Diet and Nutrition

Slim Calm Sexy Diet Teaches Empowered Eating

Author Keri Glassman has been receiving high praise for her new book Slim Calm Sexy Diet. Glassman is a nationally recognized nutrition expert and advisory board member as well as columnist for Women’s Health Magazine.

Slim Calm Sexy Diet offers an approach to dieting that also touches other areas of your life taking a whole person point of view. Glassman’s program is about allowing you to eat to empower rather than deprive. She focuses on the great foods you can eat rather than what you can’t to reach your goals. With this diet, you can lose up to 20 pounds in six weeks and also strip away the stress that leads to emotional eating and hormone imbalance.

The Slim Calm Sexy Diet focuses on areas of eating and includes an exercise program. Within this program, you learn what to eat and when to eat as well as what type of exercise to do for that slim, calm and sexy body. There are natural, whole foods offered in each category of Slim, Calm and Sexy that focus on improving each of those areas. Below are just a few of Glassman’s recommendations for slim, calm and sexy foods.

(more…)

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Descygna

Embrace Cinnamon, Avoid the Cinnamon Challenge

Talk about ruining a good thing. You take something wonderful like cinnamon, throw in teenagers and YouTube, and you have a growing recipe for disaster. The foolish internet craze referred to as the “cinnamon challenge” is causing a major commotion.

If you haven’t heard of the cinnamon challenge, it is very simple. It refers to the attempt to consume a spoonful of cinnamon in a hurry. No liquid is allowed to aid in washing it down. As one might imagine, cinnamon is very effective at drying out the mouth and the flavor can be spicy. YouTube is littered with videos of teens taking the challenge, and they are often seen gagging and coughing as the cinnamon goes flying everywhere.

Seems like harmless, albeit stupid, fun, right? Wrong. Dr. Alvin Bronstein is the medical director for the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center recently released this statement.

“We urge parents and caregivers to talk to their teens about the cinnamon challenge, explaining that what may seem like a silly game can have serious health consequences.”

(more…)

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Lacy

6 Foods That Make It Easy to Eat Healthy This Spring

Spring has sprung. And in some regions, we’ve even skipped right to summer. In any case, a transition into warmer weather means two things: spring cleaning and shifting our eating to more seasonal foods.

In addition to spring cleaning your house, one thing you might consider doing is spring cleaning your kitchen. Chances are throughout winter you stocked up on cold-weather foods that are too heavy for spring and summertime. Start by throwing out food that’s gone bad, and then donate any unwanted canned goods to charity. It’s beneficial for you, your family and the community.

Another great way to get spring-ready is by adding more figure-friendly foods to your diet. Foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories are great choices. Here is a list of six healthy foods for springtime from DietsInReview.com’s Registered Dietitian, Mary Hartley, RD, as well as a few easy-to-prepare recipes for even more inspiration.

(more…)

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Dana

New DASH Diet Refocuses the No. 1 Diet for Weight Loss

By Dani Stone

The DASH Diet for Weight Loss: Lose Weight the Healthy Way – and Keep It Off – With America’s Most Respected Diet is a new diet book written by Thomas J. Moore, MD and Megan C. Murphy, MPH with Mark Jenkins and slated for publication on April 17, 2024. The diet, originally intended to lower blood pressure, prevent diabetes and stop hypertension is now being touted for its comprehensive weight loss approach.

The DASH Diet is based on the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study created in 1993. Dr. Thomas Moore, co-author of the book, gathered in Bethesda, Maryland with a group of 50 researchers, all with one common goal, “design an eating pattern that would lower blood pressure.” After years of research and working with volunteers who agreed to be recipe/meal plan guinea pigs, the results surpassed research goals with volunteers on the DASH diet lowering their systolic blood pressure by at least 11 points, sometimes enough to replace anti-hypertensive medication.

But wait, there’s more! DASH researchers also noted additional benefits including lowering the risk of heart attacks, kidney stones and colon cancer, and it helped people lose weight. U.S. News & World Report agreed, ranking the DASH diet the #1 Overall Diet in 2024. The diet is successful because it encourages counting calories, reducing salt intake and eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. (more…)

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Health Buzz

Get a Smaller Waistline and a Younger Face on The Doctors

The weather is warming up and many are beginning to plan for summer. This Friday, March 30, The Doctors are going to explain how we can get our bodies ready for the new season too. This Friday’s episode is titled, “Simple Secrets to Shrinking Your Waistline.”

Many of us walk around with what are referred to as spare tires, muffin tops, and love handles. The Doctors want to share some all-new tips and secrets about how to eliminate extra fat for good.

New diet trends, like eating dessert for breakfast will be discussed. They will also be describing the little known weight loss tricks of the French. Discover how French women stay thin and learn how to use their techniques too.

(more…)

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Lacy

Lessons to Learn from Mother’s Controversial Methods to Put 7-Year-Old on a Diet

In a time when nearly 17 percent of America’s children are considered obese, there are several fingers being pointed and many debates taking place. Sometimes restaurants are under fire for advertising and serving unhealthy food to kids. Our schools catch flak for the menus and junk food they provide. More recently ad campaigns have insulted children for being fat in an effort to reverse the issue. But what happens on the small scale, when your own child is overweight? One mother documented her attempts to help her child lose weight. Vogue magazine just published this controversial essay. And because of the attention, Random House has inked a book deal for a book to be called “The Heavy.”

Dara-Lynn Weiss is the mother of 7-year-old Bea. At age 6, Bea was 4’4” and weighed 93 pounds. The child’s pediatrician declared her clinically obese and informed her that she was now at a higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other weight-related problems. While these issues were serious, Weiss admits that it was a hurtful school moment that prompted Bea’s year-long Weight Watcher’s type diet.

“One day Bea came home from school in tears, confessing that a boy at school had called her fat. The incident crushed me, but it was a wake-up call. Being overweight is not a private struggle. Everyone can see it.”

The program Bea began is called “Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right.” However, it appears from the essay that Weiss made variations to the program. Weiss was very forthright about how she managed her daughter’s diet. (more…)

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Lacy

Sugar is Not Food, it is a Highly Addictive Drug

By Samantha Childs for NutritiousAmerica.com

Please say the following out loud: “Hello my name is ________ (fill in your name), and I am an addict.”

Congratulations, you’ve done it! Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery. And you are a junkie to something far more deadly than drinking or even cigarettes.

Here are some clues:

  1. It’s most common form is as a white powder.
  2. In the 1300s it was recognized as a potent drug and handled under lock and key by apothecaries.
  3. It’s original name, bestowed by the French, was crack.

You guessed it. Sugar. Sugar is the crack of the masses. I learned this from famous psychotherapist Julia Ross at the 2024 Nutrition Conference held by The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sugar as a drug? Yes. And not just that, it is a high calorie drug. (A double whammy.) (more…)

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Nutritious_America

Intuitive Eating Shifts the Paradigm of Dieting

At any point in time, one in three women and one in five men in the United States are on some kind of diet. Most dieters opt for traditional programs that count nutrients or servings of food or actually specify which foods to eat. Those diets produce short-term weight loss, but two or three years later, 95 percent of traditional dieters regain the weight. But the diet industry manages to hold on because hope springs eternal in the human breast.

Research shows that starvation, whether from natural causes or intentional dieting, increases the risk of overeating and binge eating disorder (binge eating disorder is a distinct entity and not the same as overeating.) On-again, off-again dieters regain lost weight by over-eating in-between periods of restrictive dieting. The human body is simply programmed to respond to starvation by hoarding food when it becomes available.

On-again, off-again dieters develop a “dieting mindset.” They lose touch with their thresholds for taste and fullness. For example, when normal eaters eat sweets or a meal, they cross over a threshold and lose their desire for more sweets or food. Chronic dieters, on the other hand, learn to ignore those signals. They decide when, what, and how much to eat based on whether they are on or off a diet. That leaves them susceptible to eating in response to external cues, like TV commercials and food pushers, and to non-food cues such as boredom and unpleasant feelings. (more…)

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Natalie K

Just Label It Pushes for Genetically Modified Food Labeling in U.S.

Genetically-modified foods. Ever heard of them? They seem to be stirring up constant controversy and the more I learn about them, the more uneasy I become.

Genetically-modified (GM) foods are genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. Freaky stuff.

The interesting thing that most Americans are probably in the dark on is that more than 40 other countries worldwide are now requiring labels for GM foods. But with the FDA showing no sign of budging on this issue, there’s a new group of about 20 states domestically that are considering their own legislation that would require food producers to label GM foods.

While others become increasingly concerned, The FDA holds strong saying that GM foods pose no safety risk. But isn’t that what they said about pink slime? And after that news came out about that, supermarkets, schools and people across the nation turned up their noses at the stuff and demanded better. (more…)

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Dana

The Biggest Loser SlimCoach is an Ideal Gadget for Monitoring Fitness

Biggest Loser contestants have always donned a gadget on their arms, tracking their every move through more than eight hours of exercise each day. This season, the device was seemingly gone. Trust that it’s still there, it’s just discreetly hiding underneath their T-shirts.

The SlimCoach is tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and when clipped under your shirt to a pocket or waist band can barely be noticed. It’s practically weightless, in fact, that smartphone you lug everywhere weighs more.

The SlimCoach offers minimal data from the device, but when synced with your computer and an online dashboard you’ll get a lot of valuable information about your calorie burn and consumption and your progress toward a weight loss goal. On the face of the device is a circle that lights up red at the start of your day. As you progress through the day, whether walking or running, it shows your calorie burn by lighting up green. The goal is to get a solid green circle, which means you’ve met your goal for the day.

I spent some time wearing the SlimCoach and quickly felt I was in a competition with myself. I was going out of my way to move just to make sure that circle turned green. For instance, I stood to fold the laundry instead of sitting, and I was more inclined to hop/run down the stairs. I wasn’t obsessive, but I definitely checked in periodically. With a click to the center of the circle I could see my progress. Barely at half green by noon? Not good enough! I had to keep moving. (more…)

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Natalie K

Pepsi Next: Fewer Calories but Creates More Concern

Pepsi just officially released its newest beverage: Pepsi Next.

Pepsi says the new beverage has 60 percent less sugar and 60 percent fewer calories than regular Pepsi. But, in order to keep the sweetness but reduce the amount of sugar and calories, Pepsi Next features all of the sugar substitutes it has into one beverage. It combined high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, Sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

This is quite the sweetener combo and if you are like most, seeing this list may make you wonder what you’re going to be chugging. Even though Pepsi Next does contain a lot of artificial sweeteners, the fact that it is only half the calories of regular Pepsi could be a plus for those who want to reduce their sugar intake and cut calories to lose weight or maintain their weight.

Elisa Zied, MS, RD, CDN, and author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips said in an email, “If someone were to replace one full calorie soda for a Pepsi Next each day, he or she would save 60 calories—that’s 420 calories a week. They may not lose weight, but they’ll certainly save nutrient-poor sugar calories and perhaps leave more room in the diet for more healthful foods like a small piece of fruit.”

Here is some quick info on these artificial sweeteners included in the Pepsi Next that you may want to know about:

Aspartame, also found in Diet Pepsi, is one of the more controversial artificial sweeteners out there. The FDA has claimed its research has not shown any adverse health complications from aspartame. But according to MedicineNet.com, there is some evidence suggesting headaches, depression, increased hunger, and even cancer can be related to consuming aspartame.

Sucralose, also found in Pepsi One, is most well known for its claim to be made from sugar. It is usually  found in Splenda and is 600 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). It is claimed to have no calories by itself. According to Sucralose.org, it is not a natural product. The website claims it is made from a chemically modified sugar molecule. The FDA reviewed studies in human beings and animals. It determined there was no evidence of it causing cancer and posed no risk to human health. According to MedicineNet, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for sucralose is set at 5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. So if you weighed 200 pounds, your ADI would be 455 mg. According to Pepsi’s product information for every 12 ounces, there is approximately 14 mg of sucralose. (more…)

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Kristina