Ban the Bagel, Try Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffins Instead
Aug10
A Panera Bread Plain Bagel comes in at 290 calories, 1 gram of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 12 grams of protein, not bad at all until you add the cream cheese. As an alternative, try Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffins, which come in at 100 calories, 1.5 grams of unsaturated fat, 8 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. Top it with light cream cheese if you like (100 calories), but I like a tablespoon of Smuckers Simply Fruit (40 calories).
It’s not too late to start your biking hobby this season. 
My summer beverage of choice is iced tea. And I am really enjoying LIPTON Diet Green Tea with citrus. It is a smooth, delicious, green tea blend with the tang of citrus to give you a great tasting green tea that’s free of calories. Plus, LIPTON Iced Tea provides a healthy dose of protective flavonoid antioxidants. It gets its sweetness and calorie reduction through aspartame so be aware. You can create an Asian version of Long Island Iced Tea with this, I call it Singapore Iced Tea. Just add a shot of your favorite alcohol and you have a low cal, refreshing, and healthy cocktail. Also try the peach papaya and mixed berry flavors.
About 750,000 Americans each year suffer painful compression fractures in the bones of the spine, the most common cause of which is osteoporosis. The weakened bone cracks or fractures , often causing debilitating pain and limited mobility . One of the most common treatements for this to inject hot bone cement into the spine which was thought to stabilize the affected area. A 
We are trying to give you a healthy choice breakfast alternative at all of the major fast food chains. It was somewhat difficult to find anything remotely resembling a heatlhy choice at Burger King. But you can 
That’s right. I said it. I uttered the B word, which in most health circles is the worst thing you can say. I will say it again, BACON FOR BREAKFAST. Yes, I know it contains harmful chemicals and saturated fat, but for me, life without bacon is a life not worth living. The question is, can I have bacon for breakfast and still be healthy. I am here to tell you, yes you can. Two slices of cooked bacon contain about 90 calories and 7.2 grams of fat (2.4 saturated). This is well within tolerable fat limits for a meal. Just pair your bacon with egg whites or egg beaters and you can have your breakfast of bacon and eggs. Just don’t do it every day!
When I was a kid, I really loved fried spam sandwiches. As a nutritionally challenged parent I tried to introduce it to my kids, but fortunately they had better sense and found it pretty disgusting. But anyone can cook healthy with healthy ingredients. It takes a real genius to build a healthy recipe around perhaps the most unhealthy substance invented by man. Now I won’t call this recipe healthy, but it won’t kill you either and I find it pretty tasty.
Buy one, get one free 
If you think cholesterol levels are only related to heart attack risk, a study by Kaiser Permanente gives another important reason to keep your cholesterol level in check: dementia. Nearly 10,000 individuals participated in a 40 year study found that cholesterol levels of over 240 increased risk of dementia by 66%. Check out the details at 
Many people do the leftover pizza thing for breakfast. But this recipe for english muffin pizza turns the leftover pizza concept on its head and creates a healthy breakfast pizza from a whole wheat english muffin.
Thatsfit.com had a 
I often like a muffin and a cup of coffee for breakfast, but most muffin recipes are too low in protein and fiber. These muffins taste great and are high in protein, fiber and low in fat. The calories shown are if you add blueberries. Adjust if you substitute other flavors.
I love brunch. Most people do it on Sunday, but there is no reason that it can’t be a 7 day a week affair if you have both the motive and opportunity to do the crime. Here are my top ten reasons for loving brunch:
Eggs Five Ways. I love eggs. I have actually had an omelet, scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, egg salad, and egg foo young at the same brunch.
This is somewhat off topic, but I just purchased a Compaq Laptop at Wal-Mart, for $298! That’s cheaper than any fully equipped netbook. This is a perfect basic computer for browsing, email and light word processing. Here are the essential specs:
It’s ok to have a veggie burger once in a while, but if I am going to grill out on a weekend there is nothing like a grilled hunk of beef on the barbie. But I really don’t want all the fat you get from a nice, juicy piece of ground beef. We all know that most of the flavor comes from the fat. Can you get all of the flavor and juiciness without the fat? I believe that you can. Follow this recipe and you are going to get one great, flavorful, juicy burger without the fat!
A survey conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Health concludes that Americans spend about $34 billion per year on alternative therapies that are not covered by insurance, things such as homeopathic medications and nutritional supplements 
Starbucks has some great “fairly healthy” breakfast choices. Keep in mind that the selection can vary from store to store, but at least some of these should be available at your local Starbucks. In addition, many Starbucks now serve Oatmeal to go with your favorite coffee. If you select something that is NOT on the list below, be sure to check the nutritional info because Starbucks does carry many high calorie and high fat items.
I am not the biggest oatmeal fan but I love this baked oatmeal recipe; it’s hearty, sweet and healthy. Add some fresh fruit for a great breakfast: 1 cup serving, 220 calories, 3 grams of fat (1 saturated), 2 grams fiber, 8 grams of protein.
Consumerlab.com, an organization that evaluates nutritional supplement and vitamin claims found that many multi -vitamins do not contain the quantities shown on their labels, may contain contaminants, and in fact singled out 
I admit it. I am something of a blueberry addict. Once I took my family to one of those all inclusive family resorts in Wisconsin. For some reason the buffet had a huge bowl of fresh blueberries every morning (I don’t think Wisconsin is known for blueberries). Anyway, my blueberry gluttony was so obvious that the kids nicknamed me “Mr. Blueberryhead”. So I was somewhat skeptical when I saw “Kellogg’s Special K Blueberry Cereal (self-described as crunchy, blueberry, rice and wheat flakes with oat and blueberry clusters). I have to say that my skepticism was warranted. There is some kind of blueberry coating on the flakes, and only a hint of blueberry flavoring. I guess in our fast food culture Kelloggs believes that they can get by with sprinkling some blueberry flavoring and a little sugar on some flakes and sell it to us. They think we are too lazy to go to the grocery store a couple of times a week and buy some real blueberries to sprinkle on our cereal. Unfortunately, they might be right.
So you are thinking about a camping trip, but you are smart enough to know that it might just be a lark and you don’t want to be stuck with thousands of dollars of camping gear that you may use only once or twice. That was the position I found myself in when I was planning a 2500 mile motorcycle camping trip this summer. I wanted a tent big enough for myself AND my gear so that on a rainy night I wouldn’t have to leave my gear outside. It also needed to pack small enough to fit on the back of a motorcycle. I looked at the high end outdoor equipment stores and found tents that fit my criteria that cost hundreds (and in some cases thousands) of dollars. 
Ok, I know it’s not the sexiest title for a breakfast post. But it is Monday. And I hate Monday mornings and especially making Monday morning breakfast. For me, the best Monday morning breakfast is an easy one. But instead of taking the easiest way out, milk and cereal, it is almost as easy to eat weekend leftovers for breakfast. There is no rule that breakfast has to be eggs, waffles, pancakes, cereal or smoothies. It could be a grilled chicken sandwich, salad, or whatever semi-healthy leftover that is a day away from getting thrown out from your fridge. Just don’t make your Monday morning breakfast the leftover sins of the weekend. So throw out those nachos, fettuccine alfredo,and chocolate cream pie and get a fresh start on the week.
“Let’s Play Two!” was Hall of Fame Chicago Cub Ernie Banks catch phrase reflecting that he got so much joy from playing baseball that he wanted to play a doubleheader every day. Did you know that the number one incentive given to police dogs in their training to master the tasks of sniffing out drugs or criminals is the incentvie to play ball? For dogs, the pleasure of play is a bigger motivator than food or sex. Many of us have trouble keeping ourselves motivated to workout. Our workouts become a chore and drudgery. That’s because our workouts have ceased being part of our play. The most effective workout is the one that you can’t wait to get a chance to do again. You can make it part of the play in your life. Just find a physical activity that you really enjoy and do it regularly. Join a baseball or softball league, a bicycling group, train for a 5k or a 10k or even a marathon. Join a swim club……………….find a physical activity that you can be passionate about. You can take the work out of your workout!
For me, I like a cold beer in a frosted glass while watching sports on tv. Othertimes, especially in summer, I kind of prefer the fruity cocktail concoctions. But these can give you a beer belly faster than a Harley guy with a winning lottery ticket. A Cosmo or a Tequila Sunrise can go north of 200 calories per drink depending on how they are made. I recently discovered that using Crystal Light as the mixer instead of sugar and fruit juice would remove most of the calories (an 8 ounce serving of Crystal Light only has 5 calories) and leave a lot of the fruit flavor. Since Crystal Light comes in a wide variety of flavors, you can come up with a girly cocktail to fit almost any taste. My personal favorite concoction is a Key West Sunset, pictured here, made with pineapple-orange Crystal light and a shot of either vodka or rum depending on my mood. Only 70 calories per drink. So put on some Jimmy Buffett and kick back this weekend with one of these.
I dont’ know about you, but on the weekend my pizza cravings come out. Or sometimes when I get home from work on a weekday and don’t feel like cooking……………ok, actually ANY TIME I can be in danger of a pizza craving. The problem is that pizza is usually one of the highest calorie and highest fat foods that you can find. If you want to satisfy that pizza craving and still stay in the healthy mode, try Pizza Hut’s Thin and Crispy, Veggie Lovers or Ham and Pineapple. Each have only 180 calories per slice, with 6 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein. So you can have a couple of slices of this and have a meal that is not going to kill your eating plan for the week. Just make sure you have someone to help you finish it so that you don’t end up eating the whole pie yourself (whole pie 1440 calories, 48 grams of fat)………..
When I was a “fattie” I used to be a regular at Dunkin Donuts. Since then, I have tried very hard to avoid it. But now, Dunkin Donuts has added a “healthy option” to their breakfast menu, “Egg White Veggie Flatbread Sandwich”, and it’s not half bad. Made with egg whites, cheese, and veggies (peppers, onions, mushrooms) on toasted flatbread, it is pretty tasty. Nutritionally its 290 calories, 9 grams of fat (4 saturated) and 11 grams of protein. Now I know the problem with this from first hand experience. If you are in the drive thru at Dunkin you may not be able to resist their more sinful offerings, so if you think that a good alternative might be the “Low-Fat Blueberry Muffin”, DON’T DO IT! This “healthy” offering has a whopping 450 calories and 10 grams of fat. If you are going to cheat, then just go with Bostom Creme donut. Its only 280 calories (but contains 12 grams of fat). At least it will be more satisfying and won’t kill your diet for the rest of the day.
Many health and medical professionals recommend supplementing your diet with fish oil and a low dosage of aspirin on a daily basis. I have added these supplements to my diet as my family has a history of heart disease. However, I have wondered whether the blood thinning effects of aspirin would be multiplied in an unsafe way by adding fish oil. Dr. William Harris, former professor of medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Director of Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases Research at the University of South Dakota Health Research Foundation has reviewed the medical literature for studies that relate to this issue and concludes that “
If only they would have one of these little gadgets in their pocket all would have been good. Designed to maintain its GPS location even in the deepest canyons and thickest jungles, the eTrex Venture® HCT from Garmin is a waterproof, handheld, battery operated GPS that can navigate you home (or to the nearest Starbucks) no matter how far off course you may have wandered. The 256 color display is designed to be read in bright sunlight and will operate 14 hours on 2 AA batteries. As small as a cellphone (2.2 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches and 5.5 ounces), it will fit in your pocket if you don’t really want to be bothered with a backpack. GPS units have become very competitively priced over the last year and you can find one of these online for under $130. So the next time I am planning a wilderness expedition or geocaching adventure, I am going to pop one of these in my pocket so I won’t be a victim of my own stupidity.
This is a great sweet treat breakfast parfait that still manages to have a significant amount of protein and fiber. 230 calories, 2 grams fat, 8 grams fiber, 5 grams protein.
Less than a week left on the sale! Backcountryoutlet.com is having a huge sale on outdoor clothing and equipment through July 28. Use Coupon Code 4E2-1-QMDMQ
When I first tried this cereal, I thought I might have found the Holy Grail of breakfast cereals. I know I kind of bashed Kashi last week, but Kashi GoLean Crunch actually tastes pretty good, especially when you top it with fresh blueberries or strawberries. And with 9g of protein, 3g of fat, and 8g of fiber (add another 8g of protein with a cup of skim milk), you would be hard pressed to find a breakfast cereal that contains this level of nutrients. BUT there is a hidden ingredient on the label that you should consider.
You know those inspiring motivational posters with witty sayings that you see in bookstores? Well, props to my motorcycle riding buddy Dan for sending me this link to a website to make your own motivational poster. It can be inspiring, or just funny, or even perverse. Have fun with it and send me any of your creations you make at 
When I originally wrote this post back in July 2009, the entirety of Tiger’s workout regimen was not known. Now that we know his workouts were not limited to the driving range and the gym, his fitness is even more impressive. As it turns out, the Men’s Fitness magazine article cited in this post was a quid pro quo for not publishing info about his affair in a sister publication. It is still informative, however. His gym workout involves 2-3 hours of high intensity workouts and weight training 6 days a week. But if you want to add 30 pounds of muscle (that’s right 30 pounds of muscle since he was a scrawny rookie on the PGA tour), that’s what you would have to do. Men’s Fitness magazine gives the lowdown in this article excerpted at 
Americans ingest hundreds of millions of tons of soy annually in their diet. If you are NOT a soy eater, think again. Read the labels on all the processed foods in your pantry. I guarantee that you will find soy added to many if not most of these products. The agricultural industry along with the multi-national companies that supply the consumer products food industry have conspired to slip soy into almost all of our processed foods. We have been sold on this “healthy” protein supplement, but the facts about soy are very disturbing and have not been publicized.