That's Fit

Day 7: You know what? I've decided to quit counting calories when it comes to non-starchy vegetables. The calorie content is negligible at best. Take the following foods, for instance:

• 1 cup of broccoli -- 40 calories
• 1 cup of cauliflower -- 48 calories
• 3 stalks of celery -- nine calories ... I mean, come on. Is that worth writing down?
• 1 cup Swiss chard -- 32 calories
• cucumber -- 30 calories, for the whole thing!
• 1 cup eggplant -- 38 calories
  
  

You get the idea. These foods are jam-packed with nutrition and carry little weight when it comes to calories, so to make my life simpler, I've decided not to write them down. Will it make a difference in my weight loss? In the long run, I doubt it. This is about teaching myself life long healthy habits, not about obsessively tracking every last calorie.

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

This morning rocked. Not because I got to sleep in late, cause I didn't. This morning rocked because my four year old daughter climbed into bed with me, and asked if she could have some baby carrots for breakfast. Ahhh! That's what makes this fitness trainer Mommy giddy with glee.

I recently lectured at her preschool and spent time directing parents to make great choices for their children, because of both the short term and long term benefits. I preached that if we consistently offer the truly 'good stuff' to our kids, they will eventually choose it for themselves. Both of my children regularly request fruits and veggies, but carrots in the morning gets the gold prize.

Los Angeles Salad Company, out of California, is recalling all of its packages of baby carrots labeled "Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots" with a 'sell by' date up to (and including) August 16th due to the possibility that they are contaminated with Shigella bacteria. The packages were sold in Colorado, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida with the "Los Angeles Salad Company" brand name, and in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington under the brand "Trader Joe's."

4 people have become ill in Canada and investigators are still trying to determine the source. Shigella bacteria infections can cause bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting -- if you find any of these carrots in your home don't eat them (obviously) and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.