That's Fit

Just wanted to wish all of my fellow Americans a very happy Fourth of July, and to remind everyone why we celebrate. Of course politics can be rough, and the economy sometimes varies, but those things pale in comparison to all that this country has to offer. As I was explaining to my three and five year old children this week, we celebrate our freedom this Friday. As Americans we are able to choose our jobs, choose our religion, choose our spouse, choose our homes, and have as many or as little children as we'd like to have.

Nothing is perfect of course, but America is perfect for me. I rarely walk by a man or woman in uniform without thanking them for their service, nor an elderly man proudly wearing his baseball cap describing which branch of the military he served. I value the local and state law enforcement officers for placing their lives on the line each day to protect ours. I'm even grateful for the sometimes messy brood of politicians we elect to run this beautiful country of ours.

Lastly, I'm grateful for the nation of Americans. Thank goodness the majority of us are really good hardworking people. The good certainly outweigh the bad. I thank you for voting, working, educating your children, volunteering, helping strangers, and just making this country what it is today. I love it here. I'm proud to be here, and I'm grateful to those who laid their lives on the line to provide my family and I the simple yet irreplaceable luxury of freedom.

The body is an amazing piece of equipment. I am in awe every day, really, when I think about how my body -- even after an attack by cancer -- is able to survive, even thrive. Wired for sustaining life, our bodies give and give and give. It's only after a whole bunch of abuse or a whole bunch of disease that it generally gives out. Simply amazing how our bodies last for as long as they do.

Here are some amazing body facts featured in Laura Lewis' book 52 Ways To A Healthy You -- yes, our very own That's Fit blogger, Laura Lewis. She's a wealth of knowledge, a fountain of wisdom, and while I've only just skimmed her book so far, I plan to dive right in very soon. And then I'll be back with more. For now, though, take some time to marvel at these six human body feats.

• The human body has 45 miles of nerves.

• A nerve impulse travels at the speed of light.

• Each square inch of human skin consists of 20 feet of blood vessels.

• Your tongue print is as unique as your fingerprints.

• Twenty-five percent of all the oxygen in your body is constantly being used by your brain.

• The average human heart beats about 100,000 times every 24 hours.

With all of its potential, just think how great our bodies would work if we treated them like they deserve to be treated, if we ate right, exercised right, slept well, minimized stress -- you know the drill. Think about it. And see what you can do to let your amazing machine serve you the best it can.

I've got just the snack bar for you: The YOU Bar. You design it. You name it. You devour it. All you need is access to the internet and few minutes of time.

Check out this handy site for a step-by-step ordering system that allows you to choose a protein base and add extra ingredients, like dried fruits, chocolate, even coffee crystals. The folks at YOU Bar do all the work -- they bake, provide nutritional facts, and honor special requests, like "not too sweet." Not happy with what you've ordered once you taste it? Just send back your uneaten bars and you'll get a chance to modify your recipe.

If you're not tempted to create your own bar, tried and true flavors of this treat are available. Beware, though, these treats run $40 for a box of 12. Worth it? Give it a try and see.

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!

Sunday's Parade magazine lists some Super Foods we ought to embrace. Each one is packed with nutrients. And flavor too. Can't beat that combo. Check out these six.

Coconut Milk
Coconuts are rich and saturated in fat. Sound scary? It shouldn't. The people in the South Pacific enjoy diets loaded with coconut oil, yet studies show that these people don't get heart disease. U.S. researchers are hot on the trail of this interesting fact, hoping to support the claim that the fatty coconut is a heart-healthy fruit. What they do know is this: Coconut flakes, coconut milk and cream, and coconut oil contain lots of an antiviral, antibacterial fatty acid called lauric acid. It's one of the immune-boosters babies get from breast milk.

Try this: Mix a can of coconut milk with a pint of chicken stock and some grated ginger for a healthy coconut chicken soup.

Grass-Fed Beef
All beef is a great source of iron, B vitamins, and zinc -- three nutrients most of us don't get enough of. But grass-fed beef (versus grain-fed beef) is best. It contains less fat, less saturated fat, more CLA (an anti-cancer fat), and more omega-3 fatty acids.

Try this: Use the very lean grass-fed beef for spaghetti sauce, chili, and meatloaf.

Nuts
Rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and antioxidants, moderate amounts of almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts are a good addition to a healthy diet. Walnuts too. They are one of the best vegetarian sources of the omega-3 fatty acids that fight obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Try this: Put nuts in a blender with a little olive oil, milk or water for fresh nut butter.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon regulates blood sugar, inhibits cancer cells, and is anti-inflammatory. Can't beat that.

Try this: Sprinkle cinnamon on French toast, oatmeal, or a cup of hot chocolate.

Raw Honey & Molasses
Great for a sweet tooth, these whole and natural sweeteners make for a healthy sugar substitute. Unfiltered, raw honey contains lots of phytonutrients and enzymes to aid digestion. Blackstrap molasses is a surprisingly good source of iron and many other minerals.

Try this: Honey is best unheated but molasses already has been boiled, so there's no reason not to cook with it. Use with baked goods like muffins and pumpkin pie.

Olive Oil
Olive oil's monounsaturated fats reduce inflammation. Its phenols fight cancer. And its vitamin E lowers the risk of heart disease, protects skin from damaging agents, and prevents nerve damage.

Try this: Gently sauté vegetables in olive oil, drizzle it on salads, or use it in pesto.

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?

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 Carrot Museum calls your average carrot a nutritional hero. Storing a goldmine of nutrients, no other vegetable or fruit contains as much carotene -- this converts to vitamin A -- as this herbaceous plant containing about 87% water. Good raw or cooked, carrots provide healthy doses of vitamins B, C, D, and E, potassium, folic acid, and magnesium. Cooked carrots are best, however -- they are more nutritious this way.

Even small amounts of carrots do the body good with their essential oils, carbohydrates, and nitrogenous composites. Well-known for their sweetening, healing, diuretic, remineralizing, and sedative properties, carrots are important for their three most powerful elements: Beta-carotene, Alpha Carotene, and Phytochemicals. Beta-carotene gives us vitamin A which strengthens immune systems, keeps the skin, lungs and intestinal track in order, and promotes healthy cell growth. Alpha Carotene helps inhibit tumor growth. And phytochemicals may reduce the risk of cancer and strokes, hinder the aging process, balance hormonal metabolism, and promote antiviral and antibacterial properties. Combine these three elements and carrots are yes, nutritional heroes. Just look at some of what they can do.

• Boost immunity, especially in older people

• Reduce risk of heart disease

• Improve muscle, flesh, and skin health

• Fight anemia

• Reduce acne

• Improve eye health

• Heal minor wounds and injuries

• Fight infection

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!

Many food and nutrition experts say a diet rich in both cooked and uncooked foods is essential for good health. Others live by this guiding principle: Live food, live body; dead food, dead body. Raw foods are the only way to go, say the folks at RawGuru.com, for example. Heat your food above 116 degrees and you'll destroy enzymes in food that aid in digestion and absorption of food. You'll also kill the nutritional value in your food, according to this source.

Yep, raw foods are truly Super Foods. Well, if raw foodies have a say anyway.

Raw foodists, people who consume primarily raw food, or all raw food, depending on how strict the diet is (typically, raw food must make up 75 percent of a diet to qualify), believe that the greater the percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits. They also claim raw food diets encourage weight loss and prevent and heal many forms of sickness and chronic disease. Better digestion, reduced risk of heart disease, increased energy, and improved skin appearance are just a few of the perks of this diet that includes fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.

Raw diets fall short in several areas, namely the areas of protein, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B-12, cites this article. In order to go raw, then, one must carefully study the tenets of the lifestyle, consult experts in the field, and commit to a lot of hard work. Check out this site for insight and links to a few good resources. Then hop over to these sites for the lowdown on raw recipes.

Gone Raw features raw and vegan food recipes from around the world. Health Freedom Resources has a bunch of recipes for raw food enthusiasts. And Raw Sacramento Recipes claims to have the largest listing of recipes. Print them out and you'll have 45 pages of ideas before you.

In my December interview with Oprah Winfrey's health expert, Dr. Oz, I harassed him about not doing real pull-ups with a bar. (He was using the Gravitron). I gave him a bit of a ration, detailed in his Celebrity Fitzness Report interview, and he promised to get a bar and start doing them. He was very inspired viewing this video of Anthony Field of The Wiggles performing an amazing pull-up routine. So, I emailed Dr. Oz some links on where to get pull-up bars etc. and harassed him only a teeny bit more.

Well, Friday I randomly sent him an email asking "how are the pull-ups coming"? His awesome response was that he just filmed an Oprah show and demonstrated 21 pull-ups on air! Hooray for Dr. Oz! The show will air tomorrow, Tuesday February 5th and I'm looking forward to it. I'm so proud of him!

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!

Nutrition experts have long claimed that Mediterranean diets are some of the best around. Heavy on fish, fruits, and vegetables; moderate in nuts and red wine; and low in red meat, these diets are tops for heart health, say researchers at the Mayo Clinic. One more item puts the Mediterranean diet high on the heart health list: Olive Oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to be exact.

The Super Food olive oil, containing monounsaturated fat, helps lower the risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in your blood, unlike saturated and trans fats (found in better, tropical oils, and hydrogenated margarines) which spike these levels. Get two tablespoons of olive oil per day -- make it "extra virgin" or "virgin" for less processing and more polyphenol antioxidants -- and you'll be on your way to better health.

It's not just your heart that will benefit from regular doses of olive oil, made from the crushing and then subsequent pressing of olives. Prevention magazine cites one Greek study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 1999) indicating a little olive oil can dramatically cut the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Study participants with the lowest consumption of extra virgin olive oil had a 2.5 greater chance of developing the condition, in fact.