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Condiments - Don't Let the Toppers Tip Your Calories

Nutrition & Supplements

condimentsI often ask my son if he would like some scrambled eggs with his ketchup. (It's official ... I've turned into my mother.) Condiments can certainly add a little jazz to our foods, but many of them are high in fat, sodium and/or calories. So, just like you're smart with your food choices, it's also prudent to be careful with your condiments.

Healthcastle details what's in your favorite condiments. Want just the basics? Here you go:

  • Mayonnaise. One tablespoon of regular mayo has about 100 calories, 85 milligrams of sodium and 10-12 grams of fat.
  • Sour cream. Regular sour cream is 18 percent butterfat and one tablespoon has 26 calories and six milligrams of sodium.
  • Mustard. About your best choice for topping a sandwich, mustard has only nine calories per tablespoon, but it does have 170 milligrams of sodium.
  • Ketchup. One tablespoon has about 20 calories and 140 milligrams of sodium.
  • Miso. One tablespoon has 40 calories and 750 milligrams of sodium.
  • Soy sauce. Soy sauce has a mere eight calories per tablespoon, but it has 900 milligrams of sodium.

Keep in mind that the listed nutrition information can vary according to brand.

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You Are What You Eat: Marvelous Miso

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

A self-confessed sushi addict, I love heading to my favourite Japanese restaurant when I'm hungry. Their sushi is fresh and fantastic, but that's not the only draw: The meals all come with a steaming bowl of Miso soup. Now, I've heard that Miso soup is a bit of an acquired taste, but I love it; salty, a bit tangy, satisfying and the best part? It's really low in calories. We're talking 80 calories or less in a cup of soup.

But Miso is more than soup. This Japanese ingredient is used in a number of delicious dishes. Now, don't be grossed out or anything, but Miso is actually a fermented soybean paste with the consistency of nut butter. It has a delicate, light taste that makes it a welcome addition to many dishes.

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The sea as a vegetable food source

Vegetarian, Vitamins and Supplements, Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

Not only is the sea calming for our souls by watching the waves coming in and going out and helping us unwind and relieve stress, but it is a provider of that fun summer vacation to soak up the sun we need and the exercise we need by walking, swimming, or biking.

But we need to look to the sea a little more often for the thousands of types of sea vegetables that we can eat. Sea vegetables are classified into categories by colors of brown, red or green. Each having a distinct shape, taste and texture. The sea cucumber sounds like one of our favorite salad foods but it is not a plant or vegetable. But here are some sea vegetables that are an excellent source of iodine, vitamin K, folate, magnesium and are a good source of calcium, iron and tryptophan. These are some of the most popular types of sea vegetables.

Nori is dark purple almost black in color and turns phosphorescent green when toasted. It is famous for its role in making sushi rolls. You can also slice nori into small strips and sprinkle on top of salads. Kelp is light brown to dark green in color and most often is available in flake form. You can sprinkle on salads or add to water to make a delicious broth. Hijiki looks like small strands of black wiry pasta and has a strong flavor. Kombu is very dark in color and generally sold in strips or sheets. It is used mostly as a flavoring for soups. Wakame is similar to kombu and most commonly used to make Japanese miso soup. Arame has a lacy, wiry look and this sea vegetable is sweeter and milder in taste than many others. Dulse is soft and chewy in texture and a reddish brown color.

How many calories ... in Sushi?

How Many Calories?

I recently spent over a month travelling with two calorie-conscious girlfriends. During our trip, we ate a lot of sushi because one, it's delicious; two, it's a healthy choice amongst the array of deep-fried and fat-filled offerings that dominate the dining landscape; and three, we were right by the ocean and reveled the opportunity to get fresh seafood. But I can't help but wonder: with all that rice, is sushi really the best choice calorie-wise? It has lots of valuable vitamins and minerals like omega 3s, but if you're watching your waistline, would it be better to choose something else?

Let's investigate. An average sushi meal that we had would consist of a California roll (6 pieces), possibly another roll of something with a bit of pizazz, let's say a shrimp tempura roll (again, 6 pieces), and maybe a serving of edamame if we were really hungry. How many calories and fat would be in this meal? Would it be:

a) 962 cal, 46 g of fat
b) 863 cal, 31 g of fat
c) 555 cal, 26 g of fat
d) 231 cal, 2 g of fat

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Have you tried Miso?

Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

Recently, I asked my Naturopathic doctor how I could get more protein in my diet, since I don't eat much meat and have problems digesting tofu and soy. He suggested I try Miso, which despite being made of soybeans is something that will be easier for my body to digest. I've had Miso soup many times, but wasn't aware that I could eat and cook with just plain old Miso. Apparently, it can be used in a number of dishes -- not just soup. It can be a base for stir-frys, in gravy, in desserts ... the list goes on and on. There are even Miso cookbooks.

Miso has a great reputation as a health food and has been attributed to lowering cancer rates, promoting healthy aging, reducing cholesterol levels and much more.

I'm interested to know if you have any great Miso recipes.

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