It Is What It Is: SPF

Gah! So this might be a ridiculous post but at the same time I think it's pretty appropriate since it is that time of year where EVERYONE is grilling (and a lot of people are trying to maintain their bikini/bathing suit bodies!)....

So first I must give some background information... Ever since I was little I have adored ketchup! Ketchup sandwiches were ranked very high on my favorite food combination list! (Mayo sandwiches being a close second)...

But ever since I realized what high-fructose corn syrup was (which was a VERY LONG TIME AGO - thanks to my health conscious mother)... I stopped eating the stuff!

The other day I was ambling around the grocery store, sort of wasting time but also trying to keep myself busy until a check-out line wasn't about 10 people long... when I came across an interesting product in the condiment aisle...

I didn't really think anything of it until I remembered the days of when I was nine years old and younger, eating my juicy corn-fed hamburgers (yea, that's another topic to be discussed) on my very mushy white bun (how I invented the ketchup sandwich)...

Instead of continuing on to the check out line, I picked up a Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup bottle JUST TO SEE what filled the sugar void... and TO MY SURPRISE it was only sweetened with some Splenda (which I allow in my diet)!!!!! Not to mention, instead of the typical 15 calories per tbsp there is ONLY 5 and there is even 20 less milligrams of salt in the low sugar variety!

Ingredients as stated on the bottle:
Tomato Concentrate from Red Ripe Tomatoes, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Natural Flavoring, Onion Powder, *Sucralose, Spice. *NOT IN REGULAR KETCHUP
**Not really sure what "natural flavoring & spice" mean but at this moment in time I am too excited to care!

So of course, out of impulse and because it's that time of the year where I miss having ketchup with my burgers... I bought it!

When I finally got back to my place that afternoon I dropped all of my groceries on the floor because my curiosity was brewing intensely and BOY WAS I PLEASANTLY SURPRISE! WHAT A GREAT BUY! (Typically I have no luck with trying new things... I tried a mock ketchup by Walden Farms once and it was REPULSIVE)

This ketchup tasted EXACTLY like the real stuff! It cannot be beat! It's consistency was spot on and the flavor was tangy yet sweet, just the way ketchup is suppose to be!

When I tried my new LOVE on a burger I cooked that evening... even more in love than before... oh and my love grew EVEN FONDER (if it is at all possible) when... I PUT IT ON SPAGHETTI SQUASH!!! My taste buds are officially ecstatic all thanks to a 15 ounce bottle of Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup!

So if any of you out there are trying to avoid high-fructose corn syrup - this product is definitely a WONDERFUL replacement (after all, I wouldn't have an ENTIRE blog post dedicated to it if I didn't think so! ha ha!)

PS: Ketchup (the non/low sugar types) are extremely healthy for you because tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that is known for warding off all sorts of cancers. This antioxidant is also known to be a low dose SPF! Who would have thought that quote "food as thy medicine" could be true! More reasons to love this awesome staple!! **Might as well just swirt the bottle into your mouth, no?**
PSS: This is a Low Carb & GLUTEN-FREE food!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Some Things Just Don't Work Out

Ever made plans that just sort of fell through leaving you wondering: "Now what am I going to do with myself?"... Well most Saturdays and Sundays I am left with that question... When the weather just doesn't pan out, or a friend is all of a sudden unavailable - I'm left to figure out how to occupy myself for the rest of the day...

To all of you who are on the same boat as me... I have come up with some ideas on how to keep your days filled with activities that make the time pass:

1. Outdoor Sports (Soccer, Basket Ball, Frisbee, Golf, Biking, Skate Boarding, Hiking, Tennis, Swimming, Roller Blading, Kayaking, Tubing, etc)

2. Sun-Tanning (now, do this safely!)

3. Scrap Booking (It's time to get rid of the magazines you've had since last June!)

4. Puzzles

5. Baking (and if you really want to have fun, film yourself doing it and pretend like you're on a cooking show! ha ha)

6. Cleaning (because it has to get done SOME TIME!)

7. Catching Up on Odds & Ends (Grocery Shopping, Target, Dry Cleaning, Car Wash, things like that)

8. See a Movie

9. Get a Pedicure/Manicure (Yes, gentlemen you can get them too! ha ha)

10. Get a Massage

11. Card Games/Board Games

12. Surfing, Wind Surfing, Jet Skiing, Sailing, etc (if you live near water)

13. Voluenteering

14. Sleeping (ah yes, who wouldn't want to?)

15. Site-See (yes, sounds odd, especially if you've lived in your town for a while, but it's amazing what you haven't seen!)

16. Sample Food at Different Restaurants

17. Go to the Museum or Art Galleries (yes, you know you want to)

18. Spend the afternoon at the bookstore (definitely have done that before!)

19. Have a Picnic or a Cookout (You can do this in a healthy fashion too)

20. Walk Your Dog or Borrow Your Neighbors

21. Jump on a Trampoline

22. Run Through The Sprinklers

23. Do a Crossword Puzzle (These take me a very long time! ha ha)

24. Play Wii

25. Just Relish in the Moment of Not Having a THING TO DO!

So yea, those might be some LAME ways to fill in your afternoon but sometimes doing at least SOMETHING is better than NOTHING at all! And even if you do decide to do absolutely NOTHING - Don't feel too guilty, after all the weekend is your time off so why not really USE IT THAT WAY!

Friday, June 5, 2009

You Can't Hide From It, So Embrace It Safely!

I am sure all of you are extremely tired from the mundane/routine tasks you completed all week... I know I am. Weekends are a perfectly way to unwind from these 5 hectic days from hell. Seeing friends, sleeping, pampering yourself, all fall into that category. Another great way to completely unwind while obtaining some health benefits is by sun tanning.

I know exactly what you're thinking... "I thought sun-tanning was bad for us"... "Um excuse me, skin cancer!"... "When I go outside I use SPF 100 because I don't want to risk it"... "WRINKLES!"...

(One Big Ball of Concentrated Skin Cancer & Vitamin D! ha ha)

Yes, all of those things can result from sun-tanning... but that's why I am here to tell you how to tan safely and reap the benefits that come with basking in it!

First things first... if you want a golden tint... go outside for it! Never ever use a tanning bed! In tanning beds the only UV rays available are UVA rays which cause the most damage (while also giving you that bronzed glow... or red as a lobster look). Plus when you are laying in a tanning booth completely nude, the distance between the rays and your body is quite close - tanning beds are 2 to 3 times MORE POWERFUL than UVA rays from the sun... Thus more rays are absorbed into your body. What happens when these rays are soaked up? Well they do a number to your immune system (weaken it) which means you are more susceptible to getting skin cancer. Yikes!

When you're outside both UVA and UVB rays are present... which means the risk of getting skin cancer is there as well because two powerful rays are being absorbed into your body... No wonder there are so many sun block brands with high SPFs - getting skin cancer is rather easy!

So what can you do to make sure you are not part of the statistic (of those who get skin cancer per year)? This may come as a shock to you but for the first ten minutes of being outside, wear no sun screen at all... This way you obtain an ample amount of Vitamin D which is one of the vitamins most every American is deficient in. Vitamin D is a "wonder drug" and new findings keep supplying more information in it's favor.

After those health boosting ten minutes though, slather on some SPF 35 and reapply it every 2 hours!! This is hard to remember because some either fall asleep outside or get too involved in the Frisbee game... that's why perhaps you should turn on the timer on your cell phone - anything to get you to remember to reapply that sun screen!

Now I won't lie to you - I am pretty bad at putting sun screen on myself... but I have definitely paid for it and will try my best this summer to keep up a healthy sun screen routine!

Who's with me?

PS: HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

IT'S NOT HALLOWEEN BUT...

I AM OBSESSED with Pureed Pumpkin!!! The best part about me eating this vegetable is that... It is LOADED with health benefits!!!

For roughly 80 calories PER CUP (According to LIBBY'S Canned Pumpkin) you get TONS of vitamins, minerals and fiber... Exactly what vitamins and minerals does pumpkin contain...

- Vitamin A/ Beta- Carotene/ Carotenoids [aids in eye health, immune function, bone metabolism, skin health, heart health, etc]

- Potassium [Stroke & Hypertension Prevention]

- Vitamin C [Lessens Oxidative stress, Antioxidant, Skin Health, Immune System Health, Energy Enhancer]

- 3 Grams of Fiber (per cup) [Healthy Weight & Bowel]

- Lutein & Zeaxanthin [Eye Health]

- Iron [Wards off anemia & kidney failure]

- Zinc [Improves sense of taste & smell, Aids in Wound Healing, Increases Energy, Protects DNA & Aids in Proper Growth & Development]

And don't forget about the SEEDS of the pumpkin because they are equally nutritious containing...

- Magnesium

- Copper

- Iron

- Manganese

- Phosphorus

- Zinc

- Healthy Fats

So even though it's just about summer... why not dig into a can of pureed pumpkin - it will no doubt aid in achieving your bikini body... by making your skin, hair & nails healthy while keeping you full so you don't lose your stellar figure! And one more added bonus... eating pumpkin acts as an SPF (of about 5 but still)!!!