That's Fit

Day 3: Well, that's a surprise. When I started this challenge, I thought I'd discover that I was already eating 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. I'm close, but I wasn't quite reaching that goal.

I've added some higher fiber veggies to my usual favorites. For instance, I usually top my salad at lunch with cucumber or peppers, which have 1-2 grams of fiber per half cup. Today, I put edamame and avocado on too, which upped the fiber quotient considerably.

Breakfast: Whole grain cereal (Cheerios), 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup milk: 5 grams
Lunch: Romaine, tuna, edamame, avocado, dressing: 5 grams
Snack: Celery and peanut butter: 4 grams
Dinner: Turkey burger on 100% whole wheat bun, steamed green beans, chopped fruit: about 10 grams
Snack: Popcorn, stove-popped in a splash of sesame oil: 2 grams

Grand total, 26 grams!

You won't want to eat just anything as you sit in front of your TV -- unless your goal is to gain a few pounds -- but there is one snack food you can shovel in without too much worry: Popcorn.

Get this: You can eat six cups of low-fat microwave popcorn for about the same number of calories you'd get from just seven or eight chips, says the RealAge team. Even better: Popcorn counts as a whole grain. So while munching, you're logging a few whole-grain servings too. Good news for your rainy days.

One caution: To benefit from this low-calorie, high fiber, whole-grain treat, you simply must avoid all buttery and salty options. Your best bet is to grab Orville Redenbacher, Pop Secret, and Jolly Time brands -- all offer 100-calorie microwave packs with five to six cups of popcorn in one bag.

• Corn tortillas count as a whole grain. Whole corn is an influential member of the whole grain family and reportedly has twice the antioxidant activity of apples.
• Taco-sized tortillas are quick calorie cutters. Two six-inch soft yellow corn tortillas in place of the same sized flour version saves 110 calories and adds an extra gram of fiber to your diet.
• Tortillas can be made from a variety whole grains -- corn, multigrain (mixtures of whole wheat, rye, barley and oats), brown rice, hemp and teff (a whole grain staple in Ethiopia).
• Tortillas are versatile. You can't go wrong if you fill with black or pinto beans, lots of veggies, sliced avocado, guacamole, even nut butter and fruit.
  

Perhaps I need to rethink my Mexican mindset. Seems I can find some healthy helpings of food at my favorite local hot spot. Just need to make sure to keep the chips and salsa off the table. Well, maybe not the salsa. But the chips, for sure.

I know some of you aren't fans of whole wheat. My mom isn't a fan. Wheat messes with her tummy and so she steers clear of anything remotely related to the stuff. But I seem to tolerate it well, which ends up a good thing since I'm such a sucker for bread. If I'm going to eat it, I might as well make it whole wheat. That's what the diet experts say. Whole grains are good, after all. Right?

Healthcastle offers a nice overview of whole grains and calls them good sources of B vitamins, Vitamin E, magnesium, iron, fiber, and other valuable antioxidants not found in some fruits and vegetables.
Whole grains might even reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. What I like most about them at the moment, though, is that they help me feel fuller longer -- I realize this now, after making breakfast out of a whole wheat English muffin and tad bit of peanut butter for the past few days.

If you're thinking of upping your intake of whole grains, like me, these are some common items you'll want to eat:

• wild rice
• brown rice
• whole wheat
• oatmeal
• whole oats
• barley
• whole rye
• bulgar
• popcorn

What's on your top 10 list of I know I shouldn't have it but I want it so badly foods? For me, movie popcorn ranks pretty highly on the roster. It's difficult to go to a show without getting a big bag of salty goodness, the more buttery the better. It's expensive and it probably has a million calories, but once I smell that popcorn smell, I feel like I have to have it, sometimes even when I'm not hungry.

But we know that kind of buttery indulgence is going to cost us in the calories department -- well, if we get butter anyway. Popcorn itself is considered a whole grain, and whole grains are good, right? So, theoretically, if we don't pile on the calories by adding butter, we should be ok. Right?

Dr. Oz, Oprah's much-loved health guru, recently gave a piece of advice that is raising some eyebrows. The influential doc recommends eating whole grain bread topped with extra virgin olive oil before meals to fill you up and keep you from overeating. Apparently it slows the passage of food.

Over at Celebrity Diet Doctor, they're weighing in on this piece of advice. The verdict? Filling up on something that is high in calories (olive oil) before a meal is no way to lose weight. Instead, fill up on something low in calories, like a piece of fruit or some veggies and you'll not only eat less, but your pre-meal meal won't pack much of a calorie impact.

Your thoughts?

One recent story that's been populating my google reader several times over is the recent comparison of diets. In short, low-carb diets were found to be the most successful, followed by the Mediterranean diet, with low-fat diets in last place.

But don't be so quick to trash all your bread and pasta. Low-carb diets aren't all their cracked up to be. I'm Not Obsessed recently revealed one very big problem with low-carb plans: Not enough fiber, leading to digestive issues, particularly constipation. As someone with IBS (read: regular digestive issues) I would stay away from this kind of diet, and I'm not expert but maybe you should too.

The key, if you ask me, is balance. Low-carb diets can help you slim down, but don't take it to an extreme. Make sure you're still getting a bit of healthy, whole grain fiber in your diet. You know, to keep things moving.

This morning I went to a local farmer's market. There was a new vendor selling all "whole grain" foods. I asked which of their breads were whole wheat and she told me that everything they had was made from whole wheat. I thought that was great, so I picked out a loaf of bread and, as a treat for me and my son, bought a small pack of peanut blossom cookies. I asked the women if even the cookies were whole grain and she again replied that everything on the table was. So imagine my surprise when I get home and read the ingredient list on the cookies -- the first ingredient was "enriched white flour" and that was the only type of flour in there. On one hand, I feel like I was duped. I had been so swayed by their "Whole Grain Bakery" sign and the salesperson's words, that I neglected to read the label for myself. On the other hand, they're cookies -- even with whole-wheat flour they certainly wouldn't have been "healthy." So, live and learn.

The problem I had this morning is a problem we all face every time we shop for food. Sometimes the front of the packaging can be deceiving. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a list of "food frauds." While I don't know if I'd go so far as to call them frauds (that just seems a bit alarmist and conspiracy-theory-ish to me), the foods they list certainly are misleading. Take Kellogg's Special K Fruit and Yogurt for example: it claims the crunch of whole wheat, the smooth creaminess of yogurt, and the sweet taste of berries. Those statements are all true... but they're misleading. The cereal has more refined rice than whole wheat. The taste of yogurt comes from a sweetened yogurt powder that has been heat treated (killing all beneficial bacteria in the process), and the "berries" are actually dyed and artificially-flavored pieces of apple.

Take a peek at CSPI's list, and then be on the lookout for other foods of this type when you're grocery shopping. Unless you're buying fresh foods in their natural state, you're usually getting a little more than you bargained for. And many foods try to market themselves as healthy when they really aren't.

A gluten-free diet is a must for people with celiac disease or an allergy to products containing wheat. It's not so easy being gluten free. Not only is gluten found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye, it's also added to many foods as a thickening agent. For example, some ice creams and even ketchup contain gluten.

The latest issue of Women's Health gives us a list of some of the tastiest gluten-free products on the market. Even if you don't require a gluten-free diet, give some gluten-free foods a chance. They're often made from different grains -- like quinoa -- and it's a good idea to incorporate new whole grains into your diet.

Check out the gallery for the Women's Health top gluten-free picks.

Chew on this: Eating the wrong kind of cereal could double your risk of heart disease. So, actually I take that back -- don't chew on that. Last year, our friends from down under released information on this so-called "Cereal Killer" issue after reviewing 53 studies on cereal-grain intake and cardiovascular health.

Confirming that eating cereal made from 100 percent whole grains proved beneficial to heart health, they found the exact opposite for cereals that used refined grains. The true danger? Highly processed grains tend to raise blood sugar levels and C-reactive protein, while at the same time reducing HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

These factors, independently, but especially when combined, all play a part in raising your risk of heart disease. A good move would be avoiding these high-sugar, refined grain cereals altogether and instead opting for cereals that are known to be made from 100 percent whole grains.

It seems like there are millions of methods out there from which to choose when it comes to losing weight. Choosing the way that is right for you, however, can sometimes feel like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. It's easy to become confused by the overwhelming number of options, only to ultimately not choose any at all. It sort of reminds me of when a larger fish approaches a school of smaller fish. There are so many fish clustered together in the school that the larger fish seems to become disoriented and paralyzed by the need to make a decision based on too many options.

To help prevent against a similar disorientation when it comes to diet, I thought it would be best to pare down that enormous list of weight loss tips to a mere two.

1. Eat More Protein. Because protein is the most satiating food group, you will feel fuller for longer periods of time, thus reducing snack cravings. Adequate protein intake is also necessary for building muscles. And, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. Active women should aim to eat around .5g of protein per 1 pound of body weight they carry, while active men should shoot for around 1g per 1 pound of body weight.

2. Limit Simple Sugars. Simple sugars -- such as those found in white pasta, white rice, bagels, fruit drinks, and candy -- are digested quickly, which can result in a spike in blood sugar. As a result, your pancreas will produce insulin to help regulate your soaring glucose levels, and you're then left with a low blood sugar level. That's when the hunger kicks right back in. If you then eat yet another high-sugar food, this vicious cycle starts up all over again and, before long, fat storage will increase and you will gain weight. Do your best to stick to low-GI (glycemic index) carbs such as whole wheat grains, vegetables, fruits (although some fruits are rather high-GI, so be sure to check at www.glycmicindex.com), and legumes.

Instead of eating that refined-flour, sugary doughnut, do you pick up a whole-grain muffin with perhaps some fresh fruit as a topping? Many of us have made the switch and are not only healthier as a result, but we have a breakfast that is just as tasty.

Advocates of whole grains, who have done an admirable job in the last five years making the public aware that whole grains are nutritious and tasty as well as healthy, want to step up those efforts and get more whole grains into kitchens and pantries nationwide. That is excellent news.

The perception many Americans have about the term "whole grains" is one of the pressing issues faced by many groups, but an expert puts it pretty succinctly: "We're pretty sure we've broken down that business about whole grains being preindustrial, or raw from the farm ... the message is clear that they're healthy." Yes, they are.

Fiber is one of the basic building blocks of a healthy diet as it can help prevent serious issues like heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even cancer -- not to mention it can help you feel fuller and contributes to a healthy digestive system. But do you know where to find fiber and are you getting enough? Here are some high fiber foods to make sure you're including in your diet on a regular basis:

• Fruits: apples, oranges, berries, prunes, figs, and pears
  
• Veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, peas, carrots, and beans.
• Whole grains: bran muffins, oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, multigrain cereals, and whole grain breads.
• Wheat bran: added to foods like applesauce, oatmeal, and cooked cereals.

Finding the energy to get through the day is something I know a lot of us struggle with -- I know I do. Energy has a lot to do with your diet and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that there are certain foods that will leave you peppy for hours and certain others (like sugar) that will cause you to crash. Energy-friendly foods are ones that slowly release glucose into your bloodstream, giving you sustained energy for hours. These include items like whole wheat pasta, nuts, lean proteins and anything high in fiber.

For a quick energy fix, avoid foods high in refined sugar and instead opt for things that have natural sugars and carbs, like veggies and fruit. Whole-grain cereal and coffee will also give you an instant perk-up, though be sure to enjoy them without sugar.

Other energy tips? Drink lots of water, and not surprisingly, get lots of sleep -- at least 8 hours a night. And you'll be amazed at how much a walk around the block can wake you up.

It seems like the more health-conscious we all get the more confusing grocery shopping becomes because food manufacturers keep coming up with new gimmicks and catch phrases to try and trick us into buying their not-so-healthy products. One area that can be especially confusing is whole grains. Whole grains are great for you because of all the nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants that are left intact due to less processing, but finding them can be tricky due to terms like 'wheat' and 'multigrain' that are intended to be misleading.

The best way to get around all the hype is to go straight for the ingredient list, and in the case of whole grains you'll want to see 'whole wheat flour' at the top as the #1 ingredient (as opposed to'wheat flour' and 'unbleached enriched wheat flour' which are the refined versions). Of course you can also look to the nutrition label and get a fiber reading -- whole grain foods will have at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving in most cases.