That's Fit

This holiday season, all I see is advertisement after advertisement for Starbucks holiday drinks. They're mostly the same ones from last year with one notable exception: The Espresso Truffle. Hmm. I like espresso. I also like truffle. And I love whipped cream, which it comes with, according to the previously-mentioned ads. Sounds delicious .... and deliciously sinful.

What do you think? Is the Espresso Truffle an acceptable Christmas indulgence or a holiday calorie drink disaster?

Got Thanksgiving plans? Of course, you do. You'll get together with friends, family or both, either at their house or yours. A few people will work feverishly in the kitchen, while the others will gobble up appys and drinks. Finally, everyone will gather together in merriment, and the grand finale will happen: The serving of the prodigal meal. Most will go back for seconds, some will undo the top button on their pants, some will thank their lucky stars they wore fat pants. Then most of us will fall asleep in the living room. Sound familiar?

Thanksgiving -- 'tis the season for over-indulgence. But just how much over-indulgence are we talking here?

Pumpkin pie is the thing to eat this time of year -- it's a Thanksgiving staple and in my family, there's usually enough pie left over to last us for a week. But not everyone likes pumpkin pie and for that reason (as well as the fact that some people have two types of pie to devour), many families offer varieties of pies to choose from. Our family, for instance, always has a fresh apple pie on stand-by.

Apple pie sounds somewhat healthy -- warm apples gently sweetened and spiced, oozing out of a flaky crust -- but we all know better than to assume that healthy sounding equals healthy. Particularly when there's the possibility of ice cream involved. So what do you think?

Now that the leaves have turned (and somehow all wound up in my yard), there are few things more appealing to me than having a warm drink and a meal with friends in a cozy pub or coffee shop with a fire place. Normally, I'd consider spending my weekends by the water or out in the fresh mountain air, but that's not really an option in November when you live in Canada -- unless you're the super outdoorsy type (I'm not).

So, for those of us who don't like cold weather, the outdoors is out this time of year, except in small doses. I'll take a fireplace any day. Let the wind howl away, we're warm and happy and having fun inside.

After a day of raking leaves or shopping or wandering around the autumn streets, a cup of steaming hot apple cider really hits the spot, don't you think? But surely apple cider is better for you than some of the other winter offerings, most of which are made primarily of cream and sugar. What do you think?

When the autumn days get cooler and shorter, I, like most people, turn to warm foods -- soups, stews, fresh breads and the like. One of my favourite sides for just about any dish is warm, fresh corn bread. With just the right balance of sweet, salty and buttery flavours, I can't resist a slice (or two) (or more) of corn bread. You too?

Sure, it's named after a vegetable, but is corn bread otherwise healthy? Let's find out ...

There was a time in my life when Halloween was my favourite day of the year -- besides my birthday, of course. It was the rare day my anti-sugar parents would permit me to gorge on sweets. Well, mostly. After returning from trick-or-treating, I was permitted 10 minutes to scarf down as much as I could before my folks hid my plastic trick-or-treating pumpkin -- then I was rationed two sweets a day with my lunch until the candy was gone (unless I found the secret hiding spot). Ahh, the good old days.

These days, I have the opposite problem -- instead of wanting to be surrounded by candy, I'm trying to stay away from it. It's not that hard, considering I don't have kids yet and am therefore not tempted by what they bring home. But you parents out there might not be so lucky. A bite of this and a nibble of that can really add up. Don't believe me?

There are few things I love more than bread, butter and garlic. Combine them into one and you've got what I consider a perfect side dish -- garlic bread. I'll have it with Italian food, a steak dinner, or as a meal on it's own. But I'm a little worried about the nutritional content -- after all, white bread and butter aren't exactly the healthiest ingredients and while garlic is pretty good for you, it's not going to offset the damage the rest of the meal could do.

So what do you think? Garlic bread: A calorie-conscious choice or a dieting disaster?

I don't know about you, but as the days grow shorter and colder, I find myself drawn to warm, comforting foods -- things like soups, stews, pastas, and casseroles. You know, winter foods that can warm you up on the coldest of days.

I love spicy foods, so it's not surprising that Chili Con Carne is one of my winter go-to foods. It's easy to make, it's chalk full of healthy veggies and beans, and -- most important -- it's hot, both in taste and temperature. Topped with a little sour cream, a bit of melted cheese and a slice of warm, freshly baked bread, it's an ideal cold-day treat.

But how healthy is it? How many calories does it have?

I'm not a sugar addict, but I do have a bit of a problem with willpower. More specifically, when something sweet is offered up, I sometime find myself powerless to resist. You know the occasions I speak of -- birthdays, anniversary parties, dinner at a neighbours house. You tell yourself it's rude to turn down a slice of cake, but the truth is, it's just too hard to say no.

But if you're counting calories do you have to say no? How much harm can one slice do? Can you make up for a sweet treat with an extra half hour on the treadmill? Good question. Let's find out, using one of the healthier-sounding desserts as an example:

What's on your top 10 list of I know I shouldn't have it but I want it so badly foods? For me, movie popcorn ranks pretty highly on the roster. It's difficult to go to a show without getting a big bag of salty goodness, the more buttery the better. It's expensive and it probably has a million calories, but once I smell that popcorn smell, I feel like I have to have it, sometimes even when I'm not hungry.

But we know that kind of buttery indulgence is going to cost us in the calories department -- well, if we get butter anyway. Popcorn itself is considered a whole grain, and whole grains are good, right? So, theoretically, if we don't pile on the calories by adding butter, we should be ok. Right?

Smoothies are all the rage these days. Forget meals -- you can get all your nutrition in liquid form, served in a handy to-go cup. Not that there's anything wrong with giving in to the smoothie craze -- I myself have forgone the traditional meal in favour of a quick energy fix from the nearest smoothie vendor.

And there are smoothies to fit all needs -- whether you're looking to bulk up on protein, trim fat, get as many antioxidants as possible or fulfill all your daily fruit and veggie requirements in one drink. All that and they're usually absolutely delicious.

But conventional wisdom tells me that when something tastes good, it probably has lots of calories. Still, how many calories can there be in fruit juice and yogurt? What do you think?

If such a thing existed, I'd be a card-carrying member of SLA -- sushi lovers anonymous. I'm addicted to the stuff. In fact, I could probably eat it every day. I don't, but I could.

There are worse addictions, of course. Sushi is low in fat and high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids, so it's no wonder the Japanese are some of the healthiest people in the world. But we Westerners have a tendency to take healthy things and and 'Americanize' them -- also known as doing whatever we can to make them tastier and more marketable.

Sushi is no exception. What started as rice, fish and seaweed now comes in hundreds of different flavours and colours. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not complaining about those spicy mayo-laden tuna rolls I love so dearly, but I can't help but wonder what we've done to the nutritional value of sushi.

One of my favourite things to do on a lazy Sunday morning is head out for brunch with my friends. The way I see it, it's the perfect way to start a day because not only do I get the company of my closest pals, I get to eat a yummy, reasonably-priced meal without having to worry about cleaning up the kitchen afterwards.

But although brunch at a restaurant is oh-so-convenient, it's also important to most of us to have healthy options available, options that won't mean having to starve ourselves for the rest of the week to break even on the caloric intake.

What's a healthy brunch option? Pancakes and waffles are questionable -- too much sugar in the syrup and whipped cream. Eggs Benedict is far too rich, and bacon is far too fatty. Cottage cheese, fruit and/or oatmeal is a good choice but not satisfying enough, especially when everyone else at the table is having a feast. What about ... an Omelet?

I'll admit it: I'm a bit addicted to Starbucks. It's just so darn convenient. There's one near my house, my office -- heck, there's even one in my grocery store. Since coffee is definitely a staple of my diet, I end up in the Starbucks line-up fairly often.

And I usually do stick to coffee, except on a rare occasion when I've either forgotten to pack a healthy snack or was in too much of a hurry to grab a healthy meal. In such an event, the baked goods call out my name from their home behind the glass window, and, with stomach grumbling uncomfortably, I am powerless to resist.

I'm not a fan of super sweet cakes and donuts, so I tend to stick to things like muffins and scones. But are they any healthier than the sweet stuff?

When I headed off to Greece a few years ago, I was excited for all the healthy eating I would do. After all, the Mediterranean way of eating has even inspired one of the most successful diet plans out there, so eating well there should be no problem, right? An added bonus? Mediterranean food is delicious -- souvlaki, pita bread, tzatziki, baklava ... I love it all.

But by the time I came back, my pants were a little tighter. OK, a lot tighter. Where did I go wrong? I ate lots of healthy stuff. Maybe Mediterranean food is not as healthy as we imagine?