Fitness and Freebies Blog

Canned Foods: Past and Present

fitnfree — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:33:09 +0000

February is Canned Food Month Fact: Supermarket shelves carry over 1,500 different canned food products. Consumers can buy at least 130 different canned vegetable products – from artichokes and asparagus to turnips and zucchini. More than a dozen kinds of beef are canned, including beef burgers and chopped, corned and barbecued beef. (Source: FDA) That’s [...]

Beneficial Berries

fitnfree — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:24:23 +0000

February is Berry Fresh Month. Berries have literally earned a “health halo” in the world of nutrition. In fact, berries have also become the favorite fruit of the public at large. Of all fruits, consumer research finds strawberries the absolute favorite among adults and kids. Over the past decade, multiple research findings support the health [...]

Honoring Baked Alaska

fitnfree — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:24:21 +0000

National Baked Alaska Day February 1 Baked Alaska is by no means a “diet-friendly” dessert; unless, I suppose one tries using low fat or even non fat ice cream, as I’ve seen in a Weight Watchers recipe. We’ve never tried it but others who have say it’s quite good. Plus, meringue is fat free and [...]

Safe Sugar Substitutes

fitnfree — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:06:31 +0000

Studies have repeatedly shown that low-calorie sweeteners do not cause or increase the risk of developing cancer. The following information discusses research conducted on each approved low calorie sweetener. Ace-K. Acesulfame potassium (ace-K) has been thoroughly tested in several long-term animal studies which used amounts of ace-K that were far higher than any person could [...]

Genetically Engineered Food: RED FLAGS!

fitnfree — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:28:01 +0000

New evidence raises potential safety concerns regarding genetically engineered (GE) foods. New red flags on GE food safety have been raised due to a review published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. Researchers reviewed the scientific literature on human health risks of GE foods and raised the following potential concerns: Genes. It might [...]

Blueberries: A Super Food

fitnfree — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:59:07 +0000

National Blueberry Pancake Day January 28 Delicious, juicy blueberries have been named by several sources as the new disease-fighting “Super food.” Blueberries are low in fat, sodium free, a good source of fiber and vitamin C, and a great way to incorporate disease-fighting antioxidants into your diet. The nutrition facts for blueberry pancakes are nearly [...]

Have That Chocolate Cake and Eat It, Too!

fitnfree — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:10:39 +0000

Chocolate Cake Day January 27 Let’s head right to the “meat” of this treat – the chocolate. Good Chocolate News: While consumption of saturated fats is still thought to raise cholesterol levels, thus raising the risk of heart disease, regular consumption of cocoa butter and chocolate has been repeatedly shown to not raise blood cholesterol. [...]

Pistachio: The Fruit Nut

fitnfree — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:39:23 +0000

National Pistachio Day January 26 Pistachio History The pistachio was introduced to Italy from Syria early in the first century A.D. Archaeological evidence in Turkey indicate the nuts were being used for food as early as 7,000 B.C. The tree was first introduced into the United States in 1854 by Charles Mason, who distributed seed [...]

Irish Coffee Perk

fitnfree — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:09:15 +0000

National Irish Coffee Day January 25 Tasty it is – but healthful?Most wouldn’t think so with its inclusion of cream and sugar added to some potent whiskey…but we’re going to step out of the norm and mention some benefits to an occasional glass of this tasty libation. Firstly, delegates at the EuroMedLab 2005 conference in [...]

Cookies: Nourish ‘em Up!

fitnfree — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:24:33 +0000

Add ground flax seeds (try 1 tablespoon) to your cookie batter for more fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. (See The Best Natural Sweeteners) Experiment with different natural, healthy sweeteners, such as honey and agave syrup instead of the sugar. you can also try this in other recipes that call for plain granulated sugar. Use this [...]