That's Fit

Burgers are a thing of the past for me -- I stopped eating red meat a little more than a year ago, which struck burgers right from my diet. Turkey burgers never really did anything for me so a burger-free girl I am. Makes me think I'm in the minority when I stumbled upon this statistic in the June 2008 Redbook magazine: Americans eat 13 billion burgers per year. Now that's a lot of beef. Check out these other stats:

• The year a burger was first served on a bun: 1891

• Ounces of meat in a Wendy's "Where's the beef?" hamburger: 4

• The cost of a hamburger at White Castle when the chain first opened its doors in 1921: 5 cents

• Pounds gained by Super Size Me star Morgan Spurlock after eating McDonald's for one month: 25
  
  

This site has some more burger stats. Got any of your own?

Oranges are healthy. No doubt about it. But did you know there's a certain way to eat an orange that capitalizes on its health benefits? Talk show host Jenny Jones says it's true. And here, in this video, she demonstrates just how to eat the fruit in the healthiest way possible.

We've got an entire post devoted to the power of the orange -- check it out here -- but here are some highlights to consider as you sink your teeth into this super food.

• Oranges offer the most readily available supply of vitamin C -- 93 percent of what you need, in fact.
  
• An orange contains only 60 calories.
• Nearly 170 phytochemicals and 60 flavonoids are packed into an orange -- these help fight off cancer and reduce inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and asthma.
• A daily orange will help combat diabetes and obesity and can lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
  
• An orange's peel contains limonene, which may ward off skin cancer.
  
  

Jenny has more to say. Check her out.

The truth is: I love cherries. Some other truths: Cherries have the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants compared to other fruits, a growing body of evidence shows that tart cherries may help relieve arthritis, cherries are one of the few foods known to regulate natural sleep patterns, and cherries also might reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Geez, and I just loved them for the taste.

Wait. There's more: Cherry consumption help prevent colon cancer, may aid in the management of diabetes, and may be good for the brain.

Ready to love cherries, like me? If so, check out this handy tool and learn how to incorporate cherries into your routine. Take a peek at these recipes too -- this month's featured treat is Confetti Couscous Salad with Dried Cherries. Yummy. And for up-to-date cherry news, pay this location a visit every once in a while..

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

My guest this week is one of those people who really puts me in awe. Desmond Howard has scooped up two of the most impressive and revered awards in the entire sport of football, a Heisman Trophy and a Super Bowl MVP. As I sat with Desmond on a sunny and breezy day in the University of Florida football stadium, The Swamp, I wondered what if felt like to achieve such greatness. Most boys feel lucky to make their high school JV football team. To play in college is an honor. To do what Desmond's done ... indescribable.

I love talking to professional athletes because they have had access to the best of the best opportunities in fitness. They have been trained for perfection and have proven to have mastered the art of discipline. Surely, they have something to share!

ince retiring from playing football, Desmond now works as a color analyst for ESPN's College GameDay. He doesn't have the luxury of an aggressive coach barking at him each day to maximize his potential. He trains because he loves being fit, and just like you and me, he has had to find creative ways to work it into his schedule.

On a personal note ... for someone with so much success in one of the most testosterone-driven sports in the world, Desmond was one of the most down-to-earth non-egotistical men I've ever met. He maintained a gigantic smile (with ridiculously perfect white teeth) throughout our entire conversation and was just a pleasure to spend time with. He's smart, funny, and everything I would want my son to become if he followed in a similar athletic path. Plus he praised his Mom, and of course, I want my baby to do that too. If you haven't been able to keep up with Desmond's success in sports, but would like to achieve great fitness as an adult ... read on.

Fitz: You've retired as one of the most successful football players in both the NFL and NCAA. What do you do now to stay fit?

Desmond: I usually try to work out four-five times a week, but it's kind of difficult when I travel a lot. When we do a lot of college football games, I'll ask the Sports Information Director of the university where we'll be if we can use their weight room. Sometimes the hotels we stay in have pretty nice weight rooms too. We really don't need a lot. I try to do cardio. I like the elliptical machine a lot, because it's low impact on my knees. If they don't have that I'll do the stationary bike. I always get in at least 35-40 minutes of hard cardio, work my core, and then work some other muscle group.

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

First of all, check out these super nutrition nuggets found in 1/2 cup cooked green cabbage: Calories: 16, Fiber: 2.9 g, Carbohydrates: 3.6 mg, and Vitamin C: 18.2 mg. No fat or cholesterol in this Super Food.

Green cabbage is just one variety of this cruciferous veggie. There are literally hundreds -- green and bok choy are the most popular in the United States -- and thank goodness for the abundance of this vegetable because it truly is a good-for-you food. It might just be one of the healthiest foods you can eat.

Cabbage, high in nutrients, readily available, and inexpensive, has been found to fight heart disease, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure. It fights cancer too. Even it's smell contributes to the cancer cause.

Cabbage contains phytonutrients that protect the body from free radicals -- boiling destroys phytonutrients so try to sauté, steam, or roast this health food -- and it's a a muscle builder, blood cleanser, and eye strengthener too. It's also rich in iron and sulfur, can lower serum cholesterol, and is chock full of antioxidants. In juice form, cabbage can heal stomach ulcers and treat fungus infections. There's more: Cabbage promotes gastrointestinal health, prevents Alzheimer's, and optimizes cell detoxification.

Time to get cabbage into your diet. For starters, give this recipe for Healthy Cabbage Salad a try. Check out these
10 healthy cabbage recipes too. And these from Epicurious.

If you've got any tried and true cabbage creations of your own, please do share.

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

I must admit I'd never heard of Swiss chard before this week when I came across a page in a women's magazine cheering on its merits. I'm a pretty standard veggie girl. Give me broccoli, peas, green beans, squash, a good salad and I'm happy. Swiss chard? Never did sit on a plate of mine. Yet I'm intrigued by this item. Here's what I'm learning about it.

I'll warn you first that Swiss chard is packed with sodium -- 313 mg per cup -- but it's loaded with good stuff too, like vitamin A, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. A mere 35 calories come with one cup of this chopped stuff. Check out the rest of these nutritional facts.

Protein: 3 grams
Carbohydrates: 7 grams
Calcium: 102 mg
Iron: 4 mg
Magnesium: 151 mg
Phosphorus: 58 mg
Potassium: 960 mg
Sodium: 313 mg
Vitamin C: 32 mg
Folate: 15 mcg

So what exactly is this Super Food?

I have fond childhood memories of eating artichokes. My mom would prepare them on occasion for dinner and I remember savoring each leaf as I slid it across my teeth, extracted every last drop of meaty stuff, and then dove in for the best part: the heart. I never knew how those artichokes came to be exactly. I just never paid much attention to what went on in the kitchen.

I still don't know how my mom prepared her artichokes. But I did just happen upon one method for approaching this fiber-filled Super Food, which is also full of protein, vitamin C, folate, and magnesium and void of all fat, cholesterol, and trans fat. Smack dab on page 100 of April's Family Circle magazine are these precise instructions for steaming artichokes.

• Trim off artichoke stems.
  

• With kitchen shears, trim tips of outer leaves.
  

• From center leaves, cut off last one inch. Rub cut edges with lemon.
  

• Fill a large, deep pot with two inches of water. Place steamer insert into pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Place artichokes, top down, in insert. Cover and steam for 25 minutes, until bases are knife-tender. Add more water as needed.

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

If vinegar isn't on your shelves, then reserve a space for it. What shelf you place it on -- a kitchen shelf, a bathroom shelf, a garage shelf -- is up to you. The stuff is useful for so many purposes you may even want to stash it in several locations.

Since we're all about health here on this site, let's uncover some of vinegar's magical healing properties.

First, make sure you don't use white distilled vinegar for medical purposes since the distilling process removes all nutrients. Make it apple cider vinegar or brown rice vinegar and you can treat both the inside and outside of your body. Don't use any vinegar if you have kidney problems, though, because of its high potassium content.

Medicinally, vinegar has three major uses: Antiseptic, nutrient supplement, and digestive aid. As an antiseptic, it can treat boils, acne, minor scrapes, and some fungal infections. It can be used to clean wounds -- although it may burn -- and it can be used as a preventative medicine, to wash hands after cleaning bathrooms, and for clean-up after cutting poultry or fish. Nutritionally, apple cider vinegar contains potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. It has no saturated fat, no cholesterol, and no sodium. It does have acid, though, and can help you digest food and perhaps even alleviate heartburn if caused by a lack of stomach acid.

Got a bee or jelly fish sting? Need some sunburn relief? Dream of fighting off dandruff once and for all? Vinegar is what you need. It also helps with toenail fungus, arthritis, morning sickness, itching, warts, and rough feet. Take a peek at this site for specific remedies and recipes. You'll also spot other uses for vinegar during your visit -- learn how to keep your potatoes white, freshen your veggies, tenderize meat, and get rid of cooking smells.

This site lets you in a few favorite vinegar secrets -- like how to remove coffee stains from your favorite cup and misty spots from your glassware, how to deodorize a stale lunch box, and how to prevent cracked hard-boiled eggs. Make a stop here if you wish relieve a sore throat or an upset stomach or even lose a few pounds -- vinegar apparently helps to remove fat from the body.

Reader's Digest even recognizes the merits of vinegar and offers 175 uses for this super item. RD experts say vinegar can help you purge bugs from your pantry, get rid of berry stains, freshen your breath, and banish bruises.

Are you a fan of vinegar? If these sources have it right, you should be.

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

Rosemary is more than a simple herb. It's a tall evergreen shrub that grows as high as five feet and is often used as a a festive decoration and ingredient in medicines and fragrances too. It's also quite good in the kitchen. In fact, the author of this site recommends we consider rosemary in all of its three glories: Spiritual, medicinal, and culinary.

Originating in the Mediterranean and then spreading to the United States and Europe, rosemary was used for centuries to treat nervous system ailments, says Discovery Health. Healthwise, it's used today in aromatherapy to enhance senses and boost memory and it just happens to contain those magical antioxidants -- carnosol is its strongest -- which help prevent cancer and high cholesterol. It also helps stimulate the immune system, increase circulation, and improves digestion, according to The World's Healthiest Foods site. It contains anti-inflammatory compounds, increases blood flow to the head and brain, and improve concentration. Whew. That' s some pretty good stuff.

Rosemary, with a reputation of a protector plant that can ward off bad spirits, disease, plague, and infestation, has been used during sickness, funerals, weddings, and even in churches. Tradition has it that rosemary is quite powerful if planted at the four corners of a house and developed into a hedge and planted in fields for the protection of the crops. It's an all-around, feel good herb, this rosemary stuff. Should you be in the mood, then, for some good times and some good food, try using it next time you cook. Here are some recommended recipes.

Carrot Rosemary Vinaigrette
Garlic Rosemary Mushrooms
Grilled Rosemary Chicken
Rosemary-Sage Burgers with Apple Slaw and Chive "mayo"
Rosemary Cheese Microwave Popcorn (Thanks, Bev)

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

Limes might not be first on the list of Super Foods but they are pretty darn super when you really consider their merits. Here are just a few.

• Limes bring out the flavor of other foods.
  
  

• They are an excellent source of vitamin C, which can attack the free radicals that can damage our healthy cells, reduce some symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and prevent the development and progression of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Vitamin C is also vital to the function of a strong immune system.
  
  

• They contain unique flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties -- the more ripe they are, the better the antioxidant effects, in fact.
  
  

• In animal studies, compounds found in limes -- called limonoids -- have been shown to fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon.
  
  

• In some villages in West Africa where cholera epidemics have occurred, including a little lime juice during the main meal of the day supposedly protected against the contraction of cholera.
  
  

• Other research studies have found that a cell's cycle -- whether or not it divides or dies -- can be altered by lime juice. So can the special immune cells called monocytes.

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

We spent much of 2007 reviewing all sorts of Super Foods -- click here for all previous You Are What You Eat Super Food posts -- and now that we're barreling quickly into 2008, heres' a handful of super items -- some old; some new -- that are sure to get lots of attention.

Probiotics

Look for labels advertising live and active cultures and you'll get yourself some health-enhancing organisms. Found primarily in yogurt and fermented dairy products, these will help you maintain a healthy digestive tract and may even ward off cancer.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D strengthens bones and prevents and treats muscle weakness, gum disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, and certain cancers. Too much vitamin D can be toxic over time, though, so keep your daily intake under 2000 IU. Look for D to emerge as the vitamin of the year.

The Omega-3 Fatty Acid DHA

This omega-3 is not only good for the heart -- it can also improve mood, mental function, and vision and can cut your risk for certain cancers, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease. Try for two weekly servings of fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines) or 200 milligrams daily from supplements or fortified foods.

Nuts

Make it just a handful several times per week and nuts are a good thing. They can help cut your heart disease risk by as much as 39 percent and can lower your cancer and diabetes risk.

Curry Power

Curry powder contains the goods to help the brain get rid of amyloid plaques, which are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Curry's compounds also boost immunity.

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

Consuming 25 grams of soy daily may be just the thing for reducing your risk of osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, Alzheimer's, certain cancers, and kidney disease, according to Psychology Today. Enough to convince you that soy, from the soybean plant native to southeast Asia and part of the legume family, belongs on the Super Food list? Need more proof? How about this?

In 1999, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supported the claim that eating the protein as part of a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Yep, soy is a pretty powerful package, some say. It's nature's only plant source with all eight essential amino acids, reports Runner's World, and it's a denser form of protein than any other bean. Low in cholesterol and saturated fat and high in fiber, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B6, it's a staple of healthy Asian diets for a reason. An important protein source for vegetarians and key ingredient in many infant formulas, soy might also have a downside.

"We've learned that soy isn't a miracle food after all," says sports nutritionist Lisa Dorfman, author of The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide. "Even so, soy foods remain a healthy alternative to high fat proteins."

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

The list of Super Foods here at That's Fit, tucked away in our You Are What You Eat feature, is growing long -- which means it must be time for a pop quiz. So read on, tackle the following questions, and determine how much you know about the Super Foods that have been populating this blog.

• Which Super Food is so rich in antioxidants it can lower blood pressure and minimize the risk of heart disease? It's a sweet one -- so sweet that if consumed in excess, it will deliver you to the dark side.
  
  

• One serving of this Super Food contains just 60 calories and packs the most readily available dose of vitamin C. Want cancer prevention? This food might do the trick with its 170 cancer-fighting phytochemicals. What is it?
  
  

• This is one fatty food you don't need to cut from your diet. Brains and brawn are likely side effects of this Super Food that if eaten safely and in moderation can keep your heart healthy; your cholesterol and blood pressure down; and your risk of prostate cancer, stroke, and macular degeneration at a minimum. Name it.
  
  

• Some say this Super Food is a fruit; others call it a vegetable. Regardless, keeping it at room temperature is best for maximizing the antioxidant properties of this lycopene-rich food which is really more water than food. Time's up -- answer please.
  
  

• Another Super Food for the heart and also a winner for the immune system, this item comes with a scent that's to die for. Roast it, toast it, spread it, sprinkle it, or crunch right into this flavorful item and your body will thank you. And this power potion is . . .
  

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

What a year it's been for Super Foods. We've covered almost all of them, from salmon and turkey to watermelon and pineapple. Name a Super Food and you're likely to find a pretty comprehensive run-down of the item right here on That's Fit. Our archive of Super Food posts is quite overwhelming at this point so in the interest of a years-end review, here's a sampling of the foods we've found that can heal ills, prevent disease, and promote optimum health. And if this isn't enough, click here and you'll land at each and every You Are What You Eat post.

• Hide it or highlight it, broccoli kicked off the You Are What You Eat series in March 2007.

• Why should you eat Brussels sprouts? Find out in this April post.

• Pack some kidney beans in your pantry, or so says this May post.

• June brought us a super strawberry post. Read all about it.

• In July, blueberries were a hot item.

• With lunch comes energy -- well, in an ideal scenario, anyway. Check out this August post about lunchtime energy foods.

• Chocolate really is a health food. We told you all about it in September.

• In October, we let you know if an apple a day really keeps the doctor away.

• Nearly last on the Super Food list, yogurt showed up in November.

• Bringing up the rear in December were the Super Foods cinnamon, kiwi, pomegranate, and oats.

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

Check out these merry facts about oats, one of the most nutritious grains and perhaps the most available and inexpensive Super Food around.

Oats are low in calories, high in fiber and protein, and rich in magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, thiamine, and more. They contain phytonutrients, which help prevent disease, and can lower cholesterol by a whopping eight to 23 percent -- consuming just three grams of soluble oat fiber per day is all it takes. This same soluble fiber can benefit those suffering from type 2 diabetes -- oatmeal or oat bran-rich foods can lower spikes in blood sugar levels. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that grains should be consumed in minimally-refined form to reduce the incidence of diabetes.