PopSugar

Real Fast Food: Organic Food Bars

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:00:00 -0800

Looking for the healthiest fast food ever?

Organic Food Bars ($2.89 per bar) are the answer. This is the only line of organic bars "rich in phyto-nutrient dense sprouts and superfoods in a base of easy digestible, alkaline-forming vegetable protein for muscle and organ building, essential fats to promote a healthy cardiovascular and hormonal system, and complex carbohydrates for long lasting energy - without the 'crash' of most bars high in refined sugars." Technical, I know.

Basically, the bars are different from almost every other bar in that they actually taste good. Not good as compared to a chocolate sundae, but good as compared to the health bar world. They are perfect for people on the move. Ordinarily I would not recommend replacing a meal with just a bar but since they pack in a lot of calories (300+) and nutrients per bar, if you're going to do it, this would be a good option.

Look for them at your local health food store such as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Vitamin Shoppe. For more locations call 800-246-4685 for a listing nearest you.

Who is Your Favourite Celebrity Chef?

PopSugarUK — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:00:00 -0700

Celebrity chefs are in the news this week, what with Jamie Oliver launching his Feed Your Family For A Fiver campaign yesterday and Channel 4 announcing a new show where Heston Blumenthal will attempt to revive the Little Chef chain. Gordon Ramsay is opening Plane Food at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 today and he's also been talking about the new US series of Hell's Kitchen.

Chefs are in the public eye more than ever before: in addition to all the cooking-related TV shows, they're appearing at food festivals across the country - Gary Rhodes will be at the London Taste Festival and Raymond Blanc will be at the Real Food Festival. So we want to know: who is your favourite celebrity chef?

Chicken Curry Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:00:51 -0700

To spice lovers like myself, chicken curry is the ideal, all-purpose meal. It's a well-balanced, relatively fast, one-pot dinner with loads of personality. For guests who don't go for the fiery factor, I simply cut down on the number of spices and chiles; when I'm cooking for myself, I'll take the dish a few notches higher on the Scoville scale.

If you're preoccupied with other tasks or don't like to cook with raw meat, reach for a rotisserie chicken and blended spice mix to cut your prep time in half. Looking to save a buck, and have a few minutes to spare? Begin by browning chicken thighs, then simmer them in a sweet and spicy curry broth with aromatics until falling-apart tender. Check out the recipes and keep reading.

Speak Up: Your Favorite Healthy Food Swaps

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:00:10 -0800

Great tasting foods such as creamy soups, baked treats, and fried foods tend to be high in calories. So if you can make simple food swaps that reduce calories, but still satisfy your taste buds, you can drop pesky pounds or prevent weight gain.

When making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I skip the sugar-based jelly and substitute real fruit instead. And when I crave ice cream, I opt for a little bowl of vanilla Greek yogurt with maple syrup since it has less fat and fewer calories, but contains more protein. What about you? Share some of your simple food swaps that make your daily diet healthier and lower in calories.

Are You a Carb Queen?

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:47:55 -0800

I'm not going to lie to you. I love carbs. Warm bread with olive oil, real macaroni and cheese, and pumpkin chocolate chip scones are a few of my faves. The big problem is that those foods tend to be high in calories, and if I eat too many, my jeans let me know. I don't live without them, though; I just keep my carb intake in check by eating mostly whole grains and eat them with plenty of lean protein, veggies, and fruits. What about you? Do you find carbs hard to resist?

Health Food Obsession Gone Too Far: Orthorexia

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:39 -0700

If you're reading this site, chances are you're into eating healthy. While it's beneficial to be conscious about what you put in your mouth, it's not good to become so obsessed that your lifestyle goes from a healthy diet to an unhealthy fixation on a healthy diet. The condition is referred to as an eating disorder by some, known as orthorexia nervosa. Symptoms include sticking to a strict diet such as a raw food diet, making a list of foods that are off-limits, or nervously avoiding foods deemed unhealthy, such as those with artificial flavors, preservatives, or that aren't organic.

Being obsessed about eating healthy seems like a positive thing, but problems arise when a person's healthy lifestyle becomes so overwhelming that it pushes other activities and interests to the periphery, and interferes with relationships and day-to-day responsibilities. As the quality of their diet increases, the quality of their life decreases. It can ironically lead to unhealthy consequences like malnutrition or starvation (anorexia orthorexia).

This is not to say that those who have diet restrictions such as vegans or those following a macrobiotic diet have orthorexia. It has to do with the rigidness of the lifestyle, and whether or not it's actually detrimental to a person's health. While some mental health professionals classify orthorexia as an obsessive compulsive disorder, others think orthorexia isn't a real disorder at all. What do you think?

Empanadas Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:50:33 -0700

With so many Summer activities going on, I've been looking for more delectables to fit my on-the-go lifestyle. My new favorite snack is empanadas. The savory delicacies are not only perfect for portable snacking, but they're an easy way to use up leftover ingredients, and double as an appetizer for impromptu gatherings. Simply keep uncooked ones in the freezer, and bake them as necessary. Strapped for time or new to cooking? Take advantage of premade pizza dough to make mini-pockets in minutes. Or set aside a few hours to mix together homemade pastry dough - it'll make the crust extra flaky. Decide which recipe suits you best.

Tweet What You Eat: Food Journals in the Digital Age

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:00:09 -0700

If the whole world knew what you ate all day, would it motivate you to make better food choices? That's what the folks behind Tweet What You Eat (TWYE) are hoping.

TWYE is a Twitter-based online food diary that is updated in real time via the web or a text message. And unless a member has opted to keep their diary private, the 15,000 (and growing) members of TWYE get to see what you eat, all day, every day. Most users do go public and the founders admit that this has been key to finding success on TWYE. Users might think twice before gorging on cake, cookies, or donuts if their diary is open to all.

To learn how to use TWYE, read more.

Basically you text or tweet what you eat throughout the day to TWYE, including calories. You can also submit calorie-burning activities to get a more accurate reflection of everything that's going in and out. If you don't know how many calories a particular food item has, that's OK, because the site has a database of popular foods and their caloric breakdown. At the end of each day you are given a grand total of the calories you took in.

The service is fairly new, so all you can really do is track calories - there's no breakdown of fats, carbs, or nutrients - but it's a great tool if that's all you're interested in doing. It seems incredibly helpful for those times when you're on the go, since you only need your cell phone to make an entry.

Would you use TWYE?

Mad Men, "The Gypsy and the Hobo": This Week's 5 Maddest Moments

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:30:00 -0700

You know how everyone's always talking about how Mad Men is a slowly simmering pot, leaving you waiting for things to bubble to the surface? One of the show's major plot points, Don Draper's identity, bubbles to the top, finally. And how ironic for it to happen on Halloween eve . . .

The show is an intense marvel this week, living up to its Best Drama Emmy, and I'm ready to chat about it, so to see the five maddest moments (spoilers ahead), just read more.

"It's a lie so big": - Betty doesn't let her Don/Dick revelation from last week lie, and she seeks advice from her lawyer, who basically tells her to stay in her marriage unless she feels threatened. I worried that this was far as it would go, until she womans up and confronts Don when he comes home one night. He tells her everything, including that his mother was a prostitute and that his brother Adam committed suicide - and his role in it. Betty is confused, but more sympathetic than I expected.
The life and times of Roger Sterling: - Roger gets a blast from the past when an old flame, Annabelle Mathis, calls on the firm to help her horse farm/dog food company, Caldecott farms. Roger is cool at first, but his dinner with Annabelle reveals that she left him heartbroken as a young man - a rare insight into Sterling's silver fox facade. When she tells him he was The One, and he replies, "You weren't," I said "Ouch" as she says "Oh." Sigh. It seems to be a Roger's love life retrospective, as he even fields a call from Joan. I need more of this.
Roses: Joan asserts herself in an entirely physically aggressive way when she bashes a vase of roses over her husband's head. Why the violent response? He told Joan she never had to give up anything, never had to leave behind a dream. Hey, Joan's last nerve? Greg just found it. (And P.S., it's weird to hear Joan call herself by her married name, Joan Harris, but I love that Roger names Joan's husband "Dr. Cutup.")
Suzanne who? - While Don comes clean of his entire existence to Betty, Susie is waiting in the car. "Did you get caught?" she asks. "It's more complicated than that," he answers. And how. Apparently it's over for now, but we'll see.
Army wife - Greg drops the first real Vietnam bomb of the series, as we wait for the '60s to explode. He's taking a job in the army, and my gut tells me this will not end well for the Harrises.

Didn't the last line from the neighbor asking, "Who are you supposed to be?" to Don and Betty hit hard? What did you think of the Draper's tense conversation? Oh, and if you want to talk more about the show, join the Mad Men group in the community!

Photo courtesy of AMC

Real Food vs. Energy Bars and Sports Drinks

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Here's a little food for thought: the biggest difference between eating engineered energy sports foods and real foods after your workout is convenience.

There are many "recovery products" on the market right now; scientifically researched products designed to deliver carbs and protein to muscles depleted after long training sessions. While it is true that muscles do need carbs and protein after exercise to repair themselves, many researchers believe the window of time to feed the muscles these macro nutrients is any where from two to four hours. This is ample time to find yourself a kitchen and make yourself some good old fashioned food.

To see how much protein and carbs you should eat during your recovery time, read more.

The amounts of both nutrients are rather small. Muscle repair only requires about 10 to 15 grams of protein, the equivalent of two eggs. In terms of carbs, the body needs about one gram of carbs per kilogram of body weight (for us metrically challenged Americans 2.2 pounds roughly equals 1 kilogram) – I need about 60 grams of carbs. I can easily find that amount of carbs in an apple (31 grams of carbs), two slices of whole wheat toast (24 grams of carbs), and 6 ounces of vanilla flavored Greek yogurt (14 grams). Scramble up two eggs to go with my carbs and basically, I have a healthy breakfast, which is perfect after a long run.

Sometimes after a workout though, you just don't have the time or resources to make real food. In those cases, a Power Bar can come in handy. My point being, don't fall for the gimmicks and think you have to drink an Accelerade. Choose real food when you can. It is cheaper and less processed and tastes way better.

Source