HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - DARK MEAT VS. WHITE MEAT

Do you choose breasts over thighs because they’re lower in fat, even though you prefer the taste of dark meat over white meat? Health editor Janice Kerr says it’s time to rethink your choices. -- AP

Anastasia, it’s true that the dark meat of the chicken has more fat than the white meat. However, the meat from the drumstick and thigh is only slightly fattier than breast meat. And 60% of that fat mono and polyunsaturated fat -- the kind of fat that’s good for you. Also, leg meat contains twice as much zinc as breast meat, 20% of your recommended daily allowance.

Remember, too, that at least half of the fat in a chicken comes from the skin. So the best thing to do is remove the skin, but do so after you cook the chicken. The meat won’t absorb the fat as it cooks, but the cooked chicken will turn out juicier.

Here’s how the fat and calories stack up in the various sections of a chicken:
SKINLESS BREAST
165 calories
1 gram saturated fat
1.2 grams mono-saturated fat
.7 grams poly-saturated fat

SKINLESS DRUMSTICK 175 calories
1.5 grams saturated fat
1.9 grams mono-saturated fat
1.4 grams poly-saturated fat

SKINLESS THIGH 209 calories
3 grams saturated fat
4 grams mono-saturated fat
2.5 grams poly-saturated fat

Interesting stats, Janice. Thanks for sharing! So readers, are you dark meat lovers or white meat lovers? Let’s hear from you. Post a comment to enter the drawing for a book from this week's Book Club Friday author. -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--PAINLESS TRICKS FOR CUTTING CALORIES

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight? It’s the most common resolution people make at the beginning of a new year. It’s also the most common that resolution long given up by this time of year. Health editor Janice Kerr is here today with some tips for helping you get back on track and shed those unwanted pounds. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! Losing weight is hard. There probably isn’t anyone reading this blog who hasn’t been on the weight loss merry-go-round and fallen off too many times. One of the reasons we can’t stick to our diets is that we set the bar too high. And we expect results too quickly. The best weight loss -- the kind that stays off -- are the pounds that are shed gradually.

So here’s a trick to try: lower your expectations, and you may find you actually shed more weight and keep it off. Instead of cutting 500 - 1000 calories a day, try cutting 100 - 300. You’re less likely to feel as though you’re starving yourself and will be less tempted to cheat.

A pound of body fat is approximately 3500 calories. If you cut 500 calories a day from your diet, you’ll lose about a pound a week. But cutting 500 calories a day is hard for many people. That’s why their diets fail. Cutting 250 calories a day is a lot easier. It will take you twice as long to lose that pound, but isn’t it better to lose a pound every two weeks than not at all?

Here are a few examples of how you can cut 100 - 200 calories without feeling any pain:

• Leave the pizza crust on your plate.
• 
  
• Make your morning eggs with egg whites only.
• 
  
• Eat one slice of toast instead of two with those morning eggs.
• 
  
• Make your sandwiches from bagel thins instead of whole bagels.
• 
  
• Leave the slice of cheese off your sandwich or burger.
• 
  
• Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on your sandwiches.
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• Drink flavored seltzer water instead of soda.
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• Use salad dressing spritzers instead of drowning your salad in dressing.

Great tips, Janice! This makes dieting sound almost painless. Readers, do you have any dieting tips that have worked for you? Let’s hear them. -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--CALORIES AND FAT AND SODIUM -- ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Health editor Janice Kerr has a wake up call for everyone with a fast food addiction. Sure blew my mind! -- AP

CALORIES AND FAT AND SODIUM -- ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

There’s been much talk in the media lately about the amount of sodium ingested per year by the average American. We also take in way too many calories and grams of fat, which has contributed greatly to our spreading girth. As the number of fast food restaurants grew over the last three or four decades, so did the numbers on our scales. Fast food is quick and easy, but it’s also deadly. It’s a leading contributor to heart disease and diabetes and many experts believe it to be a factor in the increase of certain cancers.

Below you’ll find calorie, fat, and sodium counts for some popular fast food meals. Pay attention to the salads. Just because you’re eating salad at a fast food restaurant, doesn’t mean you’re doing your body any good. That said, I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves, but keep in mind that the daily recommended amounts of calories, fat, and
sodium for adults are --

calories: 1500-2000
fat, 50-65 grams
sodium, 1500 mgs.

McDonald’s
Big Mac: 540 calories, 29 grams of fat, 1040 mgs. sodium
Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 740 calories, 42 grams fat, 1380 mgs. sodium
Lg. Fries: 500 calories, 25 grams fat, 350 mgs. sodium
Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken: 370 calories, 20 grams fat, 970 mgs. sodium

Burger King Whopper with Cheese: 770 calories, 48 grams fat, 1450 mgs. sodium
Double Whopper with Cheese: 1010 calories, 65 grams fat, 1530 mgs. sodium
Original Chicken Sandwich: 630 calories, 39 grams fat, 1390 mgs. sodium
Lg. Fries: 540 calories, 27 grams fat, 830 mgs. sodium
Tendercrisp Chicken Garden Salad: 410 calories, 23 grams fat, 1060 mgs. sodium

KFC
KFC Famous Bowls: 700 calories, 32 grams fat, 2260 mgs. sodium
Chicken Pot Pie: 690 calories, 40 grams fat, 1760 mgs. sodium
Lg. Popcorn Chicken: 550 calories, 35 grams fat, 1600 mgs. sodium
Double Crunch Sandwich with Crispy Strip: 490 calories, 20 grams fat, 1190 mgs. sodium
Tender Roast Sandwich: 410 calories, 30 grams fat, 790 mgs. sodium

Taco Bell
Grilled Stuft Beef Burrito: 700 calories, 10 grams fat, 2110 mgs. sodium
Chalupa Chicken Baja: 390 calories, 23 grams fat, 760 mgs. sodium
Gordita Chicken Baja: 320 calories, 15 grams fat, 750 mgs. sodium
Volcano Nachos: 1000 calories, 62 grams fat, 1930 mgs. sodium
Chicken Quesadilla: 520 calories, 28 grams fat, 1440 mgs. sodium
Fiesta Taco Salad: 770 calories, 41 grams fat, 1650 mgs. sodium

Subway
6” Chicken & Bacon Ranch: 570 calories, 28 grams fat, 1190 mgs. sodium
6” Big Philly Cheesesteak: 520 calories, 18 grams fat, 1570 mgs. sodium
6” Cold Cut Combo: 410 calories, 16 grams fat, 1450 mgs. sodium
6” Tuna: 530 calories, 30 grams fat, 930 mgs. sodium

Pizza Hut
Personal Pan Cheese Pizza: 590 calories, 24 grams fat, 1290 mgs. sodium
Personal Pan Supreme Pizza: 720 calories, 36 grams fat, 1680 mgs. sodium
Lg. Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza (1 slice): 380 calories, 17 grams fat, 1050 mgs. sodium
Lg. Meat Lover’s Pizza (1 slice): 440 calories, 23 grams fat, 1270 mgs. sodium

Starbucks
Grande Java Chip Frappuccino (2% milk): 350 calories, 14 grams fat
Grande Tazo Chai Crème Frappuccino (2% milk): 310 calories, 3 grams fat
Apple Fritter: 420 calories, 20 grams fat
Blueberry Scone: 460 calories, 22 grams fat
Double Iced Cinnamon Roll: 490 calories, 20 grams fat
Plain Bagel: 300 calories, 1 gram fat



Yikes! That was certainly an eye-opener, Janice. I guess we’ll all think twice the next time we have a fast food craving, especially those of us trying to lose a few dozen pounds or so. Comments, anyone? -- AP