Although you're not consuming loads of candy bars and soda, you could be unknowingly eating too much sugar. You'd be surprised how much sugar is found in the least expected food and beverages.  A graduate student at New York University's department of nutrition says " We shouldn't consume more than 40 grams -- about 10 teaspoons -- of sugar a day, based on a 2,000-calorie diet". To me 10 teaspoons of sugar seems like an impossible amount to consume in an entire day, but the truth is that sugar is hidden everywhere and we should all be aware of this.

THE CULPRITS:

• A breakfast muffin could contain 11 tbs. of sugar.
• A Clif energy bar has five teaspoons of sugar.
• A grande vanilla latte from Starbucks contains about 7 grams of sugar
• Tomato sauces and other condiments also contain an abundance of added sugar.
• Fruit flavored yogurts including those labeled "low fat" are loaded with extra sugar.
• Bread and cereals are the least expected sugar-filled culprits.

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM: 

• Sucrose is essentially table sugar.
• Lactose is a naturally occurring sugar found in milk.
• Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruits and some vegetables -- it's what makes an apple sweet.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), an inexpensive sweetener used in many processed foods made by changing the sugar in corn starch into fructose.

MONITOR YOUR SUGAR INTAKE:

• Check nutrition information on product packaging for grams of sugar.
• Visit the website, most restaurant's and coffee shops offer nutrition facts right on the website.
• Don't forget about the sugar in beverages. Try drinking more water instead.
• While grocery shopping compare labels. If one brand contains more grams of sugar per serving, go for the brand with less sugar.
• Use less condiments. If you normally smother your burger or veggie burger with ketchup, try using less.

SOURCE

If you're a mad food scientist, you may want to think about creating In Vitro meat. PETA is offering a $1 million reward to the first person who figures it out.

In vitro meat production would use animal stem cells that would be placed in a medium to grow and reproduce. The result would mimic flesh and could be cooked and eaten. Some promising steps have been made toward this technology, but we're still several years away from having in vitro meat be available to the general public.

Being a vegan I find this whole concept to be slightly confusing. I love the fact that this could potentially help save the animals and our environment, but on the other hand I don't see myself ever eating the In Vitro meat. To be quite honest it's really the whole fleshy texture and taste that disgusts me. I'll be sticking with tofu!

To learn more about the contest CLICK HERE!

RELATED LINKS:

• Get The Best Nutrition As a Vegetarian
• Bake Your Tofu
• Amy's Bowls, Quick Healthy Meals
• HEALTHY SNACK ALERT: Edamame
• The Top 5 Must Try Superfoods
• Vegetarian Diets Cause Weight Loss
• Skinny Bitch Author Shares Her Healthy Eating & Cooking Secrets

 FIT TABLOIDS: In case you didn't hear enough about Mariah's weight loss on Oprah, now you can read more in the latest issue of Us Weekly.

 FIT CELEB: Kelly Ripa shows off her toned bod in the the hottest pair of Alexander McQueen pumps. I'd kill for those shoes!!!

 ECO FIT: Recycling has never been more fashionable. Check out the New York Post Haute List of eco friendy goods.

 BODY IMAGE: Sophia Bush Helped Britney Snow Overcome Anorexia

 FIT READ: You've been hearing how great antioxidants are but, do you really know why? Read this informative article explaining The DNA of antioxidants.

Wow! Fergie looked stunning in her bikini in the Bahamas on Friday. It's obvious that this girl works very hard for her body, I'm sure fiancé Josh Duhamel is very appreciative.

SOURCE