Ever Tasted Sriracha? Biggest Losers Swear By It

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It has no fat. It's not jammed with calories. And it will certainly put a pep in your step.

Sriracha is a hot sauce popular with contestants on the hit NBC show, "Biggest Loser."

That's according to Julie Hadden, the local mom who lost 97 pounds and placed second in Season 2.

Julie says they used it to zip up their metabolism. She even put it on egg whites for breakfast.

Julie says she buys it in Jacksonville at Asian supermarkets or in the ethnic aisle at grocery stores.

She's coaching our top 12 finalists in the local version of Biggest Loser. Six men and six women are in week two of our local contest.

They met Julie and her personal chef, Chef Jessica, at a kitchen in Mandarin to talk about converting you-shouldn't-eat-foods into healhy foods.

Chef Jessica makes pizza with whole wheat pita rounds.

She takes bottled spaghetti sauce (read labels for lower sugar content) and perks it up with Sriracha sauce and a touch of honey. Then she puts on real cheese (....not going overboard), fresh basil she cuts up and turkey pepperoni. Bake at 350 and you have a slimmer pizza.

Chef Jessica has redone many recipes for Julie, who says she has learned to really like the new choices.

Julie says she also learned on the TV show to drink ice water because they were told it boosts metabolism better than water at room temperature.

Another tip? Julie told our contestants they should always carry snacks---almonds, apples, granola bars, healthy items--in their car. It can save a lot of desperate trips into fast food lanes.

Our Biggest Loser on the First Coast will be chosen by highest percentage of body weight lost.

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