Diet and Nutrition

Drink Veev Acai Liqueur for Your Health

For those of you who are in desperate search for finding a healthy reason to drink your favorite martini or cosmo, you can call off your search.  A solution has been found.

By now, most of us have heard about the acai berry – the wonder fruit that comes from that Amazon Rain Forest.  From supplements to powders to smoothies, this new Super Food is everywhere. And now you can enjoy it as an evening cocktail.

VeeV, a new 60-proof liqueur is an infusion of acai berries and some other tropical fruits. Apparently, it’s not too sugary-sweet and you can rationalize the $35 a bottle price tag in knowing that $1 of each bottle sold goes to the  Sambazon Sustainable Acai Project, which works to protect the Amazon environment during acai harvesting.

This holiday season impress your party guests with a new acai-infused cocktail and when you raise your glasses and drink to your health, know that you are doing just that. Here’s the VeeV Acai Cosmo recipe.

Posted on November 21, 2023 by heather

How Hollywood Moms Get Into Shape After Baby

Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Jessica Alba – the list goes on of A-list moms-to-be who immediately transform their post-baby bodies into their pre-pregnant shapes. How do they do it so quick?

The overwhelming pressure to be thin in Hollywood is a massive driving impetus for these new moms to whip their bodies back into svelte shape. But all of them work hard to do it. They may have the money for personal trainers, baby-sitters and personal chefs but when it comes down to it, each of these new moms have to put in the work.

Health experts recommend pregnant women gain anywhere between 20 to 40 pounds for a single pregnancy. For those moms-to-be who are underweight to begin with, they are encouraged to fall on the weightier end of this spectrum. For those ladies carrying multiples like Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie, the weight recommendations are a bit more generous.

A few weeks after Jolie gave birth to twins, Vivienne and Knox, it didn’t even look like she had ever been pregnant: Her slender physique showed very little, if any, hint of her pregnant self. (more…)

Posted on November 21, 2023 by heather

WARNING: Lean Cuisine Recall

Lean Cuisine is a very popular supermarket prepackaged meal, so it’s a good idea for everyone to be aware of this: There has been a recall of 879,565 pounds of frozen Lean Cuisine chicken meals that may contain small pieces of hard plastic, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The following Lean Cuisine products are subject to recall:

9.5-ounce packages of “Lean Cuisine Pesto Chicken With Bow Tie Pasta.” Printed on each side of each package is a production code of “8280595912” as well as a use-by date of “Best Before May 2024.”

10.5-ounce packages of “Lean Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean” brand frozen meals. Printed on the side of each package is a production code of “8231595912” or “8241595912” as well as a use-by date of “Best before SEP 2024”; a production code of “8263595912,” “8269595911,” or “8274595912,” as well as a use-by date of “Best before OCT 2024”; or a production code of “8291595912” or “8301595912” as well as a use-by date of “Best before NOV 2024.”

12.5-ounce packages of “Lean Cuisine Chicken Tuscan” brand frozen meals. Printed on the side of each package is a production code of “8234595911” and a use-by date of “Best before SEP 2024”; a production code of “8253595911” or “8269595912” as well as a use-by date of “Best before OCT 2024”; or a production code of “8292595911” or “8296595911” as well as a use-by date of “Best before NOV 2024.”

Each package also bears the USDA mark of inspection as well as the establishment number “EST P-9018.” The frozen chicken meals were produced on Aug. 18, Aug. 21, Aug. 28, Sept. 9, Sept. 19, Sept. 25, Sept. 30, Oct. 6, Oct. 17-18, Oct. 22, and Oct. 27, 2024, and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Jason

Simple Tips to Get Diet Ready

Amy lost 54 lbs in 4 months by eating low carb and changing her attitude towards food. She has an online cooking show called Eating Low with Amy that teaches people how to cook low hassle, low carb recipes. She also runs the Eating Low web site and forum.

You’ve got the latest diet book. You’ve read it from cover to cover. You’re psyched up and ready to go. Or are you? Preparation is one of the keys to successfully losing weight and is especially important when you are starting a new plan.

Make sure you understand the diet guidelines. Even if you think you know what the plan is all about, go back and reread the guidelines again. The better you understand the plan, the easier it will be to shop for the right foods or even stay on plan if you are caught without your planned food and need to eat out.

Get rid of food that is not on your plan. Don’t even keep it in the house. It’s too easy to cheat if you keep a bunch of junk in your pantry. If your family eats food that is not on your plan, store it in a separate cabinet or have them hide the junk from you.

Make out your menu for the week. Most plans offer sample menus. Go through the sample menu and make any substitutions. Write out your plan so you know exactly what you will be eating during the week. You don’t want any surprises. (more…)

Posted on November 21, 2023 by GuestBlogger

What You Need to Know About Protein

We often hear protein is an important part of a healthy diet. Here I explain what it is, how much you need and the right way to make it a part of your healthy lifestyle.

What is Protein?

  • Found in muscle, bone, skin, hair, pretty much every other body part or tissue
  • Makes up enzymes that are part of numerous chemical reactions in the body
  • As hemoglobin, it carries oxygen in your blood
  • Proteins are built of many amino acids; in which the amino acids come together, form a protein, and take on one its numerous roles in the body. Unlike fats and carbs, the body doesn’t store amino acids, so a daily supply is needed to make new protein.

How Much Do I Need? (more…)

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Kinsey

How Acai Berries are Helping Small Farmers

acaiIn the U.S., we grow and produce millions of fruits and vegetables every year, but there are a few crops that we must travel beyond our borders to acquire. One of them is the nutrient powerhouse, the acai berry – a dark purple berry that grows in the Brazilian jungles. The acai berry is being praised by health experts all over the world for the comprehensive nutrient profile that it sports in such a tiny package.

A small California company called Sambazon, started by a few environmentally-friendly surfers, began selling acai products here in the States back in 1999, before the acai boom hit. But out of concern that Amazonian farmers were not getting a fair trade price for their acai crop, they worked out a plan with these farmers that would bring them more financial stability and would protect the biodiversity of the rain forest. (more…)

Posted on November 20, 2023 by heather

10 Healthier Thanksgiving Day Desserts

By no means should you neglect your sweet tooth on Thanksgiving day, you should just do it responsibly. Three helpings of your aunt’s pumpkin pie followed by a couple servings of brownies will leave you counting more than just your blessings. As with anything, moderation is key. So having a small serving of your favorite dessert won’t crash your weight loss efforts. You could also follow Mariah Carey’s “morsel diet.” When she wants to indulge, she just lets herself have one or two small bites of the thing that she’s craving and then she’s satisfied. So maybe, one bite of pie, one bite of brownie and one bite of cookie?

Whichever avenue you choose to satisfy your cravings this Thanksgiving, consider making one of these 10 healthier dessert recipes. Be mindful to follow recipes that don’t require a lot of heavy cream, butter, sugar or salt, and bake with whole grain flour when you can.

1. Harvest Time Praline Apple Cranberry Pie (more…)

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Natalie K

Bernie’s Week 9 Biggest Loser Recap


Bernie’s Biggest Loser Families Week 9 Recap from Diets in Review on Vimeo.

Don’t miss any of Bernie’s weekly Biggest Loser recaps. You can also stay up to date on all the Biggest Loser news, videos and recipes by signing up for the Biggest Loser Updates newsletter.

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Bernie

How to Wean Yourself Off Diet Soda

Granted, diet sodas are lower in calories than regular soda, but drinking soda isn’t really the best thing for you. I’ve said it numerous times that water should be your number one choice for hydrating yourself and quenching your thirst, but too often people grab a diet soda instead. Last Friday, Jillian Michaels wrote a blog on “meeting your soda quota”. Simply saying that she was addicted to diet soda and understands the struggles behind weaning yourself off them and off artificial sweeteners. Jillian recommends drinking unsweetened coffee and tea to get your caffeine fix or sweetening with xylitol and stevia because they are more natural than sucralose (Splenda).

Research has shown that consuming diet soda is a culprit for our society’s weight problems. The idea behind it is that drinking soda (regular or diet) doesn’t quench your thirst and, in fact, can play a detrimental role in altering one’s metabolism by somehow changing our brain’s chemistry. (more…)

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Kinsey

Thanksgiving Healthy Recipe Guide

Thanksgiving is equal parts counting our blessings and indulgence. No one questions you when you’ve filled your third plate with stuffing and pumpkin pie, no one bothers to ask why you ate your weight in turkey and chose a nap over a walk, and no one giggles when one of the things you’re thankful for is grandma’s made-from-scratch macaroni and cheese. One place you can avoid the calorie conundrum is to be mindful of your recipes.

1. Choose recipes that are rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources.

2. The turkey in-and-of itself is on the list of 14 super foods. So reap all its nutritional benefits and don’t deep fry it or soak it in butter. Use fresh herbs, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic and other seasonings to bring out the tender flavor of the bird.

3. Avoid recipes that call for heavy cream, butter and loads of sugar. Those rich flavors directly correlate to high calories and fat.

4. Keep the house full of fresh veggie and fruit trays, giving people something healthy to snack on and help them to not over indulge in the Thanksgiving buffet.

Here are 17 Thanksgiving recipes we find to be mouth-watering and so delicious. Some are classic favorites with a healthy twist, and others will become new favorites. They will be a perfect addition to your healthier Thanksgiving day spread, or offer some better ideas for leftovers. (more…)

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Natalie K

Ruby, the Inspirational Weight Loss Journey

This is the story of Ruby, a nearly 500 pound woman trying to completely overhaul her lifestyle in order to lose weight and save her life. Ruby has come up with a team to help her through this weight loss adventure. Her team consists of personal trainer Reese Brown, and weight loss physician Dr. Bradley (the founder of the Hourglass Weight loss and Fitness wellness program), Dr. Brewerton, a psychiatrist helping Ruby with the mental component for weight loss, her personal physician Dr. Corse, and finally her dietitian Helen Hussey. Ruby will run on the Style Network, where they have a great break down of every aspect of Ruby’s diet and exercise regimen, friends/social support system, her blog, bonus scenes from the show, and more. I will be providing weekly episode recaps for those interested in staying updated on Ruby’s progress. (more…)

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Kinsey