Diet and Nutrition

Tips to Get Bathing Suit Ready Fast

Christina is a mom, registered nurse, and blogger. She fully admits to both a love of too much food and a love of the couch, two vices she struggles to overcome on a daily basis. In the past two years, she’s lost nearly 50 pounds through diet and exercise, some of it chronicled on her blog, Losing My Hind.

Bathing suit. *shudder*

In the past, just the words made me want to hide under my bed until the back-to-school sales started. I’d specifically avoid any events labeled “pool party” just to protect myself from being seen in a bathing suit. When I did need a suit, I’d agonize over shopping for one. After gaining a lot of weight post-baby, I purchased bathing suits with an eye on coverage, not fashion. Which of course meant I always went right for the skirted suits. The bigger the skirt, the better.

Let’s be honest, though: if you actually want to swim, bathing suit dresses are not comfortable. The fabric floats oddly in the pool, and when you get out the cold, wet fabric sticks and clings to your legs.

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Posted on April 29, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Natural Alternatives to Potentially Dangerous Artificial Food Dyes

The Food and Drug Administration determined many years ago that there was no definitive link between artificial food colorings and health problems in children or adults. However, it recently decided to review the evidence and consider possible policy changes that include placing warning labels on food containing the artificial colorings.

Dr. Jeffrey A. Morrison, MD, author of Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind has studied the links between toxins and chemicals in our food and environment to health and behavior. He advises his patients to avoid all artificial colorings and food dyes whenever possible.

“Artificial food colorings and dyes have been used for many years but only recently have they been under investigation with the FDA,” Morrison said. “In particular, red dyes have been known to cause hyperactivity and gastrointestinal discomfort in children and adults.”

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Posted on April 28, 2024 by Maris

Six Healthy Foods to Help Fight Stress

Though many people don’t realize it, stress symptoms have a negative impact on your health. In the short-term, stress can cause fatigue, gastrointestinal discomfort and headaches, among other ailments. Over the long-term, stress can make you susceptible to more severe conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease and even some cancers.

While stress management is a powerful thing, not everyone has time to devote to techniques that have been proven to help, like yoga and meditation. Luckily, you can manage some of your stress with what you eat. When people think of eating to combat stress, they often think of comfort foods that are not typically very nutritious: ice cream, macaroni and cheese and calorie-laden mashed potatoes.

Luckily, there are a variety of healthy foods – even super foods – that can help your body manage your stress levels and help you prevent feeling the stress – physically and mentally.

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Posted on April 28, 2024 by Maris

Organic Food Labels Misleading Consumers to Make Unhealthy Choices

The LA Times recently reported a dangerous food myth that has been circulating throughout the health-conscious community as of late: cookies and chips are tastier, have fewer calories, less fat and more fiber when they are organic.

Organic food labeling has been a hot button issue lately as the nutritional and medical communities often find themselves at odds with food manufacturers that market foods in such a way that consumers perceive organic products as healthier choices.

“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions out there when it comes to food marketing,” said Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, of Halevy Life. “For example, Twizzlers are labeled as ‘low-fat’ but they have the same amount of carbohydrates as the average loaf of bread. And that is just one example of how [consumers] are being misled by labeling.”

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Posted on April 28, 2024 by Maris

4 Deadliest Lifestyle Choices

The World Health Organization has just released a report on non-communicable diseases. This includes diabetes, cancer and respiratory and heart diseases. Many of these diseases could be prevented with behavioral changes. While these numbers relate to the whole world, they are still powerful.

Let’s take a look at some lifestyle choices and how they affect life or death situations.

1. Tobacco Use

Smoking or chewing tobacco are one of the deadliest lifestyle choices you can make. Nearly six million people die every year due to tobacco use. Sadly, this also includes second-hand smoke. The report estimates that by 2024 the number will reach 7.5 million – that’s 10 percent of all deaths.

2. Lack of Exercise

The WHO report estimates that 3.2 million people die every year because they don’t get enough physical activity. If you don’t exercise, you increase your chance of dying prematurely by 20 to 30 percent. (more…)

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Jason

Healthiest Menu Choices at In-N-Out Burger

For those on the West Coast, In-N-Out Burger is a fast food legend. Every location almost always has a line of cars out and around the block with its patrons hungry for burgers, fries and shakes.

While not exactly healthy, nor an extensive menu, the regional fast food chain prides itself on the quality of its food. All burgers are made with 100 percent pure beef and are free of additives, fillers and preservatives, according to In-N-Out Burger’s website. Additionally, its American cheese is all real, the potatoes used for the fries are cut in each store, and no food is frozen, microwaved or stuck under a heat lamp. (It’s easy to see why they have a following, right?)

Freshness aside, we wanted to take a look at In-N-Out Burger’s nutritional menu to see if any options would meet our registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield’s healthy guidelines of having less than 500 calories and less than 500 milligrams of sodium, according to the the new daily sodium recommendations. Because the menu is so limited to begin with — and unfortunately the company doesn’t list nutritional facts on its underground “styles” of burger preparation like Monster and Animal — our list is pretty short.

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Posted on April 28, 2024 by Jennipher

Healthy Sources of Disease Fighting Lycopene

Lookin’ for lycopene? Do you even know what it is? If not, lycopene is what gives certain fruits and vegetables their vibrant red color. However, it does more than make your food look pretty. Lycopene acts as an antioxidant in your body, which means it protects your cells against damage from free radicals.

What all this means in everyday language is that lycopene has been connected with the reduced risk for certain diseases, including cancer and heart disease, and may even help stave off age-related macular degeneration.

While more research definitely needs to be done on the health benefits of lycopene, in the meantime you can’t go wrong with the food sources that provide the highest doses: (more…)

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Jason

Diet Drinks Not a Diabetes Risk After All

Another victory for proponents of moderation: A recent Harvard study has countered the assertion that diet soda and other artificially sweetened drinks can heighten one’s risk for developing diabetes.

I say a victory for moderation proponents because this means that most people should be able to have a modest amount of diet soda if they please. As is the case in most instances, food should not be demonized or considered “the bad guy.” Our problems with food generally come from within, either with unexamined psychological issues or just not managing one’s time well enough to organize a healthy plan of attack.

Now back to our study…

A large group of men were examined for 20 years. While those who drank regular soda or other sugary drinks were more likely to develop diabetes, the people who drank artificially-sweetened soft drinks, coffee or tea did not show a propensity for becoming diabetic. (more…)

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Jason

Your Royal Wedding Watch Party Checklist

It seems the whole world is anxiously waiting for the upcoming royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. If you are one of the many planning a royal wedding watch party for your friends and family to witness the sure to be beautiful ceremony, make sure you have everything you need to throw the perfect royal wedding bash.

Thankfully, we have compiled a list of all the ingredients for a perfect royal wedding watch party that might get you talked about more than the wedding itself.

First off: the food. You can’t celebrate a royal English wedding without traditional English food. Check out our delicious list of Healthier Royal Wedding Watch Party Recipes for main dishes, side dishes and desserts that make you feel like you hopped the pond- without breaking your calorie bank.

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Posted on April 27, 2024 by Kelly

Healthier Royal Wedding Watch Party Recipes

No royal wedding watch party is complete without Yorkshire pudding!

With the royal wedding just a few days away, it seems that most cooks have UK fever – and the desire to cook like British royalty. While British cuisine is typically simple and unfussy, home cooks and professional chefs are pulling out all the stops in light of Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s upcoming nuptials.

If you are hosting a watch party for your friends and family to celebrate the royal wedding, opt for healthier versions of favorite English-inspired meals and snacks that will keep the atmosphere authentically British without leaving your home.

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Posted on April 27, 2024 by Maris

3 Things to Help You Set Realistic Weight Loss Expectations

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

Spring is a great time to either begin or renew your quest for a healthy lifestyle. Part of this quest is often weight loss. Unfortunately many of us make the common error of setting unrealistic expectations of weight loss then find ourselves disappointed or disillusioned with this process then we end up frustrated and give up. To stop this pattern we must become educated so that we can set realistic expectations, meet them and find ourselves successful in our journey.

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Posted on April 27, 2024 by GuestBlogger