Diet and Nutrition

4 Healthier Ways to Satisfy Nagging Pregnancy Cravings

By Emily Wade Adams, CNC for Natal-Nutrition.com

Chips, crackers, doughnuts, bagels, candy … these easy-to-grab comfort foods are a quick way to relieve pregnancy’s hunger pangs. But caving to your cravings isn’t necessarily healthy for your baby. Processed foods in particular are some of the most unhealthy and potentially dangerous options for moms-to-be, because they make your baby more likely to have health problems. According to Dr. Weston A. Price, your baby is at risk for health problems even if you ate processed foods before conception, even if it wasn’t you but the baby’s father who ate them, and even if you ate well but the foods you consumed were grown in depleted soil (Singer, 2004).

What are processed foods, and why are they so bad for you? They’re food products that have been manipulated, refined, enriched and/or preserved – in short, almost anything that has been changed from its natural state. Most packaged foods are processed. If you read a label and don’t recognize the ingredients, it’s likely that food has been processed. Items in the center of the grocery store tend to be processed. Generally, foods are processed to lengthen their shelf life and are packaged in a way that’s convenient for us to grab on the go. (more…)

Posted on September 7, 2024 by GuestBlogger

The Anatomy of an Unhealthy Snack

By Kati Mora, MS, RD

There has been lots of debate over snacking as of late. Is it good for you? Is it not? Really, it could go either way. And although a lot of attention has been focused on what a quote-on-quote healthy snack looks like, we should probably take a look at an unhealthy snack so that we are able to know the difference. After all, if you can’t identify a snack that you shouldn’t eat, how will you know to stay away from it?

To identify an unhealthy snack, you might notice the following qualities:

It is Loaded With Calories. If your snack has as many calories as a meal, it is probably not your best bet. In fact, a snack with approximately 150 to 200 calories should be sufficient to hold off hunger and give you a little nutrient boost if needed. Be sure to always take a look at the nutrient label of the food you’re packing or grabbing while on the go. If it doesn’t have a label, just remember to keep the portion sizes relatively small and to listen to your own hunger cues to determine how much of the snack you actually need to eat to satisfy your hunger. (more…)

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Around The Plate

HealthBuzz September 7: Jillian Michaels Returns to Biggest Loser, Creating a Workout Schedule, and Last Chance Summer Recipes

It’s the first Friday and the first weekend of September, which means it is time for some healthy news! This week’s HealthBuzz consist of hot headlines from DIR and our partner sites, like HelloGiggles, FitBottomedGirls, Bob Greene’s Best Life, and a mouth-watering recipe from Truvia.

You don’t have to wait until the last day of the week to hear from us! Follow us on Twitter, Pinterest, or ‘Like Us’ on Facebook!

Jillian Michaels Announces Return to Biggest Loser With a Big Twist [VIDEO]

Jillian Michaels left the Biggest Loser in May 2024, and earlier this week she announced that she will be returning to the program’s 14th season in January. The next Biggest Loser will be unlike the previous 13 seasons as they tackle childhood obesity off the ranch.

Candice Ball Lost 41 Pounds with P90X and Insanity

Candice Ball of New York City had been struggling with her weight a majority of her life. Embarrassed by her body, Candice developed a low confidence level. In December of 2024, she decided to shed her unhealthy weight and change her lifestyle by using two of the most powerful weight loss methods available.

National Yoga Month Educates the World About Yoga’s Health Benefits

September is national yoga awareness month. Yogis love to spread the word and love of yoga to those who aren’t familiar with the practice. Our resident yoga expert, Jill Lawson, educates our readers on the history and health benefits of yoga. (more…)

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Samantha

Jessica Simpson is “Your Everyday Woman” in No Hurry to Lose the Baby Weight

When it comes to celebrity pregnancies, Jessica Simpson’s may just trump them all. The 32-year-old star and new mom was nothing shy of stalked throughout her pregnancy by paparazzi and adoring fans. Now that it’s been four months since giving birth to daughter, Maxwell Drew, everyone seems to have the same question in mind: “When will she lose the baby weight?”

“I didn’t realize it didn’t all come off with the baby,” Simpson admitted to USA Today in a recent interview. “It’s been a challenge to lose the baby weight. I let myself indulge in everything I wanted because it was the first time I was pregnant and I wanted to enjoy it.”

What exactly did Simpson indulge in during her pregnancy? Anyone who recalls her days on MTV’s reality show Newlyweds knows that the southern star loves her carbs and decadent foods, including macaroni and cheese and fried chicken. If she was giving into temptations like these quite often during her pregnancy, it’s no wonder the star gained her fair amount of weight.

Though Simpson hasn’t confirm exactly how much weight she gained during pregnancy nor how much she hopes to lose, she seems in no big hurry to slim down despite signing a $3 million dollar contract with Weight Watchers to start trying to shed the pounds once the baby arrived.

Simpson was spotted hitting the gym in L.A. this week for the first time since giving birth. People also reported that the singer-turned fashion designer has been working out with personal trainer Harley Pasternak several times a week, though she mostly walks and hasn’t tried running yet since her “boobs are way too big to run at this point,” she said. (more…)

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Dana

Microgreens May Provide More Nutrition Than Mature Vegetables

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and University of Maryland conducted a study to determine the level of nutrients in microgreens, specifically compared to more mature vegetables. Microgreens are tiny versions of vegetables, herbs, and other plants and are about one to two inches long with the stem and leaves still attached. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

As reported by NPR, researchers looked for large doses of vitamins and other phytochemicals, such as vitamin C, E, and beta carotene. Gene Lester, a researcher with the USDA, said the findings “totally knocked me over.”

The team found that all 25 varieties of microgreens had four to 40 times more nutrients than their matured counterparts. Lester said the findings give us a new insight into plants, “because these are little tiny seeds barely exposed to much light at all. And yet those compounds [nutrients] are there ready to go.”

Diets In Review’s resident dietitian, Mary Hartley, RD, wasn’t surprised by the results of the study. “The findings make sense because the young plant is rapidly accumulating nutrients during its period of rapid growth, and it is also still releasing nutrients stored in the seed,” she said. “I’ll bet microgreens are high in protein and very digestible, too.” (more…)

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Samantha

Organic Produce May Not Be Any Healthier

When you hit the produce section of your grocery store, do you opt for the conventional products or do you head over to the smaller section of organic produce? Is one really healthier for you than the other? Organic costs more, that’s for sure. But does that price equal healthier food? A recent study is saying, no, not really.

The Associated Press reported about a new study conducted by doctors from Stanford University. The doctors put the great debate over organic and non-organic to the test. Based on their extensive testing, they found very little evidence supporting the high cost of organic food as a means to achieve better health.

While it’s true that a diet high in organic fruits and vegetables will lower one’s exposure to pesticides, the produce grown conventionally contains only a small amount of pesticides that’s within safety limits.

Some of the testing in the study included monitoring the pesticide levels in children. Those on organic diets did show a lower level of pesticides, however, the amount was still very low for those who ate conventional produce. In other words, the study didn’t warrant a major case for organics. (more…)

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Lacy

World’s Biggest Cheeseburger Breaks Records and Calorie Limits

There are some pretty crazy, weird and interesting records in The Guinness Book of World Records. This past Labor Day weekend, a ridiculous world record was broken when Minnesota’s Black Bear Casino made the world’s biggest hamburger. Why did the casino decide to make a colossal hamburger? They would say, just for the fun of it.

As reported by Eater.com, Jerry Bayerl – Black Bear Casino’s executive chef – recently decided he wanted to make the world’s biggest burger.

At first, he thought the record for the biggest burger was 200 pounds, but after some extensive research he found out the previous record for the world’s biggest burger was 881 pounds. In order to secure the new title, Jerry made sure his bacon cheeseburger clocked in at an amazing 2,014 pounds!

Cooking the cheeseburger was no easy feat. It required a crane, parking lot, and a gigantic homemade oven.

The diameter of the buns and meat patty measured up to a total of 10 feet. It took seven hours to bake the bun and four hours to cook and flip the meat patty. Stacked on top of the patty was even more ingredient madness. There were 60 pounds of bacon, 50 pounds of lettuce, 50 pounds of sliced unions, 40 pounds of pickles and 40 pounds of cheese.  (more…)

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Samantha

The Great Gluten Debate: Should You Give It Up?

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

I’m throwing a small dinner party for a friend this weekend. On the menu: pasta. That’s a big deal, because pasta has been food non grata for more than a year. It’s not an Atkins anti-carb thing—this time, it’s the anti-gluten movement.

It seems like everyone I know is foregoing wheat and other grains containing this protein. So why are so many people going gluten-free? None of them have celiac, a serious condition in which the immune system attacks the intestines after gluten is consumed (about one percent of Americans suffer from this condition). A few might have “gluten sensitivity,” a less harmful, but still uncomfortable condition that affects about five percent of the population. (For details on these conditions, check out What Everyone Needs to Know About Gluten.)

In fact, most people who tell me they’ve cut out gluten have no obvious problem with it. Some are going along for the ride because their spouse or child is off gluten, others think it might help them lose weight—simply cutting out bread can be quite effective for some people—and still others are convinced it’s simply healthier. (more…)

Posted on September 4, 2024 by BestLifeDiet

Minnie Mouse and Friends Runway Makeover Leaves Some Up in Arms

Coming this fall, the world will see that Disney went on a diet. Well, not really, but classic Disney characters will be seen in a brand new role as skinny runway fashion models.

Disney has partnered with Barney’s Department store for their 2024 holiday campaign called “Electric Holiday.” Rina Raphael of TODAY reported on this story on Today’s “Look.” The ads will highlight the classic Disney characters like Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Daisy Duck. The campaign is also intended to be a reflection of Disneyland’s famous Electric Parade.

The visuals of the Barney’s ads portray the characters as runway models. As the creative director and team began fitting the toons into the high-end couture clothing, they ran into a problem: Minnie and her friends did not wear the animated clothes well in their round physiques. The solution was to elongate and change the shapes of the classic characters. Now, images of a very slender Minnie Mouse and friends are causing quite a stir. Some are even saying Minnie looks anorexic.

Oh my – what is the right response to this? Shame the creators who took our beloved round-figured cartoons and turned them into an impossibly thin model? Or, do we just go with it and not worry because they’re just drawings? Is this reinforcing negative images of beauty to our young children, especially young girls? Is Minnie now the new bad role model? (more…)

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Lacy

Six Reasons to Start Your Diet on Labor Day

I’ve been writing for Diets In Review for a while, but I just found out recently that Labor Day is the second biggest diet day of the year; I am assuming following New Years Day.

With the rush of back to school and getting ready for the holiday season, I did not expect weight loss to be a high priority for many people. As the weather cools off and we look forward to boots and sweaters and layers, I expected fewer people to be concerned with dieting.

While I am slightly surprised to find out that Labor Day is the second biggest diet day of the year, there are reasons why it makes sense.

Back to school time, at least for me, brings to mind fresh notebooks and clean slates. If you grew up thinking of each fall as a new beginning, then autumn might be the perfect time for a habit change for you. (more…)

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

How to Cook with Bananas

Bananas have become a household staple in U.S. According to Dole’s website, the average American eats 28 pounds of bananas a year – thats about 112 bananas annually. What people don’t know is that a majority of the bananas in grocery stores are imported from tropical regions such as Latin America and South America. Because bananas make a nutritious and portable breakfast or snack, it’s no mystery why Americans consume as many bananas as they do, especially since they’re packed with vitamins, nutrients and tons of health benefits. 

Health Benefits: Bananas are chock-full of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, A1, B6, and B12, as well as potassium, magnesium and fiber. Bananas are also filled with fiber, which helps regulate the digestive system. In addition, bananas help lower blood sugar and blood pressure. The potassium in bananas controls the amount of sodium in the body, allowing calcium to be retained and thus promoting healthy bones. Another benefit of potassium is the ease of muscle cramping. Bananas can also help protect the lining of the stomach and neutralize stomach acid, which helps those suffering from ulcers or intestinal disorders. Finally, bananas can reduce the risk of developing kidney cancer among females if consumed four to six times a week.   (more…)

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Dana