Diet and Nutrition

Surviving Spring Break on a Diet

Breakfast at a diner, lunch at the airport, snack at the gas station, dinner at (gasp!) McDonald’s. You finally reach your hotel, drift into a jet-lag induced coma and sleep in well past your normal workout time. It seems so inevitable: Spring Break is around the corner and we all know the health challenges that come with traveling. I’m not judging, I’ve been there! Anything goes when you’re on vacation, but the trick is to stay in control. You don’t want to find yourself coming home with the “Spring break is over, man, I blew my diet, now I’m home exhausted and bloated” blues.

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Posted on March 3, 2024 by Theresa

Lyfe Kitchen Promises Sustainable and Healthy Fast Food

A few former McDonald’s big-wigs are breathing new life into the fast food industry. They’re throwing out the artificial ingredients and hauling in a sustainable chain of restaurants that Americans can be proud to eat at. Lyfe (Love Your Food Everyday) Kitchen is scheduled to open it’s first location this summer. If all goes according to plan, 250 more will open in the next five years. With a healthful nod to philanthropy and eco-friendly practices, Lyfe promises to give us a refreshing take on fast food.

Time Magazine’s Healthland describes Lyfe as, “a no-butter, no-high-fructose-corn-syrup and fried-food-free restaurant chain.” Forget about fast food, Lyfe is all about providing good food, fast. Co-founder Stephen Sidwell said, “Every decision we make — from using eco-friendly building and packaging materials, to ingredients we source, to providing an engaged service team and partnering with local nonprofits — will engage and inspire our guests, and ultimately, have a tremendous impact.” Lyfe intends to offer a chain that models social and ecological responsibility. Ingredients will be sourced locally and there will be plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Their target audience is women, ages 18 to 49, seeking health food. Healthier options of more traditional fast foods (like a big, juicy burger) will be available as well.

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Posted on March 2, 2024 by Theresa

Sugary Drinks Linked to Higher Blood Pressure

If you’re someone who indulges in the regular, or even occasional, soda or sugary fruit drink you’ll want to read this. While soda has already been linked to bone loss and is incredibly high in sugar, new research suggests that sugary drinks may also be associated with higher blood pressure levels in adults.

According to research in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, scientists found that for every extra sugar-sweetened beverage consumed in a day,  study participants on average had significantly higher systolic blood pressure by 1.6 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure by 0.8 mm Hg. This rise in blood pressure remained statistically significant even after adjusting for differences in body mass, researchers said. They also found that those drinking more than one serving per day consumed more calories than those who didn’t — an average of more than 397 calories per day.

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Posted on March 2, 2024 by Jennipher

The Salt Solution Helps You Lose Weight By Reducing Sodium

Win a copy of The Salt Solution!* Simply leave a comment below telling us the flavorful way you cut salt out of your diet.

Winner “Linda G” Selected 4/1/11

The Salt Solution Book CoverSodium is necessary to many bodily functions, but most Americans eat two to three times more than the recommended daily allowance. Unless you suffer from low blood pressure, your weight loss plan would probably benefit from a reduction in salt. The Salt Solution by Heather K. Jones is a six week plan that will help you reset your taste buds. By lowering your sodium, you can also lose weight and boost your metabolism.

The program begins with a two week cleanse, which removes all artificial ingredients from your diet. The next four weeks increases your caloric intake somewhat, and you will eat four 300 calorie meals each day. The book will also help you understand how sodium affects the body, so that you can continue to eat a low sodium diet after the six week program is over.

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Posted on March 1, 2024 by Margaret

Healthiest Menu Choices at Chipotle

I’m a huge fan of Chipotle Mexican Grill. After all, they’re one of the few fast-food chains that serve only freshly prepared and unprocessed food that is sustainably-raised. Although its ingredients are no doubt healthier and more natural than most chains, we recently took a look at the menu to see if its meals met 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 Chipotle has more customizable serving options, it’s very easy to mix and match your own meal, as long as you pay attention to serving size. Below are our top picks for eating at Chipotle!

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Posted on March 1, 2024 by Jennipher

Gastric Bypass Superior to Lap-Band

A new study examined the two of the most popular weight loss surgeries, Lap-Band and gastric bypass, has come to the conclusion that gastric bypass is the better option. While the rate of complications in both procedures was about the same, gastric bypass surgery patients lost 64 percent of their excess weight after a year, while those who had the Lap-Band device placed only lost 36 percent of their excess weight.

“It’s a dramatic difference,” said Dr. Guilherme Campos of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison.

Interestingly, previous studies have shown that gastric banding was safer than gastric bypass surgery. (more…)

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Jason

Eat This Not That on Today [VIDEO]

TodayMen’s Health editor David Zinczenko shared his tips to eating out without gaining weight this morning on Today. Zincsenko says that more and more restaurants are adding healthier items to their menus, making it easier for customers to make better food decisions. “These are low-calorie menu options that are popping up everywhere that allows you to fill up without filling out,” he said on the show.

He takes a look at eating out at Denny’s, Starbucks, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and Red Lobster. For each of these restaurants, Zinczenko points out the best dishes to help you cut calories without feeling deprived. Plus, he shares some wild calorie-equivalents that will make you think twice before you order.

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Posted on March 1, 2024 by Health Buzz

Best Packaged Foods on Good Morning America

GMAWe all know that many processed foods are too high in sugar, sodium and fat to be considered healthy, but are there any packaged foods that can provide real nutrients? Good Morning America took a look at Prevention magazine’s 2024 packaged food awards, to highlight some of the better choices when it comes to eating on the run.

Here are a few of the winners:

  • Chobani Lemon 0% Greek Yogurt
  • Country Choice Organic Instant Oatmeal with Flax
  • Sargento Sliced Reduce-Sodium Pepper Jack Cheese
  • Applegate Farms Organic Roasted Turkey Breast
  • Annie Chun’s Pad Thai Brown Rice Noodles
  • Dr. Praeger’s Sweet Potato Littles
  • Lucini Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce
  • KIND Bars Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio

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Posted on March 1, 2024 by Health Buzz

Do IHOP’s National Pancake Day the Healthy Way

National Pancake CelebrationEach year, IHOP celebrates National Pancake Day by giving away free short stacks in exchange for asking customers to make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The event is usually held on Mardi Gras (also known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Day), but this year the IHOP’s National Pancake Day will be a week earlier, on March 1st.

This event certainly has good intentions, but we have to remind you that a IHOP’s short stack of three original buttermilk pancakes contains 490 calories, and that’s before you add the butter and syrup. However, we have a few suggestions to help you enjoy the occasion without having a total calorie-fest. After all, you might want to save that for actual Mardi Gras, right?

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Posted on February 28, 2024 by Margaret

Bread Holds Promise for Increasing American’s Vitamin D Intake

The more researchers learn about the vitamin D, the more it seems to be essential for our well-being. Seeing that most of us can’t get enough of the “sunshine vitamin” most of the year (winter just makes it so darn hard!), many of us are deficient in this key vitamin- especially now that the recommended levels of vitamin D for adults and children have been increased. Because getting the country on a regular vitamin-D supplement regimen isn’t really feasible, researchers have been working on the best way to up our intake. One solution? A new vitamin D-fortified food: bread made with high-vitamin D yeast.

In a study published in ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers did experiments with laboratory rats and found that bread made with vitamin D2-rich yeast had effects that seemed just as beneficial as taking vitamin D3. Previously, vitamin D2 was not thought to be not as biologically active as the form produced by the sun, vitamin D3.

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Posted on February 28, 2024 by Jennipher

Starbucks Trenta Not the Worst Beverage Offender [INFOGRAPHIC]

In January, Starbucks introduced its new Trenta size, a 31-ounce cup. Food, drink and health bloggers went nuts over the cup that was sure to be the continued downfall of American obesity. Admittedly, even the nice folks over here at DietsInReview.com, ahem us, pointed a few fingers too, calling out that the Trenta is larger than a bladder (which, it is).

We took a few steps back and realized that while Starbucks was catching all sorts of heat about its giant new cup, in which they only serve iced coffee or iced tea, it’s not the worst offender. In fact, why aren’t we raising more stink about the 7-Eleven Double Big Gulp, equivalent in size to a six-pack of soda?

So, we did. Here’s our big stink, and the beverage offenders who make Trenta wipe the mud off her face.

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Posted on February 28, 2024 by Natalie K