Diet and Nutrition

How to Have a Healthier Labor Day Picnic

Picnics, especially on a work-free holiday such as Labor Day, are great fun. Hanging out with family and friends, spending time together, enjoying one last day of summer before the reality of school and sports: what’s not to love?

Sadly, many traditional picnic options are unkind to your diet and do nothing to support a healthier lifestyle. Why not try some of these tricks to help you throw a figure-friendly picnic this weekend?

Instead of grilling red meat or hot dogs, try chicken breast or pork tenderloin. There are some great marinades available, and both of these lean choices cook up well. Prepare extra for the coming week to make dinner time a cinch. (more…)

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Carmen

Caroline Manzo Drops 25 Pounds on an Old Fashioned Diet

Caroline Manzo has been looking pretty fabulous recently. Not only does she have a more fashionable hairstyle, she’s recently lost 25 pounds, according to the Huffington Post. The reality TV star of Real Housewives of New Jersey got her weight down the old fashioned way, by eating less and exercising more.

But Caroline isn’t into denying herself her favorite foods, she’s just been paying close attention to portion control. “I eat what I want. I just eat the bad things earlier on in the day,” she told People Magazine. “If I want pasta, I have it for lunch instead of for dinner. That’s all. If I want a piece of cheesecake, I have half instead of a whole.” She’s also cut down on liquid calories. “I stopped drinking soda and juice … [I drink] just one coffee a day and buckets and buckets and buckets of water.”

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Posted on September 2, 2024 by Health Buzz

A McDonald’s Hamburger: 145 Days Later

One of the eating guidelines in Michael Pollan‘s Food Rules is to eat things that will eventually rot. Things like meat, fruits and vegetables, all eventually decompose, returning them to the organic cycle from which they came. Foods that don’t go bad, from Twinkies to Spam, have been highly processed. Not only are processed foods often full of synthetic chemicals, they’ve also been stripped of many of the nutrients that your body needs yet are still full of empty calories.

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Posted on September 2, 2024 by Margaret

Get in Shape Like the Stars of the Emmys

While watching the Emmys this year, I was impressed by how fit and polished the stars looked as they walked the red carpet. Wearing Versace, Carolina Herrera or Donna Karan, walking in front of thousands of cameras, there’s no room for an unfit body to hide. How do they guarantee that every part of their image is smooth and flat, toned and fit and showing to their greatest advantage?

Celebrity trainer Jarett Del Bene, whose clients include Audrina Patridge, The Hills alum Lauren Conrad and Lindsay Lohan, shared many of the secrets that he uses to help whip bodies into shape fast.

Del Bene was quoted in USWeekly as saying, “For the Emmys, some of [celebrities] may have slacked during the summertime because of vacations and due to just having fun. Not everyone can stay consistent…then you do a quick shape up workout plan to get in shape in a matter of three to five weeks.” (more…)

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Carmen

Baby Carrots Getting Junk Food Marketing Makeover

UPDATE 10/14/10: To date, this campaign, which challenges the establishment’s dominance over snacking culture, has been a wild success. Now carrot farmers are looking to add to the success this Halloween by creating “Scarrots”. Scarrots are 1.7 ounce single-serve bags of baby carrots, offered in a master bag containing 25 servings in 3 unique designs. Also included is a sealed pouch containing 25 temporary glow-in-the-dark tattoos of masquerading baby carrot characters.

If you are a food company that sells baby carrots, how do you get kids interested in your healthy product, when what they really want are those Fruit Roll-Ups, or some other snack with a flashy cartoon character and brightly colored logos?

As they say, if you can’t beat ’em join ’em.

It’s back-to-school time, so there’s no better time than now to make a bold move to be the choice snack for kids’ brown bag lunches. So, basically the entire baby carrot industry is making radical changes to their presentation, mimicking the junk food packaging that is so successful. (more…)

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Jason

5 Odd Fast Foods from Around the Globe

Most of us know about the entertaining world of strange language translation goofs, particularly from Asian languages into English. There are entire websites dedicated to the phenomenon, and I think they are generally done with good-natured humor and not condescension or racism.

But, can food concepts get lost in translation? Maybe you can just chalk it up to cultural differences, but either way, the following fast food items from around the globe are sure to raise a few eyebrows, if not turn a few stomachs.

(Note:the list is largely skewed towards McDonald’s food. It’s not a conspiracy on my part, just how the cards fell in my research on global fast food items.)

1. Winter Double King Pizza at Pizza Hut (Japan)

I’ve heard of some strange pizza topping, but this one from Pizza Hut Japan takes the cake. With the cryptically named Winter Double King Pizza, you get crab, shrimp, beef, broccoli, corn, onion, mayonnaise, and potato. What do you think? Did they leave anything out? (more…)

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Jason

Diet Disaster: Fried Beer

Image via Telegraph UK

Inventor Mark Zable said it took him three years to come up with a method to fry beer, but he has finally succeeded. The result of his effort is a ravioli-like squares of pretzel dough that are filled with beer and fried. “Nobody has been able to fry a liquid before. It tastes like you took a bite of hot pretzel dough and then took a drink of beer,” Zable says. Fried Coke does exist, but it is really a solid dough that’s Coke-flavored.

The deep-fried beer will officially be unveiled at an upcoming fried-food competition in Texas. Five of the squares will sell for $5.00. The Texas Alcoholic commission ruled that you must be over the age of 21 to taste it.

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Posted on September 1, 2024 by Health Buzz

Eating Healthy on a Dime: How to Make Your Own Soda

Many people tell me how difficult it is to kick the soda habit. My solution? Homemade soda!

Watch now as I explain how to make it for yourself!

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Posted on September 1, 2024 by Shay

What Diet is Best for You?

John McGran, chief editor at Diet-to-Go, has been covering the fields of diet, fitness and health since 2000. He writes from the perspective of a dieter rather than a dietitian.

When it comes to slimming down, there are countless diet plans out there, so how does a consumer decide what’s a great diet for long-lasting weight loss?

Well, you don’t jump into the latest, greatest trendy fad diet. Baby food anyone? You also don’t opt for a weight loss plan that isn’t sustainable. Yo-yo dieting (the loss, then regain of weight) is extremely prevalent for a good reason. We try to totally change our eating habits, but end up right back where we started – overweight and unhappy. (more…)

Posted on August 31, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Black Rice is New Antioxidant Star

You’re plenty familiar with white rice. And maybe you occasionally indulge in brown rice. But have you heard of black rice? If not, there could be good reason to track some down for your next meal.

According to new research, anthocyanin antioxidants are found in black rice, which are also found in blackberries and blueberries. Black rice is also rich in iron and fiber.

“Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful or blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants,” says Zhimin Xu, PhD, of Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. (more…)

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Jason

Should Jessica Simpson’s Weight Gain be News?

In 2024, Jessica Simpson was the topic of much discussion when she appeared onstage wearing a black tank top and “mom jeans” – high-waisted and unflattering pants. In a repeat of these pictures, Simpson’s weight is once again in the spotlight.

On her way to a Dior beauty luncheon benefiting Operation Smile at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, Simpson was photographed in a skin tight, voluptuous red dress with a squared off neckline. The pictures have sparked pregnancy rumors and jokes at her expense.

When pressed about weight gain, stars often fight back with anger and follow up with dramatic weight loss, not always in a healthful manner. But Simpson has historically reacted differently. She has spent the last year and a half speaking publicly about society’s views on women and weight on Oprah and on her own VH1 show The Price of Beauty. She’s even vowed to use real women, and not models, at the exhibition of her Spring 2024 line during Fashion Week. (more…)

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Carmen

Diet and Nutrition

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