That's Fit

Heinz Tomato Ketchup is my favorite, however the third and fourth ingredients on the label after tomatoes and distilled vinegar are high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. No wonder I like it.

But now HJ Heinz is cross-pollinating to produce a tomato five to ten percent sweeter than varieties it currently harvests. Keep in mind, this is not a noble move to improve consumer nutrition -- it is a business decision. The cost of corn syrup is up 25 percent, and high fructose comprises ten percent of the cost for a bottle of ketchup. Annually, they'll save millions with a sweeter tomato.

Regardless of intention, it's a win-win to me. Heinz makes more money and we eat less high fructose corn syrup. Even better, the tomatoes are not genetically engineered.

There are several great fitness calculators available online, many of which can be accessed right here on That's Fit. Some can provide you with a fairly accurate estimation of your BMI, while others can approximate how many calories you burned performing a particular exercise in a given amount of time. Hell, there are even some that can determine if you are overstressed (although you probably don't need a calculator for that one in the first place).

One of my favorite calculator tool helps determine what your One Rep Max will likely be on an exercise. For example, if you can bench press 225 pounds for 5 reps, then your estimated 1RM is 253 pounds. Is it accurate? Maybe not precisely, but it's probably pretty close. This same calculator can also be used to quickly figure out a certain percentage of your 1RM. So, if your 1RM is 253 pounds, then 50-percent of that is 127 pounds. Granted, you could have easily figured that one out in your head, but what if you wanted to know what 65-percent of your 1RM is? Not so easy that time, is it, Einstein?

Knowing what your One Rep Max is on an exercise is an important part of designing the right resistance training program for yourself. It will help ensure that the weight you are lifting is neither too heavy -- leading to the increased risk of injury, nor too light -- causing workouts to be less effective than they potentially could be.

Interested in knowing what your 1RM might be? If so, click HERE.

Britney Spears' less-than-perfect body of late has been getting lots of publicity -- both bad and good -- and here's a suggestion that would definitely fall in the bad category: Life & Style magazine is reporting that her bloated body is due to her excessive drug use, which was also one of the major reasons she lost custody of her sons. According to the article, "She's bloated, and she's stopped working out. She also starves herself for three days while drinking and doing drugs, and then when she comes down she binges on junk food." Drugs apparently are also the reason that her skin is looking lackluster these days, not doubt due to her unhealthy lifestyle.

Now, I don't know hot legit the article or it's sources are but if she is abusing drugs and alcohol, it's not surprising that her looks have started to suffer. Still, It's sad to see such a promising young star so far gone. Do you agree?

On a recent post, one reader left the title of this post as a comment. And it's a good question indeed. Just what IS the point of life if you have to spend it eating salads and stuff that tastes like cardboard instead of stuff you actually like -- pizza, donuts, french fries, bacon and so forth?

Here's another question: What's more important to you -- A sinful meal or your family and friends? I'm willing to bet that hardly anyone ever lies on their death bed wishing they'd ate more junk food -- but they will wish they had more time with their loved ones, and they'll wish they'd enjoyed time with their family more. Don't you think? That's not to say that for the sake of your family you should completly change your life and cut out every single enjoyable food, but why not make the effort to practice healthy habits at least most of the time? Aren't they worth it? Isn't your quality of life worth it?

Have you heard about the Kimkins controversy? If you haven't, you're one of the few -- it's big news around the online weight loss community these days, particularly because the programs founder, Heidi Diaz, has recently be uncovered as a fraud, not the cute girl in the red dress who claims to have lost 118-lbs in 11 months.

If you don't believe all the anti-Kimkins hype, check out these alleged photos of the Heidi Diaz -- obviously frumpy, it's clear that she doesn't live up to her claims if that's her. Also, check out this testimonial from a former Kimkins follower -- it's pretty frightening. Apparently, for this survivor, the Kimkins diet damaged her body irrevocably.

As Diet Blog says, this is a very good reminder to really do your research when you embark on a weight-loss plan. And, above all, make sure you talk to your doctor before following any eating plan. Quick weight loss might be appealing, but it can severely damage your health.

The GI (Glycemic Index) diet is one of the hottest weight-loss plans out there, and I can see why. It's healthy and it makes sense. In fact, we would all be better off if we followed some of the principles of the GI diets all the time. eDiets has the low-down on the secrets of the GI diet, including why you should do it yourself; Potentially, it can:

• Even out your blood sugar levels
• Balance out your insulin levels
• Help you manage diabetes
• Help you feel full for longer -- hence, you eat less overall
• Increase your energy
• Reduce your junk-food cravings.
  

Sounds pretty good, huh? To find out more about the GI diet, click here.

Researchers reported this week that a trio of genes actually work together to become associated with about 20 percent of lung cancer cases. That's millions of lung cancer cases per year -- quite a large amount.

As the medical art of genomics marches on, scientists said that understanding the way these genes work could be a large leap in preventing tumors form forming.

The three-gene mutation is found in 20 percent of non-small lung cancer cases, which comprises about 80 percent of all lung cancer, according to lead researcher on the study, David Mu. Gene-based therapy sure looks to have the potential to treat (and prevent) many types of cancer in the near future, and this is another sign that advances are indeed happening.

Are you in need of some serious relaxation before the onslaught of the Christmas season hits us? You're in luck -- Spa Week is upon us. Taking place between October 15th to 21st in select cities across North America, Spa Week is dedicated to bringing the spa lifestyle to the masses. So, during this time, spa treatments will be available at $50 per treatment -- a steal compared to some of the spas treatments you can get today.

So where are the lucky cities? Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto and Washington, DC. So spa week isn't coming to my city, or even anywhere remotely close to it, but if you live in one of these places, enjoy!

If you ask me, motivation is the single most important thing to tossing out your bad habits and re-building a healthy lifestyle. After all, if you don't really want it, ultimately, you won't feel the drive to go after it.

But motivation is a funny thing -- sometimes it just disappears and your chocolate cravings seem more important, and certainly easier than going to the gym. So what to do if your motivation takes a vacation? ultimately the key to maintaining your motivation is to build it up yourself -- motivation doesn't just magically appear one day. eDiets has some great tips for holding on to your motivation -- check them out!

What do you do for motivation?

If you are a frequent visitor of healthy restaurants, you may be wise to pay attention to your caloric intake anyway. New research has stated that although visitors to health restaurants go there to watch their food intake, they also indulge in bigger side dishes desserts and drinks. Result: they may be eating worse due to a bigger caloric intake.

It's hard to think that those visiting fast food restaurants may actually eat less then when those same folks visit a healthy restaurant, but it comes down to specifics always. I can't fathom the logic that tells a person a veggie sandwich or salad is a better meal when finished off with that highly sugared tea and large slice of pie or other dessert.

The same result suggested that many visitors to healthy restaurants underestimate how many calories they end up eating by a whopping 35 percent. Yikes!

Although great strides have been taken in recent years in spreading awareness and information about breast cancer, it seems there is a lot of confusion about what the symptoms are. Besides the well-known "lump," do you know what else to look for? And do you know what symptoms don't usually mean breast cancer? Apparently 25% of women wrongly believe a persistent cough is a sign of breast cancer.

For an easy to read run-down of the most common breast cancer symptoms click here, and if you ever have any questions or concerns make sure to ask/see your doctor!

Pureed cauliflower mac 'n cheese, kale spaghetti and meatballs -- sneaky meals for kids' picky palates. Jessica Seinfeld has written a new book, Deceptively Delicious, filled with traditional recipes kids love -- with fruit and veggies folded in. A mother of three, Seinfeld stands strong against the sugar-filled, packaged meals and processed foods busy families commonly toss in front of finicky children.

The book includes a month's worth of nutritious, kid-nummy meals, tear-out shopping guides and humorous personal stories. It better be funny, she's a Seinfeld. With help from a nutritionist and chef, Seinfeld developed meals containing elements kids need -- protein, calcium, vitamins and Omega 3 and 6 fats.

My three-year-old daughter loves cauliflower, but I'd have a tough time selling kale to either of my kids. I'm considering purchasing the book just to try the kale spaghetti and meatball recipe. But I would not stop serving a vegetable with each dinner. Exposure to a variety of tastes and textures may help break through those picky palates. Picture from Amazon.

In 2003, Medicare laws changed the way oncologists are reimbursed for treating cancer patients, and any perception by patients that the quality of care they received for cancer going down were out to rest by a new survey this week.

All in all, the survey found very little to no changes in the way cancer patients perceived the quality o care they received, nor the amount of time cancer patients waited to see their doctors or the time it took to start chemotherapy treatments.

This is a nod in the direction of Medicare changes not really changing treatment options for the better or worse, which was contrary to the overriding feeling years ago that changes in the Medicare system regarding oncology would cause some cancer patients to be denied access to medical resources. According to this survey, that is simply not the case.

That time of year is creeping around again...cold and flu season! The key to staying as healthy as possible is in what you do now to prepare and prevent illness. Making healthy choices is about living a healthy lifestyle everyday, and although I don't agree personally with absolutely everything on this list, here's one take on 10 things you can do to never get sick again:

• See a chiropractor
• Laugh hard
• Mix up your workout routine
• Get enough sleep
• See an acupuncturist
• Meditate
• Do cardio at least 4 days a week
• Stretch
• Eat organic
• Be cautious of medications

Anything you would add? I think drinking enough water and eating a balanced diet (deep-fried onion rings won't do a thing for you even if they are organic!) are important too.

This past weekend, a rather brutal marathon was held in Chicago. Brutal, as in the temperature was a boiling 88 degrees during the race. Normally, that's somewhat mild. But, for this time of year and for a long marathon, that temperature makes for unsafe conditions.

One 35 year-old died during the race, and thousands others quit before finishing and many suffered from heat-related problems as well. But, the lone death did not die to to heat exhaustion or another related malady, but from a rare heart condition according to reports this week.

A condition called "mitral valve prolapse" is being blamed in the death of Chad Schieber, although doctors estimate that the birth defect actually affects 2 to 5 percent of the population -- which is millions of people. Unfortunately, the condition is generally undiagnosed unless observed during a stethoscope exam, or in this unfortunate case, a fatality possibly brought on by the running conditions Mr. Schieber faced.