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How Much Fiber is in That: Vegetables

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:30:00 -0700

All this talk about fiber. We all know we should be getting enough - at least 25 grams of fiber each day.

Getting this much will help lower your risk of heart disease, as well as some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Did you also know that eating a little bit more - 30 grams of fiber a day - can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer by 50%!

Your mom was right - vegetables are so good for you. Eating fresh and cooked vegetables are a great way to get your fill of fiber, but just how much fiber do your veggies have?

To find out, I made this handy dandy chart. Want to see it? Then read more

Vegetables:

Food	Serving Size	Fiber in Grams
Tomato	1 small	1.4
Ketchup	1 Tbsp	.2
Cooked Beets	1/2 cup	2.5
Carrots	1 medium raw	1.7
Red Bell Peppers	1/2 cup chopped	1.5
Green Bell Peppers	1/2 cup chopped	1.3
Yellow Bell Peppers	1/2 cup chopped	.7
Avocado	1/4 cup diced	1.7
Onion	1 tbsp raw	.2
Asparagus	1/2 cup cooked	1.7
Artichokes	4-5 small hearts	4.5
Baked potato	1 small	4.2
Baked Sweet Potato	1 small	4
Steamed Broccoli	1/2 cup	2.6
Brussel Sprouts	3/4 cup cooked	3
Cauliflower	3 florets raw	1.2
Celery	1/4 cup raw	2
Corn	1 medium ear or 1/2 cup	5
Lettuce	1 cup	.8
Steamed Kale	1/2 cup chopped	1.3
Mushrooms	5 small	1.4
Olives	6	1.2
Green Peas	1/2 cup	9.1
Baked Acorn Squash	1/2 cup cubed	4.5
Yellow Summer Squash	1/2 cup	2
Zucchini	1/2 cup	3

Ovarian Cancer: Prevent With Fiber and Less Fat

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

It turns out that including at least 30 g of fiber in your diet not only helps prevent breast cancer, but a new study also says that it could also reduce your risk for ovarian cancer by 40 percent.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cancer killer of women. About 20,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with this deadly disease every year, and about 15,000 will die from it. Unfortunately that is not a great survival rate.

That's why it's so important for women to stick with a long-term diet that's high in fiber and low in fat with less than 20 percent of daily calories coming from fat. Not only does this diet help reduce their risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers, but it can also help prevent heart disease, and head and neck cancers as well.

So get your fiber ladies. If you want to know how much fiber is in the foods you eat, then read more

Check out these posts to make sure you're getting 30g of fiber a day:

Fiber in Fruit
Fiber in Vegetables
Fiber in Nuts, Beans, and Grains

Source

Learn to Love: Celery

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0700

I used to think of celery as a rather dull vegetable. But lately, I've cultivated a new appreciation for its flavor and function. I've heard that you actually burn more calories chewing celery than you consume by eating it, which is almost true. One large stalk contains just 10 calories, but 4 percent of your dietary fiber RDI. It is also very low in cholesterol but rather high in sodium, something to be aware of if you're watching your salt intake.

The thing I love most about celery is how satisfying it is to eat. The crunch factor means it takes a while to munch on, keeping your mouth occupied for a long snack break. Plus, the hearty, fibrous texture really keeps me full. And since it has diuretic properties and lots of fiber, it keeps all your systems moving right along.

Other healthy benefits include lots of vitamin A, C, and K (23 percent of your vitamin K RDI in one stalk!), as well as folate and potassium. It's pretty much available year-round but at its peak in the Summer. I can definitely taste the difference when it's good or just mediocre.

I love to eat it plain, but it's also great paired with avocado in a salad or mixed into a mayo-free tuna salad. And, of course, there's always the classic ants on a log. How do you like your celery?

Source

Healthy Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Walnuts

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:50:57 -0800

One vegetable delight of Autumn is the Brussels sprout. These small leafy balls are packed with fiber as well as taste, and they deserve a place at your Thanksgiving table.

My favorite method of cooking Brussels sprouts is to roast them. It's a simple preparation, but I have added nuts, balsamic vinegar, and cheese to fancy up the dish. While I have often had Brussels sprouts with bacon or pancetta, adding walnut imbues them with a meaty flavor while providing some healthy fats not found in bacon. This recipe is simple to make and is a crowd-pleaser for all ages - my 4-year-old ate three helpings!

Check out the recipe when you read more.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Walnuts
Modified from Recipezaar

Ingredients

1 stalk of Brussels sprouts (or about two pounds of sprouts)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesean cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take Brussels sprouts off the stem, wash, and rip off outside leaves.
Chop sprouts until they are a uniform size, leaving the small ones whole and possibly cutting the larger ones into eighths.
Boil Brussels sprouts for 5 minutes. Pat dry.
Place Brussels sprouts in roasting pan and pour in olive oil and vinegar and stir until sprouts are coated well. Salt and pepper to taste.
Roast for 20 minutes, stirring Brussels sprouts to ensure even roasting. After 20 minutes, add chopped walnuts and roast for 5 more minutes or until walnuts are browned.
Sprinkle roasted sprouts with cheese and serve warm.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Healthy Eating Tip: Don't Eliminate, Elaborate!

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:00:14 -0800

When approaching health and fitness, many of us have the mentality that less is more. While this may be a healthy perspective to avoid overeating and practice portion control, a restrictive diet can wreak havoc on your mood and leave you wondering whether there’s anything out there you can eat. Instead, alter your state of mind: rather than thinking about what foods to cut out, start to think of your daily menu as a chance to add great-tasting, healthy options. Challenge yourself to make the most of your mealtime and see just how many creative and good-for-you foods you can include in your daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner routine.

To get creative, I like to take a cue from vegan menus. Let me start by saying that I am not vegan. I love poultry and seafood, but each time I decide to dine vegan, I’m always amazed by the variety on the menu. Every item is loaded with healthful, delicious ingredients that remind me to think outside the box the next time I’m planning a meal.

To get creative meal ideas, just read more.

Craving lasagna or a baked potato? Don’t deprive yourself these treats, simply reimagine them and treat yourself to a healthier version. An eggplant stacks is a great alternative to cheesy lasagna, and using fresh herbs, crumbled tofu, and fresh red pepper means it’s loaded with bold flavors and good-for-you ingredients. A baked sweet potato is another great option – and a great way to satisfy your craving for starch. Plus they are one of the healthiest vegetables around, since they contain vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and fewer calories than your regular potatoes. Even small changes like these can be big steps toward a healthier attitude and a healthier you.

To get creative ideas from your fellow FitSugar readers, check out their healthy food swap ideas.

Reader Recipe: Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Yum Community — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:50:10 -0800

This story was written by member SweetPeasMom and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community. The soup looks like it would make a wonderful cold-weather dinner. It's quick, simple, and perfect for busy weeknights. Check out her recipe when you read more

The Raw and The Cooked: Veggie Edition

FitSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:45:00 -0700

To me, summertime means fresh veggies. They are in season, abundant and since they are so abundant, tasty and cheap. However, I do prefer some of my veggies cooked, but are they just as nutritious? Let's find out.

Take the quiz

Yes, You Can Eat Carbs!

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:30:00 -0700

I am so sad when I see people on diets that restrict their carb intake. Carbs are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen - and they are VITAL for providing energy to our bodies and our brains. Without them, we'd be unconscious noodles!

Not all carbs are created equal; therefore not ALL of them should be avoided like the plague. There are 2 different kinds: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates are the ones to ditch. These are mostly made up of refined sugars and very few essential vitamins and minerals. They metabolize quickly, giving us a sugar high and quickly dropping us into sugar meltdown. It isn't pretty. This rollercoaster blood sugar ride makes us feel even hungrier, so we tend to repeat the cycle. Foods like soda, diet soda, candy, foods made with white sugar, and breads and pasta with white flour - should really be consumed in moderation, and YES moderation is my new favorite word.

On the other hand, complex carbs are made up of starch and fiber, so they release gradually and provide our happy bodies with a steady source of energy. Foods like beans, veggies such as potatoes and sweet potato, and whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat, and barley are complex carbs. When you eat them, they make you feel full and satisfied for longer, so you eat less.

What about fruit? To find out, read more

Fruits contain naturally occurring simple sugars and many of them contain a great deal of fiber that slows down digestion - thus limiting the sugar energy from immediately flooding our bodies. So go ahead and eat that fruit - your body will be psyched with all those enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting tannins and flavonoids. Another thing, fruit is mostly made up of water, so it hydrates your body and aids in the cleansing, detoxifying, and elimination process.

Fit's Tips: Read labels and look for foods containing whole wheat flour. Enriched flour is a fancy word for the process of stripping all the healthy stuff (nutrients, vitamins, and minerals) out of the whole grains to make them lighter in color and smoother in texture (companies thought lighter, smoother products would sell better). They then add some of the nutrients back (hence the word "enriched" or "fortified"), but our bodies can't absorb them as easily, and they make us feel crappy.

Do you love these shirts?

You can order all 3 designs - i love carbs, i eat carbs, or carb queen - from Alternative Outfitters for $22.

Get the Most Nutrition For Your Dollar

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:15:08 -0700

It can be hard to find healthy foods that don't break the bank - as I've mentioned before, nutrition often comes with a high price tag. A new tool may be what consumers need to find the biggest health bang for their buck.

The Affordable Nutrition Index (ANI) is a rating system that evaluates food based on its health and price value, and over 300 foods were evaluated and given a nutrition-value-per-dollar score. Basically the ANI is a list that lets consumers know what items are the most nutritious while also having the smallest price tag.

The food scores were based on the levels of nine essential nutrients - protein, fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E - and what to avoid - saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium.

To see which foods ranked high on the ANI, read more.

Though the complete list has not been released, highlights of it were introduced at the American Dietetic Association's Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo:

Carrots, sweet potatoes, and broccoli are at the top of the ANI scale. Other veggies that rank high are peas, string beans, squash, and lettuce.
Oranges and bananas are the top fruits, while raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, grapes, nectarines, and apples also rank high.
Vegetable soups especially of the low-sodium variety are also seen as being good values.

Product Review: Greens First

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:00:53 -0700

I try my absolute best to eat five to nine servings of fruit and veggies a day but sometimes I fall short. I also find that sometimes it's hard for me to digest all that roughage. I talked to my nutritionist about this problem and she recommended Greens First - a megablend powder that contains super foods, organic fruits and vegetables, probiotics, fiber, enzymes, and more.

It's lightly sweetened with stevia and has a slight minty flavor, it definitely tastes better than any of the other "green" drinks I've tried. I mix the powder with a glass of cold water in the morning and I'd say that within 30 minutes I feel a boost in my energy level. The website says that one serving of Greens First fulfills your fruit and veggie quota for the day but I still eat as much fresh stuff as I can.