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.

Source

I recently wrote about how much protein we need to get each day to eat a nutritious diet. And while getting our protein fix isn't difficult for those of us who eat some sort of meat with most of our meals, it's a bit harder for someone who doesn't eat meat -- or dairy either. Vegan protein sounds like an oxymoron to some people, but it's really not. Fitsugar recently compiled a list of the top 5 vegan proteins:

• Tempeh: (like tofu but different -- read more here). There's 22 g of protein in 4 oz of tempeh.
  
• Tofu: It has 19.9 g of protein per 1/2 cup.
  
• Seitan: (a form of wheat gluten.) There's 19.9 g of protein for each 3oz.
  
• Soy Milk: (the plain variety). It has 11 g of protein for each cup.
  
• Edamame: Eat half a cup and you'll get 10 g of protein.
  
  

Any vegans out there want to share their main sources of protein?

Source

When most people think of health foods, they often think of soy-based products like soy milk and tofu. But is soy really healthy? Did anybody check the facts before labelling soy as healthy? Dr. Mercola did and he has some pretty strong things to say about soy. Check out his thoughts on soy by clicking here and here.

Dr. Mercola wants everyone who thinks soy is healthy to check out The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food by Dr. Kaayla Daniel. In it, she reveals some startling things about soy. Like? It apparently impedes sexual maturation in boys and speeds it up in girls. It also supposedly can cause thyroid problems and endocrine disruption in adults. And if it's given to infants, it's hormonal effects can be irreversible.

Hm. These are some pretty strong allegations. What do you think?

Source

Soy milk is not for everyone, just ask my kids. Prior to a long car trip last month, I bought shelf stable, mini soy milks, complete with straws. They look like juice boxes, but much healthier. I figured they'd love cold soy milk on the road. After taking their first sip, they got this ugly look on their faces. My six year old said "Ugh!" and my three year old said, "Gross, this tastes like coffee milk!" Talk about ruined expectations.

I happen to love all lactose-free soy milk and so does my digestive system. Shape recently clued readers in that soy milk is just as good an accompaniment to a low-cal diet as skim milk. Northern Illinois University researchers compared women following an eight-week, low-cal diet that incorporated either three cups of light soy milk or skim milk. Both soy and skim delivered similar weight loss of approximately eight and a half pounds per participant.

Researchers surmise it may be the calcium that helped participants lose the weight. Both skim and soy contain about 300 milligrams of calcium per cup.

Source

Though last week's extreme heat wave seems to have broken, it's still pretty hot out there. Keeping yourself hydrated in summer weather is very important. Water may be the best thing you can drink for your health, but this article from Fitness Magazine lists 8 other beverages that can offer other health benefits while contributing to your daily fluid intake. They include:

• green tea
• mint tea
• low-fat milk
• soy milk
• hot chocolate
• low sodium tomato juice
• cranberry juice
• orange juice

What do you think about this list? I think there are some semi-controversial drinks there -- including milk (some people are allergic), hot chocolate (packaged brands may include additives), and soy milk -- that some people may argue don't qualify as one of "the healthiest" drinks or may have concerns about. Everything in moderation, right? Read the full article here, then come back and tell us what you think!

Source

I love milk. I love a tall cold glass with a bowl of hot chili or for a bedtime snack to help me doze off. I love it on my oatmeal and poured over my Grapenuts. I'm lucky enough not to have an allergy or to have any digestive issues when I drink it, but I know that many people do. Actually, there are a lot of reasons people pass up a cold glass of milk -- some believe dairy is bad for humans in general, others choose a vegan diet.

Whatever your reason for avoiding cow's milk, there are substitutes out there. Soy, rice, and nut milks come immediately to mind. As this article points out, however, milk alternatives are not, in fact, milk. You need to choose carefully to make sure you're getting a full serving of good nutrition in every glass.

The reason milk is so popular is because it's an excellent source of calcium, B12, riboflavin, and vitamin D. Milk alternatives won't automatically contain those ingredients, so be sure to look for a brand that comes fortified. As the article points out, the most efficient way to be sure you're getting a comparable glass of milk is to put the food labels side by side and compare.

Source