Summer is upon us and Starbucks has created a new flavored Frappuccino to entice you.  Cool coffee drinks in the heat seem like a good idea, but their new featured beverage the Orange Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème, doesn't even contain coffee.  Nope, it's a glorified dreamsicle milkshake.  I am not knocking the flavor, but the calories seem a bit high, though you can always opt for the Light version made with Splenda.  The Light option has no whip.  No siree bob ... if you get the light version, you will get no whip.  In my opinion, all these drinks should be ordered with NO WHIP, since the whipped cream adds a lot of additional calories to the drinks.

Here's the breakdown of the Orange drinks now featured at Starbucks.

Orange Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème No Whip (Tall 12 oz.):  250 calories, 15 fat calories, 51g carbs, 42g sugar
Orange Crème Frappuccino® Blended Crème with Whip (Tall 12 oz.):  330 calories, 90 fat calories, 53g carbs, 44g sugar
Orange Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee No Whip (Tall 12 oz.):  230 calories, 25 fat calories, 47g carbs, 40g sugar
Orange Mocha Frappuccino® Blended Coffee with Whip (Tall 12 oz.):  310 calories, 100 fat calories, 49g carbs, 40g sugar
Orange Crème Frappuccino® Light Blended Crème (Tall 12 oz.):  110 calories, 0 fat calories, 25g carbs, 20g sugar

All these drinks contain a lot of sugar, even the light version has 20 grams which is roughly 4 teaspoons.  Too much sugar for my taste.  Plus, I generally want and/or need the caffeine so I will stick with my simple iced coffee.

When it comes to barbecue fare, ketchup mustard, and relish are necessary accessories for most grillables.  If you like to dress up your dog with condiments take a few moments to learn how many calories those little dollops add to your meal.

Heinz Ketchup (2 tbsp):  30 calories, 0g fat, 380mg sodium, 8g carbs, 0g fiber, 8g sugars, 0g protein

Heinz Organic Ketchup (2 tbsp):  40 calories, 0g fat, 380mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g fiber, 8g sugars, 0g protein

Simply Heinz Ketchup (2 tbsp):  40 calories, 0g fat, 380mg sodium, 10g carbs, 0g fiber, 8g sugars, 0g protein

Heinz One Carb Ketchup (2 tbsp):  10 calories, 0g fat, 380mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars, 0g protein

French's Classic Yellow Mustard (2 tsp)  0 calories, 0g fat, 110mg sodium, 2g carbs, 0g fiber, 1g sugars, 0g protein

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard and Country Mustard (2 tsp):  10 calories, 0g fat, 240mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0g protein

French's Honey Mustard (2 tsp):  20 calories, 0g fat, 60mg sodium, 1g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0g protein

Kraft Mayonnaise (2 tbsp):  180 calories, 20g fat, 140mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0g protein

Bread and Butter Pickles (1 slice):  6 calories, 0g fat, 54mg sodium, 1.5g carbs, 0.1g fiber, 0.7g sugars, 0.1g protein

Sweet Pickle Relish (2 tbsp):  39 calories, 0.1g fat, 243mg sodium, 10.5g carbs, 0.3g fiber, 4.8g sugars, 0.1g protein

Frank's Red Hot Sauce (1 tsp):  0 calories, 0g fat, 200mg sodium, 0g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0g protein

Chili Sauce (2 tbsp):  20 calories, 2g fat, 70mg sodium, 10.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 0.1g protein

BBQ Sauce (2 tbsp):  21 calories, 0.5g fat, 231mg sodium, 3.6g carbs, 0.3g fiber, 1.1g sugars, 0.5g protein

Most of what controls your metabolism is not under your control, some folks have fast metabolisms and others have slow ones.  Also, as we age our metabolism slows down.  Scientists have estimated that metabolism slows about 5 percent per decade, beginning at age 40 as we lose muscle mass and increase body fat.  Muscle burns more calories than fat, so when you lose muscle mass your caloric needs decrease.  Luckily you are not completely at the mercy of your genetics — There are a few things you can do to keep your metabolism up.

Basically, metabolism is the total of all body processes that burn calories — your basal metabolic rate (calories burned by simply being alive) plus your activity factor since we all know that exercise burns calories.

The basal metabolic rate includes the energy we need for body processes, including digestion.  About 10 percent of our calories are used to process the food we eat.  This phenomenon, known as the thermic effect of food, is influenced by how much, how often and what we eat.  In addition, food can directly affect metabolism by altering the way the body functions, which changes the amount of energy it needs.

According to Joy Bauer, nutritionist and author of the book Food Cures, there are ways to maximize your metabolism.  Curious to know what they are?  Then

• Eat at least 1,000 calories per day (I would say 1,200 calories, myself).  Although it is generally true that eating a low-calorie diet will help you take off weight, if you eat too few calories, your metabolism will get slower and slower as it tries to conserve energy.  As your metabolism crashes, the weight you take off will most likely creep back on over time.  Plus, you'll be more likely to binge on junk food if you reduce your calories by too much.
• Eat every four to five hours.  A regular meal schedule helps keep your body working to digest and absorb foods.  Between breakfast and bed, aim to eat a meal or snack every four to five hours.  Try to eat breakfast within 90 minutes of rising — People who regularly eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to control their weight.  If you wait to eat until you're ravenous, you're more likely to overeat later in the day.  Also, breakfast helps fire up your metabolism after a full night on a slow simmer.
• Eat protein with every meal.  All foods contribute to the thermic effect, which means that all foods — carbohydrates, fats and proteins — help to give metabolism a gentle nudge higher when we eat them, but protein has the greatest thermic effect of all.  In addition, protein can increase metabolism by helping to maintain and build muscle mass.

Walking through the health food store, I am always looking for new snacks to try.  I look for ones that have few ingredients, so when I came upon KIND Fruit + Nut Bars, and I could see the whole nuts and pieces of dried fruit, I had to pick some up.

There are tons of flavors to choose from like Macadamia & Apricot, Walnut & Date, and Banana & Oat Bran.  They are gluten-free, dairy-free, have no trans fat, no GMO, are a good source of fiber, and have no added preservatives, colors, or flavors.

How do they taste?  So delicious!  They're got a great chewy and crunchy texture that was very satisfying.  All the natural ingredients make this bar so flavorful, and a great afternoon snack before or after a workout.  Plus, they're conveniently wrapped, so you can stash them in your desk, purse, or gym bag.

They're made in Australia with all natural ingredients, and 5% of the profits go to OneVoice, a PeaceWorks foundation that fosters co-existence in the Middle East, so they're good for your body and for the world.

Want to see the nutritional info?  Then

These bars reminded me a little of LARABARS, so here's a chart comparing the two:

KIND Bar (Almond & Coconut):  190 calories, 14g fat, 25mg sodium, 14g carbs, 4g fiber, 11g sugars, 4g protein.  Ingredients: almonds, honey, shredded coconut, coconut chips, glucose, puffed rice, chicory fiber, soy lecithin

KIND Bar (Almond & Apricot):  170 calories, 11g fat, 25mg sodium, 16g carbs, 5g fiber, 13g sugars, 3g protein.  Ingredients: almonds, apricots, honey, shredded coconut, coconut chips, glucose, puffed rice, chicory fiber, soy lecithin

LARABAR (cashew cookie):  210 calories, 12g fat, 0mg sodium, 23g carbs, 3g fiber, 14g sugars, 6g protein.  Ingredients: cashews, dates

LARABAR (Key Lime Pie):  200 calories, 10g fat, 0mg sodium, 28g carbs, 4g fiber, 20g sugars, 4g protein.  Ingredients: dates, cashews, almonds, unsweetened coconut, lime juice concentrate

I know at first glance it looks like these have a lot of fat, but keep in mind that the fat comes from the nuts, so it's healthy fat your body needs.

Fit's Tips:  If you want to see how these compare to other energy bars, then check out this Energy Bar Breakdown.

Our relationship with our Gallic allies waxes and wanes (remember the Freedom Fries episode), but we Americans could learn a thing or two from the French and their relationship to food.

The adult obesity rate in France is only 11% compared to the U.S. rate of 32%.  Well folks at Penn State University and Cornell University decided to turn this statistic into a learning opportunity.  Eating slower and savoring your food is a healthier way to eat since it makes less food seem like more and gives the body time to achieve satiation.  It also reinforces the well know fact that smaller portions are better, because if there is less on the plate there is less for you to eat.

To read more on the study check out this article on MSNBC.com.  Makes me want to head to the City of Lights right now.