Diet and Nutrition

Making Sense of the New Healthy Food Labels

If trying to understand the nutritional value of the foods you’re eating based upon the information provided on food labels and ingredients list leaves you feeling lost, then help is here. Some of these are already in place and many are coming soon, but four different organizations have created new labeling for packaged and fresh food products to help consumers understand at a glance how healthy or not their foods really are. Whether printed on the package itself, like Smart Choices, or posting stickers on shelves, like NuVal, counting nutrition will be as easy as 1-2-3, or maybe even counting stars, like Guiding Stars. Here we explain these new systems, as well as Nutrition IQ, and how they each work for you.

SMART CHOICES

Smart Choices labels are being printed on the front of the package for only foods that nutritionally qualify. You’ll see the green check mark, servings per package and total calories per serving. The “rating” is defined by a co-op of food producers, retailers and nutritional organizations like the American Heart Association. (more…)

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Natalie K

Fast Food Location Linked to Increased Strokes

There’s more concern over the fast-food industry. This time researchers are finding that the more fast-food establishments there are in the proximity of your home, the higher the risk of stroke

Researcher Dr. Lewis B. Morgenstern at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor counted 1,247 strokes caused by blood clots in 64 census tracts in Nueces County, Texas, from January 2000 through June 2003.

“The association suggested that the risk of stroke in a neighborhood increased by one percent for every fast-food restaurant,” the authors wrote in a poster presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference. (more…)

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Jason

National Eating Disorders Week is February 22-28

According to NEDA, 4 in 10 Americans have had or know someone who has had an eating disorder.

Over these seven days, those touched and affected by an eating disorder will take part in events that foster awareness for eating disorders. Sponsored by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), the organization is bringing people together to share their stories, information, ideas and hope in order to rally support for those impacted by an eating disorder.

Our body-obsessed culture is taking its toll on our health. From obesity to anorexia, while eating disorders are psychologically-based, there a host of environmental factors that enable a seemingly benign thought about body image to cascade into a full-blown disorder. (more…)

Posted on February 23, 2024 by heather

We Love Custom Cereal from Me & Goji

You could stroll down the grocery aisle and choose your same ‘ole familiar box of cereal, made by someone you don’t know and the only creative input you have is which bowl to pour it in. Or, you could make your own. The folks at [Me] & Goji have re-inspired breakfast, giving you a fun, hands-on approach to breakfast with natural and organic ingredients.

The [Me] & Goji site creates an interactive environment where you custom build your own cereal, you even get to name it! It works like this: (more…)

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Natalie K

You Make the List: Improving Your Self-Esteem

One of the first steps in improving your self-esteem has nothing to do with change. You can take pride in your goals, determination, and progress; however, self-esteem is all about accepting who you are and self-esteem is an important component of conquering your goals. Those who do not believe in themselves and do not like themselves are less likely to achieve their goals. As Stuart Smalley might say, “you are good enough, you are smart enough, and doggone it people like you”. In my years working in community mental health, I met a variety of people; I have had opportunities to get to know people from all over the world in all kinds of situations; and I can honestly say that I believe there is something good, lovable, and wonderful in everyone. For this reason, I will be creating a series of posts about self-esteem so you can find those things in yourself. (more…)

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

The Best Foods for Healthy Skin

Have you tried all those creams and ointments on the market in hopes of obtaining that glowing, radiant skin you’re seeking? Have you tried products from the grocery store? Did you even consider your diet and the foods you eat as a means of obtaining that flawless skin you desire? Below is a list of skin beautifying foods. Try them out first!

Water. Good hydration plays a vital role in keeping skin looking healthy and even young. Though the amount you need per day varies, a good amount to shoot for is around eight glasses a day. Water helps to keep your cells hydrated, while moving good nutrients in and toxins out. (more…)

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Kinsey

5 Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol

These Emerald Almond snack packs have only 100 calorie servings and no added salt.

Dr. Oz’s Ultimate Health Checklist says knowing your cholesterol is one of your health’s need-to-know-numbers. Optimal cholesterol should be <100 for LDL (bad) and should be >40 for HDL (good). Here are five foods that will help you get those numbers down before your next check-up.

1. Instead of going nuts trying to lower your cholesterol, eat them! Studies show that nuts, specifically walnuts and almonds, help to reduce blood cholesterol. Walnuts and almonds have shown to lower cholesterol and help keep blood vessels healthy and elastic. It’s recommended to consume a cholesterol-lowering diet in which 20% of the calories you eat come from walnuts. (This has shown to lower cholesterol by as much as 12%)! Remember, nuts are high in calories, so portion control is important… eat a handful a day. (more…)

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Kinsey

Trans Fats: Do You Know What Foods Have Them?

Most of us know that trans fats are bad for our health. In fact, a recent survey showed that a convincing 73 percent of us do. But only 21 percent of Americans can name three food sources of trans fat without the aid of multiple choice.

The thing is, even if you don’t know that the following foods have trans fats, you should certainly know that they are bad for you:

French fries
Potato chips
Doughnuts
Pastries
Hard margarine
Vegetable shortening
Cookies
Candy

Trans fats have a double whammy effect on your health. They increase your bad cholesterol (LDL), and they even lower the good kind (HDL). (more…)

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Jason

My Fight With Fat’s Weight Loss Tips

Today’s guest post comes from My Fight With Fat, created to help people regain their confidence, motivation, self-esteem and power needed to love themselves and win their own fight with fat. My Fight With Fat’s philosophy is of no diets; just make better food choices, daily exercise and positive thinking. With this philosophy we can all live a healthy life and prevent the top leading killing diseases associated with fat such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes just to name a few.

Love Yourself… “our lives are priceless” is one of the main focuses of My Fight With Fat. Here are four easy-to-follow health and wellness tips. (more…)

Posted on February 20, 2024 by Natalie K

Simple Steps to Make Habit Changes Easier

Habits are those things that we do so frequently and naturally that we do them without thinking. When trying to change a habit, especially terminating a specific action or reaction or changing to a new action or reaction, these unconscious responses can feel out of your control or make you feel like you have an addiction.

When I quit drinking soda, I was not addicted and did not have withdrawals, but it was the first thing I reached for when craving sweet or wanting a boost in the afternoon. Rather than trying to control what has become an unconscious reaction, you may find it easier to control the stimuli that cause that reaction or create new stimuli to create a new reaction. (more…)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Chuck E Cheese is Great for Kids Fitness, Not Nutrition

Two of the main reasons why the childhood obesity rates in this country are soaring is the easy accessibility to high-fat, high-sugar convenience food and lack of exercise. Gone are the days of little kids playing outside for hours after school until mom calls for dinner. With the exception of a weekly after-school activity like soccer or dance, most kids go from sitting all day in school to sitting in front of their computers or televisions.

So when it’s time to celebrate your child’s birthday, Chuck E Cheese fares pretty well when it comes to promoting activity. Their games and attractions get kids moving, running around and best of all having fun. But when it comes to their pizza, you can make some wise options or some not-so-wise options.

While pizza has been coined a healthy kind of “junk food,” it can also be a huge nutritional disaster if you order extra cheese, opt for deep dish and double up on high-fat meats. (more…)

Posted on February 19, 2024 by heather

Diet and Nutrition

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