Sugar occurs naturally in some healthy foods such as fruits (as fructose), vegetables, milk (as lactose) and grains. But various forms of processed sugar are contained in the foods we eat. This is called added sugar and chances are, you are consuming too much of it.

While added sugar has no nutritional value, it boosts flavor, acts as a preservative and balances food's acidity. Added sugar is likely one of the factors in the rising obesity rates in the United States. Over-consumption can also contribute to tooth decay and poor nutrition.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not have specific recommendations on how much sugar you should consume, but their guidelines suggest that you should aim to spend only a certain number of discretionary calories on added sugar. If you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, which is recommended for women who weigh 150 pounds, only 267 calories of that should be used on sugary snacks or alcoholic drinks which contain added sugar.

The American Heart Association (AHA) goes one step further, recommending that you spend half of your discretionary-calorie allowance on sugar, suggesting that most American women should spend no more than 100 calories a day on added sugar, while men should aim for no more than 150 calories. That's about six teaspoons of added sugar or 24 grams a day for women. Americans currently consume about 22 teaspoons of sugar. To get an idea about where all that sugar is coming from, just remember: Regular sodas contain eight teaspoons of sugar.

To reduce your sugar intake, cut out non-diet sodas, cookies, cakes and candy.

Once you've altered your eating habits, try a fitness routine to lose weight.

The Zone Diet, devised by Barry Sears, M.D., and introduced in 1995, gained popularity through celebrity dieters like Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore and Madonna.

Like other weight-loss plans, the Zone Diet encourages dieters to cut calories, especially those from carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. It encourages people looking to lose weight to eat lots of lean meats and other foods filled with healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as fiber-rich vegetables and fruits. To keep their blood-sugar levels stable and fend off hunger pangs, those on the plan eat five small meals a day.

Unlike some diets, the Zone Diet doesn't force people to buy certain foods, which can help cut down on the costs that sometimes accompany these plans. There are, however, a line of Zone Diet supplements. People who choose to eat them should be warned that they can be expensive.

Sounds perfect, right? Not so fast.

The diet discourages dairy consumption, which can keep those on the Zone Diet from getting several essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D, Vitamin E and calcium. Another common complaint is that the low-carb plan leaves dieters too tired to exercise. Coffee and soda intake can get tricky on the plan, too, because caffeine, which causes insulin levels to spike, is considered a no-no.

Others have a hard time understanding the 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat (40-30-30) ratio that Dr. Sears says will make your metabolism function best. These restrictions can be especially problematic when you're dining out. Dieters are also required to eat within one hour of waking and, roughly, every two to three hours after.

Additionally, Zone Diet creators claim -- despite a lack of evidence -- that those who follow the plan will decrease their risk of cancer, heart disease and other conditions while improving athletic performance.

If you have decided to lose weight, one of your best bets is a healthy, low-fat diet, paired with exercising several times a week. That's Fit has Diet and Weight Loss tips to help.

Read the full Zone Diet Review and Zone Diet Foods List from AOL Health.

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Overwhelmed by all of the "Follow Friday" recommendations on Twitter? Each week AOL Health's Twitter alias Healthpop and That's_Fit search the Twittersphere for the greatest diet and fitness Twitterers, and each week, we'll highlight the best-of their best tweets (no Twits here). Got any great advice for our Fit Follow Friday post? Give us a shout on Twitter and let us know all about it!

Pomegranate juice has been a health food hit for awhile now, but how often do you toss a raw pomegranate in your grocery cart? The Pomegranate Council -- yes, there's a council -- shares all sorts of cool facts about this ancient fruit. Now's a good time to try a pomegranate, the California's Wonderful variety is in season now through January.

The fun part lies in figuring out how to actually eat those raw aril seeds bursting with pomegranate juice. Whether using the traditional or fanning no-mess methods, you can scoop out the seeds without turning your fingertips into a red-stained mess.

Once you have a pile, how many calories are actually in a half cup of pomegranate seeds?

Photo: Watermelon is a sweet summer treat. sxc.hu

Day 3: If you're trying to build a five-a-day habit (or even better, more!), summer is the time to do it. My fridge is overflowing with fresh tasty produce: Lettuce and green onions from the garden, fresh-picked strawberries from the farmers market, melon, every color of pepper, cucumbers -- you get the idea.

An easy place to start is incorporating just one fruit or veggie into every meal or snack. (If you're not a snacker, aim for two servings at every meal.) Today, I ate two small plums with my breakfast smoothie, a whole bunch of carrots and cucumbers with hummus for lunch, and I had a big bowl of fruit salad -- cantaloupe and watermelon -- with my grilled turkey sandwich (also topped with romaine and tomato) for dinner.

I don't like to spend a lot of time at a hot stove in the summer, so these simple meals worked perfectly for me.

Photo: sxc.hu

Day 7: For some reason, biking was my workout of choice this week, a switch for me since I'm usually a walker. But in just seven days, I can already see some small changes. My legs don't burn quite so much, and my usual route just doesn't seem long enough anymore. What this proves to me is what I already know (but it's still fun to see it in action): Consistency really is key.

The same goes for the fruits and vegetables, I think. Tonight, during a family trip to the ice cream store, I passed up the treat for some fresh blueberries I knew I had waiting for me at home. Eating fresh produce at every meal has helped keep me satisfied, making it easier to say no to sugary treats.

Photo: woodleywonderworks/Flickr

Walking around the farmer's market, you might see fresh produce that looks wonderful, yet you don't really know what to do with it. Seasonal cooking is convenient and economical ... what's more, most fruits and vegetables start to lose some of their nutrients, so the fresher they are, the more nutrient-dense they're likely to be. And fresh from the vine (or plant, or dirt, as the case may be) produce just simply tastes great.

Cooking Light has helpful information about selecting and preparing summer produce. Some highlights:

• Eggplant. Look for firm, heavy eggplants with smooth, shiny skin. Eggplant is delicious grilled and is also suitable for stuffing.
• Avocado. A great source of vitamins, minerals and monounsaturated fat, avocados are a great addition to your diet. They're delicious on their own or sliced on sandwiches or salads. Also check out the recipes for chilled avocado soup and chicken/avocado tacos.
• Yellow squash and zucchini. These versatile veggies are perfect additions to a shish-ke-bob. You can also try a yellow squash gratin or adding zucchini to pasta dishes. Cooking Light has many other suggestions as well.

For more ideas, read up on celeriac and be sure to read Bev's post about shopping smart at farmer's markets.

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Whether the motivation is the economy or the environment, backyard gardens are popping up all over the country. Perhaps most famously, a garden was even planted at the White House. Regardless of the reasons for planting a garden, there are undeniable health perks to growing your own produce.

Produce that is freshly picked (or dug as the case may be) hasn't had time to lose any nutrients. What's more, the fresher the produce, the better it seems to taste. And, as you grow different varieties of produce and have them right on hand, you're more likely to find ways to prepare and enjoy them. And increasing your fruit and vegetable intake is a good thing.


You can never have too many fruits and vegetables, but there are other, less healthful, foods that can send you into a flurry of overeating.

It's good timing that bikini season falls during summer, because it's the best time for slimming down. The warm weather means outdoor exercise opportunities are abundant, fresh fruits and veggies are plentiful, and with kids out of school, family fitness kicks into full swing.

Summer is the ideal time to lose weight and keep it off, says Lynn Goldstein of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. And as Memorial Day comes to a close and we embark on the unofficial start of summer, it seems appropriate to start brainstorming strategies for trimming down and tightening up during the next few months. Here are a few:

• Satisfy a sweet tooth with fresh fruit instead of cakes, cookies and ice cream, says Goldstein. Fabulous Foods offers tips for selecting the best summer fruits.
  
• Summer is perfect for salads, and Prevention magazine names 25 low-cal ideas for mixing up greens and other mouthwatering ingredients.
• Grilling is great this time of year, and AOL Health helps you make sure your meats are safe and healthy.
• Exercise at the beach. Practice yoga on the sand, says Women's Health magazine, because the uneven surface will really work your muscles. The sand is also great for power walks, jogs and family football games.
• Torch some calories in the pool while your kids splash around. Fitz has the perfect water workout.
• Tennis is a super summer sport. Just understanding the game might help you lose weight too, says Jonny.

What are your plans for getting fit this summer?

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Thank goodness it's not July, because watermelon is not on the low GI menu. In fact, at 80, its GI ranking is considered high. What a disappointment. Cantaloupe barely squeezes in at 75, but some of my other favorite fruits -- apples, pears and cherries -- fall into the "low" category, so I'll snack on those instead.

It's probably no surprise to anyone that most veggies are low on the glycemic index. Even carrots, with all their natural sugars, only rank a 16 when eaten raw, and sweet corn is a 47. I've got to stay away from pumpkin and parsnips, though, which, honestly, shouldn't be a problem.

Festive parades, corned beef, cabbage, a night at the pub ... these may be the things you think of when you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day. Go ahead and have your fun, then incorporate a little green into your diet all year long ... and in a healthier way than green beer.

Fruits and vegetables in different color categories tend to have different nutrition profiles. Green fruits and vegetables are colored by chlorophyll. Cruciferous vegetables like kale, cabbage and broccoli have cancer-fighting indoles. Leafy greens and some green fruits contain eye-health-promoting lutein. Other greens are rich in folate, which helps prevent birth defects and some are good sources of calcium.

Try these four delicious ideas for some eating o' the green:

• Swiss chard is delicious when sautéed with a little minced garlic and olive oil.
• Mix broccoli raab (boiled or steamed until tender) with whole-wheat pasta, olive oil and sautéed onions and garlic.
• Add spinach, arugula or other dark leafy greens to an omelet.
• Peel and slice kohlrabi into wedges and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in a 300-degree oven until tender. For extra flavor, squeeze a little fresh lemon or orange juice over the kohlrabi before serving.
  

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We've all been there -- we're in a hurry, but we need energy right freaking now and we just don't have the time to do the whole sit-down-and-eat routine. I don't know about you, but when I'm running around, a smoothie is the perfect fix. They require one hand and absolutely zero concentration -- you can down one on the bus, while you're driving or even while you're walking to your next appointment. And, considering smoothies are usually made with some sort of fruit, they tend to be healthy, right?

What do you think?

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I do my best to squeeze in at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day in hopes that I'm giving my body the right vitamins and nutrients it needs to keep me going. But thanks to recent news, a cloud has formed over my Dudley Do-Right attitude toward produce, and my grandmother has one more thing to shake her fist at. That's right, Gram, you can say it. American produce. It ain't what it used to be.

Not only does it taste worse than it did 50 years ago, but our fruits and veggies also contain fewer vitamins and nutrients, according to the February issue of the "Journal of HortScience."

Donald R. Davis, a former research associate with the Biochemical Instititue at the University of Texas, Austin, claims that your local produce aisle contains five to 40 percent fewer essential minerals, including magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc.

Do you eat your recommended servings of fruits and vegetables? Not many people do.

Increasing the fruits and vegetables you eat isn't as hard as you think. Many people overestimate what is actually considered a serving of fruit or vegetables. Those super-sized portions we've become accustomed to affect us in more ways than one!

Check out this guide for fruit and vegetable serving sizes, then keep track of your progress with this handy Veggie and Fruit Tracker from AOL Health.

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Do you have a few minutes to waste? I know, I know ... you're busy. But everyone deserves a few minutes just to relax, right?

Check out this new game on Shockwave.com. The Wonder-Juice Machine is a fun way to give your brain a little challenge. A minor mental workout like this is a great way to take your mind off of your troubles for a few minutes and relieve a little stress.

As as added perk, the game includes actual recipes for nutritious smoothies that you can try at home. And keep your eye out for the health tips about different fruits and vegetables. Who knew a game could include such handy health advice?