Diet and Nutrition

Chili’s Ultimate Stacked Burger Calories Make it the Ultimate Gluttonous Choice

Dining out can be a fun way to socialize, but it can also be a gastronomic disaster if you’re not careful. In this past year we’ve seen restaurants trend toward the ultimate calorie and sodium shock factors, first with the KFC Double Down (more like double over) and now with the Chili’s Ultimate Stacked Burger.

The Chili’s burger advertises “two big mouth burger patties stacked a mile-high with melted American cheese, mayo, applewood smoked bacon, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and crispy onion strings.” In this description alone we can translate that the burger contains a total overload of fat, cholesterol, and sodium. If you were making a burger at home, it would not look like this. The size of this burger is unrealistic and raises the “unhealthy” ingredients to out of control. (more…)

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Rebecca

Jennifer Aniston’s and Courteney Cox’s Diet Revealed

Eating the same meal every single day for 10 years? Sounds a little like Elvis; or even Einstein with that outfit. Quirky or not, it was a fact of life for the ‘Friends’ female-threesome: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.

The co-stars of the long-running popular sitcom are slender, fit and beautiful, and even since the final episode aired more than six years ago, we’re still keen on knowing how they do it.

Courteney Cox told the LA Times the answer in a word: salad.

“Jennifer and Lisa [Kudrow] and I ate lunch together every single day for 10 years. And we always had the same thing — a Cobb salad. But it wasn’t really a Cobb salad. It was a Cobb salad that Jennifer doctored up with turkey bacon and garbanzo beans and I don’t know what. She just has a way with food, which really helps. Because if you’re going to eat the same salad every day for 10 years, it’d better be a good salad, right?”, Cox said. (more…)

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Natalie K

The Many Fitness Benefits of Soccer

Soccer, the most popular sport in the world, is an excellent form of exercise that solidly covers all the bases for fitness. Often referred to in other countries as futbol, soccer was referred to by my kids’ Dominican coach as “continuous running that just happens to include ball skills.”

Soccer is ideal for all ages, skill levels and sizes, and can be played in just about any open space. It’s a team sport, which means that at any time of the game, you may be sprinting, running slow, passing the ball, or standing still.

Because of its non-stop action, soccer is a great all-over workout. It is a form of exercise that targets the whole body, including your thighs, calves, abdomen, buttocks and cardiovascular system.

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Posted on June 11, 2024 by Carmen

Walnut Week: Chef Greg Higgins Talks Healthy Cooking

All this week, I’m covering walnuts. From nutrition to culinary uses, I’m exploring what top fitness, nutrition, and culinary experts have to say about this “bumpy” nut. Up next is my interview with Chef Greg Higgins. If you’re into “green eating,” this is your guy. Find out what he has to say about how you can eat healthy and green:

1. As a restaurant chef, what is essential for creating healthier menu options? Whether it is swapping out butter for a healthier oil, or lower-fat dairy, etc., how do you keep high-taste intact while still offering healthful options?

We use olive oil as our primary cooking and flavoring oil. That in conjunction with a steady supply of local, seasonal and sustainable fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

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Posted on June 11, 2024 by Rebecca

Chocolate Baby Drink Pulled from Shelves

Last month, we told you about nutritionists’ concerns over chocolate-flavored baby food. Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. introduced the flavored beverages for toddlers who are transitioning from infant formula or breast milk. The chocolate and vanilla formulas are milk-based, but contain 19 grams of sugar per seven-ounce serving.

The uproar over the sugar content and some allegedly unproven health claims has not fallen on deaf ears.

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Posted on June 10, 2024 by Jason

Matthew Schonwalder’s 70-Pound True Weight Loss Story

Matthew - before losing weight

If there is a picture of a slender frame in the athletic community, it is the swimmer. Their bodies are trained for endurance and burning massive amounts of calories. So, that makes today’s weight loss success story all the more intriguing.

Matthew Schonwalder is a former collegiate athlete, a swimmer for the University of North Carolina. In 1994, Matthew was a slender 165 pounds, in his 6′ 2″ frame. But, when he gave up his athletic ambitions to focus on improving his grades, that is when the weight began to skyrocket.

While Matthew stopped swimming, his caloric intake stayed the same (remember, Olympian Michael Phelps admitted to 12,000 calories a day).

In early 2024, Matthew hit 240 pounds, with a total cholesterol of 238. The American Heart Association categorizes anything at 240 mg/dL or above as “high risk.” His blood pressure was high, too.

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Posted on June 10, 2024 by Jason

Petra Kolber’s Home Exercise Tips

Renowned fitness expert and spokesperson for California Walnuts, Petra Kolber, shares her ideas for exercising at home and setting realistic goals.

For those unable to dedicate hours at a gym every day, what’s a good short exercise to do at home?

Walking is the perfect cardio exercise that can be done anywhere and has great health benefits. Even a quick 10-minute walk around the block will give you results.

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Posted on June 10, 2024 by Rebecca

Michelle Obama Announces “Let’s Read. Let’s Move.” for Summer Vacation

Summer vacation is no doubt a welcome break for students and teachers alike. But trends show that it’s not for young bodies, as children become less active, eat more poorly and can regress their reading skills by as much of two months. That’s why first lady Michelle Obama has set her sights on summer vacation as her next target for her Let’s Move initiative, a program which aims to improve the overall health and wellness of American children. Currently about one-third of U.S. children are obese or overweight, a trend that isn’t helped by slackened summer dietary habits.

In an effort to not only promote healthier, more active children, the first lady also wants them to read more, thus the announcement of the “Let’s Read. Let’s Move.” campaign. This targets mind and body. (more…)

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Natalie K

Beware of Health Risks from Job Downsizing

Guest blogger Amy Applebaum is a success coach whose work includes the Release Your Inner Millionairess coaching program designed to create life-changing breakthroughs in her clients. Amy’s groundbreaking six-step process has helped thousands of female entrepreneurs accomplish goals they never imagined possible. Amy’s coaching success has led to appearances on ABC News, CNN, TLC, and Martha Stewart, to name a few. For more information on Amy’s coaching club, go to AmyApplebaum.com.

Some people swear up and down that their jobs are killing them. They might not be far off! Jobs are stressful, even when they’re going well. And recent studies have shown how a company’s downsizing can greatly affect the health of the employees – even the ones who keep their jobs! After a downsizing, the morale and overall vibe in a company can be greatly affected. There are several reasons for this:

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Posted on June 9, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Walnut Week: Mollie Katzen Dishes on Recipe Trends

It’s walnut week here at Diets In Review. I’ve been blogging some great interviews with top fitness, culinary, and health experts on all things walnuts, and of course, healthy eating. If you’ve missed my posts, you can always catch up at our walnut week roundup page! Next up, an amazing interview with cookbook author Mollie Katzen. Read what she thinks you should eat to get healthy:

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Posted on June 9, 2024 by Rebecca

Does T-Shirt Promote Eating Disorders?

Urban Outfitters, the hipster haven for clothes and random knick-knacks, has developed a reputation for cutting edge offbeat t-shirts. They got in a little hot water for a t-shirt that read “Obama/Black.” There were a few other head-scratchers as well, and for the sake of our site, one had to do with health.

The latest shirt to raise eyebrows has “Eat Less” scrawled across the front. Now, this one may be a little less obviously offensive. But some people think that it at least inadvertently promotes eating disorders.

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Posted on June 8, 2024 by Jason