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Top Healthy Fast Food Breakfast Choices

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, but should you skip it if there is nothing but fast food joints on the horizon? Not so much. The good news is that Yahoo Food has done the dirty work for us and come up with the best fast food breakfast items at some of the most notorious fast food joints. You may be pleasantly surprised, so here are highlights on a few healthy fast food breakfast ideas:

McDonald's:

Fruit n' Yogurt Parfait with Granola: 160 calories, 2g fat (1g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 85mg sodium, 1g fiber, 4g protein
Snack Size Fruit and Walnut Salad: 210 calories, 8g fat (1.5g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium, 2g fiber, 4g protein

Starbucks:

Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta, and Egg Wrap: (It's a little high in fat but compensates with lots of fiber and protein.) 240 calories, 10g fat (3.5g saturated), 140mg cholesterol, 730mg sodium, 7g fiber, 13g protein
A Skinny Latte and a package of SB's dried fruit and nut mix: Latte (12-oz. "tall"): 90 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 5mg cholesterol, 125mg sodium, 0g fiber, 0g protein, Fruit/nut packet: 150 calories, 9g fat (1g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 100mg sodium, 2g fiber, 4g protein

There are more including choices from Jamba Juice and Dunkin' Donuts so

Starbucks Is Getting Skinny

FitSugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Realizing that people are willing to forgo the four dollars for a 700 calorie mocha for a dollar-fifty cup of coffee with milk that has much less calories, Starbucks will be adding a new beverage to their already long list of drinks. Welcome the “Skinny," a nonfat Latte made with sugar-free syrup. Starbucks is also adding a new sugar-free syrup flavor — Mocha — to the current selection of Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, and Cinnamon Dolce.

Why is this cool? Well the tall (12 fl. oz.) Caffè Latte or Caffè Mocha ordered with sugar-free syrup, steamed nonfat milk, and foam contains only 90 calories. If customers replace their daily tall Starbucks Vanilla Latte with a Skinny Vanilla Latte they would save 700 calories and 35 grams of fat per week! Swapping out a daily, tall Caffè Mocha (made with 2% milk and no whip) for a Skinny Mocha would save 550 calories and 30 grams of fat per week. This means that Starbucks has finally taken the guess work out of figuring out how to get a yummy coffee without tons of calories. Look for the Skinny to be hitting Starbucks nationwide starting January 2008.

Source

Starbucks Holiday Drinks Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:45:00 -0800

When you're out running holiday errands, do you stop at Starbucks for a little pick-me-up? Let me tell you: Those cups are full of more than holiday cheer; some of the drinks pack in an amazing amount of calories and fat into a 16 ounce cup. Not surprisingly, that Eggnog Latte is the worst offender, but thankfully it doesn't come with whipped cream. Even without the extra dollop of saturated fat, this holiday latte contains almost 25 percent of your daily caloric intake.

Want to see the caloric damage one holiday-themed Grande can do? Then

A Week in Review: FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:00:00 -0800

In cased you missed it, here is what we've been talking about.

Check out the latest in the Sugar sites, LilSugar!

Take the quiz to win a $100 gift card to Whole Foods!

A mommy wins the NYC marathon for the ladies while Katie Holmes and Lance Armstrong finish a bit later.

Speaking of marathons, do you think Oprah ruined the marathon's reputation?

If you're not into running, here is a great workout on the elliptical.

Julia Roberts knows the importance of good humor and good genes.

Eva Longoria paired up with Bebe Sport, but how sporty is it really?

When you're running, here is a great video for tying your shoes properly.

If you're thinking about Italian food anytime soon, you might want to check out this Romano's Macaroni Grill Breakdown.

And while we're at it, here is the breakdown of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Snowboarding season is coming soon, start training for it with these great exercises.

I'm curious, how often do you use fitness DVDs? Also, which snow sport are you most excited for? Finally, which cardio machine is your favorite?

Here are some ways to curb your nighttime snacking.

What does a serving size look like anyway?

And the healthiest state in the nation is...

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

'Tis the season of seasonal drinks, and coffee is no exception. Starbucks is now offering a Pumpkin Spice Latte, just in time for Thanksgiving. They explain the drink as "a delicious blend of pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavors combined with our signature espresso and freshly steamed milk, and topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices."

I don't know about you, but I am not that interested in blending my latte with pumpkin spices. I would drink my coffee and have my pie on the side. Just in case you are headed to Starbucks to try this latte, you might want to know what you are about to get into calorie-wise.

Flavor (Grande 16 oz.)	Calories	Fat calories	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)
Pumpkin Spice Latte, Non Fat, No Whip	260	5	50	48
Pumpkin Spice Latte Whole Milk Fat, With Whip	380	13	51	49
Caffe Latte, Non Fat, No Whip	130	0	19	18

I included a regular ol' non fat latte so you could see that the pumpkin spice flavoring adds 130 calories if you order the non fat version of the flavored drink. Not to mention there's an extra 30 grams of sugar added too. Of course, I think if you are going to try the seasonal drink you will order it with non fat milk and no whipped cream. Right?

Starbucks Star Breakdown

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Celebrities love their Starbucks and, being FitSugar, I am a bit obsessed with how liquid calories often go unnoticed in our daily calorie intake. So, when it comes the the stars, I am always amazed at who's drinking what these days.

In light of this, I've taken a look at some of our favorite celebs drinking some of our favorite beverages and I've broken down who's making healthy choices and who's not. (One star is the worst choice, three stars is the best choice.)

Star	Starbucks Beverage	Calories	Star Rating
Britney Spears	Vanilla Bean Frappuccino (w/ caramel)	390	1/2 Star
Ashton Kutcher	Iced Soy Latte	85	Two Stars
Sophia Bush	Tazo Green Shaken Iced Tea	60	Three Stars
Ben Affleck	Tazo Passion Shaken Iced Tea	60	Three Stars
Lindsay Lohan	Iced Lemonade	162	One Star
Jennifer Garner	Iced Coffee (black)	60	Three Stars

All calculations are based on a tall or 12-ounce drink.

Pacific Coast News

A Week In Review: FitSugar Roundup

FitSugar — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Here are 10 tips to keep you moving when it's hot outside.

Curious to know your fitness horoscope?

If you are dieting you should check out the foods that can bust your diet.

Catch up on your sleep this weekend - being tired can affect your athletic performance.

Since it is summer time and it is the weekend, why not try Sun Salutation B.

I am curious to know at what point of your life did you start working out? Take the poll and tell me.

Go to Starbucks much? You should check out this breakdown of the new Orange Frappuccino.

Learn what Jessica Simpson did to get in shape for her upcoming movie role.

Naomi Campbell and donuts: I want to know how you feel about slim celebs endorsing junk food.

The Butterfly Pose is great for stretching out your hips.

Looking for motivation? Check out how this guy lost 100s of pounds.

Starbucks Orange Frappuccino Breakdown

FitSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 04:00:00 -0700

Summer is upon us and Starbucks has created a new flavored Frappuccino to entice you. Cool coffee drinks in the heat seem like a good idea, but their new featured beverage the Orange Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème, doesn't even contain coffee. Nope, it's a glorified dreamsicle milkshake. I am not knocking the flavor, but the calories seem a bit high, though you can always opt for the Light version made with Splenda. The Light option has no whip. No siree bob...if you get the light version, you will get no whip. In my opinion, all these drinks should be ordered with NO WHIP, since the whipped cream adds a lot of additional calories to the drinks.

Here's the breakdown of the Orange drinks now featured at Starbucks.

Flavor (Tall 12 oz.)	Calories	Fat calories	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)
Orange Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème No Whip	250	15	51	42
Orange Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème with Whip	330	90	53	44
Orange Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee No Whip	230	25	47	40
Orange Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee with Whip	310	100	49	40
Orange Crème Frappuccino® Light Blended Crème	110	0	25	20

All these drinks contain a lot of sugar, even the light version has 20 grams which is roughly 4 teaspoons. Too much sugar for my taste. Plus, I generally want and/or need the caffeine so I will stick with my simple iced coffee.

The Skinny On: Natural Trans Fats

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 02:30:00 -0700

Fat. It keeps us full. It flavors our food. It gives us energy. It also clogs our arteries and raises our cholesterol levels. While some fats are better than others, others are just plain bad for you - like trans fats.

Trans fats are generally formed when liquid vegetable oils go through a chemical process called hydrogenation. Hydrogen is added to oils to make them more solid and food processors love to use them to extend the shelf life of food, as well as to better taste and texture. Not all trans fats are manufactured though, some do occur naturally, in small amounts. They can be found in some meat, a quarter pound of ground beef has 1.33 grams of trans fat, and one cup of milk has .24 grams.

Fear not New Yorkers, the city is only banning artificial trans fats, so you will still be able to eat cheeseburgers in the Big Apple. The truth is, the majority of Americans eat more artificial trans fat than the naturally occurring kind,

The FDA, however, has a different take, and they group all trans fats, be they artificially or naturally occurring, all the same. In 2006, the FDA began requiring manufacturers to list on their products if they contain a half a gram or more of trans fat per serving. The amount must be included on the food label and the food can’t be called trans fat-free, even if butter (naturally occurring) is the only fat. Another reason to read ingredients carefully.

Want to know about trans fat and Starbucks? Then

Starbucks: Testing 2% Milk

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:15:00 -0800

Ordering a drink at Starbucks can be so tricky - I still do not have a handle on their sizing. Why not just use small, medium and large like everyone else?

Well the huge coffee chain might just be making the ordering process a little easier - at least when it comes to the kind of milk they use. Starbucks is going to test 2% milk as the default milk customers get when ordering a drink, as opposed to whole milk. This will cut the fat intake of each drink significantly. They are trying the switch at about 300 stores in four key markets: Orange County, California; Jacksonville, Florida; Oregon; and London, Ontario.

I still think it is better to go even lower than 2% milk fat and choose 1% milk (a.k.a. low fat) or non-fat when ordering a latte and to steer clear of all those fancy seasonal mochas. Starbucks does seem to be trying to change its reputation towards a healthy coffee joint. I would love to see this change happen all over the country.

Starbucks: The Healthiest Place on Earth?

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:15:00 -0800

Starbucks has announced that it is going to be making its U.S. coffee houses free of an artificial growth hormone (rBGH) used in dairies to increase milk production.

Why should we care? rBGH is given to dairy cows to increase the level of another growth hormone in both cows and humans known as IGF-1, and the elevated levels of IGF-1 has been associated with increased cancer rates. Growth hormone supplements are also thought to be harmful to the dairy cows. The dairy products involved will include fluid milk, half-and-half, whipping cream and eggnog.

This follows the recent news that Starbucks is also moving to rid its stores of artery clogging trans fat.

Starbucks: Trans Fat Free

FitSugar — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:47:40 -0800

Seattle's very own specialty coffee powerhouse is going trans fat free in 10 states starting Wednesday.

Starbucks has announced they will be cutting trans fats from the doughnuts, muffins and other treats in half of its U.S. stores. The other half of the stores will follow suit eventually but it will take some time, as the company adjusts recipes with regional bakers and food suppliers. Apparently the decision has nothing to do with the recent trend in banning trans fats in NYC, theme parks and fast food joints, Starbucks says they've been working on getting rid of the trans fat for over two years now.

Now if they could only be a little more upfront about how brutally high in calories the seasonal drinks can be. Or how about lowering the prices a little?

I guess we can't always have it all, but this is a great start.

Starbucks Holiday Drinks Breakdown: Not So Cheery After All

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 03:00:00 -0800

I was in Starbucks yesterday and I saw that their 3 new holiday flavors are back. If you're saying to yourself, whoopeeee then you better think again.

These fun holiday beverages not only bring you extra holiday cheer but they also bring you extra calories (and lots of them). Check out the stats on these 16 oz. Grandes.

Gingerbread Latte with whip has 430 calories, 22 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 43 grams of carbs and 40 grams of sugar.
Peppermint Mocha has 470 calories, 22 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 61 grams of carbs and 51 grams of sugar.
Eggnog Latte has 510 calories, 29 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 43 grams of carbs and 39 grams of sugar.

Fit's Tip: If the holidays just aren't the holidays without a festive drink from Starbucks, then you should definitely ask for it with non fat milk and no whip.