Diet and Nutrition

Kate Hudson Gets in Dancer Shape for Upcoming Glee Appearance

Blond bombshell Kate Hudson has been gracing the set of Glee lately looking quite scandalous as Rachel Berry’s (Lea Michele) dance teacher, Cassandra July. The 33-year-old actress is slated to star in six episodes of the sitcom’s upcoming fourth season, according to People Magazine. And fans of the show and Hudson couldn’t be more thrilled.

Hudson certainly has one of the most enviable bodies in Hollywood, making her an obvious choice for this skin-bearing role. But what some people may not realize is she’s maintained her stunning figure throughout two pregnancies. A mom with that kind of physique deserves some serious praise.

It doesn’t hurt that the Hudson lives in sunny California most of the time, which allows for plenty of walks, jogs, and bike rides outdoors. But to maintain her toned body, Hudson frequently relies on Pilates sessions with celebrity trainer Nicole Stuart.

Hudson didn’t use pregnancy as an excuse to be sidelined from fitness, even though she did admit to eating whatever she wanted when serious cravings hit. To stay in shape with an expanding belly, Hudson turned to celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, famous for her Method workouts and sweat sessions that cater specifically to moms-to-be. (more…)

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Dana

10 Ways to Have a Healthy Girls’ Night Out

If you’re like me, you love a good girls’ night. It’s like a beach vacation after years of being landlocked – refreshing and always a blast.

But there’s just one problem with ladies-only gatherings: They often center around alcohol, heavy appetizers and way too much chocolate. While this can be a fun way to celebrate every once in a while, it’s not the healthiest habit to fall into especially if it’s a weekly affair.

But if booze and french fries are a trend you and your girlfriends are hoping to get away from, we’ve got a solution for you: A quick guide filled with 10 healthy and fun ideas to get your girls’ nights back on the healthy track.

 

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Dana

Honey Boo Boo’s Tragic Diet Borders on Child Abuse

Just saying the words “honey boo boo” out loud is comical. Try it. I promise you will laugh. Hearing that they are the nickname, or stage name, of a six-year-old pageant star may even make it a little endearing. But then you learn that she’s the pageant star of a TLC spin-off from Toddlers & Tiaras, and you start to question things.

All on her own, little Alana Thompson seems like a cute, apple-cheeked kid with an adorable Southern drawl compliments of her Georgia roots. Then, her pageant career turns her in to Honey Boo Boo, something I can only describe as tragic. Sure, my toddler gets a splash of toenail polish when she watches me paint my own toes, but the make-up, fake hair, and over-the-top, dolled up indulgence of a first grader feels like so many things gone wrong. Including her diet.

Now, I’m not from Georgia nor the South, and I don’t know if this is some sort of local cuisine that I’m just not opening my mind to, but serving road kill to my child isn’t likely to happen ever. But a freshly run-over deer is on the menu at Honey Boo Boo’s house, and that’s not all that frightened me about her diet. (more…)

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Natalie K

HealthBuzz August 17: Yoga at School, Best Health Blogs, and Sweet Vegan Recipes

We’re just hours away from the weekend! So that means it is time to catch up on buzz-worthy health news. This week’s headlines include a story about yoga classes helping students succeed at school, the best fitness blogs of 2024, and three recipes for delicious vegan treats that you could sneak past anyone!

Our First-Ever Food Awards

DIR spent the summer scouting grocery shelves for the best nutritional food. Mary Hartley, RD, our resident nutrition expert, developed a nutritional criteria for 13 different grocery categories. Find out which brand of bread, ice cream, and many more food items were given the DIR approval badge.

Is MSG Bad for You? The Facts about Monosodium Glutamate Make for a Hung Jury

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is an ingredient in countless numbers of processed foods. MSG enhances the flavor of food without giving a flavor of its own. So is the ingredient good or bad for your health? A number of experts weigh in on the argument.

Students Succeeding with Yoga Curriculum in the Classroom

School is back in session! What will the school year be like for millions of kids across the country? For starters, cafeteria food is getting a healthy make-over and P.E. programs are being shut down. But, schools are using yoga to replace or enhance physical fitness classes. Not only is yoga benefiting a student health, but it is helping them perform better in and out of class. (more…)

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Samantha

Eggs and Smoking Equally Bad for Those Who Have Heart Disease

Eggs for breakfast – healthy right? Perhaps not for everyone, as a new study suggests that eating eggs may accelerate heart disease just as much as smoking. 

The study, published in the journal Atheroscolerosis, found that people who ate more eggs per week had significantly greater plaque buildup – almost two-thirds as much as smokers. One reason why this could be is that one large egg yolk can contain as much as 237 milligrams of cholesterol, according to lead author Dr. David Spence who contends that diets low in cholesterol are key for heart health in people of all ages. “Just because you’re 20,” he warns, “doesn’t mean egg yolks aren’t going to cause any trouble down the line.”

This may be true, but it seems studies come out suggesting one thing and then two weeks later suggest another, which makes it hard to know where to stand on health topics such as this.

Martica Heaner, PhD, a nutritionist, adjunct associate professor in nutrition at Hunter College, and research associate at Columbia University Medical Center, points out that observational studies like this suggest links and associations and don’t state hard-line facts, which is why this news shouldn’t send everyone into a panic about their diet. (more…)

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Dana

“To Get Kids Healthy, Let Them Lead the Conversation” Michelle Obama Tells The View

Michelle Obama appeared on “The View” Tuesday to discuss a number of important issues regarding our nation’s health. From gardening to nutrition in schools to how she hopes the Let’s Move campaign will paint a better tomorrow for our nation, the first lady opened up about how she created a healthy environment for her own family and how she hopes to empower other families to do the same.

Here are our top five takeaways from her time on “The View.”

You can garden anywhere. If you don’t know by now that the first lady loves gardening, you’ve been living under a rock. In her book “American Grown,” Mrs. Obama shares about her experience in planting a full-scale garden in the White House lawn, and how it’s helped she and her family not only eat healthier, but more fully appreciate whole foods.

By maintaining her own garden, Mrs. Obama became an advocate for gardening everywhere – in schools, at home, in communities – and hopes to educate Americans about the importance of planting and growing their own food, knowing where their meals comes from, and how doing so can play a key role in improving our nation’s health. (more…)

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Dana

More Real Food, Less Complex Math: A Simpler Way to Read Nutrition Labels

By Jonathan Bailor

Have you ever wondered what the vitamin and mineral percentages on nutrition labels actually mean?

Ten percent of vitamin A. Hmmmm. Is that good or bad? Ten percent for a child? Ten percent for an adult? Ten percent for a woman? Oh gosh, I thought I was grocery shopping not taking a math test.

These are wonderful questions to ask, because otherwise we may assume double-digit percentages mean the food is nutritious, and sadly, that’s frequently false. For example, let’s say you want to mix it up a bit during your next trip to the grocery store, and are looking to boost your calcium intake. You spot some goat’s milk, and consider giving it a whirl. You grab the carton, flip it around and see this label: 30 percent calcium. Traditionally you may consider this a “good source” of calcium. But is it? Should you give the good old goat a go? Maybe.

Here are the three key questions to ask to help with your decision: (more…)

Posted on August 16, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Is MSG Bad for You? The Facts about Monosodium Glutamate Make for a Hung Jury

It’s in ranch dressing, Doritos, canned soups, and french fries. You’re eating it if you go to KFC, have green bean casserole, or take a swig of Diet Coke. Really, any processed food likely includes some form of it. What is this ubiquitous food product? Monosodium glutamate, most commonly known as MSG.

For years, MSG has been the subject of debate. The Food and Drug Administration calls it safe, MSG-sensitive persons think it causes headaches and asthma, and scientists show conflicting research on the effects of MSG. What’s the truth? Should everyone stop eating it? Are the food companies and government in conspiracy against the public? Or is this product a safe and healthy flavor enhancer?

First, it is helpful to go over what monosodium glutamate is. MSG is added to foods to enhance flavor without giving a flavor of its own, according to the FDA. It was first discovered in Japan in 1908 by a scientist named Ikeda, who isolated the compound after wanting to know the secret of his wife’s delicious soup. Along with branding his product and making millions, he also came up with the idea of umami, a fifth taste translated as savory or deliciousness that is distinct from the senses of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. (more…)

Posted on August 16, 2024 by SarahS

How to Eat Gluten Free: Dinner

Welcome to the third installment of my “How to Eat Gluten Free” series. Today we’re looking at perhaps the most complicated and time-consuming meal of all: Dinner.

Most of us are so exhausted by the time we get home from work that we want nothing more than to plop down on the couch and have dinner magically appear before us – myself included. But that’s a reality most of us don’t know. Couple that with trying to find ideas for healthy, gluten free dishes and you have a recipe for dinner disaster.

If this describes your current scenario, fret not, as we’ve compiled a list of five simple and healthy recipes that will have you looking forward to your nightly meal instead of dreading it by the noon hour.

Curried Rice with Shrimp – This gorgeous and healthy dish from Real Simple takes your weeknight dinner from ‘blah’ to ‘ta-da’ in a flash. Let the exotic flavors of curry and basil win you over, and the shrimp and rice keep you satisfied for hours.

Lentil Soup – The weather may still be a little warm for soup just yet, but fall and winter are right around the corner. We say warm up and fill up with this healthy dish that features tomato, kale, carrots, and, of course, fresh green lentils. (more…)

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Dana

Eat a Clean Diet and Aimee Raupp Says, “Yes, You Can Get Pregnant”

Like so many women, Jan found herself in her thirties with a career, a husband, and a strong desire to get pregnant. At 33, this corporate attorney had already had one miscarriage and two unsuccessful IUIs (intrauterine insemination), and she was “very upset and unsettled,” as described in Aimee Raupp’s new book Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: The Diet That Will Improve Your Fertility Now and Into Your 40s.

Jan is a real-life client of Aimee’s, a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and author of Chill Out and Get Healthy, who is included as a case study in this new book. Jan is described as arriving at Aimee’s office with a diet iced tea and a story of “fertility reducing eating habits,” a nutritionally void diet of low-fat, sugar-free, processed foods. Jen is probably not unlike a lot of women visiting Aimee or fertility specialists across the country; in fact, she’s probably more like the average infertility patient than not.

Where Jan may take a left fork in the road is in the diet she now follows, as prescribed by Aimee and outlined in the Yes, You Can Get Pregnant book. Today, Aimee excitedly told me that Jan is pregnant, and she did it naturally without the invasive IVF she was prepared to do. Aimee explained that Jan cleaned up her diet, took liver pills, and did eight acupuncture treatments. Then, after two menstrual cycles, learned she was expecting.

So is another of Aimee’s clients, a 43-year-old woman pregnant with her second child. “She followed my diet to a T, better than I do sometimes,” said Aimee. “She’s 20 weeks pregnant with a clean amnio.”

So what is Aimee prescribing that’s helping these women achieve the pregnancies they so desire? Just like Jan and the 43-year-old mom, they’re laser focused on what they eat as much as what they don’t. (more…)

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Natalie K

3 New Comfort Foods that Boost Mood While Improving Wellness

Most of us have heard of comfort food. Sticky, gooey, chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven, a plate of warm mashed potatoes and rich gravy, or a bowl full of creamy chicken and dumpling soup are just a few items that come to mind when the need for some self-pampering arises. The problem is, the food we reach for when we need comfort is usually far from comforting. Indigestion and bloating, heartburn, or pure guilt are just a few of the nagging side effects that can actually worsen our mood as a result of our epicurean indulgence.

If you’re going to sink in to comfort food and eat feelings of happiness, sadness, or just overall feel good, try these three foods that you wouldn’t think of as typical comfort foods. These actually have the ability to lift your spirits and get rid of the blahs without the bloat.

Watermelon

This cooling fruit not only tastes great and has a pleasurable texture, but it conjures up memories or images of picnics, family gatherings, and summer vacation, too. When you eat a slice of watermelon, listen for the crunch, feel your mouth water, and have some fun spitting the seeds onto the ground. Turn an ordinary eating experience into an adventure, and before you know it, you will feel like a kid again, tickled by a childlike zest for life. (more…)

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Jill