Diet and Nutrition

The Biggest Loser Introduces Meal Replacement Bars and Shakes

In a press release issued today, NBC announced that they are partnering with Walgreens to bring Biggest Loser meal replacement shakes and bars to the U.S. market. Similar products were previously available in Australia.

Created under the supervision of Dr. Michael Dansinger, The Biggest Loser‘s nutrition expert, these bars and shakes have been designed to provide essential nutrients for people on the go. The ready-to-drink shakes will be available in a creamy vanilla flavor for 180 calories and milk chocolate for 190 calories. There are four flavors of meal bars, including chocolatley coconut, cinnamon apple turnover, banana nut bread and peanut butter chocolate chip. Both the shakes and bars include 10 grams of protein and do not contain artificial food coloring or flavors.

The shakes are also a good source of fiber, vitamin D, vitamin C and calcium. The bars are also contain vitamin D and a range of other nutrients, depending on the flavor. Each bar is 160 calories, with the exception of the banana nut bread flavor, which is only 150 calories.

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Posted on May 4, 2024 by Margaret

Grilling Can Save Your Diet at Summer BBQs

By Emily Fonnesbeck RD, CD, nutritionist for the Biggest Loser Resort.

As the weather warms up, you may find yourself attending many outdoor barbecues. The good news is grilling is a great way to prepare foods. It requires no water and has a short cooking time, two variables that can lead to nutrient loss. Water leaches vitamins from food and longer cooking times can destroy nutrients. The bad news is that grilled foods are often served with heavier dishes.

Here are some tips on how to lighten up your summer barbecues.

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Posted on May 4, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Finding the Best Healthy Deals at Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market often gets a bad rap for being overpriced, as do many other grocery stores or markets that specialize in organic or natural products. Making a commitment to buying just organic produce may mean spending a greater percentage of your disposable income on food. That said, here are few ways to cut down on your grocery bill at Whole Foods Market.

First off, avoid the pre-prepared dishes. At almost any grocery store, there’s a higher mark-up for convenience items, and Whole Foods is no different. You’ll pay much more per ounce for a salad that is pre-prepared than you would buying all the ingredients individually. The same goes for pre-packaged produce items. For example, any produce that’s been chopped and shrink wrapped will be more expensive than something sold by weight.

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Posted on May 2, 2024 by Margaret

Lighter Tequila Cocktails for Your Cinco De Mayo Celebration

It’s no secret that cocktails can pack a ridiculously high amount of calories, especially on a day like Cinco de Mayo when you might be celebrating, and drinking more than one of your favorite margarita.

If you want to enjoy a cocktail or two or three (responsibly, of course – don’t forget a designated driver!) skip the sour mix, pass on bottled mixes that have sugar and potentially dangerous artificial dyes and put your bottle of tequila to good use with some of these lighter recipes. Use higher quality spirits, such as Partida Tequila or Camarena Tequila, so you won’t want to mask it’s flavor with sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

With no garnish, salt or secondary liquor required, the alcohol and sugar content are lower than traditional margaritas by as much as 200 calories. Agave nectar, a natural fructose sweetener extracted from the blue agave plant, has a lower glycemic index rating than sugar, honey or maple syrup and readily dissolves in cold beverages so it blends effortlessly in cocktails.

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Posted on May 2, 2024 by Maris

The Flexitarian Diet on Anna and Kristina’s Grocery Bag

Tune in to Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag on the Oprah Winfrey Network on Tuesday, May 3 for recipes that are part of a flexitarian diet. A flexitarian diet is an approach to eating that cuts back on meat consumption, but doesn’t eliminate it completely. This diet particularly appeals to people who would like to be vegetarian for environmental reasons, but find going completely meatless too big a challenge.

Anna and Kristina test out recipes from The Flexitarian Table: Inspired, Flexible Meals for Vegetarians, Meat Lovers, and Everyone in Between, a cookbook by Peter Berley. The Flexitarian Table promises to offer solutions for families that have both staunch vegetarians and meat lovers. Will beans really make a good substitute for lamb? Watch to find out!

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Posted on May 2, 2024 by Health Buzz

Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with Healthier Mexican Fare

Cinco de Mayo, which many Americans know as an excuse to drink Coronas and eat guacamole, is a day that has a great deal of significance in Mexican history. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s unexpected victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

In Mexico, the day calls for great celebration, and Americans have adopted Cinco de Mayo as a celebration of Mexican culture that often centers itself around food and beverage. We all know that it can be difficult to stick to a diet or healthy lifestyle on holidays that revolve around salty snacks, cheese-drenched main dishes and caloric alcoholic beverages, so we put together a round-up of our favorite Mexican-style recipes for your own celebrations that won’t break your calorie bank.

This year, you can celebrate Cinco de Mayo without forsaking any of your cravings – or expanding your waistline.

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Posted on May 2, 2024 by Maris

Subway Lowers Sodium in Sandwiches

Did you know that Subway has more locations worldwide than McDonald’s? According to USA Today, there are 34,433 locations across the globe. Why is this significant? Well, the company has announced that it will be cutting the sodium levels in their sandwiches and with a food chain that has this kind of reach, maybe it can impact the decision making at other fast food establishments.

Subway is now offering their “Fresh Fit” sandwiches in the U.S. with 28 percent less sodium as compared to 2024 when they first started to reduce sodium levels. The sodium in its overall sandwich line will be cut by 15 percent.

In the past, the healthfulness of Subway’s sandwiches was called into question, not only for their sodium levels, but the high levels of high fructose corn syrup in the bread. (more…)

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Jason

3 Stanky Body Odors That are Good For Your Health

Women’s health writer and body image expert Leslie Goldman, MPH, is a regular contributor of feature stories and essays to O: The Oprah Magazine, Health, Natural Health, Glamour, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, espnW.com and more. A frequent guest on the Today Show, her book is Locker Room Diaries: The Naked Truth About Women, Body Image, and Re-imagining the “Perfect” Body. Follow her on Twitter @LeslieGoldman and check out her blog, HealthBreaksLoose.com

Whether it’s garlic bread breath, asparagus pee or post 8K B.O., even the most hygienic among us sometimes experience a bout of smelliness. But sometimes smelling bad can mean good things for your health. Check out what those nasal smoke signals are telling you:

Haunting halitosis Not even the most devoted toothpaste aficionado can escape garlic’s powerful force. You might even sweat it out the next day on the elliptical. But that’s no reason to ditch the stinking rose: Besides adding savory calorie-free flavor to food, garlic’s antioxidants help boost both the immune and cardiovascular systems. So peel, chop and roast away!

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Posted on May 1, 2024 by GuestBlogger

When and What to Eat Before Exercise

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.

This is a question that still puzzles me. I exercise in the mornings and usually I just go for a run or exercise on an empty stomach. Most experts warn against this practice but for reasons I cannot explain it works for me. The only time I really worry about what to eat before exercising is prior to a race. Sometimes a slice of whole grain bread with peanut butter is sufficient. But I am slowly moving towards the suggested routine for food and drink prior to a workout.

Here is what the Mayo Clinic suggests you do in order to maximize your pre-workout meal to insure best performance. (more…)

Posted on May 1, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Lose 10 Pounds the Healthy Way by Memorial Day

I know the title of this post may sound gimmicky, but the start of May is actually a much better time of year to make a weight-loss resolution than January. When the sun is shining, you’re more likely to feel energized and motivated to get out and move. The impending bathing suit season is a much more tangible goal when you’re not bundled up in sweaters and jackets.

Memorial Day is May 30th. You have 31 days! Here are some tips to help you drop some weight.

1) Spring-Clean Your Cabinets

You know what foods are your worst temptations. Is is chocolate, cookies or chips? Regardless, get it out! You’ll be less likely to eat high-calorie foods if you don’t have them on hand. Consider donating unopened packages to your local soup kitchen.

2) Don’t Drink Your Calories

Cut out sodas and sugary juices, sweetened ice tea and sugary lemonade. They don’t fill you up, but are laden with calories. Plus, some research suggests that sugary drinks are metabolized differently than other sources of carbohydrate, and that the body is more likely to covert these calories into fat.

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Posted on April 29, 2024 by Margaret

Sheet Strips: An Energy Boost at the Tip of Your Tongue

Listerine Strips have been around for a long time: those minty paper-like strips that you place on your tongue when you just don’t have time to use mouthwash. Now the same sort of packaging is being used for an energy boosting product.

Sheets is a brand of energy strips that are individually packaged and dissolve quickly after you place them on your tongue. At this point, there are just two flavors to choose from: Cinnamon Rush and Berry Blast. Makers promise more flavors in the future.

So what is it in Sheets that gives its users a boost of energy? There’s as much caffeine as what is in the average cup of coffee. It’s also loaded with vitamin E, B5, B6, and B12. But let’s make no bones about it, it’s the caffeine that gets you going. (more…)

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Jason

Diet and Nutrition

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