Diet and Nutrition

Use Fooducate to Make Schooled Food Choices

There’s a new free iPhone app that can help you simplify grocery shopping choices. Fooducate, created by Hemi Weingarten, is a super simple app that lets you know if a food is healthy or not using a letter grade. Scan a bar code on any food item, and the app will return that food’s grade, the number of calories per serving, and how many users like the food. Fooducate will also give you a few notes explaining that food’s letter grade, and suggest healthier items.

You can also easily scan a second food and compare the two. The less healthy food will be grayed out. For example, I compared a frozen Cedar Lane burrito with an Amy’s frozen burrito. The Amy’s burrito got a lower grade than the Cedar Lane version. While the app does provide some additional info about each food, like vitamins, controversial food additives, artificial food coloring and added sugars, I had a hard time understanding why the Cedar Lane Burrito did better. It seemed that Amy’s suffered from having a higher calorie count, although it contains organic ingredients.

According to app’s website, Fooducate analyzes foods based on their calories and ingredients, weighting “nutrients to limit” (saturated fat, sodium, sugar) against “food to encourage” (fiber). So, it doesn’t look like organic ingredients play a role into the grade.

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Posted on May 9, 2024 by Margaret

Rachael Ray’s Healthy Meals on a Budget on Dr. Oz

We can’t help but notice that Dr. Oz and Rachael Ray are doing a guest swap this week. First, tune in to Dr. Oz today, May 9th for Rachael Ray’s advice on delicious, healthy meals on a budget. Then on Friday, May 13 check out the Rachael Ray for Dr. Oz’s 7-minute workout that will help you shed pounds.

On Monday’s show, Rachael Ray will help viewers eat better for less and tips for avoiding food packaging gimmicks. Rachel share the best tips to avoid getting fooled by labels. She’ll cook up a recipe for a low-fat version of one of her signature pasta dishes, but this time with lots of protein, fiber and (best of all) flavor. Also, find out the healthy dish that you can make for less that two dollars.

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Posted on May 9, 2024 by Health Buzz

How to Get Your Healthy Mojo Back

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.

One of the easiest ways to sideline the very best of health and fitness routines is to lose motivation. Many of us have started a weight loss and fitness routine in order to look good for a special event, but as soon as the occasion has come and gone, we begin to struggle to remain committed. Here are some ways that you can kick-start your current routine or get motivated and remain motivated for lifelong success!

Adopt a philosophy. One of the most powerful statements that has lifted me out of bed on days I’d rather sleep in is a quote by professional volleyball player Gabrielle Reece who said “Even on the days you just don’t feel like going to work, you still go, right? It’s the same with exercise.”

Adopt a mantra. Most of us are juggling work, childcare and a list of social commitments that make it difficult for us to focus on healthy eating and exercise. It’s during these moments when we are stretched for time and stressed out that we tend to make poor choices. By applying a short power mantra, it can redirect you and return you to your path. One of my favorites is “Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.” (more…)

Posted on May 8, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Six Healthy Kentucky Derby Party Recipes

If you already have your elaborate hat and your favorite horses, all you need to do is prep your menu and you’ll have everything you need to celebrate Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Even though the horses are making their famed run at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, people across the country should celebrate in style.

Celery Seed Slaw: Perfect for picnics, most cole slaws are heavy on the mayonnaise and pack a lot of calories into a little serving. Skip the creamy dressings this year and whip up a slaw with fat-free mayonnaise and less than 40 calories per serving.

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Posted on May 7, 2024 by Maris

Get Nutrisystem Half-Off for the First Time Ever!

If you’ve been considering signing up for a meal delivery diet, but have been put off by the cost, now might be your chance to give it a try. NutriSystem is running a special limited-time offer, with 50 percent off your first auto-delivery order. Signing up also gives you access to the NutriSystem online tools and support system, plus no additional charges for shipping. This offer will expire on June 30, 2024.

Click to get NutriSystem for half the regular price!

About NutriSystem

NutriSystem offers a number of plans, including one specifically designed for diabetics. The women’s plan is roughly 1,200 calories per day, and the men’s program is roughly 1,500 calories per day. Each plan contains a healthy nutritional balance of 55 percent carbohydrates, 25 percent fats and 20 percent protein.

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Posted on May 6, 2024 by Margaret

Celebs Go Gluten Free, but is it a Fad or for Health?

Going gluten-free is a huge trend right now with tons of gluten-free products on the market and numerous celebrities trying it. While gluten insensitivity does seem to be on the rise with an estimated 20 million sufferers, the National Institutes of Health report that 3 million Americans have celiac disease. But is going gluten-free really necessary? And is it good for overall health or is it just a way to lose weight because it’s such a restrictive diet?

We recently spoke to Jasmine Jafferali, MPH, ACE-CPT, Lifestyle and Wellness Consultant Specializing in Gluten Free Living and Women’s Health, and Co-Manager for Gluten Intolerance Group of Greater Chicago about the pros and cons of this new way of eating. She says that while going gluten-free is costly and can have quite the learning curve (gluten is in so many things!), the benefits are enormous including finding relief from the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, rhuematoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome and even infertility. Not to mention that eating a diet without gluten in it can be incredibly nutritious in that most gluten-free foods are nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and proteins.

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Posted on May 6, 2024 by Jennipher

Dieters Duped by Misleading Food Labels

Anytime I see a fatty food that is labeled “sugar free” or a sugary food that says “fat free” it always makes me chuckle. It’s almost always easily transparent, but that may just be that I’m a little more sensitive to it since I write about diet and fitness.

Unfortunately, most people don’t take the time to really think about the healthfulness of the food they purchase. According to a new study, dieters tend to make quick decisions about how healthy a food is based just on how it is labeled, not on its ingredients.

“Over time, dieters learn to focus on simply avoiding foods that they recognize as forbidden based on product name,” said the authors in a statement. “Thus, dieters are likely to assume that an item assigned an unhealthy name (for example, pasta) is less healthy than an item assigned a healthy name (for example, salad), and they do not spend time considering other product information that might impact their product evaluations.”

To expound on this idea, the average shopper may pass on whole wheat pasta, a perfectly healthy food, but buy a prepackaged salad with ham, croutons and a fatty dressing. (more…)

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Jason

Celebrate Grilling Season with Healthy Substitutions

It’s that time of year – time to break out the barbecue and invite your friends and neighbors over for a cookout. Spring and summer are prime time for great food, good friends – and great food to celebrate the warm weather.

Of course, we all know that with summer on the horizon, bathing suit season is just around the corner. Don’t undo all of the hard work you’ve done at the gym this year. To keep your diet balanced, celebrity nutritionist Carl Germano, RD, CDN, shared five simple swaps to keep you eating great tasting foods – and looking and feeling great.

Instead of: Beef Burger or Sliders with Cheese

Try: Turkey Sliders with sliced tomato

Ground turkey breast is leaner than most types of ground beef and sliced tomato will offer a powerful punch of lycopene – without the saturated fat in most cheeses. If you must have cheese, try a sprinkling of feta, which is lower in fat and calories than most varieties.

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Posted on May 5, 2024 by Maris

Celebrate International No Diet Day on May 6

International No Diet Day was started by Mary Evans Young, the director of the British anti-diet campaign Diet Breakers. Since 1992, the day has been celebrated on May 6th in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and in the United States. While the day has its roots in feminism and the fat acceptance movement, today the day is embraced by eating-disorder awareness groups, health organizations and nutritionists.

No Diet Day aims to promote awareness about the dangers of fad diets and obsession with thinness, celebrate the beauty of all shapes and sizes and educate people about healthy lifestyles for all shapes and sizes. According to Canada’s National Eating Disorder Information Centre, supporters of International No Diet Day hope to one day “Declare a moratorium on diet/weight obsession.”

There are many ways to honor No Diet Day, and they do not necessarily involve binging on your favorite high-calorie items. No Diet Day is not about denying the health risks of junk food and obesity. Rather, the day hopes to highlight the difference between healthy eating and dieting purely for weight loss. Some groups encourage people to forget about any sort of regimented diet plan and listen to their body’s natural feelings of hunger and fullness. Panels, discussion groups and lecture series are often held in honor of the day.

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Posted on May 5, 2024 by Margaret

Weight Watchers’ Cooking with Kids Series Helps Families Bond in the Kitchen

Every parent knows how important it is to teach their kids to eat right and lead healthy lives, but it isn’t always easy. Recently, Weight Watchers launched its first-ever online “Cooking With Kids” video series, which brings to life teachable moments to help kids value fresh and healthy foods to instill good eating habits at an early age.

“When most people think of ‘kid food’ they think of pizza, chicken fingers and French fries, ” said Theresa DiMasi, Editor-in-Chief of WeightWatchers.com. “One of our goals is to show our readers that there is no such thing as ‘kid food.’ We want to introduce kids to wholesome, natural foods.”

With the help of renowned chef Lidia Bastianich and chocolatier Jacques Torres, Weight Watchers has produced a series of videos featuring real kids who go behind-the-scenes to learn the art of selecting fresh foods at the market and preparing them in nutritious, tasty foods. From homemade pasta to roasting cocoa beans for chocolate, kids get hands-on experience and learn the value of healthful eating.

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Posted on May 5, 2024 by Maris

Fat Removed From Liposuction Reappears in Mysterious Places

Far too often people have the propensity to look for an easy way out when losing weight. While most of us lead busy lives and find it difficult to include exercise, ultimately it’s up to all of us to prioritize our health.

One example of how some people do not address the real issues associated with being heavy is through weight loss surgery. Liposuction has become the most popular plastic surgery, with more than 450,000 operations every year. While the vast majority of liposuction surgeries are done safely by highly trained physicians, there seems to be almost eerie side effect of having the procedure done. (more…)

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Jason

Diet and Nutrition

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