Diet and Nutrition

Me & Goji Delivers Custom Healthy Cereal to Your Door

There’s a new health food company on the block. [Me] & goji may have a peculiar name, but the thought behind it is very sane (and inventive). They are a bit like Kashi, in that they take healthy, sometimes exotic ingredients, and come up with tasty cereals that are great for starting your busy day.

The difference with [me] & goji is that they offer a customizable buffet of ingredients for their customers. The company collects healthy foods from around the world, and then they leave it to you to fuse them in combinations that satisfy your tastes and nutritional needs. Then they deliver your custom concoction to your doorstep. (more…)

7 Nutrition Tips Diabetics Need to Know

What is Diabetes?

Simply put, when you eat food your body begins the digestion process and breaks down the sugar (or carbs) into glucose. The glucose is then absorbed into the blood stream where it waits to enter the cells, so the body can use it for energy. Insulin helps get glucose into the cell. In people with diabetes, there may not be enough insulin to get the glucose in; therefore the glucose sits in your blood and gives a high reading when you test your blood glucose level.

Diabetes can affect anybody! Here are a few different types of diabetes:

  • Type I (Insulin Dependent)- anyone who is dependent on insulin to keep their blood glucose levels under control because their pancreas does not produce insulin.
  • Type II (Non-Insulin Dependent)- anyone who can control their blood glucose levels with diet, exercise, and/or oral medications. Their pancreas typically secretes insulin, but the body has built a resistance and doesn’t utilize it sufficiently.
  • Medication Induced– when medications cause an increase in blood glucose levels
  • Gestational– when a woman develops high blood glucose levels during a pregnancy. (more…)

Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator

Ever wander how the acute care that you apply to your lifestyle is extending those nine lives of yours? Whether you exercise, eat your Super Foods and pop your multi-vitamin daily with the intention of extending your life, to ward off disease or to feel great about yourself, there is a new calculator which can predict how long you live. This calculation is based on a number of factors.

A little more scientific than spending $75 on psychic reading, The Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be. And it’s free! The calculator was created by Thomas Perls M.D., MPH who is the founder and director of the New England Centenarian Study, the largest study of centenarians and their families in the world.

If this sounds a bit intimidating, take comfort in knowing that if you score lower than you would hope for, there are tons of lifestyle and medical preventive measures you can take to ensure that you live a long and healthy life. And the feedback at the end of the calculator points out these areas that could help add a few more years to your life. (more…)

Obesity Blamed on Increased Use of Medication in Children

Obesity is a problem in our country and sadly it is effecting many children. There are numerous complications associated with obesity, including diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and depression. Due to this increased obesity occurrence in children, many have become dependent on medication to help control the severity of these health complications.

A recent study found some shocking results regarding children and medication use:
– The number of children taking drugs to treat chronic conditions increased across all treatment classes evaluated

– In use of blood pressure medications, lipid-lowering agents, diabetes drugs, and antidepressants, prevalence for youths 15-19 was at least two times greater than in 10- to 14-year-olds and three times greater than in youngsters 5 to 9

– Overall, girls took more blood pressure medication, even though boys are more likely to have hypertension

– Children more than doubled their use of type 2 diabetes medications between 2002 and 2005, with girls 10-14 showing a 166% increase

– The largest increases in high blood pressure treatments were seen in teens 15 to 19 (more…)

Improve Your Health by Being Informed

One of the first steps to making a life change is moving from the stage of precontemplation to contemplation, becoming more aware that your life could be improved in some way and how the status quo could be less than helpful. A process that can help you in this stage transition is known as Consciousness Raising. Consciousness Raising can occur purposefully or you may stumble upon information. Regularly visiting DietsInReview.com presents more opportunities for new information to be integrated into your consciousness; however, not everything we blog directly applies to you and your goals. Stumbling upon information would be as if someone unexpectedly handed you a brochure or flyer about what you needed to know while you were walking down the street one day. Checking out books from the library on the subject would be purposefully increasing your own awareness. (more…)

Extra Weight Put On During Pregnancy Linked to Bigger Babies

According to a new study, women who gain more than 40 pounds during pregnancy are about twice as likely to give birth to a heavy baby compared to those that gain weight within the recommended range. This is not good! Mothers of babies who weigh more than about nine pounds at birth are at greater risk for birth complications, and heavy babies are more likely to be overweight or obese later in life. Which also means that child will be exposed to more weight related complications, i.e. diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, etc. (more…)

Alkalinity: The Secret to a Healthy, Energized Body and Life-Long Health

Yuri Elkaim is a registered holistic nutritionist, certified kinesiologist, and former professional soccer player.  He is the owner of Total Wellness Consulting, a world-renowned fitness, nutrition and conditioning expert, and the author of Eating for Energy. Yuri is also the man behind the service Fitter U, which places personal trainer sessions on your MP3 player.

Have you ever wondered why certain people rarely get sick, look younger than they really are, have glowing skin, and seem to have boundless energy?

Well, their secret lies in what they do and do not eat!

What you put into your body ultimately determines how you look, feel, and function.  Most people attribute getting sick or lacking energy to “external” factors such as the latest “bug” or the aging process, respectively, but fail to realize that what’s happening inside their body at a cellular level is much more important.

Your body (your blood specifically) is constantly working to maintain a slightly alkaline pH in order to function properly.  When this pH gets out of balance (i.e. becomes acidic), your energy is depleted, you more readily pack on weight, and you experience problems such as fatigue, stress, depression, and various diseases.

Unfortunately, the modern Western lifestyle and diet has led most people to live in an overly acidic state.  This has led to numerous health problems. (more…)

8 Reasons to Teach Kids the Benefits of Fitness

Physical fitness should be a part of everyone’s life and I strongly believe that it should be taught at a young age. Most kids grow up playing sports and are very active, but they do not know the importance of what they are doing. We start teaching our kids math, reading, and writing at young ages; why not throw some physical fitness knowledge at them, too?

Students take Physical Education in school, but why stop there? Here is a question for you: Why are kids given recess during grade school? Recess has been proven to increase classroom management, alertness, on-task behavior, and reduce fidgeting. How do you feel when you have been cooped up in an office all day or in the car on a long road trip? Honestly, I would feel tired and exhausted. Well, our kids feel the same way by being cooped up in the classroom all day and that is where the importance of Physical Education and recess come into play. (more…)

What are You Thinking When You Eat?

Last week on Oprah, Roger Schultz shared his pre-Biggest Loser ranch daily diet, including the snack of an entire sleeve of store-bought cookies which he said he ate while watching the Biggest Loser. Other Biggest Loser contestants have made similar revelations and I’m sure several of you snack while watching television. In graduate school, I often kept my mind engaged on my studies through continuous motion of hand to bowl to mouth. I was lucky to be young and active to balance such mindless habits.

How many times have you watched The Biggest Loser or Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Loss Race or even Oprah’s Biggest Loser episode while eating? We eat more when we are focused on something else, not paying attention to what we are doing, and not paying attention to our bodies. Why do you choose to watch these shows in the first place? Do you relate to the contestants? Are you on a similar journey? Are you looking for new ideas to help you along the path? Do you consider these shows to be more family-oriented entertainment than other shows on during prime time and want to communicate a healthy lifestyle to your children? What are you thinking when you make the choice to watch these shows? (more…)

Bankruptcy- That’s How the Cookie Diet Crumbles

Smart for Life Weight Management Centers is closing shop, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Boca Raton, Florida-based company was entangled in a dispute with Miami-based SM Licensing Corp. and Dr. Sanford Siegal over using the term “cookie diet” for its weight loss program.

Smart for Life started as a licensed franchise of Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet, but lost the right to use the terminology in its advertising and web address last year.

A half million people have turned to Dr. Seigal’s Cookie Diet over the span of three decades. There are several nutritious cookies to choose from, in tasty flavors such as chocolate, oatmeal raisin, coconut, banana, and blueberry. You can learn more about Dr. Siegal’s program in our review of the Cookie Diet right here.

Presidential Dimensions, Large and Small

Most of us, at least those enthralled by our civic duty and the future of our country, are busy with voting and watching history unfold tonight. But if you happen to be in our little corner of the World Wide Web, I have a nifty little tidbit for you, one actually related to politics- a chart of the height and weight of every president in the history of the U.S.

Maybe it’s just for political wonks, but I thought it was interesting. It compares the two major candidates in each election, and taller men (and heavier) usually come out of it as the winner. We’ll see if that plays out tonight. Click on the image for a larger view: