How do bands stay healthy while on tour?

Super Sneaky: 5 Diet Wreckers You're Not Realizing

Our friends at Yahoo! Shine can really pinpoint reasons why are diets aren't working. Here is another great article about diet wreckers to watch out for:

5 Sneaky Diet Wreckers

No doubt about it: With one in three Americans now labeled overweight, "thin" food sells. Restaurants are adding low-cal choices to their menus, processed foods are being reformulated to be "healthy," and the diet food home-delivery business is booming. So why isn't weight loss getting any easier? Blame these five sneaky diet wreckers:

1. Good food gone bad. Fruit, veggies, and whole grains are the backbone of nearly every weight loss plan. But that doesn't mean you can eat your fruit blended into sugary shakes called "smoothies" or candied into "fruit chews." And those veggie chips? Most are still salty, greasy, and calorie-laden. Oily pasta dishes flecked with a few carrots and broccoli bits shouldn't be allowed to call themselves "salads" -- even if they use whole-wheat noodles. Skip all of the above, and enjoy your fruit and veggies whole and your noodles without oil (a little pasta water or broth will keep them from clumping together). 

2. Bet you can't eat just one. Bite-sized 100-calorie treats can be a great way to get a little taste of your favorite snack. But they can also make your mind play tricks on you. As in, "Since they're diet food, it's okay to have two of those mini packs." (If you ate the same amount from a larger package, you'd call it a binge.) Same goes for low-cal fudge-sicles, skinny ice cream sandwiches, and mini cupcakes. Tuck a six-pack in the fridge or freezer only if you trust yourself not to go back for seconds.

3. New menu, same diet traps. Weird but true: Entree options labeled "dieter's delight," "reduced calorie," or "healthy" lead some weight-conscious folks (you?) to indulge in a giant bowl of fettuccine Alfredo. Somehow, just being near healthy choices tricks your brain into thinking you've made one. Don't be fooled: See "healthy" and order that one, not its neighbor on the menu!

4. High fiber but not low cal. Think counting fiber grams means you can get away with more calories? You're sort of on the right track. Where you can go off the rails, though, is not paying attention to sugar. For instance, some bran muffins and cold cereals can still be loaded with sugar calories, which will not only get you a ride on the blood sugar roller coaster but also whet your appetite for more sweet sugar calories later.

5. "Lite" serving sizes. That chicken lasagna is only 300 calories? Sure, if you eat only 1 cup. Making the natural assumption that what looks like a single serving on the package of a frozen dish actually is one serving can cause you to double up on calories without knowing it. To lose weight, either look for frozen entrees that clearly state "single serving" on the package, or read all the fine print on the nutrition label, starting with the serving size.

Super Snacks: Making the Right Decision at the Vending Machine

Sometimes you reach that afternoon lull and need a little bit of a pick me up. Where do you head? The candy machine. But don't be fooled; that glass window may be clear but it hides some very essential nutritional facts about the candy and snacks inside. 

So consider this a GPS to navigate through the candy machine. Here are the do's and don't's of CANDY MACHINES.

Something Sweet:

Skip: Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry

420 calories, 10g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 40g sugar

Pick: Fig Newtons

190 calories, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 2g fiber

Something Salty:

Skip: Ruffles Original

160 calories, 10g fat, 3g sat fat

Pick:  Sun Chips Original

140 calories, 6g fat, 1g sat fat, 2g fiber

Something Chewy: 

Skip: Skittles 

250 calories, 2.5g fat, 2.5g sat fat

Pick: Dried Apricots (1/4 cup) 

78 calories, 0g fat, 4g fiber

Something Chocolate-y:

Skip: Twix

280 calories, 14g fat, 11g sat fat

Pick: Raisinets

190 calories, 8g fat, 2g protein

Something Crunchy:

Skip: Cracker Jack's (1 cup)

240 calories, 30g sugar

Pick: Nature Valley Granola Bar

180 calories, 6g fat, 0.5g sat fat, 2g fiber

Super Stars: Food Groups With A Bad Rep For No Reason

Just because you're on a diet doesn't mean you need to shun these food groups...

The No Carb Effect

Breads and starches contain essential carbohydrates, which you need to produce feelings of satisfaction

AKA: You'll have fewer cravings

Without it: 

Break out the small violin because you'll experience irritability and depression without this chemical reaction 

How to do it right: 

-- Whole grains where "whole grains" is the first ingredient

-- English muffins

-- Fiber rich tortillas or wraps under 150 calories

-- Brown rice, quinoa and other grains that are fiber and protein rich

-- Potatoes the size of your fist (preferably sweet potatoes)

In the mood for a good french fries swap, check out a previous blog all about delectable potato replacements

Fruit, friend or foe?
Fruit contains natural fructose (sugar) so it caters to sweet cravings at a lower calorie price and it has a high water and fiber content leaving you fuller longer

AKA: Fruit pretty much rocks, sorry Mr. Gummy Bear

Without it:

You'll be seriously lacking essential vitamins and minerals like Calcium and Vitamin C...and you'll see the effects on your body

How to do it right:

-- Shoot for three servings of FRESH FRUIT 

-- Avoid fruit juices which are just laden with calories and not nearly as many benefits as the actual fruit

-- Pick up fruits with vibrant colors like cherries, blueberries, kiwis

Eat the rainbow, check out a previous blog post about the importance of eating your colors

Super Scary News: Misinterpreting Calories

Researchers at Tufts University recently analyzed 269 food items from 42 national sit-down and fast-food restaurant chains, and they found that nearly 20 percent of samples contained 100 or more calories than reported by the restaurants.

Foods with the greatest differences calorie-wise: soups and (EEK!) salads. Researchers believe larger portion sizes and extra dressing as the factors that inflated the calories.

An extra 100 calories or more leads to a possible weight gain of 11 to 33 pounds per year!!

SOME 'LOW-LIGHTS' FROM THE STUDY:
A zuppa toscana soup from Olive Garden listed at 191 calories --- actual calories: 391. Outback Steakhouse's classic blue cheese wedge side salad is marked as 376 calories --- lab found 1,035 calories in the "portion."
On the Border Mexican Grill and Cantina measures chips and salsa at 451 calories --- after 3 tests the sides came in at 1,000 calories every time.

SOME 'HIGH-LIGHTS':
Some dishes actually had LOWER calorie counts than listed counts
A Sonic cheeseburger with mayonnaise and jalapeños listed at 799 calories, had only 614 calories.
Lemon pepper shrimp from P.F. Chang's came out with just 264 calories, not the 583 on the menu.

If it doesn't sound or look healthy, it probably isn't (even if its calorie counts reads pretty low). By the way, restaurant calorie counts are not the only ones. Packaged foods with calorie counts (yes that includes the Entemann's donuts you scarf down at night) are not always what they're listed as.

Super U's Bottom Line: Most things are too good to be true...that includes the sundae.  

Super Slice to the Rescue: Making a Healthy Pizza

Scratch This: 

1 slice cheese pizza (on average) = ~550 calories

Make Your Own:
1 "pie" home made flat pizza = 320 calories


Ingredients:

1 9-inch tortilla with 80-110 calories

1/4 cup low sodium tomato sauce

1/4 cup low fat shredded mozzarella

vegetable toppings of your choice 

salt, pepper to your liking

Super Suggestion: thinly sliced mushrooms, colorful peppers and onions

Directions:
Toast tortilla for 1-2 minutes, or until edges are crispy brown. Prepare tomato sauce, mozzarella and vegetables over the toasted tortilla on a sheet of tinfoil. Place back in toaster oven for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese melts. Salt and pepper to your liking.

Finished Product. Bon Appetit!

Super Saves: Baking Done Healthy

Nothing is sweeter than taking a bite out of a delicious baked pastry or brownie hot out of the baking oven. But that sweet feeling will turn sour after the immediate gratification passes and you realize you're left with the repercussions of hundreds of calories.


What if there was a way to de-plump your goodies?


Here are some simple ways to cut calories and fat without sacrificing the moist deliciousness of baked goods in the process:

1. Cut the butter 

Replace about half the butter with reduced fat cream cheese, applesauce or prune puree

2. Whip out eggs 

Use 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute for each whole egg

4. Substitute sugar 

Reduce the amount of sugar by one-half; and add sweetness by adding vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon 


5. Oil away 

Use fat free, or reduced fat, plain Greek style yogurt instead of vegetable or baking oil