Diet and Nutrition

The Pros and Cons of Juicing

We’ve talked about juicing and its proposed health benefits before on Diets in Review in our Beginner’s Guide to Juicing articles ‘How to Make Fresh Juice’ and ‘The Benefits of Fresh Juice.’ And again in our story on the documentary ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,’ which follows a man on a 60-day, cross-country juice-fast for his health and weight loss. But with so many people singing the praises of this health trend, perhaps it’s time to stop and consider whether or not juicing is a healthy option for everyone.

According to a recent article from USA Today, when done properly, juicing can provide a flurry of health benefits for the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it provides. And it encourages us to reach for fresh fruits and vegetables instead of sugary drinks and fattening foods. However, it noted that juicing should not be a long-term diet solution as it doesn’t provide our bodies with all of the food it needs. And that individuals suffering from conditions like diabetes, kidney disease and iron deficiencies are not prime candidates for juicing because of the way it affects the body post digestion. (more…)

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Dana

Foodily Adds Panel of Celebrity Tastemakers

A Facebook for foodies? It seems too good to be true, but it’s not.

Foodily – short for “food I love you” – is a social network for foodies with a continuous feed of recipes from across the web. You can use the site to see what your friends are cooking, search and save recipes, and stash it all in your Facebook timeline. An easy-to-use search tool allows you to look for recipes based on ingredients, keywords, and even ingredients you don’t want to cook with. And there’sseparate tabs with photos and nutritional information for each recipe so you can keep your meals as healthy, decadent or diet-specific as you want.

And Foodily’s most recent addition? A panel of chef, cookbook author and celebrity ‘Tastemakers’ so you can find even more great recipes based off of their recommendations. You can follow the taste buds of such big names as former Good Morning America anchor Lisa McRee, New York Times Bestselling author Cristina Ferrare, and world-renowned Iron Chef and restaurateur Cat Cora. These and other foodies make up a diverse group of experts that aim to satisfy and inspire every taste out there no matter if you’re a meat-eater, all-out vegetarian or hardcore vegan.

“Whether you’re looking for the perfect pasta dish, need entertaining advice from celebrity caterer Lulu Powers, or are on a quest for simple, yet sensational meals from Cat Cora, Foodily connects you to the right Tastemakers to follow,” said Andrea Cutright, CEO of Foodily. (more…)

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Dana

Taiwan Trashes US Meat Over Livestock Drug

Ractopamine, ever heard of it? Probably not. However, this feed additive is rather controversial and is causing international waves.

Ractopamine is fed to American livestock in order to promote lean meat. Currently, it is fed to about 60 to 80 percent of the pigs in America and as a result, there have been numerous reports of dead and sickened pigs. No other livestock drug has caused such high numbers of death and illness according to an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Since the drug was introduced, over 218,000 pigs on ractopamine have been reported to show very adverse effects. Since March 2024, the drug has caused the majority of problems in pigs even though other livestock animals are on the drug. Pigs are suffering from hyperactivity, trembling, broken limbs, the inability to walk, and death.  These results were gathered from a FDA report that was released under a Freedom of Information Act request. Even though these disturbing things are happening to the livestock, the FDA says the data can’t determine that the drug caused these effects.

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Posted on March 14, 2024 by Lacy

Dr. Mike Moreno Releases the 17 Day Diet Cookbook

Dr. Mike Moreno has followed up his popular book The 17 Day Diet with a new companion, The 17 Day Diet Cookbook. This cookbook includes 80 new recipes for those following the 17 Day Diet plan.

The 17 Day Diet spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list, with 11 weeks at number one. The program incorporates four different cycles, each of them 17 days in length. The four cycles include Accelerate, Activate, Achieve and Arrive and they are designed to help you lose weight quickly and reset your metabolism.

The 17 Day Diet Cookbook offers more recipe options to those following the program that are full of flavor, easy to prepare and specifically designed to help you stick with the program. All of the foods included in the recipes use ingredients that are easy to find in most grocery stores, and many of them can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
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Posted on March 14, 2024 by Descygna

A Convincing Argument For Fake Chicken

There are many reasons to be a vegetarian. Some do it purely for health, others maintain a meat-free diet because they feel that it protects animals from suffering. Regardless of the reasons, most vegetarians catch a lot of flak for their choices. A recent look into the world of poultry production and the options in a plant-based diet, may have even the most cynical among us ordering up faux chicken for our next meal.

New York Times, Op-Ed columnist Mark Bittman recently took an objective look into the world of fake meat, and poultry production in the U.S. He first looked at the facts about the chicken industry. The stats are a little unsettling. The U.S. raises and kills almost eight billion chickens a year. The growth is so rapid among industry chickens that the Veterinary Record has said that most of the chickens have bone disease and are in chronic pain. For a reflection, the University of Arkansas did a study and reported that if humans grew as fast as industry chickens, they would weigh nearly 350 pounds by age 2.

In addition to the animals being roughly manipulated, Bittman was clear to point out the other effects of raising meat in this manner. Not all are impacted by what some would call cruelty to animals, but the other factors effect many humans. When chickens are raised so quickly, producers are having difficulty dealing with the waste. Manure, waste water, and post-slaughter residue are all in excess and aren’t being disposed of efficiently at all facilities.

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Posted on March 13, 2024 by Lacy

Red Meat Linked to Higher Risk of Premature Death

 A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health focuses on eating unprocessed red meat like hamburger, roast beef, lamb and pork as well as processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, bologna and sausage. The results of the study show that having one serving per day of unprocessed meat can increase your risk for death by cardiovascular disease by as much as 18 percent. Taking in one serving of processed meat per day can increase that risk by as much as 21 percent. There have been numerous studies conducted previously that have linked high consumption of red meat and processed meats to various cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and early death. “This new study provides further compelling evidence that high amounts of red meat may boost the risk of premature death,” said An Pan, lead author of the study.

It is important to also note that this particular study focuses on association, and the results don’t specifically mean causation. Data was collected on the health and deaths of 37,698 men and 83,644 women. Throughout the study, those that were being analyzed filled out questionnaires on their diet every four years. Over two decades during the follow-up period, 5,910 participants died from heart disease while 9,464 died from cancer. This study does show some direct association between eating high amounts of red meat and unprocessed meat on your health. When preparing your food, moderation is the key.

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Posted on March 13, 2024 by Descygna

Dr. Oz Shows You How to Eat What You Love and Still Lose Weight

This week, Dr. Oz’s “Eat What You Love” episode is designed to teach you how you can include some of your favorite items including chocolate, steak, pasta or even cookies into your diet and still lose weight. You don’t have to cut out certain foods or food groups, because that can lead to binges.

Dr. Oz will show that sometimes even the thought of starting a diet can lead to insatiable eating days before you start the diet creating the “last supper mentality.” The Eat What You Love program focuses more on keeping you satisfied while helping you lose weight. Dr. Oz says it’s not a diet, because it’s not something you go on or off. Instead of dreaming about the day when you can have your favorite food again, you will be consuming 1,450 calories per day including foods that are high in protein, fiber and with enough fat to keep you full. You are even encouraged to eat some of your favorite foods to satisfy cravings as long as you are aware of the comfort that food brings and how it tastes.

There are options given for eating out and you can cook one meal at home for your entire family to enjoy. Your daily meals will consist of 300 calories at breakfast, 400 at lunch, 500 for dinner and two 125 calorie snacks each day. Dr. Oz includes recipes and meal ideas as well as substitutions to help get you started.

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Posted on March 13, 2024 by Descygna

Foodzy Food Tracking Puts the User in Control

By now we all know, “there’s an app for that,” right? There’s a mobile application for nearly everything now, and diet and health are no exception. Foodzy believes they have a unique app that will set them apart from all the other diet and health tracking apps.

Foodzy calls themselves a “social food game for web and mobile.” Foodzy allows a user to keep track of what they eat and drink every day. The idea is that Foodzy will give the user insight to their eating habits and in return they will earn badges, stats, and high-scores. The program uses gamification principles similar to Foursquare, however, the badges are designed to encourage healthy eating choices and provide encouragement.

Now, this doesn’t sound too different to many of the other food tracking apps on the market. However, Foodzy says they are different because they have simplified the process. Through simplifying the food database to local products, keeping all searches in one language, and storing your favorite items, Foodzy feels this will eliminate users giving up on their diet tracking.
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Posted on March 13, 2024 by Lacy

Rebecca Subbiah’s Plate for National Nutrition Month

This is a meal I had last week, chicken cacciatore with wild rice. I support Get Your Plate in Shape, it’s a wonderful way for folks to think about what they are eating and maybe make improvements for health if needed. I am a food blogger and avid home cook. As a family we travel a lot to many countries and this is reflected in my cooking, I think if you add global recipes to your repertoire it makes eating healthy, tasty meals fun and easy to do. With so many cuisines from around the globe its hard not to have something nutritious and exciting to cook. (more…)

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Health Buzz

Kati Mora’s Plate for National Nutrition Month

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and it can really set the tone for the meals that follow. With all my meals I try really hard to incorporate all five food groups so that my meal is well-rounded, which keeps me feeling full and provides me with the greatest amount of nutrients. Scrambled eggs are a great starting point – add in a few veggies, a cup of yogurt with fresh fruit on the side and you’ve not only got a well-balanced meal, but one that’s easy to whip together for you and your family. (more…)

Posted on March 12, 2024 by Health Buzz

Ag-Gag Bills Will Keep Food Preparation Methods Secret

Pink slime has been making headlines a lot lately. As most consumers are learning the truth about the food they’re putting in their mouths, the government is apparently getting nervous.

If you haven’t read the truth about this product called pink slime that is making up the majority of the meat served in this country, you should really inform yourself.

Microbiologist Carl Custer gives an excellent definition of pink slime. Custer explains how the substance is primarily connective tissue and gristle, the texture is simply manipulated mechanically and the flavor altered chemically to fool you into thinking it’s meat.

“It’s not meat. We call it Soylent Pink,” Custer said, who has worked with the Food Safety Inspection Service for 35 years.

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Posted on March 12, 2024 by Lacy