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Fattiest of Fat Foods, Where Fruit and Veggie Names Come from and more: Twitter Finds
slashfood World's Largest Meatball Record Broken ... Again http://eaturl.info/blz3
KeriGlassman Laughter has been shown to reduce stress levels and improve heart health. Get together with friends & watch a funny movie! [Editor's Plug: We like her advice so much, we have a contest for five lucky winners to one free hour consultation from this nutritionist. Enter by 5 p.m. November 6, 2009.]
mental_floss Was There Really a Granny Smith? 9 Fruits & Veggies Named After People http://bit.ly/YV2if
Overwhelmed by all of the "Follow Friday" recommendations on Twitter? Each week AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit search the Twittersphere for the greatest diet and fitness Twitterers, and each week, we'll highlight the best-of their best tweets (no Twits here). Got any great advice for our Fit Follow Friday post? Give us a shout on Twitter and let us know all about it!
An Apple A Day Keeps the Scale Away
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
You know that saying, 'an apple a day ... ' -- well, it's true.
Walking the Walk - Day 1
There are plenty of reasons why an apple is a great go-to healthy snack. It's low in calories -- just 81 calories for a medium-sized version. But it's also rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, important for cardiovascular and digestive health. Fiber also helps keep you full longer, which makes an apple a great snack for weight control.
Keep the skin on your apple, and you'll increase its vitamin and antioxidant content. Almost half of the vitamin C in an apple sits just under its peel, and the flavonoid quercetin -- which may protect against cancer -- is only found in the skin. That extra crunch boosts the fiber content too.
My favorite varieties are Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp, so I stocked up on a few of each.
Walking the Walk - Day 3
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
It was researchers out of the State University of Rio de Janeiro who got everyone talking about apples. They found that overweight women who ate three apples or pears every day lost more weight than women who didn't. Not only that, the women in the fruit group also had a decrease in blood glucose levels. Apples have been shown to help control blood sugar, another key factor in keeping hunger at bay.I ate a half an apple at 11:30 this morning, a half hour before I usually eat lunch -- only half because I wasn't particularly hungry. At noon, I made a salad (and cut the other half of the apple up to put on top). I was definitely satisfied with a smaller, lighter salad than I'd usually make.
A half hour before dinner, I grabbed another apple. Dinner is always my most dangerous meal. I'm hungry, I'm tired, and since it's more of a family style meal (rather than lunch, which I just make for myself), it's easier to go back for seconds. But I didn't feel like I wanted seconds tonight.
Walking the Walk - Day 7
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Ask me if I'm tired of apples. Go ahead, ask. Here's my answer: YES, I am very tired of apples.
But in all honesty, this is one of the easiest tips I've tried yet for hunger control. Apples are cheap and easy to find. Even organic apples (a good choice, since apples are on the dirty dozen list) are inexpensive and readily available at my grocery store. Not only that, but apples are highly portable and require no preparation beyond a good scrubbing, which means incorporating them into my diet didn't interfere with my lifestyle at all.
And here's the good news: If you decide to try this for yourself, other fruits probably have the same benefits. Pears were used in the original study, but most experts seem to agree that adding fruit and other low density foods to your diet probably has the same effect.
Hourglass Figures - Headed for Extinction?
In the days when Marilyn Monroe was the ultimate pin-up girl, the ideal figure was an hourglass one: Big in the bust, small in the waist, big in the hips. You don't see that kind of shape much on the red carpet these days. Instead, the bobble-head look seems to take precedence. But even out of the spotlight, in the homes of the average folk, it seems the hourglass is disappearing -- we're carrying more weight in our tummies than our hips, according to recent studies, and our hip-to-waist ratios are going down, especially in cultures where women tend to be more financially independent. And our jobs are to blame.
Steve Jobs - Sometimes Weight Loss Isn't PC
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, has lost massive amounts of weight recently ... and not because he wanted to. In recent months, he's been so thin, many people were afraid for his health. Jobs recently sent out an open letter to the Apple community that explains his dramatic weight loss. Jobs is suffering from a hormone imbalance. Jobs said, "The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment."
Unexplained weight loss can be a sign of many medical issues, such as Jobs' hormone imbalance. If you're experiencing unexplained weight loss, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor ASAP. If, on the other hand, you're on the flip side of the coin and struggling to lose unwanted pounds, check out the America Takes It Off: Shrink a Size program.
Eat right for your body type
Are you a chili pepper, an apple, or a pear? Everyone has a different body type -- there are the long, lean, narrow-all-over "chili peppers," the round-in-the-middle apples, or the bigger-on-the-bottom pears (the most common body type, by the way). Fitness magazine tells you how to eat best for your body type.Chili pepper. Chili peppers have a straight and narrow shape without much delineation between their waists, hips, and shoulders. When a chili pepper gains weight, it tends to go to the middle -- beware: Belly fat increases the risk for heart disease and other health conditions. The best diet for a chili pepper incorporates healthy fats such as olive oil, fish, and nuts as well as plenty of fruits and vegetables. Strength training can help build muscle and create more curves.
Apple. Apples tend to carry weight around their middles, but the lower body is leaner. Apples are more prone to having high blood sugar, so a diet with healthy fats and minimal carbs is recommended. When you do choose carbs, make sure they're fiber-rich options -- like whole grains, fruits, and veggies.
Pear. Pears tend to be heaviest in the hips, thighs, and butt. To shed those stubborn pounds, choose a diet that's lower in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates.
Read the full article at Fitness magazine for more details about each body type and learn why different nutrition choices, meal plans, and workout routines are recommended.
Daily Fit Tip: Enjoy the season healthfully
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Autumn's cooler weather may be starting to chill the air, but don't let it put a freeze on your fitness and nutrition habits. Enjoy the best autumn has to offer, healthfully.
Daily Fit Tip: Stick to your guns
Daily Fit Tip, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Shake to shuffle the new iPod nano
Apple's new iPod nano has gone on a diet, returning to its long and lean look. Rock your workouts with the fourth-generation nano -- it's not just slimmer, cool new features have techies buzzing:- A skinnier nano is possible thanks to an accelerometer tilt sensor which allows you to turn it on its side and the player shifts the 320 x 240 screen -- great for video. Flip it either way and the sensor adjusts the picture.
- The accelerometer also powers a shake-to-shuffle feature. Give a firm shake to get rid of that downer song during the height of your workout. Don't fret, running, biking and walking won't inadvertently shuffle away your favorite song, says one tech reviewer. Dropping it will.
- The new Genius feature can generate a 25-similar-song playlist from a single song. Sometimes there's an odd Apple in the Genius mix, but you can count on widening your playlist horizons. Flip through your album art with Cover Flow.
Gwyneth does all her own cooking
Here's what she had to say to People Magazine at the recent launch of her PBS food show, Spain ... on the Road Again: "I cook all the meals for my house. I really love to cook. Breads and pizzas is what I'm cooking and we all love it. We have a wood burning pizza oven in our garden. Right now the weather is nice in London, so I'm using that oven a lot. You can cook anything in there. It's amazing."
Sneak Peak at Gwyneth Paltrow's workout
We're used to seeing Gwyneth Paltrow looking elegant and sleek on the red carpet. But the Oscar-winning actress recently revealed another look: Red-faced and dripping with sweat in a skin-tight leotard. Amid rumors that she's going to release a workout DVD, the 35-year-old star recently appeared on Oprah and shared with viewers the kind of intense workout she used to shed the 20 lbs of baby weight she gained with her last child, Moses.
I didn't see the show, but judging from these photos, she had to work really hard to get back into shape. Paltrow admits to working out for two hours a day, six days a week. As for her eating habits, she's mentioned that she doesn't diet, but she does try to eat healthy. Says the actress: "Once I started exercising I was doing cardio and I felt like I had to get rid of stuff, I started recommitting to eating well because when I was pregnant I was eating donuts."
Her hard work has obviously paid off. What do you think?
Sabrina Bryan's top 5 tips for staying fit
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Bryan previously released a fitness DVD titled BYou. She shared a video of her top five fit tips with People Magazine:
- Do cardio. Bryan loves to dance, but any form of cardio you enjoy will do.
- Hit the dance floor. Even if it isn't your first choice of cardio, hit the dance floor and try different styles of dance, like Bryan did while on Dancing With the Stars.
- Try Pilates. Bryan does Pilates for strength and toning.
- Start swimming. Bryan recommends finding a pool or beach where you can swim outside in the sun.
- Eat healthy snacks. Her favorites include string cheese, apples, and almonds.
Steve Jobs: Dramatic weight loss
Rumors have been swirling around the media about the state of Steve Jobs' health. But the Apple founder laughed them off at a recent conference unveiling the new iPod touch. "Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," the tech magnate joked, quoting Mark Twain.Still, there's no doubt that Jobs has undergone a pretty dramatic transformation, slimming down from his portly 2002 self to the almost scary skinny man we see today. Rumors abounded that Jobs had undergone gastric bypass surgery, and questions about his health caused Apple shares to plummet.
But don't think the weight loss has escaped Jobs' attention. He himself admits that he could stand to gain some weight, adding, "I'm doing just fine. I'm healthy."
(via Calorie Lab)
