Diet and Nutrition

5 Ways to Adjust Personal Relationships During a Lifestyle Change

Today’s guest blog post comes from Bernie Salazar. Together with Rebecca Scritchfield, a weight management expert, he co-created. “The Nurture Principles” – Five mantras to help people change their lives and find wellness within. You’ll also recall Bernie as the Biggest Loser season 5 at-home winner.

I never realized exactly how much of an impact my relationships had on my overall health. Have you? Often times we forget to communicate to the people in our lives that we are taking the time to nurture ourselves and truly focus on getting healthy.

With the “old Bernie,” food was king! Almost all of my family functions revolved around food. Dates with my better half always included a restaurant, outings with friends consisted of drinks and appetizers, meetings with co-workers didn’t officially begin until the desserts were present, and my dog’s chubby figure was a direct result of me sharing my in between meal snacks with my “best friend.” (more…)

Posted on June 28, 2024 by GuestBlogger

The More We Have, the More We Consume

man grocery shopping Take a stroll through your grocery store and do a quick survey of how many choices you have for a variety of different items. Mayonnaise– low-fat, full-fat, fat-free, wasabi, lemon, olive oil. Pretzels – rods, sticks, braids, twists, nuggets, cheddar, sour cream and onion, honey mustard. Frozen waffles – egg, multi-grain, low-fat, high fiber, strawberry, flax, blueberry, wheat-free. The array of foods is just as dizzyingly endless as their varieties and flavors.

Maybe this is part of our problem: The sheer abundance of choices provided at any given grocery store in any given town in the country. From pretzels to yogurt and from frozen pizzas to waffles, perhaps it is no wonder why our enormous selection of foods has also bestowed upon us enormous bums. (more…)

Posted on June 27, 2024 by heather

Idaho Mom Loses 100 Pounds and Manages Type 2 Diabetes

Joining us as guest blogger is Jill Knapp. Jill is from Idaho, where she lost 100 pounds after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant. Today, she manages her diabetes with diet and exercise and without medication. Jill’s goal is to keep generating awareness about Type 2 diabetes and encouraging others to “Get Up and Get Moving.” I competed in the Mrs. Idaho pageant, made the top 5 and the reason I competed is to spread my message more.

Jill Knapp: Before/After Losing 100 Pounds

Like many other pregnant mothers, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes when I had my last child at age 37. I was suffering from fatigue and headaches after childbirth. My son was born very ill and I thought my own health symptoms were just the result of taking care of a sick newborn. My husband encouraged me to go see my doctor to find out what was causing the headaches. After taking a few tests, I was confirmed as a Type 2 diabetic.

Like anyone else hearing this new for the first time, I was in shock. It took about 24 hours for me to establish an action plan as I did not want this for myself nor for my family. So I gradually began to exercise and eat six small meals a day. Over time, I lost 100 pounds and successfully brought my diabetes under control. (more…)

Posted on June 27, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Don’t be Fooled by Healthy Food Imposters

A lot of foods appear healthy but contain ingredients that add unwanted fat and calories and can undo hours of work at the gym. Let’s look at a few of them.

Yogurt – many popular brands of yogurt contain as much sugar as ice cream. Some have added cereals and chocolate chips. Instead, start with a plain version and add your own flavors with whole fruit. If you need a sweetener, a small amount of honey or agave syrup can add a great deal of flavor. Greek yogurt is one of my personal favorites!

Granola – this popular cereal choice can be very high in saturated fats and calories. Make your own granola and you can control the ingredients, adding more healthy choices. You can even mix the granola in with your plain yogurt for a delicious treat! (more…)

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Carmen

How to Use the Food Guide Pyramid to Eat Healthier

It’s well known that eating healthy includes increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free/low-fat dairy products. However, even though we know we should eat better Americans still don’t do it. The American Dietetics Association provided a quick breakdown of the basic food groups, what you should eat within those groups, how many servings you should eat, and what counts as a serving.

Whole grains
It’s recommended to consume 3 servings a day.

What counts as a serving?
A one ounce serving equals one slice whole-wheat bread, 1/2 cup brown rice, 5 whole-wheat crackers, 1/2 cup oatmeal. (more…)

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Kinsey

Suicide Risk Increases for Overweight Teens

Recently the question has been posed to me in various variations of ‘how do we reach the teens’? As a therapist and working closely with INShape Indiana on health promotions, I understand that you cannot work harder for someone than they work for themselves, or you cannot care about their growth more than they do. Doing so would be a fast track to burnout and poor client relationships, which helps no one. I have taken to regularly texting and chatting with a few of my teen cousins to try to make sure I understand their culture and what is motivating to them. (We didn’t have texting when I was a teen!) If we find it difficult to motivate real life change in adults who generally have a wider perspective on the real costs and benefits, how do we reach teenagers and help them develop healthy habits early? (more…)

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Prevention is a Healthier Route than Treatment

Many of the diseases and cancers seen in our society could be preventable or postponed if we shifted our focus to prevention rather than treating a disease. Too often people go on medication to lower their cholesterol or help with their blood pressure, but had they considered diet and exercise years before it’s likely that they wouldn’t have to depend on medication at all.

Obesity is another medical issue that could probably be avoided if we paid more attention to what we put into our mouths and how much exercise we get. The cost of prevention (eating right and exercising) is far cheaper than the cost of medical expenses (doctor visits, hospital stays, medications, etc.).

All this being said, what can you do to start this road of prevention? In my eyes, it’s never too late to start getting healthier. So what can you do? (more…)

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Kinsey

Comparing Curves, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem

When it comes to weight loss, these four brand names are probably the most recognizable. And they’ve got a few things many of today’s quick-fix diets don’t – longevity, reputation and results.

We decided to take a look at Curves, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem side by side to see where they’re similar and where they aren’t. Each of these plans are uniquely different, and each deliver results in their own proven ways. Our comparison looks at six different areas: meal delivery, diet, fitness, online availability, personal support and cost. (more…)

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Natalie K

Study Condemns Condiments

Sometimes it’s the little things that make the difference. In the case of your diet, don’t just look at the food you eat, but what you put on it.

Condiments are often a second thought in our meal preparations, that may be putting on extra pounds. Yes, but not necessarily in the way you would think.

New research is suggesting that if you just say no to the extras on your food, like ketchup, relish, etc., you can shed some weight. But not so much because of the extra calories, even though that would help too, it’s more about evidence that shows condiments make people consume more food. (more…)

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Jason

Smell: The Hidden Link to Weight Loss

Of the five senses, the one that you’d think directly affects how much you weigh is taste, with smell in a close second. But according to the makers of Sensa, smell is even more important than you think. Sensa is a seasoning weight-loss product that not only makes your food tastier, but gives it a scent that is appealing and makes you less hungry.

Sensa’s makers say that their product stimulates the olfactory bulb, which is the organ that transmits smell from the nose to the brain to signal that you are full.

“Eighty percent of what you perceive as taste is actually smell,” said Christopher Adams, a molecular biologist and the founder of Compellis Pharmaceuticals. (more…)

Posted on June 24, 2024 by Jason

Summertime Nutrition Tips

Summer is here which means there will be plenty of long days spent outside by the beach, lake, or poolside. It’s very important to apply and re-apply plenty of sunblock, but the sun can effect other parts of your body, not just your skin. Below is a list found on WebMD of sun problems and associated foods that can help your body bounce back from the sun’s powerful rays.

Dry or Damaged Skin

Caused by: sweating more in summertime causing your skin to be less supple; chlorine in pool water and saltwater can also dry out your skin; finally the very common sunburn really can dry out your skin. (more…)

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Kinsey

Diet and Nutrition

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