Super Bowl-related stories
'This Is Why You're Fat' Creator on Staying Thin When Surrounded by Fatty Foods
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| Photo: Barnes and Noble |
"I'm always on the Web, so I'm attuned to the new trends," says Amason, editor for BuzzFeed.com and former blogger for AOL's Urlesque.com. "And of course I'd noticed there were sites like Serious Eats and Pimp That Snack that were popping up everywhere. And so it made sense that there should be a one-stop shop kind of site." That's Fit also talked to Amason about her exercise regimen ("I go to a gym and I try to eat pretty healthy, but my motto has always been everything in moderation"), and if her eating habits have changed ("I was an athlete growing up, so I've always been a fairly healthy eater, but I have become very knowledgeable about the crazy fatty foods that are out there.") Read on for her favorite foods from the blog, and if she thinks these meals are really why you're fat.
That's Fit: What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Jessica Amason: My weakness is baked goods, that's a pretty tough one from me. From the site, though, I think that my favorite is probably either the pizza burger, or the snack stadium. Just because there's real commitment there, those guys know how to go big. Because I know it's my weakness, I try not to indulge all that often, but with the holidays coming up I'm sure I'm gonna go a little crazy and then have to crack down once I get back.
Skinny Super Bowl Recipes

Hi, there! I'm Kim and I'm one of the editors over at AOL Health. I've been covering diet and fitness for years, which means I've read and reported on more health studies, weight-loss plans and exercise tips than I can count. So with all that info in my brain you'd probably imagine I'm some sort of gym nut who's a size two and lives on grilled chicken, steamed veggies and oatmeal. While I'd just love to say I'm a size two and practice everything I preach, I'm like most of you: I truly care about my health (and fitting into my jeans!), but love a good slice of pizza (and glass of red wine) and struggle to carve out time for workouts.
What I'd like to share with you guys is how I take all the information that lands on my desk and squeeze it into my own busy life. Whether it's a great new bit of advice I've gotten from a nutritionist, a 20-minute workout I'm currently jamming into my morning, or a weight-loss trick that's working for me.
First up, how I plan not to blow my diet on Super Bowl Sunday.
Now, I couldn't care less about football, but I love me some wings -- and nachos, and beer and ... well, you get the picture. So I called up Tanya Zuckerbot, MS, RD, founder of SkinnyandtheCity.com (a really fun site, BTW) and author of The F-Factor Diet, to see if she could makeover a few classic Super Bowl dishes so I can get my fix and still fit into pants on Monday morning. Here are her tasty and healthy recipes:
Band together for explosive speed and strength
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Men's Health
While watching the Super Bowl this past Sunday -- or any football game, for that matter -- did you happen to notice the explosive power many running backs possess? Even when there are guys trying to drag them to the ground, they are sometimes still able to forge ahead. To build this kind of strength, many football players are employing a now popular functional training technique involving the use of resistance tubing.
To properly perform one of the more popular resistance tubing exercises, you will need the help of another person. That individual will stand behind you, holding onto the handles attached to the tubing. The good news for them is that they will also get a pretty good bicep and leg workout when trying to stop your forward progress.
Start by placing the tubing across your midsection, just above your belt line. Then, sprint 15 feet with your knees up high and your arms pumping as your partner attempts to pull you back. Do this for several sets and then switch positions with your partner.
While performing this exercise may not land you a contract with an NFL team, it will work well to help you build your explosive speed and strength, in addition to increasing your overall stamina.
It's easy being green
Sustainable Community, HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health
There's been an admirable response to the global climate crisis, to the point where being "green" has actually become chic. Still, as cute as wearing 'stop global warming' buttons and donning cause-supporting jeans may be, or how politically correct it is to award a hybrid SUV to the Super Bowl MVP, the more substantive efforts being made are what deserve the most attention.
With attention comes education, a natural byproduct of keeping people interested long enough to learn something. To that end, I learned something new today about how we can reduce our energy consumption. It turns out that our houses (not our vehicles) are the biggest drain on the energy supply -- to the tune of 25 percent of worldwide energy consumption.
The major reason behind this energy guzzling is a lack of well-insulated homes. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, only 20 percent of U.S. homes built before 1980 are properly insulated. As much as 20 percent can be knocked off your energy bill by simply sealing cracks with caulking and installing (or reinstalling) insulation that's at least 19 inches thick.
9 drinking myths debunked
Healthy Habits, Womens Health, HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
With yesterday's game coming down to the wire the way it did, there were very few people who left their respective Super Bowl party early. There have been plenty of Super Bowls that turned out to be completely one-sided blow-outs; making a third quarter or early fourth quarter departure from a party perfectly okay. Not yesterday, though. That game literally came down to the last play, so leaving early was not an option. For some, this also meant that there was at least one more full quarter of boozing, and today you may be feeling the effects.
Chances are, you've heard your fair share of hangover cures over the years. In fact, you've probably heard plenty of drinking tales, too. But, the truth is that most of them are nothing more than myths. If last night's Super Bowl party is causing your head to feel like its being sacked by Michael Strahan, don't listen to people who tell you to drink a mimosa or try any other misguided method. Just the same, don't believe all those tired "liquor before beer" sayings, either.
Here is a WebMD list of popular drinking myths, many of which you've possibly already had suggested to you this morning by co-workers:
Myth #1 - A MORNING MIMOSA EASES A HANGOVER
Myth #2 - POPPING ACETAMINOPHEN BEFORE YOU GO TO BED MAKES MORNING EASIER
Myth #3 - DRINKS WITH FEWER CALORIES ARE ALWAYS A HEALTHIER CHOICE
Myth #4 - EATING BEFORE BED WILL ABSORB THE ALCOHOL AND MUTE A HANGOVER
Myth #5 - WINE IS BETTER FOR YOU THAN BEER
Myth #6 - DRINKING THROUGH A STRAW GETS YOU TRASHED FASTER
Myth #7 - IF YOU WEIGH THE SAME AS YOUR BROTHER, YOU CAN MATCH HIM DRINK FOR DRINK
Myth #8 - IF THE DRINKS ARE FREE, THE CALORIES DON'T COUNT
Myth #9 - BEER BEFORE LIQUOR, NEVER SICKER
Don't get blitzed by hidden calories this Sunday
Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
With Super Bowl Sunday only two days away, I'm sure the corporate execs at Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizza Hut are hoping for the usual delivery madness. Inasmuch as these pizza giants rule the delivery game on Super Sunday, plenty of folks may want to keep their diets in check by eating something healthier. A popular solution may be Chinese food; you still get the convenience of having it delivered, but you don't have to worry about all those calories. Or do you?
A new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) reveals that Chinese food is ... well, suffice it to say not much better for you than the pizza!! That's because most Chinese food entrees contain between 1,000 and 1,500 calories -- and that's without taking rice, crispy noodles, and other extras into account. Not to mention that fact that some dishes were found to contain two days' worth of sodium.
But, if you're still bent on ordering Chinese food, ask for your sauces to be kept on the side, avoid deep-fried foods altogether, and keep the serving sizes small. To find out which Chinese dishes truly are healthy choices, visit www.dietdetective.com and do a little food sleuthing.
Don't double dip that chip
Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
What they learned is that, depending on the acidity and texture of the dip in question, up to 10,000 bacteria can be transferred from mouth to bowl with every dip of the chip. Essentially, if every person in the room double dips their chip, you're looking at a large communal bowl of shared bacteria. What the didn't examine was what kind of bacteria was being passed around, or whether it was dangerous.
The bottom line is, double dipping is just bad manners. Keep your bacteria where it belongs and use a fresh chip when you dip this Super Bowl Sunday.
Here's the scene that inspired the study, just for laughs:
Avoid a Super Bowl heart attack
Stress Reduction, Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
A new study by German researchers reports heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies doubled in Munich when their nation's soccer team played in World Cup matches -- it tripled for men. I witnessed how serious World Cup fans follow their sport after living four years in a university's graduate/married student family housing complex sporting a predominately international population. Didn't matter if a soccer match started at 3:00 a.m., academic and regular life stopped during the World Cup, with all eyes glued to the TV.
Americans take their version of football pretty seriously, too. German study author, Dr. Gerhard Steinbeck, stated the Super Bowl could also pose a similar cardiac hazard. Per the study, the effect was strongest in those with known heart disease.
If you're at risk for heart disease and planning on watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, a U.S. doctor suggested the following:
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Take prescribed meds.
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Avoid tobacco smoke and fatty meals (say goodbye to most XLII fare).
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Get a good night's sleep the evening before.
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Don't physically over-exert yourself (no raucous cheering).
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Men should stick with a two-drink maximum, women should have just one.
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Bad call? Count to ten and relax -- the point is, don't get angry at the refs.
Now for the big question -- will the Patriots keep their perfect record or will Eli join the Manning dynasty of greatness? Go Eli!
How Many Calories ... in Nachos?
When I get together with friends over beers, we always manage to order a big plate of nachos to share. Now, I'm not naive enough to think they're good for me -- there's no way cheese and meat on already-unhealthy nacho chips wouldn't be bad for the old waistline -- but I usually just pick away at them in rare conversation lulls so I never really consider the calorie count. But in honour of Super Bowl, let's consider just how much damage a few nachos will do to your diet.
Is Cheerios really a super bowl?
Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements
If I was Goldilocks (stay with me here), eating the 3 Bears' porridge wouldn't have been an issue. Why? Because: 1) I'm smart enough not to eat food that belongs to animals that can rip me to shreds, and 2) I really don't like the taste of porridge/oatmeal. The downside of that distaste is that I miss out on a great deal of health benefits offered by whole oats. The solution I came up with is to mix the oats with my morning protein shake, which helps me choke it down. But, it turns out that there is a tasty alternative to oatmeal, and it supposedly has similar heart-healthy properties.
But does it?
Classic Cheerios (not the Honey Nut kind) has more fiber (4 grams) than a packet of oatmeal (3 grams). And, just like oatmeal, whole-oat cold cereals chip away at your LDL cholesterol because they contain beta-glucans. This all sounds good so far, but there is some debate over whether or not the claims made on the Cheerios box (that a clinical study showed that eating two 1 and 1/2 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol) is legit. This woman researched these claims herself, only to find that the study was funded by General Mills. Does this automatically make it invalid? Not necessarily, but it does raise suspicions.
Since the 3 Bears declined to comment on this situation, I'd be very interested to hear what you guys have to say.























