Healthy happy you.
It's sad how fat has such a bad reputation. I used to think I should avoid all kinds of fat, but now I know that not all fats are the bad guys. Healthy fats are the ones known as monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and omega-3 fatty acids. Don't worry about remembering their name, just know that the good-for-you fats help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and boost your HDL (good) cholesterol. Read more
It's time for America's favorite game — Name That Fat. OK, well maybe "favorite" is an exaggeration. There are many kinds of fat in the foods we eat, some healthy, some essential, and some can clog our arteries. It's important to know the difference between them all so take this quiz to see what you know. Source Take the Quiz Read more
I am a huge fan of olive oil, but too much of a good thing can be bad, and I often go overboard with how much olive oil I use while cooking. In light of this, one of my favorite healthy kitchen tools is the Misto Olive Oil Sprayer ($9.95). All you do is fill the sprayer with olive oil. Pump the cap to pressurize. Then spray on anything your little heart desires. A couple of spritzes will do just Read more
Cardio and crunches aren't the only way to slim down your middle. Eating monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), like the kind found in avocado, is proven to diminish belly fat. Here are 12 lunch ideas featuring the belly-fat-fighting powers of the avocado. Source: Flickr user VegaTeam, Flickr user SweetOnVeg, and Flickr user SweetOnVeg Read more
We might not be able to make it to Greece or Southern Italy anytime soon, but we can bring the cuisine to us by celebrating Mediterranean Diet Month in our own kitchens. The healthy benefits of the Mediterranean diet are touted by numerous studies, and for good reason: it promotes heart health, good vision, and weight control, to name a few. An easy way to get the Mediterranean diet into your own Read more
We all know that trans fat and saturated fat are major things to avoid, but what's the difference between the two? And what about unsaturated fats, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Are they bad too? What foods contain them? Are you confused about all these fats too? Let's get these fats straight once and for all. Saturated fat: "The bad guys." These are often solid at room Read more
If you need more fiber in your diet, it's time to turn to creamy avocado. Just half an avocado contains seven grams of fiber. Although high in fat, avocados contain the good-for-you monounsaturated fats (MUFA) your body needs to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and maintain the HDL (good) ones. Here are seven delicious ways to snack on the soft and satisfying flesh of an avocado. Source: Read more
There are already many proven benefits to following a Mediterranean diet, and now we can add another one: a new study of the dietary habits of about 1,000 people found that the high levels of monounsaturated fats found in a Mediterranean diet may help your smarts by protecting against small vessel damage in your brain. That benefit may help slow cognitive decline as well as prevent strokes. Past Read more
Not all fats are bad for you; in fact, incorporating healthy fats into your diet can actually be good for you! The general rule of thumb is that good fats are liquid at room temperature and bad fats are solid at room temperature. Therefore, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats fall into the good fats category, while saturated and trans fats fall into the bad fats category. Unlike saturated Read more
We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. Myth: Going Vegan Will Make You Lose Weight "While various research shows that vegetarians and vegans, on average, consume fewer calories and less fat than omnivores (a 2009 Oxford study found that vegetarians weigh 3 to 20 percent less than their meat-eating counterparts, and a National Cancer Institute study found Read more
