That's Fit

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Most people will agree, but there are two side to every story. Diet Blog recently discussed the other side to the breakfast debate, based on the fact that most research on the importance of breakfast is funded by companies with a vested interest in your early AM food consumption -- namely companies who sell things like cereal, orange juice, frozen waffles and so on. They give a number of reasons why breakfast might not be as essential as we think -- you can check them out there.

I'm a staunch breakfast eater, if for no other reason then I am really freaking hungry when I wake up. I don't eat a lot -- a protein smoothie or a bowl of cereal will do -- but I have to have something or I won't be able to concentrate on anything for the first few hours of the day because I won't be able to hear anything above the growling of my stomach.

What about you? Is breakfast essential to your morning? Do you think we're being misled on the breakfast front?

When you go into work tomorrow, take a look all those nooks and crannies in your drawers and cupboards. Chances are, you'll find some surprises: A few candies here, some salty snacks there, maybe with a few cans of soda thrown into the mix? And I know as well as anyone that when you hit that 3 pm wall of fatigue, your defenses are down and you're prone to some unsafe snacking. Don't do it!

Instead, give your snack drawer a much-needed spring cleaning. Don't worry, you don't need to curtail mid-afternoon snacking altogether, but do make sure you pick up some healthy choices. Like?

• Nuts. They're full of protein and will help energize you in the afternoon.
• Dried fruit. Some raisins or dried cranberries will satisfy your sugar cravings and help keep you awake.
  
• Green tea. It's calorie-free and will help give you some much-needed energy.
  
• Dark chocolate. If nothing else tickles your fancy, a little bit of dark chocolate can do wonders for your mood. But make sure you know when to stop.
  

What do you stack in your desk?

We know that sugar is a dieter's number one enemy. So we diligently avoid cake, cookies and candy. We purge our kitchen of ice cream and soda. We stock up on artificial sweeteners. And yet we're still consuming sugar. But from where?

AOL Body recently revealed some surprising sources of sugar, including:

• Deli Meats
• Ketchup
• Vanilla Soy Milk
• Bagels
• Spaghetti sauce
• Canned peas
• Salad dressings

Are these part of your 'healthy diet'? If so, make sure you're checking the labels -- if the sugar content is too high, skip it for the sake of your shrinking waistline.

Now that you're so diligently participating in America Takes It Off (you are, aren't you?), you're probably considering healthier dining options. And what's healthier than a salad? Salads are filled with low-cal veggies and they're usually low in carbs and fat. There's only one problem though -- while most of the ingredients in a salad are healthy, there's one important one that usually not: The dressing.

But will salads really do that much damage to your diet? They very well could if you don't choose wisely. Let's put our diet detective skills to work and figure out the facts on one of my favourite salads: The Chicken Caesar Salad.

What do you think?

Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Few health foods can be found in the junk food aisle of your local grocery store. But there is one healthy item to be had in the seemingly endless sea of stuff that's bad for you. I'll give you a hint: it comes in little tins. Give up yet? Next time you're not sure what to pick up for a quick a delicious snack, nuts are your best bet.

But wait a second, you say. Aren't nuts high in fat? And salt? And calories? The answers to those questions are yes, yes and yes, but don't be too quick to write nuts off -- I'll tell you why.

There are a few diet truths out there: Fruit and veggies are good, excessive fat and calories are bad. But when food manufacturers are looking to make a profit, these truths can sometimes be blurred and exploited. That's why you need to be your own diet detective.

Don't worry -- we're here to help you figure out what's actually good for your waistline and what's not. AOL Body recently revealed the most common diet food imposters. What made the list? Here are a few:

• 'Real Fruit' Juice. Don't believe the name -- it's mostly just sugar, and can run you up to 300 calories.
  
• Chicken and Turkey Hot Dogs. They have just as much fat as regular ones.
  
• Sugar-free Sweets. Sugar-free stuff still has calories -- the only difference? The calories come from sugar alcohols instead.

So here's your first Summer Quick Fix Challenge:

12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.

The flowers are a-bloomin', and so should your motivation to shape up for summer. There's still time, but you better get on it. Here's a bit of help to give you that nudge you need:

• Maggie give us some advice on stocking a diet-friendly kitchen.
• Jacki gives gym newbies some critical information -- it's a must-read.
• Jacki also reveals the number one food that might be the reason you can't lose weight.
• Kristen shares an innovative new way to blast cellulite.
• We're teaming up with AOL Body to help you look and feel your best in time for summer. It's called America Takes It Off, and if you have some extra pounds to take off, do it with us!

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

A few years ago, I was in a grief support group for people who'd lost their parents. The discussion naturally weaved in and out of the topics of spirituality and religion. My father's religion was running, said one girl. His church was the outdoors: a wooded path on a cool morning, a open field bathed in warm sunlight. I've never forgotten it.

I'm a spiritual person, but organized religion hasn't taken a big role in my life. This is a religion I can see myself being a part of. Running is the cure for what ails me: A heavy heart, a nagging conscience, a gut feeling that doesn't sit well. When I have a problem I can't figure out, I run. When something's stressing me out, I run. When I feel tired or lethargic, I run. And it's never let me down: I always feel better afterwards. No exceptions. It's not that I've found God in pounding my feet on the treadmill, but it helps me find balance, and it helps me find peace.

What activity helps you find your spiritual side?

Now that we're into May, there's no doubt that spring is springing. You'll need to dig out a few things: The barbecue, the lawnmower, the sun dresses, the flip flops, and perhaps most frighteningly, the bathing suit. Yes, that's right -- all the failed post-Christmas promises will reveal themselves with a vengence when you step out of the cabana for the first day on the beach. But don't fret -- it's not too late to do something about it.

We're teaming up with our friends at AOL Body to bring you America Takes It Off: Summer Quick Fix Challenge. Each week, we'll offer you tips and tricks to get you looking your best in time for summer. Watch for these great upcoming features:

• Each Monday, we'll issue you a Summer Quick Fix Challenge.
• Don't be shy -- reveal how many pounds you've lost each Wednesday in our Summer Quick Fix Poll, and we'll keep track of your progress in our Wednesday Weigh-in feature.
• Each Friday, we'll reveal how you did and talk about what worked.

Are you ready to take on the challenge and welcome a new you in time for summer? Yeah, we thought so. We'll see you back here on Monday, May 5th for our first Summer Quick Fix Challenge.

Coffee has a bad reputation. Is it the jitter-inducing caffeine content? The bitter taste that for some people makes it necessary to load it with sugar? The fact that it's often served topped with whipped cream? Maybe all of the above. But take a second chance on coffee -- it could be help you get slim.

Yes, that's right: Coffee is slimming. Regular coffee has 0 calories, so it can help curb your hunger without doing too much damage to the numbers on the scale. It also has all-important antioxidants. And even more importantly? According to AOL Body, it can help boost your metabolism for up to two hours after you drink it.

Of course, this doesn't apply to fancy, fat-laden coffee drinks at Starbucks. When grabbing your java, make sure to keep it simple: Black is best, but adding a little skim milk and splenda won't hurt. And be sure to stick to no more than one or two cups a day.

Today, due to a sudden onslaught of severe hunger, I headed to a nearby restaurant for a satisfying lunch. I ordered something healthy -- chicken, veggies and rice -- and was amazed at the amount of food they brought out. It took serious muscle to lift that plate. It was literally overflowing with food. Despite being famished, I could only eat a third of what was on my plate, and I felt grossly full afterwards.

My point? Restaurant sizes are way too big these days. Avoid overeating by making smarter -- and smaller -- choices. Some suggestions? Order off the kids menu (if they'll let you), ask for a half portion, opt for an appetizer instead of an entree or go for a side salad with some sort of lean meat. You might think it won't be enough, but I bet you'll be surprised -- it doesn't take much to satisfy hunger without feeling too full.

And next time you head out for a meal with the girls? Choose a tapas place where you can choose from a selection of appetizer-sized meals.

Granola in all its forms is widely understood to be healthy. It's what you should take with you on a hike for a quick energy fix, or add to your fruit to add some nutritional balance to your breakfast. And while it's pretty obvious that a chocolate-covered granola bar or trail mix with Smarties added in won't do your diet any favours, mixing some plain organic granola to your yogurt in the morning can't hurt right?

Granola is generally healthy -- it's made primarily of oats, whole grains, nuts, seeds and maybe some dried fruit. But is it a diet-friendly choice? What do you think?

Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Ever heard of goji berries? You should have -- they're the new kids on the superfoods block, the health food that everyone seems to be talking about these days (including us -- we wrote about them here, here , here and here.) Still not sure what all the hype is about? Here are some health benefits that have been attributed to goji berries:

• Boosted liver protection and immune function
  
• Improved eyesight
  
• increased sexual function and fertility
  
• Increased muscle strength
  
• Improved circulation
  
• Greater longevity

Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, salad is one of the healthier options out there. But these days, salads are so rarely made up of only healthy stuff -- now once-healthy veggies are drenched in things like cheese and fat. But the most offensive salad ingredient? Too often it's the salad dressing.

Not all salad dressings are bad for you--vinaigrettes, for instance, are tangy and low in fat. But creamy dressings like ranch, Caesar, blue cheese and thousand island will pack a calorie wallop. In fact, some salads have a many calories as a cheeseburger, and it's all down to the dressing.

How can you dress up your salad without negating its health benefits? Make healthy dressing choices. Creamy ones are out -- instead, opt for vinegar and oil-based salad dressings. Noshtopia has a bunch of great ideas that you can check out here. And if in doubt? Make your own home-made dressings -- that way, you can control what goes in to your salad.

Of all the choices out there, Tuna is largely regarded to be the smart one. Why? Well, for starters, it's fish, which means that it's naturally lower in fat than other meats and it has essential fatty acids. And one of America's favourite ways to eat tuna (particularly for those of you who are turned off by seafood) is in a sandwich form--think either a tuna salad sandwich or one of my favourite, a tuna melt.

But here's something to ponder? Is tuna with mayo and cheese still just as healthy as fish on its own? That's a no-brainer: absolutely not! Still, how many calories can a bit of mayo add? What do you think? Does a tuna melt pack a calorie punch or is it a good way to get your protein in?