Diet and Nutrition

Portion Reality Check: Learn How to Enjoy Sweets, Beverages and Salty Snacks

By Janis Jibrin, R.D.,TheBestLife.com lead nutritionist

Portion size is directly related to pants size, especially when it comes to high-calorie treats like ice cream, alcohol and chips. Previously we’ve looked at proper sizes for starch servings. Now we’ll tackle sweets, beverages and salty snacks.  

Sure, none of these foods are necessarily nutritious, but they do make life more fun. That’s why on Bob Greene’s Best Life plan, we’ve set aside a portion of your total daily calories to spend on treats like these. The more daily calories you can consume while maintaining a healthy body weight (or getting down to one), the more “Anything Goes” treat calories you get. You gotta love exercise—it allows you to eat more (treat) calories.

Keep in mind that treat calories are included in the daily calories listed below—they’re not extra. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, and taking in 1,600 calories daily, 1,500 would be spent on fruits, lean protein and other nutritious foods, and 100 on treats. (more…)

Posted on October 10, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

People on Weight Watchers Lose More Weight Than Those in Clinical Weight Loss Programs

Losing weight can be a struggle, which is why there are many different types of weight loss programs people can try. Weight Watchers is a leader, topping best-of lists year after year, and a weight loss program formulated to help people eat healthier while incorporating more physical activity into their lifestyles. Millions have had successfully lost weight with the help of Weight Watchers, including celebrities like Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Hudson, and Ginnifer Goodwin. Weight Watchers isn’t just another diet, it may very well be one of the better approaches to weight loss overall.

As reported by ABCNews, a new study published this week in the journal Obesity found weight loss programs like Weight Watchers could be as effective in losing weight as clinical programs.

The study followed 141 overweight or obese adults who were split in three groups. One group was in a weight loss behavioral program led by a health professional, or Weight Watchers. Another group was led by instructors who have had a successful weight loss journey. And, the third group was a combination of the two.

Participants were involved in group counseling with either professionals or their peer groups and they changed their diet and incorporated more physical activity into their lives. Researchers followed the participants for a year and in the end saw tremendous amount of weight loss from the participants. (more…)

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Samantha

Empty Calories Comic: The GMO Trick in Halloween Treats

See more Empty Calories right here in the blog as we poke fun at the lighter side of dieting and weight loss. (more…)

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Health Buzz

Pimp That Recipe: Caramel Apples for Fall

By Abra Pappa for Nutritious America

Fall is not fall without caramel apples. At least to me. Crisp tart apples and sticky sweet caramel. Yum!

As a child, October meant caramel apples. We would travel to the farmers market to pick out the perfect caramel apple for the ride home. This much-anticipated treat was homemade by the farmer’s wife, with a fresh apple picked from the tree and dipped in a simple caramel sauce, made from sugar, heavy cream and sometimes butter. Then, as Halloween neared, my mother would come home with a big bag of apples and get to work on her own caramel apples for the family.


What was once the simplest and purest treat has turned into the simplest, fastest pre-packaged (and full of scary stuff) treat. Walk down the apple aisle of any grocery store this month and you will find “caramel apple wrappers” and packaged  “old fashioned caramel dip.” Although convenience has its place in today’s hustle and bustle world, I wonder if you have ever read the ingredients in that easy-to-grab dip? (more…)

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Nutritious_America

Doctor Oz Kicks Artificial Sweeteners to the Curb

Are artificial sweeteners doing more damage than good to your health? On October 8th’s episode, Dr. Oz talked about sugar and butter substitutes to set the record straight on what they are, how they affect your body, and if they are harmful.Dr. Oz Show Logo

Dr. Oz cuts right to the chase with three questions he’s asked about artificial sweeteners over and over: Do they cause cancer? Can they cause weight gain? and Are they addictive?

For the first time, Oz links artificial sweeteners to metabolic syndrome, a dangerous epidemic he says is sweeping the nation. Metabolic syndrome consists of high blood pressure, excess belly fat, and insulin resistance. Oz examines the links between artificial sweeteners and Alzheimer’s as well. He decides that the risks outweigh any perceived benefits when it comes to artificial sweeteners. Finally, something we can agree with Oz on. (more…)

Posted on October 9, 2024 by SarahS

Elizabeth Nyland Lost 60 Pounds With Crossfit and a Paleo Diet

As a visibly ripped and fit food blogger, you’d never guess that Elizabeth Nyland of the blog Guilty Kitchen ever struggled with her weight. But in fact, before she ever hit her teenage years she was already well into a years-long battle with weight gain.

At age 18,  Elizabeth stood at just 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighed 185 pounds. Now, at age 29 (and the same height) she’s down to a happy 125. But getting to that point wasn’t easy.

(more…)

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Dana

Soda Vending Machines To List Calorie Counts in 2024

As if the soda industry hasn’t gained enough negative attention from the New York City soda ban, another wave of criticism has caused a serious change that will roll out as early as next year. 

What will likely become a new national standard will begin taking place in 2024: Vending machines in Chicago and San Antonio municipal buildings will begin showing calorie counts on the front of all machines.

As reported by Associated Press, Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper are introducing new vending machines that will show the calorie count of each beverage before you select it. Mock-ups of the new machines by Coca-Cola show 20-ounce bottles of Coke and Sprite in vending machines with labels on the glass that state “240 calories.” We can only assume that this is another initiative – much like the soda ban – to try and make people more conscious of their diet choices.

This move comes as part of the Supreme Court decision this summer to uphold President Obama’s health care law, requiring vending machines and restaurant chains larger than 20 locations to clearly post their calorie information on the menu. McDonald’s complied last month when it began posting nutrition information on its menus nationwide.

Mike Jacobson, the executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told AP that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed an amendment that would require nutrition information to be posted on the side of vending machines via a poster. His organization advocates for food safety and nutrition and is pleased about these upcoming changes, believing they will help people make more conscious decisions regarding their health.

“This would be an important step forward. Currently, people don’t think about calories when they go up to a vending machine,” he said. “Having the calories right on the button will hep them make choices.”  (more…)

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Dana

How a Busy Person Can Easily Lose Weight

In the modern day we live in people are leading more hectic lives than ever before. It seems that we are always running around trying to get as much done as possible in the 24 hours that we have been given in a day.

So whenever we begin to think about slowing down and working to lose all that excess weight we are carrying we begin to think about things such as personal trainers, long tedious hours in the gym, expensive and tasteless food, and working day and night trying to prepare it all to eat.

But this idea that most people have of what it takes to lose weight is far from the reality. You can easily lose weight if you implement a few solid principles into your life.

The most important thing to do is avoid those scams out there, such as weight loss pills. They just don’t work!

The following tips will help you lose weight fast: (more…)

Posted on October 9, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Running in a Glycogen Depleted State Lets Your Body Access Fat Stores

Are you in the midst of training for a half or full marathon? If the answer is yes, I’m guessing that carbohydrate gels are a big part of your training routine. Even if the answer is no, there’s probably a good chance that you consume these gels, chews or other such supplements to get through your runs.

While these gels have a place in long distance run training, of late, runners have been overusing them, believing they need the supplements for even short runs. That overuse comes with some heavy consequences.

Here’s the deal: Our bodies are designed to run on either sugar or fat. Sugar, or glycogen, comes in very limited stores. Fat, on the other hand, is available in a nearly endless supply. The trick is to teach your body to access that fat. When you overuse carbohydrate supplements like gels, your body doesn’t get the chance to learn this and it fails to access fat for fuel.

The result of this inability to access fat in a race or a long run is what’s classically known as a bonk. The result of the inability to access fat on a regular basis is slower running and unwanted calories.

So when and where should you use gels and how do you break your dependence on them? You train your body to access fat by practicing runs in a glycogen depleted (GD) state. (more…)

Posted on October 9, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Nicole Scherzinger Reveals 8-Year Struggle with Bulimia

If you’ve ever envied the bodies of slender singers and actresses and thought they had the perfect lives to accompany their perfect figures, think again. Yet another star has opened up her private struggle with an eating disorder. On a recent episode of VH1’s “Behind the Music,” former Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger revealed her eight-year struggle with bulimia.  

The Hawaiian-born star and former X Factor judge revealed that her eating disorder began in 2003 when she felt pressure to slim down for the revealing outfits she and other members of the group had to wear for performances.

“I got my outfit, and my outfit was a bra and some underwear and some garters,” Scherzinger said. “I was sweating in the back room and I was like I can’t go out there. I can’t do this.”

Scherzinger, 34, recalled it was all new to her and she was incredibly scared. In addition, she was not comfortable with her body.

Other members of the Pussycat Dolls took note of her struggles early on and noticed that she didn’t feel comfortable in her own skin. “She didn’t see a perfect figure when she looked in the mirror,” recalled one of the group members. “She said she saw thick thighs and chubby knees and she wanted blonde hair and different lips and a different nose.”

This initial breakdown triggered the start of a full on eating disorder that Scherzinger kept private for nearly a decade. “I guess it was like my addiction, right? I never did drugs, but kinda doing things to myself was my addiction. It’s like when I got offstage, I was on this high, and I’d come back to my room and I’d be alone, so I would just do things,” she said. “My bulimia was my addiction. Hurting myself was my addiction.” (more…)

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Dana

Major Organic Brands, Like Kashi and Naked, Funding Anti-GMO Labeling Campaigns

It’s natural to assume the good in someone, or something. In this case, a brand. Brands like Kashi, Naked, Alexia, Larabar, and Silk have spent millions in marketing and packaging so that we’re comfortable with their do-gooder, earth-friendly, clean and organic food brand personas. These brands are the nemesis of classic grocery store junk. But they just may be the nemesis of conscious eaters everywhere, too, according to a new infographic produced by Cornucopia.org.

The vote in California next month on Prop 37, which would require labeling of GMO and GE food products, is as hot as the presidential election. That vote there, while only immediately effecting California, has the potential to create a new labeling standard across the country. As you can imagine, a GMO labeling law would require transparency where these brands have been able to slip under the radar previously. As well, where companies are the most concerned, it will cost them quite a bit of money to update labeling.


Right there in red and green, you can see which previously assumed supporters of natural, organic, clean foods are just a front for more secrecy behind the label. Dean Foods, parent of Horizon and Silk, has spent a quarter-million dollars to prevent labeling GMOs. Coca-Cola, with their Honest Tea and Odwalla brands, has spent 1.1 million dollars. Something about that doesn’t feel so honest. (more…)

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Natalie K