Diet and Nutrition

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Pie Recipe

It’s never too late to slip in this healthy alternative at your Thanksgiving feast. Desserts can be the reason for so many extra calories this season, so do you want you can to indulge without going overboard.

Weight Watchers Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

3 POINTS per serving

Ingredients

  • 3 oz. reduced-fat cinnamon graham crackers, about 5 1/2 sheets
  • 1 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. table salt
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, or less to taste
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
  • 4 Tbsp. light whipped topping (more…)
Posted on November 27, 2023 by Natalie K

Tryptophan Explained

thanksgiving nap

On Thanksgiving, I will be surrounded by 40-50 family members. After we share our feast from appetizers to desserts, several of us will find a spot in front of the television to watch football and doze through commercials. Although I would like to see the Lions hand the Titans another loss (I am a true blue Colts fan!), surrendering to “turkey-daze” is part of the holiday, right? It is commonly believed that the tryptophan in turkey induces sleepiness; however, there is more to our holiday drowsiness than this one chemical.

Tryptophan is one of ten amino acids that the body cannot manufacture on its own and must be supplemented through diet. Tryptophan aids in the production of the B-vitamin niacin which then assists the body’s production of serotonin. Serotonin helps us regulate mood, aggression, anxiety, impulsiveness, body temperature, appetite, and sleep. However serotonin cannot cross the blood brain barrier, meaning we cannot create more serotonin in our bodies. (more…)

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Food Find: Tofurky for Thanksgiving

OK all you non-vegetarians, many of you hear the word Tofurky and roll your eyes at this vegetarian attempt to recreate Tom the Turkey without, well, killing him. As a former vegetarian and as someone who has dined on many a Tofurky for Thanksgiving, I’m hear to tell you that Tofurky is, well – good. In fact, it’s pretty darn good.

So exactly what is this stuff? Tofurky is made from non-genetically modified tofu (soybeans protein) and wheat gluten. The stuffing (yes, there is stuffing) is made from whole grains, wild rice and mushrooms, and the stuffing rocks. In fact, Turtle Foods, the maker of the Tofurky and all other Tofurky products have created lone stuffing servings because the demand for their stuffing is so great. Meatless gravy tops out the meal making it look and taste eerily similar to a traditional turkey dinner. (more…)

Posted on November 26, 2023 by heather

Interview with Amy Cremen, Eliminated Biggest Loser Week 10

Each of the Biggest Loser contestants undergoes dramatic changes, and they each make some serious changes once the return home. Amy Cremen seems to have made a number of major changes and was generous enough to share them with us. One that seemed the most surprising, she’s now a vegetarian. “It just stopped tasting good,” she explains simply. She says there is no possibility she’ll ever go vegan because she is obsessed with eating sushi, an indulgence she’s given up until after the finale. Amy says she no longer eats fast food, a three-meals-a-day habit prior to the show (her calculation is about 8,000 calories/day). The other major change is that she doesn’t smoke any more and will “never ever touch them again.”

(more…)

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Natalie K

Biggest Loser Week 10 Recap

Last night’s episode of Biggest Loser will probably be one of the more memorable this season, for both the viewers and the contestants. From the contestant’s standpoint- spending a week with NFL stars Jerry Rice and Steve Young, as well as preparing Thanksgiving dinner with Chef Rocco- it doesn’t get much better than that!

Vicky was obviously the most excited, being a die-hard football fan, and Amy C. was obviously the least interested, something about not having ever watched a game. During the challenge I think everyone knew the blue team would work diligently to take out the black team, and that left Michelle steaming. They blue team then appeared to work diligently to hand the win to Vicky. She was, to say the least, ecstatic about winning her trip for four to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. Ed was the only one to walk away with $500 for catching the football. “Heba had already spent that money as soon as it touched my hands,” he remarked. (more…)

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Natalie K

Chef Rocco’s Thanksgiving Recipes from Biggest Loser

Everyone has that family member who assumes the role of chef on Thanksgiving. Imagine that person being Chef Rocco DiSpirito. He surprised the Biggest Loser contestants during week 10 with a Thanksgiving spread that had Heba nearly in tears. “This is one temptation I don’t think we’ll be able to avoid,” she groaned, as she looked at the table covered with a turkey and all the trimmings.

Rocco assured them their 10 weeks of hard work would not be in vain, and that they wouldn’t have to put one bite of those traditionally calorie- and fat-laden recipes in their mouths. Instead, he was going to teach them how to make the “healthy alter egos” of these recipes. We have each one of those five recipes to share with you. (more…)

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Natalie K

Ruby Battles with Temptation

On this week’s episode, Ruby faces several dieting bumps in the road. Ruby is battling with resisting temptation and sticking to her pre-packaged meal plans. Sticking to the diet and avoiding temptation are two huge factors for slipping up and causing you to cheat. Ruby avoids her temptation by staying headstrong and determined along with the help of her support system, her friends. Ruby did slip a little and veered off her diet by ordering a smoothie with her friends. Although she slipped, she did do a couple of good things, 1) she only drank half of her smoothie instead of finishing all of it and 2) she went to her team of experts and asked for their help so she wouldn’t slip again.

The only thing that bothers me about the show is their constant wording of “diet”. Everyone, including Ruby, continuously repeats that Ruby is “on a diet”. Personally, I think if they shifted their wording to say she is changing and improving her lifestyle everyone would be better off. (more…)

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Kinsey

Don’t Let the Winter Season Leave You SAD

It’s that time of the year again. The days are getting shorter. The nights are getting colder. In Indiana, we have seen a few snow flurries, and I am dreading the graying of the sky for the winter. In response, we tend to sleep more, crave carbohydrates, and experience less energy. Although not an official DSM-IV TR diagnosis, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, or seasonal depression) has been popularly accepted by lay persons, practitioners, and researchers alike.

Our natural response to the seasonal changes only becomes a disorder when the distress is in excess of what would be expected from the stressor (seasonal change) and/or when it interferes with functioning in more than one key life area. If you are late to work every day and fighting more with your significant other, your response may be severe enough to be considered a disorder. Regardless of the extent to which the seasonal change effects you, there are several things you can do to fight the winter blues. (more…)

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Alton Brown Promotes Polyphenols for Your Health

A new ad featuring Alton Brown promotes Welch’s concord grape juice as a way to help boost your health and immune system due to its polyphenol content.

What are polyphenols?

  • Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant
  • Found mainly in fruits, but also in some vegetables, chocolate, tea, and coffee
  • There are at least 5,000 individual polyphenols reported in scientific literature
  • All polyphenols have an antioxidant effect, but the magnitude of the the effect can vary quite a bit (meaning some are more potent/helpful for your health then others) (more…)
Posted on November 24, 2023 by Kinsey

Beware of Sites Encouraging Bulimia and Anorexia

It was way too easy to find the background information needed for this blog. I use Google.com enough to consider Google a verb. This search was frighteningly easy. Recently, I cautioned against inaccurate and even dangerous information on the internet. The internet can be a fabulous tool to find the information you need to help you achieve your goals; but like most information, you have to consider the source and accuracy of the information presented.

The DSM-IV classifies Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa as eating disorders, but there are a slew of websites that market these mental illnesses as lifestyle choices. The nicknames “Ana” and “Mia” for these disorders not only make them more user-friendly, but personify them as a friend to young girls. Pro-ana websites are being used as peer support groups to encourage weight loss beyond the limits of health. Whether it is an online community or an informational site, you are likely to find:

  • Secrets on hiding these disorders and weight loss from parents, physicians, and others.

  • Crash dieting techniques, low calorie foods, and recipes

  • Ways to “trick” your body, avoid cravings, and ignore hunger (more…)

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

TiVo and Domino’s Introduce a New TV Dinner

Many things can make you fat. Watching TV is one of them. But it’s not just watching the boob tube that will make you rotund. Now you can order pizza right from the screen!

“Honey, will you turn on the TV and order us a pizza?”

I bet those are words you would have never thought to put together. But now that a deal has been struck between TiVo and Domino’s Pizza, you may hear them soon. This comes from the press release that accompanied the announcement that you will be able to order pizza through your TiVo box:

“We are confident that teaming with TiVo on this novel, easy, and convenient way to order pizza right from the TV will be very well received by our customers,” says Rob Weisberg, vice president of precision and print marketing at Domino’s Pizza.

“This is the first step in the future of customer interactions with the brands they seek to engage with and buy from. This is the first time in history that the ‘on-demand’ generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set.“

Strike one up for convenience. I’m not going to pretend this is altogether bad. But what’s next? A remote control fork programmed to feed you?

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Jason