Diet and Nutrition

Subway’s Jared Gains Weight and Wife

jared fogleJared, the renowned Subway pitchman who lost 245 pounds by eating low-calorie sandwiches, is getting hitched. Jared Fogle is tying the knot with girlfriend Katie McLaughlin, a teacher who Jared met while they both attended Indiana University.

Usually the need to lose weight in the months leading up to a wedding is an issue that is dominated by the brides-to-be. But this time around, it’s the groom who has some work to do. When you’re the most famous weight loss pitchman in the country, it’s hard to ignore.

As is the case with many people who battle weight issues, Jared has slipped up, recently gaining some 40 pounds. He attributes it to “not exercising as much as I should have and not paying attention to what I was eating.” (more…)

Special Diets for Autism Unproven

autism puzzleAutism affects children by disrupting their ability to communicate and interact socially with others. Parents try alternative treatments to reduce their child’s symptoms, which includes specialized diets for autism. The gluten-free/casein-free diet has grown in popularity. And, some parents have reported improvements in their autistic children with a new dietary regimen. However, there has been little research to prove that the gluten-free/casein-free diet for autism works.

Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Diet: The Facts

A gluten-free/casein-free diet, also known as the GFCF Diet, is a strict elimination eating plan where all foods containing gluten and casein are removed from the child’s daily food intake. Gluten is a protein found in the seeds of grains like barley, oats, rye, and wheat. Casein is a protein that is prevalent in cow’s milk and cheese. Unfortunately, a large number of foods contain gluten and casein, which makes it hard to totally eliminate. (more…)

Food Label Glossary Decodes Package Marketing

reading food labelsIf you’ve ever felt like understanding food labels would require foreign language certification, you’re not alone. Most people are confused about the meaning behind the words they see on packages. Believe it or not, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the food industry’s vocabulary.

Unfortunately, marketers are in stiff competition to make their product stand out in your eyes. This food label glossary will help you translate the marketing fluff into meaningful information. You’ll see that just because something is labeled “free,” “reduced,” “low” or “light” that it doesn’t always mean a healthier food item.

View Food Label Glossary Slideshow

How to Have a Healthy Lunch at Work

We’re all a little cash strapped these days. If you haven’t already started brown bagging it, you just might when I tell you that you could save $200 or more per month just by bringing food from home for lunches at work.

Not only do you want your food to be affordable, but if you’re visiting DietsInReview.com, you also want it to be healthy. Just leave it to me, your resident healthy eating expert, to give you some quick and useful tips that will have you feeling great, losing weight, and saving cash in no time.

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Your Relationships Impact Your Relationship with Food

mom and babyYour relationship with food may be directly related to your relationship with others, including, and possibly primarily, your relationship with your parents. Infants learn that the world is safe and form bonds with caretakers by having their needs met consistently and promptly. These needs are sleep, comfort, cleanliness, and food. It is the first way that we experience love, caring, and by extension personal value.

When a child’s basic needs are not met consistently and lovingly, a child may develop an attachment disorder. Deborah Klinger, wrote on the Good Therapy blog, “Eating is inextricably entwined with being fed, nurtured, protected and loved.” I am sure I am not the only one with a grandmother (and a mother and aunts) who still nurture and express love, at least partially, through food. (more…)

Vitamin Guide A to Zinc: Zinc

The vitamin guide has covered a variety of essential vitamins our bodies need and to conclude the series we’ll be ending with zinc, which is actually a mineral, but worth covering for its importance in body function as well.pumpkin seeds

Zinc is essential for growth and development throughout all of our life stages. It supports our immune system and is involved in the healing of our wounds along with helping to form proteins. If you don’t get enough zinc in your diet you could see the deficiency through hair loss, diminished appetite, slowed growth rate, diarrhea, and delayed wound healing. (more…)

Calories Counts on Food Labels and Menus Don’t Add Up

food labelResearchers at Tufts University looked at 10 frozen food items and 20 restaurant meals and found that they are serving up more than what dieters are asking for. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, prepared foods may contain an average of 8% more calories than their package labels own up to and restaurant meals may contain a whopping 18% more.  Some individual restaurant items contained up to 200% more calories than expressed on the menu.

Eeek! What’s a dieter to do? Well, before you go throwing out your food journal read this article for some perspective. Without question, this study suggests a potential threat to weight loss for people who are counting calories as a means to weight loss. Yes, it would be great if the FDA stepped in and said “Hey, these labels need to be more accurate.” But if you wait for the government to change a regulation you’ll be old and gray before you reach your weight goal. So, take matters into your own hands with these simple tips. (more…)

Jason Alexander Joins Jenny Craig

jason alexanderJoining the ranks of such celebrities as Kirstie Alley, Queen Latifah and Valerie Bertinelli, Jason Alexander has signed on to become the newest spokesperson for the Jenny Craig diet plan. Arguably best known for his role as George Costanza on the long running sitcom Seinfeld, Alexander was disturbed when he saw himself on screen recently. While taping a “Seinfeld” reunion to be shown on the hit show Curb Your Enthusiasm, he realized that he put on more weight than he wanted. His goal is to lose 30-40 pounds.

“It’s always been the same old story,” Alexander said in a statement about his previous attempts at dieting. “The first 10 lbs were gone in a jiff, but then Bamm!. Back again, and this time, they’re back with a vengeance — they even brought friends.”

Of his decision to try Jenny Craig, the former Kentucky Fried Chicken spokesman went on to say “It was a deadly combination of I’m fat and they work.” (more…)

Join traineoPLUS for Half Price!

Help stick to your weight loss resolution commitments by joining traineoPLUS, an online fitness and weight loss program. Online weight loss programs have shown very positive results over the years, as they allow flexibility, anonymity and accessible tools necessary for managing your journey.traineo

traineoPLUS is an online program that allows you to easily record your eating, exercise and progress to goal weight loss.

Based on the scientifically-proven idea that those who regularly record their weight loss efforts are far more likely to reach goals and maintain the loss, traineoPLUS provides its users greater detail and information allowing for even greater success. Each day you’ll record your weight loss (or gain) and be presented with a graph that not only shows your progress but projects your weight loss to goal date. This allows you to modify behaviors throughout the journey. (more…)

How to Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days

Losing weight is a difficult process and a huge commitment. There are three main things that go into losing weight. The most important is your diet, followed by cardiovascular training and weight training.lose weight

A simple way to lose weight is to cut carbohydrates and fat out of your diet, but you need carbohydrates to give you energy throughout the day. So, eat carbohydrates only in the morning to provide your body with energy through the day.

Second, you definitely need a diet high in protein to build and repair the muscle fibers that will be broken down during cardiovascular and weight training. I recommend doing at least a 30-minute cardiovascular training prior to breakfast every morning. This will jump start your metabolism and keep it up and running all day. (more…)

The Best Immune-Boosting Foods

The most effective way to fight the flu is to be vaccinated, which causes your body to make antibodies that target specific illnesses. That’s what most experts will say, anyway.

But, nature may be just as effective. Your diet can provide a boost to your immune system, which can help you get through the flu season without so much as a sniffle. Here are some of the best immune-boosting foods, with a couple lesser known choices:

garlicGarlic

Vampires are popular these days. Will their nemesis, garlic, follow? The stinking rose, as it’s sometimes called, contains allicin, a phytochemical that may lower cholesterol and make blood platelets less sticky, which cuts the risk of clots.

But, this tasty relative of the onion has more to offer.

“Garlic apparently stimulates the body’s immune system, particularly enhancing the macrophages and lymphocytes, which destroy cancer cells,” says Dr. Benjamin Lau, physician and author of the book, Garlic for Health. (more…)