FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Best Foods For Runners

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

You guys picked running as one of your favorite sports, and while it's great, it can also drain your energy if you're not eating properly. If you're a runner, be sure to fuel up using Health's picks for the top foods for runners, rounded up in this slideshow.

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Food Review: Almond Nut-Thins

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:00 -0700

I have a friend who can't eat foods that contain gluten, and the other night I was having a little dinner party. I wanted to make sure she could eat the cheese and crackers, too, so I decided to pick up some gluten-free Almond Nut-Thins. I've definitely eaten some not-so-great gluten-free foods in my day, so how did these taste? To find out

Healthy Recipe: Almond Macaroons for Passover or Anytime

FitSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:30:00 -0700

Passover begins this weekend and that means macaroon time. If you're looking for a more traditional recipe than the recipe I posted last year for Almond Macaroons, then check out this recipe. This recipe is a bit more traditional since these macaroons are made with shredded coconut, sliced almonds, and egg whites. Plus they're cholesterol free (yes, coconut is cholesterol free). Shredded coconut and sliced almonds add a little fiber to these cookies, which we all could use.

To check out the recipe, just

Nutty About Nuts

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:30:00 -0700

I think of nuts as little nuggets of energy, since ounce per ounce they are one of the most nutritionally dense foods around. Nuts are high in protein, but unlike meat, they are low in saturated fat. Also absent from nuts – cholesterol. Instead nuts contain phytosterols, which are considered heart healthy since they help to lower cholesterol.

We all know that variety is the spice of life, and this philosophy holds true for nuts. Not only do they vary in taste and shape, but they each have fairly unique nutritional properties too.

Here's a little lesson on nut nutrition:

Almonds: An ancestor to stone fruits, the almond is high in vitamin E. Vitamin E is considered a powerful antioxidant that helps prevents cells from damaging oxidative stress that has been linked not only to heart disease, but to Alzheimer’s as well.
Brazil Nuts: Just one of these large nuts exceeds the daily requirement intake (RDI) for the mineral selenium. The mineral selenium is also an antioxidant proven to reduce the risk of cancer.

To learn about three more nuts just

What Does Your RDI Look Like: Calcium

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Drink Your Milk. Milk Does a Body Good. Got Milk?

Alright already, so we know we are supposed to be getting calcium daily, and dairy products do contain this valuable mineral, but you can find calcium in many other foods including broccoli, almonds, salmon, and fortified orange juice. Try to get your calcium from the food you eat, rather than supplements, since a new study shows that it's better for your bones.

For women over the age of 19, we should be getting 1,000 mg of calcium a day. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. It is also vital in daily body functions like muscle contraction and relaxation, blood clotting, and the transmission of nerve impulses. Our bodies do not produce it, so we need to get it from the foods we eat, or from supplements. If we don't get enough, our bodies will drain calcium from our bones, leading to osteoporosis.

Are you getting enough? To help you figure that out, I made a chart listing a variety of foods and the amount of calcium they contain. To check it out

More LARABAR Love

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:30:00 -0700

You know what a huge fan I am of LARABARs. I love how they taste, but most importantly, I love that the ingredients are just fruit and nuts.

Another thing I love is that there are so many different flavors to choose from like Cashew Cookie and Chocolate. I recently tried Banana Cookie. Want to take a peek at the nutritional info? Then

Go Nuts! Eat Healthy Fats

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Women are scared of FAT. We think that if we eat fat, we'll become fat. It's true that certain types of fat are unhealthy for us. Trans fat should be avoided like cigarettes. Also, foods high in saturated fat like butter, cream, sausage, bologna, and bacon can clog up your arteries, so moderation is key when it comes to those fats.

Then there are unsaturated fats. Nuts, olives, olive and canola oil, avocado, and pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds all contain these healthy fats. Some people avoid nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews, and peanuts because of their high fat content, but most of the fat is monounsaturated (a kind of unsaturated fat) - which can actually lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and maintain HDL (good) cholesterol.

Besides lowering LDL cholesterol, nuts are great sources of protein, fiber, Vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, potassium, riboflavin, and selenium.

Fit's Tips: Try to include a variety of these heart healthy fats in your diet. You can replace unhealthy saturated fats with these healthy fats by spreading peanut or almond butter on your toast instead of butter. Also instead of adding chocolate chips to your cookies, add walnuts. You can also eat snacks that contain nuts such as LARABARs and KIND Fruit + Nut bars.

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Calcium Quiz

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:45:00 -0700

We all know calcium is an important mineral for strong teeth and bones, and will help ward off osteoporosis. It's so important for women to get enough calcium in their diets, but do you know what foods are high in calcium.

How Much Calcium is in That?

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:30:00 -0700

The RDA of calcium for women over 19 years old is about 1,000 mg a day.

So do you get enough? In order to answer that question, you need to know how much calcium is in the foods you eat.

Dairy products are a great source of calcium, but they're not the only source. Here's a list so you can figure out just how much calcium you get in a day.

If you find that you aren't getting nearly enough, try to add some high-calcium foods into your diet. You can also think about taking calcium supplements.

Food	Amount of Calcium in milligrams (mg)
1 cup of milk	300
6 oz of yogurt	350
1 oz hard cheese (cheddar)	240
2 slices processed cheese	265
1/4 cup cottage cheese	120
1/2 cup soft serve frozen yogurt	100
1/2 cup ice cream	85
1/2 cup tofu	258
1/2 cup pinto beans or chick peas	40
1/4 cup almonds	95
1 Tbsp almond butter	43

Want to see what other foods contain calcium? Then

Endangered Species Chocolate

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:04:17 -0800

Endangered Species Chocolate isn't only sweet treats with cute animals on the packaging. Nope. They donate 10 percent of their net profits to support organizations involved in the conservation of species, habitat and humanity. This chocolate company believes all life is precious and deserves respect, kindness, and care. This Reverence for Life ethic is at the heart of their business practices.

They use cocoa that is 100 percent ethically traded. Grown in forests in Nigeria, the farmers determine a fair price for their cocoa crops. By buying Endangered Species chocolate, you support sustainable forest farmland and the species that flourish there.

Now let's get to the chocolate. They make 3 oz bars, named after different endangered animals. My favorites are the sea turtle bar, made with dark chocolate and dried blueberries, and the wolf bar, made with dark chocolate, dried cranberries, and almonds.

They also have amazing milk chocolate like the dolphin bar made with dried cherries. If you're a white chocolate fan, they make the polar bear bar made with macadamia nuts. For something different, try the Eco Rounds, yum!

Their chocolate is really reasonably priced too. Look for it in your local health food store. You'll feel good knowing you're treating yourself while helping to support the world and its creatures.

The Skinny On: Almonds

FitSugar — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:35:00 -0800

Almonds are high up there up in the food chain, literally. These nutritionally dense nuts provide a whole lot of goodness.

One one-ounce serving of raw almonds (or about a handful) packs a ton of health benefits such as: vitamin c, magnesium, monounsaturated fat (one of the "good" fats that can also be found in olive oil), protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, iron and antioxidants. What a nut!

To find out why you should start eating a handful a day,

Snack Attack: Not So Devilish Eggs

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 09:00:00 -0800

Ingredients:
1 dozen eggs
1 16 oz. container of Hummus (you can go with any variety you want)
A few pinches of Paprika
A handful of slivered almonds

*Hard boil the eggs. Cut the eggs in halves (length-wise) and remove the yolk. Fill the hole where the yolk was in each half with a scoop of hummus. Top with a few raw, slivered almonds and a pinch of paprika. Do this for each egg half.

Why we like it: Deviled eggs are a typical and easy snack but hardly a healthy one due to the yolk and mayonnaise concoction that makes the deviled egg so devilish.
Hummus (rather than a yolk-mayo mixture) cuts the fat and adds iron.
Paprika adds a bit of Lycopene.
Almonds provide some good fats (yup, such a thing exists) that help lower cholesterol.
Egg whites are always a great source of protein.

*How to hard boil an egg: Put all the eggs in a pot and cover fully with cold water. Cook until water boils. Then boil the eggs for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse under cold water.

Talk about a healthy snack.