Diet and Nutrition

Focus on Better Habits Instead of Short-Term Weight Loss in the New Year

We’ve all heard there is no quick fix for weight loss. From diet pills to diet books, making drastic dietary changes typically only results in short-term weight loss success. Much can be said about the habits you pick up in the midst of following a new eating plan, diet or not, and although changing the way you eat often results in weight loss, only focusing on this outcome can often also result in disappointment, discouragement, and even failure. Instead, focusing on developing healthy habits as opposed to losing weight can help you feel great about your accomplishments and result in long-lasting health benefits.

For example, following a weight loss plan for four to six months as part of your New Years resolution often results in improved cholesterol levels, decreased inflammatory tone, and decreased heart disease risk even if you don’t keep off the weight. Although initial weight loss may play a role, the healthy habits you learn while making those dietary changes may be just as important, if not more so, in achieving long-term health success.

Focus on these positive changes instead of the numbers on the scale to ensure successfully fulfilling your New Years resolution.

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Posted on December 29, 2023 by Kati

20 Foods To Get More Fiber in Your Diet

by Kelsey Murray

It’s common knowledge that having a diet that is high in fiber is good for you. A fiber-rich diet will help you feel full longer, making it easier to eat less and lose weight, while also lowering your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Unfortunately, most people do not get as much fiber in their daily diets as they should. Women should aim for 25 grams of fiber each day, while men need to get a little bit more (35-40 grams). However, most of us only eat about 15 grams of fiber on a daily basis.

If you are looking to increase your daily fiber intake, you could take some fiber supplements. Or, you could eat some of these foods, which taste delicious and are a better way for you to meet your daily fiber requirements.

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Posted on December 29, 2023 by Health Buzz

Fish Oil May Cure Leukemia

Fish oil has long been touted for its heart, neurological, and cancer risk-lowering health benefits. Now, an ingredient that can be extracted from fish oil may lead to a cure for leukemia.

According to Penn State researchers, a compound called delta-12-protaglandin J3 (D12-PGJ3) appears to target leukemia stem cells. The compound killed the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in mice, said Sandeep Prabhu, Penn State associate professor of immunology and molecular toxicology in the Department of Veterinary and Medical Sciences. (more…)

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Jason

Americans Only Hitting MyPlate Nutrition Goals One Week a Year

Earlier this year the USDA unveiled the MyPlate icon, replacing the MyPyramid graphic in an effort to simplify dietary recommendations for the American public. Yet despite the early excitement surrounding its unveiling, it appears not many Americans are choosing to implement the MyPlate guidelines.

In fact, most Americans are only meeting the MyPlate guidelines an average of one week out of the year. And this probably isn’t altogether that shocking given that most Americans fail to include vegetables or dairy at most meals. Additionally, the 2024 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the recommendations visually depicted by the MyPlate icon, often require more than three meals to be eaten each day in order to be achieved which can also prove difficult for individuals who don’t snack in between meals.

So are the MyPlate guidelines really a diet in disguise that most people can’t stick to for longer than a week? Not exactly. The guidelines behind MyPlate result from years of study and observation of eating behaviors among thousands of Americans. These guidelines outline a lifestyle, not a diet, however without proper guidance they can be just as difficult to stick to.

When implementing the MyPlate guidelines, it’s important to know where to start and to have a little background information on what these guidelines mean. This, of course, requires you to go beyond the plate and develop your own MyPlate-based plan that works over the long-term. And although it’s easy to say this is something you want to do, actually doing it is a lot harder.

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Posted on December 28, 2023 by Kati

Chris Powell’s “Choose to Lose” Comes Out Today

Choose to Lose book coverTrainer and self-described “Transformation Specialist” Chris Powell is releasing a book today, titled Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution. Known for his work on the reality show Extreme Makeover, Powell tweeted yesterday that his book is “Just in time for New Year’s resolutions.”

As the title suggests, Choose to Lose does not shy away from carbs, unlike many other weight loss plans that are currently popular. Instead, the book instructs readers to cycle between high-carb days and low-carb days. According to Powell, the system allows the body to burn fat while still keeping the metabolism high.

The book also lays out a workout plan that increases in intensity over the course of 90 days. There are two types of workouts, which Powell calls “shapers” and “shredders.” Shredders are cardio workouts that are to be done six times per week, however they only take 6 minutes to do. The shaper workouts focus on strength training, and are to be done on low-carb days. At first glance, the Choose to Lose system seems complicated, however the book aims to break the process down step-by-step. The book also includes motivational tips, shopping lists and recipes.

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Posted on December 27, 2023 by Margaret

80Bites Diet Ruins Your Efforts at Mastering Intuitive Eating

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the U.S. Government, and dietitians all you need is 80 bites of food a day. This concept is behind the new 80Bites Diet created by registered dietitian Meredith Luce, M.S. and Pilates instructor Joan Breibart. The 80Bites Diet is promoted as a way to permanently retrain how your body feels hunger, teach it to eat slower, and reprogram the digestive system.

Due to chronic overeating, our stomachs stretch. The more a stomach stretches, the more of an appetite one has which leads to over-consumption and weight gain. 80Bites claims that by simply taking 80 bites of a food a day, your body can learn to intuitively eat a healthy amount. We are assuming that those 80 bites are nutritious foods, and not mouthfuls of cake.

The 80Bite plan is a 12 week plan that is explained very simply: Take fewer bites, your stomach container shrinks, you want fewer feedings, and finally you absorb fewer calories. As the name indicates, you eat 80 bites of food per day, divided into three meals and a snack. To monitor your bites, 80Bites has a smart phone app that you count your bites with. It’s considered the “pedometer for your mouth,” a practical way to track consumption and become aware of overeating. The app records each bite you take as you tap on the screen. If you eat too quickly, the app alerts you to slow down. When you get close to your maximum bites for the meal, the sound changes, too.

We aren’t entirely sure if doing everything for you, and focusing on quantity over quality, is the path to learning intuitive eating, but it does set a pace that can become habit if practiced over a period of time.
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Posted on December 27, 2023 by Lacy

Healthy Kwanzaa Recipes from The DailyBurn’s Kate Brown

The holidays are a time when people get to indulge in their favorite traditional dishes. Kwanzaa, a holiday celebrated largely by African Americans, is a week-long celebration that begins December 26 based on the year-end harvest festivals that take place throughout Africa. As with many other holidays, there are a number of classic dishes associated with celebrating Kwanzaa.

“If you are trying to stick to a healthy nutrition plan, holiday meals can cause some anxiety,” said Kate Brown, recipe developer, trainer, and healthy living writer for DailyBurn. “Do you throw out your diet and go to town or do you turn your nose up as your favorite dish gets passed around the table?”

As it turns out, there is a happy medium between abstaining from your favorite foods and ditching your diet plan altogether. If you’re cooking the holiday meal, all you have to do is give your favorite recipes a healthy makeover. If you’re attending a party, bring a healthy dish for everyone to share.

Whether you’re hosting or attending a Kwanzaa celebration, Brown has provided menu-planning tips and two favorite recipes that embody authentic African cuisine.

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Posted on December 26, 2023 by Maris

Curves Complete Launches Today in Time for New Year’s Resolutions

purple "curves" logoCurves is well known for their fitness centers, which offer circuit training exclusively for women. Today, they’re rolling out a re-vamped version of Curves Complete just in time for 2024 New Year’s resolutions. The new comprehensive weight-loss program combines nutrition, fitness and motivation specifically designed to help women.

The diet and exercise components of the weight loss program are no surprise, however, Curves is offering a new kind of support system through the “motivation” pillar of the program. “Motivation is what makes the plan work,” Curves Director of Nutrition Nadia Rodman told DietsInReview. “Overeating is a habit for many people much like an addiction. Learning about behavior change and having the support of a coach and the community at Curves helps women make the changes they need to make to lose weight and maintain it for life.”

Curves Complete is a 90-day program that’s divided in to three phases. The first phase lasts one week, and consists of a 1,200 calorie-plan to kick-start the weight loss. After this, more calories are added for the remainder of the 90 days to increase the consumption to 1,500 calories. After this, women are counseled to eat a healthy diet of 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day, depending on their activity level, to maintain their weight loss.

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Posted on December 26, 2023 by Margaret

Atkins Diet Helps Amber Lose 120 Pounds and Find Her Purpose

This is the story of Amber, a woman who didn’t take care of herself until she had an awakening while taking care of others.

Amber’s struggles with her weight were spawned from a teenage fight with chronic asthma. Before then, she was at an average weight. But through a combination of medications that caused weight gain and a spiraling depression, she began to put on the pounds – 100 pounds throughout her high school years to be exact.

The depression worsened as she dealt with the senseless cruelty that teenagers are capable of inflicting on people who are different than the ideal. Amber’s asthma made any hopes of turning things around even more difficult since she couldn’t participate in school sports or other activities.

Unfortunately, activities could not be avoided during gym class, when Amber was forced to run the track. She struggled as kids teased her. She even felt little support from her gym teachers, who she thought looked down on her as lazy.

While Amber continued to struggle with her weight after high school, things did get a little better. She met and married a very supportive husband, and the couple had a daughter together.

But the respite was short-lived, as Amber gained more weight after having her daughter and she fell further into the depths of depression. What made matters worse is she picked up smoking, not caring whether she lived or died.

Then hope arrived unexpectedly in the form of a job as a nursing assistant for a hospice agency. Taking care of terminally ill patients gave new meaning to Amber’s life, as she began to realize a purpose.

“These people needed me and I was able to provide comfort and love to them and their family,” Amber told us. “It was a wonderfully rewarding feeling. The feeling of gratefulness that people had for me started to make me appreciate myself.” (more…)

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Jason

The Only Resolution You Need for 2024

Maruchy Lachance is president of Running Ninja!, a lifestyle brand for runners by runners. Running Ninja! offers a wide variety of apparel and gifts for runners to keep you happy and inspired while you’re on the run.

2024 is almost here and many of my friends are discussing their resolutions for the upcoming year. Surprisingly enough, not all the resolutions are about food and fitness. Some are just about changing the things in their lives that are no longer serving them.  One of my friends confidently announced that in 2024, the now empty-nester would take all her energy to reinvent herself. “There are so many things I’ve always wanted to be, and now I’m going to give them all a go. Succeed or fail, it doesn’t matter, I’m throwing it out there and see what sticks!”

It’s that attitude that I encourage all of us to embrace, regardless of what your resolution might be. One of the problems that sideline so many of us is that we become consumed with the “results.” Although the results are important, they are not the sum of it all.

Like my friend that is joyfully embarking on this journey, she understands that she is going to give it her all, regardless of the results. When it comes to weight and fitness, giving it your all is about putting yourself first. Slowing down to make the right choices that will fuel and firm your body while also enjoying stronger bones, improved mood and countless other benefits you are not associating with a bikini body! By removing the pressure of meeting a certain goal by a certain time, you can really enjoy the journey and arrive at the most natural and long lasting results. (more…)

Posted on December 25, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Bob Evans Announces Mail Order Food Delivery

This week, Columbus-based restaurant and food products company Bob Evans, which runs 564 restaurants in 18 states announced that it is testing home delivery this holiday season and into 2024. The test menu will offer five frozen choices:

  • Homestyle breakfast, including bacon, sausage, hash browns and biscuits, serving between 12 and 15 for $77.95.
  • Farm-grill favorites with bratwurst and Italian sausage, serving between 12 and 15 for $95.
  • Savory dinner with a 3.5- to 4.5-pound turkey breast, meant for four to eight diners at $95.
  • Ham feast with a 8.5- to 9.5-pound spiral-sliced ham for between 12 and 15 at the table for $170.
  • Turkey feast with a 10- to 12-pound smoked turkey for 12 to 15 is $170.

If the test menu performs well, the company expects that it could be open to the public in time for Easter 2024. While it is hard to argue with the convenience of direct-delivery service, dietitians and nutrition experts have some concerns about the nutritional quality of the meals.

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Posted on December 24, 2023 by Maris