These five tips involve slashing sugar, saturated and trans fats, and cutting back on calories so you can lose weight and better control your blood sugar levels.

1. Swap water for calorie beverages. Water has zero calories, that’s the bottom line. Used to sodas? Try sparkling water with a twist of lime. Need more flavor? Add some mint or unsweetened iced tea. I love using herbal teas! You’ll save 17 teaspoons of sugar for each 20-ounce soda.

2. Swap a coffee beverage with a small skim milk latte. A small pumpkin spice latte made with 2% milk has almost 40 grams of sugar (about 10 teaspoons – a day’s worth of added sugar), whereas a small, fat-free latte has only 16 grams sugar and that comes from the milk! If you would like, you can always “split the difference” and ask for one pump of pumpkin spice. That’s about 10 grams of added sugar – just under three teaspoons. Sure beats 10, doesn’t it?

3. Swap a hamburger with a portobello mushroom burger. If you’ve never had a grilled portobello mushroom you have no idea what you are missing. This large vegetable has a thick “meaty” texture. The saturated fat is no comparison. You’ll save grams of saturated fat.

4. Swap “partially hydrogenated” on packaged foods with whole or packaged foods without. If you can avoid packaged and fried foods altogether then you can avoid most of the world’s trans fat. That’s not realistic for a lot of people, so the next best thing is to cut down on the amount and frequency of those kinds of foods. Look at an ingredients list for the words “partially hydrogenated” and rethink your purchase. The good news is that most companies have taken it out of foods.

5. Swap full-fat cheese for lighter. I love cheese, but the saturated fat in that tiny thumb-sized portion is enough to make your arteries clog in sheer terror! OK, not exactly, but even so, just remember full-fat dairy products are mostly saturated fat. I like to use low-fat cottage cheese for a “most of the time” food. I also like the reduced-fat mozzarella and cheddar cheeses in the store. Up to 50% reduced fat of a good brand will slash the saturated fat in half, but you don’t notice a taste difference. I also like goat and feta cheese because they are strong. A little goes a long way and their “softness” means more water and guess what, less saturated fat per serving.

Hopefully you can choose at least one of these tips today to work on!

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Five Easy Food Swaps to Prevent Diabetes

The government only gives minimal guidelines on how supplements are stored and coated. So, you need to do most of your own homework.

What’s in Your Supplement?

When manufacturers chelate, or coat, a supplement, they are making it more resistant to damage during digestion. Manufacturers use binders, usually vegetable gums, cellulose, and microcrystalline cellulose to hold the tablets together. Capsules can also use binders to help affect the speed of a product being released into the bloodstream.

Fillers are also used in supplements. They act as a dispersing agent and add extra bulk, as active ingredients are often too small to stand alone.

Lubricants are a mainstay with most supplements. They are used as a necessary part of the manufacturing process. Supplements are also coated to make it easier to swallow and to avoid the damaging effects of oxygen.

Watch Out For Some Fillers

If you have any dietary restrictions because of allergies or digestive issues, watch out for supplements that contain yeast, gluten, shellfish, sugar, and salt. They should all be listed on the ingredient list.

As is the case with anything you put in your body, it’s good to know a little about natural versus synthetic. Remember that if something is natural that does not mean it’s automatically safe to use.

It’s a good idea to discuss supplements with your doctor or nutritionist. This is particularly true if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or undergoing treatment for a chronic health condition.

It’s easy to assume when we walk into a store that everything on the shelves is equally safe and effective. Your best bet is to not take anything for granted. Instead, ask questions and do your research.

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Secrets of Supplement Manufacturing

1. Apples – Studies have shown that apples can help lower cholesterol, manage diabetes, and prevent several diseases, including cancer. Apples peak in the fall, and the flavor can’t be beat. They are full of fiber, around 5 grams per fruit, and are comparatively low in calories.

2. Pears – High in both Vitamin C and fiber, pears are a low calorie and delicious fruit choice that add dimension to a chicken salad and make an excellent snack when paired with a low fat string cheese and a handful of walnuts.

3. Winter Squash – An awesome source of vitamin A and fiber, and lower in calories than you might think – one cup baked squash has only 80 calories with more than six grams of fiber. Add chunks of winter squash to your soups or stews or bake a halved squash and drizzle with a bit of maple syrup.

4. Sweet Potatoes – Among all of the root vegetables, the sweet potato is lowest on the glycemic index and chock full of fiber, so the sweet potato digests slowly, causing a gradual rise in blood sugar which helps you to feel satisfied longer. Baked, they are delicious plain or with a smattering of cinnamon.

5. Kale and dark leafy greens – Kale is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and other nutrients shown to help prevent cancer. In fact, most of the dark, leafy greens are also a good source of calcium, folate, and vitamin B-6.

Make a goal to add at least three of these fruits and vegetables to your daily diet and reap the benefits of eating seasonally!

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Five Healthiest Foods for Fall

No, I’m not kidding. Spinach is a fine food and a great addition to an entire roster of dishes – but not, in my mind, a yummy addition to my beloved chocolate chip cookies. Which are just fine on their own.

I think that vegetables are a tricky subject for many kids. Vegetables have strong flavors, and many children are averse to them, but in my mind sneaking them into other, less nefarious foods is the wrong tact to take. Don’t get me wrong – I frequently add shredded carrots to my bolognese sauce, for extra flavor, and have been known to add cauliflower chunks to my homemade macaroni and cheese – but my kids know that I’ve done so.

The carrots add a sweet taste and cauliflower with cheese sauce is just yummy, no matter how you prepare it. But adding pureed veggies to other foods doesn’t teach your child to appreciate the subtle nuances of a fresh carrot, the brilliant hues of steamed broccoli and the strong flavor of fresh brussel sprouts. Any mom can tell you that it takes exposing a child to a new vegetable more than a few times before a child can appreciate it, but once your child has learned to enjoy it, it’s a good feeling indeed. Sneaking nutrition into a sweet robs the child of that experience.

One way that we’ve solved the veggie issue is to to offer fresh veggies 30 minutes before a meal and allow the family to eat as much of the tray as they want. I also let the kids pick the vegetable for dinner, and they often prepare it; and we do use a generous sprinkling of grated cheese on broccoli and peas. Also, I’ve tried a few of the recipes involving veggie purees added to foods you wouldn’t ordinarily pick, and they were not very palatable to me or my kids.

I think it’s important for your child to try new foods and learn to like them, but I know it’s a highly volatile issue. What has been your experience?

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Sneaking Vegetables Into Food Cheats Kids

1. Keep the sugar low - I remember when I was a child my mom always told me never to buy cereal with a sugar count over the magic number of “10.” Ten grams of sugar means that the box is 10% sugar, and that’s high enough for it to still be tasty.
2. Whole grains count - just like when you shop for bread and pasta, whole grains are important in cereals as well. Whole grains are processed by the body slower and keep your child from suffering an insulin crash.
3. Fiber, fiber, fiber – tastier and easier to encourage a child to eat than a prune, shoot for a cereal with about 3 grams of fiber per serving.
4. Protein is a muscle builder – protein is metabolized slower and helps to keep the body fuller for a longer period of time, crucial on school days when concentration is key. Try to find a cereal with at least two grams of protein, and remember that the milk you pour on it – be it cow, soy or a nut milk – adds additional protein, so drink up every drop.

Despite these guidelines, it can be tough to get the kids weaned off of the sugary stuff. One trick that works really well in our family is to mix one box of a very low-sugar cereal – think Cheerios, Grape Nuts, etc. – with a higher, more child-friendly request – Lucky Charms or the like.

What are your family’s favorite low-sugar choices? Mine include Mighty Bites, Kix, Life and Mini Wheats.

Also read: The Best (and worst) Breakfast Cereals

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Four Ways to Make Breakfast Cereal a Winner

Below are some quick tips to help move your regular shopping list to a nutritious filled list:

Typical food items on shopping list:

• White Bread
• White Rice
• Salmon
• Chicken
• Vegetable Oil

Nutritious shopping list:

• Whole Grain Bread (not just whole wheat)
• Brown Rice
• Wild Salmon (not farmed)
• Free-Range, Antibiotic-Free Chicken
• Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

I would love to help make over your shopping list and am offering a free “shopping list intervention” to two lucky readers. For your chance to win, post this comment below – “I want a grocery list makeover” – by October 9th and I will reveal the two winners on this post that day.

Learn more about healthy grocery shopping:

• 10 Healthiest Grocery Store Food Choices
• Video: Grocery Tips from Wendy Bazilian
• 10 Healthiest Supermarkets
• Slash Your Grocery Bill and Avoid a Nutrition Recession

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Win a Grocery List Makeover for Healthier Shopping

I have lots of kids. Lots of kids means lots of treats and lots of birthday parties, lots of trips to the beach with snacks and lots of visits to the movie theater where it’s much cheaper to buy the jumbo popcorn – after all, SOMEONE will eat it, right? Well, no. It’s my job as a parent to keep them healthy, and in my house, that means limited fast food, no juice (except for V-8) and cakes and cookies on special occasions.

It means finding other ways to bond with my kids that don’t include food – playing Wii, for example, or kicking the soccer ball. It means family wide participation in Muay Thai, walks on the weekend, signing up to run a 5k together and working together to make a salad to serve with dinner.

It means lessons in grocery shopping so that they learn the secrets to healthy cooking. It means trying – and believe me, I know how hard it is! – to break that “let’s reward a good day with a scoop of ice cream!” trap that so many of us fall into. It’s worth it, though. Your kids and your family and the very health of all involved is entirely worth it.

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Living a Healthy Lifestyle Begins in Childhood

Here’s how I survived my ultra marathon:

• Carb-load - Carbs are gasoline for the body and you can’t attempt a 50K without putting gas in the tank. I had two cups of whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and some salted steak fries the night before my run.

• Early riser breakfast – I woke at 4 a.m. for a 7 a.m. start and I noshed on a toasted plain bagel with almond butter, a banana, and water.

• Drink early and often – Always run with fluids. Water is OK if you are exercising in cool weather less than an hour, but after that I’d choose a sports beverage. I gulped on 3-4 ounces of the sports drink every 2 miles (20-22 minutes), even if I didn’t feel thirsty. The number one health risk in an ultra marathon is dehydration. You prevent it by drinking from start to finish of your races and training run.

• Eat on the run – I had my last meal at 6 a.m. and crossed the finish line at about 1:30 p.m. That’s a long time to go without any nutrition. This is one of the things that makes ultra distance trail running different than other races, you spend more time at your rest stops and you get bits of food that help you delay fatigue and stay energized. I usually go for what looks appetizing and I favor salty foods over sweet, mainly because my sports drink is so sweet that the salty foods are a happy change.

Not only that, but the longer you engage in outdoor activity and the more you sweat, the more salt you lose. It is common for a heavy sweater to lose 1,000-2,500 milligrams of sodium per hour, and up to 5,000 mg sodium in a hot environment. I had 1/2-1 cup of chicken soup or broth at miles 15, 19, 25, and 28 and I honestly think it boosted me the entire time. The salty broth made me want to keep drinking between stops. I also enjoyed a boiled potato dipped in rock salt at one point along the journey. Other items on my list included cola, pretzels, and frozen oranges. Between rest stops, I chewed on cola flavored Powerbar gummies with 50 milligrams of caffeine (which actually gives a bit of an athletic performance boost).

Non-runners might be reading this and thinking “How can this stuff be good for you? Isn’t it what you are supposed to avoid?” That’s a mistake you don’t want to make if you venture into distance running. It can be very challenging and rewarding, but people who ignore the basics of hydrating and fueling to delay fatigue are the ones who end up with cramping, heat illnesses or the dreaded DNF (did not finish).

I finished the race in 6 hours 29 minutes and placed sixth out of 30 in my age group, and while I was completely happy with those stats, I think I was most impressed with my attitude and energy at every mile. Eight years ago, I worked in information technology, weighed 165 pounds, and even though I was a former aerobics instructor and personal trainer, I was barely active and my nutrition was in the toilet. I never would have guessed that I would one day finish an ultra marathon – something less than 10% of runners (that’s people who already like to run) ever attempt. If I can do it, you can too. Start somewhere. Take one mile at a time. Believe in yourself, even if nobody else does.

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How to Survive an Ultra Marathon

Phillip and Amy Parham were contestants on season six of The Biggest Loser where they lost a combined total of 256 pounds. They have three children: Austin, (14), Pearson (12), and Rhett (9). They continue to inspire people through their website and social network PhilAndAmyFitness.com and through “90 day fitness challenges” that they conduct across the country. In June 2010 they will release a book entitled “Dream Again: Phil and Amy’s 90 Day Fitness Challenge” and a companion DVD.

When it was first suggested to me that my son Rhett might have autism I instantly thought about Raymond on the movie “Rain Man.” Suddenly my life became about trying to “fix” Rhett. So I went out in search of every therapy, diet, and program I could find to do this. I soon learned the reason that they call autism a “spectrum” disorder. A child could have autism and not be able to speak a word. Or they could be like Rhett and talk all the time, but not really have a conversation. They could be highly intelligent or mentally retarded. They could take care of feeding and clothing themselves or they could need assistance with these things. We were some of the “lucky” ones. Rhett could go to the bathroom, feed himself, communicate his basic needs, and he kept eye contact and was affectionate towards us. Because autism is different for every child diagnosed with the disorder, not every therapy or diet works for every child.

Although I now know that autism has no cure, I did find things that helped him to function better. I had heard that wheat gluten and the casein in dairy products caused a reaction in some children with autism. So we put the family on a gluten and casein free diet. We did this for about a year, and although it did calm him down some, we had to weigh the toll it had on our budget and our other children. Our children already felt like they were making so many sacrifices for Rhett’s disability. The fact that they couldn’t have pizza every once in a while like “normal” kids became a sacrifice that seemed unnecessary.

Now, since we have been on the Biggest Loser, we have learned that many of the processed foods and drinks high in sugar that we allowed our children to have were just as bad for them. We have eliminated all of those things. We only drink water, skim milk, and juice, and eat fast food very rarely. Our children’s ability to focus and follow directions has seemed to increase tremendously. They also have more energy. We are definitely not perfect and are continuing to try and live a healthier lifestyle, but our children are healthier and we hope happier as a result of the changes that we have made.

Learn more about Amy Parham and Phillip Parham right here at DietsInReview.com.

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A Biggest Loser Family Fights Autism with a Healthy Lifestyle

The triathlon took me 3 hours and 2 minutes to complete and I estimate that I burned 2,000 calories! In fact, once I got my appetite back I was hungry all day! Clearly, my metabolism was on overdrive!

In this kind of race, good nutrition is paramount to have a strong finish. But if you just focus on what you do during the event, you’re too late. You need to fuel well all during your training to maximize the benefits. Most importantly, you need to take care to deliver the right nutrients 1-2 days before the competition. That’s what this article is all about.

Carbs are King

For endurance events, carbohydrates are the almighty nutrient. Consuming adequate carbs allows optimal muscle glycogen storage. The glycogen is used during the event, when you need it most. When you eat enough carbs you spare your muscle protein (you won’t break down muscle for energy – a process called gluconeogenesis – or making new glucose). Glucose is the basic unit of all carbohydrates. If you don’t eat enough carbs, you will actually use amino acids (muscle protein) for energy and you don’t want to do that.

The last two to three weeks before a big race, your exercise tapers off, but if you keep up the high carbs, you will actually “carbo-load” or store glycogen for the race. This is a good thing.

Healthy Carbs

Choose healthy carbs like those found in fresh fruits, low-fat and fat-free dairy or soy, potatoes, beans, and hearty whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat bread products.

Healthy Sports Meals (please note, any meal plan should be individually developed for the athlete’s needs and preferences)

• whole wheat bagel with almond butter, banana, and fat-free milk
• Submarine tuna sandwich with veggies, salted pretzels, orange, and 1 cup minestrone soup
• 1.5 cups black beans and rice topped with 3-4 ounces of tofu or the meat of your choice, garden side salad with oil-based dressing, and a cup of vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt with 1 tablespoon carob chips

How Many Carbs?

The ideal amount of carbs depends a lot on the length of the race and the athlete’s weight, but it is generally somewhere in the range of 5-10 g/kg body weight. This can seem like a lot of carbs in the 7-10 g/kg range, but if the athlete is in a healthy weight range and working out for two hour blocks most days of the week, their calorie needs are way higher than those who pop in an aerobics class a few days a week.

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What to Eat Before Endurance Races