That's Fit

With the temperature on the rise these days, it may soon be time to break out the grill and officially kick off backyard BB-Q season. Generally speaking, hot dogs, hamburgers and the like aren't known for being the healthiest of foods. But, there are always little healthy switcheroos you can pull on your guests without them even tasting the difference. Turkey burgers instead of ground beef, whole wheat buns instead of those made from enriched flour ... that sort of thing. Still, even with your best intentions at keeping the calories and fat to a minimum, there may be something you're forgetting: the condiments.

That little tablespoon of mayonnaise you slopped on your burger? 100 calories and 11g of fat. The barbecue sauce you slathered onto your ribs? 26 calories, including a good amount of sugar. And, who could forget about the pats of butter you spread across your rolls? Yup, those will cost you 102 calories and 12g of fat. While these, in and of themselves, may not seem to be all that damaging, you have to remember that they aren't the actual food; rather, they are simply what you're adding to it!!

If you want your turkey burgers or turkey hot dogs on whole wheat buns to stay as healthy as they can, swap out ketchup (15 calories per tablespoon) for mustard (10 calories). As for the dips for your chips, don't even think about the 60-calorie and 6g of fat per tablespoon ranch dip. Instead, reach for the fresh salsa, which usually has only 4 calories and 0 fat.

We know that sugar is a dieter's number one enemy. So we diligently avoid cake, cookies and candy. We purge our kitchen of ice cream and soda. We stock up on artificial sweeteners. And yet we're still consuming sugar. But from where?

AOL Body recently revealed some surprising sources of sugar, including:

• Deli Meats
• Ketchup
• Vanilla Soy Milk
• Bagels
• Spaghetti sauce
• Canned peas
• Salad dressings

Are these part of your 'healthy diet'? If so, make sure you're checking the labels -- if the sugar content is too high, skip it for the sake of your shrinking waistline.

Last Christmas, we had sort of a misfit's Christmas -- we invited a few people who didn't have family in town to celebrate with our small family. And the thing I remember most about that Christmas was that one of the guests poured ketchup over everything we served for Christmas dinner -- the turkey, the stuffing, the broccoli and cheese, you name it. The only thing he didn't have ketchup with was dessert.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, he might be on to something -- we should all be putting ketchup on everything, according to this article from the Daily Mail. Eating ketchup every day can significantly improve your heart health, according to recent studies. In fact, volunteers who ate ketchup with every meal of the day were shown to have lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels than those who didn't. It's all down to the tomatoes, or rather, the lycopene in the tomatoes. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant and for some reason, it's more prevalent in ketchup than it is in regular tomatoes.

I think it should be pointed out, however, that what you put ketchup on is important too. Slathering it on your French fries doesn't make them healthy, but go ahead and have it with your egg-white omelet.

H.J. Heinz Company has plenty to celebrate this holiday season. The company just scored higher than any other on the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Heinz has been the index's top-rated food company for eight consecutive years and this year scored 90 out of 100, three points higher than their 2006 score.

The ASCI is a national economic indicator of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. The index figures in scores from 200 companies in 43 industries. With such big competition, the crew at Heinz is clearly elated.

"Heinz is pouring it on when it comes to customer satisfaction," says William R. Johnson, Heinz Chairman, President, and CEO.

Heinz, a self-proclaimed leader in the marketing and production of healthy and convenient foods, specializes in ketchup, sauces, meals, soups, snacks, and infant nutrition. Its presence is seen on five continents and in the homes of many.

Are you a fan of Heinz?

For me, fast-food is a turn-off. And I fear the day I have no other option than to end up in line at McDonald's. What ever will I do when faced with the unhealthy options available at such as establishment? Have no fear, says one Kansas dietitian, who reports there are tactics for surviving my worst fear. Here are a few:

• Go plain. The plainer the food, the healthier it is. A plain hamburger at McDonald's has nine grams of fat; a double cheeseburger has 23.

• Choose mustard and ketchup. Say "no thanks" to mayo and special sauces and you'll save 10 to 17 grams of fat.

Which offers more health benefits: Ketchup or Tomatoes? Seeing as ketchup is mostly sugar, I would choose tomatoes every time. But apparently it's ketchup (the organic kind), according to this quiz. Oops, I just gave away the first answer, but the rest are up to you. They might surprise you! I know a few threw me -- and I'm someone who is fairly knowledgeable about healthy foods.

What's your score?