Diet and Nutrition

Comfort Bar Offers a Gluten-Free Protein Bar

comfort bar protein barsFor the thousands of sufferers out there who are either gluten intolerant or have a hard time digesting wheat, there is a protein bar out there for you. The Comfort Bar, sold online exclusively on Oaks at Ojai and in limited retail locations in the U.S., packs 15 grams of protein and five grams of fiber into every bar. There are no corn syrups, trans fats, artificial flavors or sweeteners, which is important as a protein bar with a list of junk ingredients is not what we would call a healthy snack.

Our recommendation when looking at protein bars is to look at the ingredient list to make sure it doesn’t contain any unhealthy ingredients and make sure it has at least 10 grams of protein and less than 10 grams of sugar. (more…)

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Amy

KFC’s New Double Down Chicken Sandwich is Frightening

kfc double down sandwich

UPDATE: The KFC Double Down Chicken Sandwich is set to debut on menus nationwide on April 12, 2024. The Original Recipe sandwich will boast 540 calories, 32g of fat and 1380mg of sodium; the Grilled sandwich will have 460 calories, 23g of fat and 1430mg of sodium.

It was one of the moments of television-watching where I thought maybe my eyes were playing a trick on me, but then I saw the commercial for KFC‘s new Double Down Chicken Sandwich and I realized this was no cruel joke.

This jaw-dropping concoction from the fast-food chicken chain points to why in this country we have our current obesity epidemic. This sandwich (if you can call it that) is two Original Recipe fried chicken filets stacked on top of each other with a slice of pepper jack cheese, a slice of Swiss cheese, two slices of bacon and the Colonel’s secret sauce. No bun. The fried chicken is the bun. Just a stack of saturated fat, sodium and calories. (more…)

Posted on August 21, 2024 by heather

5 Weight Loss Rules You aren’t Following

If you are like most people out there trying to lose weight, chances are you aren’t doing at least a few of these five weight loss strategies on a regular basis. Check your behaviors against this list and let me know how you measure up!angry dieter

1. Dieting at Night – The key to weight loss is eating, believe it or not. You need to fuel your body with healthy food during the day, starting with breakfast and have a lighter dinner; then let the dieting begin right when you are winding down. I usually tell my clients to focus on “protein and produce” at dinner. Swap your salad at lunch for a tuna wrap (choose either light mayo or cheese not both) and have an entree salad at dinner.

2. Controlling Alcohol Intake – This is probably the #1 behavior I see with clients who are trying to lose weight when they first come in. They say they drink 1-2 times a week, but then their food journal shows 2 glasses of wine. (more…)

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Rebecca

Send Yourself Healthy Subliminal Messages

airplane oxygen maskMore lessons from 10,000 feet… On this flight, I am sitting near Russ who travels frequently for business. While distracting Emily from her flight anxiety, Russ told her and I about a flight he experienced during which the oxygen masks fell. He shared that all the passengers automatically turned their heads right and left like the flight attendant does during her pre-flight spiel. He and I both found it interesting how such things can be ingrained into our consciousness. I would venture that few to none of the passengers had ever had to utilize an in-flight oxygen mask prior to that incident.

Unless your flight anxiety is high, my guess is that you tune out the spiel after your first flight or two (even Emily didn’t seem to be paying much attention); I know I don’t consciously pay attention and didn’t realize how the flight attendants turn their heads. Yet, almost everyone mimicked the flight attendant automatically. (more…)

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Stress Hurts Weight Loss: 3 Ways to Avoid It

stressed manBetween working, everyday life, random mishaps, and trying to find time to lose weight, stress is bound to happen. Well, Chill Out before you give yourself a coronary. Stress may be doing more than just making you feel bad, it can actually be stopping your weight loss, and may even promote weight gain! This problem isn’t just for adults, but for young people as well. According to new research, people are comfort eating more due to stress. Kids who are stressed are more likely to become overweight. Stress is also linked to water retention and that pesky belly fat that we are all trying to get rid of.

It seems to me, the stressors in our lives are affecting just about everything in our lives. If you’re like me, when you are stressed you put the gym on hold, or have a lack-luster workout. All that water retention combined with a bad workout really does not do wonders for the scale. (more…)

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Mike

How to Avoid a Nutrition Vacation

healthy traveling womanRaise your hand if your eating habits went on vacation when you did only to result in coming home feeling heavy, sick, and a little depressed. Think about it for a second. It sounds totally absurd. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating. If you come home feeling guilty and stressed, then the vacation didn’t do its job. But don’t fret, if you’ve put off your trip until the last few weeks of summer, I’ve got some tips that will have you coming home feeling happy and healthy!

  • Embrace the power of portions! With portion size in mind, you can truly have whatever you want. Just not too much. By giving priority to putting fresh fruits and veggies on the plate, you’ll fill up on nutrients and fiber but not on calories. So a few bites of a high calorie dessert you “can’t resist” can fit in while you are on vacation.
  • Moderate. Moderate. Moderate.  I tell people to “choose between.” If you’re in the mood for a rich breakfast like pancakes, have a pancake with a couple egg whites and then for lunch have some healthy greens with grilled fish. Choose a glass of wine with dinner or dessert, but not both. Alcohol lowers the inhibitions and once you’ve had a few, resisting the “munchies” is like staying away from a BOGO shoe sale – IT AIN’T HAPPENING! (more…)
Posted on August 19, 2024 by Rebecca

6 Ways to Stay Healthy at the Airport

airplaneI thought travel season was pretty much over, now that school is back in session, but as we drove behind school buses on our way to the airport this morning, the friend who is driving my car home said that he was taking three other friends to the airport this week. My friends that travel for business seem to be booked for weeks. Even those with children in school have Labor Day weekend, fall break, and Thanksgiving for which they can plan. As I write this from above 10,000 feet, I thought it would be a great time to share some healthy airline travel tips.

  • Walk instead of taking the moving sidewalk. Or for a really great workout, cut your time short and sprint to your gate with all your luggage. Trust me, that is a workout!
  • Pack your own healthy snacks and pass on the salted peanuts and spiced cookies. A small baggie of trail mix can easily fit in a carry on. The airline will provide water (or coffee if you had to get up as early as I did). Do not give in to the bright colors and temptations of McDonald’s, Cinnabon, or Starbucks at every gate. (more…)
Posted on August 19, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Top 5 Foods to Lower Cholesterol

woman making healthy lunchOur bodies naturally produce cholesterol. The amount is dependent on genetics. It’s not inherently bad. You need cholesterol for various bodily functions. However, too much cholesterol can be unhealthy. The American Heart Association established a range for your daily intake:

  • Less than 200 mg/dL is considered healthy.
  • 200 to 239 mg/dL is borderline high cholesterol.
  • 240 mg/dL and above is an unhealthy cholesterol level.

Many of our favorite foods contribute to high cholesterol. But there are some foods that can lower your cholesterol levels. Here are the top five as recommended by the Mayo Clinic: (more…)

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Jason

Watching Your Weight? Start with Portion Control

Watch my video on tips for including nuts in your eating plan. They are a healthy food, but just because a little is good, more is not better. Leave a comment with ideas for ways of adding nuts to healthy foods for all to enjoy!

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Posted on August 17, 2024 by Rebecca

Nutrient Rich Foods Index Ranks Nutritional Quality of Food

You read the ingredient list and looked at the nutrition label, but you’re still uncertain as to how healthy that box of granola is that you just tossed in your grocery cart. Well, wonder no more.nutrient rich foods coalition

Developed by two doctors, Drs. Adam Drewnowski and Victor Fulgoni, the Nutrient Rich Foods (NRF) Index is a validated, objective, and consumer-driven guide that ranks foods according to how nutrient-rich they are. Using the USDA Healthy Eating Index as a base, this new NRF Index takes into account all of the nutrients a given food contains, not just the ones to avoid or limit, like fat, sodium or sugar grams. (more…)

Posted on August 17, 2024 by heather

How Stephanie Paul Lost 140 Pounds

Stephanie Paul has lost 140 pounds through sensible dieting and exercise. Her weight loss story inspires others to lose weight and make long-lasting healthy lifestyle changes. stephanie paul weight loss

My name is Stephanie Paul and I have lost 140 pounds. I was 18-years-old when I started and now I am 21. It was definitely a journey.

As a young child I was tiny and then went on steroids when I was 7-years-old due to a health condition. I grew up a happy child and ate a lot of foods I shouldn’t have eaten. I became an obese child and let food take over my life. I ate when I was happy, sad, and any other emotion that I was feeling. I used to get made fun of in school. To me, I felt nothing wrong with eating high calorie meals and snacks.

I started getting sick of being obese and after my grandmother died of cancer I had to change something about that. I started counting calories and eating healthy. When you start measuring what you eat you figure out that you were eating too much all the time. (more…)

Posted on August 15, 2024 by GuestBlogger