Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Send us an email to reciperehab [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com to submit a recipe for a makeover!

Recipe may vary from photograph Photo: Mark Thomas, jupiterimages

Chicken is one of the most popular meats in the world, and you can find fried chicken recipes in nearly every culture. You might be surprised to know that in a recent poll, fried chicken was No. 4 on America's list of top 10 comfort foods. It's no wonder KFC coined the term "Finger Licking Good." Unfortunately, two fried chicken breasts have around 42 grams of fat, 10 grams of which are saturated. Eating foods high in saturated fats can increase your LDL (bad cholesterol), which can gunk up your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease.

I was determined to find a way to provide all the savory crispiness of fried chicken that won't do any damage to your health and waistline. To start, I've removed the skin and lightened up the batter to create a recipe with only 2 grams of saturated fat. Pecans were my nut of choice, not only for their crunchy texture, but because according to a study published in the September 2003 issue of the American Journal of Nutrition, adding pecans to your daily diet will help in clearing the arteries, thus lowering cholesterol levels.

This new creation tastes as good cold as it does hot, so it's perfect to pack in a cooler and take along on a picnic or have as leftovers the next day.

Are you gearing up for a 4th of July celebration this weekend? The holiday is a perfect opportunity to gather family and friends together for a barbecue. Hopefully, after your holiday feast, you'll be able to catch an awesome fireworks display, too.

But you don't want your 4th of July food to blow up your healthy eating goals, do you? One of the more popular items on the menu for the weekend is probably BBQ chicken. But how many calories does that sweet, tangy, falling-off-the-bone barbecue favorite pack?

To me, nothing says spring quite like long leisurely lunches with friends on warm afternoons. And nothing says lunch quite like a sandwich. Opting for a fresh sandwich loaded with veggies and topped off with whole grain bread over something laden with fat and calories, like a burger, seems like the healthy way to go. And I always give myself bonus points for ordering a salad on the side instead of the standard fries.

But are sandwiches always the healthier option? Take one of my favorite -- the club -- and tell me.

I don't know about you, but I am amazed that it is March already. Make that amazed and pretty happy because March marks the slow emergence into spring, and I literally cannot wait until I can venture outside without a heavy coat in tow. It also means that it's time to start thinking about -- gah! -- bathing suit season, which will be here quicker than you know. In other words? Start ordering salads.

Take, for instance, an Arby's Chicken Salad. It has the two key words you should be looking for -- chicken (as in, lean protein) and salad (as in, lots of fresh veggies.) But not all salads are created equal. How does this one stack up? You tell me.

Source

Wellness Chef Laurie Erickson demonstrates how to make both healthy and delicious fish tacos. You can use her recipe with tofu or chicken as well!

For more great cooking tips, fun fit tips, and innovative training videos visit SportsHealthExericse.org.

Source

That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind. And to reward you for your efforts, Everlast and Everlast Woman have provided gorgeous T-shirts to bestow on our featured members.

Name: Candice Miser

Age: 22

Occupation: Student/ PCA

How often do you exercise? Not enough!

What type of exercise do you do? Yoga and ab training.

Source

What comes to mind when you think of kid recipes? Growing up, I know I was relegated to making cookies and cupcakes -- Mom just didn't trust me with much else. But the definition of what kids can and can't cook is changing, according to the New York Times. Now kid-targeted cookbooks offer up recipes like roast chicken, brisket and other main dishes.

It's not just a move that will benefit lazy parents -- it's a healthy one too. After all, kids who only know how to make cookies could end up eating a lot of cookies. And teaching kids how to cook healthy foods for themselves at an early age is a way to get them interested in fresh food and taking part in preparing it.

What do you think? Would you want your little one cooking up a chicken?

Source

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. 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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I just bought a fairly fitted dress for a party this weekend and am desperate to avoid a poochy tummy. I'm in pretty good shape but often get bloated. I can not wear this dress if I'm bloated. Help! Andrea

A. Hi Andrea, Bloating is a bummer, but I can definitely help you avoid it. You're just going to have to be smart about what you eat and drink for the few days prior to your event.

Source

Do you happen to have any Lean Cuisine meals in your freezer? If so, you better take stock of what you have -- nearly 900,000 pounds of Lean Cuisine frozen chicken meals are being recalled.

Nestlé Prepared Foods Company in Springville, Utah issued the recall after receiving customer complaints regarding bits of hard, blue plastic in certain meals. So far, one injury has been reported. The products being recalled include:

• Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken with Bow-Tie Pasta.
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean.
• Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan.

Only certain production codes of these meals are being recalled. If you have questions, you can contact Nestlé Consumer Services Center at (800) 227-6188.

Source

I rarely buy frozen chicken, but it wasn't too long ago that my son and I enjoyed Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner. It's a favorite of mine that I usually reserve for a treat at a restaurant. It looks like my son and I were a little lucky, though. As of now, 32 people in 12 states have contracted salmonella from frozen chicken dinners.

The frozen foods in question were breaded or pre-browned chicken breasts that needed to be cooked in the oven. Those who got ill neglected to follow the instructions and heated the food in the microwave. If the chicken is fully cooked before freezing, the microwave more than likely won't do the job.

When dealing with frozen foods, be sure to prepare the meal according to directions. And be sure that any meats -- frozen or fresh -- are cooked thoroughly.

Source

Eggs, the old standby breakfast food, are a fantastic source of protein. But figuring out what kind of eggs to buy is becoming more and more daunting. Labels boasting free-range, cage-free and fortified might leave you scratching your head -- luckily The New York Times in shedding some light on what they all mean. Here are a few pointers:

• Cage-free means the bird was kept out of a cage, but this doesn't mean they ever saw the light of day
• Free-range means they had regular access to the outdoors, but 'outdoor' could mean a parking lot.
• Pasture-raised means that at least some of their diet was natural (like greens and bugs.) But there's no regulation on how much of their diet needs to be natural.
• Animal Welfare Approved means they spent all their time outdoors in a pesticide-free pasture. They are bathed and not fed any animal byproducts.

Intrigued? Read more here.

(via Well)

Source

If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.

It's a new week and a new look for That's Fit! Have you noticed our new feature boxes on the right-hand site of the page? Make sure to click through to read some of your favorite columns -- The Good, the Fat, and the Hungry, Celebrity News, Fit Kicks with Fitz, and of course don't forget to check in with our experts. And if you're striving for a new look of your own, check out this week's posts for the latest in diet and fitness.

• Jerry O'Connell has been busy pulling his foot from his mouth this week. Find out why.
• Celebrity gawker Perez Hilton took 10 inches off his waist. He wants to look like David Beckham.
• Martha raises some questions about flax seed. Is it really as good for us as we think?
• Settling into college life? Find out how to prevent that "Freshman 15" from creeping up on you. And find out why college campuses are banning cafeteria trays.
  
• The Presidential candidates have selected their running mates. Chris tells you how to pick yours.
• Having chicken for dinner? Margaret shares 20 ways to make it a healthy meal.
• Having trouble giving up your bottled water habit? Kristen exposes the myths behind this useless and wasteful product.
  
  

Have a great week everyone!

Being called a chicken shouldn't upset us as much as it does, especially since it's such a healthy thing to be (that is, assuming that you truly are what you eat).

A five-ounce piece of skinless chicken packs a great deal of vitamins and vital nutrients, something some "courageous" protein sources cannot boast. Here's the nutrient rap sheet on what even a piece of chicken this small provides:

• 32 percent of RDA of vitamin B6, an essential vitamin for forming hemoglobin for red blood cells
• 40 percent of RDA of selenium, an antioxidant which also prevents injuries to cells
• 8 percent of RDA of magnesium, which is necessary for the proper conversion of food to energy
• 7 percent of RDA of iron, which enables hemoglobin to carry oxygen to all body cells
• 67 percent of RDA of protein, promoting muscle growth and the maintenance of muscle tissue
• 72 percent of RDA of niacin, which helps convert food into energy
  
  

I'm not sure explaining these facts to someone who calls you a chicken is the coolest comeback you can throw, but perhaps your knowledge of them will help you keep your beak ... er, I mean head up high.

Source

For quite a while, my son refused to eat chicken. I didn't push him on it -- before I adopted him he lived on a ranch where one of his chores was to take care of the chickens. I can totally respect his not wanting to eat chicken because of ethical reasons (though I don't think he realized that's what he was doing).

So you can imagine my surprise when, all of a sudden, my son started expressing an interest in eating chicken again. Now it's one of his favorite meals. It makes things easier for me as many of my easy and healthful recipes revolve around chicken.

So, while I was relieved to be able to cook it again, I'm already starting to feel like I'm in a rut. I needed to add some new recipes to my chicken repertoire. Here comes Cooking Light to the rescue -- they have 20 tasty and healthful chicken recipes to try. Next up on my family's dinner plate? Peanut-Crusted Chicken with Pineapple Salsa.

Source