Diet and Nutrition

The Ins and Outs of the P90X Nutrition Plan

Sure, you’ve probably heard that the workouts in Tony Horton’s P90X system are tough, but what do you know about the system’s nutrition plan? When it comes to getting in shape and losing weight, we know that exercise is great for our bodies and building muscle, but you also have to eat the right foods to show off all that hard work. Here are a few more details on the diet side of this popular workout DVD system.

About the P90X Nutrition Guide

The plan includes three one-month phases, all which include small meals eaten consistently throughout the day and lots of water to drink!

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Posted on January 27, 2024 by Jennipher

Zac Efron’s ZEN Diet

Zac Efron Meal Delivery DietIt looks like Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron may be trying to lose weight, now that shooting for The Lucky One has wrapped. Besides getting a buzz cut, Efron gained about 18 pounds to play a veteran of the Iraq War. “I was just eating, eating, eating,” he said of preparing for the role.

Efron was recently spotted carrying a cooler bag from Z.E.N., a California meal delivery service that specializes in healthy and convenient diet plans. Z.E.N. offers several programs, including one for weight loss, one for maintaining a healthy weight, and a cleanse program for rapid weight loss. Z.E.N. stands for “Zero Effort Nutrition,” and provides its clients with three fresh meals per day, plus dessert and a snack. The company also offers a totally personalized program, so customers can tailor their diets to their tastes and needs.

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Posted on January 27, 2024 by Health Buzz

Empty Calories Comic: Controlling Cravings

See more Empty Calories right here in the blog each week, or receive one each month when you subscribe to our free newsletter. (more…)

Posted on January 27, 2024 by Health Buzz

Set Sail with the Biggest Loser Experience Cruise

This fall, fans and enthusiasts of The Biggest Loser will have a chance to do what no contestant has ever done on the show – a Caribbean cruise. So maybe the contestants don’t get to have all the fun, after all! The Biggest Loser Experience Cruise is being hosted on Celebrity Cruises’ Eclipse, the newest ship in the fleet, and will hit the open blue water for a full week November 12-19, 2024.

You’ll join former contestants, Biggest Loser experts, and meet new, motivating friends. It’s the ultimate fitness getaway!

During the trip you’ll learn how to live The Biggest Loser lifestyle by attending:

  • Nutrition seminars where you’ll learn the most up to date information
  • Fitness classes where you’ll sweat alongside BL alumni
  • Dinners focused on chef-prepared, Biggest Loser-approved meals
  • Cooking classes to learn how to make delicious, low-calorie fare at home
  • Mixers to get to know your fellow passengers (more…)
Posted on January 27, 2024 by Health Buzz

Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America’s Greatest Threat Exposes Scary Reality

By Jessie Gorges

Picture this: A world where the majority of the population has to take insulin shots, and the life expectancy of children is lower than their parents’. That’s exactly where we’re headed, according to the documentary Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America’s Greatest Threat.

The film opens with an obese 12-year-old child. Brooke Bates and her parents list reasons for her weight gain and explain that diet and exercise didn’t work for her. So, instead of seeing a dietitian or personal trainer, they choose liposuction surgery to resolve the problem.

The creator of the film, Bryan Young, lists stress-induced cortisol, junk-food advertising to children, unhealthy school lunches and increased production of high-fructose corn syrup as the obesity epidemic’s main catalysts.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Health Buzz

Bugs Are a Better Source of Protein

insect“The question really should be: ‘Why do we NOT eat insects?” says Marcel Dicke, a food scientist and heal of entomology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He argues that bugs provide a healthier, more economic and green source of protein.

Dicke and his colleagues presented groundbreaking research into the possibilities of replacing animal meat with insects at the university to an audience of about 200. The guests were also invited to try a range of food prepared with grasshoppers, meals worms and buffalo worms. With the help of chef Henk van Gurp, the bugs became ingredients in a range of foods, from pastries to Thai spring rolls.

“Tasty…kind of nutty!” said one taster, Walinka van Tol of a meal worm praline. Dicke says that taste isn’t the issue, but rather convincing people that eating bugs doesn’t have to be disgusting. “People think it is something dirty. It generates a Fear Factor response,” he said, referring to the TV show that forced contestants to eat living bugs.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Health Buzz

Use Low-Fat Bacon for a Healthier Heart

Did you ever think that you could eat bacon and still take good care of your heart? Well, not all bacon is synonymous with the artery-clogging saturated fat that so many of us avoid in our regular diets. Bacon is a well-enjoyed protein that, in moderation, can be part of a balanced diet.

If you enjoy the taste of bacon but are watching your fat intake, don’t eat it morning, noon and night. Incorporate lower-fat center cut bacon (look for a brand such as Oscar Meyer that touts 30% less fat than the leading bacon) into your favorite healthy recipes, such as this hearty skillet dish with robust flavors and seasonal vegetables.

The best part? A little bit goes a long way – and you won’t even miss the extra calories.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Maris

New Nutrition Labels Up Front About Food Facts

front of package nutrition labels This week, the food industry unveiled a new initiative to make it easier for consumers to make healthy choices about packaged foods. Food packages will soon start to carry food labels on the front, called “Nutrition Keys.” The front-of-package labels were created to “promote healthier lifestyles,” said Pamela Bailey, the president of the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

The nutrition keys will start to appear within the next few months, but will not be fully implemented until the end of the year. The keys will show the number of calories, in addition to the amount of sugar, salt and saturated fat per serving. The keys can also include two other nutrients, like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, potassium, fiber, iron, calcium or protein.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Health Buzz

Keep Your Arteries Healthy with a Beef, Vegetable, and Almond Stir-Fry

Asian-inspired food sometimes gets a bad rap for being high in sodium, calories and fat. While it’s true that an order of General Tsao’s Chicken might not be so scale-friendly, making your own Asian-inspired dishes at home is a great way to consume more antioxidants and nutrient rich vegetables, including carrots, onions, bell peppers, and garlic, all foods that work together to keep your arteries healthy.

In most stir-fries, vegetables take center stage but by including a moderate portion of flank steak (3 ounces per person) in this recipe, you’ll also be serving up a healthy dose of protein and iron.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Maris

Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Pebbles to Reduce Sugar Content

Looking back on my childhood, I grew up eating a lot of sugary foods for breakfast. From Pop Tarts to Toaster Strudel to Corn Pops, sugar was a big part of the most important meal of the day for me. Of course, at the time, my mom was just happy that I was eating any kind of breakfast before running out the door to school, but now we know so much more about proper nutrition that it’s about time some of the major food manufacturers took at look at cereal’s sugar content. Especially cereals that are obviously targeted to children.

Late last year, General Mills reduced the amount of sugar in its popular cereals Lucky Charms, Trix and Cocoa Puffs. According to The Associated Press, PepsiCo Inc. also launched a new instant oatmeal with 25 percent less sugar. Now you can add another big food manufacturer to the list of reduced-sugar breakfast foods: Post Foods. The company recently told The Associated Press that it will cut the sugar content of its Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles per serving from 11 grams to 9 grams. According to the report, this is in an attempt by all food companies to address consumers’ concerns at the growing childhood obesity epidemic.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Jennipher

Obama’s Speech Addresses Little of Our Unhealthy Union

President Obama’s State of the Union address came at a politically fortunate time in his presidency. On the heels of the Arizona tragedy that took the lives of six people and injured 13 others, including congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who is still bravely fighting through her ordeal, the president has political capital to espouse some of his most prized initiatives to Congress and the rest of the country.

This tragedy has in some small way helped unify the country around President Obama after his well-received speech in Arizona… at least for the 53 percent or so who approve of the work he is doing as president, a dramatic turn from the low forties he was in just a few months ago.

The central themes to Obama’s 2024 State of the Union address were education, moving the country forward in the technologies of the future, and how we need to prepare the workforce for the 21st century economic realities. (more…)

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Jason