You have read it here many times before: “Fat is not the enemy”. In fact, in Fat Fiction I wrote about some of the more common misconceptions about fat and how our body deals with it. The Fitness Mantra bottom-line has always been that fat, one of the three macro-nutrients, is vital to our diet and should be a part of every well-balanced meal.

The Brown Fat Revolution: Trigger Your Body’s Good Fat to Lose Weight and Be Healthier is the new book by Dr. James R. Lyons that not only validates our belief in the goodness that is fat but also takes us further by describing the two major types of fat and explaining why one is much better than the other. Here is a Fitness Mantra Book Review of “The Brown Fat Revolution”.

Once again, a quick reminder: I am trying to standardize all future book reviews on Fitness Mantra and after referencing a lot of online examples and references, I have decided on this format. Please feel free to send me your comments and criticisms so I can improve on this.

Title: The Brown Fat Revolution: Trigger Your Body’s Good Fat to Lose Weight and Be Healthier
Author(s): Dr. James R. Lyons
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 978-0-312-59540-1
Price (10-Apr-2010): US $16.49
Preview: On Google Books
Subject: Diet, Health, Exercise and Fitness
Theme: Lose weight and be healthier by knowing about the two types of fat: the good Brown Fat and the bad Yellow Fat.
Thesis: Understanding the two types of fat, Yellow and Brown, and learning how to minimize and convert the bad Yellow Fat to the good Brown Fat is one key way to lose weight, look good and improve one’s overall health.
Disclosure: I was sent one free copy of this book by the publishers to review. As always, please be assured of completely unbiased reviews on Fitness Mantra.

Review of The Brown Fat Revolution:

Dr. James R. Lyons, the author of The Brown Fat Revolution, has worked nearly 30 years as a renowned plastic surgeon and he uses his experience to explain the effect that fat has on the way our bodies are shaped and in the way it ages over time. The book is divided into three main sections:

In the first part called “The Brown Fat Revolution Basics”, the author begins with the simple but profound statement: “Fat is your friend.” and then goes on to explain how fat, in sharp contrast to the constant vilification it receives in the media, is actually good for us and why seemingly logical statements like “Eating fat will make us fat” are downright wrong. A certain quantity (and type) of fat, he contends, is good for us and is what gives certain people their “glow” making them look years younger than they really are.

The book goes on to explain the way our body metabolizes food and converts it to energy. The initial source of energy is always glycogen which is stored in the liver and muscles but extra calories will be converted first to the good (brown) fat and any further consumption of food will lead to the secretion of bad (yellow) fat. So the key, says Dr. Lyons is to ensure a constant source of glycogen giving the body no reason to store yellow fat and the trick to devise an Eating Plan that promotes this. Finally he completes the introduction with two chapters on the crucial role played by hormones during the the twenties to forties (category one) and the fifties and older ages (category two).

Part 2 tackles the difficult but (in my view) quintessential aspect of the Eating Plan. I have always believed that no amount of exercise can overcome a poor diet and I am glad to know that Dr.Lyons feels the same way. he starts of by stating that “about 75 percent of how we look is determined by what we put in our mouths.” So well put! The primary goals of his eating plan include eating at least 6 times a day at regular intervals and getting enough protein as well as the right kind of carbohydrates. He even gives you a cheat day (in moderation, of course!). The chapters in this important part of the book form a treasure trove of information about nutrients, good eating habits and even a detailed four-week eating plan for both hormone categories.

Finally, Part 3 details the “Brown Fat Revolution Exercise Plan”. By focusing on the “core” or central area of the human body, Dr. Lyons details an exercise plan that works by strengthening the abdominal region, back, shoulder and legs. In another sign that his thinking matches closely with what I believe here at Fitness Mantra, Dr. Lyons is not a big proponent of excessive cardio. His preferred exercise? High-Intensity-Interval-Training method as applied to sprinting.

This is followed by detailed exercise guidelines using only the most minimum of equipment (just bungee cords, straps for door-anchors and ankles, metal clasps and low-weight dumbbells). The exercises are clearly demonstrated and well-explained directly under each photo. This is followed by a four-week exercise plan for both hormone categories.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, The Brown Fat Revolution is a solid addition to any fitness enthusiast’s library and contains tons of useful information and eating/exercise plans. Yes, some of the information is already contained elsewhere and some of the ideas have already been explored by others, but Dr. Lyons has collected what he believes to be the most pertinent facts he has encountered and managed to compile them in an easy to read and easier to follow reference manual for all of us to benefit from.

I highly recommend this book for all age-groups and fitness levels.

PS: As always, I am always eager to hear your thoughts on this book if you have read it. And also let me know your opinion about this book-review format. Do post your thoughts in the Comments section.

The garden is one of the few places that many people would confess feeling truly ambivalent about. While it’s true that a beautifully maintained garden not only adds beauty and value to the home or community it graces, but also provides a sanctuary for nature lovers or serenity-seekers, what’s also true is that the very thought of having to clear, rake, seed, mow, aerate, fertilize, dethatch and water a garden or lawn tends to overwhelm the average person. The physical strains associated with a good day on the yard can be quite substantial and not to be dismissed lightly.

“Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness” is a recently published book that shows you not only how to create the perfect garden based on your needs but also how to do so in the safest possible way with minimal strain on your body while getting a good full-body workout in the process! Here is a Fitness Mantra Book Review of “Garden Your Way To Health And Fitness”. I am trying to standardize all future book reviews on Fitness Mantra and after referencing a lot of online examples and references, I have decided on this format. Please feel free to send me your comments and criticisms so I can improve on this.

Title: Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness
Author(s): Bunny Guinness and Jacqueline Knox
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 978-0-88192-881-5
Price (10/24/2009): US $14.96
Preview: On Google Books
Subject: Gardening, Health and Fitness
Theme: Minimizing injury while gardening; achieving good health and fitness from a well-designed garden
Thesis: Stretching and balancing oneself beforehand and using the right tools in the correct fashion while gardening will minimize the risk of injury and allow you to enjoy a beautiful, well-planned garden that can be a personal sanctuary as well as a place to exercise, stay fit and grow ornamental flowers or sustainable fruits, vegetables, nuts and herbs.
Disclosure: I was sent one free copy of this book by the publishers to review. As always, please be assured of completely unbiased reviews on Fitness Mantra.

Review of Garden Your Way To Health And Fitness:

Bunny Guinness, a professional landscape designer and Jacqueline Knox, physiotherapist, come together to create a gardening book that also stresses the importance of ensuring correct posture and balance while in the garden.

The book begins with simple balancing techniques that one can perform even before beginning to garden and one can discern a lot of pilates movements in these exercises. Running the gamut from simple stretches to spine curls, side rolls and so called “diamond presses”, this eight-step routine is sure to get you in limber form before you begin your garden work. There’s even an aerobic section if you plan to do more strenuous gardening.

This is followed by a detailed chapter describing the virtually unlimited potential of a well-designed garden in giving you the workout you desire. The gardening-calorie-chart in the very begining of this chapter makes it clear: gardening work = calories-burned! Collecting grass or leaves for an hour? 260 calories. Chopping wood? 385! Interspersed with amazingly well-taken photographs, you are walked through dynamic workouts like squats, lunges and step-ups. You are also shown the proper techniques for various strengthening exercises.

From here, the authors shift to taking you to more “gardening oriented” material like choosing the optimal tools for safe work, maintaining proper posture while actually performig the various gardening procedures like trimming or moving a loaded wheel-barrow. Desiging the right kind of garden for your purposes follows with beautiful pictures of various functional elements you can think of adding: walkways, sleepers and even multiple-levels all come together to create the perfect environment for your garden.

There is even information on creating ornamental and productive (as in giving you things to consume!) gardens in the end that round up this concise, yet compelling, book.

If there’s one aspect of this book that tends to stand out, it’s the outstanding collection of photos and pictures throughout the book giving you the very correct impression that these authors are genuine experts in their respective fields. Their combined knowledge of gardening and fitnessshines through in these pages and if you have ever considered spending any significant portion of your time in your garden, especially with the idea of getting a good workout in the process and/or growing your own food organically, Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness will be an excellent reference in your endeavour and come highly recommended.

If you have read or benefited from this book, I am eager to hear your own thoughts about it especially if you have implemented some of the more functional aspects of their garden-designs that lean toward health and fitness. Also, I would like to know if this book-review format is to your liking and what, if any, changes you would like to see in it. Please feel free to sound off in the comments!

Just got back from a relaxing vacation and after a brief hiatus, it’s time to get back to business! As a person whose primary day-job involves sitting for long hours in front of a computer, I am always looking for ways to enforce proper posture while I sit. A good chair with adjustable lumbar (lower back) support is most often a given in modern offices and I am lucky enough to have the amazing Aeron chair which, I assume, is adjustable in 30 different ways including a setting that will allow me to work upside down! I am just kidding, of course, but the point is that a chair that offers you good support for your back is extremely important.

But the best chairs in the world will do you no good, if you continue to stoop or slouch while in a sitting position. Swiss Balls substituted as chairs can go a long way in helping you regain your posture. Based on your height, you choose the right sized ball and simply use that instead of a chair. But what do you do when you already have an office chair and rolling a Swiss Ball into office is not an option? Well, you can now use the next best thing: a FitBALL Seating Disc that sits right on your chair while still offering the benefits of a Swiss Ball.

Disclosure: I was sent one (1) FitBALL Seating Disc directly from the manufacturer (Ball Dynamics) to try out and then present a product review on FitnessMantra. You can be assured that my reviews will always be unbiased, irrespective of whether I purchase the product or receive it to review.

Product: FitBALL Seating Disc
Manufacturer: Ball Dynamics International, LLC
Presentation: One 15-inch inflatable Seating Disc with an extra air-hole-plug and a plug-removing tool.

First Impressions

The Seating Disc has a strong rubbery texture and has the feel of a good quality product that should last for a long time. You don’t require a pump to inflate this disc and the air-hole plug does an excellent job of keeping the disc at the right inflation level even after extended periods of usage. When first inflated, the Seating Disc warped a little bit near the edges, but after a day’s use and adjusting the inflation level, these disappeared.

One sure sign you probably don’t have a good posture while sitting? It hurts when you sit right! And this is exactly what I felt within 10 minutes of using the Seating Disc. It’s amazing how much my lower back started to resist my sitting on the Disc although it might be true that continuing to use this product will eventually resolve that issue. It takes a few attempts to get the inflation level just right for you. It’s probably not a good idea to over-inflate the Disc to avoid extreme instability while seated. At the same time, under-inflating the Disc will make it too stable and chair-like and so won’t really enforce a change in your posture.

How the Seating Disc Is Supposed To Help You

So how does this thing work and why is it supposed to be good for your (lower) back? The key is a word I have been using many time in the past few sentences: stability (or rather “instability”). Every small (mostly unnoticeable) movement that you make to stabilize yourself on this Disc while sitting utilizes the smaller muscles around your lower core (abdomen) and lumbar region. The eventual strengthening of these muscles is supposed to go a long way in alleviating the lower-back pains most commonly associated with extended periods of sitting. Also, by enforcing a good posture, you will most likely gradually learn to sit erect and keep your lower back curved inwards which is the right way to sit.

Working On The Ball

Along with the Seating Disc, I also received the book “Working On The Ball” by Jane Clapp and Sarah Robichaud – a guide to achieving fitness in the office by working on a Swiss Ball. The book describes various little exercises you can perform on a Ball while using it as a chair in the workplace. Granted, most of these exercises will make you look and feel a little silly, but they are supposed to help you get through the day without that nagging pain in your lower-back by evening. Since most of the exercises described in this book deal with a Stability Ball, only a few of them could be adapted to work on a Seating Disc.

Prolonged Use And Discomfort

While the initial effects of enforcing posture are all well and good, prolonged use is an altogether different story. I personally had to get off the Disc after about 15-20 minutes because of soreness I felt in my lower-back. While I am sure this may have something to do with my incorrect posture before using the Disc and it’s possible that extended use may very well reduce this soreness, I would like to hear from other users of Discs or Swiss Balls as chairs. If you use such devices for sitting the whole day, do comment on whether you had any discomfort during the early days of usage. For now, I plan to use for about half-an-hour at a time – once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Science Behind The Seating Disc

Finally, I would just like to mention a couple of points from a scientific perspective. I tried to look up research concerning the usage of Swiss Balls as chair-replacements and while most do not disapprove of their usage, the results as far as benefits go have been quite inconclusive. For example, a study titled “Stability ball versus office chair: comparison of muscle activation and lumbar spine posture during prolonged sitting” finds that although there is a slight increase in muscular activity, there is increased discomfort as well, causing the study’s authors to come to the following conclusion: “The small changes in biological responses when sitting on a stability ball as compared with an office chair, combined with the increased reported discomfort while on the ball, suggests its use for prolonged sitting may not be advantageous”.
Another study, “Sitting on a chair or an exercise ball: various perspectives to guide decision making“, tried to discern the cause of possible discomfort: “Sitting on a ball appears to spread out the contact area possibly resulting in uncomfortable soft tissue compression perhaps explaining the reported discomfort.” and concluded that “The results of this study suggest that prolonged sitting on a dynamic, unstable seat surface does not significantly affect the magnitudes of muscle activation”

Conclusions

So it certainly looks like the jury is out on the real benefits of using Stability Balls or Seating Discs. But one thing to keep in mind is that if the discomfort is only caused because we have been sitting with a wrong posture until now and are trying to correct that, extended usage might indeed help fix the problem. I would welcome comments from users who have tried such devices for longer periods and have experiences (either positive or negative) to share. As for the answer to the question “Is the Seating Disc right for me?”, well, you’ll never know until you try one for yourself, will you?!

Well it’s time for another edition of Food Horror and it’s unfortunate that one of my favorite restaurants has to be featured on this page. As vegetarians, we find few restaurants can offer us tasty and healthful options, but P.F. Chang’s was always a favorite except they didn’t have a branch in Connecticut when we first moved here. That changed last month, when their first branch opened bang in the center of Stamford, right by the mall.

The very next occasion we had to celebrate, we drove all the way to Stamford to reacquaint our eye with the ambiance and tongues with the gastronomic treats P.F. Chang’s has to offer and we were certainly not disappointed. From the familiar sculptures of the twin horses guarding the door to the large mural of a Chinese village scene above the bar, the restaurant continues to remain faithful to tradition. The food, while unlikely to be described as “spectacular”, is well above the standards set by other restaurants that serve vegetarian fare. The Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps still maintain that delicate balance between crunchy and tangy, the Coconut Curry Vegetables is aromatic and flavorful as ever and the Banana Spring Rolls are crispy, sweet and the only way we know to end our dinner.

Actually we might have ended our dinner with the Great Wall Of Chocolate which, according to the site, consists of “Six layers of rich chocolate cake frosted with semi-sweet chocolate chips and served with raspberry sauce.” But I was fortunate enough to have seen their online menu (complete with ingredients and nutrition info) and that helped me avoid this calorie, sugar and fat laden disaster:

2240 calories, 376g of carbs and almost 90g of fat. Infact, the head waiter told me they have a stretcher on standby and Stamford Hospital’s Emergency Ward on speed dial just in case someone decides to test the limits of their arteries with this brown bombshell. I mean, this would have been too much even if we split it like we always do. So although it looked and sounded delicious, we just passed on the offer (the guys holding the stretcher were decidedly unhappy with our decision) and chose the Banana Spring Rolls instead (not too much better nutrition-wise, but still manageable).

I sure hope someone talks to them about portion control, and real soon. Thankfully, they still carry some pretty healthful choices for those so inclined. Case in point is their Buddha’s Feast (choose the steamed version):

I guess it’s just a question of knowing (and more importantly, ordering) what’s good for you. What’s your favorite at P.F. Chang’s? And how special should the occasion be for you to go for the Great Wall Of Chocolate?

The Hacker’s Diet is not your everyday diet book and neither is its author, John Walker, your everyday diet-book author. As the founder of AutoDesk (a company known primarily for its AutoCAD engineering design software package), Walker is neither a doctor nor a nutritionist (there’s your disclaimer right there). Another fairly unique feature about this book: it is freely available to read online or as a downloadable PDF file (1.4 MB zip file). But what makes this book a must read is not either of these things – it is that the principles outlined in the book are hype-free, cold, hard facts that are easy to understand and if implemented properly, almost guaranteed to help you lose weight.

First of all, you must know that being an engineer, Walker brings a host of engineering principles, math, statistics and analysis into the book although you certainly don’t need a mathematical bent of mind to appreciate the content or understand its principles.

At the core of The Hacker’s Diet is the same underlying principle that FitnessMantra has propounded throughout its existence:

Fad diets and gimmick nutritional plans obscure this simple yet essential fact of weight control: if you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight; if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight.

In fact the book goes so far as to reduce the human body to a simple rubber bag, the size of which depends on two simple criteria: what goes in and what goes out. It begins with the introduction of a mythical device called “The Eat Watch”, a device that magically tells you when to start eating and when to stop so that if you mindlessly paid heed to it you would achieve your targeted weight. You are then introduced to all the facts and tools you need to “create” such a tool for yourself.

Right upfront you are presented with this startling fact: close to 70% of “what goes in” and 80% of “what goes out” is water! If only all those “daily-weight-checker” types knew this simple underlying cause behind the sometimes wild fluctuations they see on the scale everyday! From there, Walker takes us on a whirlwind tour of body types, the “hand you were dealt” as far as metabolism goes, engineering terms like feedback, signal and noise, graphs, moving averages and what have you and finally brings them all together, closing the loop on how all this applies to your losing weight.

Interspersed with all the technicality (it is a “hacker’s” diet after all!), Walker also shows a penchant for humor keeping the reader engaged in a lively fashion. A particularly hilarious section of the book outlines what would happen if a researcher finds a link between a dietary component like fiber and an aspect of your health like cholesterol levels: as the news spreads, marketers all over the place try to capitalize on this finding leading to ridiculous consequences:

Oat-this and oat-that breakfast cereals begin to vanish from the supermarket, displaced by the arrival of Peachies, Fuzz-chex, and Teenage Mutant Fuzzy Ninja Turtles. Soon, the whole supermarket looks like it’s been sprayed with minoxodil. Whole grain cookies enriched with peach fuzz. Fuzz-tab supplements. Fuzzy toothpaste. “Fizzy fuzz” peach champagne.

The website also provides a set of supporting tools (mostly Excel spreadsheets) that can help you along the way. There is also a “Hacker’s Diet Online” site that you can create a free account on to track your progress online from anywhere.

Although the book places slightly less emphasis on exercise than I would like, the fact is that food does have a greater impact on your weight than exercise alone. There is a still a chapter on exercises that you can perform everyday whatever stage of weight-loss you are in.

The book and website are not only just recommended, but I would say they are required material for anyone seriously interested in losing weight.

[tags]the hacker’s diet, diet, weight loss[/tags]

The TV ads look simply amazing: a woman sitting on the floor and eating her cereal and explaining how easy it is for her to stay healthy. The secret, you ask? Why, she simply stuffs herself with Kellogg’s so-called “SmartStart” cereal every morning and she is sure to stop heart-disease right on its tracks.

Well, not so fast. Although Kellogg’s is one of a limited number of top “Breakfast Brands” like Quaker, General Mills or Kashi, it still lags far behind the rest in terms of healthful ingredients and is one of the biggest users of artificial sweeteners and trans fats in its products. Read on to know what these harmful artificial ingredients are and how they could be doing the heart more harm than good …

First take a look at the Kellogg’s Smart Start Healthy Heart Cereal’s Ingredient List and Nutrition Information: (adapted from the official website):

Isn’t it amazing that after everything you’ve heard and read about trans fats being bad for you and even recent news that High Fructose Corn Syrup being bad for your arteries, Kellogg’s continues to thumb its nose at you and other consumers and includes these ingredients in their high profile products. Note the presence of partially-hydrogenated soybean oil in the oat clusters and remember 0g trans-fat simply means that trans fats are between 0 and 0.5g. More than one serving a day and you are already increasing your risk for the heart-problems associated with trans fat consumption.

Also, while the good news is that SmartStart contains a very good fiber profile (5g total with both soluble and insoluble parts) and a healthy quantity (7g) of protein, watch out for the insulin rush as 17g of sugar invade your bloodstream from just one serving. It’s no surprise really since we have sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, molasses, honey, malt, corn syrup, polydextrose (you didn’t know that was a sweetener, now, did you?!), cinnamon and vanilla-flavor (count them – that’s 9!) all contributing to the product’s sweetness! Since when did we need this kind of a tongue-melter first thing in the morning?

It’s high time Kellogg’s stopped taking consumers for granted. It’s no surprise that all the women featured in the SmartStart website are holding onto their hearts (for dear life, I presume!) Fitness Mantra wishes their hearts the best of luck. If they are “Smart”, they will “Start” by dumping this cereal and grabbing some good old fashioned oatmeal or Cheerios and top it with a few nuts and berries. Now that is a breakfast that will actually do your heart some good!
[tags]Kellogg’s, SmartStart, breakfast, cereal[/tags]

While I strive to eat foods that are made from natural ingredients, I am finding it increasingly difficult to find them on store shelves. Most sweetened yogurts, cereals and breakfast-bars are unnaturally flavored and for the discerning consumer it’s frustrating to read words like “Natural” and “Light” on the cover only to find that either artificial sweeteners or various forms of Corn Syrup are the key ingredients.

Now, when I spoke about the “Natural” label sometime back, it’s coincidental that I used Nature Valley’s Trail Mix Bars as an example of misleading box-labeling. “100% Natural”, proclaimed that box, but of course it contained High Maltose as well as High Fructose Corn Syrups.

This is why when I initially set out to review “Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey 100 Percent Natural Cereal” I was bracing myself for a similar ingredients list. But I was pleasantly surprised: as far as ingredients go, this cereal is indeed 100% natural. So what’s the skinny? Read on …

Disclosure: I was sent one (1) 14oz box of this cereal to try and then present a product review on FitnessMantra. As always you can be assured that my reviews will always be unbiased, irrespective of whether I purchase the product or receive it to review.
Product: Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey 100 Percent Natural Cereal
Manufacturer: Nature Valley brand of General Mills
Presentation: 14oz standard box with cereal in sealed plastic packaging
Serving Size: 1 cup (56g)
Allergy information: Contains Soy, Wheat and Milk ingredients
Nutrition Information: Here is the nutrition label information for Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey 100 Percent Natural Cereal (source: Products section of the Nature Valley website):

Positives:

1. Yes, it’s 100% Natural: When it’s so rare these days to find a processed product that can still call itself all natural, I would rate this the biggest positive. This cereal uses a combination of sugar, malt extract, honey and brown sugar syrup for sweetening purposes.
2. A plethora of whole grains: Although rice and rice flour are key ingredients, this cereal also includes the whole grain variety of oats, wheat, corn and also wheat bran and corn bran. This means you get the benefits of fiber as well as longer periods of feeling full (an important requirement of a good breakfast)
3. Calorie-wise this cereal is perfect for breakfast. Prepared with 1/2 cup skim milk, it has 270 calories with just 25 calories from fat.
4. 4g of protein and 4g of fiber: Thanks to the whole grains you get this double advantage of nourishing protein and disease-fighting and bowel-helping fiber.
5. Taste-wise the granola pieces add a delightful twist to the whole cereal-eating experience. They are so crunchy and sweet, I found myself hunting and finishing them off first!

Negatives:

1. In my opinion, nutrition-wise there is only one negative and, to be honest, I would like to make as little a deal of this as possible: the cereal has 16g of sugar. Yes, that is to be expected of a product which is Oats ‘N Honey after all and has granola to boot, but in fact others in my household who tasted this actually commented about how excessively sweet it was. The only good thing (if you can call it that) is this sugar is from all natural sources (especially honey which is a treasure trove of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) and while I would like to maintain sugar in a single serving to under 10g if possible, I don’t want to be a big naysayer.
2. Although I was not given any price information, business-wire reports that 14oz box retails for $3.99 and Walgreen’s is, in fact, selling it for that much. This is a little pricier than comparable alternatives so that is something to also keep in mind.
3. Finally, this is more of a texture issue than anything related to nutrition so it’s nothing major: While eating the cereal, especially the rice crisps, I could feel a noticeable powdery substance along my teeth and it was consistent across multiple bites. I am just mentioning this so readers can comment and say if they noticed this too or if it was unique to the sample/batch I was sent and something was corrected/modified slightly in later packages.

Conclusion:

Although I did mention the slightly excessive sugar content in the cereal, if 16g of sugar from natural sources is what it takes for people to switch from a Denny’s Grand Slam sausage breakfast to a healthful whole grains one, then so be it. As an aside, a good alternative might be Honey Nut Cheerios, but although it restricts itself to 9g of sugar per serving, you also only get 3g of protein and just 2g of fiber. Also with just 150 calories per serving, I think it might be less satisfying – a good breakfast should probably be more in the 250-300 calorie range and if you achieve that with a glass of orange juice your sugar intake is back to comparable levels with this Nature Valley Cereal anyway!

Bottom line: don’t focus too much on the sugar aspect and if something like a Natural Oatmeal breakfast is too strict, at least begin with all natural cereals like this one and work your way toward even healthier options.

And Finally, Just For Fun:

If you thought food-product-reviews had to be purely about taste and nutrition, think again! Sarah of Hollywood Flakes presents a singularly unique review of this same product and in my opinion, General Mills should hire that little reviewer to be their product mascot. I bet sales would soar! Behold:

- Source: Hollywood Flakes

[tags]health, nutrition, granola, product review, food review, general mills, Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey 100 Percent Natural Cereal[/tags]

Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate is the first product I am officially placing in the FitnessMantra Product Review category. Although I have spoken about other products earlier, this is the first one I am officially reviewing.

Disclosure: I was sent one (1) box of five (5) bars to try and then present a product review on FitnessMantra. You can be assured that my reviews will always be unbiased, irrespective of whether I purchase the product or receive it to review.

Product: Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate
Manufacturer: General Mills
Presentation: Single-serving bars, individually wrapped and labeled with Nutrition Facts and Ingredients
Serving Size: 1 bar (40g)
Allergy information: Contains Soy, Milk, Almond, Peanut, Sunflower and Wheat ingredients
Nutrition Information: Here is the nutrition label information for Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate scanned directly from the box (this is FitnessMantra; you had to know this was coming!):

Positives:

1. Visually, the bars are very appealing: they are cream in color with little chocolate pieces and make an appealing visual stimulation (even a wavy chocolate line across the bar for effect!)
2. Calorie-wise the bar is perfect for a snack (it has 140 calories with 35 calories (less than 1/3 of total – the ideal number) from fat)
3. As far as taste goes, you might not even realise it before the bar is gone (chocolate has that effect on people!). The bars are soft, chewy (yet not all that sticky although it is winter now and you might not want to leave these in your car during summer!) and great on the taste buds.
4. Although the primary source of fiber is chicory root extract (chicory is a plant more famous for the use of its leaves as a flavoring agent for coffee) and you might expect a bland taste, the other ingredients mask this taste and make it enjoyable to eat.
5. Of course the biggest selling point of the bar: fiber, fiber, fiber! Now a single bar has 9g of fiber which accounts for about 35% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fiber of 25g. But you must realize that this comes at a cost of some pretty unhealthy ingredients which brings me to the …

Negatives:

1. You already know I am a stickler for the ethical labeling of products especially Products that are labeled “Natural” so when I saw “Naturally Flavored” in bold across the top of the packaging you know where my eyes traveled to next: the ingredients list. And sure enough there were all the usual suspects: “confectioner’s shellac” listed as the second ingredient (meaning it is the second largest component by weight) contains hydrogenated coconut oil (and if not specified, this usually indicates “partial hydrogenation” – fully hydrogenated oils are usually labeled as “fully hydrogenated”). As always do not be fooled by 0g trans fat: manufacturers need not list trans fat quantities that are less than 0.5g.
2. In the same vein as #1 above, note the two ingredients High Fructose Corn Syrup and its close cousin High Maltose Corn Syrup. These are about as natural as centrifuged, enzymatically-sweetened, genetically-modified corn can get! You know the truth: HFCS cannot truly be considered a natural product although some recent research suggests the body metabolizes High Fructose Corn Syrup similarly to sugar.
3. With 10g of sugar this is not the best source of fiber for those with diabetic conditions. They are probably better off with the cereal version of this bar or other varieties like All Bran.

Alternatives:

What could you have instead of “Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate” and still get your fill of fiber? Why, a whole-grain sandwich would do just great! Infact dab a little peanut butter and throw in some blue-berries (my all-time favorite breakfast right there) and you have yourself a nice combination of whole grains, fiber, protein and antioxidants. Granted it’s not as easy to put in your purse as the chewy bars but at least you know it’s good for you without potentially harmful ingredients.

Conclusion:

While they satisfy the primary selling point of being high in fiber and in fact do so without subjecting one to the usual bland taste that fiber-rich products are famous for, Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate cannot be unconditionally recommended unless General Mills makes a few changes to the ingredients (lopping off the hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners would be a good start – after which the “Naturally Flavored” label will actually be truthful). When McDonalds and Wendys can agree to be trans fat free, I wonder what’s taking a company like General Mills, which strives to be associated with healthy eating, so long.

Eat the bars as a rare treat but don’t you, for even one minute, believe you can justify having these everyday as a “fiber food” – probably “candy bar” is a better term for them. Instead try yogurt topped with flaxseed or the whole grain sandwich – they are both satisfying and give you the fiber you need – naturally!

[tags]health, nutrition, fiber, general mills, Fiber One Chewy Bars – Oats and Chocolate[/tags]

Wellsphere is a community site for wellness that is being launched today with the goal of “Bringing together people, places and things that help you live a healthier, happier life”. A wellsphere is essentially a page where users list their goals and can then find like-minded people who are also working toward achieving similar goals. Users can also comment and give advice on the goals of other people and by doing so create a community of goal-oriented people.

This is very similar to the popular site 43 Things (the original site for goal-oriented-people), the main difference being that Wellsphere is primarily health and fitness oriented whereas 43 Things is more general in nature (want to see a ghost? so do about 300 people!)

To begin using the site, you first create a profile for yourself and then you can either create your own wellsphere (as many as you want) or subscribe to those of others if you find them similar to your individual goals. I went ahead and created a profile for myself to test the site.

As you can see from the screenshot below, after you have given them the basic information about yourself, you have to choose your goals from a select list, which while pretty comprehensive, may or may not have the specific goal you have in mind. The major goals include Eat Healthy, Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, Get Fit, Get Active, Play Sports and Complete an Endurance Event. These, of course, have sub-sections so you can be more specific (like which sport or which endurance event).

Once I had my goals in place, I showed up on the wellspheres page where I could search by Help givers or seekers. That’s me (Fitness M) below!)

The best feature of Wellspheres (and probably it’s Unique Selling Point over 43 Things) is the ability to search for, and connect with, an Activity Partner.

As you can see, you can search for partners on the basis of fields like activity type, skill level, gender, and most importantly area-proximity and then send a message to them to see if they can work with you toward achieving your (typically) common goal. This is an extremely useful feature to have since more and more studies show that people excel at fitness regimens when there is a support group involved. There is also a Local Resources section that lists resources like chiropractors, health clubs, personal trainers and yoga studios in your local area, but currently it only lists San Francisco based centers.

Finally, I wanted to make sure I mention that unlike many of the newer sites which expect you to login and then “figure things out as you go along”, Wellsphere has a comprehensive Help and FAQ section that answers most questions a first-time visitor would have making it that much more likely that the user will stay, contribute and enrich the community rather than shake his head and leave.

Go ahead and check Wellsphere out – there’s probably a health-conscious community right in your area that’s waiting just for you!

- Via TechCrunch

[tags]health, fitness, wellsphere[/tags]