Diet and Nutrition

The Dangers of Juice Fasting for Quick Weight Loss

A few months back, I watched the documentary ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead‘ – which followed an overweight man as he completed a 60-day juice fast to gain back his health.

The film showed Joe Cross as he travelled around the U.S., subsisting purely on fruit and vegetable juice for all three meals a day. Admittedly, the day after I watched it, I set out to juice. I didn’t own a juicer so I opted to pile my fruits and veggies into a blender with water and puree until it was drinkable. I was expecting worse, but the taste was actually pretty good. And the fiber kept me full for a surprising amount of time.

But how long did my juice fast last? About two meals. I started craving ‘real foods,’ which meant my juicing experience was short-lived. But, for others, they see it as worth staying the course.

According to a recent article on MSN Health there’s been a recent surge in juice fasting as a means of get-thin-quick dieting – something we don’t view as a healthy approach to weight loss. This view was only further solidified after speaking with DietsInReview.com’s registered dietitian, Mary Hartley, RD. (more…)

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Dana

Hot Dog Stuffed Pizza Takes Grotesque Restaurant Food Too Far

Restaurant industry, we have had enough! Are you deliberately trying to gross us out? Do you get a kick out of making grotesque concoctions in your test kitchens and then send them out to mass market as a punch line?

This Hot Dog Stuffed Crust pizza from Pizza Hut is about the nastiest thing we’ve seen come from a restaurant in quite a while. While we’re glad it’s not available in the U.S. (at least for now, just give it time), we feel for the residents of the United Kingdom being subjected to this culinary nonsense.

Jillian Michaels coined the term best when she started describing this over-processed junk “Frankenfoods,” meaning they resemble food but calling it that would be a disservice to all of the things that are actually food.

Dressed like any other pizza with cheese, pepperoni, peppers, and onions, the Hot Dog Stuffed Crust pizza has the slimy little sausage tucked inside the crust and comes with a free mustard drizzle. The chest pains for dessert and gastric bloat are also free. (more…)

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Natalie K

Down Economy Forces Some Schools to Feed Kids Supper

When I was younger and living in New Mexico with my parents and older sister, we were by no means a rich family.

Of the many things I don’t remember about my time there as a 3-8 year old, one thing I do have a vivid memory of is walking down to a nearby park with my mom and sister to get a free lunch that was provided to families in the neighborhood who were going through particularly difficult financial times.

We weren’t starving, but the lunch certainly helped. And while some view programs like this is a handout, that isn’t always the case as they can be a great benefit to communities. Although not everyone agrees, this seems to be the case with a recent trend in schools helping out struggling families by feeding children an extra meal before sending them home for the day.

In light of the economic downturn, there have been a number of schools that have begun serving students supper in addition to the breakfast and lunch they’re already being provided during a typical day at school. (more…)

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Dana

5 Places People Waste the Most Money on Their Health

David Bakke writes about tips for improving health and saving money on Money Crashers Personal Finance.

In 2024, Americans spent almost $2.5 trillion on health care, and that number is expected to almost double by the year 2024. As these costs escalate, it’s obvious that a healthy lifestyle can save you money. But the question is, how much money should you spend to live healthy? Fortunately, there are many ways to cut back on health expenses without cutting back on health benefits.

1. Gym Membership

Unless your monthly gym bill serves as your only motivation to exercise, a gym membership is usually not worth the expense. You can walk or jog in your neighborhood, bike at a local park, and swim in public pools. You can also pick up a cheap set of dumbbells for strength building. In fact, skipping the gym can easily save $500 annually.

2. Organic Food

Organic foods cost roughly 30% more than their traditional counterparts. So if you’re spending the money on organic, make sure it’s worth it and research which are safe to buy conventionally grown instead. For example, some conventionally grown fruits don’t contain as many pesticide residues as others. Whereas conventionally grown apples repeatedly test as some of the “dirtiest” fruits on the market. Avocados, onions, cantaloupes, asparagus, and eggplants should be safe to buy non-organic. (more…)

Posted on April 10, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Miley Cyrus Stays Trim Following a Gluten-Free Diet

Surprise, surprise: Just as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, rumors will circulate about celebrities, especially concerning their diet and exercise habits.

The most recent buzz is that pop singer and actress Miley Cyrus has an eating disorder. But the real news is how Miley responded. She fired back just a couple days ago on Twitter saying, “For everyone calling me anorexic I have a gluten and lactose allergy. It’s not about weight it’s about health. Gluten is crapppp anyway!”

Miley’s frame is indeed petite. But it doesn’t seem there’s any need to speculate that she has an eating disorder. She’s been on top of her health in the past and even followed the 5-Factor Fitness plan back in 2024, which involved exercising five days a week in five minute intervals, eating five meals a day, taking five minutes to prepare your meals, all within a 5 week time period. Doing this and following the recommended diet program kept her in prime shape for performing. (more…)

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Dana

Texas Hospital Restricts Hiring Based on BMI

A hospital in Victoria, Texas is catching some heat for their new hiring policy. The medical center recently announced that they’ll be limiting employment to people with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 35.

Citizens Medical Center will be turning overweight people away if they apply for work in their facilities. The Citizens Medical Center Chief, Dan Brown, explained this controversial decision in a statement.

“The majority of our patients are over 65 and they have expectations that cannot be ignored in terms of personal appearance.” Many argue the validity of Brown’s statement, including attorney John Griffin.

“Patients want people who help them who know what they are doing. They really care very little about their size, their national origin.” (more…)

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Lacy

The AHA Aims to Create a ‘Culture of Health’ in Hospitals

Giving a sick child a cup of vanilla ice cream. That, I get. But greasy hamburger and french fry joints lining the walls of hospital cafeterias? That’s where they lost me. And apparently, others are beginning to see the irony in this set up, too. Including the American Hospital Association (AHA) itself.

In 2024, John Bluford – CEO of Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri – and fellow members of the AHA, announced a call to action that was a bold push for hospital to be leaders in ‘creating a culture of health’ among its communities. And one of those ‘pushes’ included ousting fast food restaurants from their cafeterias, including McDonald’s and Pizza Hut.

According to the full report, one of the top motivators for hospitals to improve their image, as well as their health and wellness program is to be an example of health to their community. Because after all, if anyone should be promoting health, shouldn’t it be them?

The AHA views hospitals and their employees as key players in their communities because of their leadership and mission, saying, “It is paramount for hospital and health system employees to lead the way and serve as role models for healthy living and fitness for their communities.” (more…)

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Dana

Dieters Lose 46 Percent More with Weight Watchers During Study

For some, trying to lose weight is easier when they have support from their doctor. Sometimes even going to meetings are helpful. Weight Watchers, a program that has been around for nearly 50 years, is a common place for people to go when they need help losing weight. Now, according to a yearlong study funded by the company, findings show that the program is the place to go if you want to lose more weight on average versus going to your doctor.

Published Wednesday, the study included 772 men and women in Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom who were recruited from ordinary doctor’s appointments. Around half of the participants were recruited to receive a free 12-month membership to Weight Watchers that also included the weekly meetings. The other half of the group was encouraged to meet one-on-one with their doctor to discuss weight-management.

Those who stuck with the Weight Watchers program for the full 12-month membership (about 60%) lost 15 pounds on average compared with 7 pounds among the 54% who continued to go to their doctor. (more…)

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Kristina

Hollywood Vintage Weight Loss Secrets

When you watch “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” or “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” you can’t help but notice all the amazing curves and natural beauty of the women on the screen. Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Jean Harlow among others helped establish the true meaning of bombshell, not to mention what it means to have curves. So how did they manage to maintain those curvaceous bodies?

We did some digging around and managed to find some of the secrets from the most celebrated beauties of all time and some will surprise you!

View Vintage Weight Loss Secrets Slideshow

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Kristina

Janet Jackson Successfully Loses Weight on Nutrisystem Success

The ads are out as proof that Janet Jackson, who has long since struggled with her weight, is successfully shedding the pounds on Nutrisystem Success – the popular meal delivery program’s newest extension.

After becoming the company’s celebrity spokesperson back in December, Jackson admitted she’d tried different diets before but never had success with them. “Dieting never worked for me, counting calories never worked for me, and denying myself the foods I love never worked for me,” said Jackson. “I needed a better plan, and I found it with Nutrisystem.” Jackson also opened up about her struggle with maintaining a healthy weight in her book True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself, which topped the New York Times Bestseller list when it was released in early 2024.

Weighing around 180 pounds at her heaviest in 2006, suspicions began to rise once again that Jackson was starting to put back on the pounds after her brother, Michael’s, sudden and unexpected death in 2024. But based on Janet’s trim new figure in the latest ads for Nutrisystem, she’s looking better than ever. Some have even speculated that she’s successfully lost up to 50 pounds following the program. (more…)

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Dana

New Research Hopes to Detect and Prevent Food Fraud

As if fish identity swapping wasn’t concerning enough, new research published in the Journal of Food Science has identified the top seven foods with commonly altered ingredients as olive oil, milk, honey, saffron, orange juice, coffee, and apple juice, proving food fraud is alive and well; and unfortunately, flourishing.

In light of growing concerns regarding food safety, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has compiled a public database with reports on food fraud and economically-motivated adulteration of food, which is the first of its kind. Researchers behind the database say getting this information published was key in giving the study credibility so that food fraud can become a more important and valid public concern.

The database provides information necessary to properly assess the risks of certain products, with a list of 1,305 records of food fraud instances from 66 scholarly, media and other public reports. The database also includes potential adulterants – or substances that corrupt, debase, or make impure by the addition of a foreign substance –  that could reappear in the supply chain for particular ingredients, as well as analytical testing strategies to detect food fraud. (more…)

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Dana