potatoes-related stories
Pick Potatoes for Dinner
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
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| Photo: FotoosVanRobin, Flickr |
CafeMom is all over making a meal out of the trusty potato. Nothing hard about this dish -- just wrap potatoes in foil, cook them in the crock pot on low for eight to 10 hours, then unwrap and top with healthy add-ons. How about steamed broccoli, tomatoes, salsa or maybe some turkey chili?
You might also want to mix it up with sweet potatoes in your salads, soups, breakfast dishes and more.
Super Spuds - How Potatoes Can Help You Slim Down
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| sxc.hu |
Trying to lose weight in a hurry? Most of us will cut out carbs like pasta, sugar and potatoes, but recent reports warn you should not be so hasty -- while the pasta and sugar can probably go, potatoes are actually a powerful weight loss tool.
Here's the thing: Most people assume potatoes will make them fat because they're typically regarded as having a high glycemic index. But according to a study by the British Journal of Nutrition, this is technically not true -- the GI of a potato depends on the type and how it's cooked. Plus, experts are quick to point out that potatoes aren't in the same carbohydrate league as sugary sweets and refined flour -- eating them will help you stay full longer than you would eating simple carbs like sugar.
Still not convinced that potatoes are for you? Here are some spud stats to keep in mind:
Potatoes - Veggies or Starch?
The potato is the most popular American vegetable, according to the Idaho Potato Commission. But our friends over at FitSugar have a hard time considering the potato a veggie, you know, because it's so starchy and all. But that's just them -- they want to know what you think.What do you call the potato -- a veggie or a starch? Weigh in right here.
Christmas Dinner - How Many Calories?
I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice that, Holy Moly, Christmas is tomorrow. If you celebrate like my family does, the day goes something like this: Eat, open presents, eat, play with new presents, eat, lounge, eat, lounge, half-heartedly help mom in the kitchen, eat a huge meal (the others were just snacks in comparison), eat dessert, pile everything into the dishwasher, lounge some more, then go to bed. It's a pretty perfect day, if you ask me, but all that eating can add up.
The big meal of the day, of course, is Christmas dinner. And after a day of constant snacking, a large meal can put you way over your recommended daily caloric intake. But by just how much?
Carbs - Don't Resist Them
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
You can have your pasta and eat it too. Potatoes and rice included. Not only will these items not weigh you down, they might help you shed a few pounds.New evidence, cited in Woman's Day magazine (December 2, 2008), suggests that when you cook and cool starchy goods like pasta, potatoes and rice, a substance called resistant starch forms. Also found in bananas, lentils, beans, and whole grains, your body can't digest the stuff. It acts like fiber, you see, so eating it helps you feel full. It also helps your body burn stored fat before turning it to carbohydrates for fuel.
Get your fill -- vegetarian chili, bean salads and cold potato, pasta and rice salads are all good picks.
You Told Us ... What Your Favourite Thanksgiving Dish Is
Ah Thanksgiving. Is there anything better than a day dedicated to food, family, friends and fabulous slothfulness? It's all great, but one of our favourite aspects of the day is the food.
So last week, I asked you what your favourite Thanksgiving Day dish is. Here's what you had to say:
- 32 percent of you love the stuffing.
- 22 percent of you love potatoes -- either mashed or sweet.
- 20 percent of you love turkey the best.
- 16 percent of you hold out for dessert -- it's your favourite part of the meal.
- 8 percent of you love the veggies.
- 2 percent of you are crazy about cranberry sauce.
Thanks for sharing ... though all of a sudden. I'm feeling a bit hungry.
10 top foods for a good night's sleep
Want permission to eat before you go to bed? Here it is: About 90 minutes before you turn in for the night, head to the kitchen and make yourself a snack. Make it light and around 200 calories and you won't head into dangerous eating territory. You will relax your muscles, quiet your spinning mind, and rev up the sleep-inducing hormones serotonin and melatonin -- if you eat one of these 10 picks.Bananas. Bananas contain serotonin, melatonin, and the muscle-relaxing magnesium.
Chamomile Tea. Chamomile has a mild sedating effect.
Celebrity Fitzness Report: Interview with ESPN's controversial? reporter Erin Andrews
Healthy Habits, Healthy Places, Stress Reduction, Work/Home Balance, Womens Health, Cellulite, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Obesity, Healthy Events, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Motivation, 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.
If you've been in tune with national sporting news this week, you're probably aware of the big hub-bub created by Mike Nadel, a cranky reporter of the Peoria Journal Star, who wrote a venomous article about the both young and beautiful sideline reporter for ESPN, Erin Andrews. The "big news" and "big deal" was that Erin wore a dress that hit right above her knee (the outrage!), and her dress was not a turtleneck (hussy)! Nadel even noted that Erin went so far as to grope Alfonso Soriano's bicep at a gathering (she was just looking at his scar from a recent surgery).
Here is the truth about Erin. She's a college educated, ambitious, down-to-earth woman who started on a small network and proved her reporting worthy of a high profile on-air position at ESPN. She loves sports and is great at delivering the news we want to know about our favorite athletes, coaches and teams. Erin and I relaxed on a sunny afternoon in both of our alma mater's football stadium, the University of Florida's SWAMP, to chat. She's funny, sarcastic, and truly grateful to have the job she's dreamed of. She often travels with a band of brothers, the mostly male ESPN GameDay crew, and has had to learn the hard way that she really isn't a guy. Some fans with cell phone cameras taught her that.
Fitz: You are pretty great shape! What do you do?
Erin: Traveling for my job makes staying in shape really hard. We're on the road so much, and for me ... it's tough cause I'm one of the only girls on site. I'm really close with the other talent and the broadcasters, so we go out to eat all the time. Today we had hamburgers! Eating on the road is the worst way to eat. Not only that, but I'm surrounded by guys! When you're surrounded by men, you eat and drink like a guy.
Fitz: Not good news for a slender woman like you!
Getting your garden ready for fall
Growing your own produce is an economical way to feed your family healthfully. As an added perk, pulling all of the weeds helps to burn a few calories each day. If you haven't gotten around to planting a garden this summer, you're not too late. There are plenty of veggies that can still thrive even into the fall. Perhaps even into the winter, depending on the weather conditions where you live. Divine Caroline has a list of edible goodies that can be planted now and enjoyed in the coming months:
- Long-maturing crops such as carrots, cabbage, and potatoes can be planted now for regions with October frost dates, or in August for regions with November frost dates.
- Medium-maturing crops like broccoli, Swiss chard, and kale take about two months to mature. You can plant them now or hold off a bit longer for fall growth.
- Fast-maturing crops such as spinach, arugula, and leaf lettuce mature in about a month and can be planted as late as September. Plant some now and then plan to plant again for a second crop in the fall.
I wanna' soak up the potato
Healthy Home, Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
French fries aren't exactly on the That's Fit healthy menu, buuuuut sometimes a little reward is well worth the temporary departure from your diet. Nevertheless, calories and blood sugar spikes aside, we definitely don't want our fries to contain known carcinogens. So, if you're going to break from your diet for a few chips, don't risk cashing in everything in the process.To safeguard your health, be sure to soak your potatoes in water before frying them, says a new study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Doing so can stop the formation of acrylamide, a cancer-causing compound that is produced naturally when starchy foods are cooked at temperatures above 248 degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers discovered that the longer you allow your potatoes to soak in water, the less chance they have to form the carcinogen. For example, the study revealed that just washing raw French fries, soaking them for 30 minutes or soaking them for two hours reduced the formation of acrylamide by up to 23 percent, 38 percent and 48 percent respectively
The 5: Some other uses for potatoes
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
As I pointed out in a recent post about olive oil, many foods have a wide variety of applications that fall beyond simply filling up our bellies. This is certainly the case with the potato, which is, as the Men's Health article from which this information was sourced suggests, a utility player.Here are five less common uses the folks at Men's Health mention for this super spud:
1. Heal Injuries. Wrap a cold potato with plastic wrap to make an effective compress. A raw potato will help reduce the swelling around cuts and bruises.
2. Soothe Eczema. Cube and then lightly boil a potato. Next, fold it into a thick gauze and apply it to the affected area. The warm potato poultice can relieve inflammation in some cases.
3. Fight Heartburn. Drop an uncooked, white potato through a juicer and get ready for an awful tasting drink but an effective method of reducing heartburn. Drink a half a cup after dinner for best results.
Fitz's Sweet Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Womens Health, Healthy Recipes, Cellulite, Obesity, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
I just made one of my favorite recipes last night for a group of friends ... and the crowd went wild. If you're looking for nutritious and delicious side dishes with a twist, check out page eight of my online recipe book at Fitzness.com. My Sweet Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are fairly easy to make and totally yummy. If you use large sweet potatoes, they suffice as a nice meal for vegetarians as well. Enjoy, my sweeties!
Carbs for weight loss
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
For years now carbs have a much maligned food for people watching their weight. But there's some new and exciting research out there that gives us a reason to put potatoes, corn and rice back in our diets. Experts have found that these foods contain resistant starch, which is a kind of fiber that may actually aid weight loss, especially when these foods are cooled. They increase your body's fat-burning ability and are filling so you're less hungry. Because resistant starch is bulky, it takes up space in your digestive system which means you can't absorb it so it's not stored as fat like most carbs. That's a pretty impressive reason to be smart about the carbs you eat.
Soak your potatoes
Did you know that frying starchy foods can produce a cancer-causing substance? Me neither. It turns out that when starchy foods such as potatoes are cooked at high temperatures acrylamide is created. So when you fry, bake, grill, or roast potatoes you could be generating potentially harmful carcinogens. A British study reveals that simply soaking potatoes can greatly reduce acrylamide and any subsequent health issues it could cause. Specifically, if the potatoes are washed the levels were reduced by as much as 23%. If soaked for 30 minutes, levels decreased up to 38%. And the decrease rose to 48% when the potatoes were soaked for two hours.
Martha recently showed us why potatoes don't really deserve their bad rep. If you want to create a healthy potato side dish, try some of these recipes from Prevention.
Want to lose weight? Eat carbs
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Evidence shows that at least one carb--potatoes--isn't counter-productive to weight loss, and in fact can even help you lose weight. How so? Here are the reasons you shouldn't give up on 'taters:
- They can boost your metabolism
- They help curb hunger hormones
- They can prevent cancer and heart disease
- They can help boost your immune system.
