Today’s post is courtesy of a special guest writer, Alyse Levine, MS, RD, who is a LIVESTRONG.COM nutrition advisor and founder of NutritionBite LLC.

Whether you’re hitting the gym for 30 minutes or are training for a triathlon, what you eat can greatly impact your performance. The base of any active person’s diet should consist of unprocessed, wholesome foods and incorporate a mixture of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

What to Eat for Workouts

Eat your carbs. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred fuel source and are crucial for endurance exercise and optimal performance. They provide fuel for the muscles and help prevent fatigue. Whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, legumes, and nonfat or low-fat milk and yogurt are all great sources of carbs. Fruits and vegetables are also packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber, as well as phytochemicals and antioxidants that help with post-exercise recovery and muscle repair. Basically, they’re fuel for you!

Protein packs a punch. Protein is also a necessary component of an athlete’s diet and is critical for muscle building and recovery. Lean protein sources include white meat poultry, fish, lean beef, eggs, nuts, nut butters, beans, cheese and soy. However, more protein does not mean better performance, so get off the high protein-low carbohydrate diet bandwagon! When it comes to animal protein, a serving should fit in the palm of your hand. Also, to stimulate muscle growth, it is best to evenly distribute your protein intake throughout the day, rather than eating a very large portion at one meal.

Do not fear fat! Fat is another essential component of an exerciser’s diet. Opt for mostly good fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut butters and avocado. Also, aim to eat fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna and sardines) two to three times a week to get a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids, which help decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. Limit unhealthy fats such as fried foods, fatty meats and full-fat dairy products.

When to Eat It

Before exercise. Eating too much or too little before exercising may hamper your performance. Eating too much can cause you to feel sluggish or have an upset stomach, cramping or diarrhea. (Um, not fun!) This happens when both your muscles and your digestive system are competing for energy to do their jobs. On the other hand, not eating before you exercise can leave you feeling weak, tired or faint due to low blood sugars. (Also no picnic!)

When planning your pre-workout meals and snacks, time when you eat with how much and what you eat. Eat large meals three to four hours before working out and have smaller meals two to three hours prior. When eating close to a workout, reach for carbohydrate-rich foods with a little bit of lean protein. To help prevent GI distress, avoid foods that are high in fiber, sugar or fat, and foods that cause gas—all of which may cause indigestion. (Again, not fun.)

During exercise. If your workout lasts less than an hour, no food or sports drink is necessary—plain old water is sufficient (see below for specific hydration tips). In fact, if your workouts are not longer than an hour and weight-loss or maintenance is one of your goals, consuming calories during your workout will likely counter (and may even exceed) your calorie burn during the workout! However, if your workout is longer than an hour, then you may need to replenish with carbohydrates and electrolytes in addition to fluids during the workout (a sports drink would work).

After exercise. To help your muscles recover and replace their glycogen (AKA carbohydrate) stores, eat a meal or snack that contains both carbohydrates and protein within one to two hours of your exercise session. Examples of good post-workout meals or snacks include an appropriate portion of:

• Peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich
• Fruit salad with yogurt
• Turkey, cheese and apple slices
• Hummus on pita
• Minestrone soup with crackers and cheese

Drink up. Proper hydration is just as important as proper nutrition in promoting ideal performance—before, during and after exercise. While under-hydration is dangerous, there are also dangers to over-hydration. Hyponatremia, a condition caused by over-hydration, can lead to fatigue, nausea, confusion and possibly death. The chart below contains guidelines to help ensure that you are maintaining a good fluid balance. You can monitor your water intake (and your food and fitness activities!) with MyPlate, a calorie and fitness tracker on LIVESTRONG.COM.

Water Timing

*If concerned about whether or not you are rehydrating appropriately, weigh yourself without clothes on before and immediately after your workouts; for every pound lost drink 2 cups of water. This amount will vary depending on sweat rate, the temperature, humidity and your workout duration and intensity.

When it comes to eating and exercise, every Fit Bottomed Girl is unique, so modify the above general recommendations with your unique food preferences and tolerances. Let your experience guide you on which pre- and post-exercise snacks and meals work best for you. Happy eating! —Alyse Levine

A big thanks to Alyse for the tips! —Jenn

Credit: Shayan (USA)

Many moons ago when I first moved to California, a dear friend took me to this popular juice place and promptly ordered me a shot of wheatgrass with an orange slice to chase it with. Never to turn down something without first trying it, I squeezed my eyes shut and took one for the team. Grassy indeed, but the taste was fleeting. The orange prevented me from feeling like I had just ran outside and licked the lawn,  so the shot got two thumbs up. 

 According to the experts, wheatgrass is more than twenty times denser in nutrients than other choice vegetables, and since it’s considered a vegetable in the grass stage, it’s safe for people with wheat allergies. Score! A couple of seconds of grass tongue and you’ve got a freshly detoxed body and energy to boot. 

For that reason alone, I was game to try the Wheatgrass Boost shot that AgroLabs sent me. I’m not gonna lie, I was totally expecting the same grassy icky taste that typically accompanies the greeny goodness I’ve had in the past. To my surprise, the stuff wasn’t grass-like at all. In fact it was sort of tasty. Somehow they were able to mask that “natural” taste with fruits like apple and pear.

However, after reading the label, some foreign-looking words raised my “too good to be true” alarms pretty quickly.  So I brought in the big guns to break down the ingredients for me. Elisa Zied, a registered dietitian and FBG friend, was kind of enough to send me information on two ingredients I had never heard of: arganine and bisulfate of soda (AKA sodium bisulfate).

Rule of thumb, if it could cause bleeding or isn’t recommended for pregnant women, I’ll pass!  Turns out those two questionables ingredients aren’t as natural as I’d personally like. In this case, the two ingredients  combined with the fact that I really didn’t feel a burst of energy were two strikes too many. I think I’ll stick to the pure stuff next time around. Bring on the orange chasers! —Tish

Meet our nutritionist, Jessica!

Somewhat serendipitously, I recently met Jessica Edwards. Jessica is a recent transplant from the fast-paced LA lifestyle to a more gentle day-to-day life in the Midwest (where I live). Jessica and I immediately hit it off. She embodies everything that FBG stands for—from embracing a healthy lifestyle to feel better, to empowering women to be their best selves and to spreading the message of abundance and possibility instead of deprivation and diets. Oh, and she’s totally down to earth and hella fun, which we always gravitate to.

Standing at just over 5 feet, she’s always rocking a pair of killer heels and a cute skirt, but it’s not because she has to—it’s because she wants to. Basically, girlfriend has it going on, and she isn’t afraid to let that confidence shine.

Besides being a ball of California sunshine, Jessica also knows her ish. She’s an experienced life coach, certified nutritionist, published author, motivational speaker, mother of three and founder of Energy Zone 151 in Overland Park, Kan. Jessica has more than 15 years of experience in the health, fitness and wellness industry. And, believe me, after spending more than 10 minutes with her, you’ll be amazed at her breadth of nutrition knowledge and her ability to lift everyone up to be her best.

So after that long-winded intro, I give you Jessica’s first post on FBG. Expect to see more of her—from nutrition myth busting to answering your questions to giving you some solid nutrition tips to more super fun stuff—on both FBG and Fit Bottomed Babies!

Nutrition Done Fit Bottomed Girl Style

As a real woman and single mother of three daughters ages 15, 13 and 3 and a half, I celebrated my 35th birthday 2,000 miles away from home, family and friends this year. After a huge leap of faith and a desperate need for adventure, I moved myself and my three daughters halfway across the United States to experience a slower pace and a little perspective on life outside of Hollywood.

Having a daughter starting high school and another one about to start junior high, I was afraid of what “Malibu mentality” would do to my girls and our tight bond. Honestly, growing up in beautiful California almost destroyed me. When I was younger, I suffered from an eating disorder and superficial sacrifices daily to be accepted. I did not want my daughters to go through the same. With nothing to lose, I moved us to the Midwest.

After just three months here, I realized Kansas City was the best place for me to open a nutrition bar to offer my “Cali-girl flava, city-girl swagga” and tough-love perspective on nutrition. Besides doing one-on-one nutrition and life coaching, I decided to hold city-wide weight-loss challenge complete with party-bus excursions to fun exercise classes, such as cardio striptease, belly dancing, salsa, Zumba and cardio ballet. Basically, I wanted to change lives and have a blast!

After I opened my first club in April of 2010, I had two more ready to break ground and a group of clients who were so changed by the experience that they had become wellness coaches, too! People just love our unique and empowering take on nutrition and life.

The nutrition clubs are a healthy coffee shop of sorts, but instead of coffee, we have a built-in smoothie bar (with flavors like Snickers bar and cake batter!) where we serve 200-calorie shakes with 24 grams of clean, cellular protein that’s free of sugar, gluten and dairy. In the space, we teach, coach and educate our clients on the importance of nutrition in a world of chronic allergies, fatigue, medications and childhood obesity. I teach nutrition in a way that is natural, easy to follow and carries homeopathic opportunities for prevention and good health from the inside out.

Although I never felt like I actually fit in LA, I find myself a fish out of water here in the Midwest at times, too. My cute and refreshing country boyfriend tells me I am overdressed in 6-inch high heels at the Little League game, as they are neither exactly appropriate or functional. I say function can kiss my grits! If I feel good about myself, then that’s all that matters. A women’s mood is determined by the way she feels about herself and the skin she’s in. Confidence is the only accessory I shoot for when I wake up and get ready for the day.

The scale doesn’t own me and trends are not who I am. I work with the goods I have and accentuate my best features—regardless of my weight. Standing at just over 5 feet, I have learned how to make the best of my frame with fashion and mega-high heels. Growing up, I was the short voluptuous type, the yo-yo dieter and the underfed-over-depressed typical teen. Never stick thin, I was always the bigger girl with the confident walk. I have worked long and hard to love my body and myself unconditionally. I make the best of what the big man upstairs gave me and never focus on my short comings as long as I’m healthy and in control. I have learned to never apologize for my confidence.

I became a nutritionist because of my own personal struggles with food and balance. The truth is that health and fitness is 75 percent what we eat and 25 percent what we do that determines our success. So all the years of killing myself in the gym and eating lettuce was a losing battle, even if that scale dropped faster than BP’s stock.

We come in all shapes and sizes; yet we have the same basic blueprints, hormones and body requirements. So from 15 years of trial and error, two degrees and tons of personal research resulting in hundreds of success stories and lives changed, I feel confident to guide all the Fit Bottomed Girls out there to yummy health, faster metabolisms and crazy confidence. I have high hopes to create, with Jenn and Erin, an army of nutritionists and fitness experts ready for the battle we call life.

My approach to nutrition is a simple and works with our fast-paced lives and tight budgets. I will be your frugal and realistic diet guide with the compassion required to empower women, who—on average—have 65,000 more thoughts a day then men (talk about over-thinkers!). I teach from the heart how women’s bodies work, what they really need and how they can feel their best. I invite you to take the journey with us where fun, support and truth shall set you free from the binds of your lonely diet journey…

Life is about fueling good and keeping a lid on the junk in the trunk! —Jessica

See what I mean? She rocks! Stay tuned for her future posts on all things nutrition on FBG and on Fit Bottomed Babies. Also, be sure to check out Jessica’s online store for her favorite nutrition products (password is “liftoff”). —Jenn

Back in graduate school, I stumbled across a small yet growing franchise called Noodles & Company. At the time, it was a pretty refreshing and cool concept—lots and lots of noodles from a variety of different cultures all on one menu. I happily gobbled up pad thai, Bangkok curry, spaghetti with tomato sauce and I even once tried their famed Wisconsin Mac and Cheese (no finger pointing—all good things in moderation!).

After grad school, I moved away from Minnesota and, sadly there were no convenientNoodles to be found. Until now! Noodles just moved into my ‘hood! (Originally started in Colorado, they are expanding across the country!) Can you tell I’m excited?

The good people at Noodles & Co. recently gave me a gift card to try some of their new dishes, and, while I tried to play it cool, I was geeking out hard core. Thankfully, the food at Noodles is as I remembered from years ago: healthy, fast and fresh. I tried a “Trio” which includes some type of noodle, a protein and a mini salad. My Trio concoction was as deliciously follows: Japanese Pan Noodles (pictured left) with tofu and a tossed green salad with a little fat-free Asian dressing. It was filling, and with just under 500 cals, it’s  the perfect dinner that will make you feel like you ate some good stuff but know you won’t regret it during that 6 a.m. run the next day.

My other Noodles faves? You can NEVER go wrong with the Med Salad, a tasty half-noodle half-salad dish with cheese or the Thai Curry Soup, which is super filling and only has 240 calories in a small serving (480 for large, but it’s a big-arse bowl).

Have you eaten at a Noodles & Company? Love it? Loathe it? Wish you had one in your town? Tell us about it! I’m obviously a fan…(and absolutely giving my honest-to-goodness unpaid opinion!) —Jenn

Yesterday I went on and on about Cat Cora’s awesomeness and then you got to hear in her own words how she and her family stay so darn active and healthy. I had the chance to review her latest cookbook, Cat Cora’s Classics with a Twist, and let me tell you, it rocks.

It’s not like most of the other healthy cookbooks that we review that list out calories and other nutritional facts about each dish, but it does feature fresh, healthy ingredients. And, like Cat said in her interview yesterday, she’s very health-conscious, so it’s no wonder that the recipes she creates are, too.

I tried her Spinach Paella and the Hungarian Goulash ( which I chose because how often do you sit and think, “Man, I sure could go for some goulash right now” and then actually make it?!) and it is sooo tasty! Neither dish was overly complicated to make, but they were show stoppers, as I felt like I was really cooking (Iron Chef Jenn!) and not just throwing ingredients together. Plus, I felt really good serving it to my family. Sure, some of the recipes take a lot of time (why does it take me forever to cook rice every time I make it?!), but on a lazy Sunday, it’s perf!

At this point, I bet you’re thinking, man, I really want a recipe from this book to make myself. Right? Well, we’ve got you covered. Cat offered up the opportunity for us to feature TWO recipes (one here and another on Fit Bottomed Babies for healthy salmon burgers!) and we jumped. Double the fun!

Spinach Paella

(Serves 4-6)

4 c store-bought low-sodium stock
½ tsp crushed saffron threads*
1 lb chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¼- by 3- inch strips
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ c extra-virgin olive oil
15-oz cooked turkey chorizo (or any sausage you like), sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 ¼ c)
2 tsp finely chopped fresh jalapeño pepper
2 c. brown rice
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 c canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 lb baby spinach leaves, well washed**
About ½ c of water
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1. Heat the stock in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, reduce the heat to low, and keep at a simmer.

2. Place the saffron in a small bowl. Pour about ½ cup of the warm stock over the saffron and let it steep.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until it’s hot but is not smoking. Add sausage and the chicken to the pan. Cook, stirring, until golden brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes, and transfer the chicken and sausage to a plate. Add the bell pepper, jalapeño and tomatoes to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook until the peppers begin to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika and the cumin.

4. Pour the rice into the plan and stir just until coated. Pour in 2 cups of warm stock and add the saffron and its steeping liquid. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan along with any juices on the plate, stir to combine, and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, until most of the stock has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the spinach puree. In a blender, puree half of the spinach with the water. Add more spinach, a little at a time. If the mixture can’t be pureed, add more water, 2 tablespoons at a time. The puree should be very thick. Set aside.

6. To finish the paella, taste the rice and add salt to taste. If the rice is still hard, add another ½ cup warm stock and stir. Simmer until the broth is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste the rice again and add another ½ cup broth if it is still too hard. Add more salt if necessary. The paella is done when the rice still has a hint of firmness.

7. Then, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a large sheet of foil, letting it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir the spinach puree into the paella. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like. Transfer to a large platter, sprinkle with the scallions and cilantro, and serve family-style. Enjoy!

Want to try more of the recipes? One random U.S. reader will win the book next week. Just comment to enter! —Jenn

*Saffron ain’t cheap—in the least ($15 for a small bit!)—so if you’re cooking on a budget don’t be freaked when you find it in the spices aisle. Just remember—making it at home and having tons of leftovers is still waaay cheaper than eating it out!

**If you aren’t a big spinach fan, consider cutting the spinach and water in half. A little green goes a long way!

And, yes, it really is delicious.

After reviewing the Flat Belly Diet! Family Cookbook yesterday and raving about the tasty yet healthy mac and cheese, you didn’t think that we would tease you and not share the recipe with you, right?! Of course not! Our moms taught us well; we love to share. So behold the recipe for a mac and cheese that you can feel good about serving yourself and your fam (note: it doesn’t come out of a box)!

Crunchy Crust “Mac and Cheese”

4 oz multi-grain macaroni
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
3 tbsp Panko bread crumbs
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 c fat-free milk
1/2 c shredded, reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish with vegetable spray.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside. Combine the bread crumbs and 2 teaspoons oil in a small bowl. Stir with a fork to evenly coat the crumbs with oil.

3. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon oil to a large saucepan. Set over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour, paprika, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking, for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese until it melts. Stir in the macaroni. Pour into the baking dish. Top evenly with the crumbs.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

5. Eat it up, nom!

Each 1-cup serving of this comfort food has 328 calories and a good amount of healthy fats. The entire recipe takes just an hour from prep to dinner time and the entire recipe serves four. When I made it, I doubled the recipe for leftovers (loved it for lunches!) and used a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. Worked wonderfully. Hooray for healthy comfort food! —Jenn

I love, love, love breakfast. However, I also love the snooze button. So sometimes in the morning, between rushing to get to the gym, then getting ready, then making it to work on time, breakfast is rather, er, chaotic. (And I don’t even have kids! Ack!) Which is sad. Because breakfast rocks, and eating in the morning is such an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Did you know that people who eat breakfast regularly weigh less than those who skip it? Yep, they do. And while I never skip breakfast, it’s not always the most gourmet fare—a banana and a few bites of cottage cheese here, a piece of toast with a slather of almond butter there. But Erin and I recently had the chance to try three new breakfast foods (read: the companies sent them to us) and drinks that turn ordinary (or rushed and sad) breakfasts into molto deliciouso (that’s Italian for awesomely tasty)!

Ella Scones

I’ve never made a scone in my life, so I was definitely interested in trying out the Ella Baking Mixes products. The Ella line of products is dedicated to the company founder’s mom, who had heart disease during her last years of life. The heart-healthy scone mixes have no cholesterol, and are chock full of Omega-3s and soy protein.

The baking mixes aren’t just for scone-making either. You can use them for muffins, pancakes, brownies and even biscotti. I tried out the raspberry mix for muffins (you just add milk and a little sugar) and even with the added sugar, I thought they tasted a little bland. But then I tried the chocolate and the lemon-poppyseed mixes as scones, and they were a big hit. I don’t know if it was the texture or the sconey shape, but the chocolate one especially could easily become a regular at my breakfast table. Who wouldn’t like a chocolate chip breakfast item?

And a big bonus? The scones are all less than 200 calories a serving and are SUPER EASY to make. You just add water, plop the big ball of dough down and cut it into 10 pieces. Easy as pie…or easy as Ella scones!

Chia Goodness

With a name like Chia Goodness, it has to be good, right? This raw breakfast is gluten-free, dairy-free, low-glycemic and it includes chocolate. With a mix of chia, buckwheat, shelled hemp seeds, raw organic cacao nibs and a little sea salt with dates, almonds and organic cane evaporated cane juice, it’s darn good for you. There are 130 calories a serving, along with 7 grams of good fat, 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. Plus, each serving gives you a good amount of iron, zinc, copper, magnesium and manganese. It’s kind of a super food.

So how does it taste? Well, it’s different. You measure out 2 tablespoons of the mix and then add 4 tablespoons of hot or cold water or milk (I tried hot water). Then you wait about five minutes for it to absorb the water and thicken. For just 2 tablespoons to begin with you do end up with a decent-sized portion, but for breakfast I would probably need to pair it with a piece of fruit or a hard-boiled egg to round out my meal. While the taste was pretty chocolaty (more of a dark, bitter chocolate flavor, which I love, but I know not everyone does), the texture was…um…interesting. It was kind of like a mix of oatmeal, cereal and tapioca. It’s something I could get used to and like, but if you’re someone who has issues with foods with slimier textures, you may just want to forgo this one.

Splenda Coffee

I swore off caffeine at the beginning of my pregnancy, but as the months pile up, I’ve become more relaxed with my caffeine intake. Meaning that I’ll actually have a cup of regular coffee some mornings instead of decaf. Crazy!

But now that it’s hotter than blazes outside, that steaming cup of coffee doesn’t always sound so scrumptious—and that’s where frozen coffee drinks make their grand appearance.

This 70-calorie Frozen Almond Cappuccino made with Splenda is an excellent substitution for those high-cal Starbucks frozen treats—not to mention cheaper! With a couple of ice cubes, nonfat milk powder, Splenda, almond extract, instant espresso granules and low-fat milk, you’ll be walking out the door with a frosty coffee treat that won’t leave you sweating (or regretting an early-morning caloric splurge)!

What do you eat for breakfast? Quick and simple? Slow and planned? We wanna know! —Jenn & Erin

This post is brought to you by Kristen Seymour, a new contributing writer for Fit Bottomed Girls who embraces and follows the fun-and-health loving FBG lifestyle. Kristen will be jumping in from time to time to write some articles as Erin spends more time over at our new site, Fit Bottomed Babies!

Drinks should serve a specific purpose, don’t you think? Fresh-squeezed orange juice provides lots of nutrients and gives you that happy-to-be-out-of bed feeling. Sports drinks help you restock your body with electrolytes after you’ve sweated them out. And wine…well, we all know what purpose wine serves!

When FBG received Odwalla’s newest beverage, Strawberry Protein Monster, to review, I was interested to see just what purpose it would serve. The packaging says it’s a “berry-licious way to rebuild and recharge.” Would it be a good on-the-go breakfast? A post-workout beverage? A quick and healthful snack?

With 25 grams of protein per bottle, it certainly qualifies as a protein drink (and we know how FBG Jenn loves her protein drinks)! It’s the other ingredients that have me a little more concerned. Yes, 25 grams of protein is great, and it provides plenty of calcium, vitamins B6 and B12, but all that goodness comes with some less savory friends; namely, 300 calories, 33 grams of sugar, and 170 milligrams of sodium. Now, the drink itself isn’t bad—maybe a bit on the chalky side, but sweet like strawberries and easy enough to drink—but with those kinds of stats on a beverage billed as a healthful choice, I really expected to be blown away with the tastiness.

Granted, the nutrition facts state that one bottle is considered two servings, but the point of a beverage like this is that it’s easy to grab when you’re on the go. How often do you drink only half of something you bring with you on your morning commute?

To find out more about what we should (and shouldn’t) look for in a fruity beverage, we talked to Heather Hausenblas, Ph.D., associate professor at the Center for Exercise Science at the University of Florida’s College of Health and Human Performance. “There’s a real push to have these protein drinks available, but often they’re very calorie dense, very protein dense, and, in this case, sugar dense,” she said. “Really, we just need to eat more fruits and veggies.”

As far as whether she thinks Strawberry Protein Monster would help you effectively “rebuild and recharge,” she said, “Yes, you’d probably see an increase in energy [because of all the sugar], but you’d also see a big crash.”

It’s not only the sugar and calories that concerned her, though.

“One of the key things we need to be looking at is the sodium count,” she told us. “The count is really high in many of these drinks even though they’re professing to be healthy. The max—absolute max—the sodium count should be is five percent.”

And what about sugar? “A general rule of thumb for sugar is less than 15 percent. Unfortunately, this is not regulated by the FDA yet. In 2011 it will be.”

While Strawberry Protein Monster is a solid source of lots of good things, we think we’ll stick to our yummy homemade smoothies. —Kristen

Sure, it’s a little hot out these days, but who couldn’t use another healthy soup recipe to throw into their rotation? I know I could! This Healthy Italian Wedding Soup is brought to you courtesy of Dr. Walter Crinnion, author of Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat. 

Healthy Italian Wedding Soup

(Serves 4)

½ package lean ground turkey
4 Jennie-O Italian Turkey Sausage links, sliced
Spike seasoning to taste
1 tsp sea salt
1 package gluten-free pasta spirals
8 c water
32 oz organic vegetable broth
14½-oz can organic tomatoes
3 c organic frozen spinach
1 tsp onion powder

1. In a large sauté pan, brown the turkey. Season with the Spike, drain and set aside.

2. Place the sausage in a sauté pan, season with the Spike and brown.

3. Add the sea salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and set aside.

4. In a large soup pot, heat the water and the broth, tomatoes, and spinach. Add the turkey, sausage and onion powder, and stir until a low boil is attained. Reduce the heat to simmer and stir in the pasta. Cover, simmer for about 30 minutes, and serve.

Hope you all enjoy this delicious dish. And don’t forget to go comment to win a copy of the book! —Erin

The above is an excerpt from the book Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat by Dr. Walter Crinnion. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Reprinted by permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., from Clean, Green & Lean, by Walter Crinnion. Copyright © 2010 by Walter Crinnion.

And what do they find? Deliciousness! OK, so the title is a sorry attempt at a cliché bar joke and a sad pun on the word “bar” to begin with, but we couldn’t resist. However, here are three bars we recently got our dirty mitts on. Some worth trying, some not!

Wings of Nature Organic Bars

Wings of Nature

The folks at Wings of Nature were nice enough to send me a couple of their bars to try. Initially we got a kick out of the name. Erin immediately thought of maxi pads, which could very well be attributed to the fact that she’s period-free (brat). I, on the other hand, thought of that song by Jeffrey Osborne song, ”On the Wings of Love.” If the Cranberry Crunch Bar hadn’t been divine, I’d be very perturbed at the company for getting that song stuck in my head. Luckily, I didn’t think of pads or cheesy songs when I chomped into that heavenly goodness. That little thing was so tasty I may have licked my fingers. On a health bar! Packing 17 grams of carbs, this bar was perfect after my 3 mile-run. It was sans weird-powder aftertaste and gluten–free, so my sensitive stomach was a fan. I dug the healthy party-time in my mouth.

Sadly, that the same party didn’t happen after trying the Almond Raisin Bar. It was a typical bland bar that you’d shove down after a workout to avoid passing out. The Espresso Coffee Bar gave me a “Wow, there’s a lot of coffee in my mouth right now!” kind of moment. While I’m sure the java junkies of the world would disagree with me, I couldn’t really hang with the intense beans found in that bar. I will say this, though: My guy loved the darn thing. He, unlike me, actually enjoys the real taste of coffee and thought the flavor was subtle. (See aren’t ya’ll glad I got a second opinion?) He was a bit disappointed in its lack of protein (only 5 grams), but he’d still use it as a snack bar 45 minutes before a run.

If you’re tired of your same ol’ bar and looking for something scrumptiously new, try riding the Wings of Nature. Tongue A.D.D. is a terrible thing to ignore.

Kardea Nutrition Bars

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: There are SO MANY DANG BARS OUT THERE! Therefore, when we agree to review one, we make sure that it’s different or unique—and we’re pretty brutal in our review. With so many choices, you have to be the best-of-the-best to get the FBG stamp of approval. When I first saw the Kardea bars, I liked their natural-looking packaging and nutritional stats: less than 200 cals a bar, high in fiber, high in good fat, low in bad fat and 7 grams of protein. Plus, they include cholesterol-lowering plant sterols. Since high cholesterol runs in my family, my ears perked up at that.

The first Kardea variety I tried was Banana Nut. And, guess what? It tasted like a Banana Nut muffin—like the homemade kind, not the fake-banana kind. Score one for Kardea. The next flavor? Cranberry Almond. Also quite pleasant and real-food tasting. I’m beginning to dig this company…and then, the mother of all flavors: Chai Spice. The flavor was unique, strong yet not overpowering and it filled me up. Game, set, match to Kardea. Ya’ll are in the running for a Noshie next year!

Kellogg’s FiberPlus Antioxidants

A new contender in the world of all things fiberific is Kellogg’s with its new FiberPlus Antioxidants line of bars. For these, it looks like they squared up Fiber One bars and then took it to ‘em—hard. I’ve eaten a Fiber One bar (or 50) in my day, and I gotta say, when it comes to wanting a sweet treat that won’t leave you starving in an hour, you can’t beat ‘em. However, I’ve always thought that they were a tad too sweet. FiberPlus did take note of that and toned the bars down by 2 grams of sugar compared to Fiber One. The bars still taste sweet, but not sickeningly sweet. They also have 20 cals less than the original Fiber One bars and have fewer carbs. Both have 9 grams of fiber and list “sugar” instead of high fructose corn syrup in their ingredients.

What about taste, you ask? I am in love with the Chocolately Peanut Butter variety! So freakin’ delicious. The Dark Chocolate Almond and the Chocolate Chip are good, too, but there’s really no fair comparison to peanut butter and chocolate. Now I still wouldn’t eat these daily, as they’re a pretty processed food, but as an occasional treat instead of ice cream or something else? Heck ya!

What are your favorite nutritional bars? Do you eat them as snacks? And what’s most important to you: taste or ingredients? —Jenn & Tish

Disclosure: These products were provided for review by their respective manufacturer, but in no way is this post or our review of products sponsored, influenced or paid for by any company. We tell it like it is!