FitSugar

Food Review: Peak Bar Women's Health

FitSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:00:00 PST

I'm always on the lookout for new energy bars to fuel my workouts, and when I spotted Peak Bar at Walgreens, I was especially intrigued. The store was selling two flavors - Peaches & Blueberries and Chocolate Brownie - in the Women's Health line, which is described as "bakery style." Hoping it might taste something like a muffin, I bought the Peaches & Blueberries.

The bars aren't like muffins exactly, but they are tasty, and I appreciated that the texture was different than your typical energy bar. To find out what I thought and to see a nutritional breakdown,

read more The Peak Bar is slightly shorter and wider than a Luna Bar and has about the same amount of calories but significantly less fat. Luna Bars usually have four to five grams of fat, while Peak Bars are nearly fat free. Here's the nutritional info for the Peaches & Blueberries bar:

Calories	Fat	Protein	Cholesterol	Sodium	Fiber	Sugar
180	0.5 g	10 g	0 g	140 mg	5 g	18g

The peach and blueberry flavors tasted very natural, and most of the ingredients are good rather than synthetic stuff. But my favorite part about Peak Bars was the texture: It's very bread-like, evoking a dense scone or cookie. If you have a weakness for bakery goods like I do, why not indulge that love in a high-protein bar? If anyone else has tried these, let me know what you think.

This Winter, Hit the Swiss Slopes at New Hotel Nira Alpina

Elka Karl — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:20:24 PDT

For the alpine sports enthusiasts with a keen design eye, Switzerland's new hotel Nira Alpina, a glass-and-timber-built mountain sanctuary, is the place to be this Winter.

From award-winning hotelier MPS Puri, Nira Alpina is the only hotel in Switzerland's Engadin Valley to offer guests a true ski in, ski out experience. Just five kilometers away from the Swiss resort town of St. Moritz in the village of Silvaplana, Nira Alpina's location grants guests access to some of Switzerland's highest mountains, including Corvatsch, the highest mountain in the upper Engadin skiing region.

With 120 kilometers of ski runs, outdoor recreation and natural beauty abound, with gorgeous views over Lake Silvaplana, as well as up to the mountains. Skiers can access a private, glassed-in covered walkway that leads directly to the Corvatsch cable car, which guests can take to reach the mountain peaks and virgin powder snow.

Keep reading to find out more about the Nira Alpina's design and offerings.

The Brazier: Vegan Chocolate Shake From Thrive Juice Bar

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:32:09 PDT

When I spoke to professional triathlete Brendan Brazier, he said that one of his readers was so inspired by the Thrive Diet (a vegan, mostly raw nutrition plan) that the reader opened a juice and smoothie bar dedicated to Brendan's book Thrive. Brendan added, "He's actually made my original smoothie recipes even better." In his latest book, Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health ($13), Brendan has included a few revamped smoothie recipes courtesy of his fan back at Thrive Juice Bar.

I decided to make "The Brazier," which is essentially a healthy chocolate shake. For the vanilla vegan gelato, I used So Delicious Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk ice cream with no sugar added. The recipe is not overly sweet, and I think the shake would be a great post-workout drink or a dessert substitute for adults and kids alike. I found the recipe is a little thin for my taste, so after I initially tried The Brazier, I reblended it with half of an avocado to give it a thicker, heavier texture reminiscent of a chocolate milkshake.

Tell me what you think after you make your own Brazier smoothie.

Brendan Brazier Shared His Secrets to Optimum Health, Energy, and Youth

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 03:41:27 PDT

Beyond being a professional triathlon competitor, Brendan Brazier has covered his nutritional bases. Brendan's the creator of the "Thrive Diet," a nutritional plan to improve performance and recovery and has developed Vega shakes, a line of nutrient rich vegan protein shakes. He regularly tours the US to give speeches about how to have optimal health. The author of two books, Brendan will release Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health on Sept. 6. While on the road, Brendan talked to us about his favorite foods, how he stays young, and how to have abundant energy.

FitSugar: What is one food that you crave for every meal?
Brendan Brazier: I like greens – anything high in minerals and chlorophyll, like kale, spinach, broccoli, algae, and spirulina. Greens are highly alkaline-forming, which helps reduce inflammation. For an athlete, that's huge. Green are high in protein too, but a lot of people don't know that dark greens are 45 percent protein. Some algae is up to 65 percent protein.

FS: Do you have any guilty pleasures when it comes to food?
BB: I really don't. I've eaten this way for so long that my palate really does crave greens and good stuff. Once in a while I'll have some brown rice, which is not bad at all, but when you compare the nutrient density to other things like greens, it is less nutrient dense.

6 Weekend Weight-Loss Tips to Slim Down

Shape — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:44:06 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

After a week of spartan lunches, rigorous workouts, and sleep-depriving presentations, it's easy to feel you've earned a happy hour margarita and a plate of cheesy nachos. But topping off a tough week in this way can undo all your hard work and even pack on the pounds. According to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, women consume about 115 more calories on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday than they do on weekdays. "Those extra 300 to 400 calories can leave you nine pounds heavier by the year's end," says Barry Popkin, Ph.D., the study's lead author. Fortunately, when armed with the right advice, it's possible to avoid the most common dietary traps while savoring that delicious downtime. And you may even wake up on Monday a little slimmer. Not a bad way to start the week!

FRIDAY

Overdoing It at Happy Hour
Alcohol isn't only high in calories, it also diminishes resolve - making it harder to keep your hands out of the pretzel bowl.

Keep reading to see the solution to this and many more weekend dilemmas!