The beginning of another school year sneaked up on us, along with an opportunity to meet new people, join new clubs and do better in our classes (okay well I like to tell myself this, at least).  Unfortunately, it’s also the perfect opportunity to gain weight via late night pizza runs and all you can eat dining halls.

Thankfully, for those of you reading this, I have a suggestion, a small tweak really, that might just save you from packing on the pounds.  You ready for it? Like, really, really ready?

OK, here goes: only drink water (and if you must, the occasional coffee).

No soda, no calorie-laden smoothies, fruit juices, or any liquid edible substance with calories.  You would be surprised how much those added calories from beverages add up!

My advice comes from some pretty gosh darn daunting facts about our country of the overweight and obese. Scarily, as I type this, statistics show that thirty-five percent of Americans are medically obese and two thirds of them are overweight.  Also true? Twenty-five percent of our daily calories come from liquids.  This means that calories coming from drinks may play more of a role in our number on the scale than calories coming from foods.  The folks at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have actually studied and found just that.  They published a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that states that the quickest and most reliable way to lose weight is to cut down on liquid calorie consumption.

Even beverages that appear to be healthy may contribute to weight gain and poor health.  The deceptively named, Vitaminwater, sold on many campuses, is anything but healthy. Despite being advertised as a product equipped to induce a “healthy state of physical and mental well-being,” it’s pretty much just sugar water, to which a penny’s worth of synthetic vitamins have been added.  Well, that and thirty-three grams of added sugar per bottle.  Seems like more of a soft drink than a healthy beverage to me.

So here’s my advice: save yourself money, calories, and unwanted pounds by drinking some good old-fashioned water.  If you must spice it up, add some lemon juice and a small amount of honey or maple syrup.  Even drinking one-half fruit juice, one-half regular or carbonated water will save you some pound-packing sugar. Also, relying on the paltry supply of vitamins in a drink like Vitaminwater for your nutrients is not a wise idea.  A much better way to get your vitamins and minerals is to eat real foods and load up on plenty of fruits and vegetables.  Oh, and don’t forget to read those labels!  Thirty-three grams of sugar in Vitaminwater per serving? Whoa, no thank you.

Should you go for natural or artificial? Low-cal or all natural? Corn syrup or aspartame? Honey or agave nectar?

Here’s your guide to satisfying your sweet tooth in the healthiest way possible.

What It’s Called
There are secret code names for sugar that you’ll find in everything from crackers to vegetables. Look for: Sucrose, Fructose, Glucose, Corn Sugar, Sorbitol, Dextrose, Maltose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Aspartame, Lactose… and more.

What It Does To Your Body
Carbs and sugars turn into glucose, which gives us energy to function. Glucose determines your blood sugar level, which affects your appetite, emotions, athletic performance, and more. You do not want to screw with this system – ideally, you want your blood sugar level to stay pretty even all the time. Usually people do this by eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and things that get metabolized at a steady rate in your body.

Sugar has two parts. Besides the glucose, there’s fructose, which is in added sweeteners, and in smaller amounts in fruits and veggies. Either way, eating too many calories from glucose or fructose is a sure way to gain weight and mess up your blood sugar level.

Real Sugar
Anything that we can easily trace to its natural source fits in this category. Check out these facts on natural sources of sweetness:

Sugar (granulated, raw, brown, powdered, etc.)
Made from sugar beets & cane
Spikes your blood sugar levels
48 calories per tablespoon

Honey
Has some natural antioxidants
Metabolized same as sugar, but doesn’t spike your blood sugar level quite as much
64 calories per tablespoon

Agave Nectar
Made from same plant as tequila
Keeps your blood sugar level stable
Sweeter than sugar, so you’d use a lot less
60 calories per tablespoon

Truvia/Sweetleaf/PureVia
Comes from stevia plant
No calories and doesn’t screw with your blood sugar levels
Used in South America and Japan for awhile
Brain does not recognize it as sugar, so it probably won’t satisfy your sweet tooth

Fake Sugar
Tastes like sugar, made with similar ingredients to sugar, but it’s just not natural. Oh, and contrary to what you’ve heard, it doesn’t cause cancer! Here are some surprising facts about non-natural sugar products:

High Fructose Corn Syrup (pop, crackers, cereal, granola bars, almost everything, etc.)
Contains near same percentages of fructose & glucose as sugar, so gets broken down in the body almost the same.
In study of obese people, found that it can increase bad cholesterol as they needed more insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.
May make it harder to associate sweet taste with high calories, so harder to keep track of calories.
45 calories per tablespoon

Aspartame (diet pop, Equal, breakfast cereals, desserts, candy)
May cause headaches and stomach aches
No links to cancer after further research
Almost no calories
Doesn’t react with heat well, so you can’t cook with it

Sucralose/Splenda (diet pop, protein bars, low-cal anything, etc.)
Derived from sugar (chlorine replaces some stuff in the normal sugar molecule)
People have reported side effects like cramps, headaches, weight gain, fatigue, bloating, etc.
No links to cancer after further research
Almost no calories.

What Kind of Sugar is for YOU?
In general, staying away from the sweet stuff is the best idea because it’s usually high in calories and low in nutrients. Less than 10% of your daily calories should come from sugar, and you already get a good amount of natural sugar from fruits and vegetables! Remember, though: sugar-free items don’t mean healthy – just empty calories! So which is best for you? Well, like most things, it all depends on which situations you usually find yourself in. Do you:

Need Coffee in the Morning? You can’t imagine your morning java without sugar! Go for Stevia-based options since it usually comes in packets, has no calories, and isn’t associated with any side effects.

Look for All-Natural Antioxidants? You want a sweetener with the most nutritional value possible. Date sugar and blackstrap molasses, although unmentioned because they aren’t as common and are kind of expensive, provide the most antioxidants. Honey would be your next alternative because it has more antioxidants than any of the other sweeteners mentioned here.

Count Calories? You’re a girl on a weight loss mission! Use Stevia-based options if you can, since they have no calories and don’t have any side effects that could de-rail your exercise and weight loss plan.

Love to Cook? You can use agave nectar or applesauce as your secret weapons for making healthier desserts. If the recipe is no-bake, you can replace the sugar with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce or agave nectar. If the ingredients will be heated, you can usually replace up to two thirds of the sugar with these healthier substitutes.

Stay on Budget? Honey and agave syrup are expensive. Don’t go for organic versions – the label will jack up the price significantly. You can usually buy the cheapest sweeteners, like Stevia, Splenda or regular sugar if you want, in bulk to save money!

Have a Major Sweet Tooth? Try to stay away from artificial sweeteners like High Fructose Corn Syrup, Aspartame, and Splenda because they won’t satisfy your sweet tooth! You need legit sugar to satiate cravings, so if you’re making a dessert, try substituting some of the sugar for applesauce. If you’re buying sweets, go for quality rather than quantity. Make sure it’s made with actual sugar and only eat it in moderation.

I am destined to be big-boned

1. Do not skip meals.

Sleeping through breakfast seems like the easiest way to cut calories and lose weight, right? Wrong! In high school, I did just that. I also decided to spend my lunch period most days talking instead of eating. I would never put food in my body until 3PM, and I wouldn’t stop eating until around 10PM. I justified my grazing by saying, “Hey, I haven’t eaten all day, after all!” By the time my body got fed, it had no idea what to do with so much disgusting, unhealthy food. The pounds finally started to budge when I put my body on a system. Eat something wholesome (oatmeal, whole-grain toast, an egg) as soon as you wake up. Give your stomach something to work on all day. Our tummies love consistency, so don’t forget lunch and dinner, either!

2. EAT your calories.

Even on days when you don’t think you’re eating much, you might be loading up on “blind calories” — calories you don’t even realize — just by what you drink. Anything other than water, black coffee, or plain tea is a weight conscious gal’s worst nightmare. While sports drinks and mineral water may be alluring, the sugar and additives are sure to sidetrack your best intentions. It’s the common misconception that fruit juices are must-have staples to a diet. The truth is, you are getting loads of sugar from the fruit itself (even if it’s unsweetened juice, check out the grams of natural sugar) and none of the fiber. Don’t have a glass of orange juice – eat an orange. Same goes for apple juice or cranberry juice or…, well, you get the idea. In general, allotting your calories for food rather than beverages will leave you much more satisfied.

3. Go do something!

I used to think that walking around the hallways to get to class was sufficient exercise for me. Like me, you may be stunned when you realize that your exercise isn’t as effective as you think it is. It also didn’t help that once I came home from school, I tended to spend hours and hours on youtube loaf around all night. The more often you can get your heart rate up, the better off you will be. Can’t commit to a strenuous gym regiment? Don’t despair. The most successful exercise is what can be incorporated into your daily life. In other words, park farther away, take the stairs, grab the bike instead of your car. Trade one TV program for a half-hour walk a day. You’ll be surprised at how gratifying it is. (And there’s always Tivo, after all).

4. Embrace veggies.

Growing up, I never never, ever ate vegetables. Mashed potatoes and corn on the cob was about as close as I came. Today, I can’t get enough of them, and I actually crave them. I love a huge plate of wilted spinach with a touch of sea salt, pepper, and olive oil as a base for my meat or grains. 50 calories for a cup of spinach keeps me way more satisfied than a small McDonald’s french fry order (230 calories) ever did. And I’ve never felt more alive since making veggies the bulk of my meals. I smile and run more than ever. That alone is worth it to me.

Don’t despair about weight loss. Just listen to your body. It can tell you more than any dieting book can. Being the person you’ve always dreamed of being is far from impossible for anyone. The former big-boned blob has spoken.

Turns out, there’s a cure to most of those beauty problems in your very own kitchen. And I tried ‘em all.

No more wasting $30 on a zit cream- just use toothpaste. And no need to get some fancy hydrating cream when you can use sweet, delicious, cheap honey. Watch the vid for more tips!

While I have not done an algebra equation since the 10^th grade my stomach still churns in the same way every time I attempt to decode the nutrition facts on my favorite foods. Reading food labels can leave any head spinning with questions about daily caloric intakes and serving sizes (especially knowing that some of them are way off!). But navigating a food label doesn’t have to be as hard as finding a decent guy on a college campus; with this simple guide you will have the power to understand any ingredient that comes your way and make instantly healthier choices in the grocery aisles.

Let’s start at the beginning and work our way down.

Serving Size: Ever wonder why the French are so skinny? They actually pay attention to the word “serving.” Don’t be deceived by products that look like one serving size; there can actually be two or three servings packed in! The facts on the nutrition label are based on one serving; if you are planning on two, plan to double all the info on that sucker.

Calories: Just as our teachers have told us that we are each special and unique, so are our daily caloric needs. No need to go crazy counting calories, but be mindful of the calories from fat compared to the calories in total. A simple trick: Divide the number of total calories by the fat calories and multiply by 100. That will lead you to the percentage of fat in each serving.

% Daily Value: Often these percentages on the side of the food label get ignored when they shouldn’t. The DV is based on 2,000 calorie daily diet, so know what your own diet entails. Stick to the foods that have a lower DV percentage of saturated fats and sodium and pile the food with a higher DV percentage of fiber and protein into the grocery cart.

Total Fat: Fats come with all kinds of motives. Some fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated—are the good guys. Saturated fats and trans fat are the criminals responsible for packing on pounds. Stick with the good fats and run away (FAR AWAY) from the bad ones.

Cholesterol: Avoid stressing too much over this one. Aiming for less than 300 mg a day is a good enough measure.

Sodium: Sodium accounts for the salt and grease that cake those potato chips and cheese fries. Experts recommend sticking to less than 800mg of sodium per meal; anything above that amount is basically loaded with salt that your body begs you to do without.

Total Carbohydrates: The word “carbs” is like a swear word to many dieters, but carbs are cool to make up 50% of your daily diet. They are the fuel that amp us up and get us through the day. Just make sure you’re getting the good kind. Healthy carbs, like whole grains and those adored fruits and veggies, are a better pick than the carbs contained in white breads and junk foods.

Dietary Fiber: F stands for fiber, friend and full. Now put it all together. Fiber is a friend that will keep you fuller longer. Go for foods with more than 2g of fiber in each serving.

Sugar: Here is a trap. We tend to focus so much on carbs that we neglect the real enemy: sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. Anything containing more than 10g of sugar is inching closer towards a candy bar rather than a healthy snack (be mindful of this in yogurt and energy bars. These foods are full of sugar that can hurt you more than they help you). If you are confused over whether the sugar in your serving is healthy or not, take a look at the ingredients list below the label. Natural sugars are great for us; it’s those outside imposters (with the weird, hard-to-pronounce names) that don’t deserve a place in our stomach.

Protein: All good. All of the time. The more protein the better.

Vitamin and Minerals: Although these are good to have in a diet, taking a multivitamin will supply you with your daily needs of vitamins and minerals. But hey, a little extra Calcium and Iron never hurt.

I’m sure most of us (myself included) don’t really stop mid-bite to ponder the effects of different foods on our teeth.  And while it doesn’t need to be at the forefront of our thoughts, we should still think about them chompers from time to time.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather not spend countless hours, dollars, and shrieks of pain getting dental surgery because I didn’t take care of my teeth early on… and refused to give up my daily coffee/candy bar breakfast routine.

Read on for the food rules of healthy teeth.

Drink tea: A study from the University of Illinois found that drinking tea without added sweeteners can significantly reduce the incidence of dental cavities.  Scientists propose that this is due to the polyphenol content of the tea, but the evidence is inconclusive.  Reduce the amount of cavities in your mouth by drinking at least a cup of tea each day, preferably after meals.  Remember that tea has plenty of other health benefits other than for your teeth, so drink up!

Avoid sugary foods: This one’s a no-brainer, but I thought it was worthy to include regardless.  Study after study has found an association between high sugar intake and high levels of dental problems.  Remember that other carbohydrates such as bread and cereals can also contribute to cavities if consumed in high amounts, so aim for balance in your intake of carbs, protein, and fats. If you are going to eat sugary foods, you can improve your dental health by brushing your teeth immediately after food consumption.

Chew sugar-free gum: Gum containing xylitol has been shown to reduce the incidence of dental caries by stimulating saliva production in your mouth, which can decrease plaque build-up.  Just be sure the gum you’re chewing doesn’t contain sorbitol, as it has less beneficial anti-cavity effects than xylitol.  Pop in a stick after snacks and meals to fight plaque buildup and thus, harmful dental cavities.

Avoid over-consumption of dark foods:  These can include coffee, red wine, and dark sodas.  Tobacco also has a similar effect, so stop smoking if you want those pearly whites (and lungs…)

Sometimes it’s hard to fit healthy food into a busy schedule, making it even harder for us to keep our digestive tract happy and healthy.  Unfortunately, one of the most common side effects of an unhappy tum-tum is bloating (ew).  Luckily, with a few easy tweaks to our diet, we can get on our way towards a fitter and flatter stomach.

Tummy Tip #1: Drink tons of water.  Water is probably the closest thing to a silver bullet you’ll ever find.  Not only does it improve the look of your skin and stimulate mental clarity, it also aids in digestion.  This translates into a flatter, bloat-free stomach for you.  Make sure you’re getting enough agua by listening to some advice from the Institute of Medicine.  They recommend that the lovely ladies, like ourselves, drink about 9 cups of H20 a day.

Tummy Tip #2: Hold the salt. As a general rule of thumb, wherever salt goes water will follow.  This is good for maintaining a good balance of minerals in the blood, but can be bad when it comes to belly bloat.  You don’t have to cut out salt completely to diminish bloating, but try to avoid overly salty foods like chips, canned soups, frozen meals, and salted nuts.

Tummy Tip #3: Try probiotics. Most studies with probiotics have been inconclusive, so take this section with a grain of salt (pun intended).  Probiotics are strains of bacteria that can have beneficial effects on your immune system and digestive tract.  However, some studies have found that probiotics may actually cause bloating, so be sure to keep a watchful eye on your waistline if you try this one out.  Probiotics are found naturally in yogurt, so work them into your breakfast by eating nonfat plain yogurt with berries and granola.  And just so you know, there is no need to buy special “probiotic” yogurts to get the beneficial effects.

Tummy Tip #4: Eat less sugar. Fructose, one of the most common sweeteners found in our foods, can cause bloating if consumed in high amounts.  If you still can’t give up your sweet tooth but want a tighter tummy, check the ingredients list to make sure that the food is made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.  Also, beware of artificial sugars in sugar-free candies and gums; they can cause bloating too.

You don’t have to give up all of your favorites to beat the bloat.  Just eat everything in moderation, drink tons of water, and exercise regularly to keep your tummy in tip-top shape.

Not to mention that once I’ve consumed a few bites of one, it’s all downhill from there and I find myself consuming way more calories than I would have prior. Frosting is my gateway drug and I cannot control myself when I’m near it.

Up until now, I always thought my problem was completely mental and something I just had to force myself to get over. Then, I read an article in the Washington Post on Dr. Kessler, a Harvard-trained doctor, lawyer, medical school dean and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, who spent months dumpster diving behind chain restaurants such as Chili’s to find out the real amount of fat, salt and sugar used to make dishes like the Southwestern Eggrolls.

What he discovered (and details in his book, The End of Overeating) was surprising and clued me into why this high intake of sugar had such a great effect on me…

“Foods high in fat, salt and sugar alter the brain’s chemistry in ways that compel people to overeat.” So it’s not just me! The sugar is actually f-ing with our brains! Sweet, sweet validation (no pun intended).

Apparently “highly palatable” foods — those containing fat, sugar and salt — stimulate the brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the pleasure center of our brains. Over time, the brain gets wired so that dopamine pathways light up at the mere suggestion of the food, such as driving past a chain restaurant (or bakery!) and the urge to eat the food grows larger. Once the food is eaten, the brain releases opioids, which bring emotional relief. Together, these little bastards (dopamine and opioids) create a pathway that can activate every time a person is reminded about the particular food.

This sounds complicated but actually makes sense when you think of what happens when you eat a meal or treat you’ve been craving. I can almost feel my body sighing as I inhale a cupcake. The process described above is also why, Kessler thinks, many restaurants put so much fat, salt and sugar into their foods, hence the reason for his dumpster diving.

And the details from these excursions are pretty gross: “The labels [from boxes] showed the foods were bathed in salt, fat and sugars, beyond what a diner might expect by reading the menu, Kessler said. The ingredient list for Southwestern Eggrolls mentioned salt eight different times; sugars showed up five times. The “egg rolls,” which are deep-fried in fat, contain chicken that has been chopped up like meatloaf to give it a “melt in the mouth” quality that also makes it faster to eat. By the time a diner has finished this appetizer, she has consumed 910 calories, 57 grams of fat and 1,960 milligrams of sodium.”

That’s pretty sick considering that’s just the appetizer BEFORE the actual meal.

I have a completely different outlook on my cupcake addiction after reading this article. Yes, it’s fine to indulge from time to time. But, many of the “indulgences” that we think are totally fine are extremely bad for our bodies. I think Kessler said it best in this quote at the end of the article: “We need to make a cognitive shift as a country and change the way we look at food. Instead of viewing that huge plate of nachos and fries [or box of cupcakes!] as a guilty pleasure, we have to . . . look at it and say, ‘That’s not going to make me feel good. In fact, that’s disgusting.’ “

Cupcake, I’m looking at you.

What You Need:

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/2 cup chocolate chunks

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 small bag of mini peanut butter cups

What You Do:

Pre-heat conventional oven to 375.

Combine first six ingredients in a bowl.

The dough is super sticky, so wet your hands and roll the dough into 1/2 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Unwrap PB cups and place in the center of the dough. Bake for 7 – 10 minutes

Let cool and serve!

OPTIONAL: Melt leftover cups & chocolate and drizzle over cookies when cool. Drooooool.

Yeah, I get it, nations get together and compete to show that their differences aren’t all that big after all, blah blah blah. The truth of the matter is, sports has never brought nations together. Maybe they can put their differences aside for a few minutes for the sake of the cameras (and to try for that gold medal), but the moment they leave the venue, the world is back to the way it was.

But, hey, I do like dessert. So, to honor the Beijing Olympics in the only way I know how, I propose a making delicious Chinese dessert: deep fried watermelon. Yes, it’s fried, but, hey, at least it’s fruit!

Happy sporting!

What You’ll Need

1 10 pound watermelon

2 beaten egg whites

11 tablespoons of flour

7 tablespoons of cornstarch

3 cups of vegetable oil

How To Do It

(1) Slice the watermelon in half.

(2) Scoop the pulp out and remove all seeds.

(3) Carefully cut the pulp into the shapes of your choice. (Each one will be a serving.)

(4) Coat the shapes with flour.

(5) In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, the egg whites, and a splash of water. This is the batter.

(6) Heat the oil until it’s about 250 degrees F. Be very careful!!!

(7) Dip each watermelon piece into the batter and then carefully place each piece into the boiling oil.

(8) Let it fry until the coating of the watermelon is firm. Then turn the heat off and deep fry until the watermelon coating is a light brown color.

(9) CAREFULLY drain the watermelon.

(10) Sprinkle it with sugar, let cool, and enjoy!

[Image courtesy of www.sde.ct.gov]