Err…where’d that sponsor go? Never mind.

A sugar substitute can be natural or synthetic. It tries to duplicate the taste of sugar but has less food energy and fewer calories.

What can you really do with sweeteners that aren’t sugar? Apparently have problems baking. The following research was conducted at Consumer Reports. If you want a non-sugar sweetener for your tea or lemonade but hate the bitter aftertaste, best to go with fructose, which is the kind of sugar found in fruit and honey. It also gave better results than other sweeteners in baked goods but provided almost as many calories as sugar at five times the cost.

In lemonade, aspartame left no artificial aftertaste, while sucralose was definitely a little bitter. But unless you want three legged children, you might want to research further the possible adverse side effects of two of the oldest sweeteners, aspartame and saccharin.

Aspartame also tended to leave a baked cake flat, hard, dense, and not very sweet. Yummy. Not.

Stevia is the new kid on the block. Extracts of this herb claim to be 300 times sweeter than sugar. While widely used in Japan and Canada, it has been slower to catch on in the United States outside the carb-control diet crowd. It is also popular with diabetics due to its negligible effect on blood glucose.

Which leads us back to sugar. Here’s a nice little article contrasting the various forms of sugar. Does your head hurt yet? Here’s an idea to solve the problem once and for all. Get down to local urgent care clinic and have your sweet gland removed.

It all depends on which one you grab. Some of the choices masquerading as ‘health’ bars are so packed with sugar and high fructose corn syrup you’d be better off ripping open a five pound bag and snorting the white stuff.

Turn your energy bar over and look at the label. Here’s a quick rundown of what you should pay attention to:

Calorie content: Look for bars with fewer than 200 calories. This is supposed to be a snack, not a four-course meal.

Check the serving size: Many times, food companies try to fake you out by saying the bar is actually two servings, thus the calorie count you just looked at might be misleading.

Look for whole grains: Whole grains should be one of the first ingredients, otherwise, el crappo.

Sugar content: This is where many energy bars go seriously awry. Take the number of sugar grams and divide by four to get the number of teaspoons of sugar. Try to keep it below two per serving.

Protein content: Check the protein grams. You need enough so you won’t be feeling hungry again an hour later. Divide your body weight in pounds by 2.2 to arrive at kilograms. You need about one gram of protein daily for every kilogram of body weight.

Other considerations: Look for at least three grams of fiber per serving and no trans fat. Click here to read a quick article about WHEN you should eat an energy bar.

Wanna see how your bar of choice stacks up against Snickers or Pop Tarts? Click here. You might be surprised and revolted.

Here’s a sampling of information to get you started.

By the way, for the purposes of this article, we’re only dealing with health issues. If you choose to abstain from red meat on ethical grounds, that’s a whole different can of worms.

The traditional perspective is that red meat should be eaten in limited quantities, primarily due to the saturated fat content, which is a contributing factor to high cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association. Furthermore, some studies have linked red meat to chronic diseases like breast cancer, colon, cancer, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

A professor of nutrition at Harvard claims red meat would be best eaten sparingly or not at all.

But in the other corner -

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) claims lean beef is equal to skinless chicken when it comes to lowering cholesterol. The ADA goes on to point out that red meat is the single richest source of iron and zinc for three galaxies and is stuffed full of proteins and vitamins as well. They say you can eat lean red meat five days a week and still reduce cholesterol.

So if you decide to make red meat a part of your diet, keep these factors in mind:

1. Pasture or grass-fed cattle are healthier than hormone-injected cattle factories.

2. Processed meats like hot dogs and bologna are nutritionally dead.

3. Frying, searing, grilling, or broiling can produce heterocyclic amines, chemicals that can lead to cancer.

Hmm, I guess that just leaves us with one question for the next 4th of July cookout picnic. Would you like your steak boiled or poached?

Good luck out there, kids!

Uh, no. Neither one of those guesses is very close. It’s much easier than that. Here it is. Are you ready?

Keep a food diary!

You can do that, can’t you? Give it a shot. Losing twice as much weight is pretty impressive, I don’t care who you are. Get into the habit of recording everything you eat daily, as well as the type and duration of exercise you do. Change nothing else in your life but this and reap the benefits.

The secret lies in the personal accountability this behavior enforces. The truth is many times we aren’t even aware of half the things (food only!) that we put into our mouths. Write it all down and you begin to notice every little item that has gone into making you heavier than you want. Without even trying you begin to make corrections almost subconsciously.

Try also jotting a few notes about your feelings and moods and the way they affect your food choices. It’s not hard to get started. All you need is a pen and paper and basic knowledge of your language of choice. Keep it with you and get into the habit of taking a minute any time you eat to write it all down.

If you’re a techie, log it into your computer and all the information will be at your fingertips to review in an instant, assuming you back up your data regularly! Do this or be very, very sad some day.

A food diary can:

Discourage mindless eating

Keep you from skipping workouts.

Motivation.

Provide incontrovertible evidence of how many calories are going in.

Help your trainer, dietician, or other professional quickly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.

Make it a goal to start your food diary at your very next meal. For now, don’t beat yourself up over what you eat – just get used to writing it down.

It doesn’t have to be so hard. Really.

Like it or not, the foundation is exercise. A healthy diet requires regular movement to keep calories in balance and weight under control. Let’s take a look at the U.S. Government’s healthy eating pyramid. Focus on food, not grams. Counting specific grams and servings might drive you crazy, so don’t worry about them. This simple, general guide tells you how to eat when you eat.

Stick with plants. Eat as many veggies, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil as possible. This is the healthiest diet of all. It’s hard to go wrong when you do this.

Cut back on American culture. You know what I’m talking about. Red meats, refined grains, sugary drinks, potatoes, and salty snacks. Pretty much try to avoid any restaurant that has a drive through window. Yeah, it’s our culture. A very, very unhealthy culture.

Take a multi-vitamin and maybe have a drink. A GOOD multi-vitamin is like a life insurance policy. It makes sure your body always has the vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly, even if your car sometimes swerves and ends up in the nearest fast food burger joint parking lot and your lips form the words “A number eight with a Coke, please.” As far as drinking, dozens of studies continue to be released supporting the health benefits of moderate drinking, especially wine. Moderate means a glass or two a day.

Eat like this and you can’t help but get healthier. Promise.

While some popular weight loss programs tout the benefits of counting and weighing every food product that comes within arm’s reach, others recommend you simply balance energy intake versus energy output or count portions rather than calories.

An alternative to calorie counting is to consider that a portion of food is roughly equal to the size of the palm of your hand. A portion of protein or carbohydrates will be between 100 and 150 calories. One chicken breast is a portion of protein and a medium-sized baked potato is a portion of carbs.

Denying altogether that calories matter is silly. They do matter. If a diet tells you that you can eat all you want and still lose weight, they’re full of baloney. Anything that sounds like work – counting calories, eating less, exercising more – tends to scare people away.

But the law of calorie balance is an unbreakable certainty of physics. Energy in versus energy out decides whether you will gain, lose or maintain your weight. All the calorie counting in the world won’t change that fact. The law of calorie balance says: To maintain your weight, you must consume the same number of calories you burn. To gain weight, you must consume more calories than you burn. To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn.

However, only counting portions can leave you taking in way more (or fewer) calories than you should. You need a happy medium between the two. How about this: take the next four weeks to create a menu plan to use as a daily guide. You’ll get an idea of the kinds of foods you eat and how many calories they have. Use this menu as a template and you’ll be able to approximate within a tolerable margin of error how many calories you’re taking in. Count ‘em once and you’re good to go. If you get bored with the same foods, create more menus.

No one will try to tell you these are the same as a fudge brownie delight or Philadelphia style cheesecake with all the toppings but one of the following might accidentally get you through a moment of craving in the daily food battle.

* Lightly salted peanuts, 30 pieces

* 6 oz. low fat yogurt

* 3 cups of plain popcorn, covered lightly with spray olive oil, then sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

* Small apple with Nutella spread

* ½ whole grain pita with hummus

* Follow this link here to the VitaTops website. Use the 10% off coupons to order and keep on hand these 100 calorie chocolate treats – just remember – eat 10 of them and it’s still a thousand calories!

Let’s take a moment to re-visit the fifth item on the list up there – hummus. Not everyone is intimately familiar with this food product so here’s a little info to get you up to speed. Hummus is one of the oldest recorded foods dating back to ancient Egypt. It’s nothing more than a dip or spread made from chickpeas. In fact, hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea. Some recipes call for garbanzo beans but don’t get bent out of shape about that. Garbanzo is the Spanish translation for chickpea. In Italy they are known as cece beans. Hummus is also quite popular in Greek culture.

So get out there and chomp some low calorie snacks!

You don’t have to do that to your body. Try these healthy but tasty alternatives to another year of face-down groaning on the floor. No, it ain’t bobbing for tofu. This stuff is really good.

Seven Layer Taco Dip

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
1 (8 ounce) package low fat cream cheese, softened
1 (16 ounce) container low fat sour cream
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 large tomato, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
2 cups shredded low fat Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, blend the taco seasoning mix and refried beans. Spread the mixture onto a large serving platter.
2. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Spread over the refried beans.
3. Top the layers with salsa. Place a layer of tomato, green bell pepper, green onions and lettuce over the salsa, and top with Cheddar cheese. Garnish with black olives.

Chicken and Artichoke Pizza

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 (6 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
large clove garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) package prebaked pizza crust
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut chicken into small pieces pieces. Wash hands and cutting board. Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid. Coarsely chop artichoke hearts.
2. Place artichoke liquid in large nonstick skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook until most of liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add chicken and garlic to skillet. Cook chicken 3 to 5 minutes or until done (internal temp 170 degrees F). Stir in artichoke hearts. Remove from heat.
3. Place pizza crust on baking sheet; top evenly with tomato slices. Top with chicken mixture; sprinkle with basil. Top with cheese. Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.
4. Serve: Cut pizza into wedges and serve with tossed salad. Refrigerate leftovers.

French Onion Dip

1 lg. cottage cheese
2 pkgs. weight watchers onion broth
1/4 c. minced onions
2 tbsp. celery and parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. paprika
Black pepper to taste
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Chill in refrigerator at least an hour before serving.

Chicken and Bacon Shish Kabobs

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
10 large mushrooms, cut in half
2 green onions, minced
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into chunks
1/2 pound sliced thick cut bacon, cut in half
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. Place the mushrooms and chicken into the mixture, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon, and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves and pineapple chunks.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.

There you go. Four recipes tempting, tasty, and totally better for you than six bags of Cheetos and a half ton of beer.

Normally fads don’t last four millennia. Atkins diet aficionados, give me a call around 6,009 AD.

Recent scientific research in Asia and the United States is providing hard data to back up centuries of circumstantial evidence. Turns out there are many health benefits associated with drinking green tea.

Consider:

• In 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published study that showed a 60% reduction in esophageal cancer by drinking green tea.

• University of Purdue researchers recently concluded there is a compound in green tea that inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

• Other research suggests green tea improves the good to bad cholesterol ratio.

Conditions it likely will help are cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol, infection, cardiovascular disease, and impaired immune function.

What makes green tea so special? It’s rich in powerful anti-oxidants with the special ability to kill cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. Other Chinese teas like oolong and black start out with the same anti-oxidants but are made from fermented leaves, while green tea leaves are steamed.

Even newer evidence from Swiss researchers is showing that drinking green tea helps dieters burn more calories. It also helps prevent tooth decay and will wash your windows when you aren’t looking. The only apparent downside is it can cause mild insomnia due to the caffeine content, although it has much less than a cup of coffee.

How much should you drink? Try starting with four cups a day and see what happens.

Yes, if you are pregnant, breast-feeding, or a young child, use some moderation. Industrial pollution has led to a low level of toxicity in some varieties of fish. But unless you plan on sitting down for dinner to a three-hundred pound tuna all by yourself, the incredible health benefits of seafood far outweigh the risks.

Seafood can provide dietary nutrients that many people are lacking. Not to be a statistic honk but, chances are, you could stand to mix some protein, vitamin B, vitamin D, trace minerals, and essential omega 3 fatty acids into your daily meal routine.

Omega 3’s are especially necessary for proper immune function. Know what happens when you have a bad immune system? Heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, certain kinds of cancer, and more. Low levels of omega 3 can also contribute to depression, memory and concentration problems, and even learning disabilities. Unless you think a learning disorder is going to be at the forefront of the next wave of cutting edge hipster coolness – eat some freakin’ seafood and ingest that omega 3, pardner!

Remember, it’s your duty as a member of the human race to remind all those critters down below just why we’re at the top of the food chain and they’re not. Don’t know about you but I don’t want to see the order re-arranged any time soon.