Yummy. Delicious. Insanely flavorful. I feel silly gushing over potato chips, but "Oh my God!" Kettle Brand just introduced some new baked chips, and I was blessed with a bag of both Hickory Honey Barbeque and Sea Salt & Vinegar flavors.

To be honest ... even with my super-human-like fitness guru discipline, it was really hard to stop eating them. I had to physically place the bags in another room to avoid devouring every last chip. I'm a salt-loving type of lady, and I was ecstatic when the world introduced baked chips. Are they as pure and nutritious as fresh blueberries? No! But are they a much healthier version of something most people really enjoy? Absolutely.

If you are a lover of chips and a hater of fat thighs, Kettle Brand Baked Chips are going to float your boat. Each serving of "around 23 chips" contains only 120 calories, and only 25 come from fat. Have high standards and when party time comes, serve some of these. Dip will not be necessary!

Source

Baking up goodies for parties, gifts and Santa is a terrific part of this festive holiday season -- even for me, your loving fitness trainer. Baking doesn't have to be bad for your body though, nor does it have to contribute to that traditional December weight gain.

If I weren't a fitness professional, I'd be a baker. It's fun and allows me the ability to be creative while making people happy. I love making people happy. I don't, however, enjoy putting fat on my hips or the hips of others. This has lead me to be really creative.

I've got a few suggestions for you to follow and a link here to my favorite baked treats in my online recipe book at Fitzness.com.

• Substitute eggs for an egg substitute like Egg Beaters.
• Substitute butter/oil for a sugar free syrup like the ones sold a DaVinci Gourmet. (Use equal amounts as the ones given for the oil/butter.)

Source

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answers. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Happy Holidays Fitz! I'll be hosting a Christmas party for some friends and family members next week and I need some help. I'm providing a healthy dinner buffet, but am stuck on a "not so awful for you" dessert. I could stick with fruit, but I think I should provide something more traditional. Have any ideas? Thanks in advance. Nina

A. Merry Christmas, Nina! I love your question because I am an expert on super substitutions. I can and do make almost every type of dessert in a more nutritious way. And! I do it without sacrificing flavor. Isn't that fancy? Oddly enough, if I weren't a fitness professional, I'd want to be a baker. I love baking! I'm just the weird kind of baker who hasn't owned oil or butter for more than 10 years. This forces me to be creative.

Source

For many, winter is in full swing. The question is, have you taken care of your hair and skin as the weather changed? Temperatures dropped and with the heater going and everything, your house has probably gotten a little drier, meaning you need to take some extra precautions in order to stay your beautiful self!

For winter-friendly hair care, think about adding a weekly deep conditioning treatment, like Biolage's Ultra-Hydrating Balm. It smells yummy and helps get your hair back in shape. And, on a daily basis, think about a leave-in conditioner or detangler, like Healthy Sexy Hair's Soy Tri-Wheat Conditioner -- I swear, my hair has never been as soft as when I've used that.

As far as skin goes, different products should be used for different parts. Of course, you should always use a lotion with SPF 15 or so, just for daily sun exposure, but you should also consider treating your face with something soothing -- after all, your skin is dealing with a lot of changes with winter weather. Renee Rouleau offers a lightweight Stress Recovery Lotion that works for all skin types, ridding you of redness and uneven color. VedaMama has a fabulous Scrumptious body cream that's ultra moisturizing (and all natural) for the rest of your body, but if you're looking to save some cash, I've always had good luck with Eucerin's line of products.

I'm not a big believer in the whole superfood concept. I think any diet that's filled with a variety of healthful, nutritious foods is going to be beneficial.

The other day, however, I got into a discussion with the mother of one of my son's teammates. She's reading Anticancer: A New Way of Life and is really learning a lot. Reviews of this book state that, while many of the recommendations are grounded in science, some are a little fuzzy around the edges. But, in my humble opinion, if a food is tasty, good for you in other ways, nutritionally sound, and may potentially ward off cancer or other diseases, then by all means ... go for it.

The book's author believes that 85% of cancer causes are environmental. The foods we eat are one of the most easily controlled factors. Three of the foods he recommends in moderation are garlic oil, red wine, and dark chocolate. Check out the gallery for more cancer-fighting foods.

Source

Recently I told you about the five worst things you can order at a Chinese restaurant. But if you love a good Chinese feast, don't despair. I come bearing hope. There are healthy (well, healthier) options. According to eDiets, these are the five best things you can order at a Chinese restaurant:

• Soup. Hot and sour, egg drop ... most Chinese soups are (relatively) low-cal and high in protein. But avoid the soups with noodles.
• Veggies. Order any of the veggie dishes -- steamed veggies in particular are low in calories and are very filling.
• Dim Sum, Steamed dumplings are a great choice, especially veggie or tofu dumplings.
• Steamed anything. Steamed fish, chicken, tofu ... are you seeing a pattern here? Steamed is best.
• Stir-fry. Order a stir-fry loaded with veggies and lean meats or tofu, and ask the chef to go easy on the oil.

Another tip: Order healthy green tea with your meal instead of soda or alcohol.

Source

It was scary last year when the study came out revealing that tea tree essential oil could act like estrogen in our bodies, and may even cause enlarged breasts in young boys. That's been debunked; the possibility is that other ingredients in the products are more likely to blame. With all of the toxic chemicals in our body care products, it seems the more likely culprit.

That said, it really is OK to use tea tree oil is a safe way: properly diluted in a carrier oil, never internally, and always moderately. In fact, it is one of the essential oils you should keep in the house, as it has many healthy uses:

• heals cold sores and warts
• calms coughs
• helps clear up breakouts
• combats nail fungus
• disinfects your house when added to cleaning products

There are more uses for tea tree oil in the original DIY Life post, so don't fear the natural goodness of tea tree oil and use it safely and wisely.

Source

This morning, my kids asked for cinnamon toast. So I made it for them. I used whole wheat bread, light butter with Canola oil, and a few sprinkles of McCormick's cinnamon sugar. My kids gobbled it down, which makes me happy for whole wheat purposes. My husband tends to think the rest of the equation -- the butter and cinnamon sugar -- is crap. I argued with him a bit, not trying to convince him butter and cinnamon sugar are good for our kids, just to let him know that our kids eat pretty darn healthy most days and there are far worse foods they could have ingested, with far more crap packed into them. Then I questioned myself. Then I did some research.

Hungry Girl says in one of her Chew the Right Thing posts that cinnamon sugar is something we ought to fight, not bite. Now she's speaking mostly to us grown-up calorie-counting folks and not to the kids of the world, but here's what she says: "McCormick's Cinnamon Sugar has only 15 calories per teaspoon. So why are we telling you to 'fight it!'? Well, we just don't see why anyone should waste any calories at all on this sweet spice when there is a just-as-good no-cal version available. After all, when you're watching your weight, every single calorie counts. Fifteen calories here, 30 there, another 40 here ... it can all add up." HG doesn't mention sugar in her opinion but clearly, there's sugar in cinnamon sugar.

So what does the Hungry Girl suggest? San Sucre Cinnamon Sugar. It uses Splenda and makes a great sugarless cinnamon sugar blend, she says. No calories in this goodie either. HG's final piece of advice: "Cinnamon helps keep blood sugar levels low, so sprinkle away!"

Source

I recently got married and moved into a new house, which means I'm cooking in a new kitchen and am all inspired to start trying new recipes. In the cabinets of a healthy kitchen, one of the most common players is olive oil (love a good stir fry) but getting what you pay for is isn't as easy as it should be. Many stores have bottles of oil that have been sitting for ages on the shelf (which diminishes not only flavor but also antioxidant benefits) and some companies are even fraudulently blending in filler oils like sunflower or soybean oil. For the best, healthiest olive oil, follow these tips:

• Go for the smallest brands -- smaller growers almost always produce higher quality oil than mass producers.
• Keep your olive oil cool and dark, and look for brands packaged in dark bottles.
• Read the label carefully, intentionally vague statements like "imported from Italy" can be deceiving (it wasn't necessarily made in Italy).
• "Extra virgin" isn't necessarily the best. To be labeled extra virgin, olive oil must have an acidity of 0.8% or less, which isn't that hard to do. For really good oil, look for 0.5% or less.
  

Source

Whether for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, salad is one of the healthier options out there. But these days, salads are so rarely made up of only healthy stuff -- now once-healthy veggies are drenched in things like cheese and fat. But the most offensive salad ingredient? Too often it's the salad dressing.

Not all salad dressings are bad for you--vinaigrettes, for instance, are tangy and low in fat. But creamy dressings like ranch, Caesar, blue cheese and thousand island will pack a calorie wallop. In fact, some salads have a many calories as a cheeseburger, and it's all down to the dressing.

How can you dress up your salad without negating its health benefits? Make healthy dressing choices. Creamy ones are out -- instead, opt for vinegar and oil-based salad dressings. Noshtopia has a bunch of great ideas that you can check out here. And if in doubt? Make your own home-made dressings -- that way, you can control what goes in to your salad.

Source

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!

Sunday's Parade magazine lists some Super Foods we ought to embrace. Each one is packed with nutrients. And flavor too. Can't beat that combo. Check out these six.

Coconut Milk
Coconuts are rich and saturated in fat. Sound scary? It shouldn't. The people in the South Pacific enjoy diets loaded with coconut oil, yet studies show that these people don't get heart disease. U.S. researchers are hot on the trail of this interesting fact, hoping to support the claim that the fatty coconut is a heart-healthy fruit. What they do know is this: Coconut flakes, coconut milk and cream, and coconut oil contain lots of an antiviral, antibacterial fatty acid called lauric acid. It's one of the immune-boosters babies get from breast milk.

Try this: Mix a can of coconut milk with a pint of chicken stock and some grated ginger for a healthy coconut chicken soup.

Grass-Fed Beef
All beef is a great source of iron, B vitamins, and zinc -- three nutrients most of us don't get enough of. But grass-fed beef (versus grain-fed beef) is best. It contains less fat, less saturated fat, more CLA (an anti-cancer fat), and more omega-3 fatty acids.

Try this: Use the very lean grass-fed beef for spaghetti sauce, chili, and meatloaf.

Nuts
Rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and antioxidants, moderate amounts of almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts are a good addition to a healthy diet. Walnuts too. They are one of the best vegetarian sources of the omega-3 fatty acids that fight obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Try this: Put nuts in a blender with a little olive oil, milk or water for fresh nut butter.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon regulates blood sugar, inhibits cancer cells, and is anti-inflammatory. Can't beat that.

Try this: Sprinkle cinnamon on French toast, oatmeal, or a cup of hot chocolate.

Raw Honey & Molasses
Great for a sweet tooth, these whole and natural sweeteners make for a healthy sugar substitute. Unfiltered, raw honey contains lots of phytonutrients and enzymes to aid digestion. Blackstrap molasses is a surprisingly good source of iron and many other minerals.

Try this: Honey is best unheated but molasses already has been boiled, so there's no reason not to cook with it. Use with baked goods like muffins and pumpkin pie.

Olive Oil
Olive oil's monounsaturated fats reduce inflammation. Its phenols fight cancer. And its vitamin E lowers the risk of heart disease, protects skin from damaging agents, and prevents nerve damage.

Try this: Gently sauté vegetables in olive oil, drizzle it on salads, or use it in pesto.

Source

Here's some interesting news I learned from The Beauty Brains: Dirty hair might save the environment. Ok, maybe that's stretching it a bit, but dirty hair is at least good for the environment because it absorbs ozone from the air. In fact, dirty hair absorbs seven times as much ozone as clean hair does. And according to scientists, this can help cut the amount of harmful ozone floating around your head. Surprising? I think so.

But, as the brains are quick to point out, this isn't going to save the world or anything. In fact, the ozone in the air can interact with oil in dirty hair to produce other harmful chemicals. Still, washing your hair too often will waste water. Instead? Try to find a balance. Or, just shave your head.

Source

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Dear Fitz. My high school offers very few sports, but I'd like to play something. I'd like to try out for football, but my old-fashioned mother thinks that will make me a "tomboy". What do you think? Katie

A. You've come to the right place Katie! I happen to have embedded myself in the traditionally male sport of full-contact kickboxing, and you know what? It made me a better woman! Sports are sports. Whether you play with a ball, racket, gloves or sneakers...sports are just a more fun way to exercise and flex your competitive muscles. Period.

I loved getting in the ring to try and knock an opponent out. I loved the strategy, speed, and power of the event. Fighting, in fact, is one of my favorite things to do. Some of the girls I've competed against thought they had to take on some sort of macho persona. Short hair, yucky jeans, and mean snarls. I, on the other hand, preferred to act like a monster in the ring and show up to the after-party like a lady in a pretty dress and heels. Embracing my athleticism, strength and courage has allowed me to appreciate how wonderful it is to be a woman. A strong, athletic, educated woman who loves to have the doors held for her.

Source

Source

As much as I enjoy splurging from time to time on pricey beauty products, I also really like trying out simple, DIY beauty items. Not so long ago I wrote about home-made hair care -- using foods like mayonnaise and beer to soften and brighten your hair. I think what I like about at-home beauty is that, since the tips are usually cheap, barring any major disasters you can figure out which products you like without having to waste a tonne of money on stuff that turns out to be not so great.

I was pretty excited to find this list of 10 great budget beauty products that you can make at home. They're all really simple, containing only a few ingredients each. In addition, a number of the 'recipes' include a lot of the same ingredients -- like essential oils and rubbing alcohol, so you only have to buy a few things and can still try most of the ideas. All you need is a range of empty bottles and containers and you're good to get started.

Source

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!

Nutrition experts have long claimed that Mediterranean diets are some of the best around. Heavy on fish, fruits, and vegetables; moderate in nuts and red wine; and low in red meat, these diets are tops for heart health, say researchers at the Mayo Clinic. One more item puts the Mediterranean diet high on the heart health list: Olive Oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to be exact.

The Super Food olive oil, containing monounsaturated fat, helps lower the risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels in your blood, unlike saturated and trans fats (found in better, tropical oils, and hydrogenated margarines) which spike these levels. Get two tablespoons of olive oil per day -- make it "extra virgin" or "virgin" for less processing and more polyphenol antioxidants -- and you'll be on your way to better health.

It's not just your heart that will benefit from regular doses of olive oil, made from the crushing and then subsequent pressing of olives. Prevention magazine cites one Greek study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 1999) indicating a little olive oil can dramatically cut the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Study participants with the lowest consumption of extra virgin olive oil had a 2.5 greater chance of developing the condition, in fact.

Source