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For some people, merely talking about exercise seemingly causes their muscles to grow. For the rest of us mere mortals, building lean and strong muscle takes a great deal of time and dedicated effort. That’s why preserving even the smallest amount of muscle gain is paramount.

Well, it turns out that keeping all your hard-earned muscle from atrophying doesn’t require taking expensive nutritional supplements or spending your entire life in the gym. In fact, you probably have just what you need in your kitchen right now.

A study from Tufts University in Massachusetts found that older people who consumed the highest amount of potassium also had the most amount of total body muscle. One possible reason for this mineral/muscle link can be the neutralization of acid that causes muscle breakdown as we age.

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Bake these mini muffins for a great snack!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 171 cal
Fat: 7 g

Ingredients:
- 375 ml (1 ½ cup) all-purpose flour
- 375 ml (1 ½ cup) whole-wheat flour
- 175 ml (¾ cup) brown sugar
- 7,5 ml (1 ½ teaspoon) baking powder
- 3,5 ml (¾ teaspoon) baking soda
- 1 ml (¼ teaspoon) salt
- 125 ml (½ cup) canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 125 ml (½ cup) Yoplait Creamy Vanilla Yogourt
- 125 ml (½ cup) 1% M.F. milk
- 375 ml (1 ½ cup) Purée banana
- 125 ml (½ cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 ºF (180ºC).

Place paper liners in a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the two flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, add the oil, eggs, yogurt and milk. Blend with a whisk. Add the purée bananas and the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture is moistened. Add the chocolate chips.

Pour the mix into the muffin pan ¾ of the way. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until the bottoms are golden and firm to the touch. Set to cool for 3 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool.

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Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorite cold wheather meals. I don’t have it very often, but I have to admit … I had it last night. It was ooh soo yummy!

Some of the ingredients include chicken and vegetables, which is quite healthy, but the chicken and vegetables are wrapped in cream and a flaky crust. That can’t be good?! So how many calories are in Chicken Pot Pie?

A) 250
B) 520
C) 730
D) 950

The correct answer is B) 520 calories and 31 g of fat in a serving of Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pie, not to mention 800 mg of sodium.

I actually thought the calorie count would be much higher, but by all means it’s not exactly diet friendly.

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Some nutritionists blame the lack of fiber in our diets for the increasing amount of heart patients and growing numbers of people who suffer from bowel disorders. This may be true because white bread, cake, sugar, salt and processed foods have become predominant in our diets. We also eat more meat nowadays and all of these foods lack the necessary fiber to move the food through our digestive tracts and through our stomach quickly.

This means that food is sitting in the stomach and bowels for a longer period, which could be why there has been an increase in cancers to these parts of the body. People who eat too much processed foods instead of wholegrain, fruits and vegetables may be at risk of suffering from obesity and other disorders too. We have become more aware of the correlation between the foods we eat and the wellness of our physical beings.

fiber is essential in our diets and to the well being of our health. Did you know that cellulose is the main element in fiber? All plant cell walls contain cellulose and lignin supports these structures. Pectin is the third component of fiber and found in most ripe fruits. There are two kinds of fiber - insoluble fiber and soluble fiber.

Insoluble Fiber
Insoluble fiber is used by moving foods quickly through our system and makes up the majority of the body’s waste product material. Medical practitioners believe that there is less chance of a tumour forming if the time the waste material sits in the bowel is short.

Soluble Fiber
This fiber is utilised in the body by slowing down the absorption of nutrients into the body and it delays the sugar intake into the blood. Soluble fiber also binds with cholesterol in food and this helps with its removal. This is the main reason why it is said to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

An adult should aim to consume at least 30g of fiber daily. This amount can be made up in many ways and is very achievable especially if you eat cereal and toast for breakfast.

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If it takes more than 15 minutes for you to fall asleep at night, quicken your trip to dreamland by changing what you eat in the evening. It can make the difference between staring at the ceiling and sleeping like a baby.

For years, the top food on the snooze list was turkey, because it contains sleep-inducing tryptophan (credited with all those Thanksgiving naps). But researchers have done an about-face and nixed this connection. Why? Turkey, like most foods, just doesn’t contain enough tryptophan to put you to sleep, explains Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of The Food & Mood Cookbook: Recipes for Eating Well and Feeling Your Best.

Instead, think light but high-carbohydrate snacks. Carbs boost levels of the brain’s sleep chemical serotonin without overloading your digestive system. If you like, wash them down with something warm and soothing, such as a cup of herbal tea (chamomile, lemon balm, valerian) or even warm milk.

Top 10 Sleep Boosters
Nibble on one of these 10 high-carb calmers an hour before bedtime, and you’ll be yawning in no time.

1. Half a whole-wheat English muffin or raisin bagel drizzled with honey.

2. Two cups of air-popped popcorn.

3. A small slice of angel food cake topped with berries.

4. A toasted frozen whole-wheat waffle with maple syrup.

5. A half-cup of pretzels.

6. Fresh strawberries dunked in a little fat-free chocolate syrup.

7. A half-cup of pasta topped with marinara sauce.

8. A 4-ounce baked potato topped with salsa.

9. A handful of oyster crackers and a piece of fruit.

10. Canned mandarin oranges sprinkled with crystallized ginger.

The benefits of sleep go well beyond good moods and lots of energy. Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep a night can even make you look younger.

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Here is a list of 15 foods that take more energy to digest than the actually food item contains itself.

1. Celery
2. Oranges
3. Strawberries
4. Tangerines
5. Grapefruit
6. Carrots
7. Apricots
8. Lettuce
9. Tomatoes
10. Cucumbers
11. Watermelon
12. Cauliflower
13. Apples
14. Hot Chili Peppers
15. Zucchini

There are many yummy fruits and vegetables on this list. Add some fresh fruit to your yogurt or zucchini and cauliflower to your stir-fry and you’ll be burning calories even when you eat.

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Stuck in a food rut? You don’t have to go far to find some overlooked food choices that are easy to prepare, pack a nutritional wallop and avoid unhealthy fats.

We asked two veteran nutritionists to help us identify seven great foods most of us skip. Our consultants: American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Cindy Moore, R.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; and Institute of Food Technologists spokeswoman Christina Stark, R.D., of Cornell University.

Avocado
The avocado is high in fat, but most of the fat is the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind. We know the avocado tastes great, but outside of an occasional guacamole dip, few of us reach for this high-fiber food for salads or as a great side dish.

You’ll also get protein, a good dose of vitamins A and E, some B vitamins, lots of potassium and a dollop of copper. The rich and creamy avocado has been called the “chocolate” of fruits.

Sweet Potato
At Thanksgiving, we dash for sweet potatoes as if they’re available just once a year. But you can bake or microwave these tubers anytime for a super dose of vitamin A — five times the daily value (DV) the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends.

Sweet potatoes also offer some vitamin C and a significant helping of important minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and iron. And this tasty fat-free combo of nutrients brightens your plate.

Soy Beans
The FDA recently added soy to the list of foods that can make health claims because of its value in reducing the risk of heart disease. Soy is high in protein — one cup of beans can fill 40 percent of the DV for protein — and the bean also serves up generous helpings of fiber, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium. How you eat this versatile food is up to you — cooked and mixed in salads or casseroles, roasted for snacks, or in tofu, tempeh or soy milk. Soy has some fat, but very little saturated fat.

The use of soy products to treat symptoms of menopause is controversial. While it may improve symptoms for some women, the phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) that may help relieve hot flashes may also increase the risk of breast cancer.

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We all need to treat ourselves once in a while. Well, now you can without feeling guilty afterwards. Here are 20 yummy snacks that are all under 150 calories.

So go ahead … treat yourself!

- 1 York Peppermint Pattie: 140 calories

- 1 ounce banana chips: 147 calories

- 1 packet O’Coco’s Original Organic Baked Chocolate Crisps: 90 calories

- 20 Baked Tostitos Original Bite Size tortilla chips: 110 calories

- 1 mini bag Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Gourmet Popping Corn: 100 calories

- 1 container Dannon Light & Fit yogurt: 60 calories

- 1 package Quaker Mini Delights Chocolatey Drizzle mini snack cakes: 90 calories

- 1/3 cup Bing Bing Cherry peeled snacks: 150 calories

- 21 raw almonds: 147 calories

- 1 Starbucks Mocha frappuccino bar: 120 calories

- 1 medium apple, sliced, with 2 teaspoons smooth peanut butter: 135 calories

- 1/4 cup Woodstock Cherry & Ginger Almond Crunch Granola: 115 calories

- 1 ounce Polly-O string cheese: 80 calories

- 1 Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola bar: 120 calories

- 7 Snyder’s Multigrain Pretzel Sticks: 120 calories

- 3/4 cup edamame: 142 calories

- 10 raw baby carrots with 1/4 cup hummus: 144 calories

- 1/2 cup Cracker Jack: 120 calories

- 1 1/4 ounces Glenny’s Low Fat White Cheddar Soy Crisps: 140 calories

- 1/2 cup TCBY Hand-Scooped Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Frozen Yogurt: 140 calories

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Believe it or not, one of my favorite snacks to eat is nachos. I’ll even order the appetizer nachos for a meal at a restaurant.

I’m not naive enough to think they’re good for me, but how bad can nachos be? How many calories in nachos?

A) 250
B) 475
C) 570
D) 855

The correct answer is C) 570 calories and 31 g of fat in 6 to 8 nachos containing cheese, meat, and peppers. It’s not a terrible number, but not as good as I would have hoped.

For a snack, it’s probably best to skip the nachos all together. Try chips and salsa to save some calories.

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If you’re like most people, you’re probably confused about trans fats. Which foods have them and which don’t? Which are the worst foods, which are the best?

Print out this list to become a wiser, safer shopper. And remember to check the food labels. Manufacturers will probably begin reducing the amount of trans fats in packaged foods during the next few years, so this information may change.

The Top 10 “Trans Fat” Foods:

1. Spreads. Margarine is a twisted sister — it’s loaded with trans fats and saturated fats, both of which can lead to heart disease. Other non-butter spreads and shortening also contain large amounts of trans fat and saturated fat:

- Stick margarine has 2.8 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 2.1 grams of saturated fat.
- Tub margarine has 0.6 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 1.2 grams of saturated fat.
- Shortening has 4.2 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 3.4 grams of saturated fat.
- Butter has 0.3 grams of trans fat per tablespoon, and 7.2 grams of saturated fat.

Tip: Look for soft-tub margarine, because it is less likely to have trans fat. Some margarines already say that on the packaging.

Important note: When you cook with margarine or shortening, you will not increase the amount of trans fat in food, says Moore. Cooking is not the same as the hydrogenation process. “Margarine and shortening are already bad, but you won’t make them any worse.”

2. Packaged foods. Cake mixes, Bisquick, and other mixes all have several grams of trans fat per serving.

Tip: Add flour and baking powder to your grocery list; do-it-yourself baking is about your only option right now, says Moore. Or watch for reduced-fat mixes.

3. Soups. Ramen noodles and soup cups contain very high levels of trans fat.

Tip: Get out the crock-pot and recipe book. Or try the fat-free and reduced-fat canned soups.

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