Diet and Nutrition

Nutella Still Claiming They are a Healthy Breakfast Choice

The commercial seems innocent – a mom, trying to do the right thing for her family. She’s looking for a healthy breakfast choice, one that her kids will eat. She opens the pantry and pulls out a jar of Nutella, and the family happily sits down to nosh on it. She’s surrounded by smiling faces, all enjoying a breakfast of Nutella spread on whole grain toast. It’s a blissful shot, one that most moms would give their right arm to enjoy. Everyone eating breakfast with no fuss, no complaint, no “I hate that!” within hearing.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, it is. We’ve been ’round this debate before. Despite a lawsuit, the company is still insisting that Nutella is a nutritious breakfast choice. But is it really, or is this just a case of false advertising?

Janine Bolton, RD, has this to say about Nutella for breakfast: “I would not consider Nutella part of a healthy or balanced breakfast for kids. A balanced breakfast is one that features foods from different food groups, so that we get a variety of nutrients. Nutella does not belong to any food group and packs in over 10 grams of sugar per tablespoon. I wouldn’t recommend Nutella for anything other than an occasional treat.”

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Posted on July 26, 2024 by Carmen

Dried Fruit Might Fill Nutritional Gap, At a High Caloric Cost

Raisins seem like a pretty innocent food. They don’t contain added sugars, artificial preservatives or unnatural food colorings. But should they be considered as good as grapes?

According to the 2024 Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, 75 percent of Americans (including men, women and children ages nine to 18) do not eat enough fruit on a daily basis. According to data from the Japanese research group Nippon Data 80/90, this statistic looks no better in twenty other first-world nations. The International Nut and Dried Fruit Council has put forward a paper titled “Valuable Tools to Meet Dietary Recommendations for Fruit Intake,” which suggests that dried fruit is “nutritionally equivalent” to fresh, and should be treated as such in government dietary recommendations and guidelines around the world.

On one hand, this paper is a lobbying tool, putting science and statistics at the hands of marketers to promote a product. On the other hand, it proposes a seemingly reasonable solution for over-fed yet malnourished populations. In fact, MyPlate materials already suggests that dried fruits, such as raisins, be considered for healthy snack.

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Posted on July 26, 2024 by Margaret

Starbucks’ Ready-To-Eat Chicken Products Recalled

UPDATE [7/27/11]: This recall has been expanded to include Starbucks salami and cheese Bistro Box and the chipotle chicken wrap. There has also been a separate recall of Pilgrim’s Pride chicken nuggets.

Those that frequent Starbucks coffee shops in Georgia and Alabama will want to be on the lookout for chicken products that have been recalled recently. Flying Food Group is the company that produces the Starbucks Chipotle Chicken Wrap Bistro Box and the Starbucks Chicken and Hummus Bistro Box. They have recently recalled both of these products due to Listeria monocytogene contamination.

Roughly 204 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken wraps and plates are being recalled in total. The products that are recalled have “Enjoy by 071511” on the bottom left corner of the package. They also have an establishment number of P-34373 within the USDA mark of inspection.

This problem was discovered through microbiological testing conducted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service or FSIS. There were no reports of illness with these products, but the FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks, which is how the contamination was found.

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Posted on July 25, 2024 by Descygna

Courtney’s Summer Challenge Week 6 – Eat Wholly Guacamole!

This is the tastiest challenge Courtney’s given us yet. Who wouldn’t want to take on a challenge that requires you to eat guacamole every day? And not hang out in the kitchen making guacamole, but buying it ready-to-go from Wholly Guacamole!

Well that’s your challenge in week 6 – to eat Wholly Guacamole (and/or Wholly Salsa) and report back how you enjoyed it. For Courtney that’s going to be as a salad dressing or topping a chicken breast. Replace mayo, use as a dip, or even use instead of sour cream on a breakfast burrito… either way, the options are endless!

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Posted on July 25, 2024 by Health Buzz

Textured Vegetable Protein is a Versatile Meat Replacement

Textured vegetable protein, or TVP, is a highly concentrated mixture made from soy flour. It’s very easy to cook, has virtually no taste and has no fat. Doesn’t sound very appetizing, right? Actually, that’s far from the truth.

I’m a big fan of using vegetable protein in place of ground beef , turkey or chicken. TVP is most often made from high protein content soy flour, but it can be made of cotton seeds, wheat or oats. The mixture is extruded, and becomes a spongy mass that is then cut into chunks, nuggets or grains. These shapes are then dried. TVP is approximately 50% protein before rehydration.

When reconstituted, the TVP can be mixed with ground beef, turkey or chicken with a ratio as high as 3:1. The TVP takes on the flavor of the meat that it is mixed with and makes a fantastic filler. It’s very inexpensive and can be shelf stable for up to a year. These qualities make TVP a staple for those who follow a vegetarian, and in some cases, vegan, lifestyle. For those who are trying to lose weight, the reality that it is fat and cholesterol free make TVP a dream come true.

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Posted on July 25, 2024 by Carmen

10 Simple Ways to Beat the Battle of the Bulge

By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com

Do you have a spare tire, love handles, or a belly bulge? Don’t fret. Here are a ten simple tricks from my best-selling book, The Life Force Diet (Wiley, 2006) that can help you make this a lighter and healthier year.

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to beat dehydration. Alcohol consumption, fatty foods, and insufficient water are some of the main reasons people feel “hung over” and heavy. Every cell in your body needs adequate water to function properly so try to drink at least two liters a day to flush fat and toxins out.

2. Take a high-quality B-complex and vitamin C supplement, both of which are depleted by alcohol consumption and stress, and chances are you had both recently.

3. Eat fruit in the morning on an empty stomach. Fruit is the best food to keep the lymphatic system cleansed and moving properly. The lymphatic system is what I call “the body’s version of a street-cleaner” — it sweeps up toxins, fat, and the by-products of bodily processes to lessen pain, inflammation, cellulite, and toxic overload in the body. Just don’t overdo. (more…)

Posted on July 24, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Five Healthy Franks for National Hot Dog Day

Hot dogs might not measure up to most gourmet fare, but they are a big part of some of America’s favorite pastimes. National Hot Dog Day falls on July 23, which is conveniently right in the middle of baseball and summer grilling season.

While you often hear that hot dogs are nutritionally unsavory, there are a lot of lighter options out there for anyone who wants keep things on the healthier side.

Whether you’re buying beef, pork, turkey, chicken or veggie hot dogs, you should always pay attention to whether or not the hot dog has added nitrites or nitrates. Once digested, nitrites and nitrates can form compounds that have been known to cause cancer. To make your hot dog meal healthier, you can serve it topped with fiber-rich sauerkraut, in a whole-wheat bun or alongside a full plate of brightly-colored fruits and vegetables.

However, if you want to avoid the nutritional trap of hot dogs entirely, you can look to five of our favorite healthier hot dogs to satisfy your cravings without an added helping of guilt.

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Posted on July 22, 2024 by Maris

Omega-3s Help Lower Diabetes Risk

According to three studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, an increase of omega-3 fatty acids in your blood can reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.

The reduction in diabetes risk came from omega-3 sources in plants, seafood, or the consumption of both. Two of the studies came from China, where the results differed slightly. With one population, the benefits only came from plant-based omega-3s, the other group saw benefits in both. The third study, which was based in the U.S., also showed evidence that both groups of omega-3 sources were beneficial. (more…)

Posted on July 22, 2024 by Jason

The Myth of Targeting Your “Problem Area”

Most people have areas of their body they wish they could change. There are hundreds of workouts that promise to tone your tummy, trim your waist or tighten your butt. It’s certainly possible to build muscle in these areas, but an article from CNN points out that you may not be able to change the underlying shape of your body, even with significant weight loss.

“People come in with unrealistic expectations from magazines and spot-reducing,” says Gary Foster, director of Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education. “That doesn’t happen. When you start to lose fat, it’s proportionate throughout your body, whether it’s your neck, waist, ankle circumference. You’ll come out smaller but have the same body shape.”

In other words, a person who is pear-shaped will remain a pear, and a person who is apple-shape will remain an apple. “Basically, when we lose weight, we lose weight all over in exactly the proportion that’s distributed throughout our body,” says Susan Fried, director of the Boston Obesity and Nutrition Research Center at the Boston University School of Medicine. CT scans, dexa scans and MRIs reveal that as a person loses weight, fat is reduced evenly around the body.

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Posted on July 22, 2024 by Health Buzz

5 Worst Restaurant Foods for High Calorie Foods

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has announced the “winners” of its award for most caloric food items at restaurants. The group points out that most people should be limiting their daily food intake to about 2,000 calories. These items either come close or even exceed that recommendation.

Before we get into naming the nominees, let’s just say that the top two have names that leave little doubt that you are in for an overindulgent experience: Cold Stone Creamery and The Cheesecake Factory.

Here are some of the lowlights as collected by The Center for Science in the Public Interest: (more…)

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Jason

Gluten Free Lunch Box Snacks Kids Will Love

In some ways it feels like summer has just begun. However, a walk through a supermarket will tell us that back-to-school season is just around the corner. The aisles are full of school supplies, backpacks, and new lunch boxes.

It’s just a few weeks before our kids will need their nutritious lunches packed every morning. This can be a real challenge as a parent. The challenge is much greater for those who have children with food allergies. Thankfully, many new products are available to make lunchtime easier for these children. For kids with gluten allergies or Celiac disease, their choices for fun lunchtime snacks were typically very limited. Today, there are several great products available. Not only are they gluten free and nutritious, but they are fun. No longer do our little ones with allergies have to be left out, eating their plain snacks.

These are just a few of the great tasting, gluten free, lunch box snacks to put on your school supply list.

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Posted on July 21, 2024 by Lacy

Diet and Nutrition

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