Diet and Nutrition

Healthiest Menu Choices at Papa Murphy’s

I’m not a fast-food connoisseur by any means, but I love to indulge in the occasional slice of pizza. When I don’t have time to make my own pizza at home, one of my favorite things to do is call in an order to Papa Murphy’s and, as their slogan goes, “take and bake!” For me, the ingredients just seem fresher, and they have more topping options for a veggie-lover like me than other pizza chains do. Plus, it’s fun to cook it at home.

But, really, how healthy is the food at Papa Murphy’s? Do the meals 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? We looked at the menu, and found the healthiest options based on that criteria. Below are the results!

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Posted on April 8, 2024 by Jennipher

Best and Worst Easter Basket Candies

by Kelsey Murray

For many people, Easter is a religious holiday that causes them to meditate on the sacrifices their Creator made for them. For most children, however, Easter is all about the Bunny and the candy. For the parents of these children, Easter is about sugar-highs and trips to the dentist.

If you are a parent and want to give your children healthier candies and chocolates this year (or if you just have a sweet tooth yourself), consider these Easter sweets instead of your usual standbys.

Dark Chocolate Covered Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, cashews, and other nuts provide healthy fats that are essential for your body to function properly. Dark chocolate provides antioxidants while also lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol and boosting your mood (every woman knows that chocolate has magic mood-lifting powers). The combination of nuts and dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa) usually weighs in at 210 calories per 1.4 ounces while also providing 8 percent of your daily dietary fiber.

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Posted on April 8, 2024 by Health Buzz

NYC’s Health Department Employees to Practice What They Preach

New guidelines from the New York City Health Department are now mandating that employees of the government agency eat in a more healthy manner. The new dietary rules were published in a pamphlet called “Life in the Cubicle Village” that was distributed in anticipation of an office move from Manhattan to Queens.

The guidelines lay out a number of foods that are not to be served at agency lunches or functions. The prohibited items include deep fried foods, cookies, cakes, or beverages containing more than 25 calories per ounce. It is also suggested that muffins and bagels served at meetings be cut in halves or quarters.

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Posted on April 7, 2024 by Health Buzz

Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition Newest Non-Competition Weight Loss Reality Show

Chris Powell, trainer for Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition

From the producers of Biggest Loser and MasterChef comes a new weight loss reality TV show, Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. The season premiere will air at 10p.m. May 30, followed by subsequent episodes every Monday on ABC.

Each episode will chronicle the journey of one of eight participants in a non-competitive attempt at life-changing weight loss. All of the participants are approximately 225 percent above their ideal weight or are roughly 200 pounds overweight. They will spend 365 days gaining a new approach to what many call an unmanageable life. Trainer Chris Powell will work one-on-one with each contestant by going into their home and facilitating an appropriate diet and exercise regimen for the individual. A large emphasis will be placed on healthy weight loss in order to accomplish long-term results. With an unorthodox approach, Powell will interact intensively with each participant for 12 months. At the end of it all, viewers will share the joy of physical and emotional transformation through extreme weight loss on-screen with the participants.

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Posted on April 7, 2024 by Theresa

Meal Snap App Counts Calories From Your Pictures

When I first heard of Shazam, the app that tells you what song is playing when you have it anywhere near the speaker, I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. While it is definitely cool, my experience with the free version has been mixed, since there is a lot of stuff it won’t recognize.

There’s a similar app used in the diet world now called Meal Snap, but its problems are probably a little bigger. Here’s the premise: you take your smart phone, snap a picture of your food, send it off to Meal Snap, and you get back an estimate of the calories in the food.

The attraction to this sort of app is pretty obvious. If you want to track your calories, it is a bit of a hassle. Or is it? If you’re going to go through the trouble of taking a picture of your food and sending it off for someone to send you back the information, you can probably simply go to any number of websites that give you calorie information. (more…)

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Jason

Obese Singer Cee Lo Green Doesn’t Want to Lose Weight

Born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, singer-songwriter Cee Lo is making a proud statement in the health and fitness world. Strong and confident, Cee Lo declares that he doesn’t need to lose weight. “I’m not out of shape, this is just the shape I’m in,” he said. “What you see, hear and experience is a person who is completely confident in their own skin.”

Acceptance of self is highly lacking in our society and Cee Lo’s self-assurance is admirable to a point. Each person is built differently and sometimes it’s difficult to accept that we can’t all look like svelte, suave rock stars. This seems to be no problem for Cee Lo who said, “…I’m not going to be a small person. I’m big boned. This weight, I can facilitate.” Although Cee Lo’s height and weight don’t seem to be listed anywhere on the internet, it’s apparent by looking at him that his BMI (not to mention his blood pressure and cholesterol) may tilt to the high side of the scale. Cee Lo may not be lacking in confidence, but denial could be an issue that he fights with.

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Posted on April 6, 2024 by Theresa

Mark MacDonald’s Body Confidence Helps You Burn Fat Around the Clock

by Descygna Webb

Mark MacDonald is the creator and CEO of Venice Nutrition, an online program for fitness and weight loss. MacDonald has helped people improve their lives through nutrition and exercise for years, and his new book, Body Confidence, showcases the same elements of his extremely successful Venice Nutrition program. This book offers access to the three step system that unlocks your body’s potential

The program within Body Confidence is all about keeping blood sugar levels steady throughout the day. This program is also one that you can continue for the rest of your life to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. Some of the healthy habits that can be learned include eating every three to four hours, proper nutrient ratios at meals and consuming the proper number of calories at each meal. You will learn what your current metabolism level is and how to reprogram it to burn fat around the clock.

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Posted on April 6, 2024 by Health Buzz

Sushi Survival Guide: Healthiest and Unhealthiest Choices for Your Diet

If I had to pick one food that I go to as my favorite Friday night welcome-the-weekend treat, it would be sushi. Sure, I love pizza and any number of other diet-crashing foods, but when it comes down to it, sushi is my favorite.

The good news is that sushi happens to be a healthy option… usually. Even with a cuisine centered around lean fish, there are many ways that you can make your meal a caloric nightmare.

The general rule to making healthy choices at your favorite sushi restaurant is to keep it simple. As the sushi dish gets more ingredients, the likelihood that your meal will be high in calories is much greater.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular sushi recipes and the corresponding nutritional values. Remember, these are estimates since every restaurant will prepare their sushi slightly different: (more…)

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Jason

Eat This Not That 2024 on The Today Show

Tune in to the Today show on Wednesday, April 6 for an introduction to Eat This Not That 2024. Author and Men’s Health editor David Zinczenco will be a guest on the show, to introduce the latest addition to this popular book series. He will discuss how much sodium is really in our food, particularly in restaurant meals. The average American eats about two times more salt than the daily recommended amount. Zinczenco will offer healthier alternatives, that won’t leave you feeling like you can never eat out.

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Posted on April 5, 2024 by Health Buzz

“Addicted to Food” Premiers on OWN

Tune into OWN tonight to catch the premier episode of Addicted to Food, a new docu-series that follows the stories of eight patients with eating disorders. They will undergo treatment for 42 days at Shades of Hope Treatment Center near Abilene, Texas. The patients suffer from a variety of food-related problems, including bulimia, compulsive eating and binge eating.

Shades of Hope will dig deep to get at the underlying problems these people face, and the facility also specializes in treating patients with multiple addictions. Their therapist, Tennie McCarty, will work to help them understand the underlying causes of their eating disorders, whether drug-related, physical, emotional or sexual. She takes a tough-love approach that some may find unconventional. Confronting these issues may be difficult and painful, but it can also help them break free of devastating cycles of addiction.
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Posted on April 5, 2024 by Margaret

Prevention Magazine Gets a Modern Makeover with the May 2024 Issue

Hitting newsstands today is the May 2024 issue of Prevention Magazine, but not the same Prevention you’re used to seeing. With this issue, featuring Sheryl Crow on the cover, the magazine unveils its new image. There’s a new cover look, updated logo, and a positive new tagline “Passionate, Persuasive, Powerful…Prevention.”

Unlike a lot of brands that give themselves a major makeover, this change from Prevention is subtle, and offers a lot more for its more than 10 million readers, making it the #1 healthy lifestyle brand in the U.S.

A new editorial team at Prevention, including editor in chief Diane Salvatore (who’s had the job since August), means stories that are more meaningful to you, touching on new topics like the environment, emotional well-being, and greater focus on beauty, fitness and recipes. “I wanted to make it more entertaining, encouraging and motivational,” said Salvatore.

You’ll also enjoy new features in Prevention like:

Continue reading to learn more about the new Prevention, and see your chance to win a 2-year subscription. (more…)

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Natalie K

Diet and Nutrition

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