If you're trying to lose weight, know which foods you can eat plenty of -- and keep them around.

It's a well-known fact that older women need calcium and vitamin D to fight bone loss. But it's also important that younger, active women get calcium and vitamin D to prevent stress fractures.

A recent study looked at more than 5,000 female U.S. Navy recruits and found that those who didn't take additional calcium and vitamin D were 25% more likely to suffer a stress fracture.

The authors of the study recommend that women take calcium and vitamin D supplements before starting any new exercise regime. But you can also opt to get your calcium and vitamin D naturally. Dairy products such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese are good sources of calcium, but there are other nutrition sources as well. Your best source of vitamin D is the sun; fish and vitamin D fortified foods (milk, orange juice, and cereals are often fortified with vitamin D) are also sources.

Source

As adults living in a fast-paced world, we may be a little lax in assuring we eat a balanced breakfast every morning. Sure, a granola bar or a banana on-the-run may not be the end of the world, but even though those things may have some nutrition to them, they are not balanced breakfasts.

One thing we don't want to do is pass this tradition on to our kids. Today's lifestyle demands a lot from these little people too, and a balanced breakfast will give them a good start to tackle the world, one day at a time.

Dr. Sears, one of the most down-to-earth famous pediatricians out there, has some ideas about balanced breakfasts for kids. Complex carbohydrates and protein should both be present, so he suggests to think whole grains plus dairy plus fruit.

Source

When it comes to healthy lunches, packing your own is one of the best ways to make sure you're not overdoing it on calories and fat. And what is synonymous with a brown bag lunch? A sandwich. But nutritionally speaking, not all sandwiches are created equal, even homemade ones.

According to eDiets, just one tablespoon of mayo will add 100 calories and 10 g of fat to your sandwich -- that's enough calories to add six pounds to your waistline each year!

Want a better choice that adds just a much flavor? Mustard is your best bet at a mere 10 calories per tablespoon. If you just can't stand your sandwich without mayo? Light mayo has about half the fat and calories.

Source

When I was a kid, there was no question that a big glass of milk was a healthy choice. Today, however, there's a pretty decent debate about milk. (Just do a search for anti dairy... you'll see what I mean.) There are environmental and ethical implications in dairy farming and many just feel that milk from a cow isn't healthy for humans.

Personally, both my son and I drink milk. Not the three glasses a day some organizations would have you drink, but we each probably have one small glass a day. However, I'm a believer that you don't have to have dairy to get your necessary nutrients. When it comes to milk, though, my son and I drink low-fat, white milk. I'm just not a fan of the added sugar in chocolate milk. Some varieties of chocolate milk can add up to 18 grams of sugar. (Though I do let my son have chocolate milk as a special treat now and then.)

Source

Milk. It does a body good. Or does it? According to the Celebrity Diet Doctor, one of milk's major health claims -- that it helps prevent osteoporosis by supplying the body with much-needed calcium -- is totally bunk.

In fact, some even believe that milk causes osteoporosis. A study done by the dairy industry allegedly found that post-menopausal women who drank three glasses of milk a day lost bone density twice as fast as those who drank no milk at all. And, as Jacki told us a few months ago, there are other interesting health risks associated with milk.

Still, take everything with a grain of salt -- Milk is a good source of calcium and protein and as long as you practice the 'everything in moderation' mantra, I think you'll be fine. And I'm not giving up my post-workout glass of skim anytime soon.

Source

Apparently, the term Pescatarian is now in the dictionary, according to our friends over at Fitsugar. 'Pescatarian' describes a vegetarian who eats fish, in case you didn't know. And then there's Flexitarians--people like me who are part-time vegetarians. But it got me thinking: What are the other types of vegetarians?

Here's a short list of some other types of veggies:

• Vegans don't eat any animal products, including dairy and honey
• Fruitarians eat only fruits and vegetables that are classified as fruits
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians stay away from meat but eat eggs and dairy
• Raw/Living foodists eat only raw foods
• Macrobiotics eat only unprocessed foods, but sometimes eat fish.

What 'atarian' are you?

Source

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz. I blew it! I am going on vacation with a bunch of my college buddies and some hot girls in four weeks. I've totally slacked off on my workouts since school ended and now I'd like to get ripped again before we head to Mexico. What can I do at my gym to shred a bit of fat and get buff quick before the trip? I know I'm a dork for slacking, but I also know you can help me improve. I'm willing to do the work! Jason

A. Familiar story Jason! You're not the only one who's taken some time off from their fitness training only to have it blow up in your face. You're also not the first person to try and undo the damage quickly. Four weeks is a pretty decent amount of time, so if you are really clean with your eating habits and start training intensely ... I think it would be safe to take off at least 10 pounds before you see Mexico, and all of those hot girls see you!

Source

If you take your coffee black, you're pretty badass. It takes a certain type of person to chug that stuff down without some milk to take the edge off. However, unless you're getting your dairy from other sources, you may want to reconsider this decision and add a splash of milk to your java.

Harvard researchers found that women who consume little or no dairy as part of their daily diet are 11 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who ate at least two daily servings. So, if you're still hellbent on taking your coffee black, try to include a half cup of low-fat cottage cheese or a cup of yogurt to your diet at least twice a day.

The research, published in a 2007 issue of Hypertension from the American Heart Association, is based on data from food questionnaires filled out by 4,797 participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Family Heart Study, in association with the Harvard Medical School.

Source

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz. I am 12 years old and am a little chunky. I have love handles and wish to get rid of them, but I don't know what I should do! I was trying sit ups and crunches, but they don't work. Now I want to know what really works and how I can keep my body in shape without body fat . Everyone says that I'm not fat nor skinny, I'm just chunky. I want to get rid of all the chunky parts, but I don't know what I should do. Please help! Jellybean

A. First of all Jellybean, I want you to change your focus. I know it's hard to be young and uncomfortable in your skin. I too, had that issue before I was a teenager and ended up with a traumatic eating disorder. Trust me ... it brought me only bad things, never good. Don't go there. Instead of focusing on your so-called "flaws", find something about your body you like. I bet your body is loaded with treasures.

Source

A few weeks ago, I suggested taking a caveman approach to your workout. Rather than focusing on a normal, seven day training week, I mentioned that an abandonment of this calendar-based convention can help unleash your prehistoric potential. Or something like that, anyway. Well, my new suggestion falls in line with this "primitive thinking," only this time around it has to do with diet.

Swedish scientists (who are thankfully much easier to understand than Swedish Chefs) discovered that eating a "Paleolithic diet" can drastically reduce a person's chances of developing type 2 diabetes. In the study, which was conducted at Lund University in Sweden, it was found that men who ate a diet similar to that eaten by prehistoric man improved their ability to process carbohydrates. What's more, this improvement was found to even be greater than people who followed a Mediterranean diet.

While fish, lean meats, and vegetables were very much a part of both groups' diets, the cavemen-type eaters consumed more nuts and fruits, and limited their intake of grains and dairy.

Source

Calcium is a vital nutrient for strong bones and teeth. For women in particular, calcium is important to help ward off osteoporosis later in life. Osteoporosis causes bones to weaken and become brittle -- increasing the risk of breaking bones. Calcium works together with other nutrients -- such as vitamin D -- to build strong bones.

So is milk your best source of calcium? Contrary to what we always learned in our youth, it may not be. In fact a Harvard study concluded that there is no evidence that several glasses of milk each day contribute to stronger bones. There are other dietary sources of calcium beyond milk. Give some of these a try:

• Cheese
• Sardines
• Broccoli
• Dark, leafy greens such as kale and collard greens
  
• Almonds
• Yogurt
• Rhubarb

Some other foods, such as orange juice, can be fortified with calcium as well. Pair a calcium-rich diet with weight-bearing exercise and you've got a recipe for good bone health.

Source

When people who want to drink raw milk live in a state where it's illegal, they often get around the law by buying a share of a cow. In many states, it's only legal to drink unpasteurized cow's milk if you own the animal, so by buying a share in a cow, they're allowed to drink its milk.

Even in states where selling and drinking raw milk is legal, the USDA and FDA are watching with concern. Demand for raw milk is on the rise, and they're worried that the milk will cause an outbreak of salmonella, listeria, or E. coli. Though no one tracks the sale of raw milk officially, dairy farmers say they're seeing more customers than ever.

The health benefits and dangers of raw milk are long debated. Some say that pasteurizing raw milk removes essential nutrients and makes the drink, essentially, junk food. Others -- the FDA included -- say that pasteurized milk is perfectly healthy and that drinking raw milk is putting your health at risk. What do you think?

Source

We've all accepted the fact that we need protein. But do you know specifically how much protein you need to be getting as part of a nutritious diet? If you're anything like me, you might not be getting enough. I'll be honest here--I'm not a protein person. I prefer carbs, veggies and fruits to anything else out there, and seeing as I'm not much of a meat eater, it's sometimes a struggle to get my fair share. But I do ok--or at least I though so.

I recently paid attention to what the recommended daily intake of protein is for people depending on their weight. Here's a quick breakdown (to find out your own, just multiply your weight in lbs by .36:)

• If you weigh 100 lbs, you need 36g
• If you weigh 120 lbs, you need 43.2g
• If you weigh 140 lbs, you need 50.4g
• If you weigh 160 lbs, you need 57.6g
• If you weigh 180 lbs, you need 64.8g

That seems like an awful lot, doesn't it? But there's good news--protein isn't only in meat. You can find it in a variety of dairy products, not to mention nuts, beans, lentils and vegetables.

How do you get your protein?

There are lots of good reasons to eat organic--your health and the health of your family being the most important one. But there are also a few good reasons to not eat organic--it's expensive, it can be difficult to find, and when you do find organic products, the choices are sometimes limited compared to the non-organic brands.

Myself, I eat organic about 65% of the time. I live in a big city and it's not difficult to find organic choices, but cost is sometimes a factor, so I stick to buying organic for the important items--the fruits and veggies, the meats and some of the dairy products.

But I'm curious -- what about you?