Sweet potatoes are a nutritional gold mine. High in vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, iron and other powerful nutrients, choosing sweet potatoes over other varieties is a no-brainer. This Sweet Stuffed Sweet Potato recipe is very easy to make, and the sweet flavor makes it taste a little more like dessert than a vegetable.

The recipe can be found on page 8 of my online recipe book at Fitzness.com. I make it often at family meals, but sometimes I just cut the ingredients down and whip some up for myself. Give it a try! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

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Baking up goodies for parties, gifts and Santa is a terrific part of this festive holiday season -- even for me, your loving fitness trainer. Baking doesn't have to be bad for your body though, nor does it have to contribute to that traditional December weight gain.

If I weren't a fitness professional, I'd be a baker. It's fun and allows me the ability to be creative while making people happy. I love making people happy. I don't, however, enjoy putting fat on my hips or the hips of others. This has lead me to be really creative.

I've got a few suggestions for you to follow and a link here to my favorite baked treats in my online recipe book at Fitzness.com.

• Substitute eggs for an egg substitute like Egg Beaters.
• Substitute butter/oil for a sugar free syrup like the ones sold a DaVinci Gourmet. (Use equal amounts as the ones given for the oil/butter.)

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When trying to lose weight, there are probably a few rules you follow, including lowering your intake of fats and sticking fast to your lower-calorie diet. But, maybe you shouldn't -- AOL Health took a look at some of the ideas behind Crack the Fat Loss Code by Wendy Chant, and some of the suggestions might surprise you.

• Pig out -- Not all the time, of course, but every 18 days -- this keeps your body from getting used to the same caloric intake, thereby increasing your metabolism.
• Forget fat-free -- Skip the skim and opt for low-fat (or -- gasp! -- even full fat) dressings and dairy products, and make sure you get omega 3 fatty acids like tuna and flaxseeds, and monosaturated fatty acids like you find in nuts and nut butters.
• Spice things up -- Adding just half a teaspoon of a spice, like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, or cayenne can boost your metabolism nearly 80%!
  
  

AOL Health has plenty more tips and tricks for cracking the fat loss code, and you can find them right here.

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Ahh, egg nog. It's one of my favourites but it's not one of the healthiest aspects of the holiday season, as I explored here and here. But what's an egg nog lover to do? Change it up, according to eDiets.

They've got a selection of egg-nog recipes, like eggnog French toast, egg nog smoothies and egg nog cinnamon oatmeal. Sounds delish. But? All the egg nog recipes call for fat-free egg nog -- I've never seen such a thing in my grocer's dairy section but will keep my eye out.

Click here for the recipes.

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