That's Fit

We all know fruits and veggies that are bold and bright in color keep us healthy. But what colors are best? Red, for one. Health.com says we can't go wrong with these three red foods.

Red cabbage
It has has deep-red (almost purple) pigments containing 36 plant chemicals. Researchers say these may be useful for guarding against cancer, boosting brain function, and promoting heart health.

Beet juice
It has a chemical your body may convert into a compound capable of expanding blood vessels and lowering blood pressure, say British scientists. If this doesn't sound appetizing on its own, try mixing it into a smoothie.

Tomatoes
They have lycopene and beta-carotene -- antioxidants that can keep your heart young by lowering your cholesterol.

Of course, red isn't the only color you'll need to eat to stay healthy. It's important to incorporate other colors into your diet too.

My son is a picky eater. But, surprisingly, he likes a lot of vegetables. Carrots, celery, and cucumber rank as some of his favorite snacks. (Lucky, aren't I?) Even so, there are plenty of veggies that he shies away from. I think most parents struggle to get their kids to try different vegetables and, better yet, enjoy them. HealthCastle has some ideas on getting your kids to eat more veggies:

• Make it fun. Serve ants on a log or make a smiley face out of veggies. Let your child top their own individual pizza with their choice of veggies.
  
• Hide them. Serve cut veggies with ranch dressing for dipping. Add vegetables to casseroles, soups, and pasta dishes.
  
• Be creative. Prepare vegetables in different ways or even just slice them differently. Sometimes a subtle change makes all the difference. (For example, my son won't eat asparagus spears, but when I cut off just the tips for him he gobbles them down.)
• Don't give up. Don't force your child to eat their veggies (it's a sure-fire way to make them HATE vegetables). Instead, be prepared to offer the new vegetable over and over and over until your child is willing to really try it and give it a chance. It takes some kids 10-15 times before they'll really entertain a new food item.
• Buy a kid-friendly cookbook. There are several on the market that have sneaky ways of incorporating vegetables into meals.

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 one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hey Fitz. I am 12 years old and am a little chunky. I have love handles and wish to get rid of them, but I don't know what I should do! I was trying sit ups and crunches, but they don't work. Now I want to know what really works and how I can keep my body in shape without body fat . Everyone says that I'm not fat nor skinny, I'm just chunky. I want to get rid of all the chunky parts, but I don't know what I should do. Please help! Jellybean

A. First of all Jellybean, I want you to change your focus. I know it's hard to be young and uncomfortable in your skin. I too, had that issue before I was a teenager and ended up with a traumatic eating disorder. Trust me ... it brought me only bad things, never good. Don't go there. Instead of focusing on your so-called "flaws", find something about your body you like. I bet your body is loaded with treasures.

When it comes to good nutrition, you can't beat freshly picked fruit and vegetables. You don't have to be a gardener to get them either.

In my expert opinion, yes! Disney World is the healthiest place on earth. I just returned from a five-night, six-day vacation with my husband and two children and was blown away by the amount of physical activity both offered and required of ourselves in order to indulge in the full Disney experience.

We pushed our double-stroller miles through two theme parks, climbed thousands of stairs and jumped an equal amount of waves at two water-parks, danced our tushies off to live bands at various Disney resorts, and played game after game with our children as we giggled, oohed and ahhed at all the Disney magic. As a fitness trainer, one of my biggest obstacles is convincing my clients not to trash their fitness efforts when they head out on vacation. Disney offers the perfect opportunity to not only maintain one's fitness level, but improve it.

The physical adventures are endless, and Disney World has made a deliberate effort to increase the availability of legitimately nutritious, low fat, and lower sugar foods. Fruit stands have popped up all over the theme parks, and children's dining has switched from burgers and fries to grilled chicken with carrots and grapes offered as side dishes. Soda has been dumped for low fat milk! I can't get food that "clean" in my own neighborhood, unless I cook it myself! Of course, the old junkie favorites like popcorn, fries, and ice cream are still available, but if you do care about your health and want to maintain it on vacation ... Disney makes it easy.

Marcie at Feeding Blackmail recently wrote about her family picking seasonal strawberries. Joanne at Eat Local Challenge urges you to help the honeybees by signing up to help with The Great Sunflower Project. If you're looking for some fabulous recipes and good looking food, check out Eat Locally, Write Globally. And finally, Epicurious has a very helpful tool, a peak-season map that can help you find out what's in season where you live.

• Fresh, locally grown veggies -- Fresh vegetables are key for a well-balanced diet. Get them local -- grow them in your back yard, even -- and ditch all pesticides too. Your body will thank you.
  
  

• May flowers -- Are there health benefits to flowers? You betcha. Flowers offer restoration and respite from mental stress. And they help us connect with the natural world. Want more? Visit this post.
  
  

• A dog's little wagging tail -- Dogs are feel-good pets who love us unconditionally. They can also help curb kids' allergies and can even assist on your next fitness hike.
  
  

• Picking up the mail and finding an old-fashioned letter -- Time to turn off your computer and get back to basics -- like reading a real letter, written on real paper. If one doesn't turn up in your mailbox, find an old note you've saved. Or better yet, write one and mail it to a loved you. You'll boost your recipient's spirits and your own too -- journaling and writing have definite soothing qualities.
  
  

• Iced coffee -- Nowadays, coffee is more health food than hazard food. It contains antioxidants and the power to rev your metabolism too.
  
  

What healthy habits make you happy?

My top five veggies are broccoli, peas, corn, squash, and spinach salad leaves. These aren't the five eaten by the majority of Americans, though. The overall top five in this country, according to Canyon Ranch's Connection magazine, are:

• Iceberg lettuce

• French fries

• Potatoes

• Potato chips

• Canned tomato

This is alarming, says the Ranch experts, because these foods have far fewer vitamins than other vegetables. Don't be part of the statistic, they say. Instead, make an effort to eat one new veggie per week so you'll get a wider variety of nutrients.

Feeling and looking like a superstar starts with eating superstar foods and when it comes to summer salads, you might know that veggies are good for you but do you know which ones are the best? In terms of antioxidant levels there are five veggies that stand out from the rest and you'll want to be sure to throw as many of them as you can in your salads this summer. Which veggie do you think is the absolute richest in antioxidants?

If you're trying to lose weight, you'll have to fill up on salads and veggies. But salads can get boring -- fast! And when you get bored with your meals, that's when you reach for the junk food.

Which is why we need to keep our healthy foods fresh and interesting -- Fitsugar calls it 'Pimping your greens.' Here are some of my favourite ways to spice up my salads -- feel free to share some of your own in the comments.

• Try different dressings, but make sure to check the label before buying because certain dressings (like the creamy ones) can be loaded with fat and calories. Better yet -- try making your own!
  
• Add some nuts and seeds. They'll add protein and flavour to your greens.
• Think outside the veggies. Slices of fresh fruit can add a lot of flavour to your salad -- strawberries, grapes and mango are my favourites.
  
• Cheese, please. I love cheese and if adding it to my salad means I look forward to chowing down on my greens, so be it.
  
• Get inspired. I sometimes spend my lunch hours perusing the internet for interesting salad recipes -- I rarely follow a recipe by the book but it's great for ideas and inspiration.

The smell of barbecue is back in the neighborhood. And how sweet it is.

Do you know anyone who doesn't like a grilled dinner? And most grilled dinners, even the traditional burgers or dogs, can be quite healthy when paired with green salad and fresh fruit. Even the most die-hard heart-attack food lovers can be suckers for grilled veggies. My favorite is yellow squash with olive oil, garlic, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. My almost three-year-old daughter adores corn on the cob fresh from the 'cue. We do all the classics: burgers, dogs, steaks, chicken, various veggies, a mix of stuff on kabobs and more.

This season, I'm looking forward to trying some new things. The Food Network has tons of great spring and summer grilling ideas. Some are really unique. At least to me. What really caught my attention were all the recipes for grilled fruit. If you've never had it, plan it as part of your meal. Tonight. I've done melon and pineapple. But I love the idea of doing nectarines and plums, too. Mmmm.

Now that you're so diligently participating in America Takes It Off (you are, aren't you?), you're probably considering healthier dining options. And what's healthier than a salad? Salads are filled with low-cal veggies and they're usually low in carbs and fat. There's only one problem though -- while most of the ingredients in a salad are healthy, there's one important one that usually not: The dressing.

But will salads really do that much damage to your diet? They very well could if you don't choose wisely. Let's put our diet detective skills to work and figure out the facts on one of my favourite salads: The Chicken Caesar Salad.

What do you think?

An easy way to lose weight is to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Produce is famous for jamming massive amounts of vitamins, nutrients and fiber into very few calories. With most produce, you can consume lots of food for a very low caloric price. More bang for your buck that is!

I ask my personal training clients to try to include at least five meals per week consisting of pure produce. No meat. No grains. Most folks eat at least 21 meals per week, so this five meal plan doesn't deter anyone from getting enough protein. What it does do though, is get them to try new fruits and learn new ways to turn veggies into a meal.

Another benefit to this effort is that by keeping a few meals to just produce, you will more than likely be cutting quite a bit of calories out of the day. Over time, the more you rely on fruits and vegetables for snacks and meals, the more likely you'll be to achieve and maintain your ideal weight.

Did you know that your kitchen grater can be a great tool for calorie and health-conscious meals? Believe it or not, it's true. According to Shape, a cup of grated cheddar contains 77 fewer calories than a cup of diced. So they next time you're reaching for a calorie-dense food, consider grating it instead of slicing or dicing it. You're likely to use less and, as as added perk, grated food distributes more evenly. Try grating cheese over salads or steamed veggies. Also, a small amount of grated chocolate is delicious on strawberries and lite whipped topping.

A grater is also a great tool for tricking kids into eating their veggies. I'm pretty lucky in that respect; my son loves vegetables. In fact, the other night I made a quick dinner of whole grain mac and cheese with steamed cauliflower and broccoli. My son went back for seconds on the steamed veggies and barely touched the mac and cheese. But if your kids aren't quite as willing, pull out the grater. You can grate carrots, zucchini, or summer squash into marinara sauce. Also, many baked goods can be enhanced with the addition of grated zucchini or carrots.

For more healthy eating tips, check out AOL Body.

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.