That's Fit

Next time you're tempted to buy candy, pick individually-wrapped options. New research from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri tells us we tend to eat these slower than their "naked" counterparts.

The way a snack is packaged affects how much we consume. Hershey's Kisses slow us down. Jelly beans do not. "A simple partition (like tinfoil) forces you to pause and ask yourself, 'Do I really want this?'" says one professor involved in the WU study.

Your homework, says Family Circle magazine: If and when you splurge on snacks and munchies not of the healthy persuasion, divide into containers you must open, like plastic bags or aluminum tins.

Nearly every time my son and I go grocery shopping, he begs me to buy children's vitamins. I know parents tend to disagree when it comes to children's vitamins. Personally, while I don't think they're harmful, I don't think they're necessary. My son eats plenty of fruits and vegetables, he gets sufficient calcium from milk, yogurt, and fortified orange juice, and he eats a broad range of other healthy foods as well.

But my kid LOVES his candy. And I'm quite certain that is why he wants those gummy vitamins he sees in the store so badly.

Angie over at ParentDish recently wrote about a study regarding children's vitamins. The study reviewed 14 types of vitamins and found that only five of the reviewed brands had the 12 essential vitamins you would expect. Some brands had as little as four vitamins. The researchers state that the vitamins are little better than candy.

Staying healthy makes me inspired. Does staying thin, then, make me thinspired? To some degree, I guess it does. I eat right, exercise right, minimize stress, sleep enough, and do all I can to stay healthy, which also happens to help me stay thin. Not skinny. Not bony. Not skeletal. Just more thin than thick, more fit than fat.

Thinspiration is a buzz word used by youngish girls who strive to be skinny, anorexic even. It's a topic Blair at Gettysburg College addresses over at College Candy and what she finds is really quite disturbing. Scour the internet, she says, and you're bound to land at all sorts of anorexia blogs, pro-anorexia websites, and YouTube videos chalk full of crazy dieting tactics and images of girls whose bodies are wasting away. One 24-year-old even features on her website a thinspiration page, wallpapered with skinny-girl photos that mostly give me a sick feeling in my gut and make me realize I'm not all that thinspired after all. Nope. Inspired is what I am -- inspired to be healthy and happy in all of my 135-pound glory.

And you? Are you inspired -- or thinspired?

One writer over at College Candy says the season is ripe for muffin tops -- not the actual tops of actual muffins, but the excess skin that hangs over the tops of shorts, pants, and skirts when these items of clothing are just a tad too small. This problem, coined the One-Size-Too-Small Syndrome by said writer, affects lots of college-aged girls (one might argue it affects more than just college girls) and should not be mistaken for an overeating problem at all. It's clearly a size issue. You can be a size four and still have a muffin top. All it takes is a size two piece of clothing to cause this all-too-annoying problem.

This female writer from NYU knows what's it like: "I'm definitely not a tiny girl by any means, and I completely understand the battle with body image," she says. "I get a little unhappy anytime I have to purchase something in a large instead of a medium, but if the medium makes me look like a sausage trying to escape its skin, is it really worth wearing? Is it really going to look like you're a size medium to anyone but yourself? Of course not! I may groan when I have to reach for a size larger in that cute little dress or jeans but if it lays just right and fits as intended, so be it."

NYU girl draws from comments made by Stacy London of What Not to Wear when she makes these points: (1) The only person who sees the size of your clothing is you. (2) What matters is the look and if you can pull it off. (3) If you must go up a size to look like you can breathe (or to actually be able to breathe), then bite the bullet and do it.

I get it -- I'm all about feeling good in my clothes. And as for breathing: It's a must have for me. How about you?

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

Peppermint is a flavour we see in abundance: In candies, ice cream, gum, even our Grande Mochas at Starbucks. But peppermint is more than just a sweet treat; It's an effective cure for a variety of ailments, and a healthy flavour to add to your everyday diet.

First and foremost, peppermint has long been believed to be good for your stomach woes, from gas to nausea to gallbladder disease and even stomach cancer. And today, it's more than a just a belief -- According to this article from the Harvard School of Medicine, peppermint is an effective natural treatment for the symptoms of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS,) including pain, cramping, bloating and diarrhea. In fact, in studies, 75% of participants with IBS saw a major reduction in symptoms when they took peppermint capsules daily.Pretty impressive, huh?

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Dear Fitz, My husband makes a big stink when I give our kids any type of 'sugar candy' like gummy bears or bubblegum. The kids are totally skinny and I don't see what the big deal is. They are kids! What do you think? Christy

A. Hey Christy. Your husband is a freaking genius. That's what I think! He has the insight and thoughtfulness to know that as parents, you should be teaching your children the best habits possible. He knows that your children are less likely to eat nutritious things when they've had a dose of candy. They're more likely to deal with the pain and terror that comes along with having their cavities filled if you give them candy. They're more likely to struggle with their weight and other less than lovely issues later on in life if you don't instill high standards in them today.

Suckers, licorice, gummi bears, fruit snacks -- those are just a few of the sweet, chewy treats that dentists advise parents to keep out of their kids' hands (and mouths) to protect their teeth from cavities.

But what if candy could actually prevent cavities? Researchers at the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine have developed CaviStat, a substance that neutralizes cavity-causing acids in the mouth. It's the active ingredient in BasicMints, a sticky candy that actually prevents cavities. Kids who used BasicMints once a day, in addition to brushing with flouride toothpaste, had 61.7 percent fewer cavities than kids who practiced brushing alone.

The next step is FDA approval, so don't plan on looking for BasicMints on store shelves for quite some time.

We already know some of Madonna's fitness secrets, such as working out for two hours a day and doing an incredible number of repetitions with very small weights. And, whether you find her sexy or not, you have to admit that Madonna looks like she's in simply amazing shape.

And, of course, Madge follows the macrobiotic diet, and she tells Elle UK, "There are no shortcuts to being Madonna. It's all about hard work. There is no easy way. If you want to know how I look like I do, it's diet and exercise and constantly being careful."

However, even Madonna has to splurge once in a while, right? At any rate, she says she does, and that when she indulges (though you've got to believe it's not often), her very favorite is a Cadbury Creme Egg, saying, "I bite straight into it and suck all that good stuff right out!" Good to know she has a weakness too. But don't tell her I said that -- she'd probably kick my butt.

Easter is over but chances are, the chocolate is far from gone. I can relate--the Easter Toblerone I was gifted is staring me down from across the room as we speak. Luckily, I recently stumbled across this excellent post on Diet Blog on how to deal with chocolate cravings. Here are a couple of gems:

• Eat something that really doesn't go with chocolate. Like something garlicky. Or a dill pickle.
  
• Fulfill your craving in a healthy way with, say, a small glass of low-fat chocolate milk or hot cocoa
• Do something else, such as taking a walk. It will take your mind of the sweet stuff.
  
• Hide it. Or, if worst comes to worst, throw it in the trash.

Still tempted? Head over to Diet Blog for some more tips, and make sure to share some of your own!

Easter has come and gone, but the candy's still around, at least in my house. There's good and bad news to this: On the plus side, the fact that there's still candy in the house means that I didn't eat it all in one sitting. But the downside? it means that there's still temptation to be resisted, and to potentially get the better of me.

But nothing ruins a good craving like the cold, hard truth. It's a good idea to look into the calorie counts of things you might be tempted because it might help you talk yourself out of eating it when you realize how bad it might be for you. Then again, maybe not. But hey--can't say I didn't try, right?

So here's a question:

When did children start getting so much darn candy for Valentine's Day? What happened to just passing your friends a little card in a little envelope? Seriously, it rivaled Halloween around here, and that's saying something. I finally threw it away today, not because my kids were bugging me for it (out of sight, out of mind), but because every time I walked through the kitchen I caught myself reaching for one of those foil covered hearts.

According to Healthbolt, a new study out of Cornell University found people ate 50% less when they could see the evidence of their binge, whether it was candy bars or chicken wings. Apparently, being able to see how much you're eating helps your brain register the amount. So the next time you find yourself poised to overeat, save your wrappers and see if you can put the brakes on that binge.

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

My kids are still whittling away at their Valentine's Day candy while Easter looms right around the corner -- Sunday, March 23 is the big day. That means more candy. Candy from school. Candy hidden in eggs. Candy lining the aisles of every store we drop by. Candy. Candy. Candy.

Candy-filled holidays present a challenge for me. I want to limit my kids' sugar intake. I don't want them to go overboard on calories either. Still, I want them to enjoy the sweet occasions that seem to arrive on every page of my calendar. What scares me is what this blogger has to say: "A few studies have recently estimated that Easter rivals Halloween and Christmas for copious candy consumption among kids, with the average Easter basket packing a whopping 4,000 calories or more in sugar alone."

Fortunately, this same blogger calms my fears with a few suggestions for building baskets with health in mind. Check out these ideas fit for Easter.

• Substitute a huge solid-filled chocolate bunny with a more moderate sized hollow bunny.

• Don't include a whole bag of jelly beans but a handful or two.

• Give a bit of variety with candy while you avoid a large volume.

• Shop around for low sugar snacks but avoid those that use artificial sweeteners. Evidence suggests these may be worse on the body than sugar itself.

I could also substitute a few fun trinkets for candy, throw in some fun coupons redeemable for miniature golf maybe, and toss in a jump rope too. Ah, peace of mind.

I haven't been eating chocolate or other sweets for a while now. So I didn't get any gooey delights on Valentine's Day. I did get a pretty decadent and mouth-watering gift, though. I got a gift certificate for a shopping spree. Why?

"For more reasons than I can fit on this coupon," wrote my husband on his fancy handmade treat. "For one, you deserve it," he continued. "Most of all, three guys' lives would not be so bright, wonderful, and loving. Happy Valentine's Day."

At the bottom of my gift are three very important words: "No questions asked." What a gift. I get to shop with all my heart and answer to no one. In my book, there's nothing better, not even chocolate.

Scrutinizing nutritional labels on foods is part of the shopping process for many health-conscious people. Knowing how many carbs, fats, sugars, etc. are in this brand of crackers versus that brand may be the difference between a healthy snack and a diet pitfall. By now, most of these line items you see on these labels are fairly common and well known. But, what about that extra line -- you know, the one that has popped-up in the last few years. No, it's not sugar -- you recognize that one. It's the one right after it. Yeah, that one. Sugar Alcohols.

What are Sugar Alcohols? Well, put simply, they're a type of carb that adds a sweet taste to foods but do so with half the calories of sugar. They're called Sugar Alcohols because their chemical makeup resembles sugar and alcohol (so, the naming process clearly didn't involve all too much originality). More important than their name is knowing what they do. Sugar Alcohols are converted into glucose more slowly than sugar is, causing less of a spike in blood sugar.

Typically, you can find Sugar Alcohols in some kinds of chewing gum, soft drinks, toothpaste, mouthwash, cookies, and even throat lozenges. Although Sugar Alcohol's effects on blood sugar appear to be minimal, research has shown that too much of it (somewhere around 30-40g per day) can have a laxative effect. Some research suggests that problems of this kind can also arise from a daily consumption of even less than 30g.

I'm no scientist, but anything that has a laxative effect isn't cool. Maybe it's just me, but it's the way I feel.

Bev gave us the candy cane lowdown recently and shared with readers that she's curbed her once addiction to the red and white striped sticks due to concern about calories. I've got good news for Bev -- and all others who seek a reason to indulge.

A new study from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia found that adults consumed about 2,800 fewer calories per week when they were regularly exposed to peppermint.

"Smelling or eating peppermint seems to increase activity in the area of the brain responsible for alertness," says study author Bryan Raudenbush, Ph.D. "So you won't experience a slump that prompts you to seek out a snack."

Wow. What great holiday news! Even though candy canes might be heavy on the calories, they prevent us from going overboard with other treats. So by all means, grab a candy cane -- just don't grab too many.