Diet and Nutrition

Endurance Runners’ Diets Directly Effect Performance

Part of the joy in endurance running is that the athlete is afforded more calories than their couch dwelling counterparts. However, when a well-meaning non-runner says to me, “you get to eat whatever you want though, right?” I have to sadly answer no and explain how I believed that lie once too.

I began running with hopes that I could eventually eat junk food all day long and pay no penance for it. It took me just a few stomach churning runs to realize that I was wrong. For most runners, their performance is directly related to their diet.

“Junk in, junk out,” is the phrase nutritionist Diane Greenleaf likes to use as a reminder for how our body works. She pointed out that while training does lead to more calories being burned, it doesn’t replace the fact that the body needs nutrients. And it’s no surprise that our tasty junk food isn’t chock-full of vitamins.

(more…)

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Lacy

Paula Deen Endorses 100 Percent Natural Chickens

Paula Deen is a Food Network star known for her delicious southern cooking and her famous restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, Lady and Sons. Lately, Paula has been getting some press coverage for a new food endeavor. Deen has partnered with Springer Mountain Farms to endorse their 100 percent all natural chicken. Their chickens will not only be endorsed by Paula Deen, they will also have her face on the packaging.

Paula Deen released a statement saying:  “Chicken is a very logical line of food for us to have. I’m particularly impressed with the way Springer Mountain Farms raises and feeds its chickens, producing an especially tender and delicious product. I’m proud to put my name on these items and encourage everyone to give them a try.”

For meat and poultry to be labeled all natural, the Food Safety and Inspection Service requires there be no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives. These Springer Mountain Farms chickens have never received steroids, hormones, antibiotics or animal bi-products in their lifetime, eating a diet consisting mainly of corn and soybeans.

(more…)

Posted on August 4, 2024 by Descygna

Campbell’s Adds More Salt to Soups to Boost Sales

Guest article provided by FoodFacts.com

Do you recall the older winter-time commercial of a snowman dragging his feet into his home from a blizzard; and sitting down to a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup? As he took one sip the snow melted off and what was left was a little boy with a huge smile. That’s Campbell’s. They’re marketing and ads have proven to be successful for many years now, because they are the most popular soup can on store shelves. Why? It could be their advertising, their coupons and incentives, or it could be their salt-filled broth that most Americans have grown to adore.

Fact of the matter is that people-love-salt. Salt on pasta, salt on eggs, salt on mashed potatoes, salt on chicken, the list goes on and on. Campbell’s took notice of this a LONG time ago. They’ve been producing soups with high sodium levels since they first opened their factories in 1869. One half-cup serving of their chicken noodle soup is 890mg of sodium. That’s almost HALF of your daily value of sodium for one day, in just HALF a cup. So basically, you consume one whole can, you’ve had your recommended sodium for the entire day in just 5 minutes, and maybe a little more. (more…)

Posted on August 3, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Top 10 Must-Haves on Your Grocery List for Weight Loss

When you lead a busy life, grocery shopping can be a time-consuming chore. If you’re beginning a new diet, you have probably seen a number of resources that offer sample grocery lists and suggested items that deserve a permanent place in your pantry or refrigerator.

While those lists can be helpful, they are sometimes more confusing than useful. Recently, we caught up with Caroline Cederquist, M.D. and founder of BistroMD, a gourmet meal delivery service developed by physicians. Cederquist shared her top ten grocery list items that she recommends patients purchase when they want to eat a healthier diet.

“The shopping list consists of top 10 mainstay items that help you stay on track, lose weight, and add lots of flavor to meals and snacks,” Cederquist said. “A lot of these items can also be used to substitute higher calorie foods for healthier ones.”

(more…)

Posted on August 3, 2024 by Maris

New Nutrition Label Designs Make Information Easier to Understand

The winning food label design

Never again will American grocery shoppers need to take up aisles trying to read a food label only a dietician can understand.

A New York Times article reports that the University of California at Berkeley School of Journalism project aims to redesign the confusing nutrition labels on food packages.  Several competitors entered their ideas for an improved and easy-to-understand nutrition label. The project entries are not part of the Food and Drug Administration’s official effort to change the nutrition label, but their ideas will most likely be heavily considered.

“There are a lot of things right with the current label, but at the same time people are confused. The question is whether a new nutrition facts label could help people make more educated decisions,’’ Lily Mihalik, co-creator of the project, said in the article.

The winning entry came from Renee Walker, a San Francisco visual designer, who used color-coordinated bar graphs that depict the proportion of ingredients in the food product. The simple design and visual appeal could make food labels easy to understand at all levels.

(more…)

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Jamie

Canned Peaches Can be a Healthy Alternative for National Peach Month

With National Peach Month upon us, there are a lot of tempting fresh peach recipes to make with seasonal stone fruit. If you live in a part of the country where fresh peaches are unavailable, it’s still possible to celebrate peaches during the month of August with the canned and frozen fruits in your grocery store.

According to Alison Lewis, nutritionist and founder of Ingredients, Inc., canned fruits are comparable to fresh and frozen fruit when looking at nutritional values.

The Pros

“Eating canned peaches can be healthy,” said Lewis, “Canned peaches sometimes retain more nutrients than fresh because they are picked fully ripe and then processed right away. Fresh fruit may be picked before they are ripe and may travel long distances and suffer improper storage conditions which means nutrients may be destroyed along the way.”

(more…)

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Maris

20 Ways to Cut Breakfast Calories Without Noticing

Try as we might, there’s no way to escape the science of calories. Every calorie counts and unfortunately lots of our favorite foods have too many calories. But don’t fret, life doesn’t have to be lived eating flavorless celery and lettuce. There are lots of great ways to cut calories without feeling like you’re being deprived.

Here are 20 great tricks we’ve compiled to help you get through the most important meal of the day with fewer calories, and without sacrificing taste.

1. Use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze milk instead of cow’s milk
While a cup of whole milk contains nearly 150 calories, Almond Breeze contains no more than 45 calories. The unsweetened flavor has 40 calories per cup and the vanilla and chocolate flavors have 45 calories per cup. Yes, chocolate milk for 45 calories per serving, you read that right.

(more…)

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Lacy

How Much Water Do You Really Need to Drink a Day?

We’ve all heard the rule that we should drink eight, 8-ounce glasses of water each day to stay properly hydrated and healthy. But where did this rule come from? What is the science and research behind the recommendation? Do you need to drink more water if you work out a lot? And what about the foods, like soup and grapefruit, that have a lot of water in them? Do they count towards your daily water-total?

drinking-waterA new commentary in the British Medical Journal, where a doctor called the recommendation to drink six to eight glasses of water a day, “thoroughly debunked nonsense,” is causing many to question what had been considered hydration-law. To clear this whole water-recommendation thing up, we talked with some experts about hydration to get the real deal on how much you really need to drink.

Do I Need to Drink Eight Glasses of Water a Day?

Basically, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to optimal hydration, says Dr. Josh Wagner, owner of The Life House on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he practices chiropractic and sports medicine.

“Eight cups of water per day is the classic recommendation for keeping hydrated, but how could, say, a 105-pound woman need to consume the same amount of water as a 240-pound man?” Dr. Wagner asks. “I usually advise my patients to drink at least half their body weight in ounces of water per day, and to add even more water if they tend to enjoy caffeinated beverages or alcohol or if they have other health concerns, such as diabetes. You’ve heard it before, but water makes up such a large percentage of our bodies and is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle.”

(more…)

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Jennipher

How to Grill Simple Summer Seafood

With a summer heat wave affecting most of the country, home cooks are more enthusiastic than ever about recipes that don’t involve turning on the oven or stove. If you’re already tiring of salads, sandwiches and simple grilled chicken, it’s time to look to the sea for some grilling inspiration.

Lauren Salkeld , Senior Editor, Epicurious, likes to keep things simple when she’s preparing or cooking seafood on the grill.

Use healthy oils. Sometimes people perceive fish to be difficult to grill because it falls apart during the cooking process. “Fish often falls apart because it sticks to the grill,” said Salkeld. “Be sure to gently rub or brush fish with oil and you shouldn’t have too much trouble.” To keep your favorite fish figure-friendly, opt for a heart-healthy oil, like canola or olive.

(more…)

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Maris

August is Family Fun Month

August is Family Fun month! There are so many options for families to really enjoy each other. Fortunately, there are lots of options beyond watching TV and playing video games together. Here are some great tips on having fun and staying healthy as a family.

Exercise as a Family

A family that exercises together, has a blast together! Here are some great ideas to keep moving as a family.

Commit to Fit for a Fun and Motivating Challenge
August 1st is the final day to sign up for the “Commit to Fit” challenge. Sign the whole family up and earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award together- a great way to track and learn new ways to get moving.

(more…)

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Lacy

Ten Fresh Peach Recipes for National Peach Month

August is National Peach Month and with stone fruit season in full swing, we decided it was time to learn a thing or two about fresh peaches – including how to cook with them.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), one large peach will give you 19 percent of your vitamin C for the day, 11 percent of your vitamin A and 10 percent of your potassium.

It’s always best to look for peaches that were grown close to home, but if you can’t find fresh peaches at your local orchard, it’s better to buy them imported from the grocery store than to skip them altogether.

Buy peaches that are soft to the touch or have a deep golden background color.  If your peaches are firm, keep them out on the kitchen counter for a few days or until they’re soft to the touch, at which point you can put them in the refrigerator where they will keep for 3-4 days.

(more…)

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Maris