The Healthy Food Review (TM)

Hi All,

Even though I am a fish eater, a few months back I decided I wanted to add fish oil to my diet for the additional heart healthy and brain healthy omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA.  But I had a couple of challenges--I had trouble swallowing pills or capsules, and I was nervous about being plagued by the dreaded "fish burps".

Fortunately, strolling the aisles at my local Wild Oats Natural Market which is now Whole Foods Market post-merger, I stumbled upon a terrific answer to my fish oil dilemma.  Coromega Omega-3 Fatty Acids supplement. 

This product comes in a little packet like ketchup or mustard for take-out food, and is flavored orange with a hint of chocolate or lemon lime.  You can simply squeeze it out of the packet into your mouth, put it on a spoon or mix it into juice or yogurt.  I just eat it out of the packet directly (my husband keeps teasing me saying I am eating ketchup), and keep it cold in the refrigerator for best taste (it does not need to be refrigerated). 

The actual product is the consistency of pudding and it tastes terrific--you would never know this is a fish oil supplement!  A serving is 20 calories and delivers 650 mg of long chain omega-3 fatty acids, 350 mg of EPA and 230 of DHA. The product, unlike actual fish is free from mercury and PCB's (it's third-party tested).  There is also a special children's version called Coromega Child Brain and Body.

For those of you out there who do not like to eat fish, this is the way to get this dietary essential.

Besides the heart health and brain function benefits, fish oil is credited with development of unborn babies during pregnancy, and newly-born infants, skin health, immune system health, joint health and can possibly even help as a natural anti-inflammatory. 

Always check with your health care professional before adding any supplements to your diet, but if you are looking for a delicious and potent way to add fish oil and its omega-3 benefits to your diet, I don't think you can go wrong with Coromega which is now a daily part of my regimen.

You can easily find Coromega in natural foods markets and many vitamin stores, or order directly from Coromega.  You can even request a free sample via their website at:

http://www.coromega.com (click on the words "free sample" in the left hand column).

--Melanie R. Jordan, Author of Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!  Available 24/7 at http://www.HealthyEatingCoach.com

Don't miss a post--subscribe to The Healthy Food Review feed.  It's easy!  CLICK HERE

Check out more of Melanie's empowering publications on work-at-home lifestyles, foreclosure investing and learn about her Marketing and Infopreneur Consulting and Coaching Services at http://www.SunLoverPublishing.com

"Healthy eating with favorite comfort foods...it's deliciously possible!"

Check out Melanie's other Blog for Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com

Please note that I do not have an affiliation with any of the companies featured in this post--they are simply products I am personally familiar with.  The views expressed are my opinion only and you should decide, along with your healthcare professionals, on the appropriateness for your personal use.

Copyright SunLover Publishing 2008

Hi All,

Here's a new reason to eat organic foods when possible (as if we really needed one). According to an European Union (EU0 4-year study that had the purpose of evaluating the merits of organic food, many organic foods we eat, such as organic milk, organic vegetables and organic fruits are simply more nutritious than the conventional versions. 

The study found that organic milk had up to 60% more antioxidants and essential fatty acids, while organic fruits and organic vegetables have up to 40% more antioxidants than those that were conventionally grown.

In fact, one of the team's researchers were even quoted as saying that this news could mean that just eating organic fruits and vegetables is basically as good as eating an extra serving of our "5-a-day" minimum. 

So when people criticize the idea of eating organic food because they say it's too expensive, or how do you know you are really getting any added benefit, "here's your sign" as comedian Bill Engvall likes to say!

--Melanie R. Jordan, Author of Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!  Available 24/7 at http://www.HealthyEatingCoach.com

Don't miss a post--subscribe to The Healthy Food Review feed.  It's easy!  CLICK HERE

Check out more of Melanie's empowering publications on work-at-home lifestyles, foreclosure investing and learn about her Marketing and Infopreneur Consulting and Coaching Services at http://www.SunLoverPublishing.com

"Healthy eating with favorite comfort foods...it's deliciously possible!"

Check out Melanie's other Blog for Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com

Copyright SunLover Publishing 2008

Hi All,

Most people know that white bread is certainly not the most nutritious--having white flour products especially for diabetics who must watch their blood sugar--is like shooting pure sugar into your bloodstream--you might as well be having candy, as your body can't tell the difference.

I know that Sara Lee, for example, tried to cater to the white bread crowd by coming out with a product that was a "whole grain white bread".  The Center For Science In The Public Interest www.cspinet.org is not letting them get away with their false labeling as the Sara Lee's bread is not the whole grain bread it claims to be.  In this quote from CSPI's piece "Sara Lee Accused of Whole Grain Whitewash" CSPI's head litigator Steve Gardner, he makes the situation clearer:

"it would be more accurate to say that Sara Lee is brimming with the wholesome goodness of white flour and water".

You can't really expect to get true whole grain goodness from a major consumer packaged goods company. 

You can do a little better by looking for labels that say they are "100% whole wheat" or "stone ground whole wheat".  But even when you've got the grains right, you can still get much more of a blood sugar rush than you intended, if the label says the product contains "high fructose corn syrup" as many commercial breads do.  Some have partially hydrogenated oil = trans fat.  Plus, many of these whole grain breads can still contain dough conditioners--extra chemicals you don't really need.

Best choice?  Get true whole grains, no high fructose corn syrup and no dough conditioners by going with an organic brand like Rudi's Organic Bakery www.rudisbakery.com.  A delicious alternative to junky whole grain impostors.  Rudi's is the real deal!

So next time you buy bread, take the time to get the most out of it nutritionally.  There's nothing wrong with eating bread, if it's a healthy whole grain choice.

--Melanie R. Jordan, Author of Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!  Available 24/7 at http://www.HealthyEatingCoach.com

Don't miss a post--subscribe to The Healthy Food Review feed.  It's easy!  CLICK HERE

Check out more of Melanie's empowering publications on work-at-home lifestyles, foreclosure investing and learn about her Marketing and Infopreneur Consulting and Coaching Services at http://www.SunLoverPublishing.com

"Healthy eating with favorite comfort foods...it's deliciously possible!"

Check out Melanie's other Blog for Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com

Please note that I do not have an affiliation with any of the companies featured in this post--they are simply products I am personally familiar with.  The views expressed are my opinion only and you should decide, along with your healthcare professionals, on the appropriateness for your personal use.

Copyright SunLover Publishing 2008

Hi All,

I was up watching the opening monologue and e-mail segments--my favorites--on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson tonight, and I found a commentary he made about how he was a vegetarian for a year, but he couldn't stick with it because he loved bacon, quite interesting. 

He also joked during the same segment that "he could hear the vegetarians writing in right now".  Hey Craig Ferguson, I'm not a vegetarian--I have my own eating style called "NMP" that is basically a form of flexitarian diet.

I love bacon too, but I can eat it in a much healthier way! 

In fact, as I shared in one of the many amusing experiences in my book Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!, there was an incident at a restaurant breakfast buffet my husband remembers all too well many years ago, before I became the predominantly healthy eater I am today.  At that time, I ate so much bacon, because I could take as much as I wanted, I felt the place was going to put up a sign saying not to let this woman near the bacon!

Today I am much reformed.

Anyway, whether you need bacon to go with eggs (which I hope are generally an egg substitute like Eggbeaters or Better 'N Eggs), or as part of a healthy BLT (made with whole grain toast I hope), all you do is substitute Morningstar Farms Veggie Breakfast Strips for traditional bacon, or even turkey bacon.  This soy-based product is not just for breakfast (although it is usually found in the breakfast section of a traditional supermarket which never seems to know what to do with meatless foods)!

The Morningstar Farms Veggie Breakfast Strips (www.SeeVeggiesDifferently.com have been made to look like bacon strips (although I could do with a little less food coloring), and after just about 12 minutes in the oven, taste just like "real bacon" with a nice crispness and nowhere near the fat and calories.  As a special treat, I will have my "bacon" (Morningstar Farms Veggie Breakfast Strips) on my own version of a BLT.  I like a whole grain bagel, with Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese, the "bacon" and either organic spinach or romaine lettuce leaves.  Absolutely delicious!

You can use this idea whether you want to go meatless all the time, or just from time-to-time.  That's what it's all about--having your favorite comfort foods, but in their healthiest forms.  I don't know why people struggle with this concept so much as there have never been more healthy choices to substitute for traditional items that are so bad for you.  Hey Craig, give it a shot!

--Melanie R. Jordan, Author of Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!  Available 24/7 at http://www.HealthyEatingCoach.com

Don't miss a post--subscribe to The Healthy Food Review feed.  It's easy!  CLICK HERE

Check out more of Melanie's empowering publications on work-at-home lifestyles, foreclosure investing and learn about her Marketing and Infopreneur Consulting and Coaching Services at http://www.SunLoverPublishing.com

"Healthy eating with favorite comfort foods...it's deliciously possible!"

Check out Melanie's other Blog for Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com

Copyright SunLover Publishing 2008

Hi All,

Welcome to the world's tiniest cupcakes and muffins!

The new line of Hostess 100 calorie muffins was intriguing to me since I am a big fan of Hostess 100 calorie cupcakes (the chocolate one which brings back fond childhood memories with less calories).  My husband surprised me with the Hostess 100 calorie blueberry muffins and then I saw their banana muffins listed on the package, so I had to try those as well!

In case you haven't opened the box to one of these Hostess 100 calorie products before, I want you to be prepared.  Each muffin or cupcake is going to be only a little bigger in diameter than most bottle caps.  The good news is that those 100 calories entitles you to eat three of them.  So if the psychological benefit of being able to say "I just ate three Hostess chocolate cupcakes" or "I just ate three banana muffins" is important to you, you're going to love this product!  If you are looking to feel full--that's not going to happen.

The Hostess 100 calorie blueberry muffins taste very sweet and are like a smaller version of the Dunkin Donuts Reduced-Fat Blueberry muffin which I generally treat myself to when I am on the East Coast.  The Hostess 100 calorie banana muffins are also very sweet and very banana-y.

I am okay with muffins that look like they could have been from the old Disney classic movie Honey I Shrunk The Kids.  What I am not okay with is that there is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in all the 100 calorie Hostess offerings (aka there's trans fat in them there hills).  So yes, because of bonehead government labeling laws that allow a food that has less than .5 grams of trans fat to be labeled "trans fat free", Hostess proudly and legally can claim "0 grams of trans fat" on its product packaging.

While .5 grams is a trivial amount of trans fat.  There is no safe amount of trans fat!

And if you have a couple of "0 grams of trans fat" items in a day, that are not really "0 grams" at all.  It can easily add up to the number that experts have said is an issue--over 2 grams of trans fat per day.

So the way I look at it is that if I am going to eat any pseudo trans fat free food, it has to be incredibly worth it, and I have to watch out for similar foods during the rest of my day.  So between the Hostess 100 calorie muffins and the Hostess 100 calorie chocolate cupcakes, it's no contest.  I'll take the Hostess cupcakes.  They are one of my favorite "in case of chocolate emergency, break glass" items to have on hand that won't do me much damage.

Sorry Hostess, I've got to pass on the muffins, and save your Hostess 100 calorie cupcakes for special occasions--Write to Hostess and tell them to dump the hydrogenated oil--even .5 grams of it from their products at http://www.hostesscakes.com/100.

--Melanie R. Jordan, Author of Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!  Available 24/7 at http://www.HealthyEatingCoach.com

Check out more of Melanie's empowering publications on work-at-home lifestyles, foreclosure investing and learn about her Marketing and Infopreneur Consulting and Coaching Services at http://www.SunLoverPublishing.com

"Healthy eating with favorite comfort foods...it's deliciously possible!"

Don't miss a post--subscribe to The Healthy Food Review feed.  It's easy!  CLICK HERE

Check out Melanie's other Blog for Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com

Please note that I do not have an affiliation with any of the companies featured in this post--they are simply products I am personally familiar with.  The views expressed are my opinion only and you should decide, along with your healthcare professionals, on the appropriateness for your personal use.

Copyright SunLover Publishing 2008

Hi All,

Maybe it's just me, but I really think the fad for eating pomegranates has gone too far when you have "limited edition" Pomegranate-flavored 7-Up and a Pomegranate-flavored Jelly Belly!

I'm sorry, but I am sure no one is bursting with antioxidant benefits from fad products like these.  If you want nutrition, you have to eat the nutritious form of the fruit itself, or true juice from it. 

Check out more about the powerful antioxidant properties of pomegranates, along with healthy recipes that are the real deal, plus FAQs at the Pomegranate Council's web site at:

http://www.pomegranates.org

--Melanie R. Jordan, Author of Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!  Available 24/7 at http://www.HealthyEatingCoach.com

Don't miss a post--subscribe to The Healthy Food Review feed.  It's easy!  CLICK HERE

Check out more of Melanie's empowering publications on work-at-home lifestyles, foreclosure investing and learn about her Marketing and Infopreneur Consulting and Coaching Services at http://www.SunLoverPublishing.com

"Healthy eating with favorite comfort foods...it's deliciously possible!"

Check out Melanie's other Blog for Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com

Copyright SunLover Publishing 2008

Hi All,

Super bowl ads are not known for showcasing healthy foods, as usally fast food, beer and soda are the food industry focus.  But it was interesting to see that Gatorade was pushing their new lower-calorie entrant--G2--using a slim, sharp-dressed Derek Jeter as the main focus of the ad (sorry Gatorade, at 100 calories a bottle, and with high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient, I'll pass). 

Same thing goes for Glaceau Vitamin Water, which had Shaq as a jockey, and SoBe Life Water had the Michael Jackson lizards.  Neither lizards or Shaq are going to get me to hydrate with so many calories that can be put to better use. 

I work hard enough to burn calories, so I need to have choices that are ideally zero calories like Fruit 2O Hydration.

Although, I have to admit, I appreciate the fact that they made a special commemorative Gatorade bottle you can order to celebrate my New York Giants' historic upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42 last night (does anyone order that stuff?)

--Melanie R. Jordan, Author of Have Your Cheeseburger And Keep Your Health Too!  Available 24/7 at http://www.HealthyEatingCoach.com

Don't miss a post--subscribe to The Healthy Food Review feed.  It's easy!  CLICK HERE

Check out more of Melanie's empowering publications on work-at-home lifestyles, foreclosure investing and learn about her Marketing and Infopreneur Consulting and Coaching Services at http://www.SunLoverPublishing.com

Check out Melanie's other Blog for Las Vegas locals and Las Vegas visitors at http://www.VegasInsideScoop.com

"Healthy eating with favorite comfort foods...it's deliciously possible!"

Copyright SunLover Publishing 2008