Diet and Nutrition

Moderate Alcohol Consumption Yields Increased Exercise

beerI once ran a 10K on St. Patrick’s day. At the finish line, rather than bagels and bananas and bottled water, we were greeted with a beer tent and each given three tickets for big plastic cups of Guinness. I’ve heard of carb loading before and after a race, but never thought about beer as being part of that concept. Maybe I should change my mind?

A recently released study proves that moderate female drinkers, those who imbibe more than 45 drinks a month (which seems like a lot of drinking, although it really only averages out to just shy of 1.5 glasses of wine a night) exercised 14 more minutes per week on average than those light drinkers who drank one to 14 drinks in the month. These women also reported exercising on average 20 minutes more than those who abstained from alcohol altogether. Also, drinkers of both sexes were 10 percent more likely than their sober peers to exercise vigorously in any given week. (more…)

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Carmen

Restaurant Menu Changes Lead to Healthier Choices

In 2024, New York City was the first in the country to mandate that fast food restaurants post calorie counts on their menus. While I thought it was a good idea, if for no other reason than people should have a right to full disclosure of what is going into their bodies, I was a bit unsure that people would change. I figured people want what they want, even if they see their favorite sandwich packs 800 calories.

Full nutritional disclosure on menus leads to better choices.

Full nutritional disclosure on menus leads to better choices.

But, I happily stand corrected.

The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released findings of a recent analysis on the impact of the city’s new menu label requirements. The results show that people became more selective with foods, choosing items with fewer calories. People chose lower calorie meals at 9 of 13 fast food restaurant and coffee chains that were included in the study. (more…)

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Jason

Slow Cooker Meals are Key to Diet Success

beef stewThe weather is cooling off, and now is the perfect time to get out there and exercise. It’s so much easier to run, walk, bike or skate when it’s not a million degrees out with 500% humidity. Fall is my favorite season, and one of the greatest things about fall is eating home style soups, stews and the like.

What do those three sentences have in common and how can you use that commonality to your advantage while pursuing healthy eating? Both call for easy, hearty meals, and both can be resolved with my greatest kitchen friend – the slow cooker. Thick, rich, hearty soups and stews are comforting and filling, and can be made inexpensively – always a bonus in these tough economic times. (more…)

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Carmen

Nicole Sullivan Named New Jenny Craig Spokesperson

nicole sullivan jenny craigActress Nicole Sullivan joins fellow dieters Valerie Bertinelli and Phylicia Rashad as devotees of Jenny Craig, the successful weight loss program that has helped millions of women lose weight.

The actress, who is known for her roles on Lifetime’s Rita Rocks, the sketch comedy series, MADtv and other sitcoms like Scrubs and The King of Queens, is determined to lose the 35 pounds she gained while pregnant with her second son. The actress gave birth six weeks ago and will spend the next few months working hard on the Jenny Craig food and exercise plan to lose the baby weight she put on her petite 5′ 5″ frame.

“You spend a year of your life eating what you want and enjoying letting the baby have what it feels like having — and I’[ve] lost track of what I’m supposed to be doing that’s right,” Sullivan tells People magazine. (more…)

Posted on September 30, 2023 by heather

Healthiest Soups for Fall

soup of the dayWhen you think of soup, do you think of a health food or a heart attack? Believe it or not, most people consider soups to be more harmful to health than beneficial. But I’m here to help soup reach its full potential and earn its way back on your “health hero” list. In this post, I’ll explain the pros and cons of soups and I’ll show you how you can enjoy a bowl of healthful goodness no matter what your time availability or cooking skill level.

The Pro: A nutrition boost! Soups can be a wonderful way to get more veggies, fiber, and plant-based protein in your diet. Soups made with low-sodium broth, veggies, beans, and lean protein have a lot of nutrition to offer for 100-200 calories per serving.

The Con: Most people worry about the sodium content of soups so they avoid them altogether. The reality is you have room in your sodium “bank account” for about 600-700mg of salt per meal. If you generally eat a healthy breakfast and lunch then you have room for a soup-salad combo at dinnertime every once in awhile. (more…)

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Rebecca

Four Ways to Make Breakfast Cereal a Winner

mom serving breakfastBeing a busy mom, I find that mornings are especially chaotic and not friendly to a leisurely, home-cooked breakfast. Not only that, my kids’ favorite breakfasts involve foods that are high in fat and calories and not healthy choices. One of the best breakfast options out there is cereal. So many cereals on the shelf are full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colorings and lacking in protein – but appealing to kids, thanks to colorful pictures, candy-like flavors and cartoon characters. It’s hard to find a cereal that pleases both children and parents, but it is possible. Here are some guidelines that I try to follow when I’m shopping for cereal. (Psst – I never bring the kids.)

  1. Keep the sugar low – I remember when I was a child my mom always told me never to buy cereal with a sugar count over the magic number of “10.” Ten grams of sugar means that the box is 10% sugar, and that’s high enough for it to still be tasty. (more…)
Posted on September 30, 2023 by Carmen

Top 5 Foods to Prevent Flu and Cold

fluAlong with fall comes the seasonal flu. It’s inevitable. People at high risk of catching the flu should protect themselves first and foremost with a flu shot. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has great information on steps you can take to prevent a flu infection. It includes the basics like washing your hands and avoiding people who exhibit flu-like symptoms. But I’m going to focus on an area that is often overlooked – your immune system.

The job of your immune system is to protect your body from bacterial and viral infections, such as the ones that cause the common cold and seasonal flu. The immune system protects you in three different ways:

  1. It creates a barrier that prevents bacteria and viruses from entering your body (your skin).
  2. If a bacteria or virus does enter the body, the immune system tries to detect and eliminate it before it can make itself at home and reproduce.
  3. If the virus or bacteria is able to reproduce and start causing problems, your immune system is in charge of eliminating it. (more…)
Posted on September 29, 2023 by Rebecca

How Much You Eat Reflects Who You Are With

teen pizza partyTime magazine recently published an article, reviewing research discussed in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on how the eating habits of teens and tweens are influenced by how much their friends weigh. Observing the participants in this study, the researchers found that the children ate more when they were with a friend than when they were with a peer they did not know; however, they also found that children who were overweight ate up to 300 calories more when with a friend who is also overweight. (more…)

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Eating During Sleep Hours May Cause Weight Gain

late night snackIt has long been thought that it’s not just what you eat but when you eat that has an effect on gaining weight. A new study reaffirms this.

Researchers fed mice a high-fat diet during the normal time they ate. Those mice gained about 20 percent of their weight over a six-week period. But, when the researchers fed other mice the same diet, but during the time that they would normally be sleeping, those mice put on 48 percent of their weight.

While these results need to be duplicated in a human study, the researchers believe that the results will be the same. (more…)

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Jason

Win a Grocery List Makeover for Healthier Shopping

Shopping cart
As a health counselor I can’t help but look into the shopping carts of fellow shoppers to see what types of products and produce they load into their carts. In some cases I have had to fight the urge to question some shoppers as to why they just selected a product full of sugar, fat and artificial ingredients.

Below are some quick tips to help move your regular shopping list to a nutritious filled list:

Typical food items on shopping list:

  • White Bread
  • White Rice
  • Salmon
  • Chicken
  • Vegetable Oil

Nutritious shopping list:

  • Whole Grain Bread (not just whole wheat)
  • Brown Rice
  • Wild Salmon (not farmed)
  • Free-Range, Antibiotic-Free Chicken
  • Olive Oil or Coconut Oil (more…)
Posted on September 28, 2023 by Amy

Living a Healthy Lifestyle Begins in Childhood

family playing soccerI was shocked to see a report on the news this morning where it was reported that heart disease begins in childhood. Childhood, people! The time of innocence and Popsicles, riding bikes to the store for a bag of Doritos, chasing the ice cream man and birthday parties galore – oh, yeah, heart disease begins in childhood. I can see that. Apparently, so can scientists who have looked at autopsies of children as young as five who died in accidents and found evidence of fat lining the arteries of the heart. More children than ever are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and everywhere you look you see children as big as adults.

I have lots of kids. Lots of kids means lots of treats and lots of birthday parties, lots of trips to the beach with snacks and lots of visits to the movie theater where it’s much cheaper to buy the jumbo popcorn – after all, SOMEONE will eat it, right? Well, no. It’s my job as a parent to keep them healthy, and in my house, that means limited fast food, no juice (except for V-8) and cakes and cookies on special occasions. (more…)

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Carmen