Eat This, Not That

Kentucky Fried Chicken

• Eat This - 3 Crispy Strips, Green Beans and Corn on the Cob - 470 calories; 22 grams of fat; 1775 miligrams of sodium.
• Not That - KFC Famous Bowl - 740 calories; 35 grams of fat; 2350 miligrams of sodium.
• Did you know? KFC items are the most popularly request items of death row inmates' last meals.

McDonalds

• Eat This - Quarter Pounder (without cheese) - 410 calories; 19 grams of fat; 730 miligrams of sodium.
• Not That - Premium Grilled Chicken Club - 570 calories; 21 grams of fat; 1720 miligrams of sodium.
• Did you know? McDonald's is the worlds largest purchases of beef, potatoes and apples.

6 Healthy Ingredients That Can Help You Stretch Your Budget

You're no doubt feeling the sting of the economy every time you take a trip to the grocery store. How can you make your purchases count and still provide your family fulfilling and nutritious meals? The good news is there's no need to give up flavor for value - the key is finding ingredients that pack the nutrients your family needs while allowing you to stretch your dollar.

Brown Rice - Even during these tough times, brown rice is still affordable and though it takes a bit longer to cook, it can give your family more nutrients per serving that white rice. Make a large batch and freeze it - then just thaw and reheat to serve with your favorite meal.

Whole Chicken - Instead of paying for individual chicken pieces that can be more costly, buy the whole chicken and butcher it yourself. Once you get the hang of it, you can plan out a whole week of meals and have enough left over to make stock for a delicious soup.

Dried Beans - Sure, canned beans are a time save, but dried beans can strech your dollar even more and save you some unneeded sodium and other preservatives. If you're forced to cut back on meat, beans are a great alternative source of protein and are rich in calcium and iron.

Canned Fish - When shopping on a budget, canned tuna can go a long way. You can whip up a batch of tuna fish salad sandwiches, add it to a caserole or toss it with some pasta. If you're looking for an even healthier option, try canned salmon.

Potatoes - Potatoes come in plenty of varieties and can be featured in an endless variety of dishes. From gratins to pies to pancakes to soups to scalloped and mashes potatoes, no other ingredient packs as much value. Sweet potatoes in particular are a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Kale - Never tried kale? It's high time you gave this unsung hero of the leafy greens a chance. Packing tons of Vitamin A and Vitamin C and usually costing less than $1 a pound, peppery kale can be a lifesaver in the kitchen. Use the small and tender leaves in salads and wilt the larger leaves and stalks to spice up any dish.

Eat This, Not That

Carl's Jr.

• Eat This - Charbroiled BBQ Chicken Sandwich - 360 calories; 4.5 grams of fat; 1150 miligrams of sodium
• Not That - Charbroiled Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich - 610 calories; 32 grams of fat; 1540 miligrams of sodium
• Breakfast - Not a single entree item has less than 400 calories or 15 grams of fat. The 830 calorie Breakfast Burger is one of the worst breakfast sandwiches in America.

Chick-fil-A

• Eat This - Chick-fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich - 270 calories; 3.5 grams of fat; 940 miligrams of sodium
• Not That - Chicken Caesar Cool Wrap - 480 calories; 16 grams of fat; 1640 miligrams of sodium
• Don't Even Think About - Handspun Cookies and Cream Milkshake - 790 calories; 33 grams of fat; 660 miligrams of sodium.

Work Out Mistakes That Slow Down Results

Don't: Sacrifice good form for speed
Do: Slow down and stand tall
High intensity exercise may burn lots of calories, but not if you're hanging on to the handrails for dear life. It is important to focus on your form, even if that means lowering your intensity. You recruit fewer muscles and burn fewer calories when you're slouched over. The same goes for strength training. Standing while lifting weights can boost your calorie burn by 50 calories per half hour.

Don't: Exercise while parched
Do: Sip at least 15 ounces of water two hours before working out
Nearly every cell in the body is composed of water - without it, they don't function efficiently during exercise. You'll fatigue faster and your workout will feel tougher than it should. So keep sipping during and after your session to replenish what you lose through sweat.

Don't: Read a novel on the treadmill
Do: Listen to music
Reading while exercising is so distracting that you're probably working at an intensity too low to burn a significant amount of calories. Instead, turn on some tunes to increase the duration and intensity of your session.

Don't: Run if you hate it
Do: Pick a cardio routine that's fun
No matter how many calories an activity promises to burn, if you don't enjoy it, you'll be less likely to do it and you won't reap the benefits. Find a workout you want to do, rather than one you feel like you have to do.

Don't: Trust gym-machine calorie-burn estimates
Do: Track your burn with a heart rate monitor
Recent research presented at the National Strength and Conditioning Conference found that elliptical trainers often over-estimate calorie burn by an average of thirty percent. To ensure you're burning the number of calories you want, consider investing in a heart rate monitor.

Eat This, Not That

Olive Garden

• Eat This - Linguine Alla Marinara with a Breadstick. 691 calories; 9.5 grams of fat; 1040 miligrams of sodium.
• Not That - Stuffed Chicken Marsala with Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. 1315 calories; 86 grams of fat; 2550 miligrams of sodium.

Outback Steakhouse

• Eat This - Prime Minister's Prime Rib with Fresh Veggies and Sweet Potato. 730 calories; 39 grams of fat; 65 grams of carbs.
• Not That - Ayers Rock Strip Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms and Loaded Jack Potato. 1450 calories; 85 grams of fat; 87 grams of carbs.
• 1665 - that's the number of steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You would have to climb them 2 1/2 times to burn off the 1150 calories in half a Bloomin' Onion appetizer.

Do You Want to Look and Feel Younger?

Whether to avoid wrinkles, protect your ticker, or keep your mind sharp, proper eating is the only real fountain of youth.

Sunflower seeds. These tiny wonders have the highest natural vitamin E contecnt of any food around, and no antioxidant is better at fighting off the aging effects of free radicals.

Spinach and beans. Researchers studied the diets of 400 elderly men and women, and found that those who ate the most leafy green vegetables and beans had the fewest wrinkles. The reason? Spinach and beans are full of compounds that help prevent and repair wear and tear on your skin cells as you get older.

Sweet potatoes. Overexposure to the sun is one of the primary reasons we age prematurely. But European researchers recently found that pigments from beta carotene-rich foods like sweet potatoes and carrots can build up in your skin, helping to prevent damange from ultraviolet rays.

Coffee. One of nature's most potent elixirs, coffee has been shown in numerous studies to slow the aging process, fight of Alzheimer's disease and enhance short-term memory.

The 50 Million Pound Challenge

Being overweight is one of our nation's top health problems, so weight loss challenges are not just created for television or the work place, but also for the entire country. Two years ago, Dr. Ian Smith, physician, journalist and author, teamed up with State Farm Insurance to issue a 50 million pound weight loss challenge to Americans. To reach this ambitious goal, participants across the country will get information and tools to take off the pounds, receive and give encouragement, as well as track progress. The process is simple, you can officially sign up, find encouragement and track your progress within their website and pick up a free Challenge kit at a participating State Farm Insurance location.

If you are interested in continuing with a weight loss challenge after the H2O program wraps up, this could be a great way to find support, information and motivation to keep shedding those pounds!

Eat This, Not That

Your Easter Basket

Eat This:

• Cadbury Cream Egg - 150 calories; 5 grams of fat; 22 grams of sugars. This Classic Cadbury egg beats the newer chocolate version by 30 calories and 3 grams of fat
  
• Milky Way Midnight Bar - 220 calories; 8 grams of fat; 29 grams of sugars.


• Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme Bar - 270 calories; 15 grams of fat; 21 grams of sugars.


• Hershey's Hugs (9 pieces) - 210 calories; 12 grams of fat; 21 grams of sugars,
  

Not That:

• Solid Chocolate Easter Bunny - 920 calories; 52 grams of fat; 92 grams of sugars. Nibble this treat one ear at a time or risk consuming 80% of your daily fat in one sitting.


• Butterfinger bar - 270 calories; 11 grams of fat; 29 grams of sugars.


• Hershey's bar, milk chocolate - 300 calories; 18 grams of fat; 29 grams of sugars.


• Hershey's Kisses, milk chocolate - 230 calories; 13 grams of fat; 21 grams of sugars.

9News Health Fair

Every year, Channel 9 News sponsors a health fair to promote health awareness and to encourage individuals to assume responsibility for their own health. Through the support of approximately 19,000 statewide volunteers, 9Health Fair has helped save thousands of lives by providing free and low-cost health awareness and educational screenings.

Anyone 18 years or older can participate in a 9Health Fair. With over 25 screenings available, your 9Health Fair results, along with an explanation on how to read your results, are delivered directly to you within three to six weeks of your visit. Their team of volunteer registered nurses will contact you within 72 hours of your vist and, if ncessary, provide you with local follow-up resources if your results indicate that a critical or alert health situation is occuring.

Visit http://www.9healthfair.org/ to find a health fair convenient for you, to see what screenings are offered at the health fairs and to learn more about the 9Health Fair.

Build Muscle: Strength Train and Stretch

Weight training builds strength by causing tiny tears in the muscle, which then quickly repairs itself, ending up bigger and stronger. Fast-track your strength gains by adding static stretching - in which you hold a stretch for 10 to 30 seconds - to your routine. Three studies led by Prevention Advisor Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, found that adults who stretched either between or immediately after strength-training exercises developed abuot 20 percent more strength than those who only lifted weights.

Lift and reach: rest at least a minute between sets and use that time to stretch the msucle you've just worked. For instance, if you just did leg extensions, stretch your quadriceps by pulling your right ankle toward your butt while standing on your left leg. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds.

Eat This, Not That

Ben and Jerry's

• Eat This: Strawberry Kiwi Sorbet and Berry Berry Extraordinary Sorbet in a Sugar Cone - 280 calories; 1 gram of fat, 52 grams of sugars
• Not That: Chunky Monkey in a Waffle Cone - 659 calories; 34 grams of fat; 58 grams of sugars
• Little Trick: Order smooth flavors rather than those mixed with baked or candy pieces. Falvors with chunks like peanut butter cups, heath bars or cookie dough contain heavy doses of hydrogenated fat. The healthiest scoops are strawberry, coffee and vanilla, respectively.

Jamba Juice

• Eat This: 24 ounce Peach Perfection Smoothie - 320 calories; .5 grams of fat; 78 carbohydrates.
• Not That: 24 ounce Peanut Butter Moo'd - 840 calories; 21 grams of fat; 139 grams of carbohydrates.
• Did you know? There are 5 servings of fruit in each of the all-fruit smoothies at Jamba Juice (original size). Tacking on a "vita boost" gives you 100% of your daily value of 21 different vitations and minerals, including calcium and vitamins A,C,D,E, and K.