Diet and Nutrition

What You Should Know about Interesterified Fat

Now that Americans, food manufacturers and restaurant chains have made trans-fats part of their every day vernacular and a daily avoidance in their diets, enter a new unhealthy fat also found in processed foods: Interesterified fat.

A bit more difficult to pronounce than “trans fatty acids,” but equally dangerous, interesterified fats are liquid oils, rather than a semi-solid fat, like the now taboo, trans fats.

To get a jump on this new addition to the health dictionary, read on to learn where this additive may be lurking in your kitchen and how it might be hurting your health.

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Posted on August 26, 2024 by heather

Salmon Baby Food Can Spark Child Development

Have you fed your baby fish today? It’s probably something that many parents don’t really think of much. But if a food science professor has her way, more people will be doing it.

Incorporating fish into an adult’s diet is recommended for several reasons, one of which is those rich in omega-3 fatty acids help prevent coronary artery disease. Experts generally recommend it twice a week.

But why would a baby need fish? Well, there are many other benefits as well. Registered dietitian Susan Brewer of the University of Illinois says that there are two main reasons that we should all feed out baby’s fish: (more…)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Jason

Burger King’s Caloric Nightmare: NY Pizza Burger

Burger King has done it again. The home of the Whopper and the Steakhouse XT, Burger King has recently unveiled a new Whopper Bar in New York’s Times Square. The Whopper Bar is a place where customers can create a Whopper to their specifications, or choosing from such offerings as the Bourbon Whopper, topped with fried onion rings and the Meat Beast, topped with bacon and pepperoni.

Now they’ve managed to even surpass those calorie bombs with their newest offering, the NY Pizza Burger. (more…)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Carmen

Chill Out: Frozen Treats That Won’t Ice Your Diet

Fitness-friendly Slice Cream

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.

As I sat in front of my TV enjoying my healthy lunch, I found myself suddenly craving ice cream or some other decadent frozen treat. Could it be the commercial for the Snicker’s ice cream bar that triggered the urge? Um… DUH… of course!

Okay, so I am so easily led astray. But, instead of hopping in my car and racing to the local market for an ice cream fix, I dragged myself back into my home office and started surfing the Web for healthier ice cream treats.

The first fact that caught my eye: Americans enjoy nearly 21 quarts per person, per year.

The second scoop on ice cream: August is National Ice Cream Month – and for good reason. Not only is August the hottest month of the year for most of us, but it’s also the month that hosts most of the ice cream holidays. (more…)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Kick Your Sugar Habit in 3 Simple Steps

Sugar – The other white powder that as some might argue is just as addictive as illegal drugs. As Americans, our diet contains way too much of it.

Sugar has been linked to the obesity, diabetes, and heart disease epidemics. A study published in the Journal of  The American Medical Association showed that women who consume excess sugar have a greater prevalence of chronic inflammation, lower levels of good cholesterol and higher levels of triglycerides.

The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar every day. That’s a lot of sweetness. While the dental and sugar cane industries are booming as a result of our love for sugar, our physical and mental health could benefit from a sugar detox.

If you want to cut back on your sugar habit, follow these three simple steps. Notice, we didn’t say “easy.” Sugar, as many scientific studies have shown, has a strong addictive quality to it. But like salt, sugar is an acquired taste. So by following a few simple steps, you can retrain your taste-buds and your mind to desensitize its affinity towards it. (more…)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by heather

Exercise Doesn’t Erase Your Bad Diet

How many times have you been to dinner at a restaurant, trying to decide between having the healthy salad you know you should have, and the nachos that are screaming your name? In an effort to justify the unhealthy choice, you say to yourself: “I’ll burn it off in the gym tomorrow.” Look! A weight loss loophole!

Everyone needs to exercise. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, fight aging, or haven’t given your health a single thought, you need to exercise. In addition to burning calories, exercise helps prevent diseases like cancer, increases bone density, prevents injury, relieves stress, improves sleep and gives you firm, toned muscles that boost your confidence and keep you feeling good.

All too often, however, people look at exercise as a way to erase making bad diet decisions.  This is a recipe for an unhealthy relationship with both food and exercise, which will never get you the results you want. (more…)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Kelly

Elizabeth Hurley Tweets Her Diet Tips and Sells Beef Jerky

Elizabeth Hurley Beef Jerky“Btw my diet survived the onslaught of phenomenal vacation food,” tweeted Elizabeth Hurley on August 24 of her vacation in the South of France. “Doctors disagree, but I swear by almost nothing for breakfast for adults. Mugs of hot water first thing, maybe an espresso and a few oat cakes mid morning.”

While we think it’s great to stay hydrated, eating breakfast is important to jump-starting your metabolism. But it’s not the most unhealthy strategy adopted by models to staying thin. The actress and model has been hawking organic diet snacks on her website, elizabethhurley.com. That’s more than we can say for most models, who often fall victim to eating disorders. (more…)

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Health Buzz

Time’s Take on Organics: Too Much Compromise

Oranic Food in TImeFor veterans of the organic food debate, the cover story of Time Magazine offers few new insights into the question of eating cleanly and sustainably. Any general discussion of the food industry in America is rife with rhetorical potholes, and the debate is as massive and complex as our food production systems themselves.

The Time article, written by Jefferey Kluger, makes a judicious attempt at outlining some of the biggest points of contention in the great food debate: cost, nutritional value of organics vs. conventional food, treatment of livestock, fertilizers and pesticides. He also oddly tries to extricate himself from the debate in which he is participating, referring to “food purists” and “the shouting of the food partisans.” If Kluger is trying to mount a non-partisan argument, he ends by leap-frogging from issue to issue without settling for a conclusion. While Kluger ultimately appears to be in support of organic food and the consumption of less meat, he seems dismissive of the practicality of feeding the nation with organic food. (more…)

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Margaret

Childhood Obesity Drop Linked to Better School Food

New research is indicating a drop in childhood obesity… but only in some children.

The researchers analyzed more than eight million California children and teens and found that the rates of obesity showed some encouraging declines after a peak in 2005 among Asian and white boys and girls and among Hispanic boys. However, rates have continued to climb among African American and American Indian girls. It remained stable for Hispanic girls. (more…)

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Health Buzz

We Love Arctic Zero!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. We might be screaming, though, because of the high calorie and fat content that most ice creams contain.

Arctic Zero has come to the rescue with their new frozen dessert. Billed as a nutritious ice cream, low in calories (150 or so per pint – not per serving!), and no fat, Arctic Zero refers to itself as a “protein shake you can eat with a spoon.” High in protein, milk and gluten-free with a low glycemic count and no artificial sweeteners,  this frozen dessert sounds too good to be true. (more…)

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Carmen

Health Benefits of Beer

It’s common knowledge that red wine boasts heart-health benefits with its ample supply of the antioxidant, resveratrol. But beer is competing with vino lovers for its health benefits.

As you head into the fridge and twist off the cap of your favorite brew, read on to find out what you need to look for in a beer to enjoy all of the health benefits of the country’s most popular alcoholic beverage.

Heart benefits

Beer contains the same heart-protective benefits as red wine. In fact, a very large study done by Kaiser Permanente survey showed that male beer drinkers had a lower risk of coronary artery disease than men who drank red wine, white wine or spirits. The heart-healthy benefits may come from beer’s stock of B-vitamins and folates. Both of these nutrients keep homocysteine blood levels in check. High levels of the chemical have been linked to increased risk of heart disease.

In addition, the massive Nurses Health study showed that women who drank one beer a day had less risk for hypertension or high blood pressure than women who drank wine or hard alcohol.

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Posted on August 25, 2024 by heather