Here’s why: Those diet foods that are labeled as “fat free” or “sugar free” contain a lot of artificial sweeteners, which cause you to retain water and it also makes you feel more hungry. Let’s face it, if you feel more hungry, you are going to eat more (and there’s a good chance you’ll be eating more junk food)!

Conclusion: Skip the “diet” foods! Focus on healthy foods that are good for your body (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats!) and enjoy living that wonderful life of yours!

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“The more we study vitamin C, the better our understanding of how diverse it is in protecting our health, from cardiovascular, cancer, stroke, eye health [and] immunity to living longer.” - Mark Moyad, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan

Health Benefits of Vitamin C

• Vitamin C is well known for it’s ability to strengthen the body’s immune system and help heal all of the cells in your body.

• Feeling stressed? Vitamin C helps the body to naturally deal with stress.

• Vitamin C can help detoxify the body, including protecting the body from pollution, neutralizes harmful free radicals, and removes heavy metals.

• Cardiovascular disease can be protected against with Vitamin C.

• Vitamin C kills the harmful bacteria and viruses in the body, yet it’s able to support the good bacteria in the gut.

Top Sources of Vitamin C

Eating more raw fruits and vegetables should be able to help provide the needed amount of Vitamin C to enjoy the associated health benefits.

I have listed common fruits and vegetables that are rich in Vitamin C, and all of them are less than 130 calories per serving. Sounds like a win-win to me!

• Guava – 381% DV

• Papaya - 313% DV

• Bell Peppers – 195% DV

• Strawberries – 141% DV

• Broccoli – 135% DV

• Pineapple – 131% DV

• Brussels Sprouts – 124% DV

• Kiwifruit – 120% DV

• Oranges – 116% DV

• Cantaloupe – 97% DV

• Kale – 88% DV

• Cauliflower – 86% DV

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1. My husband was given this candy bar for his birthday. He ate three pieces (one row), and had the candy bar sitting on his desk for weeks. I finally took a picture of it, just to show myself what real “Will Power” looks like.

2. I’m still not sure if this is cute or just plain creepy. 

3. It’s time to put the coffee down…

4. I know that they are both orange, but only one if a vegetable. Don’t get confused!

5. I love this.

6. OK, if you feel like you need or want this in your car, I think it’s time you stop eating fast food altogether.

7. Such a clever picture, right?!

8. I saw these at an airport recently, and all I could think of was how these candies just weren’t worth it. Yuck.

9. I think a lot of people have more in common with T-Rex than they realize. Haha

Which picture was your favorite?

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Please share this image with everyone you know, it can save a life!

Reduce the Risk of Stroke

Now that you know how to recognize the signs of a stroke, let’s briefly discuss how you can prevent a stroke altogether.

• If you want to do something extremely healthy for your heart that will reduce your chances of getting a stroke, exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Aim to exercise about 30 minutes a day, such as riding a bike, going for a walk, or swimming.

• Eating healthy fat is good for you, and even reduces the risk of stroke. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2002 found that women who ate fish once a week were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or die of heart disease than those who ate fish only once a month.

• A Harvard Study found that those who don’t get enough rest each night have an increased risk of having a stroke. A lack of sleep has been shown to increase stress hormones, raise blood pressure, and affects blood sugar levels, all which are not good for your heart. Researchers also found that sleeping too much (9 hours plus) have a negative effect on your heart health as well, so aim for around 8 hours of sleep each night.

• If you are underweight or overweight, it’s time to take necessary steps to reach a healthier weight.

• Eating more fiber has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. For women, those who consumed 23 grams of fiber per day were 23 percent less likely to have a heart attack compared to those who had only 11 grams of fiber each day. For men, a high fiber diet reduced their risk of a heart attack by 36 percent!

• Go on a Vacation! Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found that those who took regular vacations reduced their risk of heart disease by one third. Another reason to take a nice and relaxing vacation, right?

• If you smoke, it’s time to get the help you need to stop smoking ASAP! When you quit smoking, you will lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. There are some encouraging statistics for those who quit smoking…it’s never too late to quit smoking and get your health back on track.

Image Credit: American Heart Association

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The best part about Beyoncé’s weight loss strategy is that there isn’t a specific company she is representing and trying to promote. That’s right! She’s not promoting Slim•Fast, Weight Watchers, NutraSlim, HCG, or any other “diet” out there. Basically, Beyoncé is promoting a healthy lifestyle that anyone can do! How refreshing is that?!

Breastfeeding Benefits

In the first ten weeks after Beyoncé had her daughter Blue Ivy, she lost the initial weight from breastfeeding. More specifically, she lost the first 14 pounds in just the first month after giving birth!

I’m not surprised hearing this, considering that on average, women will burn about 300 calories a day from breastfeeding. If you eat healthy and don’t overdo it, it’s reasonable to expect weight loss from breastfeeding alone.

Exercise

The first ten weeks after giving birth, Beyoncé didn’t exercise, which is expected and ideal to allow the body time to heal.

After 10 weeks, Beyoncé was able to start up an exercise routine. She exercises three times a week for 90 minutes each session.  The exercise routine consists of running, dancing (of course…it’s Beyoncé!) and abdominal exercises.

Nutrition

It’s all about eating healthy and portion control when you are trying to lose weight and keep it off! Thankfully, Beyoncé isn’t promoting a specific product and has shared an example of what she is eating throughout the day.

Breakfast: Egg Whites

Lunch: Shake or Turkey Slices

Dinner: Sashimi

Beyoncé didn’t share too much detail about her meal plan, such as portion sizes, but it’s safe to say that she has eliminated junk food and sweets! Beyoncé can easily be eating 10 egg whites with lots of veggies to make a healthy and filling breakfast, but one can only assume. Considering her 90 minute workout routine three times a week, she will need enough food to fuel her body to lose weight, which she has done quite well with in the last four months.

If you want to lose weight like Beyoncé did, it’s all about eating healthy and exercise. There’s no magic “diet” or diet pill…it’s just good ‘ol fashioned hard work that will pay off in the end.

Image Credits: starpulse.com

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So the question comes up, “What are we REALLY eating?”. Ever thought of that yourself? Here’s some common ingredients you will find in your grocery store, with surprising reality checks. Oh, and when I say “surprising”, it’s not in a good way! *gag*

Gelatin

Such a simple word, we’d hardly realize that gelatin is just a nice word for collagen – which is a protein that usually comes from animal skins! Yes, animal skins! The collagen source will vary, depending on the type of food it is used for, but desserts that use gelatin primarily will use collage from pig skin. All I’m thinking about is how that Strawberry Jell-O isn’t as appealing as it was five minutes ago.

Castoreum

You won’t see this ingredient specifically listed on food labels since it’s commonly listed as “natural flavoring”. So what is it really? Castoreum is extracted from the castor sac scent glands of a beaver. What’s more gross is that the castor sac scent glands are located near the anus. The FDA considered this ingredient generally safe, but all I can think about is how I have found another reason to cook from scratch with known ingredients.

Mechanically Separated Meat

There’s a little bit of meat that clings to the bones of pork or chicken after it has been forced through a sieve-like machine using high pressure. That leftover meat is mixed in with crushed bits of bone and cartilage (among other things) that becomes a paste and later used for cheap meats like hot dogs. Overall, this kind of meat is pretty gross. It would be best to avoid it completely!

Pink Slime

Very similar to Mechanically Separated Meat, the leftover meat that clings to fat and separated is called Pink Slime. This meat paste is commonly used as a filler in ground beef. You are probably wondering how common this Pink Slime is. How about 10 billion pounds sold per year? That’s 10 billion pounds too many for my standards.

Shellac

If ingredients were spelled-out for what they really are, nobody would eat anything with shellac in it. Shellac is a sticky substance that comes from secretions of a female insect called Kerria lacca. So what has shellac in it? Sorry candy lovers, but shellac is to blame for the shiny coat that covers treats like candy corn, jelly beans, and just about any other hard-coated candy that looks shiny.

Ammonia

You would think that ammonia would only be used for household cleaning purposes, right? For some unknown reason, ammonia was approved by the FDA to be used as a gas to kill germs in beef during processing.

Carmine

Some foods just aren’t as red as they appear to be. To add some red color to foods, carmine is added! Carmine comes from cochineal bugs (yup, insects again!) that are boiled and made to create red food-coloring. The FDA requires carmine to be clearly listed on food labels since some people have had life-threatening reactions to it. If you would like to avoid this ingredient (don’t blame you!), be sure to check the labels for Ice Cream, lemonade, grapefruit juice, Skittles, and Good n’ Plenty.

Lessons Learned

I bet a lot of Vegans didn’t realize how many animal products they were still consuming! If you are a Vegetarian or a Vegan, now you know what to avoid and I’m sure you’ll do an even better job of checking those ingredient labels out!

For all of us who aren’t Vegans but are still creeped out by the ick-factor of all of these common ingredients, we all now know what to try and avoid.

PS – I’m still sick thinking about the beaver and those insects… : /

Image Credit: gelatin

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I’m not going to get into the drugs versus herbs debate, but I will say that each has it’s place. I personally have found that more often than not, herbs are all that I needed to get the job done.

Benefits

• Goldenseal may help boost white blood cells, which helps the body build up the immune system and fight against infections.

•  A 2002 study done at the University of Illinois to see whether Goldenseal was effective in oral hygiene products. The study did show that Goldenseal contains antimicrobial alkaloids active against oral pathogens.

• Goldenseal has been shown to be Antibacterial, Antifungal,  Anti-Diabetic, and an Anti-Inflammatory.

• Goldenseal helps stimulates the appetite and aids digestion. Goldenseal is commonly used to help sooth an upset stomach (which is something I remember using Goldenseal for).

• Goldenseal helps with constipation by promoting muscular tone of the stomach and intestines, which causes bile secretion.

• Goldenseal has been shown to have Antiseptic properties, and has been used for disinfecting cuts and scrapes.

• Tonifies the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, the bladder, and the skin.

• In conjunction with other herbs, has been known to be used to help treat Cancer.

Intake

Dried – Goldenseal can be found dried to be used in teas or in capsule form.

Extract – The liquid dose can be used before meals to enhance appetite or as an eyewash to help with infections like conjunctivitis (more commonly known as “pink eye”).

Goldenseal is often combined with other herbs to help boost the medicinal effects of other herbs.

Precautions

Generally, a two week maximum dosage is suggested. Meaning, this isn’t an herb you should digest every day, long term. Only use when needed, and not for longer than the two week time frame. From personal experience, I don’t think I ever felt like I needed it for two weeks since my symptoms quickly subsided.

If you are pregnant or nursing, Goldenseal should be avoided.

As always, I would suggest consulting with a qualified professional before using Goldenseal or any other herb.

Image Credits: en.wikipedia.org; starwest-botanicals.com

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I absolutely love deviled eggs, but I don’t make them all too often for a number of reasons. To make deviled eggs healthier, I suggest using less yolks and/or a healthy mayo replacement.

Ingredients:

12 eggs, hard boiled and shells removed

1/4 cup Grapeseed Vegenaise

1 tbsp Mustard

Paprika, garnish

Instructions:

Step 1) Cut eggs in half, lengthwise, with a sharp knife. Remove yolks and place in bowl.

Step 2) Mash yolks and mix in the Vegenaise and Mustard.

Step 3) Spoon yolk mixture onto egg white halves and sprinkle Paprika on top.

Tip: For a smooth and creamy egg yolk texture, mix ingredients in a blender or with egg beaters. Also, if you would like the finished product to look more fancy than your average deviled egg, use the creamy mixture with cake decorating supplies and use that to place onto the egg whites.

Image Credit: Jan Leasure (I’m using her pic while my camera is being fixed…)

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Natural Dyes

You can easily make dyes that are created from natural ingredients made 100% from vegetables, fruits, and other plants.

I have created list of colors to choose from, and what ingredients to use to obtain that particular color. I wrote the words “best” next to the ingredients that provided the most vibrant colors. Of course, the other ingredients will work as well!

Red

• Yellow Onions Skins (best!)

• Pomegranate Juice

• Canned Cherries with Juice

• Beets (turns out Pink!)

Yellow

• Annatto Seeds (best!)

• Turmeric, ground

• Lemon Peels

• Cumin, ground

Blue

• Red Cabbage (best!)

• Purple Grape Juice

Green

• Liquid Chlorophyll (best!)

• Spinach Leaves

Purple

• Blueberries, fresh or frozen (best!)

• Purple Grape Juice, diluted

• Red Zinger Tea

• Violet Blossoms

Orange

• Red Onion Skins (best!)

• Paprika

• Carrots, cooked

• Chili Powder

Brown

• Dill Seeds

• Black Walnut Shells

• Coffee Beans, ground

• You can always buy brown eggs ;)

Instructions

Step 1) Take your dye material and put it in a pot with some water and about 2 tablespoons of white vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Step 2) Take the dye material out of the pot (strainer) to create room for the eggs – plus it’s less messy!

Step 3) Boil your eggs in the dye bath for about 25 minutes.

Tip: If you would a deeper/richer color, you can just leave the eggs in the dye for another hour or so until the eggs are the perfect color. Of course, remove the pot from the heat first, otherwise your eggs would be way overcooked!

Image Credit: care2.com

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You Need A Vacation!

I really doubt that I need to convince anyone why they would need to go on a vacation. A vacation is something everyone wants, right? Well…not everyone. I have been wanting to go on a vacation for years now, and my husband just didn’t feel like he “needed” to go on one. It wasn’t something he grew up with, and in reality, he just didn’t know what he was missing out on! Fast forward five years, I’m now pregnant, and I need (yes, need!) that vacation before our first baby comes this Fall!

Needless to say, we finally went on our lovely vacation and my husband finally understands what the big hype with vacations is all about!  :)

What’s Stopping You?

I think sometimes we just get so busy with the day to day activities in life that we kind of forget to have some fun along the way.

In addition to time constraints, money can definitely prevent you from going on that dream vacation. Maybe you don’t get to go to that private Island that would cost you $15,000 – but you can go on a week long cruise to different Islands for $1,500. Personally, I think it’s better to go do something than to maybe never go at all (or go once in a lifetime).

Make a plan, save up your money, and make it happen!

Reasons To Go On A Vacation

Vacations can help you relax, have fun, and enjoy life. A lot of adults suffer from stress-related diseases. Vacations are a fun way to reduce stress and improve your health!

Vacations can help you find new and fun ways to exercise! My husband and I went on a cruise and found plenty of opportunities to exercise. In addition to the gym on the boat, we took the stairs whenever we could (there were a lot of stairs!), and while we were on the Islands we did plenty of walking or swimming. We were definitely able to get plenty of exercise each day, without ever feeling like we were “exercising” because we were just having so much fun!

In case I still need to convince you to go on a vacation, I’ll share a pictures of my vacation to help convince you to make vacations a part of your life! In my opinion, vacations are a necessity…for your health! :)

Grand Turk Island

First stop, Grand Turk! We had a blast swimming for hours in this beautiful water. When we were done swimming, we enjoyed walking on the beach and taking a million pictures. Actually, we took over 400 pictures of this beautiful Island and after we left, we realized that none of the pictures turned out. The shutter apparently died and all I could salvage was this picture from my husband’s iPhone. Actually, all of the pictures I am posting on here came from his phone! (Update: 04/28/2012 – My camera is finally working again!!!)

San Juan, Puerto Rico

We had so much fun exploring San Juan, Puerto Rico! We did a lot of walking (no cabs for us!) here, and had fun sightseeing along the way. Here’s a picture of the Castillo San Felipe del Morro.

Don’t even try looking for the yellow brick road, because you won’t find here! In San Juan, the streets are a pretty blue!

St. Thomas

By the time we came to St. Thomas, we were ready to jump in the water again! Here’s a picture of where we went snorkeling!

We were able to see a ship wreck, lots of sea creatures, fish, and a sea turtle!

After our excursion, we took a bunch of pictures of the local Iguanas! The Iguanas were pretty big, even though the picture isn’t too convincing. Trust me, these guys were huge!

Oh, do I need to remind you about how beautiful the water is in St. Thomas? I seriously just took a picture of the water when we were in the boat waiting to go snorkeling.

Bahamas

Oh, the Bahamas! It was the highlight of our trip…mainly just because it’s something my husband and I have been wanting to do ever since we got married (we wanted to go for our honeymoon, but it just didn’t work out for us to go at the time).

I’m originally from Vegas, so palm trees aren’t that big of a deal to me. In the Bahamas though, I couldn’t get enough of these palm trees for whatever reason!

My feet are very, very happy in this picture. The sand was so fine and soft! It was very relaxing to just walk around on the beach. I loved it!

I had to have a picture of me…in paradise. Not my best picture, but I don’t care. I’m in the Bahamas, remember?! ;)

The sun can do some amazing things for you, including providing a natural source of vitamin D! Unfortunately, I had a little too much sun in the Bahamas (I couldn’t help it! Plus, I had an allergic reaction to my sunblock… not gonna go there). Thankfully, I brought aloe vera with me and was able to quickly take care of my skin.

Vacations can make for an amazing “baby bump” picture! I took my first official pregnancy picture on the Beach…in the Bahamas… when I was 3 months pregnant.

Even though I totally wasn’t showing yet, I like to think of this moment as: Priceless! ;)

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

What other time are you going to get to hold a cute baby alligator with a bright green tourist sticker? I would have held the alligator too (I was actually really looking forward to it!), but I wasn’t feeling too good with the heat, humidity, and pregnancy hormones, so I was inside an air conditioned building and totally missed out on this opportunity! :(

At least my hubby was able to get a picture. He looks so cute here ;)

OK, one more beautiful picture of the Bahamas…

Convinced? You are welcome. Now it’s your turn to go on a vacation! Let me know where you are going, or where you have recently been!

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I hope this made you smile! :)

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With so many meals to consider, it’s easy to justify eating junk food now and again. Problem is, we often distort our reality of what “occasional” means. It’s easy to eat a candy bar every day, considering it’s just one of the many meals you ate that day. Unfortunately, those empty calories in the candy bars really add up overtime.

What you consistently eat, matters.

So how often is too often to splurge? I think it just really depends on a couple of important things.

Calories and Portion Size

How many calories do you need each day? Once you have figured this number out, you can determine how many calories you have “available” at the end of each day to put towards your “splurge”.

I want to point out that your overall focus should be eating nutrient dense foods so you can be healthy, rather than calorie counting all day. Sometimes though, calorie counting may be how you get started. Now, back to some simple math…

If you end up having 500 calories extra every day available for junk food, you either need to eat more real food that will satisfy your hunger and nutritional needs, or you need to recalculate your calorie intake.

Let’s say you are trying to maintain your weight, you probably should have about 100 calories or so extra available each day, and you can choose your splurge based on that. If you have 100 calories extra and want a treat, you can eaither have a 100 calorie splurge each day or “save up” those calories and in five days have a 500 calorie treat (as long as you kept within your calorie budget each day).

Activity Level

Do you sit or lay around all day? If you lead a very inactive lifestyle, you just won’t need as many calories as someone who exercises or leads a very active life every day. How much you move is going to effect how many calories you will need each day.

Remember, food is fuel for your body. Refer back to Calories and Portion Size.

Overall Goal

I realize a lot of people feel like they need to treat themselves. Trying to determine how to eat candy each day just isn’t quite the idea I had in mind for being “healthy”. I’m not a big fan of treating yourself or rewarding yourself with candy or desserts, I prefer healthy treats (healthy frozen yogurt, for example). I also realize that everyone ticks differently and what doesn’t work for me, might just work for you. For me, it’s easier to avoid sugary treats completely than to limit them. I wish I had better self control because a treat now and again would be nice, but I know myself better than that! ;)

What are your favorite splurges, and how often do you allow yourself to enjoy them? If you would like some healthy desserts that are guilt-free, check out some of our amazing recipes!

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Shamrock Toast

Why not start your day with a little green? Try this recipe: Shamrock Toast.

Avocado Hummus

Try a new (and very green!) twist to Hummus! This recipe is made with all green – and healthy! – ingredients, which is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s the recipe: Avocado Hummus.

Rainbow Ice Cubes

Every little leprechaun has it’s rainbow, right? Make this drink with your favorite fruit and enjoy! The too easy to believe recipe is here: Rainbow Ice Cubes.

Irish Stew

This traditional Irish Stew is made with healthy and delicious ingredients that you’ll love! You can find the recipe here: Irish Stew.

Spinach Spread

This is a great new way to enjoy spinach! Check out the recipe here: Spinach Spread. I suggest trying it with a healthy mayonnaise replacement.

Green Beans with Parsley Sauce

Spice up your Green Beans with this yummy Parsley Sauce! Here’s the recipe: Green Beans with Parsley Sauce.

Pot of Gold

This recipe may not be green, but it has “leprechaun” written all over it! Try this St. Patty’s day recipe: Pot of Gold Soup. I suggest ditching the brown sugar for pure maple syrup for a healthier soup!

Brown Soda Bread

This traditional Irish bread is made with a healthy twist: whole wheat flour, steel cut oats, and wheat germ. Find recipe here: Brown Soda Bread. I suggest replacing the brown sugar with pure maple syrup!

Brussel Sprouts with Water Chestnuts

This is an easy and delicious recipe that is full of nutrients and flavor. Oh! There’s plenty of green to go around too! Check out the recipe here: Brussel Sprouts with Water Chestnuts.

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“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy”  ~Author Unknown

You can easily change the quote to “just because you’re not overweight…” We all know that what is going on in the inside will always manifest itself on the outside… eventually.

Do what you can to eat healthy, exercise, rest well, and reduce the stress in your life. Taking good care of your overall health is something you will never regret.

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Breathing

A major step to keeping both the emotional and the physical stress of labor under control is to learn the beneficial breathing patterns taught by experts in childbirth, and yoga for pregnancy, classes. The research-based breathing techniques for pregnancy should be learned as early as possible, as they will be useful throughout pregnancy as well as on the big day.

General Fitness

General exercise routines tend to focus on increasing the heart, circulatory strength, building lean muscle, and pregnancy exercise programs tend to do the same. While experts do still warn of over-exertion, moderately strenuous exercise (such as walking for two miles) has been proven safe during pregnancy in several studies.

In fact, the benefits are so many that not exercising may possibly be a bigger threat to a healthy delivery. It has been found that an endurance exercise program during pregnancy can help reduce the rate of Cesarean delivery, decrease the number of delivery complications and lead to an average delivery time of five days earlier than non-exercising moms.

When to Start the Labor Diet

Athletes regularly use an endurance diet for three days prior to events to ensure optimum performance. This consists of a balance of complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats from seeds and nuts, and plenty of water. Research suggests that women can use this diet in preparation for labor. Of course, the problem comes in trying to predict when labor will begin. Though it may seem impossible, there are several signs of impending labor that are likely to give days or even weeks of advance notice.

The strategies outlined above will help ensure a greater supply of energy, not just for delivery but throughout the pregnancy.

There is so much more to learn, and expecting moms should consider attending pregnancy classes. This is a great way to become familiar with the facilities and procedures. Pregnancy experts can help answer questions about optional procedures such as cord blood banking where the umbilical cord blood is collected to potentially be used in the treatment of a future medical condition for the child or possibly a sibling. Other expecting mothers are also another great resource to turn to for sharing experiences and providing guidance.

“This article was written by Katie Moore. Katie is an active writer within the blogging community who discusses maternity, motherhood, prenatal health, childbirth and other topics within this niche.  If you have any questions or would like to connect with Katie please contact her via twitter @moorekm26.”

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To make this simple for everyone, I would like to break it down by listing the B Vitamins, listing the top sources where you can provide a bunch of B Vitamins into your body – naturally, and mention some key health benefits associate with B Vitamins.

Top Sources of B Vitamins

There are a lot of “B Vitamins” out there, with multiple names, too! I have listed them off as how they are numbered, plus how they are most commonly listed as in nutrition labels.

If you look at Vitamin B9, you’ll see that I have listed “folate” instead of “folic acid”. Folate is the natural form of Vitamin B9, found in whole food sources, while folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, or Vitamin B9. Depending on the source, that’s how it will be shown on the nutrition label.

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – Whole grains, beef, rice, and nuts.

• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – Raw milk, beef, spinach, yogurt, eggs, and whole grains.

• Vitamin B3 (niacin)  - Turkey, peanuts, codfish, lima beans, raw milk, and yogurt.

• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) – Codfish, tuna, chicken, eggs, raw milk, yogurt, broccoli, lentils, avocados, and sweet potatoes.

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxamine) – chicken, pork, peanuts, black beans, whole grains, and almonds.

• Vitamin B7 (biotin) – Cooked eggs (I specify cooked since raw eggs contain a protein that will bind the biotin in the body; not what you are going after), wheat germ, peanuts, cottage cheese, and whole grains.

• Vitamin B9 (folate) – Liver, sunflower seeds, spinach, edamame, beans and bean sprouts, asparagus, and peanuts.

• Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) – Liver, clams, trout, salmon, feef, yogurt, tuna, and raw milk.

Health Benefits of B Vitamins

• Natural Energy Boost – I keep seeing all sorts of energy drinks who tout the use of “B Vitamins”. I say, ditch the energy drinks (which are full of other junk) and indulge in some natural forms of B Vitamins,  specifically sources of Vitamin B1. With the help of Vitamin B1, the body is able to convert carbohydrates that we consume into the right amount of glucose to produce energy.

• Digestion – For proper digestion, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6 play a vital role. The B Vitamins create an important hormone called Hydrochloric acid, which breaks down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

• Nervous System – The nervous system is beyond crucial for every day life. Thankfully, B Vitamins help your nervous system function properly. Vitamin B5 is important to the adrenal glands, creating certain hormones and regulating nerve function. Vitamins B1, B6, and B12 are essential for overall function of the nervous system, including the brain. Vitamin B9 (folate) has been proven to prevent neural tube related defects. For those women that are pregnant, these vitamins are a must-have!

• Beauty – The B Vitamins are an important part of synthesis of DNA, RNA, and for cell reproduction. This means that the B Vitamins are great for healthy hair, nails, and skin. Perhaps we can call these the “Vain Vitamins”?! ;)

Precautions

Eat your B Vitamins! They are good for you, but never overdose on them either! They are extremely important for your overall health, but like I have said before, “too much of a good thing can be bad”.

If you consume too much Vitamin B6 (500 mg or more), it can result in irreversible nerve damage. To prevent overdoing it, I suggest eating foods that naturally contain the vitamins rather than take them in pill form.  I also suggest consulting with a licensed professional to make sure your levels are safe (not too low or too high).

Image Credit: plibb.com

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Related posts:

1. Twinkie’s Challenge: Obtain Vitamins and Minerals Naturally
2. Benefits and Sources of Vitamin A
3. Health Benefits of Berries

Let’s face it, GFC never became as user friendly or as “main stream” as other social networking platforms. I kept thinking or what was going to “replace” GFC, and I decided I just wanted to keep things simple for you, the reader, as well as for myself.

Feel free to follow us, however you like: 

We will continue to write great articles, have fun giveaways, and stay connected with our audience. Thank you for being a loyal reader! 

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1. Stay Updated with Skinny Twinkie!

Eat your veggies

Vegetables are key to feeling full longer. They are low in calories, and high in fiber. Try adding extra veggies to your meals or start substituting a salad for those high calorie dishes. This is a great way to help you stay slender!

It’s time to go nuts!

Nuts are filling, and have plenty of healthy fats in them. They are also high in protein. Remember to keep the serving size reasonable because they are high in calories – healthy calories! Try making a trail mix with dried fruit or use them as a side dish.

Snack on prunes

Don’t judge a book by its cover. While prunes may not be the most appealing to the eye, they are a high-fiber food filled with healthy antioxidants. This sweet, satisfying snack will keep you feeling full longer.

Start with soup

Studies have shown that if you eat soup before a meal, you are more likely to eat less. This is important when you are trying to reach your weight loss goals and still enjoy eating out. Broth-based soups are full of high-fiber foods. Stay away from creamy soups; they are high in fat and sodium! If you have time, you can even make a homemade soup and then freeze it for a quick on-the-go meal when you need it.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is high in fiber and you can spruce it up by adding sliced fruit, rice milk, and sprinkling some nuts on top! This fiber rich food is easy to make and will help you feel full longer and manage your weight.

You don’t need to starve yourself to maintain or lose weight!

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1. How To Buy Healthy Canned Foods
2. Twinkie’s Challenge: Say “No Way!” to Fried foods
3. Healthy Carbohydrates your Body Needs

Definition of Organic

That Organic label just means that the food is grown, processed, and packaged without the use of agricultural chemicals, artificial colors or flavors, genetic modification, irradiation, or other synthetic ingredients.

Simply put, the term “organic” doesn’t mean that a product is automatically “healthy” or good for your body.

Unhealthy Organic Products

There are a lot of unhealthy products out on the market today that are considered by many to be nutritious and healthy, partly due to marketing campaigns and an “All Natural” or “Organic” label on the front.

I have hand picked a couple of Organic products out on the market today that are about as guilty as the non-organic comparisons. I can’t say these are the “unhealthiest” organic products out on the market today, but they are just a few examples of products to avoid. These products just can’t be considered healthy, no matter how big that USDA Organic label is on the front of the package!

Organic Toaster Pastries

These can easily be compared to the popular Pop•Tart, nothing more than a sugary pastry. Yes, it’s made with “real fruit”, but it doesn’t quite make up for all of the other ingredients. The second ingredient is  evaporated cane juice invert (which is sugar) and the third ingredient is evaporated cane juice (sugar, again!), and dextrose (simple sugar).

Organic Cream Filled Cookies

Just like an Oreo cookie, these Newman-O’s are high in calories, fat, and sugar. The organic ingredients just don’t quite remove the side effects of eating junk food.

Organic Gummy Worms

These little gummy worms are organic and contain 100% daily vitamin C, so these must be really healthy for you, right? Wrong. There’s not enough vitamin C or natural fruit juice in this little bag of candy to compensate for the amount of sugar they put in these little gummy worms.

Organic Cereal

This organic cereal is marketed as a healthy cereal for kids, yet the second ingredient is sugar. Not only that, this cereal contains dextrose (fancy word for a simple sugar) and maltodextrin (which is a food additive, mostly found in soda and candy).

Organic Ice Cream

It’s “All Natural” and “Organic”, how could you go wrong? Even though this ice cream has been touted as different from other ice creams, it still contains key ingredients that keeps it on the naughty list: saturated fat and sugar.

Organic Tomato and Cheese Sauce

This organic canned meal is marketed towards kids, so it must be healthy, right? This product clearly misses the grade, primarily made with noodles made with semolina (processed wheat flour that removes the bran – and fiber), and evaporated cane juice (sugar).

Organic Cake Mix

You can make a healthy cake (organic or not), but this cake isn’t it. It’s loaded with 18 grams of sugar per serving (12 servings per box), and that’s not including the sugar and fat that will be in the frosting!

Organic Sugar is still…Sugar

If a product is full of unhealthy ingredients, whether it’s labeled as organic or not, it’s still going to be bad for your overall health. You can still gain weight or get sick by eating organic only ingredients. As I like to say, organic sugar is still…sugar. Organic doesn’t automatically make sugar and unhealthy fat (or any other unhealthy ingredient) magically become good for you.

If you would like do eat organic foods and are truly looking for healthy products for you and your family,  suggest buying fresh organic produce and organic products that don’t contain unnecessary ingredients. Check the list of ingredients thoroughly. Companies may try to deceive you by using fancy words, but ingredients will never lie. If you need to, look up the ingredient in the dictionary to decide whether an ingredient is healthy or not.

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1. Twinkie’s Challenge: Buy Organic
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1. You are what you eat! 

2. I couldn’t have said it any better!

3. It’s time to get out of the McDonald’s parking lot…

4. Gym = Eternal Youth

5. Anyone else concerned about this?

6. Anyone else feel this way?

7. Now this is what I call a “Grass fed cow”!

8. Those Vegans lied to all of us!

9. The internet can be a good or a bad  thing. The choice is yours. 

10. You really shouldn’t procrastinate.

11. Ouch, I hate math too. Probably for a different than whoever this John guy is…

Hopefully one of these pictures made you laugh out loud or at least smile! :D

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1. I hate “Diets”

Heart Attack at the Heart Attack Grill. 

Oh, the Irony. Someone at the Heart Attack Grill gets a…(gasp!) Heart Attack. Sad? Yes. Surprised? No.

Every day we choose how we are going to eat, and every day those choices matter. Bad food choices on a regular basis have a negative affect on your overall health. An average 40-something doesn’t just get a heart attack! Those customers who weigh 350 pounds or more eat free at the Heart Attack Grill – perhaps this particular client (or as they call it, “patient”) was one of those who received a free meal?

Caution: This Establishment is Bad for Your Health

Everyone knows fast food is bad for you and can lead to poor health. The problem with those who eat at the Heart Attack Grill is that they have been fully warned about how bad the food is, yet they still willingly eat there.

Just as you enter the Heart Attack Grill, there is a sign on the front door that reads, “Caution: This Establishment is Bad for Your Health.” Probably the most honest advertising that I’ve ever seen.

The company slogan is, “taste…worth dying for”, which is sad and even ironic considering the last company spokesman for Heart Attack Grill was a morbidly obese man who died at the age of 29.

When are we going to wake up and actually do something about our health? What foods we put into our body matters. Act like it, please.

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Image Credit: Heart Attack Grill

Related posts:

1. Heart Attack Grill: Worst Food in America?
2. Love your Heart
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How You Can Lower Your Life Insurance Premiums

I’m not going to tell you to raise your deductibles or chance your co-insurance ratio. There are plenty of things you can do to help lower your life insurance premiums and increase the quality of your life. Ditching your Sky Diving habit isn’t one of them.

• Exercise on a regular basis.

Oh, I know you’ve been told about exercise a million times. You’ve been told that exercise will help lower your blood pressure, cholesterol, decrease your chances of heart disease, and help you reach your ideal weight – and that’s just the beginning of the benefits of exercise. The problem is, even though you’ve been told why you need to exercise, most people still won’t exercise. So now I’m telling you again. Exercise! Because of the health benefits you’ll experience because of regular exercise, you will likely lower your life insurance premiums. This means you will save money…another reason to exercise.

• Never Smoke, or Quit Smoking Immediately.

Smoking does nothing good for your health. There are so many negative health affects associated with smoking that if you quit smoking (or have never smoked) you will have a lower life insurance premium. When it comes to smoking, it’s not a matter of if you’ll have cancer, it’s a matter of when you’ll have cancer. Cancer can be deadly, which makes smoking an obvious reason for companies to increase life insurance premiums.

• Eat Healthy.

The way you consistently eat has a dramatic affect on your overall health. Whether you consistently snack on fried foods and sugary treats, or fruits and vegetables, it’s going to show up on your health test results.

• Maintain Your Ideal Weight

If you are overweight, I suggest adopting a healthy lifestyle- through exercise and eating healthy- and ditch the idea of a “diet” when it comes to losing weight. If you are already at your ideal weight, maintain healthy habits to keep you there.

• Buy Life Insurance Policy – Early On.

Ideally, if you are going to buy a life insurance policy, you should buy your policy when you are healthy -the younger, the better.

• Request a Reevaluation

Your life insurance premium is based on your results from the medical exam you took before you were approved for coverage. If you have improved your health since your last exam, you can ask for a reevaluation which may help lower your insurance premiums.

When it comes to saving money on your life insurance premiums, creating healthy habits for life are always worth the effort.

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1. Do you really need Health Insurance?
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Staying on track with your weight loss goals can be difficult at times, but it’s not impossible. Here are ten ways to help you stay motivated and stay on track with your weight loss goals!

Plan Meals

This will help you to stay within your calorie budget each day. Make sure to be prepared and have healthy snacks and meals ready at all times. A good example of this is keeping freshly cut fruit and veggies in the fridge.

Accountability

You will be surprised at how much this can help you.  Build a support system of people who have similar goals and are working towards the same thing. If you surround yourself with people who are also trying to stay on track, you will be less likely to make poor eating choices or skip a workout.

Record Progress

Regularly weighing yourself, tracking your calories, recording your workouts, and taking measurements can help you stay on track. It will also show where you are, how far you’ve come, and how close you are to your goal.

Know Yourself

If you know you can’t resist brownies or you can’t wake up for an early morning workout at the gym, work those things into your plan.  Budget in the brownie and schedule the gym later in the day.  It’s not worth it to lose your control with food or to pass up a workout.

Eat More

It’s amazing what this can do!  If you do not take in enough calories, it doesn’t matter how many miles you run or minutes you spend on the elliptical – you will not lose weight (fat)! If you do see numbers on the scale eventually fall, it could be muscle or bone mass. Your body needs healthy calories to function, so make sure you’re eating enough every day.  This will prevent you from setting yourself up for a binge.

Staying motivated

Sometimes it’s difficult to maintain the excitement you felt when you first made your goals.  When the going gets tough, remember why you set those goals in the first place.  Remember what you are trying to accomplish and remind yourself that what you do today will pay off in six months!

Reward

Okay, I never reward myself with food since I don’t want to look at unhealthy treats as a reward to myself.  It’s easy to get excited when you reward yourself from time to time for all the hard work you’re doing.  Here are a few ideas you can treat yourself to: buy some new workout gear, get a massage, or maybe buy a new book you have wanted.

Exhaust Every Avenue

Don’t ever give up. If you find yourself slipping into a slump, try everything you can to stay on track. Make sure to commit to a minimum amount of exercise each week.  Here are a few ideas that can help you reach your fitness goals:

• Hire a personal trainer

• Find a workout partner

• Try something new like a spin class or particular sport

Lose the Excuses

Think positive thoughts and hold on to what inspires you rather than make excuses for yourself to skip the gym or eat unhealthy. Every day is going to be different; and what motivated you yesterday may not work today.  You may want to try on those pants you’ve been dying to fit into.  Always keep yourself motivated.

Have Consequences

There are consequences to everything in life.  If you skip workouts or practice poor eating habits, you won’t reach your goals.  That’s the hard truth.  Never miss out on what you REALLY want for what you want right now (extra sleep or that greasy cheeseburger, for example).  If you miss a workout or eat unhealthy, there should be a consequence that will hold you accountable.

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Health Benefits of Calcium

• Bones and teeth contain 99% of the calcium in the body, which makes it no surprise to know that calcium is a huge factor in maintaining healthy and strong bones.

• There have been studies showing that calcium may help prevent colon cancer.

• Prevents osteoporosis, which is a disease that is characterized by brittle and porous bones.

•  In 1999 a study revealed that calcium was a “sound treatment” for women who experienced symptoms of premenstrual syndrome(PMS).

• Helps with blood clotting, muscle contraction, regulation of enzyme activity, cell membrane and proper nerve function.

• Calcium is heart healthy! In studies, it has been shown to help lower blood pressure.

Top Sources of Calcium

• Yogurt (44%)

• Tofu (39%)

• Sesame Seeds (35%)

• Goat Milk (32%)

• Sardines (31%)

• Milk (29%)

• Collard Greens (26%)

• Spinach (24%)

• Pink Salmon (17%)

• Blackstrap Molasses (16%)

Note: Percentages based on the daily value based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Tips for Absorbing Calcium More Efficiently

• Eat foods containing Vitamin D since it will accelerate the absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract.

• If you eat food containing high amounts of potassium, it will reduce the urinary excretion of calcium, which will help you keep your calcium levels at a normal level.

• Calcium and Magnesium “compete” with each other for intestinal absorption. If you are taking supplements of each, you may want to consider taking the supplements at separate times.

•  If you eat a lot of food or drink containing caffeine, sodium, or protein, it will increase the urinary excretion of calcium, which depletes your calcium levels.

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Image Credit: Yogurt

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10 Steps To A Healthier Heart

1. Keep your Cholesterol low, aiming for less than 200 milligrams/deciliter and keep your Blood Pressure below 120/80. Garlic has been shown to reduce both cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

2. If you smoke, it’s time to quit the habit. Three years after a person quits smoking, their chance of having a heart attack is the same as someone who has never smoked before.

3. Eat more heart healthy fats such as  wild salmon, nuts, avocados, olive oil, and flax seeds. Studies show that consuming two or more servings of fish per week is associated with reducing the risk of developing coronary heart disease by 30 percent.

4.  Reduce the stress in your life. Take a break. Get a massage. Go on vacation. Meditate! Do whatever you need to do to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Stress has a negative affect on your heart and overall health.

5. Exercise! Physical activity is a huge factor when it comes to having a healthy heart. Aim for either 1 hour and 15 minutes each week of vigorous physical activity or 2 1/2 hours each week of moderate intensity exercise.

6. Get to – or maintain – a healthy weight. Those with a healthy BMI were shown to have less risk of heart disease.

7. Avoid fried, fatty, and sugary foods. Yep, they may taste good, but they aren’t doing your heart (or the rest of your body) any favors since these foods have been linked to heart disease, clogged arteries, cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, and the list goes on. In the long run, it’s just best to stay away.

8. Keep your glucose levels down.  You should aim to have your fasting blood glucose levels to be less than 100 milligrams/deciliter.

9. Eat more fiber rich foods, such as whole grains, beans, lentils, apples, tomatoes, carrots, pears, and squash (ok, just about all fruits and vegetables).

10. Limit the amount of sodium you consume each day! You should try to have less than 1,500 milligrams a day.

Get Started Today

Choose which step to work on for a healthier heart. You don’t have to try and tackle all of these steps today. Work on steps that are easier for you, and work on them one at a time. You’ll soon realize how good it feels to take care of the little muscle that works so hard to keep you going.

A healthy heart, a healthy you!

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What is Coconut Water?

Many people seem to get coconut water a little mixed up with coconut milk, but there’s a big difference between the two.

Coconut water comes from inside younger coconuts filled with a clear, electrolyte-rich juice that contains zero fat and zero cholesterol.

Coconut milk is what is produced from grating the coconut meat of older, brown coconuts: a white, rich liquid containing oils and fat, and often used as an ingredient in cooking and baking.

Health Benefits of Coconut Water

Coconut water is loaded with potassium (more than two bananas!), which is a great way to keep the body hydrated naturally and prevents cramping.

Coconut water naturally contains more electrolytes than leading sports drinks – without any of the added sugars or processed ingredients. If you would like a refresher on why you need electrolytes, check out my previous article, Electrolytes 101.

Coconut water has no fat, no cholesterol, and low in calories!

Why Vita Coco®?

The reason I love Vita Coco’s coconut water is because they keep it all natural and simple – 100% pure coconut water and Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C). That’s it! Even Vita Coco’s flavored products use only pure and simple ingredients, which is a rare find these days.

Celebrity Buzz

It looks like Vita Coco has become an “it” drink in Hollywood these days. You can easily find pictures of Rihanna, Kristin Cavallari, Dustin Pedroia, Kelly Slater, Ellen Pompeo, and even Madonna drinking the coconut water drink! After reading about the health benefits of coconut water, it’s no wonder that it’s receiving so much buzz these days.

“I love Vita Coco! It’s real coconut water from hand-picked coconuts. It’s delicious and so good for you!” – Rihanna

Rather than consuming electrolytes by drinking sports drinks, I choose to drink coconut water and eat healthy foods that naturally contain electrolytes needed for a healthy body.

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Congratulations Karen Gonyea, Katie, and carmenpaigee! Our lucky readers just won an autographed copy of the book The 90-Second Fitness Solution by Pete Cerqua!

Thank you everyone for participating! We will have many more opportunities for you to win something, so stay tuned…

Winner’s next steps: Watch for our email! It will come from editor@SkinnyTwinkie.com, and we will need you to provide us with your mailing address so we can have your prize sent directly to you.

If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after our email, we will have to choose another winner.

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1. Win An Autographed Copy of The 90-Second Fitness Solution!
2. The Two Ripped in 30 Winners!
3. 5 Lucky Winners!

Here’s my proof:

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Do you over-do it on the snacking? Perhaps you eat more than you should at any given meal? My Skinny Tip to prevent overeating is to freshen up your breath!

Why it Works

Have you ever tried eating a piece of food after you just brushed your teeth or taken a mint? If you haven’t, trust me – It’s usually not the most amazing flavor combination, which makes it less desirable to continue munching on whatever it is that you just starting to eat.

The Strategy

Once you are done eating, whether it be a main meal or a snack, it’s time to brush your teeth, take a mint, or chew on some mint gum! It’s pretty easy to do, and you’ll be amazed with the results!

When you freshen your breath after you eat, it signifies to your brain that you are done with your meal. This means no more munching on additional food once you have decided that you are finished with your meal.

What other strategies prevent you from mindless munching?

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1. Skinny Tip #9

In the news this week, I found out that Hostess (who makes fatty and sugar treat such as Twinkie’s) has filed for Bankruptcy.

“Hostess went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in 2004 and had trouble regaining its footing afterwards, in spite of investments and loans from private equity firms and hedge funds. The Journal reports that Hostess has lined up financing that would allow it to continue operating while in bankruptcy, so its ovens won’t be shut off just yet.” – TIME Magazine

Your “Vote” Counts

The every day consumer, like you and me, has more power than we realize. Business is all about supply and demand, and with the recent bankruptcy news we realize that there just isn’t a big enough demand for Hostess snacks anymore. Thanks to a more health conscious public, people have been buying less and less of the Hostess brand snacks, resulting in a mountain of debt for the company, rather than sales.

I am not trying to relish on this news (OK, maybe I am…) but I believe this bankruptcy sends a strong message to the consumer. The companies that are going to survive or die are based on the product demand, which is based on what we are willing to buy at the grocery store.

You have a choice on whether you see more health foods at your grocery store compared to junk food. Every time you go grocery shopping, you are making a vote on what you want in that store of yours based on what you consistently buy. Companies are paying attention, and if there is a high demand for healthy food, they will supply more of those types of foods. If there is a demand for junk food, they will provide plenty of unhealthy products to choose from. If nobody buys a certain product, It won’t be in business for long.

I’m happy to say farewell to the Hostess brand company. It shows that enough consumers have voted, and our voices have been heard.

Just remember that every time you go to the grocery store, you vote…with your dollar.

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There are two main sources that you can obtain vitamin A naturally.

1) Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes from animal foods such as calf liver.

2) Vitamin A comes from Carotenoids (alpha-, beta-, and gamma- carotene) which our bodies convert into Vitamin A and comes from many fruits and vegetables.

Check out the many health benefits of Vitamin A and find out how to get more of it in your healthy lifestyle!

Health Benefits of Vitamin A

• Vitamin A has been shown to help fight against age-related ocular diseases such as macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. Vitamin A helps to improve night vision by allowing the eyes to more effectively distinguish between light and dark.

• Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant and can help protect us against skin diseases and some cancers.

• Vitamin A plays an important role with the white blood cells in the body which fights infections and boosts in the immune system.

• Vitamin A prevents urinary stones from forming by producing calcium phosphate in the body.

•Vitamin A is known to be an essential to the reproductive process in both women and men.

• Vitamin A helps keep bones and teeth healthy and strong.

Natural Sources of Vitamin A

• Sweet Potato – 438% DV

• Spinach – 377% DV

• Carrots – 407.6% DV

• Calf Liver – 1,600% DV

• Kale – 354% DV

• Swiss Chard – 214% DV

• Collard Greens – 308% DV

• Winter Squash – 214% DV

Justification to Obtain Vitamins and Minerals Naturally

From what I have studied, it’s best if you can get your vitamins and minerals through natural sources rather than supplements.

Here’s why: Vitamin A works in conjunction with Vitamin D when obtained in the proper amount. You can obtain the proper amounts if you eat a variety of vegetables (Vitamin A) and get the proper amount of daily sun exposure (Vitamin D).

If you have too much Vitamin A (supplments) it can detract from the benefits associated with the Vitamin D and can even be potentially toxic. If you don’t have enough Vitamin A, the Vitamin D cannot function properly within the body.

Percentage Daily Value Sources provided by whfoods.org

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Three lucky readers will win an autographed copy of The 90-Second Fitness Solution!

What is The 90-Second Fitness Solution?

This book is designed for people like you and me. Life is busy and complicated, and The 90-Second Fitness Solution provides a unique set of 90-second sets that are efficient for a healthy and stronger you.

Skeptical? I might be a little too, but there are plenty of testimonials in the book that will quickly change your mind about the power of intense workouts and consistency.

Overall, The 90-Second Fitness Solution will help you accomplish the following:

1) Shorten your workouts

2) Simplify your eating

3) Save money on supplements

4) Stress-proof  your life

About The Author

The 90-Second Fitness Solution was written by one of the most respected and in-demand fitness trainers, Pete Cerqua (with Alisa Bowman). Pete owns and operates the 90-Second Fitness flagship studio in New York City and has been helping people lose weight for more than 20 years.

Want more info? Check out the book’s website: 90-secondfitness.com

How to Enter

1) Join this website (through Google Friend Connect) and make a comment on this post with your email address. If you are already a member, just log in and comment. Yup, it’s that easy!

I encourage you to consider the bonus entries, since we will announce the winner on this site, facebook, and twitter!

Bonus Entries: 

1) Find us on Facebook and “like” our page. We’ll have a post that you can comment on, which will provide you an additional entry point when you comment on it. Nice!

2) If you like to tweet, you should “follow” Skinny Twinkie on twitter! All you need to do is Retweet our tweet on twitter that announces this giveaway, and you will get another entry point.

3) Do you have a blog? Grab my button and add it to your site or you can blog about this contest and link to this giveaway post, provide the link to your blog in the comments section on here (or facebook), and you will have gained another chance to win!

4) For those of you addicted to Pinterest (you know who you are!), add SkinnyTwinkie.com to your list of favorites and include the link in your comment.

♦♦♦You can give yourself a total of five chances to win! ♦♦♦

Contest Rules and Eligibility

This contest is open to all U.S.  and Canadian residents who are 18 years or older. Void where Prohibited by Law. This is a giveaway, which means you are not obligated to buy anything from anyone.

This contest starts on January 5th 2011 and will end on January 22nd, 2011 at midnight EST.

Skinny Twinkie will use Random.org to choose one winner by picking a random number based on the total number of entries. Skinny Twinkie will draw the winner on January 23rd, and the winner will be announced that same day on SkinnyTwinkie.com, twitter, and facebook.

If you are selected as a winner, we will contact you via email, to let you know that you have won! If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after we have notified you, we will choose another winner and you will forfeit your prize.

Good luck everyone!!!

Feel free to follow us, however you like: Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

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1. The 90-Second Fitness Winners!
2. Wallie Exercises (Win an Autographed Copy!)
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Throughout the year, I am going to write a dedicated article each month about how you can obtain essential vitamin and minerals – naturally. I’ll even discuss why the vitamins and minerals are so important to your overall health.

As the year goes on, I will link the articles from here:

Vitamins

• Vitamin A

• B Vitamins

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin E

• Vitamin K

Minerals

• Calcium

• Chlorine

• Magnesium

• Phosphorus

• Potassium

• Sulfur

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1. Benefits and Sources of Vitamin A
2. Twinkie’s Challenge: Throw away your Microwave!
3. Twinkie’s Challenge: Buy Organic

How Snooki Lost 15 Pounds

Snooki weighs in at 98 pounds (which isn’t bad considering her height) and the rumor mill was in overdrive trying to figure out the secret to her recent weight loss. Luckily, Snooki let her 4 million plus followers on Twitter in on her little weight loss secret.

Snooki wrote on her Twitter page “Glad to hear reports that say I look good =) but it’s not because of HCG! Thanks @Zantrex!”

There you have it! Snooki has had the help of the diet pill Zantrex to help her reach her goal weight. I’ve also read recently that according to recently that Snooki also credits alcohol and becoming a gym rat to her weight loss success. Yikes. While the rest of Hollywood is providing their congrats to Snooki, I’m going to take this opportunity to warn my readers against the dangers of poor diet, alcohol, and dangerous weight loss pills mixed with gym time.

Yes, Snooki lost weight and looks great, but you can do better than that. You can create a healthy lifestyle that will last longer than the latest Hollywood fad diet.

Is Zantrex Safe?

Let’s face it. Zantrex is a diet pill. You know how I feel about those, right? With that aside, is Zantrex any different? Is it safe? I did some research and the short answer is: No, Zantrex is not safe. It may help with quick weight loss but it just doesn’t provide a long term solution to weight loss, which is what you really want, right? Diet pills are just the “easy” way out, so I understand why it seems to appealing.

For long term weight loss and health, focus on healthy eating and drinking habits and avoid those dangerous diet pills, no matter which favorite starlet is promoting the product.

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Image Credit: SkinnyvsCurvy.com

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Calcium for Strong Bones

• Dairy Foods

• Canned Sardines/Salmon

• Fortified Cereals/Breads

• Oatmeal

• Orange Juice (fresh squeezed/juiced)

• Collard Greens

Carbohydrates for Energy

• Whole Grains

• Vegetables

• Brown Rice

Folate (Folic Acid) for Preventing Birth Defects

• Lentils

• Fortified Grain Foods

• Dark-green leafy vegetables

• Cabbage

• Cauliflower

• Green Peas

• Oranges

• Melons

• Chickpeas

• Spinach

Healthy Fats for Boosting Baby’s Brain Function and Health

• Fish

• Olive Oil

• Avocados

• Wild Pacific Salmon (low in mercury)

Vitamin A for Baby’s Skin, Eyesight and Bones

• Liver

• Eggs

• Vegetables (green and yellow)

• Milk

B Vitamins for Baby’s Brain and Vital Organs

• Beef

• Nuts

• Beets

• Chicken

• Potatoes

• Spinach

Fiber for Regularity

• Whole Grains

• Beans

• Water

• Fruits and Vegetables

Iron for Red Blood Cell Production

• Lean Red Meats

• Spinach

• Green leafy vegetables (such as Kale and Turnip Greens)

• Liver

• Molasses

• Canned Oysters

Vitamin C for Preventing Preterm Delivery

• Strawberries

• Red Peppers

• Cantaloupe

• Broccoli

• Citrus Fruits/Juices

• Mangoes

• Tomatoes

Vitamin D for Utilizing Calcium

• Sunshine!

• Milk

Vitamin E for Baby’s Muscle Development

• Sunflower Seeds

• Nuts

• Spinach

Protein for Cell Growth and Repair

• Chicken

• Yogurt/Greek Yogurt

• Nuts

• Beans

• Eggs

• Low-Mercury Fish

• Lean cuts of Beef/Pork/Lamb

• Seafood

• Dairy Foods

• Peanut Butter

Zinc for Enzyme and Insulin production

• Oysters

• Dairy products

• Meat

During pregnancy – as before and afterwards –  your diet should consist of healthy foods. Every food you eat has a purpose, whether it’s directly for you, your developing baby, or both.

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Image Credit: Rodale.com

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Exercise is for People of ALL sizes

It drives me nuts when people say that I don’t need to exercise or eat healthy because I’m already at a healthy weight. Depending on who is asking me, I’ll ask them two very important questions.

1) How do you think I became this weight?

2) How do you think I stay at this weight?

I answer my own question (because usually they are still thinking about what I just asked them) and I say, “Well, it didn’t happen by accident!”. I may say it jokingly, but it’s completely true. I have to work at it, and I’m not complaining by any means, it’s just the honest truth. I have completely revamped my eating habits as well as my exercise routine and it’s made a world of difference to my overall health.

Prevention is Key

“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy.”  ~Author Unknown

I believe that you should do everything you can to prevent illness in the first place. You will more than likely still become sick now and again, but not nearly as often as you would be if you didn’t have a healthy lifestyle in place. Most people will completely neglect their body until they are forced to recognize that changes needs to be made. At that point, it might already be too late. I hope you all have another chance, but I realize that’s not always everyone’s reality.

Today

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have everything you need to make healthier choices in your life. Being a “healthy person” doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. Creating a healthy lifestyle means you are continuously making healthy decisions over and over again. It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, it just means that more often than not you are making healthy choices.

To get started, make one change that will have a positive impact.  For example, you can start drinking water instead of soda . You can start eating products that are whole grain instead of made with white processed flour. You can exercise every day for 5 minutes rather than nothing at all. It all starts with the first step.

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Happy Holidays from everyone at Skinny Twinkie!

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Here’s a list of some common nuts and their nutritional benefits:

Almonds

• Help aids weight loss

• Rich in heart healthy fat which helps lowers cholesterol.

• In every ounce, almonds contain 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 80 micro grams of calcium, and phosphorus and vitamin E.

• Almonds have almost no carbohydrates, which makes them a great snake for diabetics.

Brazil Nuts

• Contain large amounts of selenium, which research has shown has a protective effect fights against many different kinds of cancers, helps with thyroid function, and may even help with men’s fertility.

Cashews

• Contains high amounts of heart healthy (monounsaturated) fat, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

• Very mineral rich, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and copper.

• Compared to other nuts, cashews are slightly less amount of calories, while containing a slightly higher amount of carbohydrates.

Hazelnuts

• Rich in beta-sitosterol which lowers cholesterol and lessens the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (something men over 40 commonly experience: going to the bathroom multiple times throughout the night).

• Contain vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Macadamia Nuts

• Boasts the highest amount of monounsaturated fat (about 80% – more than olive oil!) than the other nuts. Monounsaturated fat is great for your heart health and has been associated with lower levels of heart disease and cancer.

• Contains calcium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, and fiber.

• Very high in calories, so eat in moderation.

Pecans

• Loaded with monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, potassium, phytosterols, and beta-sitosterol.

• May help lower the risk for type 2 Diabetes.

Pistachios

• Improves lipid profiles, decreases coronary risk, decreases oxidative stress and improves both HDL and LDL cholesterol levels.

• Unsalted pistachio nuts have a favorable potassium-to-sodium ratio which is very helpful with normalizing blood pressure and maintaining a healthy water balance in the body.

• Contain magnesium, phosphorus, phytosterols as well as other vitamins and minerals.

Walnuts

• Contains the highest amount of omega-3 fat, compared to other nuts. Omega-3′s are a remarkable brain food, which supports brain function, improves mood, and helps lower triglycerides and reduce plaque.

• Rich in manganese, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.

It’s no surprise that studies show that those who eat nuts consistently have significantly lower risks of having a heart attack or heart disease.

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Thank you everyone for participating! We will have many more opportunities for you to win something, so stay tuned…

Winner’s next steps: Watch for our email! It will come from editor@SkinnyTwinkie.com, and we will need you to provide us with your mailing address so we can have your prize sent directly to you.

If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after our email, we will have to choose another winner.

Feel free to follow us, however you like: Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

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Did you know that you can make exercise fun?  Check out the video below and you’ll understand what I am talking about!

What other fun exercises can you come up with?

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Fruits and 

• Buy canned fruit that is in 100% Juice (or water) rather than heavy syrup or light syrup, which is just canned fruit soaked in corn syrup, sugar, or artificial sweeteners. Buying canned fruit that is in 100% juice allows you to enjoy the fruit without all of the unnecessary sweeteners and extra calories.

Vegetables

• Buy canned vegetables that don’t have any salt added to it. The salt that is usually added to canned goods is common iodized salt, which isn’t good for you, unlike the natural salt that is full of healthy minerals and nutrients.

Meats

• Buy canned meats, like tuna, that contain water or a natural broth, rather than oil. Most meats that are in oil are usually in unhealthy oils that you should consider passing up on.

Soups, Chili’s, Quick Meals

• Most canned meals are unhealthy, even the ones proclaiming better health or a lack of sodium. If you want to enjoy a healthy canned soup, for example, try an organic soup from Amy’s Kitchen since it is low in  calories, sodium, and no MSG or other additives that can be harmful to your health.

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Jonah Hill’s Weight Loss Strategy

We’ve heard it all before. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat healthier and start exercising. Guess what? It works.

“I just started eating really healthy and exercising. That’s about it” – Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill knew he needed to lose some weight, so he received the help of a Nutritionist to learn how to eat healthier and also hired a Personal Trainer to learn how to exercise. Jonah admitted that losing weight wasn’t necessarily ”fun”, but it was important for him to change and create a healthier lifestyle. So far, Jonah Hill has lost at least 40 pounds!

It’s Just Hard Work

Like I’ve said before, weight loss can be just plain ‘ol hard work. There’s no secret or magic pill, and Jonah Hill discovered this himself:

 ”I wish there was some amazing book that I found in the center of the Earth that had all the world’s secrets in it, but unfortunately, it was just hard work.” – Jonah Hill

Want to lose weight like Jonah Hill? Eat right and exercise. No secrets.

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Image Credits: Getty Images

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My Name Is Twinkie, And I’m A Soda Addict

It all started at an early age. When I was growing up, I only had soda “every once in a while”, such as special occasions like birthdays or holidays. Not all that bad, really, but as I got older, in middle school and high school, I started to drink soda on the weekends. I didn’t stop there.

I remember getting my first job working at a bank and I had access to cheap (sometimes free!) soda thanks to the gas station within walking distance. I started drinking soda every single day, and drank more soda than water. Some days, I don’t think I even drank any water at all! Whenever I was thirsty, I didn’t drink water, I would just drank my soda. I remember waking up in the morning and having a soda. It was a bad path that I was going on and I was spiraling down quickly.

Side Note: In addition to drinking soda, I also ate junk food and I definitely wasn’t working out. Not a good combo, I know…

All of the junk food I was putting into my body eventually caught up with me, and my skinny 5’9″ frame started to faulter and was skinny no more. After about a year into my new bad habits, this nice older gentlemen asked me nicely if I were expecting. Ouch. Double Ouch. I didn’t think I gained that much weight. Apparently, I did. This was the moment when I finally realized that I had a problem. I was addicted to soda, and it needed to stop.

A Brighter Future

I desperately wanted to change my soda drinking habits, so I tried to just cut back. For years I tried to drink soda only “every once in awhile”, but I was always dealing with the intense cravings to have a soda more often than not. I know that soda addiction probably shouldn’t be compared to an alcohol addiction, but you can’t just expect an alcoholic to just drink on the weekend or just have one drink. It just doesn’t work like that. I understood that more than anyone when it came to my soda.

In early 2006 when I was engaged to my husband, I ended up quitting cold turkey. I made that decision because I didn’t want to continue this awful habit and I knew I didn’t want my future kids to be asking for soda and have this awful habit just like me. It was honestly embarrassing how much soda I would drink.

I ended up not drinking any soda for about four months or so. This was a huge feat! In December 2006, I was at a family get together and decided to have a sip of soda for the first time in about four months. It was disgusting! I had my husband try a sip of the same drink and I asked him if it was flat or if something was wrong with it. Nope, there was nothing wrong with the soda. I just didn’t like the taste any more. It tasted like watered down corn syrup, which was something I couldn’t crave. Thank goodness!

I finally decided that I just didn’t want soda anymore and I haven’t had a single sip of soda since December 2006, and I don’t plan on ever drinking it again! Why would I? Soda isn’t healthy and has zero nutritional value.

I swapped my soda for water and began my journey to a much healthier me. It’s amazing how much better I feel since I have stopped drinking soda (and energy drinks, by the way!).

I didn’t realize how unhealthy I was until I became healthy.

Never Too Late To Stop

I am sure that a lot of you can relate to me with my (soda) drinking story. Soda can be quite addicting, since it’s loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners that keep you hooked for as long as you are willing to be.

If you are willing to make the choice to stop drinking soda, you can overcome the addiction. Look at the nutrition label of the soda. You are putting toxins into your body every time you drink soda, which will eventually have negative effects on your body, if it hasn’t already.

In addition to knowing how bad soda was for me, I had a personal look at what soda can cause. Soda is known to cause serious health issues to the kidneys, and this was a huge wake up call when I made that connection. I had a grand parent die of kidney failure. It might not have been from drinking soda, but I decided I wanted to change my own fate for the better. You can too.

It’s never too late to stop drinking soda, and I encourage you to cut back and eventually stop drinking soda completely. Trust me, your body will thank you for it.

How To Stop Drinking Soda in Ten Weeks or Less

Whenever you are thirsty or craving soda, drink water! If you need to add some flavor, just squeeze a slice of lemon or lime into your water for a refreshing beverage.

For me, I had to stop drinking soda cold turkey. If that doesn’t work for you, start cutting your soda habits in half each week until you no longer need or want to drink it.

For example, if you drink four sodas a day…

Week 1: Drink two sodas a day

Week 2: Drink one soda a day

Week 3: Drink one soda every other day

Week 4: Drink one soda twice a week

Week 5 and 6: Drink one soda just once a week

Week 7, 8, 9, and 10: Drink one soda every other week

Week 11: Congratulations! You are no longer drinking soda!

By week 11,  you shouldn’t feel the intense cravings to continue drinking soda anymore, and I suggest never starting the habit again!

If you still drink soda, what is going to motivate you to quit the habit? If you have already stopped drinking soda, what inspired you to make the change?

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1. Just because it’s “Free”…

One lucky reader of ours will win four boxes of Sans Sucre baking mixes! Check out what the winner’s prize:

• Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix

• Classic Blondie Brownie Mix

• Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix

• Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Mix

What is Sans Sucre?

Just because you’re eating healthy, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice deliciously sweet desserts. Sans Sucre is a line of baking mixes that were created for those trying to cut back on their sugar, fat, cholesterol and calorie intake— yet still want to enjoy great tasting desserts. And, since San Sucre uses Stevia, a natural sweetener, you can feel good about what you’re eating.

All you need to do is just add water and 2 tablespoons of oil. On the back of the box, it suggests that you use vegetable oil. My suggestion? Just use coconut oil instead. Coconut oil is a lot healthier and it won’t ruin the brownie’s taste.

How to Enter

1) Join this website (through Google Friend Connect) and make a comment on this post with your email address. If you are already a member, just log in and comment. Yup, it’s that easy!

I encourage you to consider the bonus entries, since we will announce the winner on this site, facebook, and twitter!

Bonus Entry Points

1) Find us on Facebook and “like” our page. We’ll have a post that you can comment on, which will provide you an additional entry point when you comment on it. Nice!

2) If you like to tweet, you should “follow” Skinny Twinkie on twitter! All you need to do is Retweet our tweet on twitter that announces this giveaway, and you will get another entry point.

3) Do you have a blog? Grab my button and add it to your site or you can blog about this contest and link to this giveaway post, provide the link to your blog in the comments section on here (or facebook), and you will have gained another chance to win!

♦♦♦You can give yourself a total of four chances to win! ♦♦♦

Contest Rules and Eligibility

This contest is open to all U.S.  and Canadian residents who are 18 years or older. Void where Prohibited by Law. This is a giveaway, which means you are not obligated to buy anything from anyone.

This contest starts on December 5th 2011 and will end on December 18th, 2011 at midnight EST.

Skinny Twinkie will use Random.org to choose one winner by picking a random number based on the total number of entries. Skinny Twinkie will draw the winner on December 19th, and the winner will be announced that same day on SkinnyTwinkie.com, twitter, and facebook.

If you are selected as a winner, we will contact you via email, to let you know that you have won! If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after we have notified you, we will choose another winner and you will forfeit your prize.

Good luck everyone!!!

Feel free to follow us, however you like: Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest

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If you love fig bars but don’t want to eat all of the added sugars, you should give Raspberry Fig Bars by Barbara’s a try!

Health Benefits of Figs

First, let’s talk about some of the  health benefits associated with figs. Figs are full of important nutrients including fiber, potassium, calcium, and antioxidants. Figs have been shown to lower triglyceride levels, which helps prevent obesity and heart-related diseases.

Why Barbara’s Fig Bars?

The reason I originally bought Barbara’s Fig Bars is because of the ingredients list at the back of the package. There are only natural fruits and juices to sweeten the fig bars rather than high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and sugar. I checked out the ingredients list of other brands of “all natural” or “organic” fig bars in the health food store, but didn’t end up buying them since they were still full of sugar. Organic sugar is still sugar. I went ahead and tried the Fig Bars by Barbara’s and I have been quite pleased with these yummy fig bars!

Check out the list of ingredients for each company’s fig bars:

Raspberry Fig Bars by Barbara’s

Ingredients: Raspberry fig filling ([fruit juice concentrade (pineapple, pear, apple, and peach), raspberry puree, tapioca starch, apple powder, natural raspberry flavor, vegetable glycerin, locust bean gum, red cabbage (for color)], fig paste, pineapple juice concentrate, natural flavor, citric acid), pineapple juice syrup, whole oat flour, whole brown rice flour, fig paste, whole barley flour, date paste, raisin juice concentrate, soy lecithin, baking soda, salt.

Raspberry Fig Newton’s by Nabisco 

Ingredients: High fructose corn syrup, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron thiamine mononitrate [vitamin B], Riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), sugar, corn syrup, raspberry puree, soybean oil, apple powder, modified corn starch, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, tapioca starch, whey (from milk), natural and artificial flavor, salt, pectin, citric acid, baking soda, soy lecithin (emulsifier), caramel color, sodium benzoate added to preserve freshness, and red 40.

Taste or Health? I Choose Both. 

I would have to say that one of the (many) reasons for my website is to convince you of one very important thing: You can still have food that tastes wonderful without sacrificing your health for it.

I encourage you to try the Fig Bars by Barbara’s – I’m sure you’ll love the taste, texture, and even the ingredients on the back of the package. This product is great for a variety of people with specific needs since the Raspberry Fig Bars by Barbara’s is Kosher, dairy free, wheat free (not gluten free), Cholesterol free, low fat, low sodium, 100% natural and Vegan.

I love the Raspberry Fig Bars by Barbara’s – which flavor is your favorite?

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Image Credits: Barbara’s Bakery

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Calculating Heart Rate Zones

If you want to reach your goals in the gym, you first need to know what your maximum heart rate is.

Maximum Heart Rate

220 – age = Maximum Heart Rate

For example, if you are 30 years old:

220 – 30 = 190

Now that you know what your maximum heart rate is, you can determine what your heart rate zones are.

Heart Rate Zones

Zone One: 65% – 75% of Maximum Heart Rate

Zone Two: 80% – 85% of Maximum Heart Rate

Zone Three: 86% – 90% of Maximum Heart Rate

For example, if you are 30 years old:

Zone One: Heart Rate of 123.5 – 142.5

Zone Two: Heart Rate of 152 – 161.5

Zone Three: Heart Rate of 163.4 – 171

Advantages Of Each Heart Rate Zone

Zone One

• This is a great zone for your warm up and cool down during the exercise.

• If you are new to working out, this is a great zone to stay in during your entire cardio workout.

• This zone will help improve the blood’s ability to deliver oxygen throughout the body and remove waste which increases blood volume and allows the heart to become stronger.

• This is an Aerobic workout, which uses your muscle glycogen and fatty acids as an energy source.

• An example workout would be walking or even jogging.

Zone Two

• This zone is near the anaerobic threshold, which is when the body is at a point where it can no longer produce enough energy for the muscles with normal oxygen intake. As a result, higher levels of lactic acid is produced. Increase your anaerobic threshold should be one of your cardio goals.

• Exercising at an aerobic level, such as being in Zone Two, will result in more calories being burned with a higher percentage of those calories coming from fat. This is an effective zone for those who want to decrease body fat.

• This is the Aerobic/Anaerobic workout, which uses your muscle glycogen and lactic acid as an energy source.

• An example workout would be jogging, group (cardio) exercise classes.

Zone Three

• This is a high intensity workout that can’t be kept up for a long period of time. You should only stay in this intense zone for 60 seconds or less.

• Once you have worked your way up to this zone, you should only go into this zone about once a week – that’s it! If you go into this zone too much, you will overwork your heart and have less efficient workouts.

• Zone Three should only be used in conjunction with Zones One and Two.

• The benefit of Zone Three is to prevent  plateaus and to continue improving your overall fitness level and boost your metabolism.

• Increases the amount of oxygen burned after the workout, also increasing the number of calories burned after the workout.

• This is an Anaerobic workout, which uses ATP/CP and muscle glycogen as an energy source.

• An example workout would be a fast run or sprinting.

Interval Training

Knowing how to use your heart rate zones to your advantage will help increase the effectiveness of your workouts.

Before you start any exercise program – especially Interval Training – I suggest that you get the approval from your Doctor to make sure your heart can handle the intensity involved in this kind of workout.

Beginners

Zone One: 20-40 minutes (entire workout)

• If you haven’t been exercising consistently, it’s important that you start here. You will still get a good workout in, without causing more harm than good. You need to develop a strong cardio base before you move on to other heart rate zones.

Intermediate

Zone One: 5 minutes (warm up)

Zone Two: 1 minute

Zone One: 5 minutes

Zone Two: 1 minute

Zone One: 5 minutes

Zone Two: 1 minute

Zone One: 5 minutes (cool down)

• You may only end up being in Zone Two for about 15 or 30 seconds, rather than the entire minute. That’s OK and is expected. Once the minute is up, it’s time to go back into Zone One for 5 minutes. If you never reached Zone Two during that minute, your heart may not be ready for Zone Two.

Advanced

Zone One: 10 minutes

Zone Two: 2  minutes

Zone Three: 1 minute

Zone Two: 1 minute

Zone One: 10 minutes

• This Zone should not be used by beginning or intermediate clients, otherwise it could result in a critical health-related injury.

I suggest buying a Heart Rate Monitor that can easily provide you with your heart rate throughout your workout so you can adjust your pace accordingly. You can manage your heart rate while walking, jogging, running, biking, or even on an elliptical machine or group exercise class. Just monitor your heart rate regularly and know which zone you should stay in.

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3. This is a must with every workout!

This is a great Workout DVD to help anyone stay or get in shape during the holidays! Since I can’t come there to your house and train you, I figure Jillian can help get the job done! As if you didn’t already know, Jillian is one tough trainer…so you will see the results you were looking for! Good luck!

Thank you everyone for participating in this contest! We will have many more opportunities for you to win something, so stay tuned…

Winner’s next steps: Watch for our email! It will come from editor@SkinnyTwinkie.com, and we will need you to provide us with your mailing address so we can have your prize sent directly to you.

If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after our email, we will have to choose another winner.

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1. Your Chance To Be Ripped In 30!
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“It’s all about self-motivation because at the end of the day, you can have all the trainers and all the money in the world, but if you don’t have that mindset, it’s not possible.” – Jennifer Hudson on Oprah

Jennifer Hudson’s Diet

For Jennifer Hudson, it all started with Weight Watchers, which is basically a support group for those who want to calorie count their way into their skinny jeans.

The great thing about Weight Watchers is that you don’t have to buy a specific brand of food to participate in their program (such as the Special K diet or Slim•Fast), though, they do sell their own Weight Watchers products in the grocery stores. Another positive thing about Weight Watchers is that the program doesn’t completely eliminate an entire food group, such as all carbohydrates or all fruit. Other diets are just not as practical.

A couple of concerns about the Weight Watchers program is that dieters are allowed to eat as much fruit as they want. This may sounds like a wonderful thing, but all foods, including fruit, have their limitations. For those who truly want to lose weight, and unlimited amount of sugar is not ideal, even if the sugar is coming from a healthy source such as a piece of fruit.

Weight Watchers is a glorified calorie counting program that costs you money every month. You don’t need to pay a company to find out how many calories you should be eating. It’s common enough that it’s found free throughout the internet. For a free support group, let your family and friends know about your healthy weight loss goals and have them help support you with your efforts. Again, I just don’t think you need to pay for that.

If Jennifer Hudson found success with Weight Watchers, why not you? Something to consider. She was approached by this company and was offered millions of dollars to endorse their product. Trust me, I am sure that would motivate anyone to lose the extra pounds that they wanted to lose anyways.

Jennifer Hudson’s Exercise Routine

In addition to Weight Watchers diet plan, Jennifer Hudson hired a Celebrity Personal Trainer, Harley Pasternak, to help her start an exercise program that would work for her.

Harley started Jennifer with a 25 minute circuit training routine that included cardio, shoulder presses, lunges, sit ups, and ab exercises for five days a week. As Jennifer progressed, she worked her way up to a 50 minute routine. In addition to a traditional style workout with her trainer, Jennifer also gets in at least 25 minutes of cardio every day.

Jennifer tries to keep her cardio workouts fun, so she will enjoy playing some basketball or even jump roping. You don’t have to be in a gym on an exercise machine to burn calories and lose weight!

I am proud of Jennifer Hudson for learning how to eat well and starting an exercise program to help her become healthy. Yeah, she lost weight – but even if you aren’t trying to lose weight, it’s important for your health to eat right and exercise on a regular basis.

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Image Credits: jenniferhudsonweightlossx.com

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Tips to Prevent Thanksgiving Weight Gain

• Start your day out with exercise, preferably cardio since you will need to burn as many calories as you can today! I have come to notice that if I start my day out with exercise, I tend to eat healthier throughout the day.

• Eat a light breakfast after your workout. I prefer to drink a healthy low calorie shake that keeps me satisfied without over eating.

• Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your Thanksgiving meal. People usually confuse dehydration with hunger, so drinking water will help prevent overeating.

• If you are in charge of making any of the food, choose healthy recipes that will rival the traditional favorites. You don’t have to add unhealthy fats or sugar to make a dish taste great.

• Don’t eat a dish, just because it’s a holiday “tradition”. If you don’t like sweet potatoes, for example, you don’t need to eat them just because they are on the table or because of it’s holiday tradition status. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it.

• It would be ideal if you can enjoy your Thanksgiving meal in the afternoon rather than at night. Eating a carb-heavy meal right before you go to bed is the perfect recipe for gaining weight, which is why it’s ideal to have the biggest meal of the day for lunch. This way, you have plenty of time to burn off those calories before you go into hibernation.

• Eat in moderation. You can eat all of your favorite dishes, just eat a small amount of each dish. You don’t have to clean up all of the food on the table – that’s what leftovers are for! Just eat until you are satisfied, not full. Go ahead and eat one slice of pie (if you must!), but don’t grab seconds and thirds. It’s all about moderation.

• Wait a little bit after the big meal, but go play a friendly game of football, go skiing, sledding, or playing catch with the kids – the point is, move! You don’t need to be in the gym to burn off those holiday calories!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Image Credit: inhabitat.com

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Many more people die of their eating habits rather than the lack of food. Think about it just for a second. Many diseases are caused by us, whether it be over eating, eating all of the wrong foods, or a combination of the two.

“I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand.” – Bejamin Franklin

Yes, lack of food is a serious problem, but right now big Corporations are trying to profit from the obesity epidemic rather than truly resolve the issue. If you’d ask me, the lack of education about the food we eat and the lack of acting on that, is perhaps a bigger issue that goes unnoticed until it’s just too late.

Educate yourself on what’s healthy and how much you should be eating. Don’t be afraid of the kitchen, and learn how to make healthy food from scratch. You’re body will thank you.

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I love creating new recipes, it’s my way of creating art. As much as I love this creation process, there are few recipes that get me really excited about them. This is one of those recipes that I just can’t stop smiling about. You need to try this recipe out and let me know what you think of it.  Oh yeah, it’s ridiculously healthy too.

Ingredients: 

2 Sweet Potatoes

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground Cloves

1/8 teaspoon All Spice

Cinnamon, garnish

crushed Pecans, garnish

Instructions:

Step 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2) Peel, wash, and cut sweet potatoes into small pieces and place in a baking dish.

Step 3) Mix the maple syrup, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice together.

Step 4) Pour maple syrup mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Step 5) Cover pan with tin foil and bake for one hour or until extremely soft.

Step 6) Put sweet potatoes and maple syrup juices from the baking pan into a bowl. Use a mixer and beat until texture is smooth(similar to that of mashed potatoes).

Step 7) Scoop mixture in a bowl or on a plate and add cinnamon and pecans as garnish.

Notes: 

This recipe is a great new twist to “candied yams” except it’s still healthy once you are done making it and I personally think it tastes better too. The spices give a nice warm flavor to the sweet potatoes, which is unique and something I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

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“The American Cancer Society is marking the 36th Great American Smokeout on November 17 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet more than 45 million Americans still smoke cigarettes. However, more than half of these smokers have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year.

Quitting is hard, but you can increase your chances of success with help. The American Cancer Society can tell you about the steps you can take to quit smoking and provide the resources and support that can increase your chances of quitting successfully. To learn about the available tools, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345. You can also find free tips and tools below.” – American Cancer Society

Kicking a bad habit is hard, but you have all of the reasons in the world to quick the habit of smoking. Even a few cigarettes a day can harm your health. If you currently smoke, quitting the habit is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I am going to discuss the sad statistics that comes along with smoking. Before you get overwhelmed, I do have some good news. Hope. I will give smokers plenty of reasons to be optimistic and help to quit the habit now.

Smoking Statistics

Here’s some startling statistics that make quitting worth your effort:

• Smoking has been linked to chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, emphysema and bronchitis, which affects over 8.5 million Americans.

• The average non-smoker outlives the average smoker by 14 years.

• Smoking causes bladder cancer, cataracts, aging skin, osteoporosis, heartburn, erectile dysfunction, dental and sinusitis disorders.

• 1 out of every 5 deaths in the United States is because of tobacco use, which equates to 435,000 lives lost every year.

Encouraging Statistics For Those Who Quit Smoking

The good news is, the damage caused by smoking isn’t completely irreversible. Here’s some positive changes that happens after you quit smoking:

• Within 24 hours of quitting, your oxygen and carbon monoxide levels return to normal, chance of a heart attack may be lower, and your ability to taste and smell enhances.

• Within 2 months of quitting, lung function increases by 20%.

• Within 9 months of quitting, sinus congestion, coughing, and shortness of breath decreases. Cilia will start to re-grow in the lungs, which increases the lung’s ability to handle mucus, clean lungs and fight infection.

• Within 1 year of quitting, the excess risk of heart disease caused by smoking is cut in half.

• Within 10 years of quitting, the risk of developing lung cancer drops by up to 70% and continues to go down with each year that you are a nonsmoker.

• Within 15 years of quitting, the risk of mouth, throat and esophogeal cancer caused by smoking is cut in half, the risk of a stroke and heart disease is the same as that of a nonsmoker.

Get The Help You Need

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have every reason to quit smoking today, or help someone you love to quit smoking. It doesn’t matter how many packs a day you smoke, or for how long you have been smoking: If there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s help, and there’s hope for a brighter, much healthier you. 

Here’s some great resources to help you quit smoking:

www.ffsonline.org

www.cancer.org

www.cdc.gov/tobacco

www.makesmokinghistory.org

www.smokefree.gov

If you have any success stories of quitting the habit of smoking, please share your comments with us!

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You Can Be Ripped in 30!

Jillian Michaels is the Personal Trainer who we have all come to love and fear from The Biggest Loser! The Workout DVD Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels is the perfect way to start the Holiday Season – in shape!

The DVD includes 4 weeks of 4 incredible workouts to help you get in “insane shape” in less than 30 minutes.

In addition to helping you with your workouts, the DVD also includes access to an online 30 day diet plan. I am not one for “diets“, but I believe it will help kick start some healthy eating habits you can incorporate into your healthy lifestyle.

How to Enter

1) Join this website (through Google Friend Connect) and make a comment on this post with your email address. If you are already a member, just log in and comment. Yup, it’s that easy!

I encourage you to consider the bonus entries, since we will announce the winner on this site, facebook, and twitter!

Bonus Entry Points

1) Find us on Facebook and “like” our page. We’ll have a post that you can comment on, which will provide you an additional entry point when you comment on it. Nice!

2) If you like to tweet, you should “follow” Skinny Twinkie on twitter! All you need to do is Retweet our tweet on twitter that announces this giveaway, and you will get another entry point.

3) Do you have a blog? Grab my button and add it to your site or you can blog about this contest and link to this giveaway post, provide the link to your blog in the comments section on here (or facebook), and you will have gained another chance to win!

♦♦♦You can give yourself a total of four chances to win! ♦♦♦

Contest Rules and Eligibility

This contest is open to all U.S.  and Canadian residents who are 18 years or older. Void where Prohibited by Law. This is a giveaway, which means you are not obligated to buy anything from anyone.

This contest starts on November 14th 2011 and will end on November 27th, 2011 at midnight EST.

Skinny Twinkie will use Random.org to choose one winner by picking a random number based on the total number of entries. Skinny Twinkie will draw the winner on November 28th, and the winner will be announced that same day on SkinnyTwinkie.com, twitter, and facebook.

If you are selected as a winner, we will contact you via email, to let you know that you have won! If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after we have notified you, we will choose another winner and you will forfeit your prize.

Good luck everyone!!!

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Losing 70 Pounds 

Mariah Carey had a very difficult pregnancy caring twins and gained excess weight from having edema. The first week after Mariah Carey had her twins, she lost 40 pounds in just water weight. After that, she lost 30 pounds of “baby weight” in three months.

How Mariah Carey Lost 70 Pounds

Mariah stuck to 1,500 calories a day (which is very reasonable) and once she was able, she started to workout three times a week.

Mariah didn’t lose her weight completely by herself. Jenny, formerly known as Jenny Craig, approached Mariah Carey to help her lose weight. Mariah Carey ended up as the new Brand Ambassador of the Jenny diet plan.

After three months of sticking to this regime, Mariah Carey was able to lose “at least 30 pounds”. Mariah doesn’t know how much she weighs exactly, since she is focused more on being more healthy. Now, Mariah boasts a flat stomach, toned legs, and easily fits into her size 6 clothes. Not bad for a 42 year old mother of 6 month old twins!

 ”I’m proud of how hard I worked to get my body back…I had to do this for me.” – Mariah Carey

I am not going to specifically endorse the Jenny diet plan, I’ll leave that to Mariah Carey. The reason I wanted to write about Mariah Carey’s weight loss is because (1) I wanted to give everyone an example that age doesn’t matter (as much as people think it does) when it comes to weight loss. Mariah Carey is in her 40′s, and she was able to lose 30 pounds in 3 months. (2) I also wanted to point out that Mariah was able to lose weight, get back into shape, after having twins! A women’s body gains weight and gets stretched out enough with one baby, but can you imagine trying to get back into shape after having twins?

“The whole point of this is not just like, ‘Oh, hey, look at me and my weight loss, I’m fantastic.’ It’s really health, I learned it when I became helpless and felt so vulnerable like never before in my life.” – Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey was able to lose weight without starving herself or living at the gym.  Mariah focused on creating a healthy lifestyle that would work for her.

Do you need to go on the new Jenny diet plan? Not necessarily. If you are able to, I suggest hiring a Certified Personal Trainer and/or a Licensed Nutritionist to help you reach your goals. Otherwise, you can still figure out how many calories you need to eat each day to lose weight, and start an exercise regime. I suggest looking at our archived articles to find out what to eat and how to start an exercise program.

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Image Credit: PRNewsFoto/Jenny Craig

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Benefits

• Cumin is high in Iron, which helps transport oxygen from the lungs to all cells in the body. Iron also helps with the metabolism and energy production.

• Cumin extract reduced triglycerides, total cholesterol, and pancreatic inflammatory markers, according to a study done in 2002.

• Cumin increases the body’s ability to fight infections, since it is high in vitamins A and C.

• Anti-Cancer properties have been found in Cumin.

• Cumin has high concentrations of antioxidants, which is an anti-aging nutrient. Antioxidants help protect against diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease – to name a few.

• Cumin may help stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, which benefits the digestive system and improves the absorption of nutrients throughout the body.

• Cumin is an anti-congestive, which may help with those who suffer from bronchitis or asthma.

• Specifically for new Mothers who are nursing, Cumin has been shown to be helpful in increasing milk supply. Note: It is more beneficial (for nursing) if taken with raw honey.

Intake

Dried – Cumin seeds can be eaten whole or ground (powder) in recipes. They are quite potent, so you don’t need to use a lot in a recipe.

Extract – Cumin’s essential oil can be used orally or externally.

Precautions

If you are pregnant or nursing, consult your doctor first.

If you have sensitive skin, you should avoid using the oil externally since it could cause a bad reaction to your skin.

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Be sure to “like”  SkinnyTwinkie.com on today! Click on the box “Find us on Facebook”, click “like”, and invite your friends to join!

Just click on image to follow Twinkie on twitter!

Together, we can all make a difference with our Health!

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Everyone seems to be searching for what they call “wealth”. The older I get (and yes, I know that 26 isn’t “old”, but I have learned quote a bit about health in my years…) I have come to realize that good health is one of the most valuable things.

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” -Gandhi

Health is something that money can’t buy. Good health is something that doesn’t come to everyone, and every day we are healthy, we should be truly grateful. Don’t take it for granted.

Now that you know what real wealth is, what are you doing to obtain this precious gift?

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Ingredients: 

1 bunch of Kale

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Instructions: 

Step 1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees. You don’t want to have it any higher since olive oil is very heat sensitive.

Step 2) Place kale leaves on a baking sheet. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on each kale leaf and sprinkle with sea salt.

Step 3) Bake kale leaves for 40 minutes, or until fully cooked (leaves should be flaky and easy to break).

Notes:

Kale is a nutritionally dense food that is rich in iodine and has about four times the iron found in beef. Most people don’t know how to incorporate this super food into their current dishes, but an easy way to enjoy the health benefits of kale is to try it as a new healthy snack your family will enjoy.

Baked Kale. It’s easy to make, and surprisingly delicious.

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When women get pregnant, they will typically gain anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds. It’s not all baby in there, so what exactly is all that extra weight gain for anyways?

Here’s a look at what pregnancy weight gain entails:

Baby: 6-8 lbs

Placenta:1.5 lbs

Amniotic fluid: 2 lbs

Enlarged uterus: 2 lbs

Increased body fluid: 4 lbs

Increased blood: 3-4 lbs

Breast growth: 1-2 lbs

Maternal stores of fat, protein, and other nutrients: 7 lbs

TOTAL: 26.5 – 30.5 lbs

Something to Think About

I think it’s interesting to note that there really isn’t a lot of fat that needs to be gained for a healthy (singleton) pregnancy. Just 7 pounds of fat. That’s it! So how is that possible? If you are already at a healthy weight before you become pregnant, you are only supposed to consume an additional 300 calories a day. That’s really not a lot if you think about it. It’s adding a tablespoon of peanut butter with your daily apple (yum!). It’s an extra 8 ounce glass of milk. It’s not an extra full-sized meal. Maybe an extra healthy snack, but that’s it. Oh, and you don’t really need those extra calories until after your first trimester. Only 7 pounds of fat is starting to make a little bit more sense.

Focus During Pregnancy 

During pregnancy, the ultimate focus should be on the health of the baby and the health of the mom. When pregnant (and any time before and after), it’s important to live a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy, exercise regularly, and enjoy your health!

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Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

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This Halloween, why not enjoy a Halloween themed dinner that is delicious, hearty, easy to make and fun to eat?

You can choose to make either homemade chili or reheat chili from a can. In a hurry, I like to buy Amy’s Organic Chili. It’s tastes a little spicy, full of flavor and totally delicious. When you eat it, you would never know that this hearty chili was Vegetarian.

Go ahead and pour hot chili into individual bowls.

With Halloween themed cookie cutters, cut out fun shapes with slices of cheese! Place a slice of cheese in each warm bowl of soup.

This is a warm meal that’s perfect for a cool Fall night – hassle free!

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I love black licorice, and I’m so happy that I found Panda! It’s the only brand that I am aware of (hopefully not the only one) that makes black licorice that I can eat without the guilt. Other “all natural” licorice that I have found are loaded with corn syrup or other junk.

Panda’s all natural licorice is a great low calorie treat that has no white sugar or artificial ingredients added! The soft texture and delicious taste isn’t anything to complain about either. The only reason someone wouldn’t like this is if they just aren’t fond of black licorice.

Panda has been producing the world’s leading premium quality, soft licorice with real licorice root extract since 1927. Panda Licorice is made from All Natural ingredients. It doesn’t contain fat, preservatives, artificial colors, flavors or white sugar. It has the Real Taste of Licorice.

Ingredients:Molasses, wheat flour, licorice extract, natural flavor (aniseed oil).

If you’d like more information, you can check out their website at:  PandaLicorice.com

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We have been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So why are millions and millions of people buying and then consuming sugary cereal for ourselves and feeding it to our kids?

Do We REALLY Believe Marketing Campaigns?

We have been told by the big cereal companies such as Kellog’s, Post, and General Mills that their cold cereals are “part of a complete breakfast” and a great way to start the day. But are they really healthy for us? Just in case you weren’t sure, let me help you with the answer to that question. No, these sugary cereals are not healthy for you! I am starting to get these cereal’s nutrition labels confused with a box of candy! So why are these cereals advertised as a healthy breakfast choice?

You might not like what I have to say, but I am telling you the truth. The truth hurts sometimes, but knowing the truth can lead to a much healthier you. That is, if you don’t ignore the facts!

As I have said before, marketers will tell you what you want to hear. You want to hear that buying this cheap cereal that takes five seconds to make for your family is guiltless because it has nutrients in it. The cold cereals do have some nutrients, but more sugar that vitamins and minerals. Most of the cold cereals out there today like “Fruity Pebbles” and “Lucky Charms” are just fortified with vitamins and minerals. Do these added vitamins and minerals make it OK to eat? No. Unfortunately, millions of people are either too ignorant to realize that these sugary cold cereals are unhealthy for them and will believe everything the marketing campaigns tell them, or they are just ignoring what they don’t want to hear, or what I call “selective hearing”.

Sugary Cereal is OK – According to Some Nutritionists

According to the nutritionists from an article posted on the abc NEWS website, sugary cereal is OK since you are consuming milk with it. Really? Apparently, the big cereal companies aren’t the only ones to blame. These nutritionists and “health experts” are trying to please too many people by telling them what they want to hear – or perhaps work for the cereal companies – if they are seriously going to justify eating sugary cereal every day for breakfast and call it good. Are these cereals OK every once in awhile. Maybe. I’ll let you be the judge of that (and let you define what “every once in a while means” to you!). Just don’t start considering the sugary cereals as healthy all of a sudden.

Concerned Parent Fighting Back

In the same article from abc NEWS that I mentioned earlier, a parent by the name of Ron English- who so happens to be a very talented artist – has decided to fight back in his own way.

Check out some of his art work below:

Ron, like many other parents, is fed up with the heavy ad campaigns from the top cereal companies that are geared towards young kids. The loveable frog character from Smacks (used to be called “Sugar Smacks” back in the day) doesn’t look so cute and friendly in the artist’s unwelcoming picture. Let’s face it, the reality of eating an unhealthy breakfast full of sugar isn’t that appealing in real life either.

What can you do?

Did you know that every day you vote. You don’t vote by filling out a ballot, you vote with your dollar. Every time you go to the grocery store you are putting money in someone’s wallet. Who are you giving your money to? If you buy those sugary cereals I have been mentioning in this article, those big cereal companies are using your money to market unhealthy foods to you and your kids. Is that what you want? Of course not. Make sure your vote counts, again and again. Let the big cereal companies know that you aren’t OK with their advertising campaigns that push sugary foods towards the young and innocent (or ignorant!).

What are you voting for at the grocery stores?

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Image Credit: Popaganda.com 

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“A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn’t will find an excuse.” – Stephan Dolley Jr.

You probably know the basics of improving your health. It’s easier than you think it is, but most people make it harder on themselves. Check out ways you can eat healthier, discover new healthy products, find new healthy recipes, and learn how to exercise efficiently. You can do it, and Skinny Twinkie is here to help!

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Image Credit: Glamour.com

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Ingredients: 

1 French Baguette

Olive Oil

Fresh Basil

3 sliced Tomatoes

Instructions:

Step 1) Slice the baguette into thin pieces.

Step 2) On each baguette slice, drizzle a small amount of olive oil, add a basil leaf, and then add a sliced tomato on top.

Step 3) Bake for 10 minutes.

Notes:

Bruschetta looks and tastes gourmet, yet it is extremely easy to make!

I suggest using the artisan French baguette from a Target Superstore bakery. This baguette only has about 6 ingredients – all healthy – unlike their whole wheat baguette which has too many ingredients to count, and too many of them too unnatural to consider healthy.

Bon Appétit!

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3. Banana Chips

Drink Herbal Tea

Whenever you drink warm beverages, it immediately increases your body’s temperature. I suggest staying away from hot chocolate, since they are (usually) full of sugar and will do more harm than good since sugar suppresses the immune system.

For the last couple of years, I have started to try different caffeine-free herbal teas that have a specific health benefit to them. For example, I love to drink Echinacea Tea to help support the immune system during the colder months. I figure that I could use all the help I can get to stay sick-free!

Exercise

Just because it’s cold outside, it doesn’t mean you can lounge in your sweat pants and forget about exercising. You can do plenty of exercises either outside or indoors, it doesn’t matter which ones you choose, just don’t buy into your own excuses to not workout.

Exercise will not only boost your metabolism to help you burn excess fat, exercise will increase blood circulation which will increase your body’s temperature throughout the day. In my own personal experience, I have found exercise to be very effective in keeping warm throughout the day.

Thermogenesis

When you eat foods that will increase your body temperature, this is known as thermogenesis.

Root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, kale, sweet potatoes, and cabbage require more energy to digest and will help create internal heat when eaten.

Hot peppers, such as thai peppers, chili peppers, or other hot peppers, help stimulate the circulatory system which raises the body’s temperature.

Eating warm foods, in general, will temporarily help increase body temperature in the cooler months.

Stay warm and healthy!

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Here’s a quick little visual aide to help you understand the power of dish size, and how it will effect the amount you will eat.

Do you see these two bowls? The have the exact same amount of cereal in them.

It’s easy to see how you can add multiple serving sizes of cereal (or whatever else you are eating) in the larger bowl, compared to the smaller bowl, which ultimately leads to eating more than you should.

If you are trying to lose or maintain a healthy goal weight, try to eat using a smaller bowl (or plate!), and the less you are going to eat.

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Ingredients:

3 Apples

1/2 cup Maple Syrup

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Whipped Cream (garnish optional)

Nutmeg (garnish optional)

Instructions:

Step 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2) Cut and core each apple into 8 slices and place in a dish.

Step 3) In a separate container, mix the maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Pour over apples.

Step 4) Cover the apples with aluminum foil and bake for 60 minutes or until apples are soft.

Step 5) Separate apple slices in individual bowls and add a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle nutmeg on top as a garnish.

Notes: 

I love this recipe! It’s extremely easy to make and just hits the sweet spot perfectly! Nobody would know that this recipe was actually healthy, and that’s just how I like it.

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Health Benefits of Pumpkins

Check out the abundance of vitamins and minerals that are found in your average Pumpkin!

• Pumpkins are the perfect food this fall for many reasons, including the fact that they are high in fiber and very low in calories and fat. I suggest not ruining it by adding sugar and other additives, which are common with pumpkin cookies and pumpkin pie. Make your own healthier version from scratch.

•Pumpkins are very high in vitamin A, which help boosts the immune system, maintains healthy teeth, bones and eyes, prevents urinary stones, and even fights against some cancers.

• Pumpkins are full of Potassium which lowers blood sugar levels, prevents stroke, and helps keep the heart and kidneys healthy.

•You can find Pantothenic acid (or vitamin B-5) in pumpkins, which help increase skin health, lowers cholesterol levels, help manage stress, and may even help prevent cataracts according to new studies.

•Pumpkins are full of Carotenoids, which are antioxidants that boost the immune system and protect cells from the danger of free radicals. Carotenoids have been shown to fight against heart disease and cancer.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

Not only can you benefit from the pumpkins itself, but you can also enjoy the delicious pumpkin seeds too!

• Pumpkin seeds contain high amounts of manganese, magnesium, iron, zinc, and even protein!

• Pumpkin seeds contain L-tryptophan, a natural way to fight depression.

• Want to prevent Kidney Stones? According to studies, pumpkin seeds prevent the calcium oxalate kidney stone formation, more commonly known as a “kidney stone”.

• Pumpkin seeds contain phytosterols, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels.

• Men can achieve overall prostate health due to the nutrients found in pumpkin seeds.

• Pumpkin seeds are  a natural anti-inflammatory, without the negative side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to enjoy the health benefits of Pumpkins and it’s seeds. What are some of your favorite (healthy!) ways to enjoy pumpkin?

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A large number of the children and adolescents do not fulfill the recommended physical activity requirements. According to experts, children should accumulate from a minimum of sixty minutes, up to several hours of physical activity each day. Since active behaviors have been replaced with more sedentary lifestyles over the last two decades, there is fewer energy expenditure pastimes enjoyed by the children, which lead to obesity. Unless there is appropriate activity engagement, chances are greater that the current generation will lead less healthy lives as adults when compared to that of their parents.

In a 2001 study carried out by the California Department of Education, it was found that there is a direct link between how students perform on literacy and math tests and their performance on physical fitness measures. Physical activity can have beneficial effects on academic performance, symptoms of anxiety and depression and self-concept. In further studies, it has been determined that there is a 70% chance that overweight adolescents will become overweight adults. Dr. Stephen Sanders, author, professor, and director of the School of Physical Education and Exercise Science at the University of South Florida is a member of the Primrose Schools Education Advisory Board.  He says that children do not necessarily learn physical skills on their own; they need guidance from parents and adults. Regular physical activity by parents and children alike can lead to a longer, healthier life with reduced risks of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

There are a number of things parents can do help instill the importance of being physically active in their children. By carrying out the fun-filled activities below, parents can create an environment that is both healthy for all members of the family and entertaining. More importantly, they will help to implant healthy habits of physical activity in their children, which they will carry with them into their adulthood.

There is nothing like a friendly competition to get children motivated. Turning a simple walk into a friendly race or turning tossing the ball into a game with a score and a winner makes it more fun. Converting a simple dance party into an American idol-type affair, with points for special moves, can help children with new skills. Run, walk or participate in a car wash for the benefit of a charity or a good cause the whole family is passionate about. Besides a feel-good message that is shared by the whole family, it provides a great inspiration and much needed physical activity. Get involved in family oriented sports like swimming, skiing, flying a kite, miniature golf or organize a basketball game. Help to clean up a local park by picking up trash – it not only takes care of the physical activity aspect, but helps to instill the concept of giving to the community and being responsible for cleaning our own environment.

The time spent with children helps to strengthen adult-child relationships in a healthy family home. Children require time and attention from adults just as much as they need food and physical activity. If it is missing, then children will seek other ways of getting the time and attention, which frequently results in negative behavior and puts stress on relationships. Special time does not happen out of the blue – it has to be carefully and consciously planned. Once the effort has been made and the time invested in the children, it will be well rewarded in terms of stronger relationships and better health for the whole family.

The engagement of children and adolescents in physical activity is of utmost priority as there is a very high risk of overweight adolescents becoming obese when they are adults. Treating adult obesity puts a heavy burden on medical and financial resources. If there is a way to prevent childhood and/or adult obesity, we should do it. So get up, and get active!

Submitted by Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools. For over 25 years, they have helped individuals achieve higher levels of success by providing them with an AdvancED® accredited, early child care services, preschool facilities and education.  Through an accelerated Balanced Learning® curriculum, Primrose Schools students are exposed to a widely diverse range of subject matter giving them a much greater opportunity to develop mentally, physically and socially. Dan has written a number of articles on topics varying from bilingual learning to teaching the importance of volunteering.

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Meet my oatmeal. It’s healthy. It’s incredibly delicious. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to microwaved oatmeal again!

Ingredients:

3 cups Water

1/8 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 cup Steel Cut Oats

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tbsp chopped Pecans

Instructions:

Step 1) Heat the water and sea salt and bring to a boil.

Step 2) Slowly stir in the steel cut oats.

Step 3) Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring oats until desired texture.

Step 4) Pour cooked oats into individual bowls and drizzle maple syrup and chopped pecans on top.

Notes: 

Oats contain a healthy amount of fiber, and they are great for heart health and lowering cholesterol. Oats have been shown to help obtain (or maintain) a healthy weight and helps reduce high blood pressure.

Go ahead and experiment with different toppings! How do you like to eat your oatmeal?

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Do you sometimes (or all of the time!) have trouble eating your veggies? If you need a little help enjoying your raw veggies so that you actually eat them rather than some greasy chips or french fries, then you have come to the right place!

Bolthouse Farm’s Motto

“At Bolthouse Farms, we believe that the great tasting food should also be good for you.  That’s why we were the first to launch an innovative line of dressings with less than 45 calories, crafted with premium yogurt to create a rich, creamy taste in 7 enticing flavors. With at least 75% less fat and 55% fewer calories than other brands, it is a must have for those desiring great taste and a low calorie/low fat combination.” -Bolthouse.com

Creamy Yogurt Dressing: Classic Ranch

I am actually not a big fan of the typical Ranch Dressings that you would find in the grocery store… but this Classic Ranch dressing by Bolthouse is not your typical Ranch Dressing!

The Creamy Yogurt Dressing is full of delicious and fresh flavors that aren’t compromised by preservatives, artificial flavors, MSG, or processed sugars.

Go ahead, read the nutrition label! You won’t be disappointed.

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As a Certified Personal Trainer, I have learned a thing or two about doing exercises properly, and I have created a list of exercises you need to make sure you are doing correctly.

Exercise Mistake: Lifting Too Fast

If you are going to lift weights, you need to make sure that you make the most out of every single rep that you do. Lift the weights slowly, which will allow for a much more effective workout, prevent injury, and will help allow you to do the exercise correctly.

Weightlifting is not a race.

Exercise Mistake: Overlooking Heart Rates

A lot of people hop on those exercise machines like it’s nobody’s business. The problem is, most people don’t start exercising at the cardiovascular level that they should be. They are usually out of shape and try to keep up with those who have been exercising every day for their entire lives.

The best thing you can do is find out which heart rate zone you should start in, and don’t over do it by skipping to a higher heart rate zone that your heart (and the rest of your body!) just isn’t ready for.

Exercise Mistake: Not Stretching

I would say the exercise mistake is “forgetting to stretch”, but let’s face it. You remember to stretch, but you probably just don’t want to do it. Don’t worry, I’ve been there. Once I started to learn more about the benefits of stretching with my exercise program, I took my stretching a lot more seriously. So why do you need to stretch? It helps prepare your body for your workout. It helps prevent injury. Stretch before and after your workouts.

Exercise Mistake: Never Changing Your Workout

If you want to continue seeing positive results with your workouts, you need to switch things up with your workout routine. Your body needs change on a regular basis, and I think you will need it for your sanity, too!

Exercise Mistake: Forgetting to Check Yourself Out

Wait! Did I just tell you to check yourself out? Yes. Well, not in the way that you think. Check yourself out when you are exercising – especially lifting weights – to ensure that you are using proper form. Proper form will help you have a much more effective workout as well preventing injury. Of course, don’t overdo it when you are checking yourself out, since that could cause a problem too (See guy in picture? Very bad form…not good.).

Exercise Mistake: Overdoing It/Not Doing Enough

We all have workout sessions where we get excited about making a positive change in our lives, and we just over do it with our workout. Try your best not to over do it again and again, since it can have a negative impact on your workout results.

Just as some people have a problem overdoing it, some just don’t do enough in their workouts. If you leave the gym feeling like you didn’t workout at all, you just aren’t doing enough. Remember, it’s perfectly normal to sweat while you are working out. Don’t be afraid to burn some calories!

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We first get slapped with Halloween, which most people are sugar loaded before October 31st even comes. A short couple of weeks later, we get to enjoy Thanksgiving which is a day we consume a single meal that has more calories than what we normally consume in an entire week, not to mention the pies and other treats for dessert. One month later we get to enjoy Christmas, which is full of holiday traditions that are full of sugary hot cocoa, stocking stuffers, and making a whole house made out of candy (and buy extra candy so we can eat as we build)!

It’s no wonder why most people gain so much weight during the holidays. As a society, we don’t have just three days to celebrate – the holidays last a full three months!

I love that the holidays are three months long of celebrations, and no, I am not all “bah-humbug” just because I refuse to make sugar a part of my holiday traditions! Quite the opposite, really. I have actually found a way to not gain weight during the holidays! If you listen to what I have to say, you can even lose weight during the holidays, even with a couple of holiday treats every now and again.

Keep Exercising!

If you’ve been exercising all year (or even just the Summer) long, good for you! Now that it’s the holiday season, it’s time to step things up and keep going!

If you haven’t been exercising at all, now is the time to start! You have three months left until the end of the year, and that’s plenty of time to get moving towards your goals. You might not reach your ultimate health goals within just three months, but you will have gotten a three month head start towards those “New Years Resolutions”! Look at you, so proactive!

Here’s a thought: If you burned 300 calories a day (for example, 30 minutes on an elliptical machine) and eat within your calorie “budget” everyday (use a useful site like Lose It!), you will set yourself up for maintaining or even losing weight – it’s your choice!

Get you Rest

It’s easy to forget how important sleep is to our overall health, including how it can effect your weight loss efforts. With all of the holiday parties coming up, it’s time you take your sleep seriously! I am not one for sleeping in (I am a morning person!), but in times where you just stay up too late (which should be the exception, not the rule!), you really do need to get your rest. Go ahead and sleep in. You can always do your workout when you wake up…whenever that is : )

Drink Water

It’s easy to get dehydrated during the cold Fall and Winter months, so make sure that you track how much water you are drinking so that you know your daily intake.

Why is it so important to drink enough water each day? Water is a great way to stay full for longer periods of time, which helps prevent you from overeating at all of the social gatherings coming up! It also helps with your metabolism and allows for your body to function properly (which helps you lose weight easier).

Whenever possible, opt for water instead of soda or alcohol since they are both full of calories that are quickly consumed and add on the pounds fast.

You Don’t Have to Eat Everything Given to You

A lot of people show their love by giving you sweets. You don’t have to eat everything in sight just because it’s homemade or a special tradition. This is just something I had to tell you, and even give myself the little reminder.

When it’s OK to Induldge…

OK, I get it. The holidays come once a year, and you want to enjoy yourself. If you are going to indulge on your favorite holiday treats, there’s nothing I can do or say to prevent you from eating them, but there is a couple of things you should keep in mind:

1) Don’t eat your favorite candy/dessert/etc. when you are hungry. It’s not supposed to be a meal, and if you eat your favorite holiday treat when you are hungry, you will be more likely to eat a lot of it, and I mean a lot more!

2) Moderation is key! If you have little to no self control, you might want to consider “calorie counting” temporarily during the holidays, to make sure that you don’t overdo it when it comes to eating treats. If you know you don’t have self control, sometimes it’s easier to never start than to try and stop eating the treats later on.

3) Don’t give into temptation all of the time. Don’t make a three month long habit of indulging because “it’s the holidays”, since that phrase is what gets everybody in trouble and regretful come January 1st when they are carrying several extra pounds of holiday weight gain with them that lasts much longer than that holiday party ever did.

Plan out the days you will indulge a little, and adjust your day accordingly. You know yourself and your weaknesses, so put a strategy in place on how you plan on handling the situation and stick to your plan! For example, you can exercise more on the days leading up to the holiday party, or you can eat a big healthy meal before you look over the dessert bar! If it means you skip out on candy/desserts/treats altogether since you know you can’t stop at just one or two, then avoid the junk food and have fun socializing and being the life of the party instead!

Maintain – or Lose! – Weight this Holiday

Follow these steps, and maintain – or even lose! – weight this holiday season! You can achieve whatever you want, and whatever you are willing to work for. And yes, you can enjoy a wonderful holiday season with less (or no) junk food because the food isn’t really what makes the holidays special (I’ll let you think about that one).

Are you ready to take this challenge on?!

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If you are trying to lose – or even maintain – your weight, never skip a meal! Eating regularly throughout the day will help increase your metabolism so that you can lose weight effectively.

When people skip meals, their body’s metabolism slows down and attempts to conserve calories and keeps stored fat on the body, rather than losing it.

Healthy Snacking

If you are eating four to six times a day, make sure that you are eating very healthy foods throughout the day. You do not – I repeat!- You do not want to start eating junk food throughout the day and in-between meals, since this defeats the whole purpose of eating throughout the day, which is to increase your metabolism to help you lose weight!

A great snack in between meals would be to munch on low calories foods such as vegetables or fruit! Perhaps on your more intense workout days, you can include a higher calorie  (still very healthy!) snack such as a almonds, walnuts, or pistachios (or another type of nut!).

Always snack in moderation!

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Why Broccoli Rocks The Nutritional Charts

• The American Cancer Society recommends eating broccoli since it’s anticancer properties are well established.

• Excellent source of isothiocyanates, which fight cancer! Studies have shown that isothiocyanates actually help prevent esophageal and lung cancer, and can even lower the risk of having other cancers.

• In 2003, The Environmental Working Group named broccoli as one of twelve foods least contaminated with pesticides.

• One cup of broccoli contains:

-288 mg of potassium

-2 g of fiber

-43 mg of calcium

-2 g of protein

-1,277 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin

-81 mg of vitamin C

-magnesium, phosphorus, folate, beta-caratone, and vitamin A.

• Contains indole-3-carbinol which has been shown to protect the structure of DNA, as well as being a strong antioxidant and stimulates detoxifying enzymes. It also protects against the carcinogenic effect of toxins, including pesticides. Indole-3-carbinol is great for everyone – especially women – since it increases the ratio of benign (“good”) estrogen metabolite levels compared to the potentially harmful ones.

Eating Broccoli…and Enjoying it

You can eat all of broccoli – the leaves, stalk, and the “flower” of the plant, which is what most people are familiar with.

Here’s a couple of suggestions on what you can do with broccoli, to make it a bit more enjoyable to eat.

Broccoli & Raw Cheese

-Steam broccoli and once it is done cooking, sprinkle on some raw cheese to the broccoli and serve one the cheese has melted. This is how my Mom was able to get us kids to eat (and love!) broccoli when we were growing up!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

- In a frying pan, combine cooked chicken, brown rice, raw broccoli with a healthy teriyaki sauce and/or soy sauce. This is a great way to enjoy broccoli as part of a main dish.

Broccoli Soup

-This recipe is really easy, and Chef Gordon Ramsay made this dish look more than appetizing! Here’s the video with full instructions:

I hope you all will consider eating broccoli and enjoy the many health benefits that are associated with it!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Ingredients:

1 cup Pecans

1 cup Walnuts

1 cup dried Apricots (I suggest Unsulfured Apricots)

1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 cup raw Sunflower Seeds

Instructions:

Step 1) Combine all ingredients together in a bowl or a large (zip-lock) bag and mix well.

Notes: 

It’s unbelievable how easy it is to make your own healthy trail mix at home – and it’s a lot cheaper too! This Autumn Trail Mix is a delicious and healthy snack to enjoy during the Fall – or anytime during the year!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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What are Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are essential minerals that can be found as a solid, liquid, or gas that contain electrically conducting ions that your body needs to function properly.

Here’s a list of the essential minerals that are considered electrolytes:

• Calcium

• Chloride

• Magnesium

• Potassium

• Sodium

Why you Need Electrolytes

Any time that you sweat, your body loses electrolytes and you need to replenish your body with electrolytes. You can normally replenish your electrolyte levels through the foods you eat, but sometimes you will need more. The more you exert yourself (and sweat), the more you need to replenish your body with electrolytes.

If you exercise for more than one hour at a time, it would be a good idea to drink more than just water and quench your thirst with an electrolyte drink or eat a food that is rich in electrolytes. Of course, you want to make sure that you are getting the best sources of electrolytes and find out which ones to avoid.

Healthy Sources of Electrolytes

• If you want to find healthy sources of calcium, look no further than blackstrap molasses, dark green leafy vegetables, yogurt, raw milk, sardines (canned with bones), tofu, bok choy, bean sprouts, and spinach.

• You will find healthy sources of chloride (aka Sodium Chloride) from seaweed, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, celery, and rye.

• Find plenty of magnesium in spinach, halibut, almonds, quinoa, raw pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds.

• There is plenty of potassium in dried apricots, lima beans, avocado, winter squash, swiss chard, potato, lentils, yogurt, and bananas.

• You can find healthy sources of sodium in raw milk, eggs, and rice. Sodium is probably one of the easiest electrolytes to find, even something to try to limit in one’s diet! When it comes to having a healthy amount of sodium, just remember that the less processed foods you eat, the better.

Electrolyte Sources to Avoid

The first thing people think of when they hear “electrolyte” is a sports drink, since they have been marketed as an “electrolyte drink” for years, and marketed to athletes and anyone who breaks a sweat. Yes, these popular sports drinks contain electrolytes, but they are also loaded with processed sugars or artificial sweeteners, which are extremely bad for your health. There are just too many healthy sources of electrolytes to justify drinking a sports drink when you consider the negative side effects of sugar!

There are plenty of healthy sources for you to get all of the electrolytes your body needs!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Battle of the Bulge 

Kirstie Alley has been known for the last couple of years for her constant battle with her weight. As Kirstie gained weight, she landed her own reality show called Fat Actress and later became a spokesperson for Jenny Craig.

Kirstie didn’t find the success that she wanted to with Jenny Craig, and rumors flew around saying that Kirstie left Jenny Craig because she gained her weight back, and other rumors said that she left due to creating a competing weight loss program. Fast forward a couple of years, Kirstie finally loses 100 pounds, reaches her goal weight and surprises all of us with a new weight loss product. Who knew weight gain and weight loss could be so profitable?

How Kirstie Alley Lost 100 Pounds

Kirstie Alley lost 60 pounds before her stint on Dancing With The Stars,  and during the show she lost a another 30 pounds! So how did she do it?

“I worked with scientists and different experts in the world of organic. I wanted something…there’s actually science behind chemicals, pesticides, insecticides, fungicides; all of the “-icides”, causing you to gain weight. So, I worked with these scientists and I said ‘this is what’s wrong with me. This is what keeps happening to me, and let’s solve it’ and we did solve it.” -Kirstie Alley on The View talking about her new company called Organic Liason.

Kirstie started a new company called Organic Liason, which she credits to giving her the energy she needed to participate on Dancing With The Stars and helped her with her weight loss. Kirstie’s new company promotes an Organic and healthy lifestyle – no fad diet!

One of the products that Organic Liason created is called “Rescue Me Weight Loss Elixer”, which is a product to help Kirstie rescue herself from temporary diets that didn’t last.

I am not one for weight loss supplements, but I have to admit…an organic, natural, safe, and healthy weight loss product? Hmm… tempting. Yet, not sure you *have* to have her product to lose weight. Yes, it worked for Kirstie, but she had a lot of money on the line, which would motivate just about anybody to lose weight and keep it off (Biggest Loser, anyone?). Either way, I think it’s great that Kirstie has lost 100 pounds and is determined to live a much healthier life and keep the weight off!

Was plastic surgery ever an option for Kirstie? Not even close!

“I haven’t had plastic surgery, but here’s the reason: People do plastic surgery to make you look younger, I don’t think it makes you look younger … it can make you look weird.” – Kirstie Alley talking to E.T. 

I think we would all agree that Kirstie – even at 60 years old – looks fabulous, and she doesn’t need surgery. I personally don’t believe people should feel like it’s necessary, because it is not!

How to Keep the Weight Off

Something to keep in mind to help motivate you: Maintaining weight is a lot easier than losing the weight. Create a healthy lifestyle, make exercise a habit, and eat withing your calorie budget. Once you reach your goal weight, you can eat some additional calories, but don’t go all out – that’s what caused the weight gain in the first place, right? Still…it’s a lot easier to maintain your weight. Weigh yourself regularly and stay on track! Yes, you can do it!

Good luck with your health goals everyone!

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Image Credit: Kristie Alley Before and After 

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Creating a Yogurt Parfait is a great low calorie treat and delicious way to enjoy Plain Yogurt! It’s the way yogurt was meant to be eaten and enjoyed!

Ingredients: 

3 cups Plain Yogurt

1/2 cup sliced Strawberries

1/2 cup Blueberries

1/2 cup Raspberries

1 tbsp chopped Walnuts

Instructions:

Step 1) Add some yogurt into each container and top with mixed berries. Repeat this step until each container is full.

Step 2) Add chopped walnuts on top of the parfait, as a garnish.

Notes: 

A lot of people have a hard time eating completely plain yogurt – with no added flavors or sugars. I suggest adding fruit or some other healthy toppings to make it more enjoyable. Don’t add processed sugar, since that’s the whole point of buying plain yogurt in the first place, right?!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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I love dried apricots….you know, the ones that taste like you made them all by yourself in your handy dandy dehydrator. I don’t like the squishy apricots that have plenty of sulfur added, since it ruins the texture, taste, and everything else I love about dried apricots. Problem is, dried apricots with nothing added are hard to come by.

Fortunately for you and me, Trader Joe’s sells Unsulfured Apricots that are quite delicious and reasonable priced!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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1. Autumn Trail Mix
2. Raspberry Fig Bars by Barbara’s
3. Eat Healthy when Traveling

“We choose handmade not processed.  Farm fresh not tin-canned.
Flavor and nutrition over fillers and fads.  At Baja Fresh you’ll find eating well is a way of life and a state of mind. We believe in real food made with passion, for real people. Food that’s always prepared by hand from real recipes and real farm fresh ingredients, not pre-packaged. Life should be full of variety, zest and positive energy. Energized by good health and good nutrition.” – BajaFresh.com

Now that we know what Baja Fresh believes in – nutrition and eating well – let’s see how true they are to that philosophy of theirs.

Best Food at Baja Fresh Mexican Grill 

If you are looking for a healthier options at Baja Fresh, I suggest taking a look at their Healthy Choices menu which is organized into three categories; “Trimming the Fat” for those who are looking for low-fat meal options, “Watching Carbs” for low-carb meal options, and “Cutting the Calories” for low-calorie meal options.

Original Baja Taco – Shrimp

Calories: 200

Total Fat: 5 g

Protein: 11 g

Sodium: 280 mg

Carbohydrates: 28 g

Fiber: 2 g

Baja Ensalada® Charbroiled Chicken

Calories: 310

Total Fat: 7 g

Protein: 46 g

Sodium: 1,210 mg

Carbohydrates: 18 g

Fiber: 7 g

Grilled Mahi Mahi

Calories: 230

Total Fat: 9 g

Protein: 12 g

Sodium: 300 mg

Carbohydrates: 26 g

Fiber: 4 g

Worst Food at Baja Fresh Mexican Grill 

When it comes to Mexican Food, there is plenty of traditional foods that are worth giving up on due to their lack of health. Here’s some examples…

Most Sodium: Carnitas with Flour Tortillas Fajitas

Calories: 1,190

Total Fat: 43 g

Protein: 58 g

Sodium: 3,450 mg

Carbohydrates: 150 g

Fiber: 26 g

Most Calories and Most Fat: Charbroiled Steak Nachos

Calories: 2,120

Total Fat: 118 g

Protein: 96 g

Sodium: 2,990 mg

Carbohydrates: 163 g

Fiber: 31 g

Most Deceptive: 5 oz. Side of Corn Tortilla Chips

Do you realize how little 5 ounces of corn chips is? It’s hardly anything at all, and for a side dish, it’s quite the calorie load for such a small amount of food. I wouldn’t be surprised if  a lot of people order this small side dish thinking that they aren’t eating that much more calories and fat, but when you consider the worst foods I just mentioned, enough is enough.

Calories: 740

Total Fat: 34 g

Protein: 10 g

Sodium: 170 mg

Carbohydrates: 90 g

Fiber: 9 g

Eating at Baja Fresh

When eating out at Baja Fresh, it’s all about portion control! Always prepare ahead of time by checking the menu and nutrition information before you eat at Baja Fresh to ensure you don’t over eat or consume too many calories, fat, or sodium in a single meal.

In addition to the “worst foods” that I mentioned, I think it’s important to know that – unless you are sharing – you might want to avoid the Burrito Ultimo® meals, since each of them contain close to 1,000 calories each!

There are plenty of other meals you may want to avoid. I have to admit, it was much easier to find the bad foods than it was to find the healthy foods at Baja Fresh, which means a disaster for anyone trying to eat healthy.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Image Credits and Sources: bajafresh.com

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“It’s a great book parents can use to talk to their kids about health and keep them on the right path from a young age.” – Kathy Kaehler, Celebrity Trainer

Available at select bookstores, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, and Borders.com.

Thank you everyone for participating in this contest! We will have many more opportunities for you to win something, so stay tuned…

Winner’s next steps: Watch for our email! It will come from editor@SkinnyTwinkie.com, and we will need you to provide us with your mailing address so we can have your prize sent directly to you.

If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after our email, we will have to choose another winner.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Pomegranates are full of nutrients that are extremely beneficial for your body. The best part? We’re just scratching the surface…

• Studies have shown an increase of blood flow to the heart, which increases oxygen efficiency to the heart during exercise.

• Rich in Vitamin C and Potassium

• Pomegranates have been shown to help prevent fatty deposits from collecting on the arteries, which prevents heart attacks, stroke, cancer, Alzheimers disease and even premature aging.

• May help lower cholesterol levels

• Study showed that participants had reduced arterial plaque by 30 percent!

• Contains flavonoids. How much? More concentrated amount than what’s found in grapes!

• Full of antioxidants - three times as many antioxidants found in green tea and red wine (but without the caffeine and alcohol!)

Pomegranate Products

Pomegranates are the new cranberry. It’s everywhere! Once all of the research comes out listing all of the health benefits, companies take notice and start providing product to profit from the new health hype. What does that mean for you? Products with Pomegranates are going to be bountiful, but it also means that you will need to do your due diligence to make sure you buy a quality product and get your money’s worth.

If you want to buy Pomegranate juice, for example, be sure to find a product that is 100% Pomegranate juice like this product, rather than have a product that is either watered down like this product or mixed with cheaper juices like this product. If you are going to pay for pomegranate juice, get the good stuff and know what you are paying for!

If you want to benefit from everything Pomegranates have to offer, I suggest buying the fruit itself, and eating it plain or adding it to your recipes. It may take additional time (and perhaps get a little messy!), but it’s the best source of all of the nutrients – no processing required!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Is your Labor Day celebration strategy going to be…

A) Eat whatever you want, and exercise more to burn the extra calories off!

or…

B) Eat like an angel!

or…

C) Other (please explain)

Tell me what you plan on doing to prevent weight gain and still enjoy the holiday!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Grapeseed Vegenaise® Ingredient List

Expeller-Pressed Grapeseed Oil, Filtered Water, Brown Rice Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Non-GMO Soy Protein, Sea Salt, Mustard Flour, Lemon Juice Concentrate.

As you can see, this product is Vegan, Gluten Free, and Dairy Free.

Benefits of Grapeseed Vegenaise®

First of all, All Vegenaise® products are made up of real ingredients – no preservatives, like most mayo’s out there. Without preservatives, it makes sense that Vegenaise® is very low in sodium!

I specifically choose the Grapeseed Vegenaise® due to the health benefits of Grapeseed oil. Grapeseed oil is much more beneficial than canola oils, and it’s a great source of essential fatty acids and vitamin E, which are needed for normal cell maintenance and metabolism.  Another perk is that Grapeseed oil is one of the few natural foods know to raise HDL levels (which is a good thing!). Studies have shown that HDL appears to reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol) by loosening it from the arterial walls and carries it to the liver for elimination.

In Addition to Health…

I appreciate products that are healthy, but I love products that are healthy and delicious! I believe this is one of those products! When I first opened up a jar of Vegenaise®, I noticed that it has a bit of a gray tint to it. I thought that was a little interesting, but it wasn’t noticeable enough to give me second thoughts about trying it out. I used my butter knife to spread it across my bread to make a sandwich, and I noticed it had a very thick and creamy texture – not bad at all! I know a lot of you are now wondering about the taste. I don’t blame you for wondering since we’ve all tried some pretty nasty healthy products out there that just weren’t worth the health benefits (so we think). The taste is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! For the first time, I feel like I am actually eating the mayonnaise that everyone else buys, but of course, my mayo is much, much healthier. Who knew such a healthy product could pull off such a feat?!

For Image Credit and for more information, go to: FollowYourHeart.com

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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I love making this easy, delicious, and healthy chicken salad recipe! This particular recipe makes a big batch, which is great to feed a lot of people at home or to bring to a potluck! You can even make this recipe and enjoy this meal for the rest of the week – and trust me, it’s good enough you’ll want to!

Ingredients:

20-25 baked Chicken Tenderloins, chopped or shredded

1 cup Vegenaise (healthy mayo replacement)

1/2 cup dried Cranberries

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

1/2 cup chopped Celery

1 cup diced Grapes

1 tsp Poppy Seeds

You can shred it or chop it up, whichever you prefer! You can use canned chicken, but it’s not ideal. I have found that the freshly baked chicken tastes so much better than the canned stuff.

I love this stuff…one of my favorite mayo replacements!

Try to find dried cranberries that don’t have any added sugar, since it’s much healthier that way. If you don’t have dried cranberries or want to try something different, you can use dried cherries (again, no added sugar) in it’s place. Either way, it gives you some added tart flavor that goes a long way!

You can chop up the walnuts as much as you’d like. If you don’t have walnuts on hand, you can chop up some pecans instead. Both will taste delicious and are a softer nut, which is what you want for this type of recipe.

I love adding celery to recipes! Celery is extremely healthy, but something a lot of people don’t enjoy on it’s own. I like to “sneak” it in recipes and enjoy the health benefits (and added crunch!) whenever I can! 

I took each grape and cut it into four small pieces. I thought this was the perfect size, but you can cut them up even smaller, if you prefer.

I love the added color and texture that poppy seeds provide!

Instructions

Step 1) Combine all ingredients and stir together in a large mixing bowl. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.

Notes: 

Pretty easy, huh? Yes! It’s quite delicious, healthy, and the perfect meal when you just don’t feel like cooking.

You can enjoy this Chicken Salad on it’s own (see first picture in this post), on a slice of bread…

…or as a sandwich!

Enjoy!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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One lucky reader of ours will win an autographed copy of Wallie Exercises by Steve Ettinger, C.S.C.S., a new children’s book that will be a great addition to your home library!

“Steve Ettinger’s new picture book for children, Wallie Exercises, actually encourages kids to break a sweat — in the cutest way possible, of course.” – People.com

Winner of the Mom’s Choice Gold Award, Wallie Exercises is helping families everywhere talk about fitness and get active!  This new book is the perfect way to make health and fitness fun for kids, and is a must have for teachers, parents, and the whole family.

Wallie Exercises

Written by certified fitness expert Steve Ettinger, Wallie Exercises takes parents and kids on a fun and whimsical adventure, as they soak up lessons about fitness, friendship, and staying active. The story follows Wallie, a loyal but lazy dog and his best friend who convinces the lethargic pup to get out of the house and get moving.

Beautifully illustrated (by Pete Proctor) and impeccably told, this book helps teach kids important fitness concepts while following Wallie on his hilarious journey to get in shape.

The book also includes a special section with original exercises (performed by Wallie) and kid-friendly fitness information at the end of the book that will get every child excited about exercise.

Available at select bookstores, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com, and Borders.com.

How to Enter

1) Join this website (through Google Friend Connect) and make a comment on this post with your email address. If you are already a member, just log in and comment. Yup, it’s that easy!

I encourage you to consider the bonus entries, since we will announce the winner on this site, facebook, and twitter!

Bonus Entry Points

1) Find us on Facebook and “like” our page. We’ll have a post that you can comment on, which will provide you an additional entry point when you comment on it. Nice!

2) If you like to tweet, you should “follow” Skinny Twinkie on twitter! All you need to do is Retweet our tweet on twitter that announces this giveaway, and you will get another entry point.

3) Do you have a blog? Grab my button and add it to your site or you can blog about this contest and link to this giveaway post, provide the link to your blog in the comments section on here (or facebook), and you will have gained another chance to win!

♦♦♦You can give yourself a total of four chances to win! ♦♦♦

Contest Rules and Eligibility

This contest is open to all U.S.  and Canadian residents who are 18 years or older. Void where Prohibited by Law. This is a giveaway, which means you are not obligated to buy anything from anyone.

This contest starts on August 30th 2011 and will end on September 8th, 2011 at midnight EST.

Skinny Twinkie will use Random.org to choose one winner by picking a random number based on the total number of entries. Skinny Twinkie will draw the winner on September 9th, and the winner will be announced that same day on SkinnyTwinkie.com, twitter, and facebook.

If you are selected as a winner, we will contact you via email, to let you know that you have won! If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after we have notified you, we will choose another winner and you will forfeit your prize.

Good luck everyone!!!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Wait…what just happened?!

Here’s a scenario that I’m betting 90% of you can relate to: You start exercising and eating less, and you jump on the scale and see that you have lost weight! Yay! You get really excited about your progress, so you start exercising even more and eating less than before (so you can lose even more weight the following week, which brings you closer to your goal weight!). You jump on the scale the following week and you didn’t lose a single pound! Wait…what just happened?! You are now confused and depressed that all of your efforts for the past week have been wasted. Sound familiar? It happens to the best of us…

Starvation Mode? Not Good…

Here’s what’s going on in your body: When you eat too little, especially with the amount of exercise you are now doing, your body goes into “starvation mode”, where it holds on to everything, making it so that you can’t lose weight! You have to provide your body with the nutrients and the calories it needs to be able to function properly, and even lose extra fat.

Track it!

I suggest signing up for a calorie tracking program, such as Lose it!, since you can track what you eat and make sure you are eating enough. Lose it!, for example, adjusts the amount of calories you can eat every day based on your weight loss goals and how much you exercise. First you provide information about yourself, determine how much weight you want to lose each week, and it calculates how many calories you should eat each day and a goal date of when you should reach your goal weight. When you enter in exercise, it calculates how much more food you should be eating each day – and still lose the determined amount of weight you specified to lose each week. The more you exercise, the more you eat. Pretty cool, huh? Just make sure you don’t over do it with the exercise. Find a happy balance and stick with it.

(Please note: The writer does not get paid from promoting Lose it!, though it would be really nice if she did get paid! ;) She just uses the Lose it! app herself, and thought it was an awesome program to share with all of you! You can use any program, just make sure it adjusts your calories based on the amount of exercise you do each day.)

Measure, Measure, Measure!

Just like you don’t want to under eat, you don’t want to over do it either. For those who use a form of calorie counting to stay on track, measuring out your food is more important than many realize.  For example, I like to snack on celery and dip it into almond butter as a snack. I used to guess what I thought two tablespoons should be, and used that as my guide for a serving of almond butter. Finally, one day I decided to measure out two tablespoons of almond butter. I remember thinking “that’s it? That’s two tablespoons of almond butter? Oops…!” As you can tell, my two tablespoons was way more than the actual two tablespoons!

It was a funny moment for me, but an experience that taught be a valuable lesson. Measure everything, because a lot of times your imagination is a lot bigger than reality when you are hungry or trying to calorie count!

Of course, I think that eating healthy foods is the main thing to focus on, but high calorie health foods like almond butter should be measured out when you are trying to lose weight and need to stick to a certain calorie limit each day.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Here’s an excellent quote I came across this last week, and it should serve as a reminder to all of you who wait until Monday to start making positive changes in your life.

“A year from now you will wish you had started today” – Karen Lamb

If you need to start exercising or eat healthy, don’t wait until tomorrow. You have the ability to start right now. Start today, and continue on for the rest of your life.  Don’t live your life continually thinking “I’ll start tomorrow” or “I’ll start someday…when I’m ready” or “on Monday”. If you continue thinking like this, chances are, you will never start and you will continue making excuses to start another day. I’m sure you’ve heard other people (or yourself!) say “I am going to start next Monday because of X, Y, Z…”. Again, don’t make excuses. Look how far they have taken you. Nowhere.

Remember that today is always the best day to progress and make your life better than it was yesterday.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Here’s a few tips to help prevent you from gaining those extra pounds by being in a relationship:

Keep Impressing

Too many men and women get married and totally let themselves go. Don’t let that be you. Remember when you used to care about the way you looked? You used to do things to impress your guy/gal. Just because you’re off the market doesn’t mean you’re done trying! Eating healthy and exercising do much more than just help you with a rockin’ bod, it will help you enjoy a long life together, without pesky health problems.

Start New Hobbies

Keep your relationship fun and exciting – pick up a new (active) hobby together! Maybe you can both learn how to rock climb, take dance lessons, or prepare for a marathon together! Whatever it is, do something that is enjoyable and something you can do together!

Portion Control

This one might be advice geared towards mostly the ladies, but I hope it helps the guys realize how they can help their lady love. When you go out to eat with your spouse, you don’t have to eat the same amount as them! My husband, for example, needs to eat almost double the amount of food that I do! There’s no reason for me to try and catch up with him when it comes to eating. Eat the amount of food you were meant to eat; no more, and no less!

Exercise Together 

Why exercise alone or separately when you can exercise together? I can only tell you how hard it is to get out of bed and wake up early in the morning to wake up and exercise…when your spouse is still cuddled up to the warm and cozy blankets snoozing away. Waking up is enough will power, but when you see what you could be doing, it can be hard to stay motivated at 5:30am (or whenever you have to wake up to go workout). Ask for your spouse to be a workout buddy – it will benefit both of you!

Speak up!

Is your loved one continuously bringing you treats that just aren’t helping you reach your goals? Speak your mind and let them know your goals, and how they can help you reach your goals – even if that means not bringing you certain treats that you used to love getting. Explain that treats are not a healthy “reward” system.

Express your need for encouragement, help, motivation, or any support that you feel that you need in order to be healthy.

If your loved one expresses any of the above mentioned concerns to you, be receptive and help where you can.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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The Sandwich

There’s something special about the simple yet delicious taste of a sandwich. You can make it as healthy as you want, and it doesn’t need to be too complex. I suggest using whole wheat bread, using a brand that doesn’t use a lot of ingredients or any processed sugars. Avoid using white bread at all costs!

Here’s some quick and easy sandwiches that you can make for your kids for their school lunches:

• Deli - Get freshly slices meat from your local deli and add a slice of all natural cheese, romaine lettuce, and use a mayo replacement such as Veganaise. This sandwich will provide your kid with the fiber, protein, dairy, vitamins and minerals from the lettuce and healthy fats from the Veganaise which will help you absorb the nutrients. 

• Peanut Butter and Jelly - There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the classics, it simple yet very delicious and healthy! Use whole wheat bread, organic peanut butter and a jelly or jam that doesn’t have any sugars added to it, such as a Just Fruit™ Spread by Crofter’s. With this sandwich, your kid is going to enjoy the benefits of healthy fiber from the bread, protein from the peanut butter, and glucose from the jelly or jam.

• Sprout and Tomato - Think your kids won’t like sprouts? Think again! Just spread Veganaise (mayo replacement) or mashed avocado to the bread (or whole wheat wrap!), add tomato slices with a few dashes of sea salt and pepper, then generously add the alfalfa or broccoli sprouts. You’d be surprised with how delicious this healthy sandwich is, and you’ll be glad to know your kids will love it too.

• Almond Butter and Honey - This is very similar to the classic PB & J, except the Almond Butter adds a different variety of protein and the honey is an all natural source of glucose. This is a great sandwich for your busy little bee (haha). I like to use almond butter more often than peanut butter, since almond butter doesn’t have any saturated fats. As much as I love peanut butter, I eat it sparingly because of the saturated fats. It’s still good for you, but in moderation (like anything else, really)

• Tuna or Salmon – Mix a can of tuna or salmon with Veganaise (mayo replacement), and put in a small container. Include 2 slices of bread (or occasionally some healthy crackers!) and let your kid add the tuna to the bread once they are ready to eat their tuna (or salmon) sandwich. This will allow for a fresh sandwich, without the soggy bread! Go ahead and add pickles or lettuce if you’d like.

The Snacks

I suggest providing your kids with a wholesome snack to accompany the sandwich, or to snack on in between meals. This is a great way for your kids to learn that when they are hungry and they want a snack, they will learn to reach for a fresh veggie rather than a cookie. Your kids not there yet? That’s ok. It happens one day at a time, and they need their parents to help guide them on what they should be eating when they are hungry. Your kids don’t need chips or cookies. Your kids need vitamins and minerals -you know, nutrients to fuel their body, help them grow up strong and healthy, and help keep their mind alert and ready to learn.

• Fresh Fruit - Give your children a variety of fresh fruits to snack on. Each day (or week), give your kid a different fruit to snack on, such as an apple, orange, watermelon, pear, or a variety of berries. These snacks are delicious, low calorie, and they are easy to pack in a school lunch. Also, your kids will appreciate the variety of different fruits (so they don’t get bored or them), and it’s great way to add a variety of nutrients to their developing body.

• Fresh Vegetables - Give your children a variety of fresh vegetables to snack on. Each day (or week), give your kid a different vegetable to snack on, such as carrots, broccoli, snow or sugar snap peas, sliced cucumbers, celery (with peanut or almond butter to dip in!), or sliced green and red peppers. Remember to provide variety for your kids, and try to coordinate them to go well with the fruit you are giving them.

• Protein - If you would like to give your kids protein (in addition to the sandwich), you can consider giving them a variety of mixed nuts, seeds, or even hard boiled eggs (with shell already removed).

The Friday Snack

It’s always fun to have a special little snack that’s healthy, but something you might not have every day.  For example, fruit leather is delicious, but the real deal (aka, fresh fruit with nothing added or taken away), is always the healthiest choice. Of course, why not have a special little treat every once in awhile, such as every Friday? I think it’s a fun way to celebrate the weekend without destroying one’s health.

The Beverages

• Water - Are your kids drinking enough water throughout the day? Provide your kids with a refillable water bottle that they can use throughout the day. Help your kid figure out how much water they should be drinking every day, and make sure they bring it home on a regular basis so you can have it cleaned.

I don’t think that your kids really need to be drinking juice, since the whole fruit or vegetable is always the healthiest choice. Also, too many juices on the market have added sugars or corn syrup that just isn’t necessary.

Got flavored milk? What about regular milk? I don’t think bringing milk to school is necessary, especially when you consider it really should be kept in the refrigerator.

Important Considerations

Make sure that you include an ice pack in the lunch box to keep the food cool and safe for your kid to eat when the time comes. If you don’t have an ice pack, stick to the foods that will be able to handle room temperature.

OK parents, any other healthy food suggestions you would like to add to this list? I appreciate your input!

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Carrie Underwood, along with many contestants who compete on American Idol, gain weight during the show. The contestants gain the weight for several reasons, such as the stress of the competition, bad food given to them, and long bouts of waiting for their vocal coaches to work with them. Carrie ended up gaining a total of 20 pounds!

How Carrie Underwood Lost 20 Pounds

Carrie has a simple yet effective approach to her weight loss. It worked well for her, and maybe it will work for you too! Of course, to make any weight loss program work, you have to just stick to it and be consistent!

• Start a Food Journal - Carrie Underwood bought a spiral notebook (nothing fancy or expensive!) and just started to write down every little thing she ate.

“I discovered that writing down everything I eat makes such a difference, because you never realize how much you’re consuming unless you read it later in the day” – Carrie Underwood

Carrie said the key to the success of a food journal is to check the calorie count for everything she eats and write the details down in her notebook – immediately after a meal, before she forgets. At the end of the day, if she wants to have a snack, she checks her food for the day, how many calories she has eaten, and calculates how much more she can eat.

I think that when you stick to calorie counting, it’s important to know that nutrition and proper balance should be considered.

• Seek Expert Help – Carrie wanted to set up a mini gym in her home, but didn’t quite know what pieces of equipment she would need to help her reach her goals. Carried ended up hiring a Personal Trainer, who helped her pick out simple pieces of equipment to use, taught her for a few weeks on how to use the equipment and come up with a routine, then Carrie was able to continue her weight loss efforts on her own.

So what exercises does Carrie Underwood do? According to the interview in Shape Magazine, she exercises on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes and then follows that with strength training (reps with weights).

“My favorite thing is cardio, it really helps the pounds melt off, and it gives me so much more energy.” -Carrie Underwood

I would like to point out how Carrie used a Personal Trainer for a few weeks to work on a routine. A lot of people don’t realize that a Personal Trainer can really be a temporary thing, and I personally think it should be for most people. I like to work with my clients for a few months and empower them to be able to get to the point where they just don’t need me anymore. It’s a great feeling knowing that you have everything you need to be able to continue on your journey to lose weight.

• Stop Obsessing Over the Numbers on the Scale – Carrie became a popular topic in the tabloids as she became more and more famous. Many of those articles focused on Carrie’s weight, even calling her “chubby”. Now that Carrie is at a much healthier weight, she tries not to focus on the numbers on the scale, but more importantly her health.

“I’m a performer, and yes, being in good shape is part of the package, but I don’t ever want to get neurotic about my weight. I feel healthy and I know I’m a good size for me. And that’s what’s most important.” -Carrie Underwood

I think that Carrie is focusing on what’s most important, her health! Numbers on the scale may help you track progress, but it shouldn’t be the “end all, be all” either. If you focus on exercising regularly and putting healthy, nutritious food in your body, that’s what’s important. Continue to stay motivated and keep moving forward, and you will reach your health goals.

How Carrie Underwood Kept the Weight Off!

Carrie continues to keep the weight off in a very simple approach.

• No Mystery Food – Carrie told the WebMD Magazine (August 2010) , ”if I don’t know what’s in it, I don’t eat it”. Simple rule, yet clearly effective. This one rule prevents her from eating the fatty catered food that’s available to her.

• Grocery Shopping – Due to the unhealthy catered food available to her on bus tours, Carrie has opted to do her own grocery shopping and buy fresh whole food, which also ensures that Carrie keeps up with her Vegetarian lifestyle.

• Regular Exercise – Just because Carrie has reached her goal weight, it doesn’t stop her from exercising on a regular basis. In fact, regular exercise is a big way to keep the weight off!

“If I can wake up and get a good cardio session in a class at a nearby gym or on the treadmill, I’m happier throughout the day” – Carrie Underwood

Once you reach your goal weight, you need to continue eating healthy and exercising. Just like it helped you lose the weight in the first place, now these healthy habits you have created will help you keep the weight off. Remember, it’s easier to maintain the weight than have to lose it again…and again.

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Image Credit: celebritydietdoctor.com

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As a birthday present for myself, I decided to start out my day with a great cardio workout. For breakfast, I had my favorite post-workout shake, and enjoyed the day with my hubby. Happy Birthday to me!

How to Feel Younger 

If you want to feel young, you have to be young. What does that really mean? Exercise. The secret to eternal youth is exercise, and I believe that far too many people underestimate the power of regular exercise. Why else would they not exercise?!

The problem with most people is that they exercise for maybe a week or two, don’t see as many results as they would have hoped (it takes time, ok?), and then they end up giving it up saying “Exercise doesn’t work for me.” Of course, these thoughts couldn’t be further from the truth.

Exercise helps your heart, lungs, bones, muscles – everything!-stay strong and healthy. Your body wants you to exercise, and not just once in a while. On a regular basis!

How to Look Years Younger 

OK, you might not look like you are in your 20′s when you are in your 80′s, but you can defintely look a lot younger than you actually are if you eat healthy (in addition to exercise). When I say “eat healthy”, I mean you should avoid processed and fried foods and stick to natural and healthy foods such as whole grains and seeds, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables.

I’m sure you’ve heard that you are supposed to eat foods that are high in antioxidants. Do you know what that means? Oxygen is what keeps us alive, but it is also what ages us! Eating foods that are high in antioxidants (anti-oxygen), will help keep you looking and feeling much younger than you actually are. Hey, I told you that eating healthy was worth it.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Gym hop

Gyms of all shapes and sizes are constantly running deals for a free trial week at their location. Take a week or two off from your old gym and take an exercise tour around town. Find different gyms in your area and enjoy a few days of new scenery. Scoping out a new place can introduce you to new trainers, new equipment and new classes which may jumpstart your exercise regimen, or make you appreciate your old digs.

Take a vacation

Finally put your vacation daydreaming to use and cash in on some personal days at work. Vacations that involve skiing, kayaking, hiking or rock climbing can be relaxing and exhilarating all at the same time. Even just a long weekend at a nearby campground can provide lots of opportunity for engaging exercise in a new setting.

Teach an old dog new tricks

Pick a sport that you’ve never tried before and join a league in your area. If you were an all-state lineman in high school, try taking up racquetball. If you set college records in the breaststroke, find a volleyball league. Chances are, if you haven’t played these sports before you haven’t used all of the muscle groups necessary for them. Being part of a team has the added benefit of social encouragement to continue coming out each week.

Pimp your ride

If you live relatively close to your gym, skip the drive and run or jog there. Instead of driving to the gym and getting on a treadmill, enjoy a run outdoors on your way to the gym where you can then enjoy an abbreviated workout. After a nice long warm-up, you’ll be prepped for some toning weightlifting or strength exercises. Walk back home while you cool down, or catch a ride back with a workout buddy.

If you can do, teach!

Instead of taking class after class of monotonous aerobics, design your own fitness class and offer it to friends or coworkers. Host a yoga workshop in your living room or book an empty office space for after-work zumba. Running the class puts you in control to keep things fun and challenging, and having a group of recruits hold you accountable to stay active.

Move to the music

Grab your partner and sign up for a dance class. Not only does a dance class get you some one-on-one time with your spouse, but high-intensity classes such as tango or flamenco can burn just as many calories as an hour spent on the treadmill. Pay up front for 4-8 weeks of classes to give yourself a financial motivation for sticking with it.

Play coach

Break down and volunteer to help coach your kid’s soccer or basketball team. The daily or weekly commitment will get you to lace on some sneakers and chase after rambunctious children for at least an hour at a time. Being surrounded by an overabundance of sugar-induced energy can’t help but inspire you to join in the drills and scrimmages.

Bag the gym

When you simply can’t bring yourself to going to the gym one more time, skip it altogether and build a workout into your daily routine. Park a few blocks away from your office, choose stairs instead of the elevator, swap your desk chair for a yoga ball, and load on up playtime with your kids to burn calories throughout the day.

Set a goal

Instead of just working out for the sake of working out, set a definite goal that you can work towards. Anything from running a marathon, completing a bike race, or even mastering a yoga pose can give you a long-term goal to aim for. Set weekly or monthly mini-goals that will track your progress and celebrate your successes along the way.

Get techy

Hit up a local yard sale or games store for Wii or Kinect workout games. Adding some virtual workout time to your regular routine can provide a bit of variation. Challenge friends or family to a game for some competition while you burn calories.

This guest post was written by Ashley from Long Island Heart Associates. For questions about heart health and exercise, contact a local cardiologist today.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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To help you get started with your Nutrition education, I have reviewed the following two books:

-Nutrition for Dummies (4th Edition) written by Carol Ann Rinzler

-The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition (4th Edition) written by Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.

I have provided a complete list of the table of contents, and my review for each book. In the end, you make the call on which book would be right for you. I’ll also give you my opinion about which one I would choose!

Table Of Contents – Nutrition for Dummies

Introduction

Part 1: The Basic Facts About Nutrition

-What’s Nutrition, Anyway?

-Digestion:The 24-Hour Food Factory

-Calories: The Energizers

-How Much Nutrition Do You Need?

-A Supplemental Story

Part 2: What You Get From Food

-Powerful Protein

-The Lowdown on Fat and Cholesterol

-Carbohydrates: A Complex Story

-Alcohol: Another Form Of Grape And Grain

-Vigorous Vitamins

-Mighty Minerals

-Phabulous Phytochemicals

-Water Works

Chaper 3: Healthy Eating

-Why You Eat When You Eat

-Why You Like The Foods You Like

-What Is A Healthful Diet?

-Making Wise Food Choices

-Eating Smart When Eating Out

Part 4: Food Processing

-What Is Food Processing

-Cooking And Nutrition

-What Happens When Food Is Frozen, Canned, Dried, or Zapped

-Better Eating Through Chemistry

Part 5: Food And Medicine

-When Food Gives You Hives

-Food And Mood

-Food And Drug Interactions

-Using Food as Medicine

Part 6: The Part Of Tens

-Ten Nutrition Web Sites

-Ten (Well, Okay, Twelve) Superstar Foods

-Ten Easy Ways to Cut Calories

Pros

Cons

Table Of Contents -The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition

Part 1: Time For A Nutrition Tune-Up

-The Dietary Guidelines

-A Close-Up On Carbohydrates

-The Profile On Protein

-Chewing The Fat

-Don’t As-salt Your Body

-In And Out With Fiber

-Vitamins And Minerals: The “Micro” Guys

-Mighty Minerals: Calcium And Iron

Part 2: Making Savvy Food Choices

-Decoding A Nutrition Label

-Shopping Smart

-Now You’re Cooking

-Restaurant Survival Guide

-Trimming Down The Holidays

Part 3: The ABC’s of Exercise

-The Gym Scene

-Sports Nutrition

-Going That Extra Mile: Fluids And Supplements

Part 4: Beyond The Basics: Nutrition And Special Needs

-Diet And Cancer

-Managing Diabetes

-Don’t Eat Your Heart Out

-Food Allergies And Other Ailments

-Going Vegetarian

-Herbal Remedies And More

Part 5: Pregnancy And Parenting

-Eating Your Way Through Pregnancy

-Exercising Your Way Through Pregnancy

-Feeding The Younger Folks

Part 6: Weight Management 101

-Come On, Knock It Off

-Adding Some Padding

-Understanding Eating Disorders

Appendixes

A. Recipes For Your Health

B. Nutrition And Health Directory

C. Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

D. A Closer Look At The Foods We Eat

SkinnyTwinkie.com’s Review

Both of these books are great. They both go over things in a fairly simple and easy-to-understand way, even including pictures on some of the topics, or a health related comic strip.

If you want basic Nutrition information, “Nutrition For Dummies” by Carol Ann Rinzler is the book for you. She does a great job of going over the basics of Nutrition, which is a great resource in helping others have a better understanding about what they are putting into their body.

I personally have an extra appreciation for “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition” by Joy Bauer. As the title says, it’s “complete”. Not only does it go over basic nutrition that everyone can benefit from, but it also talks about the importance of exercise, how to specifically lose weight, eat and exercise during pregnancy, how to go Vegetarian (if you choose to do so), and so on.

As always, I want you to decide which book is right for you, but if I had to choose to read just one of these books, I would buy and read “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition” by Joy Bauer. As you can already tell just by the table of contents, these books are packed with valuable information and whichever book you decide to get for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

I Read A Nutrition Book…Now What?

After you read the book, I encourage you to make whatever positive changes you need to make. Stop drinking soda, start eating your fruits and veggies, and stop making excuses about skipping the gym.

Knowledge isn’t power, unless action is taken. Now that you have learned something, act! Today is the best day to better yourself, so don’t wait for tomorrow.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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There as a man by the name of Robert Stickle that was diagnosed with having a malignant melanoma. Surgery was unsuccessful, and he was given only two years left to live. In June 1986, he wrote the following letter to the president of the Society for the Promotion of Dandelions:

” I went on a search for the answer to my mortal problem, and [discovered] that perhaps it was a nutritional dilemma…. To me, cancer is primarily a liver failure manifestation. {Italians are very concerned about problems of the ‘fegato’]. [I discovered that] the cancer rate in native Italians is very low among the farming population (paesanos). When they get affluent and move to the city, its the same as the rest of civilized man. Paesanos eat dandelions, make brew from the roots, and are healthy, often living to over 100 years.”

Robert said that he began eating dandelions every day. It’s interesting to know that the letter was written 18 years after the grim diagnoses from his doctors. Robert’s improvement astonished his doctors, since there had been no recurrence of his melanoma.

It’s amazing what a simple plant can do to heal the body.

Benefits

• Stimulates bile, which helps digest fats, relieve constipation, prevent gallstones, and even alleviates a hangover.

• Contains fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer. With that said, all of this helps against diabetes.

• Improves brain function and may help improve memory, since dandelion is rich in choline and lecithin. These nutrients may even help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

• Have a wart? The white milky substance that comes out of the leaves and stems of the dandelion can be applied to your wart to help remove it. Apply daily for just one week.

• Known to help promote weight loss. Controlled studies (on mice) showed that they lost up to 30% of their body weight in 30 days when given dandelion extract with their food. Those eating grass lost much less weight. I just thought that this was an interesting study you might want to know about.

• Disinfection properties can help fight against bacterial infections, pneumonia,  yeast infections, and bronchitis.

• May help reduce blood sugar levels, which is positive news for diabetics.

• Dandelion is considered a diuretic, which means it rids the body of water. This can be a good thing in the sense that it helps the body get rid of certain infections, such as urinary tract (bladder) infections. Just make sure you are drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated.

• Anti-Inflammatory properties shown, which can help with those who have arthritis.

Intake

Fresh – You can eat fresh dandelion leaves, such as in a salad or on a sandwich. The older dandelion leaves are a little bitter, so you might want to try the young leaves for better taste.

Dried – You can buy (or make your own) dandelion tea, which can be made from either the leaves or the root of the dandelion.

Pill – You can buy dandelion herb in a pill form. Just follow the instructions on the manufacture’s label.

Precautions

Since dandelion is a diuretic, long term use could affect the amount of potassium that is in your body. Make sure that you drink plenty of water and eat foods high in potassium. According to research (Hobbs 1985), they have found that eating dandelions are completely safe to consume on a regular basis.

As far as I am aware, this herb is safe for consumption, even if you are pregnant or nursing. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with contacting an herbalist if you have any questions.

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Image Credits: Your Cup of Tea; Dandelion

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When life gives you lemons, just add water!

Skinny Tip: 

If you are looking for a healthy cleanse, a way to boost your metabolism, and a great afternoon “pick me up”, then just squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice into a cup of water and enjoy!

Not only does water with a bit of lemon taste great, but did you also know that lemons are known for a plethora of health benefits?

I suggest that you take advantage of them.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

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Please note that all of the nutrition information that is provided in this article may not be 100% accurate, since The Cheesecake Factory doesn’t provide any official nutritional information! Check out their statement below:

At this time, we do not provide nutritional information for our menu selections on our website. We pride ourselves on using only the freshest and finest ingredients available. Everything on our menu is made in-house on a daily basis so that we can maintain the highest food quality standards. – The Cheesecake Factory

So thanks to cheesecakefactorynutrition.com and myfitnesspal.com, here’s my take on the meals at The Cheesecake Factory, and just know they are what I like to call, “guesstimates”!

Best Food at The Cheesecake Factory

I’m sure you have recently heard about The Cheesecake Factory offering a low calorie menu called ”SkinnyLicious” – but are there already low calorie (and healthy?) meals available at The Cheesecake Factory? Let’s see…

Asian Chicken Salad

Calories: 574

Total Fat: 31 g

Protein: n/a

Sodium: n/a

Carbohydrates: 68 g

Fiber: n/a

Weight Management Grilled Chicken

Calories: 580

Total Fat: 13 g

Protein: n/a

Sodium: n/a

Carbohydrates: 28 g

Fiber: 4 g

Ahi Carpaccio

Calories: 260

Total Fat: 2

Protein: n/a

Sodium: 1,223 mg

Carbohydrates: 11 g

Fiber: n/a

Worst Food at The Cheesecake Factory

It’s pretty obvious (I hope it is, anyways…) that the Cheesecakes are something you should skip altogether if you are on a “diet”. Why? Because who could stop at just one or two bites? If you can, that’s fantastic. Go with someone and only take those one or two bites. If you can’t control yourself, I suggestion enjoying the delicious meals I mentioned earlier, and skip the cheesecake. Does this dismiss the whole point of going to The Cheesecake Factory? I don’t think so, but that’s just my opinion and a whole other story!

So what meals should you avoid at The Cheesecake Factory? Here’s my top offenders for the most calories, most fat, most sodium, and I even listed what I feel to be the “most deceptive” meal offered at The Cheesecake Factory!

Most Calories and Most Sodium: Factory Appetizer Favorites

Calories: 3218

Total Fat: 63 g

Protein: n/a

Sodium: 6,703 mg

Carbohydrates: 297 g

Fiber: n/a

Most Deceptive: Avocado Eggroll

The serving size is just one egg roll. Check out how many calories there are in just one egg roll. Yikes!

Calories: 960

Total Fat: This information is “n/a”, but I do know that there is 8 gr of saturated fat.

Protein: n/a

Sodium: 1130 mg

Carbohydrates: 104 g

Fiber: n/a

Most Fat: Pasta Carbonara (with or without Chicken) 

Calories: 2,291

Total Fat: 81 g

Protein: n/a

Sodium: 1,628 mg

Carbohydrates: 144 g

Fiber: n/a

What about the new “SkinnyLicious” Menu? 

The Cheesecake Factory just announced it’s new menu called “SkinnyLicious”, and they will offer 50 new menu items that contain 590 calories or less! The new menu will include new dishes like a low-calorie hamburger, Tuscan Chicken, and even a Mexican Tortilla Salad.

As you can see from the menu items mentions above, this new ”SkinnyLicious” menu at The Cheesecake Factory is long overdue. Of course, I am still waiting for the full nutritional information to be announced. It’s more to a healthy lifestyle than just counting calories!

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Image Credits: TheCheeseCakeFactory.com, yuzueats.blogspot.com

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There are some exercises that you can still do – even if you have or had knee pain in the past. Of course, every situation is very different, but typically these are the exercises that should be safe for you and your knees. Check with your doc – or stop immediately if you are feeling any pain.

Keep it Easy on the Knees!

Bicycling - This is a great way to exercise without hurting your knees. Make sure to keep your knees bent and enjoy the bike ride!

Swimming – If you want zero impact on your knees, swimming is a great full body workout for you! I suggest keeping to the freestyle stroke and enjoy the many health benefits that come from this cardiovascular exercise.

Elliptical – If you want a machine that is easy on the knees, the elliptical is it. It’s considered to be very low impact and great for those who are trying to lose weight while recovering from some knee pain.

Treadmill – I don’t suggest that you run on a treadmill, but you may want to consider going from a run or jog to a steady paced walk instead. Walking is a great way to continue exercise, lose weight, and stay in shape- all without all the impact that can come with running.

Step Ups – Anyone with knee pain probably cringes at the thought of doing lunges! For those with sensitive knees, but want to still workout the same muscles as you would with lunges, you may want to consider doing step-ups. You can use stairs or actual step ups, and just go up and back down, allowing for a deep- but not too deep-of a bend to activate those glutes and quads!

No Pain No Gain?

When it comes to recovering from an injury, you want to avoid painful movements. If any of the above exercises are painful, you need to stop immediately. I suggest consulting with your doctor first, before you do any of these exercises, since different knee injuries may prevent you from doing specific exercises, or you might just not be ready yet to exercise yet.

Bottom Line: It’s one thing to feel your muscles burning, and it’s another to feel actual pain. Don’t push through an exercise if you are feeling any pain.

No More Excuses!

Now you know that you can still lose weight or stay in shape – even if you have “bad knees”! Empower yourself to reach your goals and always keep moving forward.

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Image Credit: sxc.hu/photo/391481

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Angelina Jolie

Angelina isn’t shy about her choice to breastfeed her babies. Angelina allowed her partner, Brad Pitt, to take a picture of her nursing one of her twins (Knox and Vivienne were born in July of 2008), and even had it featured on the cover of W Magazine!

It’s great to know that a women who is voted “Sexiest Women of the Year” is real enough and willing to breastfeed her babies.

Kourtney Kardashian

Kourtney is supports breastfeeding, and nursed her son Mason, who was born in December 2009.

“My attitude is, if someone sees a little somethin’ somethin’, don’t look if you don’t like it” – Kourtney Kardashian, People.com

Kourtney made the decision to cover up when she nurses in public – only because she didn’t want the paparazzi taking pictures of her and selling them. I honestly don’t blame her!

Salma Hayek

You thought breastfeeding your own kids was great, but how do you feel about breastfeeding someone else’s baby? I’m still wondering about that one. Here’s the situation: Salma was weaning her daughter, but still had a lot of milk available. She was on a UNICEF trip in Afria (helping to combat the stigma on breastfeeding), and nursed a malnourished baby.

If Salma is willing and able to help a malnourished baby, why the controversy? I say, more power to her!

Jennifer Garner

Some Moms will nurse if it means losing weight – since it burns an extra 300 calories a day (if not more!) for those who breastfeed. Of course, it’s always great to know when someone will nurse their baby – even if it doesn’t mean that they are losing weight because of it. Jennifer decided to breastfeed her baby because it was a choice she wanted to make.

Take Jennifer Garner, for example. She nursed both of her kids even though she wasn’t losing any baby weight from it.

“It happened to a lot of my girlfriends and sisters, and I really thought, ‘This is the ticket, the best diet in the world’ and it just wasn’t. I kept waiting, and I just didn’t lose weight. It took six months before I did.” – Jennifer Garner, Allure

By the way, I love this picture on the left. It’s great to see such a successful actress say that being a mom and breastfeeding is still more important that any career or awards she could ever get. Nothing beats success as a Mom.

Nicole Richie

It seems as if having kids turned out to be a good thing for Nicole, including helping her get to a more healthy weight. Nicole did admit to People that she had to make some interesting adjustments when she nursed Harlow (born in January 2008), since her daughter was sensitive to a lot of foods.

“I eat really bland [food] — chicken noodle soup, vegetables, fish. I had to cut out milk, no tomatoes, no lettuce. You think you have to cut everything out when you’re pregnant, but you really have to cut everything out when you’re breastfeeding.” – Nicole Richie

Keep updated on the latest & greatest health articles by joining the Skinny Twinkie community!

Image Credits: connect.in.com (Angelina Jolie), huffingtonpost.com (Kourtney Kardashian), asiku.wordpress.com (Jennifer Gardner), babble.com (Nicole Richie)

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