Blog Posts by FatFighterTV

Is high-fructose corn syrup really any worse than sugar? Do people lose more weight if they get paid to do it? FatFighterTV has a look at these and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Is high-fructose corn syrup really any worse than sugar?
Could it be true? Has high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) - which is in a crazy amount of foods and beverages like soda pop - been getting a bad rap it doesn't deserve? Is it actually no worse than sugar, which also lurks in many products? This week, five new papers find no special link between HFCS and obesity. And one of those reports was written by Barry Popkin, a co-author on the first paper speaking out against the sweetener in 2004.

Gene may explain why some kids reach for junk food
Why do some people reach for the French fries instead of the fruit? Scientists say one reason may be a gene that's been linked to an increased risk of obesity. A new study finds children with a common variation of the gene tend to overeat

This year's most popular workout looks like it'll keep kicking booty in 2009 - Boot Camp-style workouts still top the American Council on Exercise's (ACE) just-released list of next year's fitness trends. Also at the top - ACE says fitness buffs will try to get more bang for their buck in this tough economy. Here's the entire list - I look forward to it every year!

ACE's Top 10 fitness trends for 2009

Boot Camp-Style Workouts: These are still very popular because they give you a total-body workout that's varied, fun and challenging. You burn a lot of calories (up to 600, says ACE), get a great cardiovascular workout, and strengthen your muscles with high- and low-intensity exercises like pushups, squats and lunges. You don't usually get as much muscle fitness benefits in other aerobic exercises.

Budget-Friendly Workouts: With today's struggling economy, more people will cut costs to stay in shape. Of the ACE-certified professionals surveyed, 48 percent said gym memberships will go

You better watch out! Celebrating the holiday season with family and friends often means having a festive drink or two. But oh, can those calories add up quickly! So before you belly up to the bar… or barista, feast your eyes on the calories in these 5 holiday favorites - it just might put you in the mood for one of the season's best qualities - sharing.

Hot-Buttered Rum: With a combination of brown sugar, butter, rum, and whipped cream, no wonder a cup has 418 calories and 17 grams of fat - Yikes! [webmd.com]

Eggnog: A seasonal favorite - with alcohol, 8 ounces has 394 calories; skip the booze and it's 343 calories and 19 grams of fat, including 11.3 grams of saturated fat. [thecaloriecounter.com]

Peppermint Hot Chocolate (hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps): 6 ounces of this chocolatey minty goodness will set you back 203 calories and 3.7 grams of fat. [drinksmixer.com]

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte: It may be fat-free, but even a Grande Nonfat, No Whipped version of this

From the surprising foods filled with sodium to a new report about how much Americans exercise, FatFighterTV has a look at diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Hidden sodium in foods you wouldn't think to check
I'm always checking labels for sodium and going easy on it - the stuff makes me hold water like a water balloon! So, I was happy last week to see more foods are ditching extra salt... only to learn a new report from Consumer Reports (CR) finds plenty of salt in foods you wouldn't think to check. CR analyzed 37 foods and was surprised to find lots of sodium in things like candy, pudding, and heart-healthy pasta sauce.

Lots of TV and Web bad for kids' health
We've talked about how too much TV and Internet can lead to overweight children. Now a new study finds kids who spend a lot of time watching TV, playing video games and surfing the Web are more prone to various health problems including obesity and smoking. Researchers analyzed 173 studies done since 1980 to

I'm always checking labels for sodium and going easy on it - the stuff makes me hold water like a water balloon! So, I was happy last week to see more foods are ditching extra salt... only to learn a new report from Consumer Reports (CR) finds plenty of salt in foods you wouldn't think to check.

CR analyzed 37 foods to check their sodium levels. Among the surprises:

• Twizzlers Black Licorice Twists - four strands have 200 milligrams; four strands of Twizzlers Strawberry Licorice have 115 mg.

• Raisin-bran cereals - Kellogg's has 350 mg per cup; Post, 300 mg; Total, 230 mg.

• Jell-O Instant Pudding & Pie Filling Mix - the chocolate flavor contains 420 mg per serving; lemon, 310 mg; chocolate fudge, 380 mg.

• Prego Heart Smart Traditional Italian Sauce - this has an American Heart Association logo on the label which means saturated fat and cholesterol are restricted, but not that it's low in sodium. This sauce has 430 mg per half-cup.

• Aunt Jemima Original

I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets, but only for the ones I know I will actually use. I have lots of them, and I use… well, most of them, anyway. Here are FatFighterTV's picks for great kitchen gadgets that will come in handy for all those cooking fans on your list.

OXO Fat Separator - No more fat in your gravy, soup, or stock with this heat-resistant plastic tool. It separates fat from lean, leaving the healthy juices to flow from the spout. Comes with a removable strainer and stopper.



Precision Spoon-Scale - Fine tune your recipes with this spoon-scale combo - two useful gadgets in one. Measure wet or dry ingredients for perfect baking. Scoop out just the right amount of sugar, salt,or flour. LCD display in the handle measures weight.

Potato Ricer - This gadget lets you make perfect mashed potatoes with ease. Just put the potatoes in the hopper and press the handle. The ricer uses air as it squeezes out boiled potatoes in rice-like grains. The result - fluffy, smooth mashed potatoes.

Question: What temperature should your Thanksgiving turkey reach before it's done? Answer: For it to be safe to eat, it should be 165-degrees in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. You do use a meat thermometer, don't you??? And of course, you want it to be accurate, so check out which ones did well in Consumer Reports' (CR) tests.

The Testing
CR looked at 11 meat thermometers - the ones you leave in food as it cooks, as well as those you poke in and read instantly.

Besides testing temperature accuracy, CR measured how quickly each meat thermometer adjusted to temperature changes. The fastest took 10 seconds or less; the slowest, more than 30 seconds. Also tested - the temperature range each thermometer could read. The widest was 0 to 450º F, which makes it more useful for things like deep frying; the narrowest was up to only 180º.

Bottom line
If you want a meat thermometer you insert before cooking, CR says try the digital Polder THM-360

From the nationwide Lean Cuisine recall... to another fast food joint taking steps to healthify its menu, FatFighterTV has a look at diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

900,000 pounds of Lean Cuisine chicken dinners recalled
Check your freezers. Nestle has recalled nearly a million pounds of three of its Lean Cuisine chicken entrees after reports of small pieces of blue, hard plastic in them. The recalled frozen meals are the Cafe Classics Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, Spa Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean, and Dinnertime Selects Chicken Tuscan. To find out if you have a contaminated Lean Cuisine dinner, call the Nestle Consumer Service Center hot line at (800) 227-6188.

Requiring calorie counts on menus could go national
Earlier this month, Philadelphia joined New York City and California in requiring calorie counts be posted on restaurant menus. Now the rest of the country may do the same. A bill Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Rosa DeLauro introduced that would require