Photo: Josiah Mackenzie/Flickr

If running makes your knees hurt, you might have a little something called, well, runner's knee. Characterized by pain around the kneecap after running, this condition is usually caused by muscular imbalance of the legs and feet, says Sarah Brown at That's Fit.ca. How's it fixed? With R.I.C.E. -- rest, ice, compression and elevation -- plus some strength training, backward running, maybe even some orthotics and a good pair of running shoes.

Whether sushi is a truly healthy food is up for debate. Some reports say sushi is a good choice for health. But, like most foods, the way sushi is prepared can certainly spike up the calories. And as for the potential mercury issues with sushi? Just ask Jeremy Piven.

But there's no debate over the nutritional quality of seaweed (or nori). It's a good source of magnesium and potassium and is very low-calorie. "Glamour" has an idea for making your own sushi-like roll with nori, brown rice (which is decidedly non-sushi material, but way more nutritious than white sticky rice), and sliced veggies. Sounds yummy to me!

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You can have your pasta and eat it too. Potatoes and rice included. Not only will these items not weigh you down, they might help you shed a few pounds.

New evidence, cited in Woman's Day magazine (December 2, 2008), suggests that when you cook and cool starchy goods like pasta, potatoes and rice, a substance called resistant starch forms. Also found in bananas, lentils, beans, and whole grains, your body can't digest the stuff. It acts like fiber, you see, so eating it helps you feel full. It also helps your body burn stored fat before turning it to carbohydrates for fuel.

Get your fill -- vegetarian chili, bean salads and cold potato, pasta and rice salads are all good picks.

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My son plays soccer and during last Saturday's game, he was shooting a goal and took a hard kick from the goalie right in the thigh. He was rolling on the ground in pain for a little while but managed to walk off the field. (And I managed to keep myself firmly planted in my chair. I'm sure other moms can understand how hard it is to do that!)

It wasn't long before my son was back on the field, though. He was visibly limping and just forcing himself through the pain, so I was a bit worried. While I was proud of the sportsmanship he was showing, pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong -- and he was clearly ignoring that. Later that day, my son developed a nasty bruise -- but that was the full extent of the injury. So, other than being a bit sore and using an ice pack for a while, he was fine.

Whether you play sports, run, bike, or even just walk around your neighborhood, injuries can happen when you least expect it. While mild muscle discomfort is expected with exercise, it's usually not a good idea to keep working out while experiencing pain. Swollen muscles, joint irritation, numbness ... these are all signs that your body has had a bit too much. So, what do you do if pain puts you on the sidelines?

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A pica-who? I didn't know what a picadillo was either, but I was sure enamored with this delicious recipe.

This traditional Latin American dish usually consists of ground beef and seasonings, sometimes with veggies added. It can be used to stuff a taco or served with beans and rice.

So the apple turkey picadillo recipe I fell in love with is definitely a twist on tradition, but a clever and welcome -- and healthy! -- one, in my opinion. Imagine the sweet-tart of the apple combining with the cumin and Worcestershire sauce ... I can almost smell it sauteing on the stove.

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Recently I told you about the five worst things you can order at a Chinese restaurant. But if you love a good Chinese feast, don't despair. I come bearing hope. There are healthy (well, healthier) options. According to eDiets, these are the five best things you can order at a Chinese restaurant:

• Soup. Hot and sour, egg drop ... most Chinese soups are (relatively) low-cal and high in protein. But avoid the soups with noodles.
• Veggies. Order any of the veggie dishes -- steamed veggies in particular are low in calories and are very filling.
• Dim Sum, Steamed dumplings are a great choice, especially veggie or tofu dumplings.
• Steamed anything. Steamed fish, chicken, tofu ... are you seeing a pattern here? Steamed is best.
• Stir-fry. Order a stir-fry loaded with veggies and lean meats or tofu, and ask the chef to go easy on the oil.

Another tip: Order healthy green tea with your meal instead of soda or alcohol.

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Looking for a way to get more vitamin B, E, and minerals into your diet? Sunflower seeds will do it. Doesn't it beg the question, though: What do you do with sunflower seeds?

1. Add them to your trail mix, or make your own trail mix with sunflower seeds.
2. Sprinkle on salads: green salad, broccoli salad, fruit salad.
   
3. Stir into soups and stews just before serving.
4. Bev says to spit sunflower seeds!
5. Add some crunch to stir-fries.
6. We put them in blueberry buckwheat pancakes -- yum!
   
7. Sprinkle on granola.
8. Stir into yogurt.
9. Roasted sunflower seeds are a different flavor -- try them!
10. Include in dirty rice recipes.
11. Add to pasta or quinoa salads.
12. Bake into breads and muffins.
13. Try this recipe for basmati rice, black-eyed peas and sunflower seeds.
14. Blend up a sunflower seed spread for crackers or veggies.
15. Make a two-bean salad with feta and sunflower seeds.
16. Stuff an apple with peanut butter, raisins and sunflower seeds.

Are there other ways to eat sunflower seeds? You bet, and if you've got a favorite, share it with us!

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!

Growing up, my mother always told me whole wheat bread was better than white bread. She could never explain exactly why--it was just one of those things that was. And now, the benefits of whole grains aren't just touted by mothers. Doctors, researchers, nutritionists -- everyone who has a say in the world of healthy living is speaking out about how important whole grains are to your diet.

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I love ice -- crunching on snow cones, skating, slipping a cube down someone's shirt and placing a giant bag of cold cubes on my sore knee, my sore back, my sore anything. But icing is messy and not an exact science. The bag usually leaks and those insulated gel paks you stick in the freezer never stay cold long enough.

The best ice-for-injury method I ever experienced was this gargantuan, portable ice machine I utilized post-knee reconstruction. You'd fill the bin with a bag of ice, place a cuff around your injury and voila -- steady cold applied intermittently per the doc's instructions. Until the ice melted and I'd beg my boyfriend-at-the-time-now-husband to run out for another bag.

Whenever I tweak my problem areas -- lower back and right calf -- I wish for a magical ice machine that could deliver to just the right spots. Well if you've got the bucks, Game Ready offers a portable ice machine the size of a toaster, along with compression wraps to fit various areas of the body from shoulders to ankles. This little number delivers adjustable cold therapy with intermittent compression via form-fitting cold wraps. The machine costs $2,350 and the wraps vary in price from $255 - $650. Check out the FAQs, it includes a section on contraindications -- Compression Therapy and Cryotherapy should not be used in certain patients. As always, consult your doctor. You'll need a prescription anyway to purchase this puppy on your own.

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Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: Erik J. Fritz

Age: 19

Occupation: Bulk Fuel Specialist at the Marine Corps and Navy Reserves Unit

If you're in the military...where are you? Green Bay, WI,

How often do you exercise? Almost every day

What type of exercise do you do? Running outside and on the treadmill, lifting weights, and a lot of push-ups.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Knowing that I have to stay in good shape to pass my PT.

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I like to jog, but I worry it's not good for my 'weaker' left knee -- survivor of an ACL-reconstruction and a trimmed meniscus over nine years ago. I can hike with a heavy backpack for miles, but I can't regularly pound the pavement for more than 5 kilometers without knee pain. If you've got a sore knee (or a hurting hip, aching ankle ... you get the idea) FitSugar offers a few sensible tips to take care of your joints and keep on jogging.

• If your joints are aching, don't run through the pain. Lay off and allow the injury to rest. I try and religiously follow the RICE formula -- Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation -- to hasten healing and manage pain. So many people forget the magical qualities of ice to reduce pain and swelling.
• Jogging on a soft path is always better. Asphalt is softer than concrete. Grass is nice, but make sure it's pretty even -- I've almost turned ankles jogging on uneven, grassy surfaces.
• Buy running shoes and don't wear them to your grave. Recommended maximum mileage is 300 to 350 miles a pair. If you can easily twist your running shoe, the mid sole might be tuckered out.
• Take those scheduled rest days when training for long-distance challenges -- your joints need down time.
• Stretch! Tight leg muscles are not good for knees. Pay attention to the hamstrings, quads and calves. My physical therapist taught me years ago to hold sustained stretches for at least 30 seconds each.

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Let's say you just cooked from free-range chicken and veggies. You need some grains to go with that -- what should you chose? Brown rice or whole-wheat pasta? I know what my choice would be -- I'm a pasta fiend so it's always my go-to grain. But which is healthier?

Fitsugar recently asked the same question -- want to know what they found? While both rice and pasta are similar in calories and carb content, the pasta has more fiber and protein than the rice, so it's just slightly more nutritious. Interesting!

But you know, variety is the spice of life -- both whole wheat pasta and brown rice are good for you do don't hesitate to use them in moderation.

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For a lot of people it's tough figuring out what kinds of food to eat as well as how much. But for vegetarians, it can be even harder as a major staple of their diet -- protein derived from eating meat -- is removed from the list of foods they can eat.

If you're a new veggie and you're wondering what exactly you need to consume each day to maintain a healthy diet, this vegetarian food pyramid is a great place to start. Obviously, it's pretty similar to a traditional food pyramid (and shouldn't be confused with a vegan food pyramid) but offers examples of what you should eat to replace meat in your diet.

This article goes into a bit of depth explaining how the pyramid works. Basically, you should eat the foods at the top (vegetable fats and oils, sweets and salts) sparingly, and munch on more of each of the subsequent levels. Staples like whole-grain bread, cereal, rice and pasta are at the bottom of the pyramid, so you should include lots of these in your meals and snacks each day.

Remember though that everyone is different and while the pyramid is a useful general guide, it may be a good idea to chat with a nutritionist about your own personal dietary needs.

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I know you know this. I know it too. Still, sometimes I end up fooled by the spin some companies put on their nutritional information. I don't mean to imply they mess with the numbers at all. I just mean they communicate them in a way that can mislead consumers.

I just saw a magazine advertisement for Kellogg's Rice Krispies® treats. Did you know this ooey-gooey snack, wrapped in an individually-wrapped package, contains only 90 calories? Yep, that's what the ad tells me. But with it's accompanying fat, carbohydrates, and sugar, is it really that great a deal? For those only concerned with calories and those who are satisfied with this mini dose of food, maybe. For those wishing for a wholesome, nutritional bite to eat, I think not.

I write this post to remind you -- and myself too -- to remember that when some food item is touted as low in one category, it may be high in another. If it's low in fat, take a peek at the sugar and sodium and other ingredients used to bind your indulgence together. Sugar-free? Look at everything else that went into creating your favorite guiltless goodies. Some things are just too good to be true. Really, the are.

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DiYLife blogger Francesca Clarke wrote recently about 11 foods with the power to increase energy and improve mood. No need for supplements and special drinks, says Clarke. These tasty treats will do the trick all on their own.

As you plan your meals for the days to come, consider incorporating these feel-good items. Some are pretty darn appetizing. Check out the last one. Now that's an invitation for happiness -- but only if pursued with moderation, of course.

• Milk
• Chocolate
• Whole grain rice or pasta
• Mackerel
• Broccoli
• Coffee
• Turkey
• Liver
• Blueberries
• Brazil nuts
• Any food that tastes good

Here's to good food and good moods!

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