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Beware of These Three Surprising Sources of High Fructose Corn Syrup

February 18, 2016 by

Avoiding high fructose corn syrup seems like it would be fairly easy if you read your labels and eat a plant-based diet. However, there are still ways in which this artificial sweetener can find its way into the food you eat. Here are three surprising sources of high fructose corn syrup that you might want to avoid:

  1. Salad dressing. Low-fat or not, many salad dressings contain high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient. Make your own with oil and vinegar dressing or buy organic to avoid this.
  2. Honey-roasted peanuts. There are only seven ingredients in this sweet snack, and corn syrup is one of them. Choose raw or oven-roasted nuts instead.
  3. Ketchup. It might be no surprise that ketchup includes sugar, but some brands contain exceedingly high amounts. Look for all-natural brands or use ketchup sparingly.

Corn Syrup in Unexpected Foods [Huffington Post]
Surprising Products That Contain High Fructose Corn Syrup [Divine Caroline]
(Not So) Sweet: Surprising Foods Containing High Fructose Corn Syrup [Babble]
6 Popular Foods with High-Fructose Corn Syrup [FitDay]

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Handy Tips for Quickly Peeling Hard Boiled Eggs

April 16, 2015 by

Hardboiled eggs provide a healthy, protein-packed snack, and you'd be hard-pressed to make egg salad without them! Still, peeling all of those hardboiled eggs isn’t quite as rewarding as eating them. Here are a few smart tips to help you peel hardboiled eggs quickly and efficiently.

  1. It starts with cooking. Make your hardboiled eggs easier to peel by cooking them properly right from the beginning. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the eggs by one inch, and be sure to heat it to a rolling boil before turning off the heat and covering the pot.
  2. Run the egg under cold water. Once you remove your eggs when they're done cooking, halt the cooking process by running them under cold water.
  3. Crack the egg. Gently but firmly drop one of your cooked eggs on the countertop until it is completely covered in cracks.
  4. Roll. Next, roll the egg across the surface of the counter with the palm of your hand to loosen the shell and prepare it to slide off.
  5. Peel from the large end. Finally, begin to peel the egg starting with the larger, wider end. If you did all of the other steps properly, it should come off in one fell swoop.

What Is the Best Way to Peel a Hard-Boiled Egg? [Real Simple]
The Food Lab: The Hard Truth About Boiled Eggs [Serious Eats]
5 Egg Hacks: How To Peel A Hard Boiled Egg, The Easy Way [Epicurious]

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Bookmark These Three Websites for Cooking Measurement Conversions

March 19, 2015 by

Not all recipes are created equal—at least not when it comes to metric versus American Standard measurements. Don’t get struck trying to do math when you’re in the middle of making your favorite French pastry. Instead, rely on these three websites to give you cooking measurement equivalents:

  1. Cooking Measure Equivalents [Info Please]
    This website provides an easy guide to the metric system as it relates to the U.S. system of measurement. You'll also find a thorough conversion guide for the U.S. system from tablespoons to grams to pounds.
  2. Measurement Equivalents [Exploratorium]
    This conversion site gives you a quick reference for liquid and dry amounts, as well as oven temperatures.
  3. Cooking Measure Equivalents [Fact Monster]​
    Find conversions for ounces to pounds and inches to millimeters on this site, along with a quick reference for metric to U.S. system conversions.

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What Are Aerobic Exercises?

December 18, 2014 by

Does walking count as an aerobic exercise? Is playing golf an aerobic workout? These are common questions, and many people don’t understand what qualifies an activity as an aerobic exercise. If you want to learn more about aerobics, these informative facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can help:

  • Aerobic activity, or “cardio”, is any activity that increases your heart rate and makes you breathe faster. Aerobic activity isn’t just reserved for working out – biking, dancing and even walking up the stairs are all aerobic activities.
  • The intensity is how hard your aerobic activity is. Aerobic activity is grouped into light, moderate or vigorous intensities, and light intensity activities usually don’t count toward fitness guidelines.
  • Moderate-intensity activities include things like walking quickly or playing tennis..
  • Vigorous-intensity activities include running, swimming laps or playing basketball.
  • If you haven’t worked out regularly or have taken time off from working out, don’t start out with vigorous-intensity activity. Begin with moderate-intensity activities and work your way up to avoid injury and build stamina.

Visit the CDC's website to learn more about aerobic exercises.

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