January 12, 2008

Topic:
You Are What You Eat: Making yourself aware of what’s in your food.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about what is healthy and what isn’t. In my opinion, one of the biggest secrets to health is self education. Today, I’m going to go over some of the commonly consumed (and confused) foods and compare them just to give you and idea of what you may be eating and hopefully encourage you to read the label and become more aware of what you are putting in your body.

	99% Fat Free Yogurt	Vs	Sugar Free Pudding Swirls
Calories	170		60
Fat	1.5 g		1.5 g
Sugar	27 g		0 g

I want to put this issue to rest – Yogurt is not that stinkin’ healthy. It started out that way but after all the flavorings and sugars were added it went downhill from there. I don’t care how fat free it is, look at the sugars and the calories. Your better off having a sugar free pudding snack.

	Smart Start Antioxident	Vs	Cheerios
Calories	190		100
Sugar	14 g		1 g
Sodium	280 mg		190 mg
Fiber	3 g		3 g
Protein	3 g		3 g

Just because something is advertised as super healthy doesn’t mean it is. Sometime simplicity reigns when it comes to health and in the case of cereal, it’s hard to beat plain ol’ Cheerios.

	Wonder Light White Bread	Vs	Home Pride Butter Top Wheat
Calories	40		70
Fat	0 g		1 g
Sugar	2 g		3 g
Fiber	2 g		1 g
Protein	2 g		2 g

Be careful about the wheat bread you choose. As you can see here, many wheat breads are no better than white bread. Just read the label. My favorite wheat bread is Nature’s Own Double Fiber with 5 grams of fiber per slice.

	Naked Juice - Protein	Vs	Diet Dr. Pepper
Calories	500		110
Fat	4 g		0 g
Sugar	28 g		0 g
Sodium	160 mg		35 mg

There’s been a huge movement towards fruit juices. Companies entice consumers with words like ‘all natural’ and ‘no sugars added’ and this one is touting the benefits of it’s added protein. But let me tell you something, with 28 grams of natural sugars that have been completely stripped of fiber, who needs to add any more? And there may be protein but it’s not complete protein and, at 500 calories per bottle, no one is losing weight or getting any healthier on this juice. You want to lose weight? Try replacing your regular drink with a sugar-free one like Diet Dr. Pepper. Remember, there have been absolutely no studies whatsoever that have linked artificial sweeteners to cancer in humans. If anyone tries to tell they’re bad, ask them about all the diseases that have been conclusively linked to sugar over and over again.

Question from viewers:

Hannah Kilkenney,
I have an old injury in my shoulder. How can I strengthen my upper body without hurting my shoulder

Connie
I have been sick lately with flu-like symptoms. I'm better now but how long should I wait until I can workout like normal?

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