FitSugar

What Counts Toward Your Daily Fruit and Vegetable Intake?

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:30:00 -0700

Several fruits and vegetables come into their prime during the Spring and Summer seasons, making it cheaper and easier for us to reach our daily requirements. Striving to eat five colors a day is a fun way to meet your nutritional needs, but do you know what size portions you should be eating to fulfill your daily five? Take the quiz to find out!

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Healthy Eating Tip: Add Up Your Fruits and Veggies First

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:00 -0800

It is National Nutrition Month and time for us all to rededicate ourselves to eating right. One simple way to improve your diet is to make sure you're eating five or more servings of fruits and veggies a day.

Before eating, I like to add up how many servings of fruits and veggies I have eaten already for the day. This tally inspires me to eat more produce. If I am out for dinner, taking inventory of my earlier meals reminds me to order a salad. If I am in a veggie deficit, when at home, I might make a stir-fry for dinner. A couple of Cuties clementines, my favorite mandarin oranges, make a tasty dessert and often push me over my daily quota of fruit and veg.

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Healthy Eating Tip: Add Fruit to Your Cereal

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:00:00 -0700

I've been working really hard to get in my five-a-day and one of the easiest ways for me is with breakfast. Usually, I like to have a big bowl of cereal in the mornings and lately I've been buying tasty blueberries and raspberries and tossing them into my cereal. They're both in season and cheaper than usual. I know that a lot of people may already do this strictly for taste, but it's also a fabulous way to sneak in another serving (or two) of fruit into your day.

Do you have any sneaky ways to get in a few more servings of fruits and vegetables into your day?

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Get Your Five-a-Day In-Season

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

I usually figure out what fruits and veggies are in season when I shop at the farmers market. Unfortunately, that is not the only place I buy food. Since I prefer eating locally grown and seasonal produce it is a little problematic when I am trying to eat my five a day. You can imagine my excitement when I recently stumbled across the Seasonal Ingredient Map from Epicurious that makes figuring out which fruits and vegetables are in season each month for each state painless. It's easy to use, very helpful, and not to mention fun, so check it out here.

Five-a-Day Lowers Risk of Lung Cancer

FitSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you're not already eating your five servings of fruits and vegetables a day then you may want to start, especially if you're a smoker.

New research has found that people who ate three servings of vegetables a day were 1.6 times less likely to develop lung cancer than those who didn't eat three servings. People who ate three or more servings of fruit were one-fold less likely to develop lung cancer. Researchers think that this is due to the fact that fruits and vegetables contain flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that stop the development of blood vessels that feed tumors.

Now that's not to say that if you are a smoker that eating fruits and vegetables can enable you to continue smoking and still be protected against lung cancer. The absolute best defense against lung cancer (not to mention a whole slough of other health risks associated with smoking) is to quit smoking altogether.

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Fruit & Vegetable of the Month Club: Cactus

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:45:00 -0700

If you are getting bored with the same old fruits and veggies you're eating with your five-a-day plan, then you may want to start learning about some more unusual items that you may want to add to your diet now and again.

The FDC's Fruit & Vegetable of the Month Club is a great reference for trying out new stuff. There is a new featured fruit or vegetable each month complete with a recipe. One of this month's featured veggies is cactus, something I would have never thought to add to my diet. However cactus pads actually contain beta carotene, iron, some B vitamins, and are good sources of both vitamin C and calcium.

Want to learn an easy recipe for making cactus? Then read more

Sautèed Nopales, Peppers and Corn
Makes 4 servings
Each serving equals 2 cups of fruit or vegetables

Ingredients

1 large red bell pepper
1 large green bell pepper
1 large onion
1 Tbsp trans-fat free butter
4 small ears of small summer corn
½ lb fresh, firm edible cactus, deprickered, cut in ¼ to ½-inch dice
finely minced cilantro or parsley

Halve peppers, then remove seeds and stems. Cut into ¼–½ inch squares. Cut onions the same size. Cook both vegetables in butter in a heavy pan over moderate heat until just softened.

Shuck corn, than cut from cob. Add edible cactus and corn to peppers and onion; stir over high heat until vegetables are cooked through, but firm-tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs and serve hot.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories 184, Protein 6g, Fat 4g, Calories From Fat 20%, Cholesterol 8mg, Carbohydrates 32g, Fiber 4g, Sodium 29mg.

(via FruitsandVeggiesMatter.com)

Print recipe with images | without images

Now I'm going to have to go ask YumSugar where the heck I need to go to buy edible cactus...

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To Refrigerate or Not: That is The Question

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Maybe you're on a quest to get your five fruits and vegetables in a day, but the darn things go bad before you even get a chance to enjoy them. What gives?

According to VegetarianTimes.com, some fruits emit ethylene, an odorless, colorless gas that speeds ripening and can lead to the premature decay of nearby ethylene-sensitive vegetables. So the first trick to keeping produce fresh is to separate produce that emits ethylene from produce that's sensitive to it and know which to refrigerate and which not to refrigerate.

REFRIGERATE these gas releasers
Apples
Apricots
Cantaloupe
Figs
Honeydew

What shouldn't you refrigerate and what shouldn't be kept in contact with others? Then read more

DON'T REFRIGERATE these gas releasers
Avocados
Bananas, unripe
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Plums
Tomatoes

KEEP THESE AWAY from all gas releasers
Bananas, ripe
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Lettuce and other leafy greens
Parsley
Peas
Peppers
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Watermelon

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Give Back While You Shop With CB2's "Can Do" Drive

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

Last year, CB2 had tremendous success with its "can do" drive, helping to stock food banks in the neighborhoods close to its stores. This year, the "can do" drive is back. From today through Nov. 25, bring five nonperishable items into the store and receive 15 percent off your purchases for that day. All food collected will be directly contributed to a local food bank.

My local CB2 will be contributing to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. You can check here to see which charity your local CB2 will benefit during the drive. And meanwhile, make sure to head out to a store soon, with your five cans in hand. Not only will you feel good about providing food for needy families during the holiday season, but you'll also feel darn good about that discount. See below for some of my favorite CB2 items that I'll be shopping for when I bring in my nonperishables this week.

What to Know About the Extended Homebuyers Tax Credit

SavvySugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:00:09 -0800

Stimulating the economy is the motivation behind many discussions and decisions coming from the White House these days. The original $8,000 first-time homebuyers credit was developed with economic improvement in mind, and the measure's popularity led to President Obama signing an extension and expansion of the credit on Friday.

The tax credit was scheduled to expire on Dec. 1, but the new version comes with a later date and widens the range of those eligible to claim the credit. Learn more about the new tax credit when you read more.

Homebuyers must sign a contract before April 30 and close on the home by June 30.
The previous credit was limited to first-time buyers or buyers who haven't owned a home in the past three years. The new version has been expanded to include those who have owned a home for five out of the past eight years and want to buy a new one.
First-time homebuyers are still eligible to receive the $8,000, while existing homeowners can qualify for a $6,500 tax credit.
The income limits have been significantly raised. With the previous credit, single people making more than $75,000 or couples earning more than $150,000 didn't qualify for the full credit. Under the new version, single buyers can earn up to $125,000 while a married couple can earn $225,000 and still get the full credit.

Are you hoping to take advantage of the extended homebuyers tax credit?

David Kirsch's Boot Camp Circuit Workout

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:30:34 -0800

We are headed straight for the ultimate day of American indulgence, Thanksgiving, which if followed by a month of festivities closing out the year. New York based trainer David Kirsch created a workout to help FitSugar readers stay on track this holiday season. He's helped Heidi Klum bounce back post baby, so he can definitely help us all tone up. David's circuit boot camp is intense, fun, and sure to burn calories. Here's how to follow the workout.

Instructions: Work through the entire circuit doing 15 to 20 reps of each exercise. Then repeat entire circuit twice more for a total of three sets. Your goal is to complete three full sets in 45 minutes. Props needed: a set of three- to five-pound dumbbells, a four- to six-pound medicine ball, and an exercise ball to fit your height.
Source: WireImage

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