A Portion Control Story

O.K. I admit I have a problem with this darn "portion control" thing.

I open my e-mail to review at least one of 20 health, science, tea, and news articles that I read per day and find the annoying little (but helpful) article "portion control" from HeartHealthyOnline.com.

According to this article, one of the suggested ways to loose 5 pounds is through watching the size of what we eat. At first I think "big newsflash there", but wait! There is a helpful guide the breaks down how much we really SHOULD be eating. CLICK HERE

So, imagine - to my surprise - that the love of my food eating existence (cheese) shows that one serving is the equivalent of 3 stacked dominoes. OK, in the back of my mind, I kinda knew that my love of cheese went way over the 3 stacked dominoes (even if the dominoes were super sized) but seeing is believing. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

What to do now? Well, I'm not sure. For the sake of argument here, I'm thinking about reducing my portion sizes, but the thought of missing my beloved cheese is giving me the shakes.

So what about you? After seeing the truth of what we really should be eating (click the link if you dare), how many of you are considering reducing your portion sizes? Talk to me... :)

Diet Soda Is Bad For Your Health!

Alas, I've been vindicated!

Yahoo.com posted an article called "The Truth About Diet Soda" once again talking about the harmful effects of this drink!

Readers... I can't emphasize it enough - Diet Soda Is Bad For Your Health. Here are a few reasons according to the article:
Increase Your Sweet Tooth = Weight Gain
You Drink Less of the Healthy Drinks (Water and Tea)
Aspartame is BAD For Your Health

Read more about the article by clicking http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/22630/the-truth-about-diet-soda/

Happy Holidays From Jade Fitness & Entertainment

A special bellydance performance to Jingle Bell Rock!! "Jingle Bell Rock"

Record Broken For The Most People Belly Dancing Simultaneously

Gotta love bellydancing and its transforming effects!! Who would have thought that there WAS an original record of most people bellydancing to begin with? This article explores "The Guinness World Record" that has been broken in November 535 people bellydancing at the same time at the Malvern Theatre in Worcester, England. Think we could organize something like this in Chicago, IL? Well, maybe - Just not in November! CLICK HERE for full article!

Want To Know What Else is Making you Fat? - High Fructose Corn Syrup...

We're bringing it to you first, don't fall for the commercial "hype" that is about to hit the airwaves in the next coming months. According to the Corn Refiners Association, "high-fructose corn syrup contains the same amount of calories as cane and beet sugar, is metabolized by the body the same way as these sweeteners are, and is an all-natural product."

Please don't believe it!!

The ad campaign boasts that HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup) is like honey. Well, we guess it could be all natural if one of it's main ingredients - corn starch - naturally soaked in a vat of alphaamylase, trickled into a holding tank of glucoamylase, and after a lovely fungus growth grew on top, the solution could be strained into a container holding industrial grade D-xylose isomerase (sounding natural yet?)

So here's the catch, chemically, high-fructose corn syrup is similar to cane sugar because it too contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose, but since most consumers should limit their consumption of sugar to no more than 32 grams daily and HFCS is in almost EVERYTHING these days, something as simple as a can of soda can put you over your daily sugar limit.

We know it is difficult to avoid HFCS, but these are some of the foods that contain it:

• Yoplait Yogurt
• Salad Dressings
• “Smart” Ice Cream Sandwiches
• 100 Calorie Snack Packs
• Soft drinks
• Salsa
• BBQ Sauce
• Ketchup

Take a close look at your fast food restaurant order please - according to Foodfacts.info even something as simple at your Subway Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Strips sandwich has HFCS. Click the link to see a listing of restaurants that include HFCS in their menu items

Why Does HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) Make You Fat?

High fructose makes you fat because it's similar to the "party crasher that snuck in through the back door." By bypassing your liver (it decides how to process sugar as it enters the body - store, burn, or turn to fat), HFCS bypasses this process and turns directly into fat.

How To Avoid?

Our recommendation is to read the label. Don't trust the "pretty front" of a package. Instead, look at the ingredients - Especially the first 3 ingredients listed. The first 3 ingredients indicate which ingredients are the majority.

Give us your feedback? How have you avoided HFCS since reading this information?

Sweet Potatoes Help Your Figure – And Fight Colds and Flu!

In Saturday’s class, the health and nutrition tip we addressed talked about how to stick to your fitness plans and goals despite cold weather. Who wants a cold cup of cereal when it’s cold outside? Not too many people. Who wants a cold salad?

You want something warm – and filling.

This is where people get off track – enter the super breakfast combo – eggs, butter, toast, pancakes, hash browns, etc…

Although this combo isn’t bad if eaten once in a while, it is bad if you eat it all the time – like ALL WINTER/FALL

So, instead try a sweet potato for breakfast or lunch!

It’s easy, just puncture it several times with a fork after washing the spud, pop it into the microwave for 5 – 10 minutes (depending on the size of the spud). Serve with butter or drizzle honey, or add a dash of cinnamon – viola! Healthy, filling, and good for your breakfast.

Ohh, did we mention it will help you fight off a mean cold or flu this season. Why? Because these sweet spuds are chocked full of vitamin A (a nutrient you immune system depends on) – 769% of the daily recommended value per one cup serving.

And they are cheaper than that McDonalds breakfast sandwich, or the Starbucks breakfast “thingie” you grab in the morning too!

I Was Part of History by Helping the Obama Campaign Last Night

I just can't help it. I'm so proud. Last night, I drove down to the Obama headquarters to make phone calls to help the campaign and encourage voting. My list included people from Nevada. It was awesome! The rooms in the facility were packed! People making phone calls from lists in the hallways, the streets, and stairwells. All nationalities, all genders and all ages!

My face swells with pride as I write this. I'm remembering seeing a mother with her daughter, cramped in a corner, making calls. Her daughter didn't look tired or upset. Her daughter looked happy. Why? Because they know that they are making history.

I called for 2 hours and spoke to many people. One person said they had voted for McCain (bummer), but the other people said they had voted or will vote for Obama. They knew where their polling place was and although some of them had received a call of this nature for the 10th time, they were still understanding and in awe of the overwhelming support for Obama.

No matter your opinion on Barack Obama, it is still something to see. The outpouring of love and hard work from everyone - all volunteers like myself. We are no longer talking about change - nor wishing for change - we are part of the movement for change. And that is a good thing.