Americans are consuming way too much sugar -- about 22 teaspoons a day, to be exact. Since The American Heart Association suggests consuming no more than 100 calories of sugar a day (that's six teaspoons), FitSugar offers some tips for lightening up on the sweet stuff. Even though Halloween may not be the easiest time to lighten up on sugar, the bulk of our fructose and sucrose intake actually comes from our regular diet and beverage choices.

Cut back slowly, they say, and start with weening yourself off the sugar you add to foods. No more spoonfuls in your coffee and less on your cereal, OK? It's also not a bad idea to choose your daily sugar vice -- allow yourself one bowl of ice cream after dinner, but don't indulge during the rest of the day. Watch out for natural sugars, too, like brown sugar and molasses. And steer clear of liquid sugars -- one 12-ounce can of Coke has a whopping 40 grams of sugar!

We know, it's hard to cut back on something so yummy -- sugar is addictive, after all, but maybe this book can help.

The abundance of readily-available junk food is believed to be the cause of this obesity epidemic we're in the midst of, but the makers of many infamous brands, like Mars Bars, Pepsi, Froot Loops and Häagen-Dazs, want to be part of the solution. And they've committed $20 million -- granted, barely pocket change to an organization like PepsiCo -- to shaping our nation (literally) by forming The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation alongside several non-profit organizations.

A case of extreme irony? They don't think so -- according to the recent press release, they're "united in an unprecedented, collaborative and focused effort to help children and adults achieve better energy balance between calories in and calories out." In other words? They want you to know that you can eat as many Oreos as you like as long as you exercise like crazy to work them off.

We at That's Fit and AOL Health know you've got a lot going on in your lives besides staying in great shape, and we realize that more than just diet and exercise goes into feeling your best every day. That's why we're sharing some of the exciting reporting going on at AOL Health.

It's nearing summer and that means ice cream and milkshakes, among other things. But what's a diet-conscious person to do? Well, one thing's for sure: Avoid these worst frozen treats (just one serving of some of these go overboard on your daily sugar intake) and these unhealthy drinks and shakes.

One more piece of fat-fighting advice on this Monday morning -- if you've had a on "off" weekend and need to get your diet back on track, check out our post-weekend diet.

Come Saturday, you might be spending Valentine's Day with that special someone. You might be spending it on the town with some good friends. Or, if you're anything like Bridget Jones, you might be spending it in your pajamas with your cats, Terms of Endearment on the DVD player and a fridge stocked with all those foods that will make you feel better when you're a bit blue. Hey, I'm not judging -- I've spent my share of February 14ths in a similar fashion.

Let's imagine you spend the evening with a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. It probably won't come as a surprise that it's not calorie-free, but is a bit of ice cream really that bad?

• Juice. Dilute it with water or add a few ice cubes (each cube generally holds an ounce) into flavored seltzer for a low-sugar treat. If you must serve juice, make it OJ -- at least you'll be boosting your little ones' folate, potassium, calcium, and vitamins A and E. And serve no more than four to six ounces of juice per day. Too much sugar and calories, so don't go overboard. There isn't anything your kiddos need in juice that they can't get from whole fruit.
• Pizza. Order pizza "easy on the cheese" and pick thin crust instead of thick (it will slash about 80 calories). Top slices with veggies, chicken or ham (better than pepperoni or sausage) and pass on extras, like stuffed crusts and breadsticks.
• Mac and Cheese. For boxed brands, use skim milk and reduce the margarine from four tablespoons to one (this will save 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per cup). When making your own, whip up a sauce of skim milk, margarine and flour and melt in shredded cheese. Boil whole wheat noodles for six grams of fiber per cup. Stir in broccoli bits and diced carrots.

For the skinny on bettering ice cream, cookies, chicken nuggets and French fries, take a stroll over here.

Source

Derail. You know the word. Let's face it, most of us working toward good health through diet and exercise have an intimate relationship with the word. Diet derailers are everywhere -- in your house, in the grocery store, at work, at play, in your head even. Here, we'll address the very things that throw us off course. Together, we'll learn how to avoid our diet traps -- and how to get back on track when we can't.

Bought my hubby his favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream the other night -- a treat for the guy who normally eats very well and in the past year and a half has lost 40 pounds. Everything in moderation, right? Well, yes. But I'm here to tell you that there is nothing moderate about the little pint of goodness my husband savored a few evenings ago, probably for the last time. The "death pint," he called it, after examining the stuff packed in this seemingly harmless container. How bad can it be? Ah, let me share.

Scanning the nutritional facts listed on the back of the New York Super Fudge Chuck pint, you'll see numbers like: 300 calories, 19 grams of fat (11 of it saturated), 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 24 grams of sugar. Scary stuff, eh? It's gets worse. These stats are for just one serving. And there are four -- count 'em, four -- servings in that little bucket pictured above. There's just no way my husband can enjoy a half cup (that's the serving size) of this ice cream and then call it quits. Not the worst scenario for him, since ice cream indulgence isn't an every-day occurrence for him. But for those of you who are close friends with Ben & Jerry, well, you better watch out, because 1,200 calories and 96 grams of sugar just are not fit for good health.

That's Fit Club is our feature devoted to you, the reader! We have all learned so much on our paths to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! That's Fit Club members are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect; some are not. But all have health on the mind. Besides showing you off, we want to reward you for all of your hard work! Everlast and Everlast Woman are giving gorgeous workout T-shirts to each featured member! To join, please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Jorn

Age: 38

Occupation: "Tech Things"

How often do you exercise? Three to five days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Resistance work; I hope to get back to TaeKwonDo soon.

What gets you to work out, even when you're feeling lazy? 1. Knowing that I have never, ever, ever said to myself, "Gee, that workout sucked. I shouldn't have exercised today." 2. Back fat. Ewww. 3. Most people peg me for being 10-15 years younger than I am. That didn't happen when I was fat a few years ago.

Source

Pumpkin pie is the thing to eat this time of year -- it's a Thanksgiving staple and in my family, there's usually enough pie left over to last us for a week. But not everyone likes pumpkin pie and for that reason (as well as the fact that some people have two types of pie to devour), many families offer varieties of pies to choose from. Our family, for instance, always has a fresh apple pie on stand-by.

Apple pie sounds somewhat healthy -- warm apples gently sweetened and spiced, oozing out of a flaky crust -- but we all know better than to assume that healthy sounding equals healthy. Particularly when there's the possibility of ice cream involved. So what do you think?

Source

Ice cream a favourite indulgence of yours? Would you still eat it if it was made from breast milk? I know what you're probably thinking -- ick. But it's no joke. PETA recently urged ice cream giant Ben & Jerry's to start using milk from human mothers instead of milk from cows to make their famous frozen treats. The idea came after a revelation that a Swiss restaurant owner intended on carrying breast milk at his eatery.

I know I shouldn't find this gross ... but I do. Breast milk is full of important nutrients, but I still think it's best left for babies. What do you think? Is breast milk best? Would you eat this ice cream?

Source

Here's the good news: Americans are waking up to a healthier lifestyle. That's bad news for companies like Krispy Kreme, however, who are suddenly finding themselves struggling with poor sales. So what do you do when you're a company that sells treats and people aren't buying them because they want healthier options?

You start selling ice cream. That's Krispy Kreme's plan, anyway. They're trying to expand their business by offering a new line of soft-serve ice cream. But is the decision a wise one?

A Krispy Kreme donut has 300 calories and 16 grams of fat. A soft-serve ice cream has about 222 calories in 1/2 cup and 13 grams of fat. Which, in my expert opinion (expert only because of my raging sweet tooth), makes the donut still the better option. A donut or a half cup of ice cream for roughly the same number of calories? I'll take the donut every time. But customers who don't have that nutritional information might view the soft-serve as a lighter option, making them believe they're making a healthy choice when really, it's all the same.

A treat is a treat is a treat, which means that no one goes into Krispy Kreme looking for health food. But if it's healthy living that's hurting their sales, maybe Krispy Kreme would be better off looking into recipes for lighter donuts. What do you think?

Source

Food has a very definite connection with our emotions -- it can take us back in time and privide us with the comfort of familiarity when we need it. Chances are, we all have one dish or another that qualifies as comfort food -- what's yours?

eDiets recently revealed what they think are the top 10 comfort foods:

1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Ice Cream
4. Pizza
5. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
6. Tomato Soup
7. Popcorn (probably with lots of extra butter!)
8. Chocolate Shakes
9. Pancakes
10. Homemade Soups and Stews

Most of these will not only provide momentary comfort, they'll pad your waistline too. My advice? Avoid everything except tomato soup and find comfort in a good book and a steaming cup of herbal tea.

Source

A recent trip up north took me to a quaint, seaside town in Maine. There, I enjoyed some great hikes, some nice long walks, and the benefit of crisp, fresh air. But, I also enjoyed waaaaaay to many calories at the dozens of ice cream shops that lined the streets. As a kid, I could have eaten these treats with relative impunity. These days, however, these temporary lapses in my fitness judgment can only be afforded if they remain just that: temporary.

It's a natural -- though very unfortunate -- fact that our metabolism tends to slow down somewhere around the age of 25. From there, it slows down by around five to ten percent with each subsequent decade that passes. Does this mean that you're fate is sealed and that you must accept your overweight destiny? Not at all.

By exercising regularly, you can keep your metabolism decline under a great deal of control. For the most part, if you get up and start moving every day you can very well increase your metabolism, or at least keep it to around a 0.3 percent drop, per decade.

Source

I always blame my headaches on food -- not enough food or too much of a certain food usually. Sugar definitely brings them on for me -- it's the reason I gave up sweets more than a year ago -- and sometimes, a snack full of protein helps them fade away. I've never given much thought to these three headache triggers, however. Real Simple magazine thinks they're worthy of a warning, though, so here they are.

• Ice Cream. Yep, I guess this makes sense. I just haven't ever had this type of headache last for very long. That's because it only lasts for about one minute, say the Real Simple folks. "Brain freeze" is caused when cold food touches the roof of your mouth and alters the blood flow in the brain or causes pain on a major nerve.
  
  
• Sex. It's not very common, but it's possible that sexual activity can trigger severe head pain. Usually nothing to worry about, you should see a doctor if the pain recurs.
  
  
• Secondary headaches. Also rare, these headaches are caused by a tumor or aneurysm. If your headaches worsen over time, see a doctor.
  
  

So, these three are possibilities. Think they're responsible for your headaches?

Source

When the days are hot and long, my favourite way to wind down in the evening is this: Walking with my sweetie and the dog to the local ice cream parlour. Once there, we each get a scoop and chad idly on the benches to our neighbours. Then we happily amble home, relishing the last few hours of warm sunlight.

There's only one thing wrong with this picture: The ice cream. Don't get me wrong -- I love it. Sweet, creamy and delicious, there are few things I enjoy more in life. But it's not exactly healthy. It's loaded with calories, fat and sugar.

But there are healthy options. Gelato, sherbet and frozen yogurt are all lower in fat and calories than regular ice cream. Right? right!? What do you think?

Source

Oh, ice cream ... heaven in a bowl. Now that the weather is getting warmer, a trip to the ice cream store is always a welcome treat. But that's exactly what ice cream should be ... a once in a while treat. Eat it too often and your hips (and butt, and stomach ... ) could pay the price. This decadent treat can pack a whopping calorie punch. Newsweek counts down the six biggest ice cream offenders (via Fitsugar).

• Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter (360 calories, 24 grams of fat)
• Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby (330 calories, 20 grams of fat)
• Haagen-Dazs Butter Pecan (310 calories, 23 grams of fat)
• Sheer Bliss Pomegranate with chocolate chips (320 calories, 20 grams of fat)
• Ben and Jerry's Vermonty Python (300 calories, 19 grams of fat)
• Coldstone Cookie Batter (300 calories, 19 grams of fat)

If you have to have your ice cream fix, search your grocery store freezer for lighter alternatives such as sherbet, sorbet, frozen yogurt, or light varieties of ice cream. (Be sure to check the label, though. Sometimes "light" isn't all it's cracked up to be.) And, if you're like me, you'll still indulge in a Coldstone "Like it" Cake Batter (with chucks of yellow cake and chocolate shavings) once in a while, because sometimes we all deserve a special treat!

Source