That's Fit

When it comes to healthy lunches, packing your own is one of the best ways to make sure you're not overdoing it on calories and fat. And what is synonymous with a brown bag lunch? A sandwich. But nutritionally speaking, not all sandwiches are created equal, even homemade ones.

According to eDiets, just one tablespoon of mayo will add 100 calories and 10 g of fat to your sandwich -- that's enough calories to add six pounds to your waistline each year!

Want a better choice that adds just a much flavor? Mustard is your best bet at a mere 10 calories per tablespoon. If you just can't stand your sandwich without mayo? Light mayo has about half the fat and calories.

Another celebrity who doesn't diet but still sports a super slim physique: Gwyneth Paltrow. She dishes about her ban on all things diet-related on today's Oprah show. Tune in for the whole scoop -- or check out this video for a 40-second snippet.

In a nutshell, here's what the 35-year-old actress says about eating what she wants, when she wants it.

• Paltrow finds it impossible to stick to a diet. It's the idea that you can't have something that makes her want it even more. Ah, deprivation -- a diet derailer for sure.
• Instead of counting calories, this star prefers to work up a sweat. "It's worth it to me to do that extra exercise so I can eat what I want and not think about it," she says.
• To demonstrate her love for food -- and her willingness to eat it -- Paltrow and chef Mario Batali cooked, ate, and drank their way across Spain for their upcoming show, Spain ... On the Road Again. The PBS culinary series debuts September 20 and will go on to follow a tour of 13 cities.

  Gallery: Gwyneth Paltrow: Slim without diets

  

While Paltrow may not follow a strict diet, she's obviously eating right -- I'd guess junk foods are not a staple on her daily menu. Combined with her solid exercise routine, she's found a good balance. You can too.

Michael Phelps might have consumed 12,000 calories a day while training for the Beijing Olympics, but gymnast Nastia Liukin wants to make sure the world knows that not all athletes get to eat like that.

The gold medalist said that she takes in close to 1200 calories, starting with "eggs or yogurt or oatmeal" for breakfast. "Then for lunch I'll have a salad with chicken or fish or some sort of protein and then for dinner I keep it really light with probably just a piece of fish and vegetables."

Liukin says that it's "just enough to keep [her] energized," which is a good reminder to those of us trying to drop some pounds. Even if you're putting in serious time at the gym, as she and her Olympic teammates undoubtedly do, you still have to be careful about your diet. She might not be taking in a ton of calories, but she's making sure they're healthy ones!

If you've been debating whether or not to try a nutritional supplement, you may be surprised to know that you've already been using one for quite some time -- even if you didn't realize it.

Ask almost any regular exerciser what one of the most effective and widely-used supplement is, and they'll surely tell you it's caffeine. Research shows that drinking a caffeinated beverage prior to a workout can help a person lift more weight and complete more reps. What's more, caffeine -- in particular, coffee -- is one of the main single sources of antioxidants in the American diet, which means that it helps neutralize free radicals as it helps burn fat and improve athletic performance.

There have been over 21,000 studies conducted on the health benefits/detriments of caffeine on the body. And though I obviously focused on a benefit in this post, it's worth knowing that other research indicates that consuming too much caffeine can restrict blood flow during exercise. Clearly this falls into the "detrimental" category. However, in this study, participants consumed 300mg of caffeine, or the equivalent of about three cups of home brew. Therefore, using the results of said study as our guide, if you keep your pre-workout caffeine intake to one cup, you should be just fine.

Many vegetarians champion tofu for its meatless protein and versatility. They also eat quite a lot of it, and some sources are saying -- and have been saying for a while actually -- that no good can come of this.

Basically, because tofu is an unfermented soy product, there are chemicals left in the soy that are not only indigestible, but also rob your body of other nutrients. Phytates block mineral absorption and trypsin inhibitors block protein digestion.

In this video interview, Dr. Kaayla Daniel says she isn't so much worried about the people who eat a couple of chunks of tofu in miso soup and the like, but more the vegetarians who eat slabs of tofu daily as their main source of protein. She also says that eating tofu is still safer than ingesting soy protein isolate or hydrolyzed soy protein, ingredients found in many processed foods like veggie burgers.

Fried green tomatoes, step aside: there's a healthier dish in town. Full of flavor and nutritious goodies, green tomato rice may become the new "in" side dish using the popular unripe fruit.

We don't want the trans fats that frying gives us, and bread crumbs have almost no nutritional value. And we certainly don't want the calories in fried green tomatoes -- 312 calories in just one tomato! Brown rice, on the other hand, supplies B vitamins and fiber, and garlic, thyme and jalepeno all have their heart-smart health benefits.

To get the most from green tomato rice, be sure to use brown rice (and increase the broth slightly) and nitrite-free turkey bacon; then enjoy your new green tomato staple side dish!

In 1980, when Brooke Shields was just a teenager, she did a few Calvin Klein jeans ads with the famous tagline, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." It appears the same has held true nearly 30 years later -- she showed up at a party for the designer's 40th anniversary wearing the same jeans. And yep, those are it in the picture.

Aside from the Calvins, Brooke obviously has pretty good genes of her own. But, genetics alone doesn't allow a 43-year-old woman and mother to fit into jeans she wore when she was 14 or 15, and Brooke shared a couple of her slim-down secrets, including cutting down on carbs.

She said, "If I stay away from too much carbohydrates, I'm usually better off," but that doesn't mean she deprives herself, adding, "I don't want to go through life not enjoying." In addition to watching her diet, she keeps her body buff by spinning and practicing yoga. Keep doing whatever you're doing, Brooke -- it's working!

Last week, we asked you which 'Secret of the Naturally Slim' you struggle with. Here's what we learned:

• 24% of you can't help indulging on special occasions (I fall into this category too!)
• 20% of you can't stop eating until you feel totally stuffed.
• 19% of you are emotional eaters
• 12% of you don't get enough sleep
• 7% of you just don't eat enough healthy stuff
• 5% of you see hunger as an emergency
• 4% of you can't stick to a healthy eating routine
• 4% of you don't have enough time to exercise

Thanks for sharing. Be sure to cast your vote in our most recent poll -- What's your healthiest habit? -- and stay tuned for more Your Turn polls.

It's been one whole year since Valerie Bertinelli dropped 40 pounds as Jenny Craig spokeswoman and still, she's trying to get cozy in her new skin.

"I'm just getting more and more comfortable in this body," said Bertinelli. "It's still a journey. I'm not done yet."

Bertinelli, now weighing in at 132 pounds, just recently paraded down the red carpet at the Creative Arts Emmys, where she presented three awards and sported a dress by David Meister, who she says knows a woman's body: "It's okay to have a small waist and big hips," said Bertinelli, referring to her body and his masterpiece.

Next up for the former One Day at a Time star and author of bestselling book Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time: A daytime talk show. It's in the works, and is scheduled to air next year.

Exercise is one of the greatest gifts you can give your body -- as long as you do it right. Check out these three fitness mistakes, guaranteed to up your risk for strain, soreness, and injury.

• Forgetting to warm up and cool down Warming up reduces the risk of injury, and stretching after a workout prevents soreness. Be sure to stretch right, though -- improper stretching can be just as dangerous as not stretching at all. A basic rule: Don't bounce. It will cause tears in your muscles.
• Not cross-training You've got to mix it up, because doing the same thing over and over again results in overused and strained muscles. Get a well-rounded workout by practicing a variety of cardio and strength training activities.
• Engaging in improper form Don't rush through your workout. Pay attention to quality, not quantity, so you don't strain your muscles. Ever blast through a set of crunches and feel all sorts of pulling on your neck? Bad form, indeed.

Are you committing any of these fitness crimes? I am -- I rarely stretch and I mostly run for my cardio. Time for some behavior modification. And you?

Feel free to borrow these tips, ladies, but men -- these are mostly for you. Well, those of you who just can't part with goodies like cookies, beer, bacon, and chips. This list offers you options for satisfying your cravings but without the ill-effects. Don't delay -- click on the thumbnails to read on!

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose one per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Dear Fitz, My mom has learned that if she doesn't get healthier, she'll get diabetes! She wants to lose weight and all that, but her job has her up all night! She has to get some sleep during the day. Are there any really good exercises you can do in a chair, or ones that aren't too tiring for the days? Please help! Jerry

Hi Jerry. What a thoughtful child you are! You're concerned for your mother and you have great reason to be. Diabetes is a very serious disease, and if she has the opportunity to avoid it, she should. The night shift sounds difficult, but to be honest ... so is the day shift. Mom just sleeps and works at opposite times than you do.

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.

There's no denying it -- some people seem to be prone to every kind of illness out there, while some are healthy as a horse. I tend to fall into the latter category -- besides one doozy of a cold I had last January, I haven't been sick in ages. But trust me, I'm exposed to just as many germs as anyone else, be it at the office, at the gym, at school and just about any public place I frequent.

AOL Health recently listed the healthy habits of women who never get sick, including these:

• Get regular massages (I really like this one!)
• Wash your hands
• Sip ginger and honey for stomach and bowel issues
• Take cold showers
• Get your fill of garlic, vitamin c and zinc

As for me, I find that the old adage an apple a day keeps the doctor away really works! How do you stay healthy?

Chinese food is a rare indulgence for me, but there's no denying that when I go for Chinese, indulge I do. Noodles, deep-fried chicken balls, sweet and sour sauce -- I love a good Chinese feast. But it's not the most calorie-conscious cuisine. eDiets recently counted down the five worst Chinese choices:

• Crispy anything. It's just another way of saying 'deep fried.'
• Egg rolls. Again, just another way of saying 'deep fried'
• Spare ribs. The meat is fatty and slathered in sugary, salty sauce. Enough said.
• Sweet and sour anything. Whatever mystery meat they're serving is deep fried and slathered in sugary sauce. Skip.
• Fried rice. White rice alone is not a great choice. White rice fried in fat and served with bits of mystery meat is about 100 times worse.

What do you skip at the Chinese restaurant?