Diet and Nutrition

TwoFoods: Your Diet’s New Best Friend

How come someone hasn’t thought of this diet tool before? TwoFoods is a free website application that allows you to compare two foods at once to determine which one better fits into your eating plan.

twofoods

For instance, you can compare a McDonald’s grilled chicken salad to Panera’s grilled chicken Caesar salad, to find that the McDonald’s version is a better choice; or you can compare generic potato chips against Baked Lays and receive a complete nutritional analysis of calories, fat, carbs and protein grams. (more…)

Posted on September 6, 2024 by heather

Eating Rationaly, Not Impulsively

walletIs your wallet weighing you down? Maybe I’m a bit zealous about finding the silver lining, but I’ve even turned losing my wallet while traveling into a life lesson. Without access to more than $6 cash until Monday morning, my diet changed. Although I was with dear friends who were more than happy to feed me, I became more aware of what was actually necessary. I might have ordered something when we stopped at a restaurant between activities, but I realized that I wasn’t hungry enough to really need anything. I listened to rationality more than impulses. (more…)

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Popcorn Packs a Nutritional Punch of Antioxidants and Fiber

bowl of popcornMovies are a passion of mine. It’s especially important to me now that I’m a parent of two youngsters and spend so much time home-bound. Butterless popcorn is a great little snack while you’re watching a new DVD release. If you think that it’s healthy, there’s a kernel of truth to that.

There’s a new reason to pop some of your favorite movie-viewing snack, sans the slabs of butter. According to findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, popcorn contains more antioxidants and dietary fiber than any other snack food. (more…)

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Jason

10 Healthy Tailgating Recipes and Food Swaps

As we all soak-up this last weekend of summer, we’re also anxiously ushering in the new fall season. And that means one thing – football! This Saturday is the kick-off to college football, and that means stadium parking lots and backyards alike will be fired-up with team spirit and plenty of food. As our dietitian explains, it is possible to socialize without blowing your diet, and without feeling deprived.tailgate party

So as you grocery shop for snacks and cookout grub, consider some of these healthy tailgating recipes and food swaps. Odds are, they’ll taste better and no one will recognize the difference as they polish off a platter of leaner foods.

Tailgating Food Swaps

  • Pork Bratwurst for Turkey Brats: It’s a difference of 450 calories and 37 grams of fat for the pork, versus 160 calories and 9 grams of fat for the turkey. Still boil in beer and soak in mustard and they’re really quite tasty. (more…)
Posted on September 4, 2024 by Natalie K

Be Social Without Blowing Your Diet

wedding buffetWhether it’s a late summer BBQ, wedding, or other life milestone, you’re bound to have your calendar booked with a celebration sometime soon. For people working hard to lose weight, it can be stressful and even cause anxiety that can make you want to skip the event altogether. If this sounds like you, you should know that your uneasy feeling is natural and you shouldn’t think negatively toward it. Instead, how about a solution? I’ll explain why you’re having a difficult time and how you can be social without blowing your diet.

It’s All About Control

The reason social engagements may make you feel uncomfortable has to do with control; how much control you think you have over making “the right” choices so you won’t leave feeling stuffed and regretful of your actions. (more…)

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Rebecca

Can You Trust the Nutrition Advice You’re Getting?

These days, the old adage “a penny for your thoughts” would have some people asking for a refund, especially when it comes to nutrition. I bet everyone reading this can come up with at least one example of “bad” nutrition advice they received at one time or another. (I’d love to get your examples in the comments section.)apple prescription

Mistakes happen and every once in awhile you are bound to get some bad information. But when your personal health and wellness is on the line there’s no room for confusion. We’re all busy and have limited time to read and educate ourselves. Who doesn’t want a straightforward answer to their nutrition questions?

So, here are a few tips for finding credible information:

  • Use the Internet with caution. When it comes to nutrition, you have to remember that anyone can post anything on the Internet and make it look appealing without any evidence of proof. Beware of the snake oil salesman lurking on the Internet, making promises about products, supplements, potions, and pills. (more…)
Posted on September 3, 2024 by Rebecca

Mediterranean Diet Helps Diabetics

mediterranean dietExperts recommend eating a low-fat diet to manage diabetes. But, evidence shows that a Mediterranean diet may be even better in helping people with type 2 diabetes keep it under control without drugs.

A Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables and whole grains. In a new Italian study the subjects ate the Mediterranean way, with 30 percent of their calories from fat (mostly olive oil). They were better able to manage their disease without diabetes medications than those people who ate a low-fat diet with no more than 30 percent of calories from fat (with less than 10 percent coming from saturated fat choices). (more…)

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Jason

Diet with Soluble Fiber Helps IBS Sufferers

upset stomachIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder that affects the large intestine (colon) and comes with symptoms such as cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation. While it doesn’t cause permanent damage to the colon, it can be severely uncomfortable.

As many as one in 10 people is estimated to have IBS. Its exact cause is unknown, but treatments are known. Many of those people who rely on dietary adjustments often turn to bran to help improve their symptoms caused by IBS. But a Dutch study of 275 patients shines a not-so-favorable light on that approach. (more…)

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Jason

How to Healthfully Handle Food Cravings

eating chocolateEver want to eat something so badly you felt overpowered by it? If so, you’ve experienced a food craving. Wanting something is natural, but our “inner voices” sure know how to get in our way of having it. Instead of actually enjoying the taste of a food – be it fresh, cold watermelon or a piece of lovely dark chocolate, we can get caught up in that emotional feeling of satisfying a craving. There’s no freedom in this kind of eating.

Cravings in general do not have to necessarily be “bad” things. It’s all in how you respond to them. In this post, I’ll explain how to healthfully handle cravings. (more…)

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Rebecca

Obese People More Likely to be in Debt

obesity and debtObesity comes with all kinds of health problems. Now, there may be some monetary problems as well. According to new research out of Germany, people who are having debt problems are more likely to be heavy.

The researchers say that the connection is due to the socioeconomic status of the person who is both obese and in debt. The people on average are young, less educated and more likely to be depressed, overweight, or obese.

The researchers compared the group to the general population. About 11 percent of the general German population is obese, while 25 percent of the indebted group are obese. The indebted people are also more likely to be regular smokers. (more…)

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Jason

How Healthy is Hardee’s Alternative Menu?

Last week, I posted an article on a few menu options at Hardee’s that were – um, how should we say – less than healthy? (See the Fried Bologna Biscuit for yourself.) So in order to give this fast-food chain a fair shake, we took a closer look at their alternative menu, which is touted as being healthier and able to meet the specific dietary needs of its customers.hardees gluten free burger

Rather than creating a menu of low-cal fast-food options, Hardee’s instead takes its traditional menu of burgers and sandwiches and gives you the option to reduce carbs, lower the fat, eliminate the gluten, trim the calories or lose the meat for a vegetarian option.

But is this alternative menu all that healthy? At closer inspection, it resembles a sneaky marketing ploy that slaps on catchy healthy lingo to high-fat and high-calorie fast-food eats. (more…)

Posted on August 31, 2024 by heather