FitSugar

Serena and Venus Endorsing Oreos?

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -0700

It looks like the Williams sisters are endorsing Oreos. Yes. Oreos. And not just regular Oreos. Double Stuf Oreos. Serena and Venus announced that they're joining the DSRL - Double Stuf Racing League and they're "battling" Eli and Peyton Manning. I'm not entirely sure what this new "sport" is but I'm thinking it has to do with a glass of milk and some twisting, licking, and dunking action. I saw this commercial while watching the US Open and then again during the first NFL game. The ad left me confused. I mean I know these tennis champs can't possibly be enforcing these cookies where the first ingredient is sugar, the second enriched flour, and the fifth is high fructose corn syrup, right? And they sure don't need the money or the fame. Check out the commercial below and tell me what you think. Does this make you feel differently about these female athletes or is this all in good fun?

To hear what the Williams sisters had to say about Oreos and this new campaign read more.

“Oreo cookies and milk were a tradition in our house growing up, and my sister and I fondly remember twisting, licking and dunking them together,” said Venus. “It was only natural to continue that tradition as adults, which is why we jumped at the chance to be a part of the DSRL.”

“And because we love a friendly rivalry, it’ll be fun to show the Mannings what real DSRL competition is like! They’re going down,” Serena said.

Most Memorable New Products of 2007 Are Ironic

FitSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:00:00 -0800

Five out of 10 products in the Sixth Annual Most Memorable New Products Launch Survey are related to food and health. Most notably:

#4 Domino's Oreo Dessert Pizza (1/8 Pizza has 120 calories)
#5 alli Weight Loss Capsules
#6 Oreo Cakesters (250 calories for 2 cakes)
#7 Diet Coke Plus
#8 Subway FreshFit Meals

Does anyone else see the irony in this? As Americans we literally want to have our cake and eat it too. The combination of high calorie desserts with low-calorie quick fixes and a diet pill seems to summarize our issues with getting healthy. What do you guys think about this? I know you have a lot to say so share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Newman-O's: Like Oreos, but Healthier

FitSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 09:30:00 -0700

Who didn't fall in love with Oreos as a kid? They are a symbol of childhood foods, along with Wonder Bread. Unfortunately, they are just a memory for me now; I waved bye-bye to all that unhealthy food of my childhood.

Now, that is not to say I still don't get a hankering for an Oreo, but lucky for me (and you if you like an edible version of memory lane to satisfy your sweet tooth) there are Newman-O's, a healthier alternative.

While a cookie is still a cookie and not the most optimal food on the planet, these Newman-O's are slightly better for you and they taste just like Oreos. I think I actually prefer the Newman-O creamy center since it doesn't taste fake like Oreos do. Maybe because Oreos are made with high fructose corn syrup and artificial vanilla. Newman-O's are made with organic sugar and contain no partially hydrogenated oils or trans fat. Oreos have a little disclaimer on their website that says if a product has less than .5g of trans fat, they can write "0g trans fat" on their label. How misleading is that?

Another great thing about Newman-O's is that they're made with organic unbleached flour. Oreos are made with enriched wheat flour. You know what that means? It's highly processed, stripped of its nutrients, and then some of the nutrients are added back in, just so they can say it's "enriched." I frown upon their sneaky ways.

Oreos may be less expensive than Newmnan-O's, but they're also made with cheaper, less-nourishing ingredients. Want to see how they compare nutritionally? Then read more


Serving Size	1 oz (2.5 cookies)	1 oz (2 cookies)
Calories	134	160
Total Fat	5.8g	4.5g
Saturated Fat	1.7g	1.5g
Cholesterol	0mg	mg
Sodium	159mg	85mg
Carbs	20.9g	20g
Fiber	.8g	1g
Sugar	11.7g	10g
Protein	1.7g	2g

Fit's Tips: There isn't a dramatic difference nutritionally, but there's a HUGE difference in their ingredients. Now I'm not saying that Newman-O's are the healthiest thing on the planet, but at least it's good to know that there's a healthier alternative out there for the Oreo-lovers in all of us.

Source and Source

Domino's Breakdown (It's Pretty Scary)

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0700

A few weeks ago, I got all riled up while watching The Biggest Loser. All the food commercials were for seriously crappy food. It seems more than a little mean to advertise calorie laden food during an inspirational weight loss show. Especially if you consider that the majority of viewers are watching to get a little inspiration on their own path to get in shape.

The one that bothered me the most was by Domino's Pizza; they were advertising their amazing Oreo Pizza. What's the deal with that? It's not enough to make decadent, calorie-laden cheese pizzas, so they have to make dessert pizza too? I'm not even going to question how much crap is in it (although this commercial is pretty funny, I can admit that).

We can all agree that it serves no nutritional purpose, but if you're curious to how many calories are in a slice of this Oreo Pizza pie, read more

Here's the nutritional info on a typical meal from Domino's, including two slices of cheese pizza and one slice of Oreo Pizza. Their website is really sneaky because they give the info for each little part of the pizza. That means you have to do all the work and add up the calories in the crust, the sauce and the cheese in order to figure out how many calories are in one slice.

Item	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat. Fat (g)	Sodium (mg.)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)	Protein (g)
2 of 8 equal slices of cheese pizza (14-inch Large)	480	18	7	940	84	8	24
1 of 8 equal slices of Oreo Dessert Pizza	120	4	1	110	20	8	2
TOTAL (2 slices cheese pizza, 1 slice Oreo Pizza)	600	22	8	1,050	104	16	26

Now I know pre-made foods are typically high in salt, but yikes! 1,050 mg of sodium is way too much for one meal. Since the RDI of sodium is 2,300 mg a day, that doesn't leave much else for the rest of your day's food. Of course, you've got to splurge on pizza every once in a while, so it's good to know that 480 calories isn't bad for one meal, but I'd probably skip out on the Oreo Dessert Pizza (even if it is free).

If you're tempted to try Domino's Oreo Pizza, check out this video to see what it really looks like.

Healthy Eating Tip: Limit Your Added Sugar Intake to 40 Grams

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:45:00 -0700

I have a huge sweet tooth, so I can relate to your cravings for cookies, chocolate, and the like. The problem is, too much sugar can lead to weight gain, metabolic disorder (a precursor of type 2 diabetes and heart disease), and possibly even certain cancers. Added sugars should make up only six to 10 percent of your daily calories. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet that adds up to between 30 and 50 grams. I'm not talking about naturally occurring sugars in fruits and veggies though. I'm talking about foods made with white sugar, so keep your intake to about 40 grams. If you're a label reader, it can be hard to discern how much of the white stuff you're getting though, since all sugars are lumped under the "sugar" category. So the best thing to do is limit the amount of foods you eat that have sugar, brown sugar, or high fructose corn syrup in the list of ingredients.

To see how many grams of sugar are in some common sweet foods read more.

Food	Amount of Sugar
Slice of chocolate cake	30 g
1 oz. Dagoba organic dark chocolate	12 g
1 chocolate chip cookie	7 g
6 Oreo cookies	20 g
1 Starbucks chocolate hazelnut biscotti	10 g
1 Krispy Kreme glazed donut	13
20 plain M&Ms	9 g
1/2 cup serving of vanilla ice cream	21 g
10 oz. Coffee with 1 packet of sugar	2.8 g
12 oz. Coca Cola	39 g
12 oz. ginger ale	32.4 g
12 oz. Sprite	38 g

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Do You Buy 100-Calorie Snack Packs?

FitSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:30:00 -0800

One-hundred calorie snack packs have attracted some fit fans, like Bob from The Biggest Loser, but these prepackaged snacks also have their share of haters. Consumer Reports criticized these low calorie portions in its December issue and concluded there are more reasons to skip these snacks than to scoop them.

The argument against 100-cal packs includes gripes like the fact that many of the products barely resemble the product they are supposed to imitate - for example, the Oreo snack packs. There are no creamy middles to be licked and a snacker may feel like the chocolate crackers she consumed wasn't even worth those 100-calories. Consumer Reports does give credit to the Cheez-It Right Bites and Doritos Nacho Cheese Mini Bites, saying those are the only two that are true taste replicas of the original.

Do you buy 100-calorie snack packs or do you pass them by?

Diet Tip: Keep a Variety of Healthy Foods

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:00:00 -0700

If you are looking for something to munch on in your kitchen and you see bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, hummus, salad mixes, carrots, almonds, hard boiled eggs, celery, high fiber cereal, yogurt, and Oreos, which would you choose? Sure, you may say Oreos today, and maybe tomorrow too, but wouldn't you get sick of eating Oreos after a while?

My point is this: Keep a variety of healthy foods available, but just one kind of junk food (for those times when you need something sweet and unhealthy). Eating the same kind of cookies every single day will get boring, and you'll be more likely to dig into the wide variety of healthy goods rather than those same old cookies, again.

It may not work for everyone, but try it out and let me know if it works for you
in the comments section below.

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Minutes to a Healthier You . . .

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:30:00 -0800

It's not only the eight hours of sleep you get, or the 60 minutes you spend at the gym that help you become the healthiest you can be, but the little things that only take a few minutes, even seconds.

The best way to break the cycle of mindless eating is to stop before you eat. So before you scarf down that plate full of Oreos, take five seconds to stop and ask yourself whether you are really hungry or not. You may find out that, yes indeed, it's Oreos that you need but chances are that you're just thirsty, or bored, or stressed. Five seconds could be the difference between you eating or not eating 500 mindless calories.

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Newman's Own Ginger-O's

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:30:00 -0800

I'm sure you've all tried Oreos at some point in your life. They're definitely tasty, but they're also made with high-fructose corn syrup. Newman's Own makes a healthier version of Oreos, which are yummy, but when I saw Ginger-O's, I had to try them. I'm a huge fan of anything ginger.

Want to see how the Chocolate Newman-O's and Ginger-O's compare? Then read more.

Here's a picture of what they look like. They're basically made with organic unbleached flower, organic molasses, organic sugar, ground ginger, and nutmeg. There are no hydrogenated oils or other unnatural ingredients, so when you or your children are craving a little treat, you can feel good about eating these.

Check out the nutritional info. There isn't a huge difference between these two, except that the Ginger-O's contain more sodium, slightly more saturated fat, and slightly fewer calories. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the chocolate Newman-O's have 1g of fiber. I mean, I didn't expect to see any from a cream-filled cookie, but out of these two, I would have thought that the Ginger-O's would have more. I guess the chocolate O's are a little better for you, but since cookies in general aren't exactly healthy, I'd still choose the Ginger-O's because they are so very tasty.


Serving Size	1 oz (2 cookies)	1 oz (2 cookies)
Calories	130	120
Total Fat	4.5g	4.5g
Saturated Fat	1.5g	2g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg
Sodium	85mg	160mg
Carbs	20g	19g
Fiber	1g	0g
Sugar	10g	10g
Protein	2g	2g

Diet Tip: Express Your Emotions Don't Eat Them

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:00:00 -0700

If you tend to overeat because you're stressed, overworked, or depressed, instead of turning towards food to cope with your problems or fears, get to the root of your feelings. Satiating your soul with food is only a temporary fix, and after you binge on comforting foods, those emotions will still be with you. So ask yourself what you need in order to make your life (or that particular moment) better. Talk to a friend, your boss, make an appointment with a therapist, or write in a journal. Not only will you feel more relieved emotionally, but physically you won't feel bloated or cranky from inhaling half a package or Oreos.

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