Diet and Nutrition

Iconic Food Pyramid to be Replaced with Dinner Plate Logo

The recognizable food pyramid has been a symbol of proper eating for the past 20 or so years. That symbol is now being replaced by the Obama administration with an image of a dinner plate. Many people have complained that the pyramid is somewhat complicated and confusing.

“The Food Pyramid is being replaced with a plate-shaped logo, called MyPlate, which is meant to give consumers a visual cue of the 2024 Dietary Guidelines: make half your plate fruits and vegetables,” says Mary Hartley, RD, nutrition director for CalorieCount.com. “Unlike previous USDA food guides, the new logo focuses on foods to eat at a single meal rather than over the course of an entire day.”

The current food pyramid has actually been criticized for not conveying any useful information. First lady Michelle Obama has made ending obesity a personal platform and this new nutrition dinner plate is a pivotal change in the right direction. There are hopes that this will easily show people that half of their plate needs to be made up of fruits and vegetables. A few people have seen the new logo for nutrition, but it is not being officially revealed until Thursday.

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Posted on May 31, 2024 by Descygna

VW Creates an Edible Print Ad

Has Volkswagen made an advertisement that’s good enough to eat? The automaker has created a print ad for the Golf R that you can apparently rip out of the magazine and eat. The ad only appears to be running in the South African magazine Auto Trader, so we were unable to give the page a taste-test, however, we’re not sure that’s such a bad thing.

The ad tells readers to “Eat the road. Seriously, eat it.” Along the side of an image of blacktop, there’s a list of ingredients: glutinous rice flour, water, salt, propylene glycol, FD&C colour, glycerine.” We’re not sure if the entire page is rice paper, or just the image portion. In any case, this list of food additives hardly sounds appetizing, although glycerine, also known as glycerol, is a sugar substitute and may add some flavor. At very high doses, propylene glycol has been linked to kidney damage, according to the FDA.

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Posted on May 30, 2024 by Health Buzz

Food Trends and Rising Obesity in America [INFOGRAPHIC]

There are many debates about the causes of the American obesity epidemic. It’s probably not a surprise to many that we spend more on fast food than we did in 1970 and eat more high fructose corn syrup than we did twenty years ago. Sometimes, it takes a visual to really see the full gravity of those increases. Healthy Meal Experts has created the following infographic with data from the New York Times, the Centers for Disease Control and the United States Department of Agriculture.

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Posted on May 30, 2024 by Margaret

We Love Neuro Drinks

Water is boring. Why drink flavorless H20 when your tongue can be excited by bubbles or, well, flavor?

Unfortunately, with that flavor everyone craves usually comes a lot of excess calories and sugars, and despite the fact they come in liquid form, flavored beverages like tea and soda (even diet soda, which people seem to think because it is calorie free, it is an acceptable substitute for water) can dehydrate you rather than re-hydrate you.

Neuro has heard the plight of the under-hydrated adult craving flavor without junk, and offer a large array of tasty, hydrating waters that focus on every area of your health.

Not sleeping well? You’re covered. Libido needing a boost? Neuro’s got the stuff. Looking to drop a few pounds? You got it.

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Posted on May 29, 2024 by Kelly

Visualization a Powerful Motivational Tool

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.

It happens to the best of us: we lose our motivation. Some of us try to power through and never really fall into a slump, but if you are like me, you have to reach for something to pull you out and get back on track.

One of the tools I reach for when I start to feel like I might be slipping is visualization. I give myself permission to abandon reality and wander into some deep visualization. I use this tool all the time when I go to races. I dare to believe that I am a “champion” a “winner” and that I am equipped for whatever challenges lay ahead of me.

This useful motivational tool also works for me in my daily life when I simply envision myself as an athlete. I am already at my peak weight and performance and now all I have to do is maintain. Rather than give in to the thought that I am struggling to reach my goal, I empower myself with positive self-talk and visualization. (more…)

Posted on May 29, 2024 by GuestBlogger

How Diabetes Risk Drops Without Weight Loss

If I told you that eating less would cut your diabetes risk, you would think I’m stating the obvious. However, if I told you that the reason for this wasn’t due to weight loss, then I’d probably get your attention.

According to a new study, small dietary changes, even if they don’t result in weight loss, can reduce your risk of diabetes.

The researchers took 69 people who were at risk for diabetes and overweight and fed them a diet of only slightly reduced fat and carb intake for eight weeks. They were split into two groups: one with lower fat, the other lower carbs.

The study concluded that limiting one’s daily fat intake to about 27 percent of your diet can lower diabetes risk long-term. (more…)

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Jason

Mark Zuckerberg to Only Eat Animals He Kills

Each year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sets himself a challenge. Last year, it was to learn Chinese. This year, Zuckerberg says he will only eat meat that comes from animals he’s personally killed, in an endeavor to understand the morality of eating meat.

“I’m eating a lot healthier foods. And I’ve learned a lot about sustainable farming and raising of animals,” he told Fortune in an email. “It’s easy to take the food we eat for granted when we can eat good things every day.” Reducing one’s meat consumption is also a way to reduce one’s impact on the environment, as is eating locally raised animals.

Zuckerberg made the announcement via his private Facebook page, saying he’d just killed a pig and a goat. He is getting help in his endeavor from Palo Alto restaurateur Jesse Cool, who has introduced Zuckerberg to farmers. After Zuckerberg kills each animal, it is then sent to a professional butcher, who cuts the animal apart. Zuckerberg and his girlfriend, who is also helping him with the project, are also making an effort to eat all of the animals’ parts, including the organs.

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Posted on May 27, 2024 by Margaret

Healthy Wedding Cakes Perfect for Your Special Day

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of wedding season as couples across the country take advantage of the warmer weather and higher likelihood of sunshine to tie the knot. While the onslaught of summer weddings might tickle your inner romantic, they can create a hefty dilemma for dieters. The food served at weddings is typically high in calories and fat – and that’s even before you consider the cake.

According to Frost Magazine, a piece of wedding cake can set you back approximately 650 calories – which certainly won’t help you snap into shape for the summer swimsuit season. If you’re attending a wedding as a guest it can be hard to say no to cake on someone’s special day. If you’re the bride or the groom, choosing the cake can be no easy feat: you want one that looks gorgeous, fits your wedding theme and tastes delicious. The quest for the perfect cake can be even more difficult when you want to find something figure-friendly, too.

Luckily, some clever couples have moved away from traditional wedding cake and are choosing to serve figure-friendlier desserts that will still satisfy the sweetest sweet tooth.

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Posted on May 27, 2024 by Maris

Don’t Overcomplicate Your Healthy Lifestyle

This guest post comes from Paige Corley, a Program Director at the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge.

It’s very difficult to really know what you need to do with your workout these days. Between the fad workouts that claim high calorie burn in a short amount of time to the magic pill that will result in miracle weight loss, we are constantly bombarded with misinformation that leaves us feeling confused and overwhelmed.

Advertising can make matters even worse when all we see is “Healthy Cookies” and “Fat Free Potato Chip” products claiming to lower cholesterol and have a lot of fiber. Even tougher, we hear that we can’t simply go to the gym and workout; we have to be concerned about what order we do the exercises, how high we get our heart rate and what formats are the best.

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Posted on May 26, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Minneapolis Named Healthiest City in the U.S.

For those of you who may use the weather as an excuse for not exercising, look no further than the citizens of Minneapolis, Minnesota. That’s because they have been voted the healthiest city in the U.S. by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Each year, the ACSM rates the top 50 healthiest metropolitan areas in the country. They attributed Minneapolis’ jump to the top of the list to the increase in size and a decrease in smoking rates. Also factored into the equation was relatively low rates of obesity, heart disease, and asthma.

Additional factors were treated to the increase in healthfulness of the citizens of Minneapolis: an uptick in farmers markets and an above average percentage of park land. I think that would help explain why Portland, Oregon and Denver, Colorado both made the top five, as they are known for their love of outdoor living and activities. Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts were number two and number three, respectively. (more…)

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Jason

The Right Way to Fuel Your Child Athlete

I’ve had kids playing sports for more than 15 years (just typing that out makes me feel so, so old) and time and again, I’ve noticed one thing that just about every practice or game has in common.

Junk food.

Doesn’t that surprise you? It just doesn’t make sense to me. Admittedly, I’m a self confessed health food aficionado – although I have been known to dig into some french fries time and again – but I really have a hard time with the foods that many kids are offered after a difficult game. My kids have been given corn chips, candy bars, fruit snacks, squishy fruit punch pouches and even sodas. Rarely are there healthy choices offered.

I’ve been the team mom many times, and although I have often requested that healthier snacks be offered, the overwhelming concern is that kids just won’t eat them. A Sports Moms Study, funded by PepsiCo, found that more than 70% of moms are raising kids in competitive sports. The study found that sports moms spend 1/3 more time and more than twice as much money across their children’s extracurricular activities than those families without kids in sports. According to the study, the area in which most moms feel that they have the highest level of influence is their athlete’s nutrition. (more…)

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Carmen

Diet and Nutrition

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