and sodium. Avocado also offers fiber and potassium.

	2 tbsp mayo	1/4 avocado
Calories	115	80
Total Fat	9.8 g	7.4
Saturated Fat	1.4 g	1.1
Cholesterol	8 mg	0 mg
Sodium	209 mg	4 mg
Carbs	7 g	4.3 g
Fiber	0 g	3.4 g
Sugar	1.9 g	.3 g
Protein	.3 g	1 g
Calcium	4.1 g	6 mg
Potassium	2.6 g	243.7 mg

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Build a Healthier Salad

FitSugar — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:00:00 -0700

In late Spring, I find a crisp salad to be the perfect lunch. When it comes to watching your waistline, all salads are not created equal. Here are a few guidelines to help navigate the salad bar and keep your salad healthy and not a vehicle for unknown calories.

Do make your own salad whenever possible.
Don't think that the pre-made salads are always going to be healthy.
Do get the darker leafy greens, like spinach, romaine, or arugula.
Don't fill your bowl with iceberg lettuce - it offers little to nothing nutritionally.
Do load up on fresh veggies.
Don't load up on roasted veggies - salad bar roasted veggies are often coated with butter and oil.

I've got more tips for building a healthier salad, so read more.

Do get a simple olive oil and balsamic dressing on the side.
Don't drench your salad in a creamy dressing - even lowfat creamy dressings are loaded with sodium.
Do toss a handful raw nuts on top of your greens.
Don't throw a salad on top of your salad - tuna, egg, and chicken salads are loaded with mayonnaise.
Do add a protein like ahi tuna, hard boiled eggs, or baked chicken breast.
Don't add bacon bits rationalizing they're providing protein.

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10 Sources of Hidden Calories

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0800

If losing weight is on your mind, you've got to be conscious of how many calories you consume each day. Although the foods listed below are small amounts, if you add all those up, and they could be preventing you from reaching your goal weight.

One pat of butter on your toast: 36 calories.
One tablespoon ketchup with your fries: 15 calories.
One container of half and half in your coffee: 20 calories.
One teaspoon or one cube of sugar in your coffee: 9 calories.
One tablespoon mayonnaise on your sandwich: 100 calories.
One teaspoon each of oil and vinegar on your sandwich: 39 calories.
One cubic inch of feta cheese on your salad: 45 calories.
One tablespoon of grated Parmesan on your pasta: 22 calories.
One tablespoon of sour cream on your baked potato: 26 calories.
Handful of M&Ms (10 pieces) off your co-worker's desk: 34 calories.

You don't need to omit these foods from your diet, but just be aware that even small servings contain calories.

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Healthy Eating Tip: Saturated Fat Substitutions

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Let's remember the basics: Saturated fat is the destructive fat. It's not essential for our bodies like omega-3s, and it is actually rather harmful as it clogs arteries, raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, and can lead to heart attacks. As if that wasn't bad enough, a recent study shows that a diet high in saturated fat can also lead to cancer of the small intestine. With that said, it's best to ditch the saturated fat in your diet, but that doesn't mean you have to give up the foods you love.

To learn about healthier alternatives to foods high in saturated fat, read more.

Instead of	Try this
Whole cream (when baking)	Plain yogurt
Half-and-half (in your coffee)	Silk soy creamer
Whole milk yogurt	Nonfat Oikos Greek yogurt
Butter (when baking)	Earth Balance sticks
Cream cheese (on your bagel)	Lowfat cottage cheese
Dulce de leche ice cream	Stonyfield Farm Creme Caramel frozen yogurt
Butter (when cooking)	Canola oil
Egg	Two egg whites
Mayonnaise	Nayonaise (made from soy)
Cheddar cheese	Mozzarella
Butter (on popcorn)	Nutritional yeast
Pork sausage	Chicken sausage
Hamburger	Veggie burger
Bacon	Lightlife Smart Bacon

If you have a substitution, share it in the comments section below.

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