Diet and Nutrition

Group Calls for FDA Ban on Soda Caramel

It’s not been a very good week for the soda industry. First, we told you about the potential link between diet soda and heart and stroke risks, now a consumer advocacy group is urging the Food and Drug Administration to ban some chemically-enhanced caramel food colorings used in soda, as they say it can cause cancer.

While the group still thinks that the threat of obesity related to drinking soda is a bigger health threat, they are petitioning the FDA to ban the caramels in question. While pure caramel is made from melted sugar, but two types used in food coloring have ammonia in them which produce compounds shown to cause various cancers in animal studies done by the National Institutes of Health. (more…)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Jason

Noshing on Potatoes with The Nutrition Twins

Guest bloggers, The Nutrition Twins® Tammy Lakatos, RD, CDN, CFT and Lyssie Lakatos, RD, CDN, CFT are the authors of The Secret To Skinny: How Salt Makes You Fat and The 4-Week Plan to Drop a Size & Get Healthier with Simple Low-Sodium Swaps (HCI, Fall 2024) and Fire Up Your Metabolism: 9 Proven Principles for Burning Fat and Losing Weight Forever. You can visit the Nutrition Twins website for more information on this dynamic duo.

For years we’ve been witnessing our clients who include one medium sized (5.3- ounce) skin-on, baked potato in their regular meal plan feel more satisfied and meet their weight loss goals while doing so. As registered dietitians, we aren’t surprised that potatoes can be helpful in weight loss. After all, besides witnessing the weight loss results in our clients (who are thrilled to be told they can eat potatoes and lose weight!) there is a lot to love about spuds:

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Posted on February 19, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Janet Jackson on Body Image and Extreme Dieting

Janet Jackson appeared on CNN’S Piers Morgan this Tuesday. She spoke candidly about her personal struggles with body image and the dangerous diets that celebrities fall victim to. The interview and her new book, True You, are said to provide genuine insight into the real Janet Jackson.

Janet admitted to having deeply-rooted self esteem issues. Her brothers teased her a lot as a child and being in the spotlight at such a young age made it difficult to accept herself. As a preteen, only 11 or 12, she was told she needed to diet and lose weight. She is pained by the drastic measures that some celebrities go to stay thin and is afraid that it effects the self esteem of young fans.

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Posted on February 18, 2024 by Theresa

Daily Diet Soda Linked to Heart Attack

Just because a product says “diet” on the label doesn’t mean that it is healthy. So, when you switch from full-sugar soda to diet, it’s not necessarily getting you off scot-free. You may actually be risking stroke or a heart attack.

A study just published followed over 2,500 New Yorkers for about 10 years. They found that some diet soda drinkers had a 61 percent higher risk of vascular events, such as stroke and heart attack.

Now, let’s talk you off the ledge.

First, this study’s findings were for those who drank soda every day. I know that a lot of people drink diet soda on a daily basis, so maybe that’s not enough to alleviate your worries. I would say that it should be easy enough to moderate your soda intake to a few days a week, but even with these finding, the researchers aren’t prepared to put out a hard stance against drinking diet soda on a regular basis.

“I think diet soda drinkers need to stay tuned,” says the study’s lead author Hannah Gardener, an epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “I don’t think that anyone should be changing their behaviors based on one study. Hopefully this will motivate other researchers to do more studies.” (more…)

Posted on February 18, 2024 by Jason

Healthiest Menu Choices at KFC

Of all of the fast-food chains, I would not have picked KFC to be a place that would have multiple options for people looking for a healthy meal on the go. But, to my surprise, KFC does have some healthy choices! Granted, you obviously can’t order the KFC Double Down or any sandwich or bowl from there, for that matter, but you can pair some things together for a meal that has less than 500 calories and less than 500 milligrams of sodium. This healthy criteria is based on feedback from registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield and the new daily sodium recommendations.

To find your perfect healthy KFC meal, pair one chicken option from the list below with one of the sides also listed below. Happy healthy-meal mix-and-matching!

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Posted on February 17, 2024 by Jennipher

Healthiest Menu Choices at Taco Bell

Taco Bell is a favorite late-night stop for many youngsters, and today we’re looking at Taco Bell‘s nutritional facts and finding the healthiest options on the menu. Somewhat surprisingly — after all Taco Bell does have a Fresco menu of “healthier” options — there were not a lot of foods to choose from that fell into our criteria.

While many foods met our guideline to have less than 500 calories, most could not meet the new daily sodium recommendation from the U.S. government of less than 500 milligrams of sodium per meal. This criteria was set based on feedback from registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. So what foods are we OK with calling healthy? Read on for your Taco Bell healthy choices! (Oh, and for the record, fourth meal at 2 a.m. is never a good idea!)

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Posted on February 17, 2024 by Jennipher

Whole Grain Fiber Can Lead to Longer Life

We’ve heard for years that fiber is good for us in many different facets. It helps keep us regular, fills us up, and has even been shown to prevent cancer. Now, this miracle substance can lead to a longer life.

A study published on February 15, 2024 on the website of the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that higher levels of fiber appears to lower the risk of dying from respiratory and infectious diseases, as well as a reduced level of death from cancer in males. We have long known that fiber has a positive effect on heart health, so the results of the study were not surprising.

“The benefits of fiber are broader than what had been anticipated or previously studied,” says Frank Hu, M.D., who was the co-author of an editorial that accompanied the study, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute. (more…)

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Carmen

Chinese Company Distributing Fake Rice to Townspeople

Processed foods have been taken to an entirely new level in the Chinese town of Taiyuan. It seems that a mad scientist-like blend of potatoes and plastic resin is being used to create a synthetic rice. The fake rice is created by forming potatoes and sweet potatoes into the shape of a grain of rice and then covering it in industrial resins. Very Vietnam says, “eating three bowls of this fake rice would be like eating one plastic bag.” Just a few of the words that come to mind: inhumane, unjust, intolerable.

An investigation of the companies suspected of producing the fake rice is expected but until then, their profit margins are climbing higher and higher. Consumption of the fake rice may have highly dangerous effects but the cost is so tremendously low that it continues to sell.

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Posted on February 16, 2024 by Theresa

Diet Pepsi Can Gets a Makeover for Fashion Week

Diet Pepsi Thinner Can Diet Pepsi is promoting the idea of “slimness” associated with their product with a new packaging ploy. The tall, thin can was launched during New York City’s Fashion Week, no doubt intended to suggest the kind of body one might have by switching to diet soda. The company says the new look is made to celebrate confident, beautiful women.

“Our slim, attractive new can is the perfect complement to today’s most stylish looks, and we’re excited to throw its coming-out party during the biggest celebration of innovative design in the world,” Jill Beraud, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo, said in a statement. The stouter style of Pepsi can will continue to be available.

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Posted on February 16, 2024 by Health Buzz

Teens Ignore Nutrition Info on Fast Food Labels

Sometimes I enjoy reading about studies that “look us in the eyes” and tell us the obvious. Take this study led by an NYU School of Medicine investigator: calorie labels do not affect teenagers’ decisions on what they choose to eat at fast food restaurants.

Young people feel indestructible. That’s why they smoke, do crazy skateboarding tricks, or eat foods that are not good for them. Part of the feeling of dietary invincibility is a lot of young people have metabolisms that can burn calories like crazy. Unfortunately, diets are getting so bad that more kids aren’t able to hold onto their youthful energy or take advantage of a high metabolic rate.

In the study, researchers found that the teens noticed the calorie information just as often as adults. However, they didn’t react in a positive manner as often as the adults. (more…)

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Jason

Emotional Breakthroughs and a Closed Gym on Biggest Loser Season 11 Episode 7 Recap

Two members of the red team have gone home two weeks in a row.  At this point, they must be feeling the pressure mounting. Losing one weigh in, let alone two in a row, can definitely put a gloom on your situation. Can the red team stop their losing streak? Also, will Arthur be able to shake that target off his back, even as he tries to rationalize his decision to his father?

This week’s pop challenge really makes the teams work in unison. They are tied together by a single rope that is tied in knots. The first team to do it gets a key. The only key. To the gym for the entire week. This puts the other team at a severe disadvantage. The red team, with Cowboy Justin, win this challenge quite easily. Bob and Jillian are none too happy with this, but they know it’s just something they have to deal with. Meanwhile, on the red team, it seems like Rulon‘s head is just not in it, almost as though he is holding something back. (more…)

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Mark