Diet and Nutrition

Is Britney Spears’ Weight Loss Just Photoshopping?

Pop icon Britney Spears can’t escape the headlines for too long, it seems she’s always making some sort of news. Currently it’s her weight loss that’s being put under the microscope. Or rather, the possible falsified photos indicating weight loss. Spears just wrapped up a successful concert tour titled Femme Fatale and she accepted an engagement proposal from her longtime boyfriend Jason Trawick. Things have been looking up for the young star. After years of negative drama swarming her image, Spears seems to be in a much healthier place. Her body has represented that health as well. Critics have taken note that she’s slimmed down in the last few months and she’s looking better than ever.

Spears appeared in the recent edition of V Magazine. The article discussed her tour and she praised her crew for all their hard work. The image of Spears was captured in September and is currently the only piece of the article getting mentioned.

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Posted on January 16, 2024 by Lacy

New Book “Think and Grow Thin” Hits Shelves Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the release date for Charles D’Angelo’s new book, Think and Grow Thin. D’Angelo has been a long time, successful weight-loss coach and is now revealing his techniques in his new book. D’Angelo first gained recognition as a teenager. In two years he dropped 156 pounds and began his life long journey to fitness and health. D’Angelo had coached celebrities, politicians, and CEOs. All of these elites have transformed their bodies. Now anyone can learn from D’Angelo.

The book will reveal the weight loss tips that D’Angelo has given his clients for years. His method focuses more on the mind than the body. D’Angelo is known for helping people overcome the mental aspects of their obesity and extra weight. Along with sharing his method, D’Agelo’s book provides eating plans and motivation to lead the reader to permanent weight-loss. Much of the motivation will come in the form of clients success stories and their inspirational before and after photographs.

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Posted on January 16, 2024 by Lacy

Choosing a Gluten Free College

By Wendy Gregory Kaho

Choosing a college can be tough when you have celiac disease and/or gluten sensitivity. If your child is required to live in the dorms, you need to know what to look for in the dining hall to determine if a school really can meet your gluten-free needs. Here are some tips from our experience sending two gluten-free teens off to small liberal arts colleges.

Despite the good reputations in the food service world of both dining services, we found a wide variation in knowledge and follow through in serving gluten-free meals in both colleges. Look for dining services with training programs within the corporation and look out for programs that are researched and implemented by the chef or manager on duty.

Beware if you have new a new chef or dining manager. They will be getting an entire program up and running at the start of the school year and special diet meals will fall thorough the cracks and off their radar.

Smaller colleges are not always safer. With a much smaller gluten-free population to feed, some schools may have little to no experience even serving gluten-free meals. Ask very pointed, specific questions of everyone when asking about gluten-free meals. Watch the servers, the students and the kitchen preparation to see if you can spot weak links and poor kitchen practices.

Get everything in writing and consider registering with the Students with Disabilities Office at your school. This will protect you and your investment once you do choose a school.
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Posted on January 16, 2024 by GuestBlogger

The Golden Globes Nominees’ Dinner Menu Inspired by Global Cuisine

Tonight, stars will line the red carpet for the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. While most people will be focused on what the stars are wearing, we’ve been wondering what the stars will be eating when they sit down to dinner during the show.

Executive chef Suki Sugiura and pastry chef Thomas Henzi of the Beverly Hilton Hotel have spent six months developing a menu based upon the theme of “Global Food Harmony” to represent the global nature of the awards.

THE MENU:

Appetizer: Pistachio crusted pistou ravioli with wild arugula served with smoked tomato, kabocha compote and burrata.

Entree: Miso and sake lees marinated pacific sea bass with grilled king oyster mushroom and braised prime short rib of beef. To be served with porcini pine nut herb ragout in a light cream of sherry wine ginger tamari sauce and roasted fingerling potatoes, candy striped beets, baby bok choy and yellow baby carrots.

Dessert: A trio: chocolate delice almond crunch terrine and acacia honey, caramel and fresh berries, paired with a Moet & Changdon Grand Vintage 2002 magnum specially created for the event.

According to BizBash, the kitchen will employ 40 chefs and 110 kitchen staffers to prepare the meal. Despite all of this effort, will the A-listers in the audience stray from their meticulous diets for one night to indulge in the three-course meal? We decided to investigated which stars are dieting these days – and what types of healthy eating regimens we might expect from them at the awards.

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Posted on January 15, 2024 by Maris

Simple Tips for Beating Winter Weight Gain

Jenna Edmiston loves spending time in the kitchen with her six year old daughter creating healthy, wholesome meals. In between balancing family, work and her personal life, she tries to keep a healthy lifestyle with an open mind and heart. Head over to petitfoodie.com where she shares her thoughts on food, body image and children.

The New Year is finally here. With it came the extra pounds added during the holidays and freezing temperatures. I don’t know about you but I’m craving healthy, warm foods. Comforting foods don’t mean sacrificing your favorite pair of skinny jeans.

Here are a few of my very favorite tips I live by during the dreary days of winter:

Starbucks can be addictive. Think of the high-calorie drinks as a special treat and only get them once a week. Always ask for skim milk. Your waist line and wallet with both thank you.

When you are craving a fabulous warm drink, try drinking a huge mug of warm lemon water. Most of the time your craving will pass and you will feel energized.

I crave mashed potatoes on the regular. Instead of making them with heavy cream and butter try adding chicken or veggie broth. This will enhance the flavor making them creamy and rich without the extra calories.

Soups don’t have to be cream laden. The best soups can be made with fresh veggies and broth.

Making a big batch of soup on the weekends is perfect for all you busy folks out there. The left overs only get better with time and make for great lunches.

Serve a small salad at dinner every night. EVERY NIGHT. Don’t make excuses ….just do it.

Embrace winters citrus fruits. Oranges and clementines are to die for right now. They are as sweet as apple pie. Is there anything more refreshing, really?

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Posted on January 15, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Your Favorite Celebrities Get Red Carpet Fit for the 2024 Golden Globes

There are just a few more hours before the red carpet is rolled out and Hollywood’s top stars strut down the walk of fame for this year’s Golden Globe awards. As the cameras roll and pictures are captured, the stars want to be looking their best. Check out what some of the top contenders do to stay “red carpet fit.”

Funny man Ricky Gervais will be hosting this year’s Golden Globes again. While his zingers are what gain him the most attention, he has been noticed for his weight loss this year too. Gervais has dropped about 20 pounds recently. He credits his girlfriend for the success. While attempting to lose weight herself, she began cooking healthier for them both. In addition, Gervais began running. So the tried and true combo of exercising more and eating less has made Gervais ready to look trim in his tux as he notoriously slams celebrities on Sunday night.

The nominees for best performance by an actor in a motion picture include many “A-List” actors including George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brad Pitt. These screen veterans are no strangers to the lime light and they tend to make sure they are camera fit at all times.

George Clooney stays fit by following a balanced diet. He eats high protein foods, lots of fruit and vegetables, and keeps his fat and carb intake low. Clooney’s exercise routine includes aerobics and yoga. Clooney does 90 minute Bikram, or “hot yoga” sessions, even while filming. The hot yoga can speed up metabolism and burn fat faster.
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Posted on January 14, 2024 by Lacy

Eat Like Tim Tebow: Professionals Weigh in on Football Pros’ Diets

Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos, is one of the most talked-about NFL players this season. While sports commentators have questioned Tebow’s abilities as a quarterback, others have wondered exactly what it takes to stay in peak shape as a professional football player. For many professional athletes, including Tebow, maintaining an athletic physique is not something that comes naturally but is a result of years of dedication to strength training, cardiovascular exercise and maintaining a healthy balanced diet.

Though Tebow’s autobiography Through My Eyes states that he was raised on “Coke and Popsicles” at his uncle’s farm, it is unlikely that he maintains a high-sugar diet today.

“Every athlete will have different needs, but typically you’d like your athlete to eat cleanly all year long,” said New York-based performance coach Chris Matsui, who has worked with high-level athletes including the Carolina Panthers. “A football player’s diet shouldn’t change drastically in the week before a game, but what they specifically eat is dependent on their individual needs and food allergies or intolerances.”

For most of his clients, Matsui recommends fueling with plenty of lean meat (fish and chicken), healthy fats (avocado and nuts), fruit (blueberries and strawberries), vegetables (kale, broccoli and spinach) and complex carbohydrates (quinoa or brown rice).

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Posted on January 13, 2024 by Maris

DASH Diet’s Marla Heller Suggests it May Not be Sexy, but it Makes Sense

Last week the DASH Diet wasn’t exactly a household name, although it should have been. Since US News and World Report announced its Best Diets of 2024, DASH Diet is about all anyone can talk about, or search for online.

“It was exciting to see it happen again,” Marla Heller, MS, RD told us this morning about learning that DASH Diet had received the top recognition from US News for the second time in six months. “The first time it happened last summer was over the top.”

Her book, The DASH Diet Action Plan, was the result of research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “My patients couldn’t really understand [the information]. I knew I needed to break it down,” she told us about publishing the book.

She says it’s been a challenge to get the word out about the healthy eating plan, citing its only likely downfall is “that it doesn’t have the sex appeal of a fad diet.”

If lacking sex appeal, or even a slimmed-down celebrity endorser, is the DASH Diet’s only negative attribute, we have to ask, why aren’t more people on it? Heller and I discussed how a “diet” has come to be revered as a packaged set of rules and organized eating instructions. However, most health experts will agree that the real definition of a diet is just what you eat. Which is why Heller proudly calls her DASH Diet an eating plan.

“It’s just common sense,” she said. “Not enough people have any idea how to put together healthy meals.” She says DASH Diet can re-educate. (more…)

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Natalie K

Splenda Study Finds the Sweetener Alters Gut Microflora

In a recent study performed by Duke University on the artificial sweetener Splenda, research suggests that the sweetener causes adverse reactions to intestinal functions in rats.

Over a 12 week period, rats were given approved doses of Splenda, which is comprised of the high-potency artificial sweetener sucralose. Their fecal samples were collected weekly and tested for any changes. Test results showed several adverse reactions including:

the amount of good bacteria in the intestines was reduced
the pH level in the intestines increased
the sweetener interfered with the absorption of certain medications

The study went on to show that Splenda alters the gut microflora. This is significant because “gut microorganisms refer to beneficial bacteria that live (are alive!) in the intestines,” says our resident registered dietitian Mary Hartley, RD, MPH.

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Posted on January 13, 2024 by Carol

Matt Loses 65 Pounds with Insanity Workout and Zija

Growing up in Wichita, Kansas, 30-year-old Matt Long was never apt to be idle.

“I guess you could say I was raised in an active household… there was always something going on, or someone coming to visit,” says Matt. “There was always work to be done and there wasn’t time to sit around relaxing and eating.”

Matt was in great shape in high school and like many young kids with rocketing metabolisms, he could eat anything. However, once he moved out of his parents’ home, Matt began to see his weight increase.

The seeds of unhealthy eating may have been planted in high school when his weight fluctuated dramatically by his own doing for sports.

As a freshman, Matt weighed 180 pounds for football season. When wrestling season came along, he lost weight dramatically, getting down to 119 pounds. Matt says he was “a cranky hot mess for the rest of the season.”

After wrestling, Matt put it all back on and then some for football, moving up to 200 pounds, repeating the cycle for the next three years. (more…)

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Jason

Diet and Nutrition

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