That's Fit

There is no shortage of various styles on the market with new-fangled designs and supports. I don't own one, but I make it a habit to give hammocks a whirl whenever I have the opportunity. I still remember lounging in one with my husband on the Big Island of Hawaii under the moonlight at the Hilton Waikoloa Village resort after completing the Kona Marathon earlier that day in 2002.

But certainly one does not need to complete a marathon, visit an island or stay at a resort to make use of this lovely time-tested practice. I recently had the opportunity to make use of a hammock with my daughter in my brother-in-law's back yard in Northern California. It was the traditional woven style that allows gravity to force all of your muscles into relaxation. They are the best kind, I think. Since then, I've been scouting my yard for a good spot. I think I've found one in between two solid trees in the back. Just in time to enjoy the pleasant Fall temps and foliage.

Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Limes might not be first on the list of Super Foods but they are pretty darn super when you really consider their merits. Here are just a few.

• Limes bring out the flavor of other foods.
  
  

• They are an excellent source of vitamin C, which can attack the free radicals that can damage our healthy cells, reduce some symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and prevent the development and progression of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Vitamin C is also vital to the function of a strong immune system.
  
  

• They contain unique flavonoid compounds that have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties -- the more ripe they are, the better the antioxidant effects, in fact.
  
  

• In animal studies, compounds found in limes -- called limonoids -- have been shown to fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon.
  
  

• In some villages in West Africa where cholera epidemics have occurred, including a little lime juice during the main meal of the day supposedly protected against the contraction of cholera.
  
  

• Other research studies have found that a cell's cycle -- whether or not it divides or dies -- can be altered by lime juice. So can the special immune cells called monocytes.

The food sleuths at Good Housekeeping reveal in their October 2007 issue three food items that may appear healthy at first glance but in reality, are really not so good for us.

You might think Sun-Maid's Vanilla Yogurt Raisins are a health food. The raisins are OK. The yogurt is OK. But the white coating mostly consists of sugar and partially hydrogenated palm-kernel oil. A one-ounce box containing about 35 raisins has 120 calories and a pretty hefty dose of saturated fat -- 20 percent of the recommended daily limit, to be exact.

How about some Calbee Snapea Crisps? They're just baked peas. But they're also full of fat. One ounce -- about 22 chips -- packs 150 calories which is the same as regular potato chips. Eat the entire bag and you'll consume 500 calories.

Now get this. There's a lemon lime spritzer out there, made my R.W. Knudsen, that surprisingly contains 170 calories per can. For a seltzer? Yep. It's sweetened with fruit juice concentrates and even has more sugar and 30 more calories than a can of Coca-Cola Classic.

This news certainly inspires me to double check the labels on seemingly healthy food items. It hope it does you too.

Sometimes when I'm out for a drink with friends, I'm just not into the bitter taste of beer or wine -- I'd prefer something fruitier, something that's tasty ans sweet but has a bit of zing too. That's when I order a Margarita. Liquid calories add up really quickly -- I know that a glass of wine has about 100 calories and a beer has about 150 - 200 calories -- but I tend to turn a blind eye when it comes to fruity drinks because I know they're probably pretty bad for me, both in terms of the calories and the alcohol content. So I'm wondering, how many calories are in a margarita?

A) 240 cal
B) 400 cal
C) 550 cal
D) 740 cal

Award-winning chef and cookbook author Michel Nischan will be spreading his message of healthy eating on a new series called "Pure & Simple" on the multimedia channel LIME.

Nischan believes in the days of pure and simple food selection, when produce was eaten in season and our food wasn't injected with hormones and pesticides. His series demonstrates how too much of our food is treated in a way that removes important natural vitamins and nutrients. For example, if a fruit is picked before it's ripe and then is shipped, it doesn't pack the same nutritional "punch" as a fruit that's allowed to ripen naturally.

Not only that, it doesn't taste as good. Disturbed at what I've been reading in the media about environmental toxins and damaging additives, I've been purchasing more and more organic produce. It's more expensive, it's not as shiny and big, but it tastes better and I feel better about eating it.

I'm looking forward to hearing more of Michel Nischan's message, and anticipating an even bigger shift toward organic eating in the general population.