That's Fit

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?

So low brow, I know. But my sister sent her fabulous fitness trainer counterpart (me) this ridiculous photo today and I had to share it with you. I suppose, bubblegum could be bad for more than just your teeth!

I've never looked at the stability ball this way before, but I promise I will never look at it any other way again!

I've managed to do a bit of traveling over the past few years and in every country -- America, Canada, England, Scotland, Australia -- the health news was the same; the amount of people who are overweight, and even obese, in these countries is skyrocketing. Apparently the story is the same in many Westernized nations.

The writer of this article, however, found that the Swiss have managed to maintain a healthy relationship with food and as a result, continue to be relatively fit. It's not that Swiss citizens have give up on all the tasty stuff out there, but rather that they know how to enjoy in moderation. Apparently they still eat rich chocolate and delicious cheese, but they eat stuff made with quality ingredients and they only have small amounts at a time. Wine is sipped in moderation as well, as they serve drinks from smaller glasses. According to the article, if you dine off smaller plates and drink from smaller glasses, you'll end up consuming less.

There are a few more tips listed to help the rest of us live healthy-Swiss-habit-related lives and none of them involve depriving oneself or giving up tasty food altogether. So check it out and see if there are any ideas that will work for you.

I'm not much of a red meat eater, but I do love a good turkey sandwich, so when I saw that Arby's had introduced a line of Market Fresh Sandwiches, I was pumped. Veggies, some lean protein and fresh multigrain bread are an ideal alternative to processed cheese sauces on fatty cuts of meat in white bread. I was even more excited when I tried them -- they're delicious! But my experience has told me that delicious things from fast-food restaurants are sometimes too good to be true. Is this one of those instances? Let's see. How many calories does the Roast Turkey and Swiss sandwich at Arby's have?

a) 869 cal, 65 g of fat

b) 725 cal, 30 g of fat

c) 550 cal, 24 g of fat

d) 466 cal, 18 g of fat