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Healthy Holiday Eating: Keep a Food Journal

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:22 -0800

If the thought of decadent holiday food is stressing you out already, take control and try keeping track of your holiday eating with a food journal. It seems simple, but by writing down what you're eating throughout the day, you'll develop a real awareness of what you're putting in your body. A treat here and there, if you're not keeping track, can feel like it's no big deal, but writing it down will give you a real record of what you've eaten and make it easier to judge if you really do want dessert.

As a trial, test out how food journaling works for you over Thanksgiving, and if it seems to boost your healthy eating habits, keep it going through Christmas and the New Year. Plus, you can make it even easier to keep track by using your phone to journal, or if you decide to get into it, pick up one of these inconspicuous little journals or try an iPhone app. You might just find that this is a health trick you want to stick with.

Smarter Eats: Taste the Rainbow

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:00:20 -0700

Eating whole foods with different colors is an easy way to get the nutrients your body needs. Pigments in fruits and veggies contain essential antioxidants that protect against cancer, promote brain health, regulate cholesterol, and act as anti-inflammatories. The more intense the color, the greater the good stuff.

Don't be monochromatic either, each pigment provides different benefits. For example, orange foods contain carotene, which protect skin and aid in enzyme production, while the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene helps give tomatoes their red color.

The next time you plan a meal see if you can get all the colors of the rainbow - red, green, yellow, blue, orange - onto your plate.

Smarter Eats: Don't Be a Slave to the Label

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:27 -0700

Michael Pollan's food rules and the news that we're not eating enough fruits and veggies has me inspired. I'm resolving to always make conscious food choices that will improve my diet.

One tip I learned from Chow is to eat things that don't have a label. I know that all packaged food isn't bad, but a lot of it is processed, or synthetic versions of whole foods. Even a lot of packaged "healthy" has been altered in some way. If I can, I try and make the real deal at home or buy my food from the farmers market, bakery, or my local butcher. By skipping the label I'm getting more whole, healthy, natural food and less processed, chemically altered, unpronounceable stuff. I also cut back on a ton of packaging!

The next time you're out shopping see if you can cut back on labels, too - you'll find that you have a better idea of exactly what you're putting into your body.

Food Network's New Show Is Not About Competitive Eating

partysugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:51:22 -0700

Yesterday the Internet was abuzz with rumors about the Food Network's new competitive eating show.

However, I spoke with a source at the network today, and she informed me that, contrary to gossip, the Food Network is not filming a competitive eating series. According to PR manager Lisa Krueger, the show is more like a culinary version of The Amazing Race. Called Eat the Clock, Krueger says it will feature "two teams who will race through a variety of culinary hot spots and compete in challenges for the ultimate chowhound smack-down." Apparently the words "ultimate chowhound smack-down" were mistaken for competitive eating.

While I find competitive eating to be quite disgusting, a show about it has the potential to be a hit. Still, I'm interested to see what Eat the Clock is about. Will you watch? Are you more inclined to watch if competitive eating were involved?

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Healthy Eating Tip: Text Your Food to DIET1

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:00:44 -0700

Deciding what you want to eat at a restaurant can be hard, especially when nutritional information is not easily accessible. In situations like this, just send a text message to DIET1 (34381). Include the restaurant and the menu item in your message, and the service will respond with a text containing the information you requested. I tried it out (several times) and it's really speedy, not to mention a little addictive. The database covers over 36,000 foods from 1,700 restaurants in North America, so try it out the next time you are dining out.

Until then, see how much you know without the help of your phone with this little calorie quiz on some of our favorite foods.

Would You Consider Entering A Food Eating Contest?

partysugar — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 09:03:38 -0700

Watching this video of our very own 7bits win a peach pie eating contest makes me wonder just how much I could eat for a prize. Do you think you could do it? Would you consider entering a food eating contest?

Healthy Ways to Deal With Thanksgiving Leftovers

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:00:37 -0800

Thanksgiving never seems to be a one-day affair, at least not the food part. Properly stored, leftovers can last up to four days, beckoning you to eat more, more, and then some! This Thanksgiving, resist the urge to overindulge by finding healthier alternatives for your T-day leftovers. Here are a few of our ideas - share your own in the comments section below.

Get rid of them. Buy some inexpensive containers before your meal to pack up leftovers for guests and send friends and family home with the most decadent dishes.
Make a healthy salad. Turkey is packed full of protein and tastes great on a salad. Use leftover cranberry sauce to make a healthy dressing - mix a dab with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Make a turkey curry. Turkey is great in a curry because it easily soaks up the flavors of a sauce. Try using turkey instead of the tofu in our Indian-Spiced Chard recipe.

For more healthy leftover ideas, read more.

Make turkey stock. I always like to have broth or stock on hand because it adds a ton of flavor to my cooking and can be the base of a variety of dishes. Storebought broth usually has a ton of added salt, so I think it's best to make your own. Save the carcass of the bird and break it up into a large stock pot, then add mirepoix, garlic, and savory herbs. Cover the entire mixture by at least two inches of water and let simmer for five hours. If the water level falls below the ingredients, add more liquid to the mix. Cool quickly, store in the refrigerator, or freeze.
Use turkey stock to make a delicious soup. Cut up any extra veggies you have leftover from your T-day meal or ingredients, add some barley or brown rice, throw it in your stock, and you've got a simple, tasty soup.
Puree leftover vegetables. Healthy vegetable side dishes are great to have after Thanksgiving, but give them new life and puree them. A veggie puree can be the base of a soup or pasta sauce. Veggie purees can also add moisture to baked goods.
Make an open-faced sandwich. Everybody loves the day after Thanksgiving sandwich. Make your sandwich healthier by only using one slice of bread.

Healthy Eating Tip: Three Is the Magic Number

FitSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:00:00 -0700

When it comes to eating healthy, you don't always need to limit yourself. In fact, you really shouldn't limit yourself to just one food at meal times. You should aim to eat three different types of foods at each meal, and not just any food but three nutritionally dense foods. You know, foods that provide the most nutrients with the least amount of calories.

I think this is a great way to eat but find this concept most difficult to follow at breakfast; I have been working on it. I have a whole wheat waffle with yogurt and half a grapefruit. I am eating three different foods and getting some fiber, calcium, protein and vitamin C. For lunch, similarly don't just have an all lettuce salad - add some protein and some cheese or a whole grain roll. Adding a variety of foods to each meal will help cover some gaps in your nutrition.

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Eat Less Calories: Care Less About Wasting Food

FitSugar — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 14:00:00 -0700

If you're anything like me, and if your parents were anything like mine, then you probably have a major fear of wasting food.

In theory, eating everything on your plate sounds like good economics but it's not good if you're calorie counting. The thing is, eating the last bites of your kid's chopped up hot dog is not doing anyone any favors, except maybe the person who collects dues at your gym. Consider this: 1/4 of a hot dog is 45 calories and 1/4 of an easy mac package is 57 calories, both of which you are just meaninglessly eating. So steer clear and if it's just too tempting, then give your kids less on their plate and when they ask, give them more.

If you are noticing that you yourself constantly have leftover food on your plate when eating out, then try ordering kids meals or bringing what you can't eat home for leftovers.

Also, if you buy something and don't like it, then don't eat it just because you feel like you should. Afraid of wasting? Start composting, it's a great way to throw out food without feeling terrible about it. Still worried about the kids starving in Africa? Then instead of stuffing your face on their behalf, donate money to charitable organizations like ONE, the campaign to make poverty history.

8 Foods Men Should Eat Every Day

FitSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:30:00 -0700

Best Life Magazine has compiled a list of eight foods that men should be eating every day. I know this list is made with men in mind, but these are foods women may want to consider adding to their diets as well. So while you're throwing a few blueberries on top of his cereal in the morning, you may want to add a few to yours as well.

Spinach: It may be green and leafy, but spinach is also the ultimate man food. This noted biceps builder is a rich source of plant-based omega-3s and folate, which help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. Bonus (for him, I suppose): Folate also increases blood flow to the penis. And spinach is packed with lutein, a compound that fights age-related macular degeneration.
Yogurt: Various cultures claim yogurt as their own creation, but the 2,000-year-old food’s health benefits are not disputed: Fermentation spawns hundreds of millions of probiotic organisms that serve as reinforcements to the battalions of beneficial bacteria in your body, which boost the immune system and provide protection against cancer. Not all yogurts are probiotic though, so make sure the label says “live and active cultures.”

There are more foods you may not have thought about so read more

Tomatoes: There are two things you need to know about tomatoes: Red are the best, because they’re packed with more of the antioxidant lycopene, and processed tomatoes are just as potent as fresh ones, because it’s easier for the body to absorb the lycopene. Studies show that a diet rich in lycopene can decrease your risk of bladder, lung, prostate, skin, and stomach cancers, as well as reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.
Carrots: Most red, yellow, or orange vegetables and fruits are spiked with carotenoids-fat-soluble compounds that are associated with a reduction in a wide range of cancers, as well as reduced risk and severity of inflammatory conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis-but none are as easy to prepare, or have as low a caloric density, as carrots.
Blueberries: Host to more antioxidants than any other popular fruit, blueberries help prevent cancer, diabetes, and age-related memory changes (hence the nickname “brain berry”). Studies show that blueberries, which are rich in fiber and vitamins A and C, boost cardiovascular health.
Black Beans: All beans are good for your heart, but none can boost your brain power like black beans. That’s because they’re full of anthocyanins, antioxidant compounds that have been shown to improve brain function.
Walnuts: Richer in heart-healthy omega-3s than salmon, loaded with more anti-inflammatory polyphenols than red wine, and packing half as much muscle-building protein as chicken, the walnut sounds like a Frankenfood, but it grows on trees. Other nuts combine only one or two of these features, not all three.
Oats: The éminence grise of health food, oats garnered the FDA’s first seal of approval. They are packed with soluble fiber, which lowers the risk of heart disease. Yes, oats are loaded with carbs, but the release of those sugars is slowed by the fiber, and because oats also have 10 grams of protein per ½-cup serving, they deliver steady muscle-building energy.

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