On the run? Grab and energy bar -- they're a good source of the nutrients you need when you're in a hurry. But sometimes it's hard to find one you like, so one company has come up with a novel approach to finding the right energy bar.

Element Bars offers you the ability to build your own energy bar. You start by choosing the core of the bar -- your choices are chewy, oaty, crispy and datey. Then you select your fruit--blueberries, cherries, apricots, etc.--followed by the kind of nuts you want and any sweet stuff you care to add (including chocolate chips ... mmm.) Finally, you can select add-ons like protein, fibre and Omega-3s. Neat, huh?

The best part? They have a nutrition chart on the side that let's you know the running calorie count of your custom bar so if you're watching carbs, calories or fat, you can make sure you stay within an acceptable range.

Thanks for the tip, Gadling!

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Looking for a way to get more vitamin B, E, and minerals into your diet? Sunflower seeds will do it. Doesn't it beg the question, though: What do you do with sunflower seeds?

1. Add them to your trail mix, or make your own trail mix with sunflower seeds.
2. Sprinkle on salads: green salad, broccoli salad, fruit salad.
   
3. Stir into soups and stews just before serving.
4. Bev says to spit sunflower seeds!
5. Add some crunch to stir-fries.
6. We put them in blueberry buckwheat pancakes -- yum!
   
7. Sprinkle on granola.
8. Stir into yogurt.
9. Roasted sunflower seeds are a different flavor -- try them!
10. Include in dirty rice recipes.
11. Add to pasta or quinoa salads.
12. Bake into breads and muffins.
13. Try this recipe for basmati rice, black-eyed peas and sunflower seeds.
14. Blend up a sunflower seed spread for crackers or veggies.
15. Make a two-bean salad with feta and sunflower seeds.
16. Stuff an apple with peanut butter, raisins and sunflower seeds.

Are there other ways to eat sunflower seeds? You bet, and if you've got a favorite, share it with us!

Granola in all its forms is widely understood to be healthy. It's what you should take with you on a hike for a quick energy fix, or add to your fruit to add some nutritional balance to your breakfast. And while it's pretty obvious that a chocolate-covered granola bar or trail mix with Smarties added in won't do your diet any favours, mixing some plain organic granola to your yogurt in the morning can't hurt right?

Granola is generally healthy -- it's made primarily of oats, whole grains, nuts, seeds and maybe some dried fruit. But is it a diet-friendly choice? What do you think?

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My kids and I are headed to the grocery store in search a few items: Low-fat yogurt, blackberries, and granola. We're going to put these ingredients together -- first the yogurt, then the berries, then the granola, then mix -- and make ourselves a scrumptious blackberry treat.

It was four-year-old Danny's idea we make this healthy snack. His teachers told him about it, put a recipe in his cubby, and empowered him to take charge. That's exactly what he's doing. And so I'll let him take the lead when we're hunting the aisles for our three items, and I'll assign him the role of head chef once we're home and ready to cook. I'm sure seven-year-old Joey will have his hands in the mix too, which is just what I want -- all of us engaged in a purposeful, healthy endeavor.

For those who wish to join us in making this nutritious combo, here's the official recipe: Put in yogurt. Add one spoonful of blackberries (or other berries if you'd like). Add one spoonful of granola. Eat.

Nothing hard about this one.

You may not need this remedy unless you're likely to be stranded in freezing outdoor temperatures for extended periods of time. Still, you never know what lies ahead. So be prepared -- with a dose of sugar, that is.

Besides adding layers and applying heat, another speedy way to warm the body is to eat or drink something sweet, says one Alaska state trooper who coordinates search and rescue missions. Sugars help build an internal "fire," says Lieutenant Barry Wilson in the December 2007 issue of The Oprah Magazine. Sugar creates brief heat and quick energy. Keep in mind the "brief" and "quick" terminology. Make a habit out of consuming sugar and that jolt of energy will lead to an inevitable crash.

Even better for warming up: a little GORP (granola, oats, raisins, and peanuts). This combo provides more slowly-released carbs -- think of these as the fire's "sticks" -- as well as protein and fat, or the "logs."

Got sugar? Got GORP? Then you're all set.

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Geez, we just can't catch a break when it comes to being lazy and healthy at the same time, can we? Once again eating healthy means you have to be on your toes and know your stuff at all times -- you can't even trust labels. Not really -- just because the label says "healthy" doesn't mean the product really is.

Some foods are particularly bad for being considered healthy when they are really not. Yogurt with fruit on the bottom, for instance, has a LOT of added sugar in the worst possible form: corn syrup. Fruit may be healthy and yogurt may be healthy, but the combination usually turns out to be anything but. Check out these other supposedly "healthy" foods:



via LIfehacker

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When we're on a mission to lose weight, we try to choose healthier, lower calorie versions of the things we love. But what if our 'healthy' choices aren't all that healthy? Here's a list of supposedly diet-friendly foods that really aren't as good as you thought:

-Soup (Full of sodium)
-Fat-free cookies (Not calorie-free, that's for sure!)
-Pork (It is only good for you if you get lean cuts like tenderloin. No bacon!)
-Coffee (Sure, it's calorie-free, but the cream and sugar sure ain't!)
-Salad dressing (Salad is good. The dressing? Not so much.)
-Breakfast bars (Like cereal, are most likely loaded with sugar.)
-Nuts (Healthy but also extremely high in fat. Eat sparingly.)
-Dried fruit (Very calorie-dense.)
-Granola (High fat and usually has lots of sugar.)
-Juice (Not much better than soda.)

What other 'healthy foods' do you know of that really aren't that healthy at all?

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I'm not much of a cook, but even I think this recipe for granola bars looks not only easy but delicious. And considering granola bars make such handy snacks, and the store-bought kinds usually have so much added sugar and preservatives, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a batch for yourself and family every so often. And one more reason I'm feeling inspired to give this a shot is the fact that the recipe is so easily interchanged to add some variety and switch up flavors, and you can find the perfect combination.

Now to come up with a cute way to wrap them besides Press 'n Seal...

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Our weekly feature, Recipe Rehab, takes a recipe -- sometimes basic, sometimes decadent and sometimes just plain unhealthy -- and turns it into a scrumptious and healthy dish, pumped up with nutrition. Sometimes all it takes is a few alterations to prepare a dish that would make even your nutritionist proud.

Granola is supposed to be health food, but surprisingly, most granola is bad for you. Why? Because it's made with lots of sugar and oil so that it's sweet and crunchy. This easy low-fat version is good for you and tastes good too - letting you start your morning right.

Low-fat Cranberry Nut Granola

6 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat bran
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts like pecans or hazelnuts
1/2 cup apple juice, frozen concentrate
1 cup dried, sweetened cranberries

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Mix together the first five ingredients. Heat apple juice concentrate on the stove or in the microwave until simmering. Quickly mix into the dry ingredients and spread onto a nonstick cookie sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until the granola is dry and golden brown (time can vary based on your oven and how thick the granola is spread on the pan). Remove granola to a bowl, breaking into clusters, and toss with cranberries.

Rehab Rundown

• Apple juice concentrate was substituted for a cup and a half of oil and a cup of honey, making crunchy clusters without the sugar, calories and fat

Rehab Reveal

Based on 1/10th of recipe

	Original	Adapted
Calories	646 (42.0% calories from fat)	396 (33.4% calories from fat)
Fat	32g	15g
Saturated Fat	20g	6g
Protein	12g	12g
Carbohydrate	86g	57g
Fiber	11	11g
Sodium	6mg	6mg

Associated Content has a great article on how to make your own lean trail mix with granola that can be used for just about anything. You're probably most familiar with those granola bars which make great snacks. Luckily, it can be used for breakfast, trail mix or just by itself as well. This high-energy combination is baked for a healthy consistency which makes it light enough to take on the go.

So how do you make your own anyway? If you arm yourself with a skillet, some baking sheets, and a plethora of nuts and dried fruits, you will find that it may be a lot easier than you think. Follow the directions carefully and it will give you enough mix to feed ten. Check out the full article here for the list of instructions on how to make your very own trail mix granola.

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