Owner: The Fit Club URL:http://thefitclub.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 09:27:32 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The Fit Club is regularly updated with tips and information about nutrition, fitness, and weight loss. You won't find any gimmicky, late night TV, infomercial drivel here, only proven techniques to eat healthier, become more fit and lose weight. Site statistics:Click here
The Curse of the All-You-Can-Eat Salad Bar 2007-08-07 09:02:00 Photo by spo0nman You've decided to start that diet, in earnest, so for lunch, instead of heading to the local greaseburger palace with your comrades, you convince everyone that you should hit the local salad bar instead. After a lot of grumbling, your powers of persuasion work their magic and you hit the salad bar. You load up your plate with a few salad-y items, along with some of the potato salad, pasta salad, and man, does that Thai fried wonton noodle salad look good. This diet "thang" ain't so bad, after all.You lovingly coat the contents of the entire plate with a little ambrosia of the gods...that's ranch dressing to the uninitiated. Then a little, or a lot, of fried goodness in the form of bacon bits never hurt anybody. Hey, at least they aren't those artificial Bac-O things. Those would be a tragedy! By the way, isn't "natural" better for you? Buttery croutons? Check...and freshly made this morning! What's that your hearing? The scintillating, siren song of the bread se Read more:Salad
Best Diet Ever: Minimize processed carbohydrates 2007-08-07 07:37:00 Oh no, I can see the forces of carb-loving and carb-hating evil gathering in the distance. Do carbs make you fat or are they the body's most important energy source? Well, which is it!? I've always been a proponent of the theory that a calorie is a calorie and that all weight loss is dependent on calories in vs. calories out. That opinion is based on my personal experience of losing 60 pounds and maintaining that loss by doing lots of exercise and maintaining a calorie deficit with no regard to changing the foods that I eat, only eating less of them.Having said that, studies done by Harvard Medical School, and more recently The University of Pennsylvania, have found that a certain percentage of people respond better to a low carb approach to eating. The high responders to the low carb diets are people who have metabolic syndrome, Type II diabetes, and hyperinsulinemia. I'll have a post with more information on this topic in the near future. What I can say is that from a nutritio Read more:Best Diet
Visualize yourself thin! 2007-08-06 17:12:00 Visualization is a tool that has been proven to be effective in motivating people to achieve their goals. Now I feel compelled to stop right here and say that visualization combined with action is great, but visualization alone will get you nowhere.One day a carpenter decided that he was done building houses for a living. Now our carpenter was a very pious man, so he decided to start praying with all of his might that he would win the lottery so he could build the house of his dreams and live the good life. Every morning, he would pray and pray that God would let him win the lottery, checking the newspaper to see if he had won. Well, this continued for ten years, until one day, the carpenter checked the numbers to see if he had one, only to be disappointed once again. He looked skyward and said, "God. I've been praying that I would win the lottery every day for ten years. I've been a good, reverent, and righteous person. Why haven't you let me win?" To the man's surprise, God respo Read more:Visualize
Best Diet Ever: Drink one gallon of water a day 2007-08-06 07:34:00 Yes, an entire gallon! Only oxygen is more urgently needed than water
. Don't skimp on your water intake. Dehydration wreaks havoc on bodily processes and causes people to feel lethargic throughout the day. Dehydration can cause severe cramps during exercise, so ensure that you drink 16 oz. of water before any exercise and continue drinking during any strenuous exercise, especially if it's an outdoor activity and/or hot outside.Staying properly hydrated will also help you not overeat when meal or snack times roll around. I've read that if you are dehydrated, your body misinterprets the thirst signal as hunger causing you to eat when you are really thirsty. I don't know that I buy that reasoning, but studies have shown that drinking water throughout the day, especially before meals, causes you to eat less because your stomach is full. Your brain gets the "I'm full. I can stop eating now" signal with less food.Can you drink too much water?It is possible to drink too much water, b Read more:Best Diet
, Drink
Product Review: Ultimate Direction FastDraw 2007-08-03 17:50:00 The summer heat is increasing the need to bring along water or a sports drink when you are exercising outdoors. If you are going to be exercising for an hour or less, plain water is what your body needs. If you are outside for longer than 1 hour, consider the use of a sports drink to replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates. Either way, you are going to need something in which to carry your fluids. You can certainly carry a bottle of water, but for me, the FastDraw is a cheap option that lets me carry my water without tiring out my hands from gripping the bottle.I've owned all types of hydration systems: hydration pack systems (camelbaks), fanny pack/bottle holder systems, and hand held bottle straps, like the FastDraw. Depending on how much water I need to carry, I go with the FastDraw as a first choice, and if I need to carry more water, I'll add a fanny pack that can hold an additional bottle. I like the convenience of having the bottle in my hand, and I tend to drink more becaus Read more:Ultimate
, Direction
Expectation Letdown Fatigue 2007-08-03 07:21:00 Lose 10 pounds in 10 days! 8 minutes a Day to a Slimmer, Sexier You!Fab Abs by Wiggling Your Toes for 2 Minutes a Day...Not Vigorously, Of Course!Magazines with headlines like these really irk me. False promises like these are a main cause of what I like to call, expectation letdown fatigue.Jane Wannabefit makes a decision that swimsuit season is just around the corner. She's put on a few pounds since last year, and it's got to go. The problem is, it's July and she's got to act quickly. Standing in the checkout line at the local Grab 'n Go, lo and behold, like an angelic gift from the heavens, out from the magazine rack jumps the headline, "Lindsay Lohan loses 10 pounds in 10 days! Find out how she did it!" What good fortune, it just so happens Jane's got 10 pounds to lose and only 10 days to do it in. Three point nine five smack-a-roos later, Jane has taken her first steps into fitness nirvana. Now the article, more often than not, is pure drivel, but this time Jane is lucky.. Read more:Fatigue
Best Diet Ever: Eat lean protein with every meal and snack 2007-08-02 08:36:00 Protein contains essential amino acids that your body needs to build and repair itself. It has the secondary benefit of requiring more energy than carbohydrates or fat to digest. If you consume 100 calories of protein
, your body will burn up to 30 of those calories during the digestion process. Foods high in protein also tend to create a sense of satiety, or feeling of being full. Some good sources of lean protein besides the oft mentioned chicken breasts, fish, and lower fat cuts of beef and pork are: cottage cheese yogurt eggs soy products If your diet tends to be higher in fat, choose low fat or non fat dairy products, as a large portion of their fat is of the saturated, unhealthy variety. Also, yogurt is a good choice, but watch out for highly sweetened versions with lots of added sugar. Try plain yogurt mixed with honey and berries. Eggs are another fantastic source of protein. If you enjoy eggs, but don't enjoy the additional calories, I would s Read more:Best Diet
, every
Best Diet Ever! 2007-08-01 08:27:00 Portion control and calorie counting are the keys to losing weight and keeping it off. That's still true, but it's so darn, oh, I don't know...not sexy. People want magical, fat-melting foods or one simple rule to follow that guarantees fat losing success. What is The Secret?! Well, I can tell you it is not sitting on your butt, meditating over a box of Ho-Ho's hoping that the universe will deliver you from your flabby self. Crazy, fad diets are the rule of the day. "Lose weight? Son, what you need is a lemonade, cayenne pepper, and ground up rhino testicle cocktail." Or it's some new miracle drug taking the country by storm, like alli. Oh, yeah, and that diaper you've got to wear to protect you from the, ahem, treatment effects, "You are WORKING IT, BABE!"In the upcoming days and weeks, I'll be writing posts that contain the most time-tested, effective techniques for eating healthier and losing weight. Don't expect flashy headlines, or celebrity endorsed magical thinking, but Read more:Best Diet
Chocolate, the Hipcat Health Food 2007-07-30 08:00:00 Now this is a health trend we can all jump on.Researchers in Switzerland, go figure, have discovered that eating dark chocolate (74% cocoa, Nestlé Noir Intense) significantly improved arterial function for up to 8 hours. A group of male smokers, known for having a high risk factor of artery dysfunction, were given 40g of dark chocolate. That is an amount equal to about 1 bar of chocolate. Their artery function was tested and showed a statistically significant improvement for up to 8 hours after eating the chocolate.So should you go out and stock up on chocolate bars, you know, for health purposes? I hope this study doesn't get too much attention because whatever small benefit could be derived from eating chocolate is certainly offset by the amount of saturated fat and sugar in a candy bar. Well, it looks like it's too late for that. I've seen an article on several high profile sites mentioning it.This is a perfect example of why people are so confused about what they should be ea Read more:Chocolate
, Health
Fat, a necessary nutrient, Part II 2007-07-24 14:47:00 As mentioned in last weeks post, fat is the most maligned of all macro nutrients, carbohydrates being a recent and very close second. The common misconception is that dietary fat leads to more body fat. That is not directly the case. Excess calories, whether from carbohydrates, protein, or fat lead to excess body fat. Since, we need fat in our diets, we should make an effort to consume mostly "good" fats.Good FatsGood fats fall into the category of unsaturated fats. Chemically they are more complex than saturated fats and tend to have a "bent" molecular structure. This type of structure causes unsaturated fats to be liquid at room temperature. The two types of unsaturated fats are monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fats. The difference lies in the number and location of double bonds between carbon atoms, but honestly, who really cares about all of that. Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when you use them to replace saturated
Fat, a necessary nutrient, Part I 2007-07-23 16:48:00 Fat usually gets a bad rap in the diet world, but without fat in our diets we would die. Yes, the typical diet contains too much fat, but some fat is needed for our survival. Dietary fat intake supplies our bodies with essential fatty acids, regulates hormone and cholesterol production, and supplies our bodies with fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). Fat is also the most dense form of food energy containing over twice the amount of energy per gram as carbohydrates and protein (9 calories per gram vs. 4 calories per gram).CholesterolCholesterol is a fat-like substance that is found in cell walls in the body. Too much of the wrong type of cholesterol causes deposits on arterial walls and can lead to blocked arteries and heart disease. Contrary to popular belief, dietary cholesterol is not a major source of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Most cholesterol is produced by the body as a result of heredity and diet. Saturated fat and trans fatty acids are the major dietary culprits in the b
National Weight Control Registry 2007-07-18 12:17:00 The NationalWeightControlRegistry
is a joint research study conducted by professors at Brown University and the University of Colorado. It has tracked the lifestyle and habits of over 5000 people who have lost at least 30 pounds and successfully kept it off for at least 18 months. The average amount of weight lost by the research participants is 66 pounds and they have kept it off for an average of 5.5 years. The purpose of the study is not to track how much weight is lost, but how did the participants lose the weight and keep it off long-term. Here are some of the results from the study: 98% of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight. Look at it this way, your current weight is the net result of your current food intake and activity levels. If you want to control your weight, you must change something. You can either eat smaller portions (less calories) of the same foods, or you can eat foods with fewer calories (less cal
Eat more to lose weight 2007-07-11 12:15:00 "Ok, time to get Scott a prescription for some crazy pills. Now I know, I didn't just read that I need to eat more to lose weight
!" Actually that is not a typo. You could be eating too little food to lose weight. Obviously, this doesn't apply to everyone but there are some people who will read this who, believe it or not, are not eating enough to lose weight. You see our bodies are very good at keeping us alive. In fact, looking good in a swimsuit for the summer doesn't even come into play from a biological standpoint. Survival is paramount. Most people who go on a diet severely restrict the amount of food that they eat so that they can lose weight as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that only works for a very short period of time. Within a couple of weeks your body starts to react to keep you alive (remember, survival trumps swimsuit season) by reducing your metabolism to closer match your food intake. Once this begins to happen you are no longer consuming a calorie deficit
Running Tips and Questions Answered 2007-05-22 12:14:00 Last week I sent out some information for anyone interested in starting a running program the correct way. I received several questions as a result of that email and I thought that this week I would share those questions as well as the answers. Should I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth? This is not a "rule" and not advised unless you are running very easy. If you feel like you are not getting enough air then definitely breathe through your mouth...you'll get a lot more air that way. I assume that this "myth" started as a way to get people to control their breathing and not begin to hyperventilate. If you feel that your breathing is abnormally quick and labored when running, keep reading...there is a much better solution than breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. What about a cooldown? Someone brought it to my attention that I didn't include any cooldown time in the running plan. The plan is designed to be a moderate intensi
Starting a running program 2007-05-15 12:08:00 The weather is starting to improve and now is the time to get outside and get active. The nicest aspect of living in New Mexico is the great weather with plenty of sunshine and low humidity. Take advantage of it. I admit that I'm partial to running
and whenever I take some time off of running, I always start up again the same way...with a walk/run program. It is just easier on you to ease into it instead of killing yourself by trying to run miles and miles from the start. I've attached a program designed to get a non-runner from the couch to a 5k race (3.1 miles). The plan requires 3 days of running per week for 20-30 minutes per day. No excuses...you can do that over lunch, but the best time from a scheduling standpoint is usually in the morning, before work. It's also a lot cooler then. Before you begin Check with your doctor. If you have concerns about whether or not you are healthy enough to do the plan, check with your doctor first. Your doctor will be thrilled that you
Fitness/Health/Nutrition Myths, Part Deux 2007-05-07 12:06:00 Of the tips sent out so far, the fitness myth tip got the most positive response, so I've decided to do another one. Besides these are very easy to put together due to an enormous amount of misinformation out there in the areas of health and fitness. Weight gain with age is inevitable As we age, certain physiological changes do take place, but weight gain doesn't need to be one of them. Weight gain with age is common, but it's a result of a decrease in activity, not an increase in age. This decrease in activity leads to a decrease in muscle mass and a resulting decrease in metabolism. What can you do to avoid this? The best thing to do is to strength train. By doing resistance exercise, you can maintain or build muscle mass and keep your metabolism from slowly decreasing. If you do 30 minutes of cardio at least 4 days per week, you can offset the metabolic decrease by burning more "activity" calories. If exercise just isn't your bag, then to keep the scale from creeping upw Read more:Health
, Myths
Five not-so-painless changes 2007-05-01 12:04:00 OK, so you got the touchy-feely list last week. Nothing harsh or extreme, precious little snowflakes, only jedi mind trick strategies to fool you into doing something healthy without noticing it. This week...it's time for a little tough love. These are the changes
you really should be working toward and none of them are easy. They require commitment, planning, and, God forbid, maybe, some lifestyle changes. The good news is that these are some of the most effective weight management strategies available. No liquid calories! "Nooooooo! Scott, you'll have to pry my quadruple, mocha, chocolate, double shot vanilla, triple axel, extra hot, shaken, not stirred, extra caramel, whip, macchiato from my cold, dead hands." Easy there. Studies have shown that calories consumed in a liquid form do not cause us to offset those calories when later eating solid food. In other words, liquid calories don't do anything to satisfy hunger, but they still count from an energy balance standpoint
Five healthy, pain-free changes you need to make today! 2007-04-23 12:03:00 So you're convinced you need to do something, but you're not ready to commit to any drastic changes
. Here are a few things you can do to start moving in the right direction. Are you going to drop 20 pounds overnight? No, but I'd like you to consider these effective weight management strategies to help you start moving in a positive direction. Switch to lowfat or fat-free dairy products Slowly transition from full fat dairy products to lower fat versions. If you drink whole milk, try 2% until you become accustomed to it, then switch to 1%, etc. Switching directly to skim is not an easy transition so ease into it. By the way whole fat milk is 3.25% milkfat so even switching to 2% is a 40% decrease in fat. The reasoning behind the switch is two-fold. First, you'll cut a small, but significant source of calories that you won't miss. Second, and most importantly, whole dairy products contain loads of saturated fat. Reducing dietary saturated fat is a big step in reducing your L Read more:healthy
Strength Training 2007-04-16 12:01:00 Most people who want to be fitter or look better start by “going on a diet”. Some might even begin to do some cardio occasionally, but most people don’t strength train. As a result, many people don’t get the benefits that strength training provides. Injury prevention A balanced, strength training program can strengthen weak muscles and result in a stronger, more fit, physique. Notice I said a BALANCED program. That means strengthening all major muscle groups not just the "beach" muscles. A ripped six-pack with bulging biceps is nice, but not if you’re so weak that your 5 year old has to open the jar of peanut butter for you. Strength training is more than crunches, bench press, and bicep curls. Focus on strengthening weaker muscle groups to minimize injury potential. Increase lean muscle mass = Increased metabolism = Decreased body fat Every pound of muscle in your body burns approximately 30-50 calories per day. By adding more muscle, your resting met Read more:Training
, Strength Training
It is easier to find an excuse than to find a reason. 2007-04-09 11:53:00 What are the two best times to start an exercise program? Six months ago and right now. If you've been at it for six months, congratulations, you should be seeing some benefits for all of your hard work. If you aren't seeing results, it is definitely time to re-evaluate what you are doing and figure out why you are not making progress. In the beginning of an exercise program, almost any consistent exercise will create results, but no matter how good of a program you do, no program works forever. As your body adapts to the workload, you need to change things up to continue making progress. Don't continue a program that isn't working...change it up. Talk to your friendly, neighborhood fitness coordinator for suggestions on what to change in order to continue your progress. If you haven't yet started a program, there is no better time than right now. You say you can't. Let me guess...You don't have the time Here's a little secret, life isn't going to stop and wait for you to star
Fitness, Health, and Nutrition Myths 2007-04-02 11:52:00 OK, it's time to separate fitness fact from fiction. Here are 6 common health and fitness-related misconceptions and the reasons that they are wrong.Spot reduction Myth: 1000 crunches/sit-ups a day will result in a flat stomach. Reality Check: If you do 1000 crunches a day you will have a ripped set of abs underneath the same layer of fat that you've always had. The only way to reduce fat is to create a calorie deficit (see Energy Balance post) and crunches/sit-ups are a very poor way to burn calories. Unfortunately, you can't choose which fat is going to be burned...your genetics control that. If you want that six pack, you need to strength train your abs, as well as all other muscles, do cardio to burn calories, and watch your caloric intake. To begin to see definition in your abs, men require a body fat level of 8-10%, women require a body fat level of 12-14%. Wondering about your body fat %? Your friendly, neighborhood fitness coordinator can figure it out for you.Fatte Read more:Health
, Myths
The skinny on getting thin 2007-03-26 11:49:00 Energy balance: What is it and why you should care.It's like deja vu all over again. I keep having this conversation over and over again…with different people, but the same conversation.Person: "I don't know what it is. I'm eating healthy, you know...I've cut out all of the junk food but I can't seem to lose weight."Scott: "How much are you eating?"Person: "Who knows, but I've eaten enough lettuce, I'm about to start sprouting. I’ve even put on a few pounds! Am I cursed?"Losing weight, or gaining weight, is all a matter of energy balance - Calories In vs. Calories Out. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. The type of food from which those calories originate is irrelevant. There, I said it. You can have your cake and eat it, too...just not all of it. Obviously, if you live on Ho-hos and fried cheese, i.e. very calorie dense foods, it is going to be difficult to eat enough food Read more:skinny
Eat breakfast. 2007-03-19 11:42:00 If you think skipping breakfast is an easy way to cut calories and lose weight, think again. Breakfast as the word implies means breaking a fast. Your metabolic rate drops overnight because of fasting. So when you skip this morning meal, and eat a hearty lunch, the majority of the calories taken in are stored as fat since your metabolism cannot cope with the sudden load of calories. Likewise, you tend to feel so hungry for lunch that your decision making in terms of proper food choices is impaired. So lunch servings are mainly high fat, less nutritious meal choices that can be harmful in the long run. Skipping breakfast is also a major cause of late night bingeing...and those binges tend to offset any calories saved by not having eaten breakfast. Healthy breakfast suggestions: Cold cereal and milk Choose a cereal with whole grains and lots of fiber, at least 3g per serving. Use skim or 1% milk. A single 8 oz. glass of whole milk has as much saturated fat as two slices
Best Diet Ever: Follow the 90% rule 2007-08-10 08:16:00 Photo by akirsaIf you follow the recommendations and eat 6 smaller meals throughout the day, that's 42 meals per week. If you can make good choices and eat healthy foods for 90% of those meals, you will succeed. That leaves 4 meals per week that you can break the rules and have whatever you want. Try to be reasonable and don't sit down and demolish an entire bag of potato chips, but have a few...and then have a few more. It's OK. There is no need to shovel them in with abandon as though no crunchy, fried, potato goodness will ever cross your lips again. No food is off limits for cheat meals, but you only get 4 cheat meals per week.An important psychological benefit of the cheat meal is that it makes it OK to "slip". Wanting foods because they taste good is a natural part of being human. The problems start when a "slip" mentally transmogrifies into "I'm a failure!" Once you've started down that slippery slope, it's easy to give up. By making cheat meals part of the "rules" of Read more:Best Diet
Best Diet Ever: Only no calorie drinks allowed 2007-08-09 08:17:00 Photo by Asif Ali ABye, bye, venti, mocha, chocolate, triple, whip, soy, vanilla macchiato! As far as your body is concerned, liquid calorie
s are "ghost" calories. You might drink them, but they don't fill you up like solid food. So not only do you get the extra calories, but you get no satiety for it. Double whammy! The best choice is water. Don't think you've got to drink bottled water unless you've got a few bucks burning a hole in you pocket and if that's the case, why not send it to me instead of wasting it on tap water from Cleveland. Tap water is a fine choice, but if you like the taste of filtered water, buy a home water filter. I've never used those Brita pitchers, but I have owned the Pur brand that fits your kitchen sink and I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up. Sugary soft drinks are pure candy. I know lots of people have switched to these Vitamin Water drinks. They have fewer calories, but are still not calorie-free. If you use them to kick your soft drink habit, t Read more:Best Diet
Exercise? No way, that stuff will kill you! 2007-08-13 08:00:00 Photo by A-WixI've recently read several articles indicating that in certain circumstances being overweight seems to have life-extending qualities. In cases where people have had heart attacks, some cancers, and various forms of cardiovascular disease, the overweight patients simply lived longer. Huh? Doesn't this fly in the face of everything we've ever seen, read, or heard?These studies are real studies and I've added links at the end of this post if anyone is interested in reading more about them. Even the studies that suggest being overweight has some protective effects in this population of patients are quick to point out that being overweight is a proven risk factor in developing these diseases in the first place. The best thing to do is not end up in one of these studies by having cardiovascular disease. Whew! Looks like all of that running isn't going to kill me, after all.Is exercise really necessary? Why bother with this whole exercise thing? It is possible to Read more:Exercise
, stuff
Want to lose weight? Get off of the scale! Part I 2007-08-16 07:26:00 Photo by fatty tunaIt is estimated that 1 in 6 Americans are "on a diet" at any given time. Losing weight is a national obsession...to the tune of about 35 billion dollars annually (that's billion...with a "b"!) Whether it's losing five pounds or a hundred pounds or more, everyone has some magic number that they hope to one day see when they step on the scale.I'll let you in on a secret...that's the wrong approach entirely. You see, your weight doesn't tell you anything about what you are made of. Bones, muscle, organs, and fat all look the same through the eyes of the scale. People diet strictly for a short period of time to get their weight down, but what exactly goes away for the weight to go down? Was most of the weight loss a result of fat loss, or was it mostly a loss of muscle? The scale can't give you that answer, but it is a key piece of information that can predict the likelihood of long term weight loss success. Losing muscle will reduce your metabolism and ma Read more:lose weight
Post Workout Recovery: Don't Miss the "Window of Opportunity" 2007-08-15 07:31:00 Photo by Nils GeylenCongratulations, you've just finished a tough workout and now you're ready to kick back and have a nice, cool beverage. But wait, you're on a diet. Should you drink water to save the calories? What about Gatorade? Don't the commercials say that you need to replace electrolytes after a hard workout?You should definitely drink enough water to stay hydrated throughout your workout and if you have been outdoors in the summer heat you may need to replace electrolytes with Gatorade. These are primarily hydration issues, though. It's important to realize that after a hard workout, there is a recovery "window of opportunity" that closes rapidly. If that window closes and you miss it, it may take days for you to fully recover instead of hours. The purpose of a good post workout recovery drink is to help prepare you for your next workout.How soon should I have a recovery drink?Intense, long-lasting exercise depletes your body's stores of glycogen, a stored form o Read more:Workout
, Recovery
, Window
, Opportunity
Best Diet Ever: Listen to your mom. Eat your fruits and vegetables. 2007-08-14 07:30:00 Photo by marmalade melMom was right. Not only do you need vegetables and fruits for the nutrients they contain, but most are low calorie, high fiber, and have a high water content. That means they have a low calorie density and are filling. Besides, it's really tough to over eat fruits and vegetables. You don't have to search very long to find someone who claims that too much fruit is bad because of a high sugar content. The theory is that the sugar in fruits, causes blood levels of insulin to increase triggering fat storage. Well, most fruits also are high in fiber which slows the digestion process down and mutes the body's insulin response. Seriously, how many people out there have gotten fat by eating too many apples? I've yet to meet one.According to the USDA, you need to eat 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Most people don't eat half of that amount. Don't be one of those people...it will make you sick, weak, and the rest of us will point and laugh. Bew Read more:Listen
, Best Diet
The Cooking Spray Conundrum 2007-08-21 07:39:00 photo by xgot_rice64xCooking spray, also know as Pam, is pure, marketing genius! It's promoted as a fat-free alternative to those darn oils that keep food from sticking to the pan and, well, are just plain tasty. Let's have a little closer look at what's in the can.A quick look at the Nutrition Facts label shows that it has 0g of fat and 0 calories. It's perfect! What is this magical product made of? Let's see the ingredient label says the first ingredient is...that can't be right...CANOLA OIL?! I'm holding a full can of Pam in my hot little hands and it is mostly canola oil. Yet it is somehow fat-free and calorie-free. Unless Con Agra has magical elves removing calories and fat from canola oil, something is rotten in Denmark, or in this case, Omaha, Nebraska. By the way, if you believe the magical elf theory, STOP READING "THE SECRET"! I just love beating up on that book.Obviously, magical elves are not involved in the process, but something is amiss. The "secret" to Read more:Spray
, Conundrum
Recommend Site To A Friend
