Diet and Nutrition

Buffalo Beats Beef When Choosing Healthy Meat

My name is Theresa and I am a beefaholic.

I love cheeseburgers, steaks, prime rib and plain old ground beef with rice. The strange part about this is that I used to be completely appalled by it. Slaughtered cows that are fed hormones and steroids, breed disease and systematically pump fat into my diet did not sound like a good idea. Besides the fact that I didn’t enjoy the taste of red meat, I was completely grossed-out by the thought of eating it. I did eat chicken, eggs and seafood on occasion, but I largely led a vegetarian lifestyle. I guess I would have called myself a selective vegetarian.

My view on meat changed about 4 years ago where I became obsessed. Give me a cheeseburger and watch me lose myself in ecstasy. Okay, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but seriously, for a girl that hated meat, I’m talking about drastic change. Regardless of the fact that I developed a taste for red meat, I still understood the nutritional drawbacks of having it in my diet. Thank goodness someone told me about buffalo meat! (more…)

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Theresa

Fall Produce is Amazing, Abundant and Delicious

Happy first day of fall!

There are some great things about summer, especially with regards to fruits and vegetables, but the end of warm weather doesn’t need to mean the start of a boring, bland diet with no variety. Never fear! Some of the most flavorful and nutritious fruits and veggies are getting ready to come into season, and we all know that in season foods are higher in vitamins and minerals.

Take your meal planning to the next level with some of these delicious choices, full of fall color and flavor and guaranteed to satisfy.

  • Apples – portable, packable and full of endless possibilities, apples are full of fiber and low in calories.There are literally hundreds of varieties available –  I wait all year to be able to enjoy Honeycrisp apples. Top whole grain waffles with sliced apples, or send them in a lunch box with peanut butter for dipping. Or for a twist, add them to a Caramel Apple Milkshake!
Posted on September 23, 2024 by Carmen

New HCG Drops Claim to Have No Side Effects

hCG DropsInjections might have once deterred some from taking hCG, but the hormone is now easy to swallow in drop form. One hCG drop producer, Pure HCG Diet, recently suggested on PRWeb that their product “eliminates side effects and dangers” of hCG. However, further reading reveals the only side effects the Pure HCG Diet eliminates are those specifically related to injections. Although these side effects are not outlined, we assume they mean the pain of the injections. There are several other producers of hCG drops, like those used in The Zola Diet.

The fact remains that there have been no high-quality third-party clinical studies that show hCG has benefit for weight loss. The diet requires followers to eat a restrictive 500 calories per day, and this fact alone can account for the diet’s success. However, this near-starvation quantity of calories is a dangerously low number, about one third of the daily recommended amount, and can cause many unwanted health conditions, from faintness, hair loss and irregular heart rates.

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Posted on September 22, 2024 by Margaret

Corn Sugar Versus High Fructose Corn Syrup – Understand the Difference

Just recently, the Corn Refiners Association took the legal steps necessary to change the name high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to the more innocuous name, “corn sugar.”

While the approval could take as long as two years, products are already being referred to as containing corn sugar, rather than HFCS.

For those who are a bit confused over the name change, you’re not alone. Corn sugar is just another name and form of sugar, and just like sucrose, HFCS, or dextrose, it can be added into candy, pasta sauce, soda, bread and thousands of other processed products.

So, exactly what is corn sugar and how does it fare in comparison to the now demonized high fructose corn syrup?

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Posted on September 22, 2024 by heather

Simple Steps to Healthy Cholesterol Levels

September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month. And while you should be aware of your cholesterol levels and what affects them every month, it doesn’t hurt to give it a little extra attention now and again.

First, it’s a good idea to know what constitutes healthy and unhealthy cholesterol levels. The American Heart Association has an established range for your daily cholesterol intake:

– Less than 200 mg/dL is considered healthy.

– 200 to 239 mg/dL is borderline high cholesterol.

– 240 mg/dL and above is an unhealthy cholesterol level.

Many foods can contribute to an increase in your unhealthy cholesterol levels, but what you may not know is that some foods actually have the opposite effect. Yes, instead of medications and supplements, sometimes actual natural nourishment is the solution. (more…)

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Jason

How to Cut Carbs

Pamela Ofstein is the Director of Nutrition Services at eDiets.com, a leading provider of weight loss services, information and products.

I think for many of us, when it comes to carbs, we can be our own downfall. It’s tough to limit and eat the right serving size . That could be because we don’t even know what a portion size is for most of our carb servings. Even we dietitians have to think twice on a few since, depending on the type of food (i.e. hot versus cold cereal), the portion sizes vary.

Eating less carbohydrates is fine, but the choices you make are more important when you pick out the carbs to eat and how much of the food you are eating (quantity/portion control). Basically, a slice of whole-grain bread with 3-5 grams of fiber could be a good choice, but if you are eating 3-4 slices at a sitting for example, your carb intake is a bit higher than it should be for most of us. The goal would be to have a slice or two and keep it to 1-2 servings of carbs at the meal. (more…)

Posted on September 21, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Breakfast is Key to Boosting Metabolism

Do you find yourself dragging as you head for your first cup of coffee in the morning? Maybe you should reach for breakfast first.

Breakfast is touted as the most important meal of the day.  There’s nothing wrong with some moderate coffee drinking, (in fact, there are some health benefits) but if you are skipping breakfast in favor of drinking coffee in the morning, it can kill your appetite until lunch… and that’s not good if you want your body firing on all cylinders.

A healthy breakfast gets your motor running. Think of it as setting the tone for the rest of the day… not to mention your metabolism. When you sleep, your metabolism slows down to rest and recuperate. When you wake, the only way to wake your metabolism is to fuel it with a healthy breakfast. Otherwise, your metabolism will run the whole day as if you were still asleep in bed. (more…)

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Jason

Lack of Sleep Tied to Teen Obesity

As parents, most of us try to get our kids to bed at a decent hour. But there are more reasons for a bedtime other than wanting your child to be well-rested. According to new research, adequate sleep is associated with healthier eating choices as well.

According to new research published this month in the journal Sleep, teens who got less than eight hours of sleep during weeknights were more apt to eat bigger proportions of fatty foods and snacks than their peers who got enough sleep.

After adjusting for age, sex and race, teens who slept less than eight hours on weeknights consumed 2.2 percent more calories from fats and 3 percent fewer calories from carbs than teens who slept eight hours or more. (more…)

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Jason

Hershey Sponsors FREE Consultations with a Registered Dietitian

Hershey Moderation NationChocolate is delicious, but we all know that it’s easy to over do it. Even chocolate giant Hershey admits that there is such a thing as too much chocolate. That’s why they’re helping people connect with registered dietitians around the nation, as part of their Moderation Nation campaign. Hershey is collaborating with the American Dietetic Association to promote “moderation, not deprivation.”

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Posted on September 20, 2024 by Health Buzz

Have You Tried the Water Trick?

Water in a GlassNutritionists have long recommended drinking water before meals, to help you feel full sooner. But new research from Virginia Tech shows that people who drank two glasses of water before each meal consumed fewer calories and ate less than those who didn’t. Over the course of the 12-week study, the group that had water before eating lost five pounds more.

Participants in the study were middle-aged, but researchers think that the trick can help anyone. “We think the water helped them better manage their hunger and contributed to feeling full,” explained Brenda Davy, PhD, RD, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise at Virginia Tech.

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Posted on September 20, 2024 by Health Buzz

Snooki Opens Up About Her Anorexia

Although Snooki has publicized her weight drop while following the Snooki in High Schoolcookie diet, she admits that her weight was once dangerously low. The Jersey Shore star is on the cover of the most recent edition of OK! magazine. In the cover story, she discusses the pressure she faced to be thin as a cheerleader and how she suffered from anorexia in high school.

“It started when I was a junior,” she said. “The reason I did it is because I was very self-conscious about cheer leading…There were these little freshman girls, and I was scared that these little freshman girls were going to take my spot.”

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Posted on September 20, 2024 by Health Buzz