Diet and Nutrition

Mike Crooks Joined a Gym and Lost 133 Pounds

For 24-year-old Mike Crooks, health is his job.

As a nurse working in Florida, he’s always telling people to be more healthy. But up until recently, he wasn’t taking his own advice. Weighing in at more than 300 pounds, Mike said he felt like a walking hypocrite, and that being overweight made him feel awful.

At his heaviest, Mike weighed 337 pounds. But at his current weight of 204, he’s undergone an incredible transformation and lost more than 130 pounds – the majority of which took place in a brief six-month time period later on in his weight loss journey.

Mike had been overweight most of his life, and knew that genetically he hadn’t hit the jackpot as diabetes ran on both sides of his family. His earliest memories of being overweight started around age 10. “I always struggled with my weight,” he said. “I felt like the self-loathing kid, and I remember being very uncomfortable socially. I was extremely introverted and wasn’t into the social scene at all.” (more…)

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Dana

The Benefits of a Small-Meal Eating Plan

For the average American on a busy schedule, eating several, small meals throughout the day can seem impossible. In fact, it’s a downright miracle if three, square meals on any given day actually happen.

As a result of this work-focused lifestyle that often strays from any diet concern, there seems to be a trend in skipping breakfast, eating out for lunch, and overdoing at night to compensate extreme hunger in the evening.

But we all know this isn’t the best approach to health; or at least we should know. The benefits of eating several small meals throughout the day have been touted by many health professionals, and include optimized metabolism function, weight loss, and getting to eat more often.

Stephanie Mansour – CEO of Step It Up with Steph – is a trainer and coach for a weight loss reality TV show called “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.” During the last season, Mansour helped one of her clients lose 83 pounds in just 12 weeks using the small-meal diet approach, focusing on five small meals throughout the day.

Mansour trains all of her clients this way, saying it regulates and speeds up the metabolism, spurs fat burn, and improves digestion. (more…)

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Dana

POM Wonderful Comes Under Fire for False Health Claims

We have another case of false advertising on our hands, but this time it’s in the juice.

A recent article from CBS reported that POM Wonderful – maker of the popular 100% pomegranate juice – has been found guilty of deceptively advertising its pomegranate products when they claimed they were capable of treating, preventing, or reducing the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer and even erectile dysfunction.

The Federal Trade Commission’s main complaint with the company was that their claims were not well-founded or scientifically proven, yet they were presented to the public as such. The FTC feared consumers would be misled by their advertisements, which appeared in national publications both in print and online.

POM Wonderful’s parent company, POM, also found itself in a similar situation in 2024 after the FTC caught wind that the company was making lofty claims about their products saying they were “The Antioxidant Superpower,” and that they helped prevent heart disease. (more…)

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Dana

A Simple Red, White and Blue Sangria Recipe

 

You know a recipe is going to be good when it starts off with a 21st birthday story. Please, bear with me.

On my 21st birthday back in the summer of 2024, I gathered up two of my best friends and my dad and we went to On the Border Mexican Cantina (classy, I know). In a surprisingly un-awkward act of kindness, my father offered to buy me my first official alcoholic beverage of my young adult life. And what did I choose? A sangria swirl. (more…)

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Dana

Ask Fast Food Employees for the Inside Scoop on Menu Ingredients and Preparation

When you are in a rush and hungry, we’re all guilty of turning to fast food. It is quick and convenient. However, it’s anything but healthy.

People hear the horror stories about fast food chain employees who tamper with food. Just last week, one diner found a finger at Arby’s. Yet, we rarely get to hear about what is actually in our food. Most employees are preparing food in a harmless fashion for consumers. They get to see all the content that goes into a one-dollar hamburger. This isn’t another article about the terrible things employees do to food, instead it is about how people are blinded by marketing tactics and advertisements.

A recent thread on Reddit asked restaurant employees to share what they know about the preparation, ingredients, and processing of the foods they served. (more…)

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Samantha

Eli Manning Partners with BOKS to Get Kids Healthy and Fit

Winning a national championship is not the only thing Eli Manning can put on his resume. The Superbowl-winning quarterback is also an ambassador for Building Our Kids’ Success (BOKS) – an organization that works with schools to get children moving more throughout the day for both physical and mental health.

The fact that today’s generation of youth has more interest in electronic devices than playing sports or running around outside is just one of the numerous factors contributing to childhood obesity. Poor diet and a lack of exercise are two more. Currently, 9 million children over the age of six are considered obese. And comparatively speaking, obesity in America has taken a turn for the as obesity rates have more than tripled in recent years.

Growing up, children cherish memories of recess and gym class in elementary school. Recess is that critical break that children need to get away from classroom studies and relish in the benefits of fresh air and physical activity. While national guidelines recommend 60 minutes of physical activity a day, schools have started to limit recess time and physical education classes in order to achieve more time in the classroom. (more…)

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Samantha

Water is Good For You, but it Won’t Flush Away Fat

If you mention weight loss it seems a million “tips” or “pieces of advice” come flying out of the woodwork. There’s many of them out there like, “Don’t eat after such and such time,” “Stop eating bread and carbs,” or “Eat eight tiny meals a day.” Most of this can be overturned and found to be another empty promise of how to lose weight. One myth that seems to be pushed is about how water has the power to flush out fat from the body. Sadly, it seems this may be just another myth.

The myth is often stated that, “drinking eight glasses of water a day flushes out fat.” Truth is, that’s simply not true.

“…There’s no magic about drinking water,” says Sue Gebo, RD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Gebo explains that water cannot flush away fat, that is just a hopeful myth. While water can not perform this trick, a Virginia Tech University study explains how this myth may have started.

The study found that people who drank 16 ounces of water prior to eating a meal actually consumed 75 to 95 fewer calories than the control group. Both groups in the study were on prescribed low-calorie diets and on average the water drinkers lost more weight, 4.5 pounds more than the non-water drinkers. (more…)

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Lacy

Simple Summer Burger Guide for Healthier Cookouts

We’re still a full month away from the first day of summer, but the season unofficially starts this weekend with Memorial Day. Gas and charcoal grills the nation over are primed and ready to fire up the best warm-weather eats. But are you ready for what’s about to be dished out?

The grill can be a friend and a foe. Rather than deep- or pan-frying, you can grill for better flavor and far less calories and fat. However, depending on the cut of meat, how you dress it after, and even how you prepare it to cook can turn perfectly healthy foods in to calorie bombs. Follow our simple guide for healthier cookouts and you won’t have anything to regret by summer’s end.

Grill a Better Burger.

If you can’t bare to part with beef then select the leanest cut you can find. A 93/7 ground beef is pretty widely available and will still hold up on the grill. If you’re buying local meat, be sure to specifically request lean cuts. (more…)

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Natalie K

How to Cook with Real Food: Joining the Real Food Revolution

As part of our weekly cooking series, we’re doing a special feature today on how to cook with real food, in celebration of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day.

The idea is simple: Put away the fake ingredients and pre-made mixes and sauces and cook with real food for better health.

This idea is being brought to American dinner tables and school cafeterias by one seriously-determined British chef – Jamie Oliver. Oliver has started a movement both stateside and in Britain called the Food Revolution, which aims to get back to real, quality food, and move away from the high-fat, sugar-laden processed foods most Americans are eating today.

For a better sense of how Oliver views healthy eating, here is his food philosophy as stated on his website. (more…)

Posted on May 20, 2024 by Dana

Carb-Combining: A New Tool For Fat Burn and Weight Loss

Carbs: Are they good? Are they bad? It can all be very confusing. But one man is stepping in the middle of that gap, saying there can be a healthy balance that can yield optimum weight loss and fat burn.

That man is Robert Ferguson, MS, who is a weight-loss coach, CEO of Diet Free Life, motivational speaker and author. Recently, Ferguson has been speaking out about carb confusion– specifically concerning how too many can be a bad thing, and too few can be even worse.

In an article recently featured in First for Women Magazine, Ferguson discussed new science that’s showing our blood sugar has a sweet spot that results in optimal fat burning and peak metabolism. And he says this research is going to help women melt pounds away without feeling deprived.

The secret? Finding the right balance of fast carbs and slow carbs. (more…)

Posted on May 19, 2024 by Dana

Health Buzz May 18: Sports Bra Horrors, hCG BS, and a Perfect Weekend Dinner

Before you dive head first in to the weekend, give yourself a healthy dose of news from DIR and our friends. Plus, we’ve got a perfect spring dinner lined up for you.

News from DietsInReview.com this week…

Prairie Fire Marathon’s Local Joes Start Running with DIR and Holly Perkins

DIR is sponsoring a team of runners for Wichita’s fall marathon. With a little help from trainer Holly Perkins, we’ll turn four local “joes” in to half marathon finishers.

Fitter Moms Have an Opportunity to be Better Moms

When mama’s healthy, everyone is healthier and happier. Mommy fitness groups across the nation are inspiring Cat Poland to get fit for herself and her two young daughters.

The Worst Thing Your Sports Bra Ever Did to You

Trapped inside a sweaty sports bra is one thing. Cutting yourself out or popping out during kickboxing is quite another. Don’t miss these tales from the fitcrypt!

News from DIR’s friends…

Is HCG a Big Load of BS? – Kelly Turner Fitness

Tyra Banks Supports Vogue Decision to Stop Using Anorexic Models – iVillage

Milk: It Does a Complexion Good – HelloGiggles (more…)

Posted on May 18, 2024 by Health Buzz