ingredients-related stories
Keep the Weight Off, Hottest Antioxidants and Food Companies' Biggest Secrets
Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Are you making the most of your meals by filling up on the hottest antioxidants -- nutrients that can help you prevent wrinkles and grow shinier hair and stronger nails? Click through AOL Health's photo slide show of the best of the best nutritional powerhouses out there.
You may have realized your Kraft Mac and Cheese contains no real cheese, but did you know that Smucker's "100 percent fruit" label is anything but truthful? Ingredient secrets food companies don't want you to know.
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.
Sexercises, Food Ingredients Investigated and B.O. Fixes - Links We Love
Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Listen up, men: Your physical fitness affects your bedroom fitness, so we want you in tip-top shape. Check out these exercises for better sex from AOL Health. (Note: Ladies, these are just for guys.)
Shocking, but true fact -- toilet cleaner and potato chips have the same ingredient and bread and acne cream have the same ingredient, and these aren't the only odd couples. AOL Health investigates this week in "What's really in our food?"
Whether you suffer from first-date-jitter odors or post-workout stench, we've got fixes for your most embarrassing smells.
Microwave meals made better
Though meals made from scratch are always better, sometimes the convenience of frozen meals is too difficult to pass up. And the pictures on the boxes of those frozen meals usually look quite tempting, don't they? The reality is often quite different, though. The portions are small and you can be left feeling hungry -- all that extra sodium and preservatives don't feel worth it when it's not even satisfying. But, with a few added ingredients, you can make those frozen meals more nutritious, tasty, and filling. Women's Health shares lots of easy ideas -- such as adding basil, garlic, asparagus, or tomato to a Healthy Choice Chicken Alfredo dinner. Check out their other ideas as well. Then, the next time you're resorting to a heat-and-eat meal, look around your pantry or fridge and see what fresh and nutritious ingredients you can add.
Fit Beauty - von Natur Mineral Makeup is worth the price
Natural Products, Organic, Vegetarian, Alternative & Green Health

I won't to lie to you -- I don't generally spend a lot of cash on makeup. I buy what you find at the drugstore, and even then, I look for a sale. My reasoning is simple -- I've never used something high end that felt like it was worth the price. If it's not all that different, why would I pay more?
There are reasons to pay more -- being particular about the ingredients is one, and of course, if it's can't-live-without-it amazing, I'm happy to save my pennies. But first, I need to know it's worth it.
I received samples of von Nature's Mineral Makeup Eye Colour, Sunset Light Face & Body Shimmer, and Magnolia Powder Foundation in the mail, and busted out my brushes immediately. For someone who is so involved in fashion and beauty, I have embarrassingly little experience with mineral makeup because it tends to cost more, and without trying it, I wasn't willing to spend the extra cash.
Are you washing your face with lighter fluid?
Natural Products, Alternative & Green Health
Ever read the ingredients on your beauty products? Our friends over at The Beauty Brains recently did and found that one Oil of Olay product contained a surprising ingredient--Butane, aka that stuff that goes into cigarette lighters.
But is washing your face in butane safe? The brains seem to think so -- while it's not ok to wash your face in lighter fluid, having butane in your face wash isn't a problem. Butane is used as a propellant in aerosol cans, and that's about the end of it's use. Once it's exposed to air, it quickly evaporates and most likely doesn't even end up on your face.
Interesting, huh? The Beauty Brains have lots of inside info to share -- head on over there to learn more about your beauty products.
Celebrity Fitzness Report: Chef Jens Dahlmann of Disney's California Grill
Healthy Aging, Healthy Habits, Healthy Home, Healthy Places, Natural Products, Organic, Stress Reduction, Vegetarian, Womens Health, HealthWatch, Healthy Recipes, Celebrities and Entertainment, Healthy Kids, Healthy Products and Reviews, Cellulite, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.
Mmmmmm. Just the mention of Chef Jens Dahlmanns's name puts my mind in ecstasy. His is the name of the man who created what I'd choose as my 'last meal.' He's the premier Chef of Disney's signature restaurant The California Grill, who also oversees a staff of award-winning chefs atop Disney's Contemporary Resort. Chef Jens was classically trained in European kitchens and worked for Le Cirque 2000 in
We first spoke on the phone a week before I was to dine at his spectacular grill. From a fitness trainer standpoint, he gave all of the 'right answers.' Not that he was contrived, but his stance on cooking is what I would wish to hear. If you've read my features before, you'll know that I preach the importance of lean fresh foods. Read on to see how dead-on Chef Jens is to that style of eating. From a regular gal's point of view, it was just really exciting and fun to hear Chef Jens talk about food. He described white asparagus the same way most men would describe a beautiful woman. I could imagine what each item tasted like as he described them.
My experience at The California Grill was almost indescribable. Chef Jens and his staff were pampering to say the least. He greeted me with a sample of the white asparagus he gushed about, and I knew I was in for something special. The combinations of flavors and textures were to die for! I relished every bite and cleaned each and every plate that landed in front of me (highly unusual for me). The man knows how to make fresh food taste divine. The advice he gave in this interview is exactly what I, as your online Fitzness Trainer, want you to follow. Chef Jens just knows far better than I, how to make all of the healthy stuff taste heavenly.
Fitz: How much does "healthy" influence the foods you create for your menus?
Chef Jens: Healthy actually has a lot to do with our menu. First of all, Disney has set an initiative for enhancing our menus in a healthy way, so across all of the Disney parks and restaurants you'll find better choices. On my part, I'm always driven by what's fresh in the market. We create meals based on the season. At the California Grill, our menu changes according to what foods are in season. Fresh food equals leaner and "cleaner" food. I never use processed ingredients.
Memorial Day round-up: No weight gained
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
I'm just back from a Memorial Day beach getaway that featured time on the sand, time at the pool, time with family, and time with ... food. For two nights straight, my family of four dined with cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, and the home-cooked meals we were served were simply scrumptious. They were no doubt loaded with ingredients we rarely consume too. This had me worried.I scarfed down plenty of healthy goods this weekend -- like right-from-the-ocean King Mackerel, fresh-from-the-garden lettuce, freshly-made salsa, broccoli, and fruit salad. The iffy, and downright yummy dishes, were cheesey scallop potatoes one night, once baked-once fried potatoes the other, clam chowder, and all sorts of chips for the fresh salsa. These items were bound to add a few numbers to my scale, and when I returned home yesterday, I hopped on that thing to see just what I'd done.
Nothing. No change. My weight is the same. I'm shocked. Well, maybe I'm not. It just goes to prove that I don't have to be hard-core all the time. I can take a break. I can indulge for a day. I can go for broke occasionally without actually breaking the bank. And now that the holiday weekend is over, I can get back on track and pick right up where I left off, without have to whittle away at a few extra pounds.
The cost of cooking healthfully
I don't know about you, but I love flipping through the pages of Cooking Light magazine (or, really, any gourmet food magazine). The pictures are gorgeous and inspiring, and the recipes are well written -- even I haven't managed to botch any of their recipes. However, while the pictures and dishes send me into a state of bliss, there is something I don't like -- the ingredient lists that run the length of my arm and cost that, plus a leg.For special occasions, I'm willing to spend a bit extra for special ingredients. However, if I'm looking for an everyday recipe that I can make on a weekly basis, I don't want to have to keep purchasing a huge variety of expensive ingredients. I want a recipe that looks and tastes like a fancy dish, doesn't pack a ton of calories, and doesn't blow my budget every time I make it. Is that so much to ask?
I generally try making the recipe as it's written the first time, and remove or substitute something for the expensive ingredients after I've tasted it. It's not a perfect system, but it works for me. Do you have tricks to keep costs down on would-be cost-prohibitive recipes? Or do you just bite the bullet and make the dishes will all ingredients listed? Or, do you just find healthy recipes that are inexpensive to make in the first place?
Fit Beauty: Beauty can be cruelty-free
Sustainable Community, Vegetarian, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health
We talk a lot about reading labels here at That's Fit, like how whole wheat bread isn't always whole wheat, and "natural" and "organic" can mean several things. However, more than just your food is labeled -- so are your cosmetics.In honor of Earth Day this past Tuesday, I wanted to tell you a bit about how you can find cosmetics and beauty products that are truly cruelty-free. After all, causing pain for an animal just isn't pretty.
Companies use several different types of wording to make the extent of their animal testing ambiguous. For example, if the label says Final product not tested on animals, that means that while that particular lip gloss might not have been put on an animal, the ingredients going into it might have. Or, if it says This brand does not test on animals, it could mean that a supplier or lab that brand works with tests on animals.
Quick tip: 5 things to look for on the label
- Bad fats. If it has any trans fat or over a few grams of saturated fat per serving, skip it.
- Sugar. Has it got more than 10 g of sugar per serving? If the answer's yes, skip it.
- Fiber. Fiber is good for curbing hunger, among many other things. Particularly when choosing breads and cereals, look for items that are high in fiber -- think 4 g or more.
- Ingredients. Does it have a list of ingredients as big as the dictionary?Are most of them unpronounceable? Think: Do you want to put all those chemicals in your body? Yeah, didn't think so.
- Servings size. Pay attention to just what constitutes a serving. For instance, you might think 5 g of sugar isn't that bad, but if there's 5g of sugar in a two tablespoon serving? That's a lot.
Putting the spin on nutritional information
I just saw a magazine advertisement for Kellogg's Rice Krispies® treats. Did you know this ooey-gooey snack, wrapped in an individually-wrapped package, contains only 90 calories? Yep, that's what the ad tells me. But with it's accompanying fat, carbohydrates, and sugar, is it really that great a deal? For those only concerned with calories and those who are satisfied with this mini dose of food, maybe. For those wishing for a wholesome, nutritional bite to eat, I think not.
I write this post to remind you -- and myself too -- to remember that when some food item is touted as low in one category, it may be high in another. If it's low in fat, take a peek at the sugar and sodium and other ingredients used to bind your indulgence together. Sugar-free? Look at everything else that went into creating your favorite guiltless goodies. Some things are just too good to be true. Really, the are.
Jumpstart Your Fitness: With these 10 ingredients
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Being healthy and fit is a complicated thing to achieve these days, given all the studies that seem to contradict each other on an almost daily basis and all the "diets" out there vying for your attention and claiming to be the best. But what if it the diet part of it could be simplified into a list of just 10 foods that could help you lose weight and be healthy -- would that make it easier? Dr. Michael Ozner seems to think so, because he wrote the book The Miami Mediterranean Diet. Obviously it's a spin of the more well-known Mediterranean Diet, and not only does he think it will simplify things for people interested in being healthier but it will also help them actually be healthier. People in the Mediterranean following a Mediterranean diet naturally have much smaller risks of heart disease and other ailments like obesity, and he thinks he knows why. According to him, incorporating these 10 ingredients into your diet and lifestyle will result in improved fitness and health:
The 10 ingredients to weight-loss success -- with some surprises!
Want the perfect recipe for weight-loss success? eDiets may have the solution -- they've listed these 10 things that you should add to your diet to healthify your life:- Olive Oil
- Red Wine
- Nuts and almonds
- Whole grains
- Cold water fish
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Dairy
- Moderation
- Exercise
What's your ingredient for success?
How to find whole grains in the grocery store
It seems like the more health-conscious we all get the more confusing grocery shopping becomes because food manufacturers keep coming up with new gimmicks and catch phrases to try and trick us into buying their not-so-healthy products. One area that can be especially confusing is whole grains. Whole grains are great for you because of all the nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants that are left intact due to less processing, but finding them can be tricky due to terms like 'wheat' and 'multigrain' that are intended to be misleading.The best way to get around all the hype is to go straight for the ingredient list, and in the case of whole grains you'll want to see 'whole wheat flour' at the top as the #1 ingredient (as opposed to'wheat flour' and 'unbleached enriched wheat flour' which are the refined versions). Of course you can also look to the nutrition label and get a fiber reading -- whole grain foods will have at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving in most cases.
Healthy advice from Dr. Katz
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
-Buy organic, locally-produced food when able
-Read the labels. This includes both the nutrition facts and the ingredients. If it has too many unpronounceable ingredients, it's best to skip it.
-Avoid Hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup
-The more fiber, the better
-Don't be fooled by lofty promises on the front of the package
What's your take on these suggestions?























