Diet and Nutrition

A Festive Fruit Salad To Ring in the 2024 Olympic Games

The 2024 Olympic Games are fast approaching and we’ve dished out just about every ounce of inspiration we have for the upcoming event.

You’ve seen our top picks for the most enviable Olympic bodies, delicious smoothie recipes straight from the Olympic kitchen, and even insight into your favorite athletes’ diet and training regimens. But, we have one more trick up our sleeve before the games arrive in the form of a healthy and delicious recipe that will ‘wow’ your guests at all of your Olympic-themed parties.

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Posted on July 25, 2024 by Dana

Are GMOs Making You Fat?

While health experts and non-experts alike continue to take stabs at the solution to our nation’s obesity crisis, the answer still seems rather illusive.

Some say we need more exercise. Others suggest we need less food. Still others contend we need incentives and rewards to get off our duffs and lose the weight. But perhaps the answer is as simple as what’s in our lunch.

New research from the Norwegian School of Veterinary science is pointing the fat finger at genetically modified organisms, a term we now affectionately know as GMOs.

Researchers are suggesting that while GM foods may not be directly making us sick, they might be causing weight gain which can in turn contribute to illnesses.

To conduct the 90-day study, researchers studied how rats and salmon responded to genetically modified food. One group of rats was fed GM corn and scientists watched as they slowly got fatter than the group that was being fed non-GM foods. Researchers also noticed that the GMO rats ate more and grew faster. (more…)

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Dana

Willpower is an Exhaustible Resource, Study Shows

My battle with self control when it comes to food has been an arduous one, the main problem being I love sugar so much it hurts. One week, I feel I could say ‘no’ to someone waving three of my favorite flavor ice cream cones in my face. And the next, if I saw a shiny piece of candy on the ground I might just pick it up and eat it right there on the spot.

In other words, my self control seems to come in waves. While it’s here, I feel empowered. But when it’s outside of my grasp, I’m left feeling powerless.

But there may be reason behind my inability to pass up my favorite indulgences. According to a new study, we have a limited supply of self control and when it dries up, we’re practically defenseless in the face of temptation.

Researchers asked 16 people to perform a self-control test while being monitored by an fMRI scanner, and found that participants exuded much more self control during the first session than the second.  (more…)

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Dana

Beat Summer Bloat with 3 Green Foods

By Abra Pappa for Nutritious America

The lazy, hazy days of summer are here; long days at the beach, picnics in the park, outdoor BBQs, family, friends, and puffy bloated bellies. Yes. The most common thing I hear from clients in the hot humid weather is, “I feel bloated. Can you help my belly not stick out?”

Did you know that water accounts for 60% of a person’s weight? In the summer, or extreme heat conditions, our bodies adjust the amount of water we retain, i.e. we retain more water in the humidity. Ugh. Unfortunately, for many people this can mean bloated puffy stomachs, and even up to 4-5 pounds of extra bloating weight! Ah, the irony of it all, a puffy belly in the season that we most frequently show our belly.

If you are a summer belly bloat sufferer here are three fantastic foods to add to your diet to help combat that puff and help you feel trim and slim and bikini-strut worthy.

Celery – Rich in both potassium and sodium, celery contains the minerals most important for regulating fluid balance. This keeps us hydrated while it stimulates urine production, helping to rid the body of excess fluid. Chew on a few stalks of fresh celery at the first sign of intestinal madness. (more…)

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Nutritious_America

Health Rally Offers Incentives for Achieving Weight Loss and Health Goals

You know the little star stickers we used to get on our charts in pre-school? Maybe it was for completing a task like tying our shoes or writing our name. Didn’t it feel good to get those stickers? What about when you got older? Anyone ever do the “Book It!” program? Reading books equaled free Pizza Hut pizza and it was worth every minute of sounding out those words.

There were lots of incentives to press through challenges when we were younger, but not so much as we age. But just because we’re older doesn’t mean our reaction to reward has changed. Health Rally knows this and has created an inspiring program for achieving health goals with the dangling carrot of reward as the incentive.

Zach Lynch founded Health Rally, an online support network, based on a pretty amazing statistic. According to a study in the journal American Medical Association, dieters with a financial incentive to lose weight were almost five times more likely to lose weight than those with no reward incentive. Furthermore, participants in this study who received financial rewards lost more than 13 pounds in 16 weeks, compared to an average loss of only 3.9 pounds in the control group.

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Posted on July 24, 2024 by Lacy

2 Ingredient Melon Ball Soup is a Tasty Summer Brunch Dessert

When the peak of summer hits, I start craving light, refreshing foods to help cool me down and keep me feeling healthy. Two of my very favorite summertime foods are watermelon and cantaloupe. And while I love eating them as is, it’s fun to change things up every once in a while to make an old thing new again.

My grandpa used to bring black diamond watermelons in by the dozens during the hottest summer months in Kansas. He and my grandma had a garden just outside of their house and I always knew I was in for a treat when I’d peek outside and catch him moseying around, looking to see if anything was ripe. No matter how many times I’d bite into the sweet, ruby red fruit, I always declared “This is the best watermelon I’ve ever had.” That’s exactly how good watermelon should taste every time.

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Posted on July 24, 2024 by Dana

Cargill Beef Recall Issued after Salmonella Contamination

Cargill Beef Solutions announced a recall of nearly 30,000 pounds of fresh ground beef. The beef came from a Pennsylvania plant and is being recalled due to potential salmonella contamination.

The beef was sold to wholesalers in 14 pound packages and eventually repackaged by stores into smaller containers with new labels. All potentially dangerous packages should still bear the establishment number “EST. 9400” and a use-by date of May 25. If consumers still have this beef, it’s assumed it is frozen in their freezers as the expiration date has long past for fresh meat.

This information can all be found in the news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). The release comes after the government has connected five cases of illness to the same strain of salmonella found in the Cargill beef. Other cases are being investigated as well to determine if the illnesses are related to the beef. (more…)

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Lacy

OurSkinny Bars and Shakes are a Delicious Way to Lose Weight

When it comes to diet food, the options are practically endless. And while this may seem like a good thing to some, to others, too many options is flat-out daunting. Searching the shelves for wholesome, healthy bars and protein shakes can prove to be a rigorous task that rarely yields positive results.

But fortunately for you, we get to test these products out so you don’t have to. And because we always give our honest opinion about their taste, cost and nutritional value, you’ll quickly know whether they’re worth your time and hard-earned money.

Last week, we were happy to receive a shipment of OurSkinny weight loss shakes and protein bars. And while we’re typically weary of ‘diet food’ since whole, fresh foods are always a healthier choice, there can be a place for convenience foods in a person’s diet if it’s a quality, nutritious product. (more…)

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Dana

I Don’t Eat That: Four Words That May Help You Lose Weight

In a recent study found in Health Magazine, Vanessa Patrick, PhD associate professor of marketing at the University of Houston found that 80% of women who used the words, “I don’t eat that,” were able to hold to their good eating habits. On the other hand, only 10% of women who used the similar phrase, “I can’t eat that” stuck to their good eating habits.

“Saying ‘I can’t’ signals that you’re giving up something desirable, but saying ‘I don’t’ gives you a sense of empowerment,” said Patrick.

After reading this piece I couldn’t agree more. A couple years ago, when I was a sophomore in college, I had the pressure to look my best in my little-material cheerleading uniform while knowing I had gained about 10 pounds since making the squad. I used to look at the greasy box of fries my friends were eating and sadly say, “I can’t eat that.” What I didn’t realize was I was making it 10x harder on myself. Losing a few inches on my mid section was a huge goal of mine, but I was going about it the completely wrong way. Saying “I can’t eat that” felt like a slap in the face each time I said it, and it reminded me of the negative consequences and embarrassment I was facing. (more…)

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Danielle

How to Cook with Bison

In addition to July being National Blueberry Month, it’s also National Bison Month! Who knew? While blueberries may be a much more common food than bison, the two can be used in equally adventurous ways in the kitchen with a little education on their flavor profiles and versatility.

Bison is seen as a much more health-friendly meat as it’s much leaner than beef. The most common dishes featuring bison are burgers . I had one myself at a restaurant years ago that was topped with bleu cheese crumbles, and the flavor pairing was mind blowing. While some expect it to taste gamey, I found the flavor to be very similar to beef but much richer and higher quality.

Health benefits: For meat lovers, bison is where it’s at when it comes to lean, delicious meat since bisons typically have a healthier lifestyle and diet than that of a cow. Because of this, many people consider it the “better red meat” with one 3-ounce serving of bison steak only running 150 calorie and serving up nearly 25 grams of protein. (more…)

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Dana

Bachelorette Emily Maynard Stays in Shape By Being a Mom

Bachelorette season 8 has got America talking about southern sweetheart and bachelorette Emily Maynard.

If you don’t know Emily’s heart-touching story, about six years ago Emily was engaged to a race car driver and the love of her life, Ricky Hendrick. But just six months after their engagement, he passed away in a tragic plane crash. Days after Ricky’s death, Emily found out she was pregnant with his child. Emily named her now six-year-old daughter Josephine Reddick “Ricki” Henrick.

Four years after the death of Ricki’s father, Emily jumped back into the dating world and appeared on season 15 of The Bachelor. She turned out to be the winner on the show by winning over bachelor Brad Womack’s heart. Although the couple got engaged on the season finale, they eventually called off the wedding due to a number of reasons. But now, Emily’s back to find true love as Bachelorette Season 8’s woman to win over. (more…)

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Danielle