Diet and Nutrition

Agave Nectar No Healthier Than Other Sweeteners

Have you turned your love of sugar in to a love of agave in an effort to be healthier? Maybe you should rethink much “love” you give it. If you are unfamiliar, agave nectar (ah gav ee) is a sweetener that ranges in color from light to dark, depending on the processing time and amount of minerals in the product. It is less thick than honey or maple syrup and has a sweeter taste. The agave sweetener comes from various species of the agave plant. After the juice has been extracted, it is heated to create simple sugars. The final product is some percentage of the sugars glucose and fructose. (more…)

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Rebecca

Yoplait Greek Yogurt Not the Healthiest Choice

One of the most buzzed about health foods of late is Greek yogurt. Everyone is eating it, or telling you to eat it. I jumped on the Greek yogurt band wagon more than a year ago and have no plans to jump. It’s pretty tasty, and the fact that it’s so good for you means my refrigerator is always stocked.

In the past six months I’ve noticed the Greek yogurt section at the grocery grow from two rows of the plain Fage brand to several shelves and rows of multiple brands. I’ll disclaim that my personal favorite is Chobani.

Recently, yogurt dominator Yoplait showed up on the Greek yogurt shelves. So I wondered if this could be a true contender amongst the Fages, Oikos and Chobanis, or if it would just be a popular name trying to squeeze in and take part in this booming niche market. I used to have a hard-core Yoplait habit, until I realized that it was basically candy with all of the sugar added to it. Thus, my switch to Greek.

So I compared the Chobani Greek, vanilla flavor, with the Yoplait Greek, honey vanilla flavor, and found that I’m sticking with the former. (more…)

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Natalie K

Tune In: Jamie Oliver on the Rachael Ray Show

Tune in this Tuesday, March 30 to the Rachael Ray Show when Naked Chef Jamie Oliver delivers seven simply delicious ideas for eating healthy.

Oliver is the host of the new ABC reality series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. He discusses his latest venture with Rachael in which he is single-handedly trying to transform America’s fattest city into a much leaner and healthier community by encouraging them to eat more natural foods, eat less processed meals and cook at home more often.

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Posted on March 29, 2024 by heather

Tune In: Lisa Lillien on The Doctors

Tune in this Friday, April 2 to The Doctors when Hungry Girl, Lisa Lillien drops by to share her tips for helping you make smarter choices at the grocery store.

The Hungry Girl constantly has her pulse on the latest in healthy food finds. She is also a whiz at creating recipe makeovers that turn your favorite decadent dishes into leaner and healthier eats. (more…)

Posted on March 29, 2024 by heather

Base Your Wellness Solutions on the Reasons Behind the Problem

The analogy of an iceberg is not new in describing problems. You may see your child throwing a tantrum because he is not allowed to have a cookie; however, it takes more analysis to recognize that the source of the tantrum is really how tired he is because he stayed up to watch the end of a movie the night before. You may see your child squirming and being silly, but do you realize that she is really just nervous that the doctor may give her a shot?

A client came in the other day and was able to clearly describe what brought him into counseling, as well as recognize the issues in the background that were likely contributing and that needed to be addressed and processed. Although the part of his iceberg above the water did need to be addressed right away, he was aware that the layers beneath the water posed a danger to him also.

Different modalities of therapy address different levels of the iceberg; however, good client care addresses the entire problem. Perhaps a better analogy would be a weed because if you try to cut it off at ground level, it will grow back and continue to cause problems until you address the root. (more…)

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Where’s the Beef?: Meaty Vegetarian Protein Ideas

Mark Rifkin holds a Master’s Degree in health education and is a Registered Dietitian. He focuses on plant-based diets to enhance healthy lifestyles and reduce eco-footprints, particularly for women, seniors, minority populations, and vegetarians. Learn more at Preventitive Nutrition Services.

Feedback to a similar article suggests that a vegetarian diet using legumes as a primary protein source just won’t cut the, ahh, mustard. Some are looking for a bit more to gnaw on, and a lentil is not quite equipped for the job. However, there are plenty of options for those accustomed to meatier protein foods.

Tofu is the first obvious choice, but many tofu consumers are not educated on the nuances of the white cube of stuff sitting in a plastic tub of water. Gee, what’s not to like? (more…)

Posted on March 27, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Jamie Oliver’s Essential Grocery List

Whether you’re inspired to start living a healthier lifestyle because of the buzz from ABC’s new show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, or you simply recognize that it’s time to start making some changes (for the better!), then this grocery list will be an important tool.

Changing eating habits is no easy task. The foods we eat and how we eat them, even our attraction to them, is deeply ingrained within us. If you’ve never eaten vegetables, getting in the recommended five servings a day can seem daunting. If all you’ve ever eaten is white pasta or bread, then switching to a whole grain variety might seem foreign. So having a list like this at the ready will only make it easier to plan for healthy made-at-home meals.

As Jamie Oliver prepares to take on the most unhealthy city in America, he offers the rest of us his top choices for a healthy grocery list. (more…)

Posted on March 26, 2024 by Natalie K

School Lunches Don’t Have to be Junk

Full disclosure: I worked for three years in the cafeteria at my kids’ school. I am intimately familiar with school lunches, cafeterias and kids and the meals involved. My kids attend a private school and the food offered is often homemade, so I do not have experience with the pre-made, packaged foods that are outlined in the Fed Up With Lunch blog.

Why do we equate “kids food” with “junk food”? Attend any birthday party, soccer game or meal in a school cafeteria and you will see that we all think of our children’s palates as infantile. There are often no spices, instead bland and inoffensive flavors. Everything is high in fat, covered in cheese, or supersaturated with sugar. We give our kids cereals sprayed with vitamins and toss the milk after they fill up on sugar and white flour. We offer a choice of pizza, tacos or hot dogs – all full of fat and empty calories. We serve white spaghetti noodles with Wonder Bread – and then demand that they do not fall into a food coma after lunch. We end each meal with ice cream, cookies or candy, and send kids home from soccer games with Fruit Roll-Ups and Doritos. We shoo them out the door in the morning with Pop-Tarts.

We need to change this, for every bite that our kids take either helps or hurts them to grow to be a healthy, vibrant adults full of energy. How can we get past the mindset that our children won’t eat whole wheat pasta, carrot sticks or broccoli? We get past it BY NEVER STARTING IT. (more…)

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Carmen

Eating High-Fructose Corn Syrup Worse Than Sugar

The high-fructose corn syrup industry and its advocates, like The Corn Refiners Association, have lobbied hard to convince us that their product is not bad for us. Just like the tobacco industry, they would argue that the world was flat until the cows came home… if it meant making a buck (or a few billion of ’em).

Take an ad like this one for instance, brought to you by The Corn Refiners Association:

“You know what they say about it?”

Well for one, researchers at Princeton have just shown that all things being equal in calories, high-fructose corn syrup makes you gain more weight than regular table sugar. The study was conducted on rats, with one group eating high-fructose corn syrup and the other table sugar, both with the same calorie count. The rats that ate the high-fructose corn syrup “gained significantly more weight” than the sugar-eating rats.

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Posted on March 24, 2024 by Jason

20 Ways to Cut Calories

Emily Fonnesbeck is the Registered Dietitian for the Biggest Loser Resort, and joins us today to share some must-have tips to help you manage calorie consumption and weight loss.

Chances are you have heard some of these suggestions before. But just because you have heard them, doesn’t mean you are actually doing them! Take a good hard look at what you are currently doing and decide where you can slash some calories. Some of these are easy as long as you are committed!

1. Quit drinking your calories. This includes milk, juice, alcohol, sweetened tea and coffee with sugar and cream. You’re quenching thirst with added calories.

2. Eat more often. That’s right, if you are going too long in between meals, you are probably overly hungry and eating too much.

3. Switch to leaner proteins. Poultry or fish instead of red meat. Skim or low fat milk and dairy instead of whole. Beans, legumes, nuts and seeds work well too! (more…)

Posted on March 24, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Diet and Nutrition

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