That's Fit

It's no secret that a traditional English breakfast isn't healthy. That's just what happens when a meal is made up of fried eggs, fried bacon, fried hash browns, fried tomatoes and--good lord--fried bread (though to be fair, the breakfast is also served with baked beans, which are hopefully not fried as well).

But while proponents of the fry-up may look towards any kind of benefit in the menu -- protein! healthy egg whites! -- it's clear that the full English does more harm than good. Here's what's wrong with it:

• It increases your risk for bowel cancer by 63%, according to recent reports.
  
• It also significantly increases your risk of obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease and a number of other killer ailments.
  

I'll say it again: Moderation. No one died from eating a full English fry-up once in their life, but having a meal of these proportions every day can literally kill you. Proceed with caution.

Many studies show that people who eat breakfast have a better chance of losing weight. When you consume a balanced breakfast including foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, you're fueling your body with slow-burning foods that will keep you energized throughout the day. In addition, healthful breakfast choices will help you feel full longer.

A new study narrows down the healthful breakfast recommendations. The study found that dieters who ate two eggs for breakfast had better weight control than those who ate bagels. (The overall calorie intake of all study subjects was controlled.) In detail, those who ate eggs lost 65% more weight, had 61% greater reduction in BMI, and had higher energy levels.

It's important to note that the study was funded by the Egg Nutrition Center. I have to wonder what the results would be if the non-egg eaters in the study had eaten something more nutritious than a bagel (the report doesn't specify if the bagels were whole grain and if they were topped with anything).

For kids with allergies to eggs, the best medicine might just be cake. Yes, cake.

Here's the deal: Heat modifies certain egg allergens and allows some kids to be treated by feeding them increasing amounts of egg baked in cake. After six months of this cake desensitization process, 90 percent of kids in a University of Athens study had effective tolerance.

The bad news, besides the amount of sugar these kids will ingest while attempting to kick their egg allergies, is that this is not something you should try at home. Kids with known food allergies should be treated under the supervision of a physician only. So, hand over this issue to your kids' doctors and see what the professionals have to say. In the meantime, mull over this topic here.

Looking to pump up your protein intake but aren't exactly thrilled with the idea of eating canned tuna? Fear not, you chicken of the sea -- there are plenty of much tastier foods out there that offer a heaping helping of this macronutrient.

The current issue of Maximum Fitness magazine serves up these fine alternatives to the usual protein suspects:

Beans. Score a solid 18g of protein from a cup of kidney beans, which take only a few minutes to cook up in a saucepan or microwave.

Eggs. Large eggs contain about 6.5g of protein each. Not a whole bunch, but most people don't just eat a single egg. It doesn't take a degree in advanced mathamatics to figure out that a hearty egg breakfast can hook you up with a healthy dose of pro.

Got tangles in your favorite necklace? Use a little butter and a needle and see if you can get them out. Probably not, according to this MSNBC video. After this oddball food remedy was tested, the tangles did come out, but it took 20 minutes -- probably not that much easier than using a needle alone.

Food is apparently not for consumption alone. It also works for some of life's little annoyances -- like removing crayon marks from walls and furniture. Just rub on a glob of mayonnaise, let sit for 10 minutes, and wipe off. Hey, it works. This also works: Use a piece of bread and dab it on small pieces of broken glass -- it will pick them up with ease.

How about egg yolk for super shiny hair? Nope. Stick with your usual conditioner. Does milk work for ink stains on shirts? No. How about salt for grease stains? No again.

Two out of six. Not so great in my book. I say save your food for fuel and forget the shot-in-the-dark frustration fixes.

Put down the eggs, men! Well, not all of them. For some of you, anyway.

Middle-aged men who ate seven or more eggs per week had a higher risk of earlier death, say U.S. researchers reporting on the 20-year-long Physicians' Health Study. And men with diabetes who ate any eggs at all raised their risk of death.

Eggs have long been controversial -- and this research adds to a growing body of evidence about the safety of the possibly-forbidden food. Here are some initial conclusions:

So, Easter is over and some of you might have a whole bunch of (very pretty) hardboiled eggs sitting in your fridge. Personally, I would be thrilled -- I make a mean, low-fat egg salad, plus on FitSugar I just came across a new recipe for not-so-devilish eggs that I would love to try. But, today's your lucky day -- here are two tasty ideas for using up those eggs:

Kristen's Low-fat High-flavor Egg-salad

(I know there is quite the debate on whether to use yolks or not -- I keep about 1/3 the yolks in for the nutrition, but otherwise discard them. Do whatever your hungry little heart desires.)

• Chop eggs, using whatever portion of the yolks you want.
  
  
• Add enough fat-free mayo and brown deli mustard to get the desired consistency -- I like to use just enough to get everything stuck together.
  
  
• Sprinkle in some paprika or, my personal favorite, Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning -- not too much, just enough for a little kick.
  
  
• Eat on greens, a wrap, or by itself. Yum!
  

Not So Devilish Eggs recipe after the jump:

Convinced that egg-white omelettes are the pinnacle of healthy breakfasts? Don't forget about the yolks -- they're one of the most important parts of the egg. Sure, they contain a bit of cholesterol, but consider this: Egg yolks contain zeaxanthin and lutein, two nutrients that are critical for eye health. Also? They're a good source of phosphatidylcholine, which is important for boosting your brain power.

So next time you're whipping up breakfast, instead of using three egg whites, throw in one whole egg -- that way, you're getting all the benefits and not too much of the fat.

I recently posted about a technique for turning out a perfect hard-boiled egg. Myself a failure at the practice, I couldn't wait to give this recommendation a try. Today, I did it. Here's how it went.

• I put five eggs in a saucepan, covered them by one inch with cold water, covered the pan, turned on my gas stove, and let the boiling begin.
  
  

• Once rapidly boiling, I removed the pan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 15 minutes.
  
  
• After 15 minutes, I drained the water from the pan and refilled it with cold water so my eggs could sit again, this time until completely cool.
  
  

• Then I peeled my first egg. To my amazement, the process was effortless, seamless, eggs-cellent. Shells didn't stick to eggs -- my typical scenario -- and before my eyes was one perfect hard-boiled egg

Headed right for my lunchtime salad, this egg is the best I've ever prepared. I can't wait to enjoy this 70-ish calorie treat.

I never quite know how to boil the perfect egg. I've collected recommendations, consulted the Internet, and experimented on my own. Still, I've yet to craft the perfect hard-boiled egg, and I typically end up fighting to peel the shell without claiming clumps of egg along with it.

Publix.com offers this take on perfecting the boiled egg. I think I'll give it a try.

• Inspect eggs carefully. Don't use any with cracks.
• Place eggs in a single layer saucepan.
• Fill with cold water and cover by at least one inch.
  
• Cover pan.
• Quickly bring to rapid boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Let eggs stand in hot water, covered -- 15 minutes for large eggs; 18 minutes for extra-large eggs.
  
• Drain.
• Run cold water over eggs or place in an ice-water bath until cool.
  
  

OK, I'm giving this a try. I'll let you know how it goes.

When I went on a three-month trek around Thailand a few years ago, I assumed I would lose weight effortlessly because I wouldn't be filling up on my regular diet of carbs and convenience food. I'm not alone -- when it comes to food, we tend to assume that Asian cuisine is healthier than North American fare. After all, while our food tends to be high in fat, refined carbs and sugar and other processed ingredients, Asian food tends to be low in fat and high in veggies.

But how accurate are our assumptions about Asian cuisine? I'll tell you one thing -- I didn't lose weight on a diet of green curry with rice, pad thai and tom kha gai soup. In fact, I gained a couple. So I wonder ...

The answer to this question seems pretty simple. Egg whites are all the rage today -- to the extent that you can even buy them on their own, sans yolks. It's pretty clear why they're so popular; Egg whites are a low-fat source of protein that are free of the saturated fat and cholesterol that the yellow stuff has.

But here's some news that might surprise you: In addition to having all the bad stuff, yolks also have all the good stuff too. According to Fitsugar, yolks have less sodium and more calcium, vitamin D and folate than whites. So next time you whip up that egg-white omelet, leave a yolk -- just one should be enough.

I personally prefer my eggs with yolks, but I don't eat them enough for it to be a big problem. What about you? Are you an egg white or egg yolk person?

Want to have the freshest best tasting organic tomatoes to put on your sandwiches, salads or to make your sauces? Tomatoes are full of vitamins and nutrients as well as being a lycopene rich food. You don't have to have a big plot of land to garden and grow these delectable vegetables. All you need is a 5 gallon bucket, a stake and some string, some garden soil, and one healthy tomato plant. Planting your own is a sure fire way to know you are eating organic. When purchasing tomato plants at your local garden center, select stocky, dark green plants. One plant per bucket will produce a lot of tomatoes. Planting tomatoes should be done before the end of June so hurry and get yours planted.

You can use the bucket method to plant tomatoes year round inside. Save your egg containers and use them as seed starters. Fill each cavity with potting soil and put one seed per cavity. Then as the sprouts get 4 inches tall, transfer them to their own bucket. Set plants into the soil up to their first true leaves.

Tomatoes need 6 hours of sunlight a day so if you are starting them inside, be sure to have them near a window that gets a lot of sunlight.

You've heard it your entire life, and it's true -- as Martha posted here, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What you eat doesn't just feed your body and get you physically prepared for the day ahead, it also feeds your mind. But did you know that it's not just whether you eat, but also what you eat for breakfast that impacts how you perform for the rest of the day?

According to the study reported on here, foods that release sugar into your system at a slower and more consistent rate, have the biggest impact on attention, memory and how fast you work. The study, which was conducted on British school kids but which also applies to adults, found that ham and cheese served with wholegrain bread was one of the best possible breakfasts.

Apparently sugary cereal such as Cornflakes (they're not just talking about the really sweet stuff like Coco Puffs and Fruit Loops) served with waffles and syrup was the worst early morning meal, while scrambled eggs with toast and jam sat somewhere in the middle. So while it's alright to enjoy pancakes or your favorite cereal once in a while, it's probably best to avoid it on days when you really need to get a job done well.

Easter is just a few days away, and I'm encouraging you to encourage your Easter bunny to consider each child's health while creating a basket. Baskets are a blast and so much fun. They don't have to be filled with sugar, fat, and junk like traditional baskets of the past though.

My kids have never even heard of a Peep and they've always been thrilled with Easter. We fill their baskets with tons of fun, and usually just one small hollow chocolate bunny. They love it and your kids will too. Here are some ideas for both healthy theme baskets and Easter morning fun. Have fun with it, and enjoy the fact that you're putting personal effort into their day. Don't cower to the advertisers pressure to shove junk into the little ones you love the most. Have a day that's exciting, fun, and happy in every way.

Choose a theme such as:

Sports: Balls, mini bats, shin guards, a sports team t-shirt or hat, new sneakers, jump rope, Sports Illustrated for Kids, water bottles, whistle, cones, sweat bands, sports watch, game tickets

Arts & Crafts: Paint, pencil, crayons, brushes, stamps, glue, pom-poms, googly eyes, construction paper, kid scissors, glitter, coloring books, paper bags for puppets

Beach fun: swimsuit, colorful kid sun-block, visor, shovel, pail, mini umbrella, summer Barbie, books, a personalized voucher for a trip to the beach, water park or pool, slip and slide, make a kiddie pool the basket, water bottles