Diet and Nutrition

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution: Hope For the Future

The last episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution ended with a teaser about the appointment of a new superintendent for the LAUSD. This final episode of the season began with Jamie meeting with Mike of MLS at Patra’s restaurant.

Deno, Patra’s owner, reported that business had continued to be good with his new healthier menu. Mike informed Jamie (and us) that the new LAUSD school superintendent was willing to grant autonomy to schools that can show results. I also learned that schools are not eligible for reimbursement for the free lunch program if they do not serve flavored milk. Later, when we get to meet the new superintendent, he says that he wants to get rid of flavored milk in LAUSD schools, which we now know that he has accomplished. Jamie predicted that with Los Angeles taking such a proactive move, that soon we may see flavored milk eliminated from schools around the country.

With the new superintendent, Jamie was allowed to go back into West Adams High, even into the school kitchen, where he and his culinary arts students got to try out the new healthier school menu items.

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Posted on June 28, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

How to Safely Handle and Grill Chicken

Whether you’re a grill aficionado or you only pull out your miniature Weber for special occasions, it’s important to eat plenty of protein as part of a balanced diet.  While most nutrition experts recommend eating lean meats, tofu, beans and quinoa, we often neglect those during the summertime in favor of grilled steaks, hot dogs and hamburgers.

Chicken is an easy alternative to red meat, which often has a lot of artery-clogging saturated fat. Chicken is versatile, grill-friendly and inexpensive, but when not handled or cooked properly, poultry can be a source of dangerous food borne illness.

Here are some important poultry-handling principles to follow this summer to ensure that all of your meals are safe and delicious.

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Posted on June 28, 2024 by Maris

Obese Body Chemistry Makes Dieting Harder

Life isn’t fair and nowhere is that more evident than the findings from a new study. It appears that obese people who begin a diet with drastic changes will often do more harm than good.

“When obese persons reduce their food intake too drastically, their bodies appear to resist their weight loss efforts. They may have to work harder and go slower in order to outsmart their brain chemistry,” said Gregory G. Freund, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine and a member of University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences.

Freund makes a point of telling people to not start their dieting with a cleansing day, since this seems to trigger changes in the immune system that counter weight loss efforts. The fast-start approach to dieting may also bring on brain chemistry changes that significantly alter mood and motivation levels. (more…)

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Jason

The Fast Food Habits of Men

Ladies, we men are pretty easy to figure out. Most of us enjoy sports, think about sex a lot, love grilling meat and drinking brews on the weekend, and then thinking about sex some more.

If I’m to take a new survey of men’s fast food eating habits to heart, I’d say we are pretty predictable in that department as well. Market research company Lab42 conducted an online survey of 18- to 35-year-old men via social networks, all of whom admitted to frequenting fast food joints. Here is some of what they found out:

  • McDonald’s is at the top of the heap, with 90 percent of the men saying they went there at least once in the past month. (more…)
Posted on June 27, 2024 by Jason

Jack in the Box Stops Putting Toys In Kid’s Meals

Even though its name drums up images of a classic child’s toy, Jack in the Box restaurants will no longer be selling toys in their kid’s meals.

Many fast food restaurants have marketed collectible toys that come along with their child size meals for years. As the fifth largest burger chain in the country, Jack in the Box recently announced that they will be ending this promotion and instead begin a focus healthier menu items for children.

This restaurant and others like it have come under a lot of opposition from activists groups who claim that the use of toys in marketing directly contributes to the major problem of childhood obesity.

These are high claims. However these claims are the fuel behind certain states placing bans on the use of toys in children’s meals. There’s definitely a controversy taking place. There are enough people in the public agreeing that the toys have a negative effect that it could soon be illegal to place an action figure in with a child’s burger and fries.

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Posted on June 27, 2024 by Lacy

Fight PMS Naturally with these Vitamin-Rich Foods

Often the focus of crude jokes, PMS is an all too real scourge for many women. PMS stands for Pre-Menstrual Syndrome and refers to the wide range of feelings and symptoms that many women experience in the two weeks leading up to the beginning of their menstrual cycle. Many women report feeling out of sorts, easily frustrated and overwhelmed. Often food cravings for salty, sweet or chocolate foods, are reported. In a few rare cases, women have even used the hormonal swings of PMS to avoid prosecution for crime.

Many women turn to medications, such as antidepressants, to minimize the mood swings and unpleasant feelings of PMS. Zoloft is one drug that has been cleared by the FDA for treatment of PMS symptoms, but recent studies have shown that there is relief to be found in natural sources. (more…)

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Carmen

How to Put More Fruits and Vegetables in Your Diet

By Judi Gerber for Care2.com

Did you know that June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month? And, with summer finally here, there is an increasing number of fresh fruit and vegetables to choose from each week.

Here in California, we are already starting to see the first of the season’s stone fruit, mostly apricots and cherries, but some nectarines and peaches are already arriving at my local farmers’ market.
As I have written about several times, eating locally grown or homegrown produce is the best way to get the freshest fruit and veggies.

Just last month I wrote about how eating seasonally not only saves you money, but gives you more freshness, flavor and packs the biggest nutritional punch.

The easiest way to get more into your diet is to add fresh fruits and vegetables to the meals that you are already making. I have found that if I add fresh produce to the things I already eat, I don’t ever feel like I am giving anything up and actually feel like I am getting something instead because of the additional flavor they add to things. (more…)

Posted on June 27, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Gratitude is the Often Forgotten Key to Healthy Weight Loss

Rosie Battista is a Healthy Body “Builder”, Trainer & Food Maven, committed to helping women entrepreneurs build healthy sexy bodies without starving or spending hours in the gym. She believes that when you feel healthy and sexy in your body, you present your best stuff to the world.Read more from Rosie at CookingNakedafter40.com.

Just profound “ity”. No, it’s not a typo, and yes, I made this word up.

My daughter and I were having a conversation about women and weight loss. Quite an intense conversation which unleashed a profound comment from my girl. She said, “look how easily we go from grateful to greedy“. She was talking specifically about weight loss and our reaction to what happens on the scale. We get annoyed when it doesn’t move down fast enough for our expectations. We’re happy the first week of a diet when the weight comes off quickly. Then after that, it’s all downhill with trashy thoughts that fill our heads.

How many times have you stepped on the scale and complained in disappointment that you ONLY lost one or two pounds? How often do the little thoughts in your head shout out, “I can’t believe I only lost a pound and I was perfect!”?

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Posted on June 26, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Food Sensitivity: The Surprising Reason You’re Gaining Weight

By Steven V. Joyal, MD, VP of Medical & Scientific Affairs at Life Extension. Life Extension has been a pioneer in funding and reporting the latest anti-aging research and integrative health therapies while offering superior-quality dietary supplements to consumers.

Feeling bloated? Gaining weight but don’t know why? Food sensitivity might be the cause. Chronic, low-level inflammation due to food sensitivity is a little-appreciated contributing factor for unwanted weight gain, along with other health conditions like fatigue, fluid retention, headache, and skin conditions.

Before we review how sensitivity to certain foods can make weight loss difficult, we need to understand the difference between food sensitivity and food allergy.

Classic food allergy occurs when certain foods trigger the immune system to release large amounts of the chemical histamine. When large amounts of histamine flood the body, a potentially life-threatening condition called anaphylaxis can occur. This potentially fatal condition causes the throat to swell, potentially cutting off the air supply to the lungs.

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Posted on June 26, 2024 by GuestBlogger

An Olive a Day: 5 Ways to Eat Olives

Jen Fuchs is a member of the Lindsay Olives marketing team. She is based out of Lafayette, California. To learn more about Lindsay Olives and recipe ideas, visit www.lindsayolives.com/recipes.

As summer approaches, many of us switch from savory cooking to quick, cool meals. Here at Lindsay Olives, we support the philosophy of eating olives every day. These flavorful little fruits meet many dietary needs including vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and dairy free. They also contain no cholesterol. Try adding olives to your summer fare for a satisfying burst of flavor and an easy answer to snack and meal options throughout the day.

Need a few suggestions? Here are five ways to add olives into your summer diet in a day.

Breakfast

Olives for breakfast? Why not? Try adding a serving of medium black ripe olives to a veggie omelet. Egg whites, olives, asparagus and summery fresh tomatoes topped with a bit of feta cheese will make your first meal of the day a tasty one. Full of veggies, this meal will feel light and fresh.

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Posted on June 25, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Corn Pops Cereal to Leave Shelves for Good in 2024

Blame it on rising corn prices or blame it on the embalming fluid, either way, say goodbye to Kellogg’s Corn Pops cereal.

In a category of food that produced over $600 million in revenue last year, Corn Pops only made $74 million, an 18% decrease since the year prior. The breakfast food that is advertised as being “crispy, glazed, crunchy, sweet,” can no longer compete with its peers. Cereals like Cheerios and Frosted Flakes made over $200 million last year.

Not only are big name cereals beating out Corn Pops but the sales of private brands have impacted totals.

Some have argued that the recent price hikes in corn are the culprits behind the demise of this long standing brand. There is some validity to that claim. However, one has to wonder if it’s the ingredients of the cereal that have really lead to the poor sales. Sure, the cereal is “crispy, glazed, crunchy, sweet” but what makes it so?

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Posted on June 24, 2024 by Lacy