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September 08, 2010

Summer summer summer

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Summer Treats??

Thoughts for the Week

By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN

Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women

Milton, Massachusetts USA

www.fitnessunlimited.com

On my drive in to work I pass by a little mom 'n pop food stand that always makes me snicker. "Steamed hot dogs" is what they advertise. As though steaming saves the poor frankfurt from being a bottom-of-the-barrel unhealthy food choice! Hot dogs are hot dogs and even steaming can't help neutralize the fat & salt bomb. A "regular" sized hot dog with a bun & ketchup will cost you 260 calories and 15 grams of fat, most of which are saturated fat. Not worth a heart attack.

My second favorite sign is at Friendly's. It reads "Share a Brownie Sundae" or some other frozen treat of theirs. Now they have the right idea! Friendly's new Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae weighs in at 930 calories, 54 grams of total fat and 23 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat. Yikes! That's 115% of your saturated fat allotment for the day! In order for this sharing concept to be any good, you would need to find 3 friends to bring down those numbers to something reasonable. Worth it? Maybe. Healthy advertising? I think not.

Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 10:29 am

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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

July 4th

Thoughts for the week

By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN

Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women

Milton, Massachusetts USA

www.fitnessunlimited.com

5 tips for a healthy 4^th

Who can believe the biggest holiday of the summer is already upon us! We celebrate our country's freedom this week, and if you are a typical American, barbecuing all the way. Don't let your good health intentions take a holiday, too! Find a way to middle ground. Here are a few tips.

1) Grill right: Grilling can be a healthy way to cook, but beware of some little-known facts about the BBQ. Grilling muscle meats like beef, chicken and fish at high heat or allowing the fat to drip and burn causes cancer-promoting compounds, called HACs and PAHs, to form. Consider pre-cooking meats then briefly grilling for flavor. Adding acidic sauces such as marinades, lemon juice or flavored vinegar can protect your food from this process. Also, aim for more lean foods like shrimp, chicken breasts and hamburgers that are at least 93% lean or portabello mushrooms. Limit or avoid hot dogs, sausages, ribs or prime cuts of steak. Too much artery-clogging saturated fat!

2) Fruit: Who can resist berries & melons this time of year?? Find a farmer's market: http://mass.gov/agr/massgrown/farmers_markets.htm

3) Drink smart: Like those iced coffees or caramel macchiatos? Watch out! A tall Caramel Macchiato with whole milk from Starbucks will cost you 240 calories and 10 grams of fat (6 saturated!). The Dunkin Donuts Orange Coolatta sounds refreshing, but a 16 oz beverage is 370 calories of highly-sugared orange concentrate solution. Yikes! Instead try:

*Water (of course)

*Unsweetened iced tea

*Flavored sparkling water

*Iced flavored coffee with skim milk and sweetener

*Iced Latte Lite (DD) or Frappuccino lite (Starbucks)

*Lite cranberry juice, seltzer and a lime

4) Stay active: swim, bike, play in the park, fly a kite! Or, come in for a workout. We're open Thursday 5:30-3, closed Friday, but back to summer hours on Saturday & Sunday (7am-4pm). We would love to see you!

5) Remember why we are celebrating! July 4^th is Independence Day! Find a way to celebrate your freedom: hang your flag, attend a parade, thank a veteran and watch a Red Sox game!

Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 10:16 am

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Summer desserts

Thoughts for the week

By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN

Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women

Milton, Massachusetts USA

www.fitnessunlimited.com

As my husband and I were walking home from Friendly's last weekend, ice cream in hand, I asked him what I should blog about this week. Hmm... summer desserts,"he said without hesitation. Brilliant!

If you are like most people, the summer heat saps your appetite. However, it never seems to cut the cravings for sweets! Here are some ideas for light summer treats.

Fruit, fruit, fruit. You knew I was going to say this! Keep it super simple by choosing sliced watermelon or a fruit cup, or jazz it up by adding a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar over sliced strawberries. The tartness of the vinegar heightens the sweetness of the berries. Peachy for peaches? Slice up a dish and sprinkle with slivered almonds for a nice soft/crunch punch.

For those of you with more time, and a hot grill, skewer up some strawberries, peaches, pineapples, plums & papaya. Mix together 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with 2 tsp sugar and grill the fruit until it is lightly browned, turning and brushing frequently with the sugar mixture. Hot pineapple is one of my personal favorites. Yum!

Are smoothies more your style? Watch out for smoothie shop selections! Planet Smoothie's Shag-a-delic smoothie made with blueberries, strawberries, banana & yogurt sounds healthy. It's the 22 oz serving size that will set you back 430 calories. That's about how many calories an average-sized woman needs for her whole meal! And those of you who want to beat me to the punch, 2 food groups (fruit & yogurt) does not a meal make! How about a homemade strawberry kiwi smoothie made with 1-10oz bag of frozen strawberries, 2 fresh (peeled) kiwi, 8 oz strawberry non-fat yogurt and 1 tsp almond extract. Delicious! And only 110 calories per serving (recipe makes 4 servings). For more healthy recipes, check out my favorite website at www.aicr.org

Love those sundaes & cones? Ask for kiddie sizes. They are what small used to be.

Enjoy the sweetness of summer!

Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 08:55 am

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