That's Fit

You might think this is a story about scary Halloween food concoctions, perfect for your upcoming spooky soirée. Nope. This is about actual scary foods -- the stuff you really don't want in your diet because, well, read on and you'll see. Let's just say the following foods seem far from healthy, which means we don't really recommend them all that much. Actually, we're back and forth on the soy one.

• Raw stuff, like raw fish, crab, prawn, lobster, water chestnuts, and eggs. Toxins, fungus, mold, yeast, and bacteria -- all found in raw foods like these, and they can't be ingested properly by our digestive system, says HealthMad.
• Anything from the back of your fridge. If it's been pushed to the rear, your feeling should be fear. It's likely past its expiration date and working on a pretty good pattern of mold.
• Nano foods, which are genetically engineered or cloned foods, may be coming soon to a dinner table near you. Be on the lookout for these three: a brand of canola cooking oil called Canola Active Oil, a tea called Nanotea, and a chocolate diet shake called Nanoceuticals Slim Shake Chocolate.
• Escamoles (the eggs of the giant black Liometopum ant and apparently pretty tasty in tacos) and anything else from this list. Caution: Strong language used on this site.
  
• Soy. This might be a controversial one, but Play Life says soy food has never been proven safe and the site counts a few studies showing it can permanently damage your health. Want five compelling reasons to avoid this scary food? Click here.
  
  

Want more? This spot shares 10 commonly-eaten American foods that can be pretty scary -- think hot dogs and chicken wings -- and our friends at Slashfood are scared by this Japanese spaghetti. You might want to strike these 13 gallery items from your shopping list too -- they're pretty frightening as well.

Soy is slowly starting to get the attention it deserves in North America, and it's about time. Soy products have long been a staple in Eastern cultures.

Soy-based foods are beneficial to health as they've been linked to lowered cholesterol levels. In addition to their inherent benefits, soy products can also replace other foods -- such as meat and dairy -- which can contribute to higher cholesterol. Soy products can also promote bone health and have been linked to a lowered risk of certain cancers.

Are you still not sure if soy is for you? Healthcastle has 10 painless ways to incorporate more soy in your diet. Check out the gallery for some suggestions.

My niece is an Environmental Science major in college right now. With all the new information she's learning, she recently decided to become a vegetarian because of the negative impact meat production has on the environment. Unfortunately, her new diet has consisted of pretty much nothing but pasta. She's subsequently feeling quite run down.

She recently came home for a weekend, and her mother and I put our heads together to come up with easy, healthful recipes that will better meet my niece's nutritional needs. My niece and sister spent most of the weekend in the kitchen, and my niece went back to school with freezer containers filled with healthful, balanced meals.

Several of the recipes they prepared contain edamame. Just a half cup of edamame has 10 grams of protein. Shape magazine has a recipe for Italian Edamame that sounds absolutely delicious. The edamame is paired with brown rice, herbs, and other veggies such as zucchini, red bell pepper, tomatoes, and onion. You've got to try it. And then check out Martha's post about other vegetarian sources of protein.

I just received a few Element Bars in the mail, and instantly knew I'd need to share them with you. If you're a person who likes to have a protein/energy bar on occasion when you can't grab a meal, or uses them as a healthier version of snacks or desserts ... Element Bars are a fantastic choice. Why? You can design them yourself!

The process is really quite fun, and you'd be surprised how personalized these bars can be. You get to choose things like: bar texture, fruits, nuts, sweets, and nutritional boosters. Once you've made your purchase, the bar you receive in the mail will literally be a custom bar created by you!

I ordered a few of the most popular Element Bars and enjoyed them all. My favorite was "Chocolate Nut Pie". I couldn't decide whether this bar tasted more like chocolate chip cookie dough or brownies, but either way ... it was delicious. I'm actually in the process of trying to keep lean for a photo shoot coming up for of all things, my abs. Ugh! But the bars I chose are high in protein and fiber and low in sugars, so fortunately they fit in with my plan.

Many vegetarians champion tofu for its meatless protein and versatility. They also eat quite a lot of it, and some sources are saying -- and have been saying for a while actually -- that no good can come of this.

Basically, because tofu is an unfermented soy product, there are chemicals left in the soy that are not only indigestible, but also rob your body of other nutrients. Phytates block mineral absorption and trypsin inhibitors block protein digestion.

In this video interview, Dr. Kaayla Daniel says she isn't so much worried about the people who eat a couple of chunks of tofu in miso soup and the like, but more the vegetarians who eat slabs of tofu daily as their main source of protein. She also says that eating tofu is still safer than ingesting soy protein isolate or hydrolyzed soy protein, ingredients found in many processed foods like veggie burgers.

Recent studies show that soy protein is just as valuable for building lean muscle as whey and casein. In fact, most fitness experts these days suggest regularly including soy as part of a healthy diet, particularly in a post-workout meal.

Here's a few reasons why:

• Soy enhances muscle recovery and growth
• It increase nitric oxide (NO) production
• It enhances fat loss
• It improves heart health and protects against certain types of cancers
  

In the past, many people avoided soy because they believed it was an inferior source of protein. However, as evidenced by the above stated list of health benefits, this is clearly not the case. Just the same, there still exists a fair amount of opposition to this pro-soy stance. What's your take on this matter?

When my son and I go shopping, we always buy 100% fruit drinks for his school lunches. No matter how many times I insist on the 100% varieties, my son is always drawn to the sugary options. I know why, too. It seems as if the 100% juice products are packaged to attract parents -- with images of fruit and so forth. The sugar-added varieties are packaged to attract kids -- my son is drawn to the pouches that have surfers and skateboarders on their packages. But I insist on 100% juice. After all, fruit juice is sweet enough as it is... why would anyone need added sugar?

Healthcastle recommends the five top drinks to pack in your child's lunch box:

• Milk. If the school provides milk, you may want to send your child with the money to purchase milk there. (If you're opposed to chocolate milk, be sure to educate your child on that.) If you pack milk cartons, use an insulated lunch box and a freezer pack to keep the milk properly chilled.
• Yogurt drinks. Try freezing yogurt drinks before packing in your child's lunch box. By lunch time they'll still be chilly, but thawed enough to drink.
• Water. Always the best option for hydration, fill a reusable water bottle with water and ice each morning.
  
• 100% juice. There's no reason for the added sugar, so if you're going to pack juice make sure to purchase one that's labeled 100%. Keep in mind that 100% juice is still high in sugar, so don't let your child sip on these all day. One at lunch is enough.
  
• Soy drinks. Be sure to pick a soy drink that is calcium-fortified, lightly flavored, and lower in sugar.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Miss Fitzness, I'm a vegetarian, but still weigh 34 pounds more than I'd like to. What gives? I thought vegetarians were supposed to be skinny, and I hate being chubby! Meredith

A. Hello Meredith, Thanks for writing! Vegetarianism can have tons of benefits, and a trim physique can be one of them, if done right. Having said that ... it's very easy to go wrong as well. Here is the deal. Vegetarians don't necessarily eat all fruits and vegetables ... vegetarians just don't eat meat. There are tons of products that have no animal products in them, yet are still super high in calories and fat. Let's start with a short list of some vegetarian approved products:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Oil
• Frosting
• Gummy Bears

Take one look at Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba and it's clear the girl is doing something right to maintain her sleek dancer's body. Whatever could it be, aside from the dancing, that is?

Inaba credits yoga and a diet inspired by her island upbringing for her trim figure.

"I was born on Hawaii and I'm Japanese, so I was raised to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and protein, whether it's soybeans or fish," says Inaba. Smart girl -- with some smart moves. Check them out in the gallery below.

Generally speaking, there are three basic speeds at which protein can be released: Slow, Medium, and Fast. Pretty straightforward, right? However, what might not be so obvious are the known effects each type of release will have on your body.

Here's a quick look at different types of protein sources and how their release speeds play a role in their functionality.

Slow Release

Sources: Whole food protein sources (chicken, beef, fish, etc.), casein protein

Effects: Causes a gradual increase and maintenance of blood-amino-acid levels for a long duration of time. Will also keep you feeling full for an extended period of time.

Medium Release

Sources: Milk-protein isolate, soy-protein isolate

Effects: Provides a bit less of a gradual increase of blood-amino-acid levels but helps them from eventually dropping rapidly. Will keep you feeling full for some time, but not quite as long as most slow-release protein sources.

Let's say you head out to a restaurant for lunch with your co-workers. Depending on the situation, you might not have a say in what restaurant you end up going to. And you don't really have a say in how the restaurants prepare the food. In fact, the only thing you do have control over is A) What you order, and B) how much of it you eat.

So let's say you end up going to a Asian restaurant like P.F. Chang's. Chinese food is notorious for being high in calories, sodium, carbs and fat, but surely there must be some healthy options. You browse the menu and come across one dish that that sticks out as healthy: The Citrus Soy Salmon Lunch Bowl. Heck, they even let you choose whether you want it with brown or white rice! So let's analyze this choice. Salmon is healthy. Citrus is healthy. Brown rice is healthy. Soy is high in sodium but low in calories and fat. Overall, for a restaurant meal, it sounds pretty good, right?

You tell me ...

There's a lot of talk these days about soy. Some people tout it as a great source of protein and other nutrients, while others fear that it may do more harm than good. So what's the verdict on this green bean: is it good or bad for you?

Very good, says an article in the recent issue of Muscle & Body magazine. First, the article dispels the following myths about soy protein:

• Soy protein is only for women
• It will lower testosterone levels
• It is a lesser-quality protein than whey and casein
  

Then, the benefits of soy are highlighted:

• Soy enhances muscle recovery and growth
• It increase nitric oxide (NO) production
• It enhances fat loss
• It improves heart health and protects against certain types of cancers

By the end of it all, it seems quite clear that soy joy is not an overrated or bad thing. Just the same, there exists a fair amount of opposition to much of what is suggested in the Muscle & Body article. Where do you stand on this matter? Is soy good for you or not?

You know which foods give you more energy, and you're aware of the foods that will pack on the pounds. But, can certain foods help your love life? According to a recent article on MSN, the answer is yes!

There's a reason people have turned to aphrodisiacs throughout the course of history -- while oysters alone won't turn you (or your date) into a raging sex machine, certain foods have been shown to have a subtle effect on "how amorous you're feeling."

Want to know what foods you should order on your next date? Check out the gallery!

There are plenty of folks who purposely seek out soy-based food products. But, there are some people who are trying to avoid it altogether, whatever their specific reasons may be. The tricky part is that it can sometimes be in foods you may not expect it to be.

Obviously, if a carton says that it contains soy milk, you have a clear understanding of what you are drinking. The same goes for a number of other soy-based foods; their packaging proudly displays their soy content. However, soy, in some form, can sometimes be found in many types of bread (something you may not realize until you read the nutritional label).

What's more, it's not just the standard, run of the mill type breads that may contain soy. Those fancy, minimally-processed, organic versions that can be purchased at health food stores? Yup, those breads too may contain some form of soy in them.

As always, the takeaway is to be sure to check the nutritional label on food. The flashy bubble letters are great for brand marketing purposes, but they can oftentimes be somewhat deceiving with regard to nutrition.

I just returned from ESPN the Weekend, at Disney World's Hollywood Studios. One of the highlights for me was when I stumbled across an interesting conversation between football all-stars Donovan McNabb, Chris Carter, Tony Gonzalez and a few others. The men were on an open stage being interviewed my Mike Greenberg of the Mike and Mike Show. What caught my attention was the taunting of Tony Gonzalez with strange veggie jokes. Why were they poking fun at this "lettuce man"? Little Miss Fitzness had to stop and listen.

The taunting was followed by Kansas City Chief tight-end Tony defending his vegan lifestyle. I was both surprised and impressed. Tony was bragging about his ability to jump rope and hit the weight room while his teammates were stuck in the mud the day after a game. He's beaten lethargy, increased his energy, and found many more fascinating benefits since he changed his eating habits. The nearly 250 pound tight end is not someone anyone would guess to be a vegan, but I think that's why he's so neat.