Health Foods Blog

Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: EverJean

Dark chocolate sales have reportedly doubled over the last two years in the U.K. according to information supplied by consumer analysts Mintel.

Total sales are now standing at approximately 170 million dollars. Earlier Health and Wellness blog I reported about the health benefits of eating dark chocolate against ordinary milk chocolate. It seems that in the United Kingdom people have become more aware of plain chocolate’s healthier image.

It seems that more people are aware that dark chocolate contains antioxidants which can help in the fight against cancer. In some restaurants dark chocolate bars are being served as an accompaniment to wine.

However as much as you love chocolate, it can still be fattening so don’t use the healthier image as an excuse to eat more chocolate. Instead try to eat less, but simply switch from the more milk containing varieties to the darker chocolate instead.

It would be interesting to see if these figures coincide with trends from other countries.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: Noodle Bones

China food risk revealed.

Visited China recently? If you are travelling, or intending to travel to China, then you should pay particular attention to this article.

One of China’s most famous consumer advocates and author has recently revealed some startling insights into China’s food chain, and has indicated that contaminated food products may not only be prevalent in China, but may also be the subject of exports to foreign countries.

Zhou Qing has been exposing China’s food industry and other food related problems in his book called, “What Kind of God”.

It would appear from his investigations that various chemicals are being recklessly introduced into the food chain by breeders of meat and seafood products.

He relates to instances where young girls of seven years old have started to develop breasts, and young boys of six years old who were starting to grow beards.

The problems are that chemicals such as clenbuterol, which is a chemical poisonous to humans, and which causes side-effects such as fatigue nausea, heart palpitations, and dizziness is being given to pigs as a lean meat essence. It also makes the pork much redder and meatier and more appealing.

One breeder when tackled by a Chinese food official was asked didn’t he know that it harms people, replied, “ Yes, but city people have free medical care so it’s no problem”.

Unfortunately tainted Chinese food products and drugs have become a global issue of concern following a spate of illnesses and accidents. A number of deaths of American pets were recently blamed on pet foods that included melamine spiked wheat gluten, and it is believed at least 50 people have died in Panama from cough syrup laced with mislabelled diethylene glycol.

Many countries across Europe, Asia, and the American continent have found potentially carcinogenic chemicals and compounds in seafood exports. And apparently in Russia Chinese exports of pork were found to be contaminated with Mercury.

Zhou claims that even inside China more dangerous practices are occurring, and that the Chinese people themselves especially in the cities are at great risk from contaminated food. In another such example Zhou claims that seafood farmers regularly dump bottles full of potential carcinogens into their tanks in order to reduce or prevent fungal infections among their produce.

It would seem that an attitude of, “well everyone’s doing it”, and “so what, I’m not eating it” is undermining the industry.

Unfortunately these contaminated food products then find their way into street markets, restaurants and street food vendor’s stalls where they are unwittingly consumed by the ordinary Chinese public and tourists alike.

These revelations have personally made me feel very wary of ever travelling to China, and they would have great concerns if any members of my family ever considered a holiday there. Literally, “God knows what you may be eating”.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: madame.furie

Salmonella and other food-borne illnesses appear to be on the increase. According to the US food and drug administration there have been a number of outbreaks of illness associated with raw produce contamination since 1990.

The reason seems to be that in most countries the trend is now to import more produce than before. One probable reason seems to be that much of the produce is grown in fields in which water used on the plants has been contaminated with animal waste. What this means is that the contaminant then gets into the plant itself and cannot easily be washed off.

Unfortunately with the volumes of produce that we are dealing with cross contamination can easily occur during packing especially when produce from one area may be stored, or even mixed with similar produce that has been unknowingly infected.

This illustrates the prudence of washing carefully with plain water for about 20 seconds any raw produce you buy from your supermarket. Even vegetables that have been prepacked and say they have been washed should be treated with caution and washed again.

One thing you should never do however is wash raw vegetables with soapy water. All this will do is will do is give you diarrhoea, (from the soap). Use a vegetable brush or a colander, but don’t overload it.

Be cautious with your produce. If it doesn’t look good, chuck it out instead. Of course, unused produce should be refrigerated within two hours just like any other food in your kitchen.

In the US alone since 1990 there has been at least 12 outbreaks of salmonella associated with tomatoes. Most recently several days ago at least 700 people nationwide in America have been made ill by tomatoes contaminated with salmonella, and this has caused problems for the food authorities to try and track down the source of the outbreak.

Unfortunately in real terms because a lot of people don’t report their illness, perhaps as many as 9000 people may actually be affected in this current outbreak. In this particular outbreak the US food and drug administration is recommending that people do not eat certain raw red round tomatoes, unless the tomatoes were from safe sources listed on the FDA’s website.

This case to seems to be not simply one of surface contamination. The FDA is advising consumers not to cook these tomatoes because cooking may not ensure that the Salmonella is eliminated.

It seems to me that two things are needed. Firstly most countries should try and put in place some sort of safe source of food database if not already in place for tracking raw produce similar to meat, and secondly that consumers in those countries be made more aware of the risks of consuming unwashed vegetables.

Markets should also in my opinion be scrutinised to ensure that countries, or growers with a poor record of cleanliness should be become more widely known.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

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Peppers are a good source of Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Surprisingly weight for weight peppers are a better source of Vitamin C than Citrus fruit. The average sized green 125g pepper contains 300% of an adults RNI for Vitamin C. Better still a red one contains 400%!

This is because the common peppers ripen from green, to yellow, to finally red. Once picked a pepper won’t ripen further. They only ripen on the vine. Perhaps you were like me and thought the different colours were different varieties!

There are other varieties which appear purple brown and it is known that the deeper colours of pepper are high in bioflavonoids which can help prevent cancer.

Spanish explorers are responsible for the naming of the pepper. They apparently confused them with peppercorns which are unrelated.

Advantageously fast cooking peppers, such as stir frying do not greatly lower their nutritional value.
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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Ok, you cut back your red meat intake, you’re pumping the fruits and vegetables like it’s your day job, and at least trying to limit your carbs. Ready for the next level?

Women’s Health Magazine posted a great article on new tips to making your meals even more nutritious. Make your own fruit spreads for toast in the morning or to use as a fat substitute in baked goods.

There are also some great new ideas for snacks and spicing up the same-friggin-chicken dinner.

For more calorie saving ideas, check out Hungry Girl’s Top Ate of 6/4/08. Some of her best advice is to replace cooking with oil for non-calorie cooking spray, soymilk over cream and butternut squash over potatoes.

What are some of your favorite calorie saving tips? What’s your food weakness and how do you try to get around it?

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

by Leah Quinn

Fun loving pasta eaters, rejoice! The fennel, garlic and broccoli go very well with sliced sauteed sausage and freshly grated parmesan cheese along with the crumbled goat cheese - ciao bella! Quick and easy meal to help sneak in some veggies to unsuspecting teenagers and hubbys everywhere!

Ingredients:

2 or 3 each hot and sweet sausage links, semi-frozen
2 small crowns of fresh broccoli
3-6 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 or 2 bulbs fennel with their fawns
Olive Oil
Large pot of boiling water for pasta - try rotitini or penne
One large deep skillet, enough that when after cooking sausages and veggies, you can also throw pasta in.
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
A couple shakes of dried red pepper flakes
Freshly cracked pepper
Salt
Directions:

Put pot on to boil for pasta
Take out sausage from freezer, and slice links into 1/3 inch slices
Put skillet onto stove, add small drizzle of olive oil and put sliced sausages in.
Add red chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper - the heat from the skillet opens up their flavors.
While the sausage cooks, mince up garlic and set aside.
Rinse and break apart broccoli into small bite size pieces and set aside.
Cut off frawns from fennel, and with the remaining bulb, slice thin and break apart to resemble onion slices. Set aside frawns for now.
Once water has started to boil, add good amount of salt to water and a bit of olive oil.
To cooking sausage slices, add sliced fennel and broccoli to skillet.
Continue cooking broccoli, sausages and fennel allowing the fennel to caramelize along with sliced sausages.
Mince up two tablespoons fawns from the fennel and grate up your cheese.
Drain pasta when just al dente, but try and reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.
Add drained cooked pasta to deep skillet and add freshly minced garlic to the mix.
Add 1/2 of the cheese and up to 1/2 cup pasta water and stir till all are combined. Continue cooking for one to 4 minutes. Add crumbled goat cheese.
Serve up on plates, sprinkle a little of the minced fennel frawns and extra grated cheese. Ciao Bella! Mangia Mangia pronto!
This is one of those great tasting easy dishes, and the goat cheese once is melts creates a similar feel in your mouth to alfredo sauce but without a lot of the naughty added fat.

Leah Quinn, a multi-media artist and writer whose work specializes on food, health, feng shui, and self-improvement. http://leahquinn.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leah_Quinn

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Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
It’s possible to find foods that are both healthy and convenient.

Main Course
One of the reasons people choose unhealthy food even when they would prefer to eat well is convenience. If you are really busy and have to choose between microwaving a personal pizza and cooking up some lean fish, you are probably going to choose the pizza to save time. But there are plenty of foods that are both good for you and easy to make.

Canned Soups - Canned soups are great because they taste good, are generally low in calories, and typically have a lot of lean meats and vegetables. As a bonus, they can be heated on your stove or in the microwave in a matter of minutes. Be sure to avoid the “creamy” soups though, as they typically have a lot more calories. You should also check sodium levels because they can be pretty high in some soups.

Frozen Vegetables – Vegetables are great, but in order to eat them regularly, you have to go to the store fairly often if you eat them fresh. If you buy frozen vegetables, you can buy in bulk and just pull them out of the freezer when you need them. Steaming is the best way to prepare them, because it doesn’t add any calories and preserves a lot of the flavor.

Some Rice Bowls - Microwavable rice bowls with vegetables and chicken are another good way to get your veggies and lean proteins. However, you should be careful here. Some rice bowls load up on sugar in order to improve their flavor, so always check the ingredients list before you put them in your cart.

Sandwiches - If you build a sandwich with wheat bread, turkey slices and some veggies (hold the cheese and mayo) you have a well rounded meal that you can whip up in less than five minutes.

Dessert
More people would be willing to eat right and exercise if they didn’t have so many other life obligations. That’s why it’s much easier to adapt healthy eating to your lifestyle rather than having to change how your work and live in order to accommodate healthy activities. It just takes a little initiative and creativity.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

Image via Wikipedia

Celeriac is a winter vegetable which you may or may not have heard of. Certainly, it is not a vegetable that I have eaten or am familiar with myself. It is a kind of celery, which is grown as a root vegetable, and is also known as celery root, knob celery, or turnip-rooted celery.

On average celeriac is about the size of a large potato, but only contains about 6% starch by weight. It is low in calories and a source of vitamin C and folate. It is also a good source of potassium.

Fresh celeriac looks like a small round knobbly turnip, however when peeled white flesh is revealed with a favour very similar to celery. It is often grated raw into salads and used to flavour soups and stews. It has also been known to be chopped and added to stuffing for the Sunday chicken dinner.

It is also known to be delicious when served as an accompaniment to Salmon or spicy pork.

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Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that most people consume much more unhealthy food than they realize. These “Phantom Calories” sneak into our diets in unexpected ways often causing us to ingest hundreds or even thousands of extra calories over the course of just a few days.

Main Course
Here are some of the most common Phantom Calorie culprits:

Liquid Calories - Most people make the mistake of thinking that liquids can’t make you gain weight as much as solid foods. In actuality, 200 calories from a glass of juice can make you gain weight just like 200 calories from a cupcake. Calories can even sneak into non-caloric drinks when you alter them to taste better - like when you put sugar and cream in your coffee.

Your Kid’s Plate - People who have children are especially prone to eating more calories than they expect. When you go on a diet you typically make one meal for yourself and something different for your child, but many parents make the mistake of nibbling on their kids’ food or even finishing off what their kids don’t eat. Go ahead and just save their food for later. They will eat it when they are hungry again, and your thighs will thank you for this.

Unplanned Snacks – Sometimes it’s just plain hard to avoid bad foods. Even when you are trying to eat right, there always seems to be people offering you tempting and delicious food at work, social events and maybe even in your own home. It’s hard to say no when things look so good and it’s easy to just go along with the crowd. You have to make a conscious decision to plan your “cheat” meals or snacks and try not to deviate from the plan.

Dessert
It’s strange how unexpected food can creep into our diets. If you think you’ve been eating right, but you haven’t been making any progress in your weight loss, it might actually help you to keep a food journal for a day or two. Just record every little thing that you eat along with the approximate calorie values if you can. You may just be surprised by how much extra food you’re consuming without even thinking about it.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

In the process of trying new things, Mondays at A Sizable Apple will now be personal posts. I’ll share stories about my favorite activities and new recipes! Don’t forget to sign up for ASA’s free bike give away contest deadline June 5!

I’m a college student- ie: a random house guest to my family. During the school year, I stop by for random weekends, and during breaks (like now) I show up at the door again smiling here I am again!

Since leaving for school, I’ve come to recognize signs of how excited my family is to have me back. My dad’s home cooked meals- ok, I see you’re here, but that does not stop the rest of our schedules; a few new recipes from my mom to choose from- boy am I glad you’re here, no one else would eat this with me; many mass family emails weeks in advance checking menu ideas- you and you’re sister are coming in? It’s a celebration!

Apparently, my mom is very excited I’m home. She made probably the third special pasta dish this month.

Food is a great way to convey feelings. Cooking for someone is an endearing and thoughtful measure and also a great way to jump into eating healthy. I know my health fanatic mom isn’t going to share a double fried greasy meal with me. Eating with her makes me feel good, because I know she’s taking care of me with healthy meals- who can think of a better welcome home present than that?

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

Image via Wikipedia

Guavas are an excellent source of vitamin C. and are high in pectin and other types of soluble dietary fibre. Additionally guavas provide potassium and beta-carotene.

Guavas small tropical fruits that first originated in southern Africa and South America. The fruit is round, pear shaped, or ovoid, has a thin skin and varies in colour from yellow green through to pale yellow.

It has a distinctive musky aroma with a sweet flavour. The entire fruit is edible when it is fully ripe, though many people discard the skins and seeds. Most varieties of guava have meaty deep pink flesh, though some varieties are yellow or white.

An average sized guava has approximately 4 times as much vitamin C. as an orange. When choosing guavas, choose a fruit that is firm but not hard, because a guava when it is ripe will be able to be squeezed a slightly.

Dried guavas may be a problem with people who suffer asthma or allergic reactions as they may be treated with sulphites.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

One of the best and worse parts of the grocery store is walking past fantastic assortments of way too expensive meats. Rotisserie chickens under warming lamps are occasionally my impulse buys and ready for dinner meats are tough to skip as well.

Some of these favorites can drain your wallet, but show up at the grocery store at the right time and you’ll find these treats marked down in hopes of quick ship out. Even if the whole chicken isn’t something you want to deal with, you can save it up for several meals throughout the week.

Trimming a rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked meat at home can pair easily potatoes, pasta, frozen vegetables or rice, leaving you with less time in the kitchen. This idea usually leaves great left-overs for later in the week as well.

Getting creative in the grocery store can lead to better results throughout the week. Find items that you can use in a variety of ways through the week. Even if you have to pay a bit extra for them, they’ll be easy to go to meals, and will spread the cost out over a good week.

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Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
It helps to have allies on your fitness journey.

Main Course
I’ve met many people who can never quite seem to stick to a healthy eating plan or exercise routine because their relationships with others somehow get in the way, but fortunately it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little effort you can actually help turn those closest to you into partners rather than roadblocks.

Work Out Together - When you work out with a friend or significant other, workout time becomes something more social and fun. Don’t worry if they haven’t yet caught on to the gospel of exercise. You guys don’t have to actually go to the gym. Just spending some time walking around the park together will help you burn calories, but you’ll feel like you are just hanging out.

Ask For Their Help – Well-meaning family and friends can sometimes sabotage your diet plans by constantly offering you terribly fattening food. Usually these people just don’t know any better, and simply telling them that while you appreciate the thought, you are trying to stick to a healthier diet will do the trick. Most people will truly understand, and you may motivate them to even join in with you.

Seek Out Compliments – We all know one or two people who are never shy with a compliment. These people can be key to your overall fitness strategy because hearing “Wow, you look great! Have you been working out?” every once in a while is a good way to give you the extra boost of motivation you need to keep up the hard work.

Dessert
Your circle of family and friends can either be your greatest allies or worst enemies when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy. If you are proactive about asking for their support, you can use them as a great way to leverage yourself into the body that you want.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: Paul Francis Harrison

Mushrooms are a classified fungi, (which are primitive plants that cannot use photosynthesis to obtain energy because they do not contain chlorophyll). Instead they get their nutrients and energy from partially decomposed tissues of other vegetation.

Did you know that mushrooms have a unique feature? Their cell walls are made of chitin, which is the same material that makes up the external skeleton, (or exoskeleton), of insects, whereas plant cell walls are made of cellulose. Humans value cellulose as fibre, because we cannot digest it and it passes through the gut and helps with the elimination of digestive waste.

For 5000 years mushrooms have been used as medicines, stimulants, hallucinogens, and even as dried tinder for lighting stone age fires. The proof of this was found on the 5000 year old body of the Iceman named Oetzi found in the Alps towards the end of last century.

The French are credited with being the first cultivators of mushrooms over 300 years ago in abandoned Gypsum quarries near Paris. Today of course mushrooms are grown on beds of manure straw and soil, and there is a wide range of mushrooms that are offered for sale by many supermarkets.

Interestingly a mushroom which is not picked will double in size every 24 hours starting as a closed cup mushroom, and finishing as a large flat mushroom with open gills. A mushroom’s flavour is directly proportional to its age, so the older the mushroom the more flavour.

Mushrooms bruise easily and should never be stored in cling film or plastic. They should be stored in paper or cloth bags in the vegetable part of the refrigerator. Store them in anything else and they will deteriorate quickly. Unfortunately even then the maximum time you should store a mushrooms in a fridge is five days.

Warning!..

Mushrooms contain toxins and trace amounts of the carcinogen Agaritine. The toxins can be reduced by cooking, but if you are a cancer sufferer, or are susceptible to cancer perhaps you should avoid mushrooms.

Although mushrooms do have some benefits in that they are a useful source of copper and some of the B vitamins, wild mushrooms can be extremely dangerous. While they may be safe to eat by themselves, they can be deadly when eaten with alcohol.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: twenty_questions

Deciding not to eat beef because you believe it affects your cholesterol level is not actually quite correct. Eating too much red meat will affect your cholesterol level, but eating red meat in moderation does you little harm, and in fact may be beneficial.

Beef contains a type of fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid or CLA for short which has been shown to help improve cholesterol ratios. Note however I said in moderation.

Animal studies have also shown that the presence of CLA in animals can delay the onset of atherosclerosis and aid weight loss. However, further research still needs to be done to form a conclusive opinion with humans.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: la familia brophy

Sorbet fruits d’ete, or Summer Fruits Sorbet is a delicious and refreshing treat that is really easy to make and will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

1lb or 500g of freshly frozen mixed summer fruits such as strawberries
Blueberries and raspberries
1 tablespoon of raspberry jam
Juice and grated zest of 1 large quality orange
Some extra strawberries, cherries, raspberries, and blueberries for decoration
Some fresh mint sprigs for decoration

Simply put the 1lb of frozen summer fruits into a food processor and blend until smooth. (It can help to put the food processor container in the freezer if possible before hand to make it really cold).

Serve immediately over a bed of fresh summer fruit and decorate with the fresh mint sprigs. Serve in a round scoop about fist size, similar in look to a Christmas pudding.

Of course if you really want to spoil yourself add a little fresh cream.
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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

Image via Wikipedia

by Arturo Ronson

The slow cooker or crock pot is one of the greatest inventions known to man. With little or no effort, you can have a hot, delicious and nutritious meal whether you worked all day or were out running errands. With most slow cooker recipes, you cut and chop in the morning and turn on your crock pot to the required setting and let it simmer all day. When you and your family return home after a long and busy day you will have a delicious hot meal waiting for you.

A slow cooker can make a low fat meal simply delicious. You begin by spraying low fat spray into the ceramic insert and you are just about ready to make a low fat meal. Adding fresh vegetables and lean cuts of meat cooking for hours can make flavor rich and satisfying, even if it is a low fat meal. The flavor comes from the liquid you add, and you can use tomatoes, broths and wines as your base when you are preparing a low fat meal.

photo credit: JaseMan

If you really want a low fat meal, don’t use as much meat and replace with whole grains and beans. You can add fresh herbs and spices to enhance the flavor of your slow cooker low fat meal as well. If someone tells you that eating low fat meal is boring and bland, they aren’t making use of all the no fat options that are available to add zest and flavor to any meal.


Tips for Preparing Low Fat Meal in a Slow Cooker

Start with buying a slow cooker with a removable insert for easy cleaning. Find a slow cooker that has more than one setting, such as low, medium and high. Most slow cookers include basic instructions for using it, as well as more elaborate recipes you may want to try. Remember, any slow cooker recipe you find can be easily remade into a low fat meal using low fat substitutes for high fat ingredients. When you use your imagination and your slow cooker, there is no end to the delicious low fat meal you can serve your family.

For more information about Low Fat Meal, feel free to visit us at: http://www.about-low-fat.com/Low-Fat-Meal.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arturo_Ronzon

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Low fat, low calories, organic. Packaged foods marketing has gone above and beyond pretty pictures and attention grabbing colors on packaging. Food companies are trying to secure your buy with their clever wording promising a healthier product.

Despite being checked by either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some slippery wordage still flies through to the shelves. Real Simple Magazine decoded the unique food language into understandable terms.

Organic:
These products are made using methods thought to be earth friendly. However, to be labeled organic, products only need to contain 95 percent organic ingredients.

Organic foods can cost you up to 50 percent more than nonorganic products. While there is no research organic foods are better than others, it does save you from potentially consuming chemicals.

100% Natural:
These products are free of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and synthetic ingredients. They still, however, can contain any amount of sugars, fats and calories.

Fat free:
Contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. Manufacturers sometimes add extras (sugar or starch) for flavor. Fat free foods are often less filling, leading to over eating. Skip fat free and buy low fat for more flavor.

Low fat:
Contains three or less grams of fat per serving.

Light:
Contains half the fat of the full-fat options. Best bet for calorie watching and dieting. Can contain higher sugar levels.

0g Trans Fat:
Contains less than 0.5 gram of trans fat per serving. Trans fats raise bad (LDL) cholesterol and lower the good (HDL) kind. Sometimes replaced with unhealthy saturated fats (pal and coconut oil), avoid “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” on packages.

Heart healthy:
Low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and contain no trans fats. Also contain three grams of fat or less per serving and have at least 0.6 gram of soluble fiber. Despite the label, these foods won’t necessarily lower your risks for heart disease. Don’t disregard the heart healthy foods in the fresh produce section.

Low calorie:
Contain 40 calories or less per serving.

Low sodium:
Contains 140 milligrams of sodium or less per serving.

Low carb:
There is currently no standard definition for this term. There is also no evidence that low-carb diets are more effective long term than other diets. Manufacturers often replace carbs with high-fat ingredients like nuts, sugar alcohols, or artificial sweeteners.

No antibiotics:
On meat, poultry and milk, this term means that the animals used in creating this product were raised without being routinely fed antibiotics. “Organic” labels on meat are also antibiotic free.

No hormones:
This term means animals were raised hormone free. Hormones are used to up weight in animals or to increase more milk, and despite little long term research, hormone treated foods may increase the risk for cancer. Organic products are also hormone free.

Gluten free:
Gluten can cause intestine damage and can lead to digestive problems. “Wheat free” products are not necessarily gluten free.

Sugar free:
Contains less than 0.5 gram of sugar per serving. Sugar free doesn’t always mean low calories.

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Contest open from now until June 5.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

After a few nights of getting creative with what’s left in the fridge, ignoring your craving for take out gets tough. Local favorites aren’t a good solution for every night, but your waistline and wallet can benefit from giving in now and then.

My sister told me about her use of local favorites when she is cooking. If you’ve got a favorite salsa, humus or dish at a favorite restaurant, order out and mix it with your own food to stretch your dollar. Use the takeout dish as a side dish, and pair it with different sides of veggies or rice for a full meal.

If you’re not so sure about those local favorites, check out the Eat this, Not that section of Men’s Health Magazine. Also in book form, it compares any national/international chain you can think of and give you the low down on what your best options are when out to eat.

Local favorites are a great way to stimulate your neighborhood economy and also to stimulate ideas for dinner throughout the week. Don’t let your quest for a healthy lifestyle stop your exploration of your area. Become familiar with what your local restaurants carry, and keep in mind backup plans for ways to utilize their side dishes throughout the week.

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Contest open from now until June 5.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: Mel B.

by Cal Smith

In spite of their world-wide reputation as being fattening, pancakes are the perfect breakfast food. It is the toppings and fillings that turns them into fat generators. Take away the butter, milk, sugar, eggs, cooking oil, sour cream, whipped cream, syrups, and jams, and there is nothing left but a perfect balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Two big pancakes made with cake-flour and smothered in fresh crushed strawberries, sweetened with a good sugar substitute like Splenda, contains less than 250 calories. A tablespoon of cooking oil adds an extra 120 calories, and butter contributes another 100 or so. By the time you add in the sugar, eggs, creams, and syrups, your poor pancakes resemble a skinny dad padded with pillows to play the role of Santa.

Of course, pancakes aren’t pancakes without syrup. But now days, syrup doesn’t have to be made with sugar. There are many brands of sugar-free syrups on the supermarket shelves. But none of them are as good as some of the things you can make in less than two minutes in your own kitchen!

All you need is water, flavoring, sugar substitute, and cellulose gum to provide the thickness and viscosity of sugar syrups. Maybe add a bit of coloring for a rich, full-bodied look. Mix it for 30 seconds or so in your blender and you’ve got delicious, thick, slow-pouring maple, almond, strawberry, orange, or lemon syrup.

For a very unusual treat, just add cellulose gum to any flavor no-calorie soda pop. Just imagine - root beer or cream soda syrup! The kids will go crazy! How about a variety of orange crush, lemon-lime, Dr. Pepper, strawberry, peach, and ginger ale. I haven’t tried coke or Pepsi, but they should make good syrups too.

You can turn almost any liquid into syrup with cellulose gum. Chocolate milk becomes chocolate syrup, Add some vanilla, cinnamon, and Splenda to soymilk for a healthy and delicious eggnog syrup.

So forget the frozen waffles, toaster strudels, and French toast stix. Stir up some cake flour, baking powder, and water and cook the kids some pancakes. It takes just a couple of minutes. While they are cooking, make a fresh batch of syrup. Everybody will love them and they’ll go to school filled with all the even, slow-burning energy they need to keep them active and alert all morning.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Part of staying in shape is keeping up with your proper calorie intake. (Learn more about your specific number here. Counting calories can be tedious, but keeping up with easy tricks to cut your consumption is a great start. Here are some of my favorite tips as reviewed by Health Magazine.

1. Use smaller plates to trick your eyes.
2. Pour taller drinks

3. Keep basic herbs on hand, they’re a great way to add fat-free flavor to your food.
4. Make fresh fruits, vegetables and water easy to see and reach in the fridge.
5. Go for fat-free dairy products.
6. Store measuring cups by cereal boxes and other favorite snacks to insure you’re meeting correct portion sizes.
7. Replace carbs with whole-grain and high-fiber products.

Take a look at the choices you make at the grocery store, cooking and eating at home. Where can you make changes?

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Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
Always work towards progress.

Main Course
When you first started out with your fitness program, you probably found that you made big strides every week. You were always able to lift more weight, run longer and for greater distances, and stretch further than the week before. If you stuck with it, you have probably noticed these advancements becoming less and less pronounced over time. When you get to the point where you stop losing fat (even though you are a few pounds shy of your goal weight), or you don’t notice any improvements in your athletic performance, you have hit a plateau. Here are a few ways to work through it:

Slow Down – Obviously, you aren’t just lifting weight for the sake of the lifting weight. You want to grow stronger and become more toned, so you should lift slowly – making sure that each rep puts as much strain on your muscles as possible. Ideally, take about two seconds to lift the weight and two seconds to lower the weight.

Shake Things Up - If you have been stuck in a rut for a while, considering adding in a few more exercises or completely changing your routine. Your body craves variety, and switching up can totally change how your work your body.

Take a Break – It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes taking a couple days off might be the best thing you can do for your fitness training. A plateau might be a sign that you are just overtraining. Take a couple days off, and see how you feel when you come back to it.

Dessert
I don’t want to advocate never being satisfied with your fitness level or how you look, but at the same time, it is OK to enjoy the satisfaction that comes with continually striving for progress. When you see that you making strides, you are more likely to stick with your fitness program and continue to integrate exercise into your overall lifestyle.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

‘Ask a pro’ is a special A Sizable Apple feature geared to bring quality information to readers through professionals in the health and nutrition field.

Marissa Schiesser is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner in Canada. Her site, ‘A Healthier Me’ has information for workshops; recipes and free stuff aiming at helping women feel better and get in shape.

A Sizable Apple: Can you tell me about yourself and your practice?

Marissa: I have a passion for teaching busy people the nutrition and lifestyle know how and the mindset to reach their health goals. I like to make it easy and simple by creating new positive and healthy habits that simply cause the old habits that are no longer serving you to slide away. There is a misconception that [meeting nutrition goals] has to be complicated, painful and hard. I don’t believe in no pain, no gain. Life is about joy, not pain. It brings me joy to see the delight and progress that my clients go through. This is not to say that they don’t put in any effort, they do have to work on it. There is no magic bullet, believe me I have searched for it and been disappointed many times. To have real change requires commitment and effort. This can come in the form of joy though and that is where I come in with support knowledge and understanding.

ASA: Explain the ‘A Healthier Me’ system?

Marissa: The Healthier Me System™ is what I developed and use with each of my clients to help them achieve their goals. It has been the secret to creating lasting changes for me and my clients. By working through each of these steps, over several months, you will achieve more energy, less stress, a stronger sense of yourself and an understanding of what makes your body healthy. I want to help you get inner calm, joy and health. These are the things that I have found to be vital to reaching and staying with your health goals.

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  1. Make your health and welln